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A healthy Christian faith
A healthy Christian faith; what things does it contain ? A few key factors
Contents :
1. Are you really saved? The authorities Marriage and family Respect for spiritual leaders Legalism and illegality Focusing on the devil Distorted gospel of success Gift of prophecy - abuse 9. When something starts to happen Two extremes Not all action is of God
The subject of this writing is a healthy Christian faith. The purpose is to study the Christian faith and what things should be included in it so that it remains on healthy lines. I'm not writing this topic to point the finger at anyone, because I've been thinking for a long time that my own spiritual life is not what it could be. In some areas I can be a moderate example, but in many areas I haven't been. My life is not on the same level as the apostles had and my spiritual growth has been quite slow. I cannot say like Paul: "Be you followers of me, even as I also am of Christ (1 Cor 11:1). I understand that the main reason for the current state of the church in the Western world is that we have not experienced the same kind of Pentecost as the apostles, who were profoundly renewed in this event. Yes, even before that they had done spiritual work, e.g. healed the sick, but after Pentecost they were renewed internally, they became braver, more loving and the spiritual gifts worked more powerfully. On the other hand, the early church was not perfect either. This is evidenced by the letters that have been written to different churches. In those times there were false apostles, there was wrong teaching of the law, there were sins and divisions in the churches, so even then it was not perfect. In the letters, the apostles tried to guide the church in the right direction, but we know that the further back in time we went from the apostles, the more delusions and sins have entered the church. This is the current state of western churches. Anyway, now we're off to explore this area. We begin with the question of whether a person is truly saved.
- (2 Cor 13:5) Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?
When we talk about a healthy faith, of course it requires that a person is saved. However, there are certainly thousands who have not experienced this. Such a person can be a member of the church and believe everything that is written in the Bible. Likewise, he can pray, participate in Christian activities, accept Christian doctrine and even serve as a priest, but still be unsaved. The following description tells of one such person who grew up in the church, but was not really saved. Later he received salvation:
I thought about my early youth years when I was actively involved in Christian activity. Actually, I hadn’t known Jesus. At least not in the end times. I had only been a part of Christian culture and form, which little by little had begun to feel deceptively comfortable. I lived in something that is much more dangerous than Satanism: lukewarm Christianity. I was called a believer, and I had the right kind of Christian upbringing. But I had no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. My faith at the time was not based on a relationship with HIM, but on a relationship with the church, spiritual activity, and Christian living environment. I did not bring my heart before God, but a well-rehearsed performance. (1)
So how does one distinguish theoretical faith from real saving faith? How can you know that you are not among the foolish virgins and among those to whom Jesus comes to say: "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23)? I personally understand that this includes the following points:
• A person may have a theoretical faith in which he accepts Jesus' work of atonement and believes that Jesus died for his sins. However, understanding these things does not in itself bring anyone salvation. True faith also includes the fact that a person himself turns to Jesus, calls out to Him for help, tells Him that he wants to follow Jesus with all his heart and puts all his hope in the matter of salvation in Jesus Christ alone, and not in anything within himself. Mere theoretical knowledge and teaching about Jesus' work of atonement is of no use if a person does not personally take a step towards Jesus. He himself taught: “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.And you will not come to me, that you might have life." (John 5:39,40).
• If a person has theoretical faith, he can pray, but the subjects of prayer are usually focused on himself and his family: that he would be successful at work, that the children would be healthy, that financial matters would be fixed, etc. These are not bad subjects of prayer, but true faith always involves concern for the eternal salvation of others and prayer for them. If a person's prayer is focused only on himself and on worldly subjects, he is certainly not saved. The desire to pray for people's salvation and to increase prayer are among the hallmarks of a genuine religious life.
- (Romans 10:1) Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
• One of the clearest signs is the attitude towards God's word, the Bible. One modern example of this is that people reject the clear teachings of Jesus and the apostles about sexuality, that is, that sex belongs only to a marriage between a man and a wife, and not to other heterosexual or gay relationships (Matt 19:4,5, 1 Cor 7:1-5). Such a person who defends and promotes extramarital sex or homosexual behavior is probably not in the living faith. Based on this, it could be concluded that, for example, about 30% of the priests of the Finnish Lutheran Church have never received salvation (God alone knows people's hearts and fortunately we are not the judges of others), because they reject the clear teachings of Jesus and the apostles. They modify them to their own liking, so that they "fit better with modern times". They are like the Pharisees of Jesus' time, who nullified the word of God, and to whom Jesus said: "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things do you." (Mark 7:13) . Instead, living faith includes the fact that people have a desire to read the Bible and consider it the word of God. Before their conversion, most may have thought quite the opposite.
• Lack of the knowledge of sin is a problem for many people because they have never seen themselves in the light of God's law. They have not seen themselves as sinners, lawbreakers and deserving of damnation. They have not experienced this preparatory stage for salvation. However, the feeling of guilt must appear at some point. It doesn't save in itself and it doesn't always manifest itself so strongly, but it belongs to the stages of preparation for salvation, because the Holy Spirit " will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" (John 16:8) and "for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20). In this state, things that did not bother a person's conscience before begin to weigh on the mind. Man sees his lost state and how he is separated from God. He understands that he cannot earn salvation by himself. As a result, a person wants to repent and seek forgiveness for his sins. Luther explained this in one of his sermons:
Real repenting begins, when your conscience vehemently blames you, and your heart truly fears God’s wrath and judgement – not only the rude and obvious sins, but also unbelief, contempt and disobedience towards God… Because of all this, you are guilty before God, and you know you deserve His wrath and you deserve to be cast away from His sight forever and burn in hell. This remorse does not apply to single actions that contradict with the Ten Commandments of God, in a sense that a person thinks they can still find some good in them, despite everything. No, remorse applies to your whole persona, your whole essence. It wants to show you that you are under God’s wrath and doomed to hell. Remorse can begin from a certain sin, like David’s conscience blamed him for murder and adultery. But real remorse will apply to your whole life and will tell you that you are under God’s wrath and a child of hell. Then your heart will be so frightened that the whole world will become too cramped for you. (2)
Charles H. Spurgeon has explained the subject further. The problem is that we may lure people into salvation even when they are devoid of the feeling of guilt and the need for salvation and do not understand that they are lost. People may, as it were, think that they are doing God a service by condescending to receive salvation. However, their eyes are dry and there is no visible sign of guilt or remorse. They know only intellectually that they are sinners, but they do not know the sins that accuse them. Everything can remain superficial, and no real conversion has taken place.
However, in these times we hear of people who are healed before they are wounded, and who are assured of their justification, although they have never wept over their lost condition. However, we doubt the value of such healings and justifications. For this order of things does not agree with the truth. God never clothes a man until he first undresses them. Nor does he refresh them with the gospel until he has first beaten them with the law. So when you meet people in whom you can't see any sign of the realization of sin, you can be absolutely sure that the Holy Spirit has not influenced them, because "when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:". (3)
• One of the hallmarks of a living faith is that a person receives a new nature from God so that a person wants to do God's will (Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man). Yes, we can fall, and be on the wrong path from time to time, but if a person is truly saved, he wants to get rid of all sin and injustice in his life. If this desire to live according to God's will is not there, a person is certainly not saved. To get a better picture of it, let's take a look at John Bevere's vision. It shows how a person can consider himself a Christian and saved, but still be outside the gates of salvation and heaven. The reason for the condition of these people is surely that they have never repented of their sins and wanted to change inside. They have not allowed God to work in their lives, or maybe at some point they have gradually separated from him. These people only have a theoretical faith, but they are not in salvation:
I received a breathtaking spiritual vision in prayer. It changed my life and my service work. I saw a large group of people, countless of people, a group so large I had never seen such before. These people were gathered outside the gates of Heaven, waiting to be let in and hear the Master say, ”Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matt 25:34). Instead, they heard Him say, ”Depart from me, you cursed.” I saw their horrible shock, anguish and horror. They actually believed they would go to Heaven because they confessed the faith and Jesus as their Lord. However, they had not understood the true meaning of sin. Even though they wanted to get to Heaven, they lacked a burning desire to be obedient to our Father’s will. (4)
Jesus taught about following Him that "No man can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24) and “he that takes not his cross, and follows after me, is not worthy of me. He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:38,39). Here is a good touchstone for a healthy Christian life and faith. Do we have the right order of priorities in our lives so that God and Jesus come first? Because nowadays TV and the internet in particular are a big obstacle in many people's lives. It manifests itself in two ways. First of all, we easily spend too much time on them. Secondly, through them we get wrong life patterns (watching porn, violence, etc.) that are clearly against God's will. Very few are so strong that they know how to limit the use of TV and the Internet to only what is necessary and necessary, such as paying bills, but this area easily slips out of our control. We may also think that we can repent later (tomorrow or a week from now) and then confess our sins, but not right now. However, this is a dangerous path where it is easy to harden yourself. Once a person starts on this path, it can lead to a complete separation from God and eventually to hell. We should take into account e.g. the following related verses:
- (1 John 2:15-17) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God stays for ever.
- (Revelation 2:21) And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
- (2 Peter 2:20-22) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it is happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
- (Hebr 12:1) Why seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
How should we proceed in this matter? The problem is that we have too many stimuli around us and the temptations that come through them. Therefore, if possible, give up the use of television and the Internet, so that they do not bind your life! The closer the temptations are to us, the easier it is to fall for them (e.g. a former alcoholic should not take sauna beers or play with alcohol. Many have become addicted to alcohol again when they were not careful). When a person's state of alertness is weak, he is tired and depressed, it is so easy to go to the TV and the Internet to waste time and give in to temptations. In the past, there were no similar stimuli, but life was simpler. I'm not saying we should go back to some monastic life, but we should be careful. Similarly, you should keep sources of temptation as far away as possible. The further away they are, the easier it is to stay away from them. Donald Gee has told a good parable on the subject:
I know people who think that when they are filled with the Holy Spirit, then they are certainly safe and can go very close to the temptation of sin without falling. However, it is a very dangerous mistake… We have an old story in England, how a man of noble birth in the old days wanted to hire a new driver. There were three men who applied for this position. He asked the first, "How close can you drive to that chasm without falling into it?" "I can drive about ten meters away." Then another one came and the host asked him the same thing: "I can drive from about 5 meters away", and after saying this he thought, I guess I can get that place. Then came the third, and the host repeated the same question. The man replied: "I try to stay as far away from it as possible." "You are exactly the man I need." And on the spot he took her into his service. The same is true when we deal with the issue of sin. It's not about how close you can get to temptation, it's about how far you can stay away from it. (5)
- (1 Tim 6:3-5) If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw yourself.
- (Titus 1:9) Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the disputers.
Earlier it was mentioned how one's attitude towards the Word is a touchstone. If a person is not in the faith, he will probably reject the clear teachings of Jesus and the apostles. In modern times, it manifests itself in denying the historicity of the Bible, denying God's work of creation, and denying the moral teachings of Jesus and the apostles. However, if the historicity of the Bible is studied, there is a huge amount of evidence in favor of it. Dozens of people from the Bible can be found in sources outside the Bible, dozens of places mentioned in the Bible have been excavated, and e.g. the remains of the sea in all the high mountains testify to the Flood; The Himalayas (even on Mount Everest remains of marine life have been found), the Alps, the Andes, etc. It is pointless to say that the Bible does not tell about historical events. Liberal theologians are in the grip of spiritual blindness (and often pride) when they fail to see the historicity of these events. What about the creation that Genesis tells about? Atheists try to deny this teaching of the Bible, but are they right or wrong? I don't think there is any ambiguity about this. They are wrong and have turned to lies and fables when they believe in unproven atheistic theories (Cf. Paul's words and prophecy: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables , 2 Tim 4:3,4). In this matter, you should pay attention to the following points:
• Atheistic scientists do not know how the heavenly bodies were born. They have different theories, but they are all based on imagination and guesswork. They are atheistic explanatory models and guesses, but they have no scientific basis, because no one has ever observed the formation of heavenly bodies by themselves. Scientists admit that the universe has a beginning, but they cannot go beyond that. If they were honest, they would admit that they do not know about this matter. Or they would be even more reasonable if they took God into account, because only through Him could the world as it is now come into being. • Atheists do not know how life originated. This is understandable because life cannot possibly arise by itself from inanimate matter. It's an impossibility. Only God could have created life. • Atheistic scientists cannot prove that all species originated from the same primordial cell. This theory appears repeatedly in nature programs and school books, but it has never been proven correct. Well-known paleontologists have admitted that there is no evidence of gradual evolution in the fossil record, even though Darwin's theory requires it. The theory of gradual development is also refuted by the fact that all modern animals and fossils have always been found completely ready and developed. No adult individuals have been found that are half developed. This clearly refutes Darwin's theory, according to which all current species originate from the same primitive cell. • Atheistic scientists reject intelligent design. However, they admit intelligent design in man-made objects. For example, there is a statue of football player Jari Litmanen in Lahti, and everyone admits that intelligent planning was required to create it. However, an ordinary person is about a million orders of magnitude more complex than a statue. A lifeless statue cannot move, speak, eat, reproduce, see, hear, smell or feel emotions. Therefore, it is absurd to deny the role of intelligent design in man and nature, as atheist scientists do. This thought pattern is due to their spiritual blindness. • If we consider the time since creation, atheists generally talk about millions of years. However, if you compare e.g. the presence of humans, mammoths and dinosaurs on Earth, there is no scientific way to show that one of them is essentially older or younger than the others. If dinosaur, mammoth and human fossils are in the same condition and as close to the surface of the earth, who can say that a dinosaur fossil is millions of years older? Nobody can do this, because the fossils have no tags about their age. The species in question have been able to live simultaneously on Earth, but only in different ecological compartments. Even today there are different ecological areas with different animals and plants.
That was about creation and the history of the Bible. We have good reasons to believe that the Bible is a historical book and that God created everything. Those who argue against it do not take into account the obvious facts and do not understand how weak the foundations of atheistic theories of the origin of the universe and life are. The same is evident in modern times in the attitude of many to the moral teachings of Jesus and the apostles. They do not accept that divorce is wrong (“A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed", Matt 16:4) or that all extramarital sex is wrong; premarital sex, cheating on a spouse, or homosexuality ("Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband", 1 Cor 7:2.). Likewise many accept the killing of children in abortion or euthanasia, even though the Bible teaches: "You shall do no murder " (Matt 19:18: He said to him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness). In modern times, we have gone and are going further and further away from the moral teaching that Jesus and the apostles represented. What about the use of the Word in guidance? We can easily place visions, revelations, angels or dreams more important than the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, but that should not happen. Most delusions have started when too much emphasis has been placed on things other than the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. God will never lead us contrary to his Word (Still, we should beware of loose Bible verses. The main principles of the Word, not individual verses, should be the guiding star. You should remember that even Satan can use individual Bible verses, as happened in the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Matt 4:1 -11. Satan can easily incite and push a person to actions that God has not called him to. One should beware of this.) In modern times, there is also a lot of talk about angels, but God's angels never appear at the will of man, and they are not constantly guiding man in a certain direction. Instead, spirit guides and (false) angels are common in the New Age movement. Of course, the Bible also talks about angels, but the constant presence of angels and spirit guides always refers to misleading spirit beings, demonic spirits. Mostly they have appeared to people who have been practicing some passive form of meditation (TM and other forms of meditation) for years. For example, most of Japan's religions have originated through passive meditation. Likewise, Buddha and Muhammad practiced meditation before receiving their revelation. Angelic revelations were also in the background of Mormon leader Joseph Smith. His teaching from the angels contained many things that are familiar in the Christian faith, as are the revelations of Muhammad, but still it was a false revelation. We should be on our guard if, through prophecy or through revelations, some completely new doctrines begin to be introduced. Paul warned against this:
- (Gal 1:6-8) I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
- (Col 2:18) Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increases with the increase of God.
- (2 Thess 2:15) 15 Therefore, brothers, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word, or our letter.
One area related to the Word of the Bible is proclamation. It should be based on what the Bible says. Especially the atoning work of Jesus, a change of mind in relation to sin and salvation are things that should be taught. The apostles also focused on the same things. We are not doing wrong if we follow the same line. Billy Graham is a good example of a preacher who used a lot of the Bible in his preaching. His declaration was very simple and understandable, containing plenty of Bible verses. A turning point in his preaching occurred before the Los Angeles meetings, when he moved from much cultivation of narratives to a more abundant use of the Bible. Graham himself has said:
How ignorant I had been before. I had done a lot of work while preparing my sermons, I had placed descriptions and experiences from my own life in them: God had indeed blessed that work as well. But in what a different way he now blesses a simple word of the Bible in this series of meetings. 'The word says! … The Bible says!' I got to such a point that I could no longer use my former sermons. While studying God's word for 6-8 hours every day, I was able to take my new sermons from God. They were just like imprinted on my heart... I left out all the descriptions and instead used 25-100 scriptures every night when I preached. I came to see that people cannot resist the word of God penetrating the heart. You might ask: did people listen? Everywhere people thirst for the word of God. (6)
Another example of the use of the Bible is the well-known preacher DL Moody who lived in the 19th century. He was a diligent man of prayer, but he learned that the Word is the seed that gives birth to faith (cf. Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God / 1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and stays for ever.) He learned it through Henry Moorehouse, when he proclaimed the Word, bringing forth its riches. Moody's biography tells how Moody experienced change and learned the meaning of the Word. In addition, his declaration became more so that God's love for sinners came out more strongly:
Moody... When we look deeper into his inner self and follow the pulse of his spiritual life, we can note that he was above all a humble and devout prayer. … In order to become a useful weapon of God, Moody also needed a special Bible revival. In 1867, he had been on a speaking trip lasting a couple of days. After returning home to Chicago, he went to church on Sunday morning to hear a visitor from England speak. This guest, the preacher Henry Moorehouse, had come to town during his absence and made his first public appearance on Thursday evening. ...On Sunday evening there was another occasion at the church. Moorehouse spoke again on the same topic and captivated the audience. - My heart started to melt, says Moody, - and I couldn't hold back my tears. Throughout the week, Moorehouse spoke from the same text every night, still drawing on the riches of the Word as if from an inexhaustible, bubbling, fresh spring. On the last night, he concluded his speech with the following words: - If I were to die tomorrow night and go to heaven and meet the angel Gabriel there standing before the face of God, and ask him how much God has loved sinners, I think he would answer: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son , that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” After the series of meetings ended, Moorehouse said to Moody: - Listen, Moody, you're sailing astray! - What do I have to do? How should the Bible be studied in order for its sources to open up to me in all their richness? - If you change course and proclaim God's word to people instead of your own thoughts, you can become his mighty weapon. And in addition, he gave Moody direct advice and instructions, which Moody humbly accepted. It marked a new turn in his life. He became a diligent Bible student. And his declaration was now completely based on the word of the Bible and received a new content. - I used to preach, he said at this turning point in his life, - that God stands behind the sinner with a double-edged sword in his hand, ready to beat him to the ground. I don't talk like that anymore. Now I declare that God stands behind the sinner as loving and merciful and that it is the sinner who wants to run away from this God of love. (7)
One of the basic elements of a healthy Christian faith is prayer and making
time for it. Through the word God speaks to us, but in prayer we speak to God,
turning to him. Both of them are needed in spiritual life. However, the
problem is, as stated earlier, that many people fill their lives with wrong
and pointless things, such as watching TV. TV and nowadays the internet are
the biggest time stealers. It is no wonder if the prayer life of Christians
becomes weak if they spend hours on these things. It is difficult to
concentrate on prayer if the television is on at the same time.
David Wilkerson made a selection in this area at the end of the 1950s.
Back then, TV shows were much more pure in spirit compared to what's on offer
today, but Wilkerson found that TV tied up his spiritual life. In his book
The Cross and the Switcbblade he told how he sold the television and tried
to replace it with prayer. It is known what followed from this. He went to New
York, where thousands were saved and junkies got rid of their habits. This
would hardly have happened if he had continued as before and had not set aside
time for prayer:
"How many hours do I spend in front of that screen in the evenings?" I said to
myself. “At least two hours. But Lord, what would happen if I sold that TV and
spent that time praying?” I was the only person in our family who watched that
screen.
What would really happen if I spent two hours in prayer every night? It
was a delightful thought. Put a prayer instead of a TV and see what happens! (8)
Then why should we pray to God? Can't he accomplish his good will on earth
without our prayers? Yes, He certainly could, but God uses people as an
intermediary in carrying out His will. He has given the preaching of the
gospel to people and He has given us prayer to promote spiritual work. He
usually doesn't interfere in people's affairs unless specifically asked to do
so. That is why we must turn to God in prayer if we want Him to influence our
lives and society on earth.
Jesus' teaching in the Lord's Prayer brings this point out well. God's
will is not automatically fulfilled on earth, but must be prayed for.
Otherwise, we cannot expect God's help and touch:
- (Matt 6:9,10) After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father
which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
In prayer, the key factor is endurance. The prayer should be durable so that
the same things are brought before God time after time. Although there have
been no results from the prayer so far, the prayer should not be stopped. This
model was taught by Jesus himself and the apostles. We should not get tired or
discouraged, but continue to pray no matter what. Discouragement is one of the
biggest reasons why prayer is left unfinished:
- (Luke 18:1-7) And he spoke a parable to them to this end, that men
ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded
man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying,
Avenge me of my adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I
fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her
continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night to him,
though he bear long with them?
- (Luke 11:5-8) And he said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and
shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of my in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set
before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now
shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you.
8 I say to you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he
needs.
- (Col 4:2) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
We can also learn from past revivals. We easily have the idea that those in
the middle of the revivals were some kind of superhumans, but that is a
completely wrong idea. They have been as lacking as we are, but the background
has often been sustained and unrelenting prayer. Often the situation may have
seemed hopeless, but when the prayer has been continued for years, it has
finally produced a result.
One example from this area is William Seymour, who has become famous for
the Azusa Street revival that began well over a century ago. Before the
revival, he first prayed five hours a day, then he increased his prayer time
to six hours, and later when he arrived in Los Angeles, he already prayed
eight hours a day (Cecil M. Robeck, Jr: "Seymour had prayed five hours each
day for two and a half years..." , Ch.3, (p. 93).
T.B. Barratt, the late Pentecostal apostle through whom the revival began
in Norway and spread elsewhere, is another example. He too had preached the
gospel for years, but had thirsted and prayed for years for a deeper work of
God and permanent victory in his own life. His biography (Martin Ski: TB
Barratt – pentecostal apostle / DØPT I ÅND OG ILD) tells about his spiritual
thirst: He confesses that this year of trial in the United States had bent
him deeply before God. Years of internal longing and external circumstances
had led him to the peak of the crisis. The thirst to be filled with the Spirit
was "almost unbearable".
A third example of spiritual thirst is Rodney M. Howard-Browne. In one of
his books, he tells how his parents sometimes prayed even from seven in the
evening until two in the morning, so he was allowed to grow up in an
atmosphere of prayer. However, in the same book, he also talks about his own
spiritual thirst as follows:
I knew there was more available, much more. Over the next few years, I began
to experience a hunger for God. In July 1979, I cried out to God in sheer
despair. I wanted him to express himself to me and in me. I was hungry.
… When you begin to so desperately need the Holy Spirit in your life that
you want nothing else, then He will come. There is something in hungry and
thirsty hearts that causes God's power to move past the multitudes into just
such a habitation. (9)
What can be learned from the previous one? I personally understand that
persistent prayer and spiritual thirst are needed. Everyone can receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit right away by simply asking, but it is a different
thing to pray to God for a wider outpouring of the Holy Spirit over society,
and that requires longer-term prayer. It's not just about begging for a few
minutes, but about long-term praying, where we want God to influence society
through his Holy Spirit. Without it, all spiritual work is pretty much useless.
Another example from this area is Evan Roberts, who is known for the Welsh
Revival. It is said that a foreign evangelist came to Wales to investigate the
revival there and said, "I came here to Wales to dig up the secret of the
Welsh revival."
Evan Roberts, who heard the man speak, pointed his finger directly at the
stranger and shouted: “There is no secret! Ask and it will be given to you!”
What does this mean? It's not about superhumans, talent or anything like
that, but that things have been prayed for years or decades, and then an
answer has finally been received. The seeds of prayer must be sown or have
been sown in order to reap a harvest later. It is the same law as in
agriculture. There is no point in waiting for the harvest if the sowing work
has not been done first.
The following quote tells more about Evan Roberts' personal prayer life
before revival. It was not by chance that he was being used by God because he
had diligently prayed to God over the years:
Evan Roberts writes: “For thirteen years I prayed to the Holy Spirit. I got
started by Davies, the deacon, saying to me in the evening meeting, 'Remember
to be faithful. What if the Spirit was poured out in your absence? Don't
forget Thomas! How much he lost!' - I said to myself: 'I want to get the
Spirit'. Regardless of the bad weather and other difficulties, I went to the
meetings. Watching the other boys' boat games in the tide, I was sometimes
tempted to join them, but then I told myself: 'Remember your solution!' – and
so I could move on. I faithfully attended meetings and prayed for revival for
10 or 11 full years. Only the Holy Spirit made me act like this." (10)
Another example from this area is the description given by Charles Finney. It
is about a city where the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong that
people came to a sense of sin and salvation. There was no need to argue with
them because God Himself showed the people their condition. Finney tells of a
woman who had prayed before that, and this must have had an effect on the
creation of the town's atmosphere.
… Mr. Aiken, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, provided the burial. I heard
from him that a spirit of prayer had begun to manifest in his congregation and
in the city of Utica. One of the most notable women of the congregation was so
troubled in her soul about the state of the congregation and the wickedness of
the city that she had prayed for two days and nights almost incessantly until
she was tired out. Her soul did work so hard that her strength went to such an
extent that she could no longer bear her inner burden unless she could get
someone to pray with he, on whose prayers she could lean, and who carried her
wish to God.
I understood this and told Mr. Aiken that now the work begins in the heart
of this woman. He admitted that, of course, and hoped that I would immediately
come to his congregation to begin with him. That's what I did soon, and the
work began. Its power was felt immediately, and the influence of the Holy
Ghost filled the entire region. The meetings were crowded every night, and the
work spread greatly, especially to both presbyterian congregations. I divided
my time between them.
... So this largest hotel in the city became the center of spiritual work,
and many turned there. The mail wagons stopped at the hotel as they drove
through, and so immense was God's influence on society as a whole that I heard
that many people who stayed there only for a meal or for the night had come to
great feeling of guilty and to conversion before leaving the city. It was a
very common phenomenon, both in Rome and here, that no one could be in the
city or pass through it without knowing the presence of God; so His influence
seemed to permeate these regions, and God's life enlivened the whole
atmosphere. (11)
In the Christian life, one can often emphasize the wrong things: visions,
dreams, revelations or miracles. Yes, these things can also be part of the
Christian faith, but they are not the core of it. For example, Satanists and
occultists can do the same things. They may have the gift of speaking in
tongues from a demonic source or other occult phenomena, so miracles are not
exclusive to the Christian faith. After all, Jesus stated in his time (Matt
24:24,25) "
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect. Behold, I have told you before.” Similarly,
Paul prophesied (2 Thess 2:9,10): "Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all
delusion of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved."
One
example is also Judas, who performed miracles. He was casting out demons and
healing the sick together with other disciples, but everyone knows the end
result in his case; his life was wrecked.
Even more remarkable are Jesus' words about those who perform miracles in
his name, but whom Jesus himself has never known. The question is whether they
did these miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit or by the power of the
enemy. We are not told that, but Jesus did not know them (Matt 7:21-23): "Not
every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your
name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work
iniquity.”
So what is the essence of the Christian faith, apart from the fact that we
should believe in Jesus Christ? It is, of course, love for God and people. There
is no higher level than loving God and your neighbors more. John Wesley has
taught on the subject:
It would be good if you were fully aware of this. "The
heaven of heavens is love". There is nothing greater in religion; in fact
there's nothing else to it, if you're looking for anything but love, you're
going astray, off the king's path. And when you ask others, “Have you received
this or that blessing?” and if you mean anything other than “more love,” you
mean the wrong thing; you are leading them astray, heading down the wrong path.
Avoid criticizing and judging, especially beware of thinking that people who
always seem to be against you (in their opinions or actions) are blind, dead
fallen or "enemies" and beware of labeling them with these adjectives.
We can see the same thing in the following Bible teachings. Too often we
emphasize unimportant things, but we forget the most important thing, which is
a good loving and respectful relationship with our neighbors, both believers
and non-believers. Then we actually reject the most central teaching of the
Bible. The importance of this issue becomes clear in numerous examples:
• According to Jesus, the greatest commandment is that a person loves God and
his neighbor with all his heart. There is nothing greater or better that man
can do. Paul also taught that love is the central teaching of the law:
- (Matt 22:35-40) Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,
tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
- (1 Tim 1:5-7)
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart,
and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 From which some having swerved have turned aside to vain jangling;
7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor
whereof they affirm.
- (Rom 13:8) Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for
he that loves another has fulfilled the law.
- (Gal 5:14) For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.
Moreover, Jesus taught to love even one's enemies. If this is followed, the
world would be a much better place. There would be no wars and no enmity.
Every person can easily love those who love him too, as Jesus taught, but he
did not find this excellent at all:
- (Matt 5:43-48) You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your
neighbor, and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you,
and persecute you;
45 That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he
makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just
and on the unjust.
46 For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? do not
even the publicans the same?
47 And if you salute your brothers only, what do you more than others? do not
even the publicans so?
48 Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
• The fact that God is love and that love is the first of the fruits of the
Spirit testifies to God's essence and what is important to him.
- (1 John 4:7,8) 7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loves is born of God, and knows God.
8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.
- (Gal 5:22,23)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
• Religiosity without love is well reflected in the life of the Pharisees.
They had forms of religion and correct doctrine (Matt 23:1-3: Then spoke
Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying The scribes and the
Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatever they bid you observe,
that observe and do; but do not you after their works: for they say, and do
not.), but they forgot what was most important in the law. Jesus rebuked
them for this. Likewise, Jesus' rebuke applies to people today if we pay
attention only to the doctrines of the Bible but not to loving people:
- (Matt 23:23-28) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you
pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters
of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought you to have done, and not
to leave the other undone.
24 You blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess.
26 You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter,
that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like to white
washed sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full
of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are
full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
• As stated, miracles, healings or accurate predictions are not the essence of
the Christian faith. For example, there were these things in Paul's life (Romans
15:17-19), but he did not consider them the most important, but love for
people. Otherwise he would not have written in the following way:
- (1 Cor 13:1,2) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and
have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and
all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains,
and have not charity, I am nothing.
Paul's love for people is well expressed in the following verses. He could
write how he and his life were an example for others. Very few can claim the
same as Paul :
-
(2 Cor 12:14-15) Behold, the third time I am ready
to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you:
for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the
parents, but the parents for the children.
15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more
abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
-
(2 Cor 2:3-4) And I wrote this same to you, lest,
when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having
confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many
tears; not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the
love which I have more abundantly to you.
-
(2 Tim 3:10-11) But you have fully known my
doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience,
11 Persecutions, afflictions, which came to me at Antioch, at
Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord
delivered me.
-
(Phil 3:17) Brothers, be followers together
of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an ensample.
• Speaking in tongues is often considered to be the best sign of the fullness
of the Holy Spirit, but it is not the best evidence because even occultists
can speak in demonic tongues. It is of course true that speaking in tongues
was often a result of being filled with the Spirit during the early church,
but an even better indication of the fullness of the Spirit is love. This was
realized e.g. In Paul's life, as the previous verses show. Similarly, it has
been realized in the lives of some other true servants of God. The following
is the experience of the well-known 19th century preacher, DL Moody (Moody
apparently never spoke in tongues because his friend RA Torrey said in his
book The Baptism with the Holy Spirit that he did not know anyone of
his contemporaries who spoke in tongues) and the Pentecostal apostle TB
Barratt experience. Through their experience, both gained a greater love for
people:
DL Moody: The blessing came upon me like a flash of lightning. I remember
walking the streets of New York, and right there on the street the power of
God seemed to come upon me in such a wonderful way that I had to ask God to
stay His hand. I was filled with a sense of God's goodness, and I felt as if I
could take the whole world into my heart. (12)
T.B. Barratt: It took place yesterday, Sunday, October the 7th,
between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., and now I will tell you all how it happened. My
soul is burning! I feel as if I was the happiest man in the world. Everything
has become new. I am full of joy, peace, and love towards God and all people!
Through the days he has led me, my heart continually shouting, “Forward!
Forward!” Since my difficult illness over 20 years ago, there have always been
forces, good forces, which have driven me forward. The question of
sanctification has been my dearest subject; I have fought for it, even though
I have not experienced it. (…)
But how wretched I felt in my own eyes before the purity and holiness of
God! I saw my own ambition, selfishness, stubbornness, and carnality. Oh, my
God, I saw so much, so much that would grieve the Holy Spirit! I was broken
and bent to the ground over and over again. (13)
• Sometimes doomsday prophecies appear, promising destruction for a society or
city. Likewise, it may be argued that some earthquake or destruction, e.g. the
tsunami that happened in Southeast Asia years ago, was the result of sins.
However, you should be very careful in this area. Most of the time, the
destruction is not necessarily related to the fact that one group was more
sinful than another. For example, the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004 also
faced many poor Indian fishermen who were Christians. In addition, Jesus
warned against connecting all destructions or accidents to people's sinfulness,
but urged each person to repent:
- (Luke 13:1-5) There were present at that season some that told him of the
Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said to them, Suppose you that these Galilaeans
were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think
you that they were sinners above all men that dwelled in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish.
Secondly, it is worth paying attention to the fact that, for example, Jesus,
even though he predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, he wept over the fate
of the city (Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and
wept over it). He did not have a hard heart, but he felt sadness in his
heart about the hardening of people and the fate of Jerusalem. Jesus also
rebuked the two disciples who wanted to call down fire from heaven to destroy
the place where Jesus was not received (Luke 9:51-56).
And what about Paul? We are told that he too felt sorrow for the condition
of the people. He was not harsh and bitter like the false prophets, but he was
concerned about people's destinies. It becomes clear in the following verses:
-
(Rom 9:1-3) I say the truth in Christ, I lie not,
my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers, my
kinsmen according to the flesh
- (Phil 3:17-19) Brothers, be followers together of me, and mark them which
walk so as you have us for an ensample.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even
weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in
their shame, who mind earthly things.)
- (Acts 20:29-31) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw
away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
From here it is good to move on to the preaching, where love should also be
expressed. None of us can squeeze out of ourselves the same kind of love that
Paul had, because it is a matter of grace that comes through the Holy Spirit,
but we shouldn't be hard either. Compassion for people, not their sins, should
come out clearly. An example of this is, in addition to Paavali, e.g. George
Whitefield, associate of John Wesley in the 18th century, the most gifted
preacher of his time, but who often wept during his sermons. The reason was
his compassion for people. The kind of love Whitefield had is rare today.
Therefore, it is not surprising if the speeches do not touch people.
Known as the prince of preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon, who lived in the
19th century, has raised the same issue. He emphasizes how terrible it is for
someone to speak coldly and indifferently about the judgment of the wicked.
Such persons have lost all human kindness and goodness, and cannot reach
others.
It is terrible when a man becomes so orthodox that he can speak coldly and
indifferently of the judgment of the wicked. Although he may not directly
praise God for it, he does not feel heartache when he thinks about the
drowning of millions of people. This is horrible!
I hate to hear such men speak of the Lord's judgments, whose cold faces
and gruff voices express dry orthodoxy. All human kindness and goodness has
dried up from them. A preacher who lacks emotion in himself cannot create it
in others. People sit listening to his dry and lifeless presentation until
they begin to judge him as "healthy" They also become "healthy" themselves,
and needless to say, they also fall into a "healthy" sleep. The life that has
been in them has been lost as they scent deception and try to make pious men
sinners for the sake of a single word. If only we were never baptized in such
a spirit! (14)
• Encountering and loving non-believers is one key thing. If it's e.g.
unbelieving priests, homosexuals, Palestinians or foreigners, the good
question is whether the believer truly loves them from his heart. We don't
need to love people's sins and wrongdoing, but people themselves. That's a
pretty big difference. It's hard to reach out to outsiders if you don't feel
any compassion for them. It is a sin that we can easily commit. Then we do not
act like Jesus, who was a friend of sinners and who received them. (The
problem in many churches is that they don't know how to receive new people.
It's hard for people to settle into congregations if they don't have good
friendships there):
- (Luke 7:31-35) And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of
this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like to children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to
another, and saying, We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have
mourned to you, and you have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and you
say, He has a devil.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and you say,
Behold a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of publicans and
sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
- (Luke 15:1-7) Then drew near to him all the publicans and sinners for to
hear him.
2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receives
sinners, and eats with them.
3 And he spoke this parable to them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not
leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost,
until he find it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying
to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
In his book
Valmistu Jumalan käyttöön
Tapani Suonto tells about one way of meeting people. These
are homosexuals, who are often deeply suspicious of the Christian congregation,
and the reason can often be the wrong attitude of Christians. However, many
homosexuals are open to the gospel message and will receive it if it is
properly presented:
We did years of evangelistic work in our café in the centre of Helsinki. The
Gospel Garden on Iso Roobertinkatu was open to the pub crowd late into the
night. We reached large groups of ordinary restaurant audiences, young people
and gay people. Many nights, our entire Christian nightclub – as we advertised
with a little humor – was full of gay people from Helsinki. For many, we were
able to pray personally. A circle of converted homosexuals also functioned
quietly in our work center, where men and women suffering from sexual problems
supported each other, prayed for each other and looked for answers in the
Bible for their lives. Many of them had experienced great help from God in
their difficulties.
… It is incredibly difficult for us Christians to accept that Jesus sent us
to love sinful people like ourselves. (15)
6. Do you follow Jesus or people?
When I was not yet in the faith, one of the reasons for my negativity towards
God was the injustices that had happened within the church during the
centuries. I rejected God and the Christian faith because of what some people
in the church had done wrong. I didn't know at the time that Paul had already
predicted such a development 2000 years ago, because he spoke to the Ephesians
(Acts 20:29-31:) "I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among your own group men will
arise, teaching perversions of the truth to draw the disciples away after them.
Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not
stop warning each one of you with tears."
In addition, I did not understand that, for example, in the Catholic
Church, where there have been many wrongs such as sexual abuse of children,
most of the priests have not been in the living faith (this is the problem of
all old churches). It is shown by the fact that they have false ways of
salvation such as Mary and the merits of the saints, works of atonement, the
purifying effect of purgatory, etc. So, when I was negative towards God, it
was because I was offended by people who were not even in living faith. Also,
I didn't take into account that we only have to account for our own lives, and
we can't refer to what others have done.
But but. Yes, even those in living faith can make mistakes and fall. (E.g.
Lonnie Frisbee, who became famous for the hippie revival in the late 1960s,
eventually died of AIDS due to homosexual relationships). We are not in heaven
yet and we have a sinful nature that will remain until the end. The treasure
is in clay jars (2 Cor 4:7), but the clay jars are not perfect. Sin always
hangs in us to some extent (Romans 7:21) and we are not one hundred percent
free from it. Inadequacy also appeared in the lives of the apostles. Although,
for example, Paul could say, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of
Christ" (1 Cor 11:1), despite everything, he too was imperfect. For
example, in the Acts of the Apostles, it is told how he and Barnabas became
angry with each other (Acts 15:39). Likewise, we are told in Paul's letter to
the Galatians how Peter was afraid and fell into hypocrisy (Gal 2:11-13). This
happened despite the fact that Peter had once been strongly filled with the
Holy Spirit. This shows that even once experienced strong baptism of the Holy
Spirit does not protect from sin. We always have temptations left and falling
is possible. Jesus is the only one who did not fall into sin in the face of
temptations. He was was “tempted in every way just as we are, yet without
sin" (Hebr 4:15).
What can be concluded from this? Many exalt too much spiritual leaders who
are in the limelight, but are immediately disillusioned and perhaps abandon
the Christian faith when they fall. In this case, you should ask yourself: are
you following Jesus or imperfect people? Is your faith in flawed people or in
God's son, Jesus Christ, who died for your sins? This is a good question to
ask because sometimes people direct their faith to the wrong places instead of
Jesus Christ.
So why do people fall? The most common reason is carelessness about sin,
as stated above. People go too close to the temptations of sin and they fall.
On the other hand, we should pay attention to what Jesus and the apostles
taught. When many stumble in different areas of their lives, it is basically
because they do not respect the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Most
downfalls are related to sexuality, money and the pride that comes from
success.
In this matter, you should pay attention to the following points:
• First, sexuality. Many have fallen in this area. Watching porn, which comes
out through the internet and television, is one aspect of this. If a person
has been deeply addicted to porn, it is best to give up both the internet and
television. Otherwise, a person is constantly exposed to temptations.
In addition, many spiritual leaders have been careless in pastoral care
and meeting members of the opposite sex. They may have fallen and divorced
their wives as a result. They do not consider that God will judge adulterers.
Yes, adultery can of course be forgiven, but it is always dangerous if a
person intentionally commits adultery and even defends it. Some may even say
that God is leading them to a new marriage "because the former spouse was not
spiritual enough." However, this is a lie, because God never leads us against
His word, i.e. to break the marriage and immediately remarry (on the other
hand, if the children's or own life is in danger, then it is probably best to
move away):
- (Hebr 13:4) Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
- (1 Cor 6:9,10)
Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be
not deceived: neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
• Greed and lust for money
- (1 Tim 6:6-10) 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry
nothing out.
8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows.
Greed, lust for money and a luxurious lifestyle is a problem for some. I don't
think we should admire poverty or be envious of anyone. There is nothing
admirable about poverty, and we should not strive for it. On the contrary, it
would be better if there are well-to-do and rich people in society, because
they can best help other people financially and promote the work of the
gospel. Likewise, it would be good if every pastor and spiritual worker
received a reasonable salary for their work. It is not an honor if large
churches do not pay their employees enough to be able to support their
families (1 Cor 9:14 In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim
the gospel to receive their living by the gospel.).
Greed, however, is another thing, of which e.g. Paul warned us in the
previous verses. (Paul also taught that the shepherd of the church should not
be greedy for money, 1 Tim 3:3). This applies to both the poor and the rich.
Paul advised us to live a simple life, not greed. It certainly also means
being honest in business matters, in filing tax returns and not stealing
anything from the workplace or elsewhere.
This leads to the question of where our heart is. Is it only in earthly
things or in heavenly things. Sometimes this can also be asked about some
spiritual workers. What do a luxurious lifestyle, expensive luxury cars,
luxury houses, private jets or demanding five-figure meeting fees indicate? At
least I personally think that these people's hearts are tied to these matters.
Their treasure is in this world, not in the world to come. After all, Jesus
taught that where a person's heart is attached, there is his treasure. Yes,
even the poor can be guilty of this, each of us:
- (Matt 6:19-21)
Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
• Pride. One of the touchstones of the spiritual life is the battle between
pride and humility. Pride was the cause of Satan's fall (Isaiah 14), and most
of us fall easily into it. For example, Niilo Yli-Vainio, whom God used as an
intermediary for revival in Finland and abroad, stated as follows. According
to him, it is easier for a person to endure a lottery win and a minister's hat
than to be used by God. He himself had to go through many trials before he
understood that he could not achieve anything on his own. Only then was he
used by God to a greater extent.
Oh, how many things a man can endure better than being in use by God.
Listen to me, he can handle money and success better. He can take a lottery
win and a minister's hat more easily than God making a tool out of him.
Because of this many persons become impossible, and because of this many men
fall, and there won’t be real revival. (16)
Pride usually results from the fact that a person has not learned to feel his
own helplessness in God's work. It can take years or decades before a person
humbles himself and does not consider himself superior to others. This
happened e.g. In the case of Moses, who had to live for 40 years in the desert
before realizing his helplessness. As a result of these trials, he was called
the humblest man on earth (Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek,
above all the men which were on the face of the earth).
On the other hand, newly converted and those who have been in the faith for
a short time are in greater danger, because they do not have enough
self-knowledge and an understanding of their own powerlessness. That is why
Paul warned that the overseer of the church should not be newly converted,
because pride may be the result (1 Tim 3:6 6 Not a novice, lest being
lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil).
Usually pride follows big wins. In the intoxication of victory, when a
person begins to look at his own talent and the blessings he has received,
perhaps feats of strength or the use of grace gifts and great multitudes, he
forgets his vigilance and becomes careless. Satan then gets to attack from
behind, and the person doesn't notice it at first. As a result, he may fall
into all kinds of delusions that he previously avoided. The root cause of
everything is that he shifted his gaze from the giver of blessings to himself
and the admiration he received from people. He does not remember that God is
against the proud and does not give his glory to others. Most people find it
easier to endure being in the wilderness than to be blessed by God.
- (Hebr 12:2)
Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- (Phil 2:3)
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves.
- (1 Peter 5:5) Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yes,
all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for
God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.
- (Is 42:8) 8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not
give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Frank Bartleman, who was involved in the Azusa street revival more than a
century ago, has taken a stand on the subject. He spoke about self-emphasis,
self-satisfaction, admiration of others, self-consciousness and hunting for
praise and how they are a hindrance to God's work. He observed this in many
churches and mentioned that the religious life of our time seems to be in need
of true followers of the humble and gentle Christ.
The devil has no conscience, and the flesh has no reason. Many have never
learned humble respect, politeness, or anything else even in ordinary dealings. The
spirit of self-emphasis is one of the most abominable things in the world...
Without a doubt, even the slightest self-satisfaction in the work of faith is
the greatest obstacle to receiving God's grace and blessing. Avoid it like a
snake... Many like to draw 'power' from every source they can get their hands
on, to perform miracles and get people's attention and admiration directed at
themselves. In that way they take away the glory from Christ and merely
present the works of man. The religious life of our time seems to be missing
the true followers of the humble and gentle Christ the most.
...Faith accomplishes the most, love works the most, humility endures the
most. The revelation given by God will humble people. He who strives to
achieve great results and perform feats will fail. A self-conscious pretender
is a loser. If I manage to get to the top, everything else is ruined. Excellence
is measured by the yardstick of the vain self. The praise hunter has lost God. Self-consciousness
must give way. We are also too aware of our fellow human beings. We need
God-consciousness.
Humility, not infallibility, befits fallen beings. Water looks for low
places. At the top of everything, Satan tempts man to believe in his own
infallibility. (17)
7. Honor all men (1 Peter 2:17)
One characteristic of a healthy Christian faith is respect: respect for
authority and laws, respect in family and relationships, and respect for
church leaders.
Modern times have gone further and further away from God's will in this
area. Forms of rebellion have appeared that would have terrified not only the
church, but also society at the beginning of the last century. Respect has
gradually eroded so that the leaders of our country are no longer respected. Likewise,
it manifests itself in how children treat their parents or how they talk about
pastors and church leaders. The most fatherless generation in world history
has less and less respect for authority. In
this matter, you should pay attention to the following points:
The authorities.
Obeying authority and laws is one of the characteristics of a healthy
Christian faith.
Governing authorities is the order established by God (Romans 13:1), and
therefore rebellion, violence and crime are against God's will. Of course,
there are situations where superiors can order wrongdoing, as may have
happened throughout history (e.g., during Nazi Germany, many would plead
that they were just following orders from their superiors). Then one
should not obey, but God's will is always primary.
God's work should also not be promoted in rebellious ways or with violence.
“For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matt
26:52). Following Jesus is always based on voluntariness, not compulsion. He
doesn't force anyone to follow him, and neither should we. The gospel is good
news about the forgiveness of sins, not a collection of laws for unbelievers.
The preaching and teaching of the word and persistent prayer is the way the
lies of the enemy are broken. The apostles acted this way and the work of
God's kingdom progressed. Nothing else is needed, and everything else is a
deviation from God's will.
Also, if the Christian faith is genuine, it should lead to a decrease in
crime. This has always happened in revivals. For example, Charles Finney told
about a revival in the 19th century, where crime in a city dropped by tens of
percent. The same should happen when an individual person encounters God. It
should make him give up his life of crime. Respect for authority and laws is
evident e.g. in the following verses.
- (Rom 13:1-7)
Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of
God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they
that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Will you
then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shall have
praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is
evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath on him that does evil.
5 Why you must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience
sake.
6 For for this cause pay you tribute also: for they are God's ministers,
attending continually on this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom
to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
- (1 Peter 2:13,14) Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
14 Or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment
of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
- (Mat 26:52) Then said Jesus to him, Put up again your sword into his place:
for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
- (Proverbs 24:21,22) My son, fear you the LORD and the king: and meddle
not with them that are given to change:
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knows the ruin of them both?
- (Eph 4:28) Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let
him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to
give to him that needs.
Obedience to laws is one side of the matter, but respect for leaders is also
part of the matter. Unfortunately, the church is often guilty of stigmatizing
and defaming all those who do not know the Lord. If leaders are seen as too
liberal, some may say they don't deserve their respect. They do not understand
that scolding administrators and leaders is never a godly act. A quarrelsome
and disrespectful attitude only keeps them further from God. If they believe
we don't value them as people, they will be suspicious of what we are trying
to say. God called us to pray and give thanks for those in power, not to scold
and criticize them. The same attitude should be expressed towards all those
who are in a superior position (teachers, coaches, employers...):
- (1 Tim 2:1-4) I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet
and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- (1 Peter 2:17)
Honor all men.
Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
- (Acts 23:5) 5 Then said Paul, I knew not, brothers, that he was the high
priest: for it is written, You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your
people.
- (Titus 3:1,2)
Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers,
to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle,
showing all meekness to all men.
What about employers? One of the characteristics of our time are strikes and
demanding more wage. It is true that in some countries employers do not pay
reasonable compensation to their workers. For example, Jacob warned about that
(James 5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your
fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the
ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies). However, in western countries there
are repeated strikes demanding more pay and benefits, even if the current
salary is enough to get by, or there are support strikes on behalf of others.
This is the rebellion that the Bible warns us about. In addition, the
disadvantage of constant wage demands is that employers can no longer afford
to hire workers. It increases unemployment.
It is also worth remembering the examples from history. The complaining of
the Israelites, was one of the reasons why most of them did not make it to the
promised land. God was angry that the people kept complaining and rebelling
against their leaders:
- (1 Cor 10:10,11) Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured,
and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them for ensamples: and they are written
for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world are come.
- (Jude 1:16)
These are murmurers, complainers,
walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words,
having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
- (Titus 2:9,10) Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to
please them well in all things; not answering again;
10 Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the
doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
- (Luke 3:12-14) Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said to him,
Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said to them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do?
And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely;
and be content with your wages.
Marriage and family. One
feature of modern times is feminism and the women's liberation movement. Not
all of this is bad, but there is a lot of selfishness involved and things that
destroy and hurt. Nowadays, it is common to blame e.g. the worldview of the
Bible for patriarchy, but is the current era of emphasis on feminism any
better? At least it doesn't seem like it. When marriages break up, children
are killed in the mother's womb, and when people curse each other on net
forums, you can't talk about progress. Therefore, the rise of feminism is not
a factor that could take society in a better direction.
So what is God's model in the family? It is that the husband should love
his wife and the wife should respect her husband, unconditionally. It means
that the husband's love for his wife must not depend on the wife's behavior,
and the wife's respect for her husband must not depend on the husband's
behavior. A man must not be selfish towards his wife, but he must seek the
best for his wife and make her satisfied. The wife should act in the same way
towards her husband. However, these things should not be demanded of the other,
but everyone should focus only on their own part; how can I make another
person satisfied and happy? Otherwise we will go astray.
In addition, in God's model, the man is meant to be the head of the wife,
i.e. the leader. The current feminist movement strongly opposes this, but in
vain, because it is a God-given order. It means that the man is the one who
should ultimately make the biggest decisions if there is no consensus (not by
acting selfishly, of course). In a family where the wife leads and dominates
and where the husband is not respected as the head of the family, there is no
peace and blessing. In this matter, it is worth paying attention to the
following verses on the subject. For example, Peter wrote to wives whose
husbands are not obedient to the word (this may also be the case with some
believing men in some areas). He urged wives to be submissive to their
husbands and respect them:
- (1 Peter 3:1)
Likewise, you wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey
not the word,
they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
- (Eph 5:22-24, 33)
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even
as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
- (Col 3:18,19) Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as it is fit in
the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
- (1 Peter 3:5-7) 5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also,
who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own
husbands:
6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters you
are, as long as you do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7 Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving
honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of
the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
What about the role of parents? They can make many mistakes.
At the extreme end there are all types of violence: physical, psychological
and sexual. This kind of action often leaves deep scars inside children. It
can take years to recover and be free from them. However, more common mistakes
are the following ways of doing things. In them, the reason is not always a
lack of love, but a lack of thought, i.e. the parents don't think about things
from the children's point of view:
• Some are emotionally rigid and cold so that their emotions are restrained
and they are critical of everyday joys and what the child does. Such parents
do not encourage, but discourage their children.
• Some parents may emphasize obedience in their upbringing and give children
dictation solutions, but neglect a warm relationship with the child. However,
the warm relationship should always be a foundation to build on. The child is
not willing to obey if the rest of the relationship remains distant and cold.
John Bevere wrote in one of his books:
I served as a youth pastor when our two oldest children were toddlers. In that
position, I opened a window into the homes of many families. As a pastor, I
was involved in pastoral care, and it didn't take long before I noticed a
certain pattern. I found that parents who focused on criticizing their
children's negative behavior saw their children change for the worse. On the
other hand, if parents spoke God's promises into their children's lives, they
could see that their children eventually became what they were told. (18)
• Others do not value their children enough to listen to them and their
problems, focusing on listening and respecting the children's opinions. Or
they don't give the children enough time. Hobbies or spiritual work may take
priority over children. Many children may have become bitter when parents
spend more time with the work of the church than with their children.
Spiritual work is a good thing, but the right order is first relationship with
God, then spouse, then children, and after that spiritual work.
• Some believing parents are legalistic, misrepresenting God. They are
themselves in a legalistic relationship with God and may teach that God's love
and acceptance depends on the child's behavior and success. This is a lie
because God always loves. Through Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is always
valid despite our failures.
• Making too much of a big deal about irrelevant things such as clothing,
hairstyles or what the children's room is like can be a problem for some
parents.
• The parent's own example has an effect. If the parent himself is unloving,
harsh, punishes the children in a fit of rage, does not make time for the
child, criticizes others behind their backs, or does not see their own
mistakes and does not acknowledge them, it is likely that the children will
turn their backs on their parents' values and become rebellious.
So there were mistakes that parents can be guilty of. Raising children is not
an easy thing, and others may have a worse starting point in this area than
others due to their own negative childhood experiences and more difficult
basic nature. A person's past and the basic nature received at birth greatly
influence the upbringing of children.
But then what is the share of children and young people? It is respect for
parents regardless of what they are like. There are no perfect parents, and
many children and young people can be disappointed by what their parents do.
Despite everything, God's commandment to children and youth is to respect
their parents unconditionally and to obey them (it's a different matter if
they ask to do something clearly wrong, but this is rare for normal parents):
- (Eph 6:1-4) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with
promise;
3 That it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.
4 And, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
- (Col 3: 20,21) Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well
pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
One area is forgiveness. Adult children can be bitter towards their parents
and carry accusations in their minds so that they do not forgive their parents. However,
this is where they go wrong. Ask yourself if you want justice or mercy. If you
want justice, then you also have to pay for your own sins to God. You cannot
be saved. Instead, if you want mercy from God, you must let go of the
accusations and judgments in your mind and forgive. These things are
interconnected. You may not immediately overcome all your negative feelings,
but make a decision to bless your parents and not curse them. Gradually, your
feelings may become more positive:
- (Luke 6:37)
Judge not, and you shall not be judged:
condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be
forgiven:
- (1 Peter 3:9) 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing:
but contrariwise blessing; knowing that you are thereunto called, that you
should inherit a blessing.
Respect for spiritual leaders . As
stated, we should respect secular leaders, even if their values are different
from ours. Likewise, the laws of society should be followed, as long as they
are not clearly against God's will.
Likewise, we should respect spiritual leaders despite their imperfections.
It doesn't mean that you can't present your views and concerns to the leaders,
but you have to be careful of a disrespectful attitude and slander (cf.
Jesus' words about those who start hitting their fellow servants Matt
24:48-51). The devil is the accuser of brothers and sisters (Rev. 12:10),
and many play the same role when they feel displeasure with church leaders and
their ways of doing things. They acted like Korah, Dathan and Abiram, who
rebelled against Moses and incited others to do so (Numbers 16). We know how
God was angry with their rebellious attitude. (Michael Howard states in his
book Tottelemattomuuden hinta, p. 29 that "Most churches fall apart
or there is discontent because someone thinks more of himself than he should
think, and thinks he can do better than appointed church leaders"). We
should not share in the sin of these rebels, but respect the leaders of the
churches despite their imperfections. It is God's will:
- (1 Thess 5:12,13) And we beseech you, brothers, to know them which labor
among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at
peace among yourselves.
- (Hebr 13:7)
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of
God:
whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
- (1 Tim 5:17-19)
Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially
they who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the scripture said, You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the
corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.
19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three
witnesses.
What if the parish priest has committed crimes that warrant a prison sentence
or lives in open sin and does not want to repent? You should definitely not
stay under such leaders, but it is best to leave if there is no change. This
is not just about the imperfection that each of us has, but about the sin that
separates us from God. Imperfectionsand weaknesses of character are quite
different from willful and persistent sin. Imperfections (such as Peter's
tendency to fear people in certain situations, or when Paul and Barnabas got
angry with each other, or when some pastor does not understand people's
problems well enough in pastoral care) always occur because we are not yet
in heaven and have not received a sinless nature.
Despite everything, there are certain criteria and ideals of what a parish
priest should be. They have been referred to by Paul in a few of his letters
and by Peter. Paul mentioned e.g. that the guardian of the church should be
sober, moderate, decent, hospitable, gentle, and not quarrelsome, greedy for
money or selfish (1 Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9). Similarly, Peter referred to the
fact that true spiritual leadership does not include ruling others ("And do
not lord it over those entrusted to you") but rather being a role model
and a good model for others. It has a fairly comprehensive list, where many
may feel inadequate, but it is an ideal that should be strived for.
- (1 Tim 3:1-7) This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop,
he desires a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,
vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient,
not a brawler, not covetous;
4 One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with
all gravity;
5 For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of
the church of God?
6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation
of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without;
lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
- (Titus 1:6-9) If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful
children not accused of riot or unruly.
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God;
not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to
filthy lucre;
8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy,
temperate;
9 Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the disputers.
- (1 Peter 5:1-4) The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an
elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not
by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the
flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory
that fades not away.
So how do you distinguish the false shepherds from the true workers appointed
by God? One difference, of course, is that the false shepherd does not meet
the criteria in the previous lists at all. If a person is quarrelsome, greedy
for money, self-loving and power-hungry, and is not sober, temperate, decent,
hospitable or gentle, he is not a worker appointed by God. Of course, everyone
can fall into the previous things, and everyone can have some of the previous
bad traits, but a person appointed by God wants to resist greed, lust for
power and other harmful traits in himself. He does not willfully want to harm
others or abuse his position, as have been done by those who are not God's
called workers.
Sects are a different matter. Sometimes even a Christian congregation can
become a sect if a person who misuses his position takes the lead. This
happened, for example, in the Middle Ages, when the pope was at his most
powerful and power-hungry popes began to dominate others. It is completely
contrary to the previous teaching of Peter, where he said: "not lording it
over those who have come among you, but being examples to the flock" (1
Peter 5:3). A model of such a power-hungry leader can also be found in the
Third Epistle of John, where a person named Diotrephes appears:
- (3 Joh 1:9,10) I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the
preeminence among them, receives us not.
10 Why, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he does, prating against us
with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither does he himself
receive the brothers, and forbids them that would, and casts them out of the
church.
So what are the characteristics of sects? In general, they have the following
characteristics:
• Extra-biblical revelations, usually received by the movement's "guru" or
leader through spirit guides or angels, are common. One example is Joseph
Smith, the founder of the Mormon Church.
• The rejection of the word is characteristic of sects. For example, Jim Jones
was one such cult leader. He is said to have thrown the Bible on the floor and
told his followers that this book was no longer needed because he could convey
to them direct and higher knowledge. Members of this sect eventually committed
mass suicide, even though one of the Ten Commandments says, "You shall not
murder." Killing others and oneself is wrong.
Heretical movements are also characterized by the fact that there are other
"revelations" and doctrinal sources with the same or greater authority than
the Bible. For Mormons, the Book of Mormon is such a source.
• Rescue is only possible within the shop, and e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses have
adopted this doctrine. This is a lie because salvation is in Jesus Christ and
not in any movement.
• All teaching from outside the movement is prohibited, and there is a strong
us-them confrontation. The group can consider itself the only true follower of
God. The sect gives its members the feeling that they are especially favored
by God, which can be considered spiritual pride.
• Isolation or complete isolation of members from society and their own family.
Paul wrote (1 Tim 5:8): But if someone does not provide for his own,
especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever.
• Overemphasis of sexuality or its complete denial.
• Food and clothing rules and legalistic teaching, where a person affects
salvation with his actions.
• Authoritarian leadership concept. For example, in Moonism, its leader Sun
Myung Moon ordered the marriages of his followers, i.e. with whom each one
married. Such a setup is completely contrary to true leadership. According to
the Bible, we should respect leaders, but complete submission belongs to God
alone. True shepherding is not lording over others, but being an example.
• Waiting for the end of the world and related predictions with exact dates.
The group believes that they are the only ones who will survive the coming
test. According to the Bible, no one can know the exact moment of Jesus'
coming (Matt 24:36).
• It is difficult to leave the movement. Members do not dare to leave the
group because of fear. Threatening with hell and slandering is common.
• The group demanded total dedication and that a person would give it all
their time and possessions and not go anywhere else.
• The fruit of leaders is not good. They do not exemplify the humility, love,
and sincerity that characterized Paul, Peter, and of course Jesus Christ, who
washed the feet of his followers, who did not come to be served but to serve
(Mark 10:45), and who was gentle and humble in heart (Matt 11:29).
Instead, a false leader uses his position to gain power, money or sex. He
directs and manipulates the lives of his followers, is often dark and violent,
although in other contexts he can appear charming, he attacks his opponents by
smearing them, makes accusations against others, he does not glorify Jesus
Christ but himself, wanting to be the center of attention, he uses the Bible
as a weapon and can recite threatening prophecies if one disobeys his orders.
For example, Jesus and Peter and Paul have referred to such false prophets,
false apostles and false brothers, which according to Jesus' words can be
known by their bad fruit. Such persons appeared already in the time of the
apostles:
- (Mat 7:15) 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles?
- (Mat 24:24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect.
- (Acts 20:29-31) For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw
away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn every one night and day with tears.
- (2 Peter 2:1-3)
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of
you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation
slumbers not.
- (2 Cor 11:13-15) 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
- (2 Cor 11:26) 26 In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils
in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils
among false brothers;
- (Gal 2:4) And that because of false brothers unawares brought in,
who came in privately to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage:
- (1 John 2:19)
They went out from us, but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
Next, we will briefly look at some of the distortions or excesses in Christian
churches - things that it is easy for us to drift into and be guilty of. These
are the currents, some of which have occurred in the past decades. We start
with legalism and illegality.
Legalism and illegality.
If we go back a few centuries, one of the most common currents was legalism
and that salvation can be influenced by acts and human efforts. This false
theology was largely overthrown through the teachings of Luther and the
Reformation. People learn to understand that righteousness is a gift from God
and cannot be influenced by one's own actions. You can receive it immediately
as a gift.
However, false legalistic teaching has not completely disappeared. It is
usual to mix law and grace, where faith in God and Jesus' work of atonement is
the basis, but at the same time it is taught that grace should not be taken
for granted. One example of this is the declaration that if a person sins and
lives in sin at the very moment when Jesus arrives, he can lose salvation. It
is thought that falling into sin can rob people of salvation.
However, the former is a dangerous and false teaching. The result is that
it makes the believer doubt God's love for him and makes him afraid. It takes
away the security of salvation.
However, salvation is based entirely on grace. If a person has received
Jesus Christ and wants to follow Him, he is always under grace, even if he has
fallen into sin. Otherwise, our salvation would be based on works if we were
to be sinless for the rest of our lives. It does not mean that anyone should
favor sin in their life, but if salvation is based even partially on our own
success in overcoming sin, then no one has a chance to be saved. Salvation is
grace from beginning to end, and nothing can be added to it:
- (Eph 2:8,9)
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
- (Rom 5:1,2) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
So the foundation of salvation is never in ourselves, but in the grace that
has come through Jesus Christ. Only in this way, by shifting our gaze from
ourselves and our imperfections to Jesus Christ and his atoning work, can we
experience the assurance of salvation.
This also applies to those who needlessly fear that they have committed the
unforgivable sin, i.e. mocking the Holy Spirit. You are not guilty of such if
you really want Jesus to be your Lord and you want to follow him. It
proves that the Holy Spirit is working in you. Therefore, do not believe the
lies of Satan in this area, but keep your eyes on Jesus Christ, who died for
all your sins and that you may have eternal life. Among
other things, the following verses refer to this topic:
- (John 1:29) The next day John sees Jesus coming to him, and said,
Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.
- (Gal 3:1)
O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among
you?
- (Hebr 3:1) Why, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
What about illegality in the church?
Legalism and mixing law and grace in the proclamation is one problem in
churches, but lawlessness is also a common problem. It doesn't just mean that
a person falls into sin, but that he constantly lives with a hardened heart
and does not want to repent of his sins. He may live in an adulterous
relationship, premarital sex, homosexuality, constantly steal from others,
refuse to forgive, deliberately gossip about others or commit other similar
sins.
This is also a dangerous road. Of course, no one is saved through works or
repentance, but through Jesus Christ, but hardening and living in lawlessness
keeps a person separated from God. God does not forgive unrepentant sinners,
but only those who repent of their sins. The unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God, as Paul wrote:
- (1 Cor 6:9,10) Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists,
shall inherit the kingdom of God.
So what is the solution? A
person who has lived with a hardened heart must repent of his sins and confess
them to God. It's that simple. He does not deserve salvation through his
repentance, but it happens only through Jesus Christ and when a person
receives him and the grace that comes through him into his life. However, the
confession of sins and a change of mind regarding sin is part of the process
in which a person gets into a right relationship with God:
- (Acts 3:19) 19 Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord.
- (Prov 28:13) He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever
confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.
- (1 John 1:9)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Focusing on the devil. In
modern times, there is a general naturalistic world view, which denies the
existence of anything supernatural. This also affects the Christian field,
where the influence of evil spirits on people's lives is not noted.
However, in missionary work in areas where witchcraft has persisted for
centuries, evil spirits are a real problem. People don't get help from social
work alone, but a lesson is needed that Jesus defeated the devil on the cross
and that's why everyone who believes in Jesus can order all the forces of the
enemy to leave, and they will leave. This message is joyful for those who all
their lives have been in the chains of the enemy, such as in
witchcraft-infested lands. The key factor in this kind of liberation is always
first submission to God, i.e. repentance and confession of sins. It is the
basis from which to oppose the enemy's forces if they are behind the problems.
However, there is often no need to give any separate command to the enemy's
forces if a person breaks down before God and truly repents of his sins. Man
can be freed alone through it, because the soil has been taken away from the
enemy:
- (James 4:7) 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you.
However, it is possible to go to extremes in this area. So-called spiritual
warfare, where one speaks more about the devil and to the devil than about God
and to God, is an example of this. Some may focus on speaking to the enemy for
hours every day, look for demonic spirits everywhere, or attribute all illness
and problems to the enemy. However, this is a false and exaggerated teaching
in the light of the Bible, because most diseases are caused by natural causes,
and man's desires are caused by his flesh. Of course, you can't completely
rule out the influence of the enemy on people's lives if there is years of
suffering in the background, for which there seems to be no reason. Then it
may really be necessary to expel evil spirits, but even then the evil spirits
are not always inside the person, but outside the person. The devil is a bully
that we must resist in the evil day, but we should not constantly focus on him.
- (Eph 6:13) 13 Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
What is the result of people focusing too much on the devil? The result is
that they see the enemy of the soul as big and scary, but God as very small
and helpless. Some have also thought that they are bound by the enemy, and
have been overcome with great fears, thinking that the enemy dwells within
them. It has taken away their peace of mind.
In addition, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the disciples in
the Acts of the Apostles did not focus on binding demonic princes in some
areas or constantly spoke to the devil. Instead, we are told that they focused
on praying to God and preaching the gospel. This is the correct order and
pattern in spiritual work. Proclaiming the gospel, and not focusing on the
devil, is also essential in the mission command given by Jesus:
- (Mark 16:15,16,20) And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not
shall be damned.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them,
and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
- (Acts 6:4) But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to
the ministry of the word.
- (Acts 4:24, 29, 30)
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord,
and said, Lord,
you are God, which have made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in
them is:
29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant to your servants,
that with all boldness they may speak your word,
30 By stretching forth your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be
done by the name of your holy child Jesus.
The Distorted Gospel of Success. As
stated earlier, it is possible to emphasize the wrong things in the spiritual
life. Some may, for example, consider dreams, visions, revelations and
miracles to be the core of Christianity, although in the light of the Bible,
the most important thing is the gospel about the work of Jesus Christ and the
right relationship and love for God and people. Other things are less
important and irrelevant.
One wrong emphasis in the spiritual field is also the so-called the gospel
of success, where the emphasis is on material success, a happy life and health.
This does not mean that these things are bad, on the contrary, but that the
level of a person's religious life is measured by these metrics. If you are
poor, unhappy and sick, there is something wrong with your faith. Faith is
made into a kind of performance where only those with enough faith succeed.
Some may also teach that there is something sinful in a person's life if they
do not immediately heal or achieve success. Such people are like Job's three
friends who began to blame Job for his illnesses and difficulties, and did not
understand the underlying factors. God was angry with these friends of Job
because of their wrong attitude (Job 42:7 After the LORD had spoken these
things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is stirred up
against you and your two friends, because you have not spoken about me what is
right, as my servant Job has.)
What is wrong with this teaching?
It does not work in all areas and in all life situations. God can indeed heal
a person, take care of his material needs through prayer answers and miracles,
and give his blessings. Many have been healed, for example, when they have put
their trust and faith in God's promises about how Jesus, in addition to sins,
also carried our illnesses to the cross. These things should continue to be
taught so that people could more easily trust God's promises.
However, even if a person has the greatest faith in the world, it does not
guarantee that he will always be healthy and materially successful. For
example, Smith Wigglesworth, who raised several people from the dead and at
whose meetings thousands were healed, suffered from some diseases himself for
several years. He did experience healing many times in his own life, but
sometimes he had to wait a long time before it happened. The following is a
quote from his life story. He was allowed to be an intermediary in the healing
of others, even though he himself was sicker than many for whom he prayed:
... Healing miracles happened when Smith Wigglesworth prayed in the name of
Jesus Christ. He himself was sicker than many for whom he prayed, but he could
not get relief from his own trouble... In Switzerland, he went from one church
to another like a burning flame. A revival was born. Souls were saved, and
people were healed of all kinds of diseases. The large meeting halls were full
of people, and everyone got to experience God's blessing... (19)
What about the time of the early church? Great miracles happened then and
people certainly had faith, but yes there was still poverty among them and
many got sick. For example, Paul lived sometimes in lack and hunger, sometimes
in abundance. He had both stages in his life, although he certainly had more
faith than believers today. Paul probably also experienced some kind of
physical illness from time to time, if this can be deduced from the letter to
the Galatians. In addition, we are told about other examples from the same
area. During the time of the early church, people were not completely free
from these things, but they tried to help those in poverty, for example. This
should be done in today's church as well.
In addition, we are going badly astray if only the rich, successful and
healthy can be in the church. This is completely contrary to the teaching and
attitude that Jesus and the apostles represented. For example, James warned
(James 2:1-4, 9): "My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you
possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into
your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters
in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and
say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over
there,” or “Sit on the floor”? If so, have you not made distinctions among
yourselves and become judges with evil motives? But if you show prejudice, you
are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators.” Here are
verses from this area:
- (Phil 4:11,12)
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatever state I
am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every
where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need.
- (Gal 4:13,14)
You know how through infirmity of the flesh
I preached the gospel to you at the first.
14 And my temptation which was in my flesh you despised not, nor rejected; but
received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
- (Gal 2:10) Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which
I also was forward to do.
- (Rom 15:25, 26) 25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.
26 For it has pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain
contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
The following verses also refer to how during the early church many people got
sick, even though many got help. Illness can come to anyone, and everyone can
be healed through God's promises, but sometimes you may have to wait for a
longer time. We cannot determine the exact time for healing or when God will
work. We are always dependent on him. Confessing faith and trusting the
promises is a good thing, but everything else is in God's hands. (That is,
faith itself does not cause healing, but God is the one who heals. Other
miracles mentioned in the Bible, such as walking on water and raising the dead
did not either happen because some great people of faith decided to do so.
Instead, they happened because there was God's timing, and people figured this
out. Otherwise they wouldn't have happened.)
In addition, you should not forget the help of conventional medicine. If
healing has not come through prayer, a person can get help through doctors or
medicines. Some have been able to get seriously ill or even die when they have
prematurely given up medication or have not gone to the hospital. Yes, the
medication can then be left out when healing has taken place. You shouldn't
give them up too hastily.
- (Phil 2:25-27) Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my
brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and
he that ministered to my wants.
26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that
you had heard that he had been sick.
27 For indeed he was sick near to death: but God had mercy on him;
and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow on sorrow.
- (2 Tim 4:20) Erastus stayed at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at
Miletum sick.
- (1 Cor 11:30) For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many
sleep.
- (1 Tim 5:23) 23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for your
stomach's sake and your often infirmities.
The Gift of Prophecy - Abuse
- (1 Cor 14:1) Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but
rather that you may prophesy.
When we look at Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians and the passage above,
in addition to love, he urged us to pursue spiritual gifts, especially the
gift of prophecy. Praying for these things should be part of our prayer list.
We should constantly pray to them because it is God's will and through them
people can receive help and blessing. It is wrong for us to abandon this area
because of a few abuses or because of the belief that the gifts have ceased.
Yes, God still gives people these gifts, but they should be prayed for, as
Paul urged.
However, not all predictions and prophecies are from God, and you should
not run after every prophecy. They can also come from the person himself or
the devil. This already occurred during the Old Testament and during the time
of the apostles, and modern times are no exception. Among other things, the
following verses tell how some were prophets from the strength of their own
hearts, some prophesied in the name of Baal, so they were certainly under the
influence of the spirit of the enemy. In addition, the Acts of the Apostles
tells of a servant girl who had a spirit and who prophesied to others. We can
see that predictions and prophecies can come from several sources.
- (Jer 23:16,21) Thus said the LORD of hosts, Listen not to the words of the
prophets that prophesy to you: they make you vain: they speak a vision
of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them,
yet they prophesied.
- (Eze 13:2,3) Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that
prophesy, and say you to them that prophesy out of their own hearts,
Hear you the word of the LORD;
3 Thus said the Lord GOD; Woe to the foolish prophets, that follow their own
spirit, and have seen nothing!
- (Jer 2: 8) The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the
law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the
prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not
profit.
- (Acts 16:16) 16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain
damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters
much gain by soothsaying:
What about New Testament warnings? Jesus and the apostles repeatedly warned
about false prophets who mislead many, so these warnings should be taken
seriously. It is not just that someone knows the hidden things of people that
proves that he is a prophet of God.
This is also possible for false prophets because they can have a spirit of
knowledge within them. A better proof is the fruit in people's lives, as Jesus
taught. Does a person have humility, love, mercy, meekness and sorrow because
of sins, or is he hard, proud, self-aggrandizing, unloving and leads people to
sin (cf. Jer 23:22 22 But if they had stood in my inner circle, they would
have proclaimed my message to my people. They would have caused my people to
turn from their wicked ways and stop doing the evil things they are doing.)?
For example, Jezebel, who appears in the Book of Revelation, is told how she
led people to idolatry and fornication, so she was certainly not of God,
because she led people away from God:
- (Matt 24:11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
- (Matt 7:15-17)
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves.
16 You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings
forth evil fruit.
- (Mat 7:21-23) 21 Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in
heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done
many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me,
you that work iniquity.
- (2 Peter 2:1-3)
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift
destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of
you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation
slumbers not.
- (1 John 4:1-3) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into
the world.
2 Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard
that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
- (Rev 2:20) Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you
suffer that woman Jezebel, which calls herself a prophetess, to teach
and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed
to idols.
As stated, true prophecy never leads to sin, but to God. It does not lead to
the breakup of families or break up churches. True prophecy is also for "strengthening,
encouragement, and consolation" (1 Cor 14:3), so it does not lead people
to anxiety and unnecessary fears, but it tries to lift people up and encourage
them in the right direction and confidence in God. Furthermore, true prophecy
does not predict the exact moment of Jesus' coming, because Jesus Himself
taught (Matt 24:42): "Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what
day your Lord will come."
Another important thing about the gift of prophecy is that it should never
be the primary means of guidance. God's normal way of working is that he puts
something inside a person first before speaking about it through others. True
prophecy usually only confirms what a person has experienced in his heart for
a long time. Therefore, if you receive a prophecy about something that you
have not experienced in your heart before, do not follow the prophecy! Don't
go into spiritual work based on prophecy or marry based on other prophecies or
take bold steps just based on what others have prophesied! Many shipwrecks in
people's lives are caused by the fact that they get excited about prophecy or
set out to fulfill it themselves, even though their heart has not previously
felt any desire in the same direction, e.g. spiritual work. For example, John
Bevere describes in his remarkable book "Thus saith the Lord?" several
examples of how false prophecies and listening to them have led to the
wreckage of people's lives. The reason is that too much value has been placed
on this gift or its imitation. However, we should not despise the gift of
prophecy, as Paul taught, but test and criticize the prophecies (1 Thess
5:20,21: 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt.But examine all things;
hold fast to what is good.).
9. When something starts to happen
If we go back and study the history of the church, we can find revivals but
also many kinds of excesses and deviations. People have been led astray
because they have not followed the teachings of Jesus and the apostles.
The same is possible in modern times. We easily repeat the same mistakes
that have been made in the past if we do not stick to the teachings and
practices of Jesus and the apostles. The hallmark of a healthy Christian faith
is that we stay within the boundaries and emphases they set.
In this matter, you should pay attention to the following points:
Two extremes.
When people lived in the time before the Second World War, the time was
characterized by two extreme currents: fascism/Nazism and communism.
Both extremes were on the rise and ordinary parties and traditional values
lost their prestige. However, a similar development did not remain only in the
1920s and 1930s, but there are similar features in modern times, when
traditional values lose their meaning, and are replaced by more and more
extremism and confrontation between different groups and states. History seems
to be repeating itself.
What about activities in the church? We can go to extremes in that too.
One aspect of this is feelings and the attitude towards them. In that area
there are two extremes: fanaticism and formal, dry religion. In general, it
has been observed that when excesses and abuses occur in some of God's
movements, as they always do, we soon go to the other extreme, where all
emotional phenomena are viewed negatively. People go back to the old dry
religion, where there is no place for emotions or the use of gifts. The danger
is the quenching
of the Spirit, which Paul warned about. It is a sin that only believers can
commit:
- (1 Thess 5:19-21) Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
But what is the role of emotions in the Christian faith? Yes, they belong
there. For example, Peter, when he had fallen into denying Jesus, wept because
of his own sin (Matt 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which
said to him, Before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice. And he went out,
and wept bitterly.). The same phenomenon is common when people turn to God.
They may feel sorrow for their sins and what they have done wrong. On the
other hand, when they understand God's mercy towards them, it arouses opposite
feelings.
What about the fruit of the Spirit? It is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Gal
5:22), so it is impossible for emotions not to be part of the Christian life.
There can be no Christian life or any other life without emotions. It's
impossible. Only the dead are emotionless.
However, no feeling in itself is proof of living faith. People can cry,
laugh or have other emotional expressions in the church, but people in the
world can also cry and laugh when they watch a play or a TV show. Feelings in
themselves do not prove anything. Infatuation, ecstasy and a high flight of
emotions can occur even where there is no faith. Miracles can also happen in
other religions, such as Pharaoh's magicians imitating Moses.
What about the proclamation in the churches? The right proclamation, if it
includes the law and the gospel, can arouse emotions. When a person sees his
sins in the light of the law, how he is in rebellion against God with his sins
and that he is going to hell, it certainly arouses emotions. Similarly, when
the atoning work of Jesus becomes clear to people, and that all sins can be
forgiven through grace, it also arouses emotions. If there are no feelings, it
is questionable whether salvation has taken place.
However, emotions can be misleading. It is possible that in some meetings
the emphasis is not on the message of the cross and how a person without Jesus
is in a hopeless situation (cf. Paul's words, 1 Cor 2:2: For I determined
not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.),
but the main focus can be in touching stories, repetitive choral singing and
other tricks that try to get people to respond to the call to come forward. A
person may then make a decision because his feelings have been appealed to
through touching stories, but it is good to ask if he has really received
life. Perhaps many such salvations are not genuine. For example, Watchman Nee
in his book The Latent Power of the Soul has brought up meetings like this,
where they try to move emotions, but the declaration does not include the law
and the gospel.
So what is the Bible's advice in this area? We should not reject emotions,
the activity of God's Spirit, or gifts, but observe moderation and strive for
balanced behavior so as not to be an offense to others. An erratic performance,
unnecessary loudness, obscenity and disorder is not God's model for us. This
is what the apostles taught. For example, Paul mentioned that his behavior did
not give offense in any thing, that we should not become a stumbling block to
others, that the Spirit should not be quenched, but that everything should be
tested, and that everything should be done decently and in order:
- (2 Cor 6:3)
Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
- (1 Cor 8:9) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your's become a
stumbling block to them that are weak.
- (Phil 1:9, 10) And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more
in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
- (1 Tim 2:8, 9) I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy
hands, without wrath and doubting.
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with
modesty and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array;
- (1 Peter 4: 15, 16) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a
thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him
glorify God on this behalf.
- (1 Cor 14:39, 40) Why, brothers, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to
speak with tongues.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
- (1 Thess 5:19-21) Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
- (2 Tim 1:6, 7) Why I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift
of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind.
- (1 Tim 4:14-16) Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given
you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting
may appear to all.
16 Take heed to yourself, and to the doctrine; continue in them:
for in doing this you shall both save yourself, and them that hear you.
Although we must be careful not to quench the Spirit, it does not mean that
there can be no control. Yes, it can be. Complete sovereignty is not a good
option, but neither is complete disorder. For example, Charles Wesley acted in
such a way that he did not pay attention to if people were quiet, but removed
from the place noisy persons. Likewise, a call to silence so that the sermon
does not continue to be disturbed may be necessary. From time to time it is
good to be guided, such as e.g. Paul taught in the previous verses.
A similar point of view was brought to the matter by George Jeffreys in
1933. He emphasizes how important it is to have appropriate control over the
phenomena so that the church does not fall apart. He lived through the dynamic
early days of the Pentecostal revival and warned of total disorder:
The revival has begun - the Spirit descends from heaven, miraculous gifts of
grace testify to it, and everything is in motion. Then the hands are removed
from the proper controls, to the dismay of the wiser heads, and the power and
gifts are allowed to spread freely. The balance of the church according to the
New Testament model is shaken, and it does not take long when inappropriate
emotionalism enters, followed by excessive physical forces, and the result is
that the church eventually falls apart... The authenticity of the dynamism
cannot be questioned, because there is nothing wrong with it. The problem
arose when the need for control, which is so clearly revealed in the Bible,
was not taken into account. Those in charge realized too late that there is no
real slavery in control according to the Bible, and no real freedom in
uncontrolled power. (20)
Charles Finney has also taken a stand on the subject. He was a preacher who
lived in the 19th century, through whom several revivals took place. He
emphasized that strong emotions and enthusiasm are not a sure measure. They
cannot be trusted if a person has not understood the truth:
We need not fear any kind of enthusiasm which the mere understanding of the
truth causes, and which corresponds to the healthy working of the powers of
reason. What is destructive is that which exceeds this... When I see cases
where enthusiasm is exceptionally great, I have learned to ask, as calmly and
kindly as I can, the notions of truth that are running through a person's mind
at that moment. Then I will be able to judge the nature of this truth. If it
really comes from the Holy Spirit's clear visions of God's nature and the
great truths of His kingdom, man's mind will be filled with these truths, and
he will declare them spontaneously when he has the ability to express them. But
when the focus seems to be on a person's own feelings, and when these
individuals are unable to give a reasonable reason why they feel that way,
their condition is hardly to be trusted. (21)
Not all activity is of God. It
is easy to go wrong in church activities, as stated. One such thing,
especially during revivals, is to make from gifts and phenomena like the
brazen serpent that Moses made, but which was then worshipped. King Hezekiah
finally destroyed it as a result of continued false worship (2 Kgs 18:4 He
removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and
broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for to those days the
children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.)
So in the churches, people may talk more about the gifts and the Holy
Spirit than about Jesus, even though the Holy Spirit has been given to testify
about Jesus Christ and glorify Him (John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he
shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.). The focus of the Gospel
message is no longer Jesus and His work of atonement, but special experiences,
miracles or the Holy Spirit. Frank Bartleman, who experienced and wrote about
the early days of the Pentecostal revival, has warned of this:
Everything centers around Jesus. We must not put power, graces, the Holy
Spirit, in fact nothing before Jesus. A mission that exalts even the Holy
Spirit above the Lord Jesus is on the way to error, to the pits of fanaticism. (22)
Furthermore, when it comes to activities in the church and different phenomena,
such as falling, laughing, crying or trembling, not everything is from God.
There are three sources from which they can come: human, Satan, and the Holy
Spirit.
First, human. The carnal mind can easily interfere with all spiritual
activities. Pride, fear, desire for praise and attention, or other wrong
motivations can enter into spiritual activity and mess it up. Even if a person
himself would like to be free from these things, it is not always easy,
because we are unfinished, on the way to perfection. Frank Bartleman, who was
involved in the Azusa street revival at the beginning of the last century,
wrote about this topic in his book Azusa Street. He noticed how some
drifted into empty shows. They were not led by the Spirit, but they let their
flesh rule:
From time to time there were performances that did not seem to be led by the
Spirit. Those kind of faded away. Sometimes the meetings were quite powerful. But
there always seemed to be a temptation for empty shows, just like today. No
special cross is needed for that, no dying from a selfish life. That's why "presenting"
is always popular. (23)
There may also be a devil behind the phenomena. For example, Frank Bartleman
told in his book Azusa Street how in the early stages of the Pentecost
revival "even spiritualists and believers in hypnosis came to try out their
influence". In addition, Paul warned about false apostles and deceitful
workers and Satan, who pretends to be an angel of light (2 Cor 11:13-15):
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into
an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works.
Another possibility is that a bound person comes to the meeting and is
influenced by evil forces against his will. For example, when Jesus arrived in
some places, the devil's powers became restless and often expressed themselves.
This is what happened in the synagogue and other places:
- (Mark 1:23-26)
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried
out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with you, you Jesus of Nazareth?
are you come to destroy us? I know you who you are, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold your peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he
came out of him.
- (Matt 8:28,29) And when he was come to the other side into the country of
the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the
tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus,
you Son of God? are you come here to torment us before the time?
Donald Gee, the late well-known Pentecostal teacher, has said more on the
subject. He stated decades ago how the devil tries to interfere with God's
work through bound people. He said that this can happen because the light
reveals the darkness: "Some wonder why the power of evil spirits is
manifested in this revival, but wherever God works, there Satan also manifests
himself. That is the reason why in the meetings where the Holy Spirit works,
we get to see Satan also working; light always reveals darkness. However, we
want God to act more and more strongly, but then let us also be ready to see
that Satan is also at work. That is why I am giving you this kind of teaching
today." (24)
How then can you know whether evil spirits or God are behind the
phenomenon. Some people may have the gift of discerning spirits and that helps.
However, John Arnott has said that it can also be detected through how a
person answers questions or reacts to prayer. If a person is influenced by the
Holy Spirit, he is able to answer questions, but demons are hostile to
questions and prayer:
How do we know if a phenomenon is demonic or not? This is where the gift of
discernment of spirits is needed, but it is usually not difficult. When the
Holy Ghost works in people, we can still talk to them. We ask, "How are you?
What's going on?" They have the freedom to answer, to tell us what is going on
inside them, how the Lord works in them.
But demons are hostile to questions and prayer. They threaten those who pray
for man. They make themselves strong and sometimes attack the pastoral group.
Therefore, it is usually not difficult to show the difference. (25)
The third possibility is that Satan deceives a saved or unsaved person. This
is very possible, and e.g. Jessie Penn-Lewis has told in her book War on the
Saints how this happened in the Welsh revival. People who sincerely wanted to
know God did not understand the principles of God's guidance.
I have written more about this topic in my The Question of Guidance article.
A characteristic of false guidance is that it elevates a person ("you will
receive special guidance", you are closer to God than anyone else", "you are
entrusted with secrets that are not told to others"), it can lead a person
to intense anxiety and despair in their relationship with God (e.g. an
accusation of an unforgivable sin ) , is compulsive (beware of compulsive
public confessions!), insists on making sudden decisions (sell all your
possessions immediately and start living by faith!), often disgraces a
person in the eyes of others (e.g. the call to wear worn clothes as a sign
of humility), its messages often contain contradictions, it requires
passivity of mind and body (For example, mediums are characterized by the
pursuit of passivity of mind and body so that evil spirits can act and speak
through them. However, God never wants passivity of our mind and body, but
that our vigilance and faculties are in full operation. Emptying the mind,
which takes place in Eastern meditation, hypnosis and spiritualism, is against
God's operating principles). In addition, misdirection can involve spirit
guides and angels, which are common in the New Age movement. Today we
constantly talk about angels, but the constant presence of an angel or a
spirit guide always refers to evil spirits, who can also appear as the Holy
Spirit or Jesus (We obey God in heaven and pray to him. The Holy Spirit
helps here, but the prayer should be directed to the Father in heaven or Jesus).
Humility and the fact that a person listens to the instructions of others
protects against the worst delusions. There are teachers and more experienced
people in the congregations, whose advice should be taken into account. If you
think that you are in "special guidance" and therefore do not need to listen
to others, you are in danger of getting lost. "Pride goes before
destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).
John Wesley, who was instrumental in the Great Revival in the 1700s, has
taught on the subject and shared his own experiences of how some people went
astray and did not want to listen to the advice of others. Do not follow the
example of such people!
When I was still in London I had reason to hope that these people would remain
both humble and steady, but almost as soon as I had left the city the bigotry
began. Two or three people began to regard the products of their own
imaginations as impressions from God and to assume that they would never die.
These individuals were diligent in spreading their ideas and trying to get
others to think the same; they created a lot of noise and confusion. Soon
after, the same persons, and a few others with them, fell into excesses; they
imagined that they could not be tempted, that they could feel no more pain,
and that they had the gift of prophecy and the gift of discerning of spirits.
When I returned to London in the fall, I reached out to them: some
listened my teaching, but others did not. At the same time, a huge flood of
accusations met me from almost every side because I restrained these fanatics.
They criticized me, and others barked at me for not restraining these bigots,
according to them. However, these events did not stop God's hand, but more and
more sinners came to repentance, and almost every day some turned to God and
others began to love Him with all their hearts.
Around the same time, 5-6 fanatics who sincerely believed in their cause
predicted that the end of the world would come on February 28. I refuted their
doctrine immediately and in every possible way, both publicly and privately. I
preached especially on this subject both in West Street and Spitalfield. I
warned the Methodist community many times and spoke privately to as many as I
could. My work bore fruit: these zealots were able to convert only a few,
perhaps less than 30 people from the entire Methodist community. But they made
a loud noise. Because of these fanatics, my critics, who used every
opportunity to attack me anyway, got more grist to their mill.
What is another piece of advice you would give them?
Answer: Beware of fanaticism, excessive zeal, which is the daughter of pride. Stay
away from it as much as possible! Don't let your imagination run wild. Don't
take things as coming from God unless you have time to weigh them. Do not
blindly assume that dreams, voices, images, visions or revelations are from
God.
On the basis of the behavior of a few people, one should not criticize the
large group, which consists of serious-minded, very exemplary people in terms
of sanctification. Still,
the opposition has been great, the support little - it should have been quite
the opposite. Because of the misguided zeal of these few people, the search
for faith and holiness has become difficult for many, and some who at first
made good progress have turned away from the path.
At that time a friend who lived further away from London wrote to me as
follows:
Don't be unduly nervous about Satan sowing tares among Christ's wheat. It has
always been so, especially in times when the outpouring of God's Spirit is
especially great. Satan will continue to sow tares until he is put in chains
for a thousand years. Until then, Satan tries to oppose Christ's work by
imitating it.
As stated, visions, apparitions, miracles, strong emotions and enthusiasm can
be considered the most important manifestations of Christianity.
However, these are not the core of the Christian faith, because the same
things can occur elsewhere. In addition, it is worth remembering the example
of Judas. He was one of the twelve disciples, prayed for the sick and cast out
demons with the other disciples, but we all know the outcome and what happened
to him. The question is, did Judas at some point receive salvation and then
lose it, or was he unsaved all along. It's hard to say directly. Perhaps Judas
was the kind of disciple that Jesus referred to in the Sermon on the Mount and
who performed miracles in his name, but whom Jesus did not recognize as his
own. He named them lawbreakers:
- (Matt 7:20-23) Why by their fruits you shall know them.
21 Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many
wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me,
you that work iniquity.
Often in church meetings, there may be crying, laughter, and others may fall
while praying, and some may be offended by this. However, such phenomena are
not the essence of the matter, and they should not be pursued, but the most
important thing is the internal change in a person. The experiences themselves
are short-lived, but do they change a person? As a result of them, does he
change internally for the better? If that doesn't happen, the experiences are
worthless and meaningless.
The best example from this area is Saul, or the apostle Paul. When he fell
to the ground, he also encountered God and was changed as a result. The model
of his life was good because he kept the faith to the end and bore good fruit
so that he could be an example to others. Paul's example shows that physical
phenomena can sometimes prepare the way for a person's relationship with God
to be repaired. Otherwise they don't matter.
The final result is also decisive. From the Old Testament side, we know how
King Saul faced God and he was told: "You ... shall be turned into another man."
(1 Sam 10:6 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come on you, and you shall
prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.), but later he
abandoned God and drifted off to ask for advice from a woman through whom the
spirit of the enemy worked. The outcome of his life was not good.
So how do you know if a person is really saved and changed? The most
important criteria are not visions, miracles and ecstatic states, but Jesus'
words, "You shall know them by their fruits" (Matt 7:16). This does not
mean perfection, because, for example, a newly saved and young believer may
still be quite deficient in his walk. However, the quality of the fruit can be
estimated to some extent. If a person lives differently than before, i.e.
leaves a criminal or dishonest life, seeks God, is honest, wants to learn more,
is balanced in behavior and tries to avoid sin, these are good signs. The most
important criterion is especially the longing for a holier heart and a holier
life.
On the other hand, if there is no change for the better in a person's
actions, speech and character, his conversion is imagination, even if he
claims otherwise ("They profess that they know God; but in works they deny
him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate",
Titus 1:16). That is, if someone claims to be perfect, let him show it
with good works (cf. Paul's words, Titus 3:14: And let our's also learn to
maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.),
with good character, mercy towards others, humility, love for others towards
and with love towards God. For example, Jonathan Edwards, who was involved in
the revival in the 18th century, noticed that big speeches, sense of sin, fear
of hell, great enthusiasm or special experiences do not prove faith to be
genuine. The devil can imitate all of them, but the result of true faith is an
inner change that manifests as good fruit. Edwards wrote about how in his day
some "converts" had not experienced real change after all:
Giving a touching testimony about one's feelings and experiences does not
prove that the person is a real Christian. Anything that resembles God's work
usually touches the believer's heart. Believers love to see sinners turning to
God. It is not at all surprising that our hearts are touched when someone
tells about being born again or gives a touching testimony about his
experiences. And yet, it does not prove that the conversion is genuine.
The Bible urges us to evaluate people by their lives, not by their speech...
People who claim that they have converted (so to speak) look beautiful and
smell good and give touching testimonies about their experiences. However, it
may all come to nothing. Words prove nothing. (…)
What then should we think of a person who claims to have experienced a
conversion but whose religious feelings soon die, leaving him to be the same
person as he was before? He seems as selfish, worldly, stupid, lecherous, and
non-Christian as ever. This speaks against him more firmly than any religious
experience speaks for him. In Jesus Christ, circumcision or uncircumcision,
dramatic experiences or quiet ones, great or bad testimonies mean nothing. The
only thing that matters is a new creation. (26)
If you doubt whether you are saved, don't leave it at that! Surrender your
whole life to God and Jesus Christ! Put all your hope in the atoning work of
Jesus Christ, and not in anything in yourself! Only through Jesus Christ, when
you turn to Him and welcome Him into your life, both as your Lord and as your
Savior, can you experience salvation. You can pray, for example, in the
following way:
Salvation prayer . Lord
Jesus, I turn to you. I confess that I have sinned against you and that I have
not lived according to your will. However, I want to turn from my sins and
follow you with all my heart. And I also believe that my sins have been
forgiven through your atonement and that through you I have received eternal
life. I thank you for the salvation you have given me. Amen.
REFERENCES:
1. David Åleskjær: Ennen sataa lunta helvetissä (Snø i helvete), s.
98,99
2. C.O. Rosenius: Tie rauhaan (Vägledning till frid), s. 30
3. Charles H. Spurgeon: Sielujenvoittaja (The Soul-Winner), s. 20,21
4. John Bevere: Turvapaikka (Under Cover), s. 47,48
5.
Donald Gee:
Pyhän Hengen työ, s. 83,84
6.
Uuras Saarnivaara:
Tulta maan päälle, s. 196
7.
Yrjö Karilas:
Sytyttävän sanoman mies, s. 51, 82-84
8. David
Wilkerson: Risti ja linkkuveitsi (The Cross and the Switcbblade), s. 11
9.
Rodney M. Howard-Browne:
Voitelu Jumalalta (The Touch of God), s. 91
10.
Oswald J. Smith:
Herätys jota tarvitsemme (The Revival We Need)
11. Charles
G. Finney: Ihmeellisiä herätyksiä, s. 149, 151
12. Dwight
L. Moody – elämäkerta
13. Martin
Ski: T.B. Barratt – Helluntaiapostoli (Døpt
I Ånd og ild), S. 108-110
14.
Charles H. Spurgeon:
Sielujenvoittaja (The Soul-Winner), s. 16,17
15.
Tapani Suonto:
Valmistu Jumalan käyttöön, s. 14
16.
Mauno Saari:
Saarnaaja, s. 273
17.
Frank Bartleman:
Azusa-katu 312 (Azusa Street), s. 78, 125, 133, 229
18. John
Bevere: Kunnioitus palkitaan (Honor’s Reward)
19.
Stanley Howard Frodsham:
Smith Wigglesworth, s. 146
20. Dave Roberts: Tuli on irti (The ’Toronto’ Blessing), s. 233
21. Charles G.
Finney:
Ajatuksia herätyksestä (Reflections on Revival), s. 49-51
22. Frank
Bartleman: Azusa-katu 312 (Azusa Street), s. 159
23. Frank
Bartleman: Azusa-katu 312 (Azusa Street)
24. Donald
Gee: Hengen lahjoista, s. 79
25. John
Arnott: Isän siunaus, totuus Torontosta (The Father’s Blessing), s. 172
26.
Jonathan Edwards: Oikea hengellinen
kokemus, s. 37,58,77
More on this topic:
The question of guidance.
How can a false guidance be distinguished from a right one, that is,
how does God lead and in what way do false spirits mislead?
Which power influences you?
It is possible that man thinks he is acting in the power of God, but he is
not. What are the characteristics of such lubrication from the wrong
source?
Deception number one.
Separation of spirits or spiritual blindness? Learn how all believers may
err in their judgments, even though they may consider themselves observant
How to react to different phenomena?
Are the phenomena in the church of the Holy Spirit, of man himself, or of
the devil? Internal change is one criterion
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Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
Grap to eternal life!
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The question of guidance. How can a false guidance be distinguished from a right one, that is, how does God lead and in what way do false spirits mislead? Which power influences you? It is possible that man thinks he is acting in the power of God, but he is not. What are the characteristics of such lubrication from the wrong source? Deception number one. Separation of spirits or spiritual blindness? Learn how all believers may err in their judgments, even though they may consider themselves observant How to react to different phenomena? Are the phenomena in the church of the Holy Spirit, of man himself, or of the devil? Internal change is one criterion
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