tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250231532023-11-16T05:54:21.389-05:00Consider †his!Challenging unconsidered beliefs with the fullness of God's Word.Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-77357950249626469022020-08-23T20:40:00.005-04:002020-08-23T20:40:54.330-04:00"Come quickly, Jesus." How rude!<p>Conspiracy theories have always been with us, but the recent trials of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought out the worst in them. Government control, New World Order, and other common themes have shown up on social media and elsewhere. Often Christians will ponder the return of the Lord in concert with this. "Come quickly, Lord" is the word.</p><p><b>Consider This: do you realize you're praying to condemn your unsaved family, friends, and neighbors?</b></p><p>No matter what end-times belief you may hold, the return of Christ is the end for many people. Some might believe that some might be saved during the 7-year Tribulation, <b>if</b> that's how it goes down. Most will agree, though, that it'll be more Hell on Earth than it is now.</p><p>If you care about others as the Lord would have us do, why would you want that?</p><p>Most people believe that the whole thing hasn't gone down yet simply because God is still waiting for the stragglers. In His grace and mercy, He is giving everyone one last chance. That should be a good thing. Why do we Christians want to mess that up?</p><p>Instead of praying for the Lord to come back, how about reaching out to your family, friends, and neighbors in love, telling them what Christ has done for you? Don't push them or scare the Hell out of them (literally). Pray for them, if nothing else.</p>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-50451166911636105732020-03-24T20:11:00.001-04:002020-03-24T20:11:43.075-04:00So You Want To Go Back To Egypt?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGksH6xHFgDIQaTg4WHUmrA9nL9M3iGUAMBU6AMCSyGSbMXglSsLL2P09XBfcpV0s45dDQEohiDtW4FuLfFcGhKwWuk_TYk-TXnTX6Z68AqfByUp2HhvJ3bZ3zKd8oXjuoY8Q/s1600/34FC611C-87B9-47C4-9E2D-F6030A4866EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="1080" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGksH6xHFgDIQaTg4WHUmrA9nL9M3iGUAMBU6AMCSyGSbMXglSsLL2P09XBfcpV0s45dDQEohiDtW4FuLfFcGhKwWuk_TYk-TXnTX6Z68AqfByUp2HhvJ3bZ3zKd8oXjuoY8Q/s320/34FC611C-87B9-47C4-9E2D-F6030A4866EB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A friend shared this with me today. (For those who might be reading this after Spring, 2020, look up info on COVID-19.) The whole Coronavirus pandemic has many of us freaking out. Gyms are closed. Restaurants have gone carry out only. Some states are taking extreme measures to keep people from gathering together and potentially spreading a virus that currently has no cure, but had caused thousands of deaths worldwide in less than 6 months.<br />
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People are scared.<br />
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I'm scared of what some of these people are doing.<br />
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This image for me thinking, though. When I go to work, people are rushing to the gym. People want to go to the beach (yeah, Florida problems). New York City, the "city that never sleeps," just went into lockdown, so they all want to come to relatively unaffected Florida. Gee, thanks.<br />
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Back to the content of the image, though. While I'm not fond of the reference to the plagues of Egypt (we are still in Heaven compared to them), the point remains that the First World is spoiled rotten.<br />
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I'd add to the last line. We don't want to worship God in spirit and truth, but in either legalistic rituals that carry no substance or exciting rock concerts with fog, <b>loud</b> music, and incessant babbling that we claim is "tongues," regardless of how many violations of 1 Corinthians 14 there are. We want to think we are in charge, and that God <b>must</b> honor what we think He promised <b>me</b> (everybody else must be a heathen).<br />
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He had taken all that away, too. Many churches are meeting online rather in person. Of course some think that is blasphemy. I seem to recall similar accusations made against a Jewish carpenter a couple of millennia ago.<br />
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Is God punishing the world? Is He pouring out His wrath? Have the End Times begun? I don't think so, especially since this one truly good guy named Job went through worse, and it really wasn't his fault.<br />
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I do think we all need to wake up and examine what we've considered important for so long. Then we need to ask ourselves the same thing the Israelites had to face during their journey as documented in Exodus: do we <b>really </b>want to go back to all that, and be vulnerable again? Or maybe it's time to move on.<br />
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By the way, in case you're not as ancient as I, the title comes from a great song by the late Keith Green.<br />
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<br />Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-3914564325777097642019-02-26T07:07:00.000-05:002019-02-26T07:07:06.906-05:00Grief and Misery vs. Grace and MercyAs some of you may have noticed, it's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog. Many probably thought I had abandoned the blog. Well, not really. Something called "life" got in the way. My wife discovered she had cancer, and 7 years later she succumbed.<br />
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That's not the entire reason, though, why I paused. We had started going to a church that sounded great. They taught "expositionally" (verse-by-verse) through the Bible, with a topical flavor to it. People wanted to be there to <b>learn</b>, not just to perform. People were coming in from all around, sick and tired of the meaningless ritual and hungry for God's Word.<br />
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Two things happened, though. The first was with me. I got lazy. In my previous church, I knew I wasn't going to be blessed by the beautiful music or the responsive reading or the "sermonettes for Christian-ettes." I sensed God wanted me there to feel like I belonged, and to show some of them what life in Christ was really about. That's <b>life</b>, 24/7, not just on Sunday morning. (I don't want to mention why I felt ashamed to attend church board meetings.)<br />
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In this new place, I was being <b>fed</b>. I didn't have to do as much heavy-lifting. It was all truth straight from Scripture. Wasn't it?<br />
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Something changed, though. Encouragement for growing in Christ became a focus on "doing life right." That turned into "obeying the commands of the Lord." Now, don't think I'm trying to dismiss the Ten Commandments or anything. I won't even say that calling baptism a "command from the Lord" was incorrect. They missed a vital point, though: what about those who <b>couldn't</b> obey every single precise command they pronounced? Were they shown grace and mercy publicly?<br />
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Nope.<br />
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Instead, the vibe tended to be towards making them feel guilty for "disobeying the Lord."<br />
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It got worse. The senior pastor at one time, in one service (the one that didn't get recorded, of course), pronounced that married couples who didn't raise children -- either their own or adoptees -- were disobeying God's command! After service I asked him about this, and he sounded like he was desperately trying to back-pedal, with comments like "oh, it's a personal issue when you do this" and so forth. He never said he was mistaken, though.<br />
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I understand, or at least I've been told, that some people feel like they can "get away with disobeying," like little children hiding. I also know that I <b>never</b> depended on that, because it never worked for me. (I'd get blamed for stuff I didn't do anyhow, so what's the difference?) If adults really are that immature, then I suppose an emphasis on "accountability" and the like makes some sense.<br />
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<b>God still loves us, though!</b> Check out Romans 8:31-39. John 3:16-21. We still sin, yet Jesus took the death those sins cause and nailed them with His own body on the cross! Yes, sins still have earthly consequences. Yes, we should experience some grief and misery as the Holy Spirit convicts (<b>but doesn't condemn</b>) us. That shouldn't be the overriding emphasis from the pulpit, though! We <b>all</b> need <b>grace and mercy, not guilt and misery!</b><br />
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Like I said above, if you feel no guilt and misery, the problem isn't the disobedience. The problem is your personal, one-on-one relationship with God. Encouragement to get that business settled is a good thing. I hope this little paragraph serves as that encouragement. But there's still hope.<br />
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Because of my upbringing, I beat myself up too much, according to my mother and my late wife, over little things. I don't believe for a moment that I'm going to get away with anything in the sight of God. I let myself get beat up over "willful disobedience," about not having children, about missing several other commands.<br />
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I had lost faith that God still accepted me.<br />
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I got lost in the grief and misery, never seeing the grace and mercy. Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL 32904, USA27.966866 -80.78794069999997927.518082 -81.433387699999983 28.41565 -80.142493699999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-64435209470505380742017-04-20T17:02:00.001-04:002019-10-14T07:03:58.933-04:00Fool's Gold: Fruit of the SpiritWe have tests. We have pop-up quizzes. We have so many ways to discover what "fruit of the Spirit" we have, what we should have, and how we're going to Hell because we don't have that one particular one your church demands (*coughTonguescough*).<br />
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Daniel Emery Price of <a href="https://www.1517.org/articles/the-lost-art-of-abiding" target="_blank">the Christ Hold Fast blog</a> has done a far better job of demonstrating the problem than I could. Click on the link above to read one of the best articles I've read in quite a while!Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-57548886022809846282017-02-19T19:10:00.001-05:002017-04-02T20:59:41.936-04:00Fool's Gold: Overwhelming HappinessI'm sure you've heard songs such as, “There is Joy in the Lord,” “Joy To The World,” and numerous others. (Since I’m married to a Joy, I have probably heard more than most. 😁) For many people, though, that “joy” seems to be <b>all</b> they seek after. If they feel good, then they are “blessed.” If not, then maybe it’s their fault for “quenching the spirit” or lacking “faith.”<br />
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Church people have started to seek after some dangerous things. This is the first of a series I’m calling “Fool’s Gold.” I don’t use the term “fool” in judgment, only to express how many people have been fooled by so much that the modern-day church does.<br />
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One of the many things that have distracted me from this blog lately has been the death of my mother-in-law. She was raised Pentecostal Holiness, a combination that seems rather dangerous if you dig into it. She and my father-in-law once visited a Freewill Baptist church. Her response was that “they don't believe in the Holy Spirit.” I asked my wife what she meant, and she said they weren’t clapping, jumping, and raising a ruckus during service.<br />
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This style of service used to be reserved for “Charismatic” congregations or (pardon my antiquated terminology here) “churches for black folks.” They were loud, active, and definitely spirited. In more modern times, though, this has leaked into what most call “contemporary services” aimed at attracting younger people. Of course, every side has its own opinions on the merits and failures of their side vs. the other side. That in itself makes me think of the house divided against itself (Mark 3:23-26), but that’s another subject.<br />
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Loud volumes produce adrenaline, according to several articles I have read. It gives way to the thrill of the adrenaline rush that makes thrill rides such as roller coasters fun for many people. The problem is that continued adrenaline can cause medical issues down the road.<br />
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<b>Consider This: if you go to a church to feel good, what happens when you stop feeling good?</b><br />
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Jesus offered a different look at how life in Him works. He referred to suffering (Romans 5:1-5), persecution, and other unpleasant situations. Some choose to “fake it ’til you make it” with a deceiving smile. <b>Is that not a lie? Is that, therefore, not a sin?</b><br />
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There are going to be days when the faithful will find himself or herself in dire straits. Just look at the book of Job! Depressing? It can be, even when trying to lift some measure of hope from it. I’ve been there lately, with a number of medical and family issues going down. Do I “speak positive into the situation?” Job didn’t! He admitted that he hurt. <b>He also retained his faith in God!</b><br />
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<b>Consider This: if you go to a church to worship God, what happens when you don’t feel good?</b><br />
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The person who worships a feeling will find that feelings don’t make good foundations of faith. They aren’t faithful. They don’t deserve our trust. Only Christ does.Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL 32904, USA28.0716832 -80.65338780000001927.9595952 -80.814749300000017 28.1837712 -80.49202630000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-35067272542317781032016-08-19T02:24:00.003-04:002016-08-19T02:24:42.359-04:00Being Anxious For Nothing, Just Anxious!I haven't been a fan of many blogs lately. Some remain steadfast, but too many "Christian" blogs have turned away from God's truth to embrace something else.<br />
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One blogger, Tim Challies, has always been unique for me. Recently he had a guest post that struck home with me. It can be found at <a href="http://www.challies.com/articles/some-things-you-should-know-about-christians-who-struggle-with-anxiety" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this link: <b>Some things you should know about Christians who struggle with anxiety</b></a>. I suggest you read it through, then return here.</div>
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Welcome back. I know some will poo-poo the whole concept of anxiety being outside of one's control. If you feel that way — if you think that uncontrollable anxiety is on par with the LGBTQIA excuse of "God made me that way" and you cannot accept it — then feel free to stop here. Thanks.</div>
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For those who didn't ditch, let me say that I can empathize all too well with Adam Ford's situation. I have had various degrees of panic and anxiety attacks as far back as I can recall. Social anxiety comes and goes for me. My mother has noted that the symptoms of panic/anxiety disorder have run in her family, and I've been able to see it now that I'm aware of it.</div>
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Too many people pull out Philippians 4:6, with its admonition to "be anxious about nothing." While I encourage you to read the rest of the context, of course, I will say that those of us with PAD do precisely that: be anxious for nothing. Such anxiety attacks pop up out of the clear blue with no discernable cause, other than our bodies decide they need to do it.</div>
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So many want to point the finger of accusation, or to beat down the "sin" with a barrage of out-of-context verses. Trust me, it just comes off as condemning.</div>
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I consider my disorder to be my equivalent of Paul's humbling thorn in the flesh. It reminds me that I am not in control. It reminds me that I am imperfect. It reminds me that I am dependent on the mercy and grace bought for me on the cross.</div>
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<b>Consider This: aren't we all?</b></div>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-44967521265512766072016-07-02T19:19:00.001-04:002016-07-02T19:19:51.814-04:00Acceptance or Hatred? God says, "Neither, and Both!"I really haven't wanted to dwell on this, but I must. It seems that, according to popular opinion, a Christian must either accept a sin, or hate the person. After all, that's what God does, right?<div><br></div><div><b>Wrong!</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Look carefully at John 3:1-21. This is what I like to call "the Gospel in a nutshell." This is the executive summary, the elevator speech, the short form of Jesus' purpose for being born, dying, and being resurrected. This is the real "love chapter" in the Bible, because it shows just how much God loves each and every one of us. Yep, He even loved the Pharisees, Judas Iscariot, Pilate, you, and me. He didn't send Jesus into the world to condemn every single sinner. We did that ourselves! God sends no one to Hell; we book that trip ourselves. It's a much easier trip, but the brochure doesn't really give an accurate picture of the destination.</div><div><br></div><div><b>We have <u>all</u> sinned and fallen short of the glory of God!</b> (Romans 3:23) <b><u>BUT</u> God loved us enough to provide the way to save us. All we need to do is accept the terms of the offer. </b></div><div> (Romans 3:19-26)</div><div><br></div><div>God is love, and God in us causes us to love others (1 John 4:7-14). Therefore, anyone in whom the spirit of God resides cannot hate the drunk, the murderer, the homosexual, or anyone else. We all still fall short, because we continue to live in a world rich with temptation, and we are still arrogant, self-hroghcentered, and stupid. That is our failure, not God's.</div><div><br></div><div>So why do so many LGBTQs say we hate them? Why do Muslims who act in a peaceful manner believe we hate them? Too often it's because we remain arrogant, self-centered, and stupid. Too often we are out of tune with the Holy Spirit (the <b>real</b> one, not the emotional high some believe is Him). Too often we are total failures at communication. On the other hand, too often homosexuals identify so closely with their choices that they cannot distinguish between the two. Too often Muslims adhere to the religion of their family and society that they do not see the difference.</div><div><br></div><div><b>We need to ensure we differentiate between the two.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>We must not hate the homosexual. We must hate the sin, and we may mourn the trap of reasoning that they fall into, but we must not hate the person. They may see it as, "God made me that way," but we must realize that is no more nor no less true than God making me with depression and anxiety disorder. Both are just as accurate as saying that a man cannot help but be "turned on" by another woman, or vice versa.</div><div><br></div><div>If I cannot make that distinction, then perhaps it's far better to keep my mouth (or keyboard) inactive and allow God to work through all lives involved.</div><div><br></div>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-27653732592319585002015-09-27T13:34:00.001-04:002015-09-27T15:32:57.065-04:00Rapture Rupture<p dir="ltr">As I write this, many Christian communities are packing their bags, ready for the Big Event. So much had been said about the fourth "blood moon" coming up tonight that it had almost become sickening.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Everybody is ready for the Rapture!</p>
<p dir="ltr">For those who somehow have been protected from all the ruckus, the Rapture is the alleged event that shall occur before, during, or after the Great Teibulation, depending on which interpretation you choose. (Yes, I know some interpretations don't even bring in the Rapture, and at least one variation puts end-times prophesy mostly at the Masada incident. Let's not get into that debate, please.) This event, popularized by a variety of works including the <i>Left Behind</i> series of books and movies, causes all "true" Christians to leave the Earth suddenly. Again, the details of the departure and who is a "true Christian" has been thrown about with disgusting arrogance.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Consider This: what if we're ALL wrong about the Rapture?</b></p><p dir="ltr">Wouldn't it be a shock to discover that the Rapture has already hapened, but only 144,000 or so people disappeared … a number so small that nobody even noticed?</p><p dir="ltr">What would that mean for those of us "left behind?" Would it mean we should never have watched that R-rated movie on the "Sabbath?" Would it mean we should've joined this or that church, even though they all got left behind as well?</p><p dir="ltr">Maybe, just maybe, we were so focused on blood moons and the alledgedly "correct" and "uncorrupted by Greek" name of the Son of God that we failed to help the least of those among us. Maybe, instead of looking for signs and wonders, we needed to look for those whose last days are today or tomorrow, about to die without hope. Maybe, instead of being on street corners pushing tracts and pithy sayings in the hands and faces of random people, we needed to tell them the simple Gospel, such as can be found in John 3:1-21? Nothing complex, no rituals or rites, just simple truth and hope. "Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) instead of tongues and rosaries, church committees and home groups, accountability and "miracles."</p>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-80493627844524778282013-11-19T06:15:00.001-05:002013-11-19T06:15:01.241-05:00Another Guest PostTo be honest, I am considering either changing this blog or creating a new one. Lately I've been more introspective and wanting to be a bit more generalized. I don't know yet.<div><br></div><div>Anyhow, you can find my second guest post revealing my heart at <a href="http://randomlychad.com/2013/11/its-not-just-divorce.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://randomlychad.com/2013/11/its-not-just-divorce.html</a> today.</div>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne West Melbourne28.059815 -80.660313tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-23603796620962330292013-06-26T16:46:00.000-04:002013-06-26T16:46:19.905-04:00Forgiveness - My First Guest Post!I know I haven't been very diligent at posting lately, but when I don't have anything to write, I don't write.<br />
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I'm considering, though, starting a second blog that is a bit more general than this one. It's inspired by one a friend of mine writes. In fact, he asked me to write a guest post for him last year, and I <b>finally</b> got around to doing it.<br />
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You can read my guest post on forgiving my father <a href="http://randomlychad.com/2013/06/choosing-to-forgive-my-pop-a-guest-post-by-joe-sewell.html" target="_blank">here, at Randomly Chad</a>.Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-1354628752584226152013-02-26T13:25:00.000-05:002013-02-26T13:25:15.728-05:00Good Grief!Someone close to me recently lost a cousin to cancer. It was a multi-whammy for her, since she herself was just decreed "in remission" from a different type of cancer, but more so because she had been very close to this cousin for most of her life.<br />
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The thing that surprised me, though, is that she was <b>afraid </b>of admitting that she was grieving!<br />
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It seems that a particular church (for which I have little respect, based on what she had been taught there for too many years) shamed those who actually didn't "celebrate" when a child of God passed away. <b>Grief, it seemed, was either a sin, or something not to be felt by a Christian.</b><br />
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I have no idea where they got that bit of theological illogic, but it certainly wasn't from a thorough reading of Scripture.<br />
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<b>Consider †his: if Jesus did something, it's nothing that should bring shame.</b><br />
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So when did Jesus grieve?<br />
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The shortest verse in the Bible, in just about all English translations of which I am aware, is John 11:35. Even the usually-wordy <cite class="bibleref" style="font-style:normal" title="AMP Jn 11:35">Amplified Bible</cite> keeps it at 2 words. (If you're interested, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/John%2011:35" target="_blank">Bible Gateway can show you how all of its English translations render this one verse</a>.) "Jesus wept." Simple enough. <b>But why did He weep?</b> The full story is found in John 11:1-44. This is the story of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha, a family that was near and dear to Jesus' heart even though they weren't part of his traveling band. You probably know the story. Lazarus had died, Jesus chose to wait to go there, and when He did, He brought Lazarus back to life, making his name synonymous with restoration of life.<br />
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<b>Jesus wept!</b><br />
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Why<b> </b>did Jesus do that? "Certainly" it couldn't have been because His friend was dead. After all, He seemed to know that He was going there to restore him to life. Perhaps it was due to the strong feelings of his sisters and other friends, including the one that came to bring Jesus to them.<br />
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<b>Or maybe it's the obvious answer: Jesus grieved for his friend.</b><br />
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<b>Sound wrong? Too bad. </b>We're not to judge what the Bible says based on our own preconceived ideas. One of the reasons I started this blog was to challenge those preconceived ideas that don't really match what Scripture says. This is one of the big ones, though I pray it's not as common as I fear it is.<br />
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Christians are called to joy, but that <b>doesn't</b> mean insane laughter or happiness or any of the other bits of garbage emotionally-driven churches try to push. There are times of sadness. There are times of grief. There are times of trial and emotional depression. There are even times of anxiety and distress. <b>Jesus went through <u>all</u> of these. Why do we think we won't? Why do we think we shouldn't?</b><br />
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Grief is normal. Grief is even healthy. There should be no shame accepted or poured on those who grieve the loss of a Christian. Even though we know we will see them again, the forced separation that will remain for the rest of our own lives is not a situation we can just push aside. As temporary as it is for Christians, the separation caused by death is the second greatest separation we can experience. (The first is when God isn't in us or the loved one, making the separation eternal.) <b>Consider †his: death is not a separation we were intended to endure.</b> Such separation came about because of sin. Sin causes even greater grief, in more ways than one.<br />
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So don't put shame on those who grieve. Put the shame on those who reject grief and those who grieve.Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-16342034292788916732013-01-03T12:00:00.000-05:002013-01-03T12:00:03.505-05:00"Giving an account"<br />
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OK, maybe it’s just me, but years ago I recall someone teaching on Romans 14:12 and getting seriously scared about God. No, I’m not talking about the fear of the Lord that’s the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 15:33). I’m talking about getting so scared of what He will do when we first meet “eye to eye” in Heaven that I obsess about every little thing here on Earth.</div>
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In case you haven’t already looked at the verse using the little popups, it reads in the ESV:</div>
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So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.</blockquote>
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Add to that Matthew 12:36, which reads:</div>
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I tell you, on that day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.</blockquote>
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Mix well with tons of legalism, and you get one paranoid Christian!</div>
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Once again, though, chopping up the Bible into little bits and trying to piece them back together into what I call “Scripture Slaw” produces an inaccurate representation of God’s truth. Take a look at <b>all</b> of <cite class="bibleref" style="font-style: normal;" title="Romans 14">Romans 14</cite> to get the context, as well as more of <cite class="bibleref" style="font-style: normal;" title="Matthew 12">Matthew 12</cite>.</div>
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<b>Consider †his: giving an account of what we did doesn’t remove God’s view of our lives as though we lived Jesus’ life.</b></div>
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We have no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). Even though we still sin, God’s grace reigns. (That’s not a license to sin, though, as Paul addresses elsewhere in Romans, 1 Corinthians, and other letters.) The judgement those in Christ go through won’t include a stern-face God shaking His finger at us like naughty children, demanding we squirm as we try to given an excuse for the inexcusable, as we are shown our failures when our best wasn’t “good enough.”</div>
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This particular fear was something I have had for decades, I just recently realized. I don’t recall what false teaching I heard early in my days in Christ that supported this thought, but it has partially paralyzed me spiritually until recently.</div>
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Normally a “good blogger” would ask a question to engage comments from the readers at this point. All I’m going to do this time, though, is ask you simply to consider what I’ve said, and ask that you pass it on to those who might be stuck in the same trap as I’ve been. Also pray for them, and for me, for continued freedom from this paralysis of fear. Thank you.</div>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-30628288266466944232012-08-01T19:58:00.000-04:002012-08-01T19:59:13.992-04:00Hating Homosexuals and Hens<br />
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So today’s the “big day.” Today is the official Mike Huckabee-generated Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Lines have been reported all over the place, many times out the door, in some cases even down the road (cars waiting to drive through or park, that is).</div>
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For those who may have tried to ignore it all, the fast-food chain’s president recently came “out of the closet” and proclaimed support of traditional marriage, <i>i.e.</i>, one man and one woman (presumably both born that way).</div>
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Many have reacted to this so-called “hatred” with … well, hatred.</div>
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<b>What hatred?</b></div>
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Apparently it’s OK to hate and be intolerant of those who disagree with you and your “love” and “tolerance.” But only if you agree with something the Bible says, and I agree with the world.</div>
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<b>Consider †his: isn’t that what Jesus told us would happen anyhow, in John 15:12-25 and Mark 13:9-13?</b></div>
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The problem with, in this case, the supporters of same-gender marriage is the same problem that people who support any type of sin (and, yes, sorry, practicing homosexuality is just as much of a sin as adultery, fornication, lust, lying, murder, and — oh, yeah — <b>hatred</b>) have. <b>They want to do something that God says isn’t a good thing to do.</b></div>
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That’s nothing new. John the Baptist told Herod that his marriage to his cousin-in-law, Herodias, was wrong. Herod locked John up (Luke 3:18-20), and Herodias’ hatred of John is what caused her to compel Herod to have him beheaded (Matthew 14:1-12 & Mark 6:17-29).</div>
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That was back then, though. Now we “know” that we are, at best, evolved animals. As the script for one old computer game said, “we are chemical processes, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and nothing more</span>.” So why shouldn’t we just let “love” (which is itself a chemical process for reproduction, so we can also call it “lust”) be “right?” That’s how we’re made, after all.</div>
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Hopefully everybody sees the sarcasm in the previous paragraph.</div>
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Now, I know all too well how body chemistry can mess up the mind. I have been diagnosed with depression, panic disorder, general anxiety disorder, and I have the symptoms of several other disorders that make the term “too blessed to be stressed” sound like an alien language to me. Does that mean that I claim anxiety is not a sin, even though passages such as Matthew 6:25-33, Matthew 10:19, Mark 13:11, Luke 12:22-31, and Philippians 4:4-7 seem to say otherwise?</div>
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<b>Nope, I’m not claiming that my body doesn’t make me sin.</b> Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it’s not a sin if my physical body produces hormones that cause me to act a certain way. Maybe it is a sin, but grace covers those sins, too.</div>
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Whatever the case, <b>my desires and my body do not determine what is sin. </b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><b>God alone does!</b></span></div>
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<b>Both sides need to stop hating the messengers.</b> The “tolerant” are deceived. Their father is the father of lies (John 8:43-45), and they proclaim his message. Some will turn and see the light, while others never will. Some follow Christ, yet still support those who claim to be homosexual.</div>
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I need to make one thing clear at this point. I just said that some claim to be homosexual. The claim often simply mean they are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">tempted</span> with same-gender attraction, but do not take it beyond that, just as many are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">tempted</span> to lust after the opposite gender. <b>Temptation is not sin.</b> I do not have the right to accuse anyone who claims to be homosexual of sin. I can tell them what the Bible says, but the choice is still theirs to make, just as it is my choice to fall where I am weak. Many are confused. Some want to throw their blatant sin into the face of anyone who disagrees with them, though, demanding acceptance their way. Sorry, no can do.</div>
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So how is all this going to play out? This will eventually die down, and the haters will seem to have a victory, then drag everyone through the mud with the next big thing that feels good with no true godliness. It’s in our nature. Just as chickens lay eggs, the unrepentant sinner will find something else to stir hatred. One day, though, the consistently unrepentant sinners will have egg on their faces as they discover that they don’t rule the roost after all.</div>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-91738465409652904832012-07-11T20:28:00.000-04:002012-07-11T20:28:02.560-04:00A Gospel for the Middle: A Synchroblog<br />
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Today I’m taking a “synchroblog” challenge from Frank Viola. The idea is to repost his hypothetical, but quite realistic, scenario, then write your answer to the question at the end.</div>
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Before I do that, though, I should note that this scenario is anything <b>but</b> hypothetical to me. I <b>was</b> Fielding for the first 2 years of my life in Christ. My mother still is.</div>
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After I present my answer, I’d like to hear your own response to the question at the end.</div>
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So, here’s the scenario:</div>
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<span style="color: #242424;">The following exercise is from the synchroblog at <a href="http://frankviola.org/2012/07/09/gospelforthemiddle/Click%20http://frankviola.org/2012/07/09/gospelforthemiddle/"><span style="color: #4f6c2d;">http://frankviola.org/2012/07/09/gospelforthemiddle</span></a></span></div>
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Fielding Melish and his wife Felicia have two children, ages 10 and 6. They live in a very remote part of Maine, USA. They are surrounded by extended family, none of whom are Christians. The nearest churches are one hour away, and by all evangelical standards, none of them are good. These churches are either highly legalistic, highly libertine, or just flat-out flaky.</div>
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One of Fielding’s cousins is a practicing Christian. They see each other once a year. Fielding’s cousin has shared Christ with Fielding many times over the years. Whenever they’ve talked about spiritual things, Fielding shows interest.</div>
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Felicia grew up in a Christian home. She’s received Christ, but she isn’t evangelistic and is overwhelmed with working long hours and raising two small children. She would love to find a church nearby for the spiritual support and instruction, but none exist.</div>
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Fielding has no college education. While he is capable of reading, he is not a reader. He doesn’t use the Web either. He’s a man who works with his hands, both for his career and for recreation. He’s an “outdoorsman.” He hunts, he builds, he does manual labor, etc. In his spare time, he helps his elderly parents with various building projects.</div>
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Fielding is not an atheist. Neither is he an agnostic. He believes in God. He believes Jesus is the Savior of the world who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. He hasn’t fully surrendered his life to Christ, but he is not sure what that looks like exactly. His children know a little about the Lord, mostly because of what their mother has taught them.</div>
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Recently Fielding asked this question:</div>
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When I’m with my cousin once a year, I want to learn more about God. But when I come back home, and I’m around everyone else, my mind is off of God, and I am back to working, raising my kids, and helping my parents. Someone needs to come up with a solution for people like me . . . <i>people who are in the middle. </i>(By “in the middle,” Fielding means someone who believes in Jesus, but who isn’t fully absorbed in the faith yet either. They simply don’t know enough nor do they have any spiritual support system around them.)</div>
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Relocating is not an option for Fielding and his wife. Even if they wanted to relocate, they don’t see a way they could do it financially.</div>
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Remember: Fielding and his wife don’t personally know any Christians. None of their extended family or coworkers are believers either. And the nearest churches (which are an hour away) aren’t recommended.</div>
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<i>Question: If you were Fielding’s cousin, how would you instruct him and his wife the next time you saw them?</i></div>
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Before I answer, I have to make a few assumptions here (since I’m an engineer, I have to list them):</div>
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<li style="background-color: #fff8ea; color: #161616; font: 15.0px Georgia; line-height: 21.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px;">By “extended family,” I assume Fielding’s cousin is not among them, though his parents presumably are. The cousin isn’t close enough to see the Melish family more often than once a year.</li>
<li style="background-color: #fff8ea; color: #161616; font: 15.0px Georgia; line-height: 21.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px;">Fielding doesn’t use the Web, and may resist using the Web.</li>
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OK, with that, here’s how I’d see the conversation between Fielding and his cousin going:</div>
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<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You know, Fielding, I’ve been thinking a lot about something you said last time. You said you and Felicia would love to find a church in your area.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Yeah, but you seem to like any of them near us. (laughing) Seriously, I see why you don’t. Felicia isn’t too thrilled with that idea, either.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">From what you’ve said about them, I don’t really think they’d do you much good. I know you don’t like the Internet…</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">No way! Besides, our computer is so old, I don’t think anything new would work on it.</span></td>
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<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It might, but you’re probably right. All the churches I can think of use stuff that your old machine won’t run well, if at all. They block folks like you who don’t want to upgrade, or can’t afford to.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Yeah, have you seen the prices for the new models?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Too often. But, hey, you can play CDs and DVDs on <i>something</i>, right?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Well, yeah, but it’s hard to watch a DVD while I’m out in the workshop.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">How about an audio CD? Like an audio book?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I don’t know. It can get pretty noisy when I’m out there, although I guess I could crank the volume up a bit.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Here’s what I’m thinking. Our little church doesn’t record their services yet, but I’m thinking about asking them if they would let me do it. I’d like to tap into their sound board directly, but something with a microphone would work, too. I could record the pastor’s message each week, burn them onto a CD, and mail them to you for you to hear.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That’s a little impersonal, isn’t it? I mean, what if I’ve got a question about what he says? Or what if I don’t agree with something he says?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That’s a good point. Maybe you could write them down and mail them to me, or to my pastor, if he’s willing?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I’d rather ask you. I don’t mean any offense to your pastor, but I don’t know him. You know I don’t have a college education, either. I wouldn’t want to look stupid to him.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You wouldn’t, but I understand.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The big problem is having the time to do all that. I’m so busy with Mom and Pop sometimes that I don’t even have time to be in my workshop. I guess I could listen to the CD in my car, but if the road’s noisy, or the kids are, I wouldn’t be able to pay attention.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">True. Some of the roads you have to take require undivided attention. How about you and Felicia take an hour once a week, like you would if you were in a nearby church, and listen to the CD?</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fielding:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">That would take care of that problem. I guess we could carve out some time like that. I could also watch some of those television preachers.</span></td></tr>
<tr valign="top"><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cousin:</b></span></td><td><span style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Um, not all of them are that great. I can give you some suggestions for those to watch for, and those to watch out for.</span></td></tr>
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For the record, this <b>isn’t</b> how my mother and I have handled it. God found us outside of a church setting (or, rather, in <b>spite</b> of a church setting), and that was that. She learned how to get by without any substantial “support system,” while God provided several through halfway-decent churches, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in college, and so forth. The area where we were all “born and raised,” though, sounds too much like the Maine setting of this scenario. Mom had tried to get a home study led by a Calvary Chapel pastor from 60 miles away, but there wasn’t enough local interest to make it worth his trip.</div>
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<b>So how would you address Fielding’s situation?</b></div>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com02635 Bradfordt Dr, West Melbourne, FL 32904, USA28.059938 -80.66029728.058186499999998 -80.6627645 28.0616895 -80.6578295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-65638607820081401192012-07-09T21:17:00.000-04:002012-07-09T21:17:18.372-04:00Your Turn: Commands vs. Requests<br />
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One of the purposes of this blog has always been to make people think about what they believe, and where their assumptions about their faith come from. I’ve never wanted anyone to doubt their faith or their salvation, but I do want to encourage people to think for themselves, rather than rely on what some preacher or nutcase has said, or what they learned from their youth.</div>
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Sometimes, though, there are topics I have problems with myself. I don’t have the responsive readership of the “big-time blogs,” so I rarely get much discussion. That’s disappointing to me, because I <b>don’t</b> want anyone to think I’m always right. <b>I don’t want to be the misleading nutcase!</b></div>
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From time to time, I want to put forth a question or topic I’d like to hear about from others.</div>
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<b>Today’s topic for discussion: how does God treat a “command” to His children differently from a “request?” Also, does God make demands of those who are saved?</b></div>
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Now, in this, please note that I’m speaking strictly on those who are saved. I’m also assuming, contrary to what some churches teach, that God doesn’t toss us into the line for the direct bus to Hell if we have a lustful thought or request Him to condemn someone by accident. I assume that, though God “cannot look on sin,” that He sees Christ’s sacrifice instead of our sin. (Habbakuk 1:13 seems to be the main verse for that one, though in context it indicates that God cannot look on sin <i>and not punish the guilty ones</i>, which would be Christ for those who have accepted His sacrifice)</div>
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My problem is that I cannot see the essential difference between a “command” (as compared to a “commandment”) and a “request” or “desire” as far as the believer is concerned. If we are right with God, we will want to do what He wants. He shouldn’t have to command; a request should be sufficient.</div>
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<b>Is there some sort of earthly “punishment” if we do not obey His commands? Do we lose our salvation?</b></div>
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I’d like some discussion on this. Please do support your comments from Scripture, and discuss the topic or comments, not the people making the comments.</div>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-10511445484214713172012-06-11T23:12:00.001-04:002012-06-11T23:17:36.935-04:00Can “Willful Disobedience” Send You to Hell?The following is a response to a Christian Post article by Dan Delzell, entitled <i><a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/can-deliberate-sin-negate-your-conversion-experience-76301/">Can Deliberate Sin Negate Your Conversion Experience?</a></i> I put it here because (a) it's pertinent to the blog, and (b) my response is too long for CP's comment system. :)<br />
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Oh, boy, this is a big one for me, though not quite in the direction Dan takes it.<br />
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<b>Consider This: there are plenty of people who have been told they are sinning willfully or deliberately who have lost hope.</b><br />
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I’ve been married for just over 18 years now. We cannot have children of our own. I was abused emotionally as a child, I believe. I hated my father for years, and still find bits of bitterness about some of the attitudes he had. That’s not the “deliberate sin,” though, that I want to address.<br />
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Several years ago the pastor of a large church I attended (which had no formal membership), someone I trusted to speak the truth, said something offhandedly at the end of a message. I don’t recall the message, nor the Scripture he used to support this, but he said, in effect, that it was a sin for a married couple to choose to be child-free. Adoption was an option, he noted, for those who could not have children of their own. After the service I went up & asked him about that particular detail. He back-pedaled a bit with comments about the matter of <b>when</b> one had children is personal, but he never retracted his statement. (For the record, there were times when I’d ask him about other things, and he did indeed retract what he said, or at least clarified it and made sure he would clarify it in later services.) From what I can gather, he did not make that same statement in the other two weekend services, but the damage was done for me.<br />
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I truly thought that I could not be headed for Heaven because I was willfully “disobeying” a “command” from God to be child-free.<br />
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I should also note here that I have clinical depression with anxiety, probably due to malfunctioning or fatigued glands, probably inherited from my mother’s side of the family. (We haven’t gone through the genetic testing to prove this; this is our best guess based on family knowledge of symptoms.) Anxiety attacks can manifest as anger attacks, since anger often is a secondary emotion arising from anxiety or stress — the “fight or flight” mechanism choosing the “fight” or “Hulk-out” mode. I have been, and continue to be, afraid of being around children at times. I have to leave the area if I can sense an attack about to happen. Their high-pitched squeals don’t help in that area, either, due to presumed <a href="http://en.wikiipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis">hyperacusis</a>.<br />
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Simply put: <b>I do not feel safe around children.</b><br />
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To believe all that, and then be told by a trusted pastor that being child-free is a sin, led me to the conclusion that <b>my continued choice in that area meant I was willfully disobeying a command from God</b>. Is that not another way of saying “deliberate sin?”<br />
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The point here is <b>that we must be absolutely careful about what we call “deliberate sin,” and recognize that God’s grace remains sufficient if our hearts are turned towards Him</b>. He knows us better than we know ourselves. So does His enemy and ours, Satan, who knows exactly where to poke us to make us think we are without hope.<br />
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<b>The only one of us without hope is the one who has chosen to give up the source of hope.</b>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-87905727073524363552012-04-29T17:16:00.000-04:002012-04-29T17:40:51.476-04:00Square Pegs, Round Holes, and Gaps<p>
Have you ever tried to fit the proverbial square peg into a round hole? Yeah, with a jackhammer it can work, or after ruining peg and/or hole. Is it really worth doing, though?</p>
<p>
That’s how I’ve felt lately with writing in general. Obviously I haven’t written a blog article for way too long. Most people would’ve written me off (and probably did). It hasn’t been for lack of trying. I could use a litany of reasons or excuses for the “break,” including the discovery of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroendocrine_tumor">neuroendocrine carcinoid tumors</a> in my wife’s liver, the “holidays,” stress at work, too much Facebook time, and so forth. Each one of those would have some validity to them, too.</p>
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The real reason is that I haven’t had anything to write about that is working for me.</p>
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I wanted to start a verse-by-verse study through Romans, especially since I learned that the Emerging/Emergent Church movement, which favors unity over truth, wishes that evangelicals “rip out” that book from the Bible. I also know that I need to get back to an in-depth personal study of the Bible. I’ve also considered a similar study in Colossians, since people like Kenneth Copeland quote copiously from it to support their own heresies.</p>
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So far, though, both of these have worked as well as square pegs in round holes. They don’t fit.</p>
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So I sit here and, as it may appear to others, let my blog languish, as if I don’t care about it. Sorry, but that’s simply not true. I <b>do</b> care about it. I care about those few readers who have made a commitment to follow it, either via Facebook, RSS, Google Friend Connect, or perhaps even through the Feedburner feed that I can no longer access. (Which reminds me, if anybody knows how to contact a <b>real</b> Google support person who might be able to figure out why the password & security question I recall and recorded do not work, I’d appreciate an email address.)</p>
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<b>I care enough about this blog to let it sit, rather than to publish junk.</b></p>
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<b>I care enough about this blog to sacrifice quantity for quality.</b></p>
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<b>Sorry, no square pegs in round holes here.</b></p>
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There are numerous blogs out there that will deluge you with content, some of them breaking the rules in the opposite fashion by putting out numerous posts per day. Sometimes I think I’d like to have the quality content and time to do just that.</p>
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Right now, I do not.</p>
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Thanks to all reading this for bearing with me. Pray that this blog will be used by God as <b>He</b> intends, not as the “media experts” say it should.</p>
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If you want content, my blog roll on the side has numerous other reading sources that I personally like. Some of them may even flood your email box or RSS reader, if that’s how you like to read blogs.</p>
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Since the “experts” like to suggest “engaging” readers by asking a question, Consider †his closing question:</p>
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<b>How would you deal with round holes and only square pegs?</b></p>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0 West Melbourne, FL, USA28.059938 -80.66029728.058186499999998 -80.6627645 28.0616895 -80.6578295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-81309989203164986862011-11-30T20:39:00.001-05:002012-01-08T18:53:41.080-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 7: More on the Image of GodA thought occurred to me, as it has a tendency to do, that I hadn’t considered when I wrote <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">my multi-part series on the Word of Faith — or, as I called it, the Word™ of Faith™ — movement</span></a>. One of the foundational thoughts behind the idea that we “mere mortals” can harness the power that God allegedly harnessed when He “spoke the world into existence” is that Adam and Eve, and therefore every single one of their descendants (that includes you), resembles God.<br />
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In this article I want to examine a little better the first story of the first man & woman as told in Genesis 2:5-3:24.<br />
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Genesis 2:5-7 tells of the specific creation of Adam, the first man. While it does not say that Adam was created “in the image of God,” let’s assume that this is an extended version of the short story recorded in Genesis 1:26-28. That would indicate that Adam, and later Eve in Genesis 2:18-23, were created in God’s image.<br />
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The great struggle with that term “in the image of God” has always been the extent of that image. Does it mean that God is humanoid? Does it mean that God has 5 fingers on each of 2 hands, a single head, and so forth? More importantly, does it mean that Adam and Eve were replicas of God, with all the abilities He has? And what about their offspring?<br />
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<b>Consider †his: no matter how much Adam, Eve, you, and I resemble God, we were never like God … not even before the first sin.</b><br />
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How can I say this? Let’s start with Genesis 2:16-17. God gave Adam his diet plan: every tree except one is available. That tells us two things: first, <b>Adam ate</b>, and second, <b>Adam wasn’t allowed to eat from one specific tree</b>.<br />
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So does that mean that God eats? Does that mean that God is not allowed to do certain things? That leads to an even more important question: <b>is God subservient to someone or something else?</b> Well, Charles Capps alleged that God used “the power of His [Faith™]” to create all this, as if God’s power wasn’t adequate. That, though, would result in circular reasoning, since Capps concluded that based on tons of misinterpretations of other Scriptures ripped from their context.<br />
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Genesis 2:18-24 brings forth a second trait of Adam: it wasn’t good that he be alone. But he <b>wasn’t</b> alone, for God walked with him. Still, God said that he needed a helper, and none of the animals filled that slot. Thus God created Woman, later named Eve, from one of Adam’s ribs. That leads us to know that <b>Adam needed Eve</b>.<br />
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So what about God? Many have speculated that He somehow “needs” mankind to love, since He is love (1 John 4:7-8). That’s stretching things a bit, though. After all, what did He do <b>before</b> He made us? He is I AM. He is eternal. He existed before anything was created. How did He fulfill this alleged “need” before He created Adam? Yes, the Bible refers to those who choose Him as their God as His “bride,” but the connection is still rather thin.<br />
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The biggest difference, though, comes in one of the saddest sections of the Bible: Genesis 3:1-7. The serpent tempts Eve by first trying to claim that God lied. Genesis 3:5, though, pegs it: he claims that <b>Eve will be like God after she eats the fruit.</b> How could this have been a temptation to someone “made in the image of God” if that truly meant that she was exactly like Him? Can God sin? (James 1:13 is just one of numerous answers to that question.)<br />
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In summary, Adam and Eve, <b>before they sinned</b>, if they were created “in the image of God,” were not identical to God in that:
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<li>they had a command to follow;</li>
<li>they needed someone other than God;</li>
<li>they didn’t know the difference between good and evil;</li>
<li>they could sin.</li>
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<b>So, you tell me: does “made in the image of God” really mean that we are exactly like Him? Did it ever mean that?</b>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-23498155211669522582011-10-02T20:32:00.000-04:002011-10-02T20:32:15.649-04:00You Are Not Alone!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
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One way that our great enemy, the devil, loves to try to get to us is to make us feel alone and isolated. After all, he schemes, if man cannot connect with you, certainly a superhuman God cannot understand what you’re going through. Never mind what you’re going through is common (a bit of generalization of 1 Corinthians 10:13). Never mind that God With Us and <b>in</b> us knows what we’re going through.</div>
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No matter what you’re going through, <b>you are not alone</b>!</div>
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That’s the premise for a book being released this week from Civitas Press, called <i>Not Alone: Stories of Living with Depression</i>. You can get it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Not-Alone-Stories-Living-Depression/dp/0615532675/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317234067&sr=8-2"><span style="color: #0000ea;">on Amazon</span></a> right now. The book is unique in that it brings together a variety of different stories from a variety of different people on the topic of depression. What is it like to go through depression? What’s it like to come out of depression? Why do some people feel depressed even when they try to “think positive?”</div>
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I’m part of a “blog festival” promoting the book. I don’t get any “kickback” from this other than a link from the editor’s blog. I’m also a contributor to the book.</div>
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Allow me to share with you some snippets from my contribution to the book:</div>
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For all we know about it today, depression remains stigmatized by society, especially the one place where safety should be found: the church. So many people don’t realize that depression may very well be “just in your head,” but that it’s a real medical condition, at least for some of us.</blockquote>
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I’ve been diagnosed with, and treated for, a serotonin imbalance. This means, in essence, that much of my depression & anxiety is outside of my mental control. I can’t “think it away” with “positive thoughts” or excitement. In fact, “excitement” can often trigger panic & anxiety attacks, which are related. The beginning of my recovery might be disappointing for some hoping for a “miracle.” I went on an antidepressant and a tranquilizer, taken as needed, for those times when I get out of control. That may seem boring, even undesirable to some, but for me it was a miracle.</blockquote>
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The medications remove one of the barriers to my healing: whatever glandular defects are involved that inhibit either the production or proper usage of serotonin. Yes, that’s how I treat the physiological part of my depression, as a physical defect. No, that doesn’t mean God made a mistake, any more than He did when someone is born without arms or legs, or with Type 1 diabetes. I look at the medications as a Type 1 diabetic looks at insulin: it’s “medically necessary” for my survival.</blockquote>
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The psychological part of it has been a different story. No, you really can’t tell what aspects of your depression are purely from the serotonin issues and what aspects are psychological results of the physical. I’m no psychiatrist or psychologist, but I haven’t been able to distinguish between the two. Both feed on each other. Hurt compounds on hurt, anxiety upon anxiety, excuse for depression upon excuse.</blockquote>
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You read that correctly. I called it an “excuse.” In Christ there really is no excuse for depression outside of the physical. That’s not saying recovery is easy, especially if you’ve dealt with the physical issues for years before getting treatment. It took over 30 years for me to be diagnosed officially with depression, but it was the same moment that I learned of the physical side of it. As the physical side is overcome, it’s time to start believing the promises found in God’s Word, such as there being no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1) or that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39 … I suggest The Living Bible, if you can find it, for this particular passage).</blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16px;">For the rest of my story, and for stories from several others, go get the book.</span></div>
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Still, <b>Consider †his: God still extends grace and mercy no matter what “excuse” we have for what we do.</b></div>
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I have issues with depression, panic, and anxiety, stress and worry, and many other things that are essentially out of my control … I don’t know how to deal with them or make them stop. I can listen to the “God cannot stand sin” people and believe that I have no hope … <b>or</b> I can listen to the God of the Bible and know that He still loves me. That doesn’t always help the body chemistry going whacko, but it keeps me alive.</div>
</span>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-16759032291677164222011-09-07T21:39:00.004-04:002016-02-16T07:29:37.799-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 6: The Word of Faith vs. The Word of God!As always, allow me to provide links to <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-3.html">Part 3</a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-4.html">Part 4</a>, and <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-5.html">Part 5</a> of the series so far.<br />
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In this post, I want to deal once and for all with the Word™ of Faith™ heresy. I've described so far how this group believes that the spoken word, whether it be a Biblical quotation or something based on it, uttered in what they consider to be faith, activates a creative power in each of us, since we are all made in the image of God.<br />
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Previous articles in this series have dealt with these beliefs, and how they compare to what the Bible actually says in context. The final issue to address here is in the power of the spoken word. This idea that the words must be spoken to be effective is unusual, to say the least. It has always made me wonder about the mute, the person with a tracheotomy stoma before technology allowed him to speak again, or even the person with laryngitis. Then again, I suppose those people just didn't have enough Faith™ to speak against their illnesses and disabilities while they still could.<br />
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Yeah, that sounds like a merciful and grace-filled God.<br />
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Not.<br />
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The Bible <b>does</b> speak of the importance of communicating the gospel to everybody. It takes courage to say out loud that you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord (or LORD, to use the term some translations use to represent the actual name of God), especially in areas that are hostile to any belief system other than the "official" one … areas such as the United States, steeped as it is in the belief of naturalistic "science" and "tolerance" of anything except Christ. (Of course, we are hardly persecuted compared to other parts of the world … at least as of this writing.)<br />
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<b>There's nothing significant that I can see, though, about the actual sounds emitted from our throats.</b> If it were, I'd have to wonder if we were using the correct language, or if Faith™ is intelligent enough to speak whatever language we speak.<br />
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I have to agree with what some writers claim. <b>Consider †his: the practice of speaking certain words out loud to summon powers outside of ourselves comes not from Scripture, but from the occult!</b> To think that "confessing" Bible verses mandates that God or Faith™ must act upon them is significantly closer to the idea of the mystical incantation, the "open sesame" for the magic door or the "abra cadabra" that enables genie-like forces to work.<br />
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Naturally the practitioners of the spoken confession know better than to "confess" that their practices so closely resemble witchcraft. Even they know that they cannot admit to that without somebody seeing through their ruse. Instead, they insist that their way is <b>the</b> way, and threaten those who would come against them or their teaching.<br />
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The problem is that, one day, they will see another word, the Word of God made flesh (John 1:1-10) who promised no genie to come on command, but Who will one day judge these people for turning their backs on Him and <b>His</b> spoken words, choosing instead the lying angel that Kenneth Copeland claims to hear from. (I still say that could be true, as long as we recognize that a third of the angels chose to go with the devil in rebellion against God.)<br />
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<b>Consider †his: our salvation is not in the spoken Word™ of Faith™ that makes promises it cannot keep, then blames our failure of Faith™ to cover up its own lie. Our salvation is in <i>the Almighty Word of God, Jesus Christ!</i> In <i>Him</i> we can do all things (Philippians 4:10-13). <i>He</i> is before all things, and in <i>Him — not our Faith™ —</i>all things hold together (Colossians 1:17)! The substance of worship belongs to Christ; let no one disqualify you, insisting on … worship of angels, going on in details … and not holding fast to the Head, which is Christ! (Colossians 2:8-23)</b><br />
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Let's be honest, though. Don't we <b>all</b> from time to time use a pre-written "prayer," rather than talk with God using our own words? Don't we <b>all</b> from time to time quote a verse out of context, or utter the phrase "in the name of Jesus," as if it brought about some sort of power? I still find myself stumbling down that path. Is that any less of an "incantation?" Perhaps if it reminds us of Whose we are … but, no, I have to be honest with myself here. I fall into that same trap.</div>
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As I researched for this specific post, I came across several links to other sites that have more to say on the subject. Rather than plagiarize from them, allow me to close with links to them. Then, in <b>true faith in Christ</b>, pray and repent of any connection to the occult you may inadvertently have caused by believing in "positive confession" or the Word™ of Faith™.<br />
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I know I will.<br />
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The links are:<br />
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<li><a href="http://thewordonthewordoffaithinfoblog.com/">The WORD on the Word of Faith</a> (blog)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.letusreason.org/WF48.htm">"Word Faith teaching - A spiritual copy of Mind Sciences"</a> (via <a href="http://www.letusreason.org/">Let Us Reason</a>)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/word-faith.html">"Word Of Faith Movement"</a> page on <a href="http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/">Deception in the Church</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.watchman.org/reltop/posconf.htm">"Positive Confession"</a> on <a href="http://www.watchman.org/">The Watchman Expositor</a> (not affiliated with the Jehovah's Witnesses, as far as I know)</li>
</ul>
<b>For Part 7, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-7.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</b> <br />
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Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-84081296421320610862011-09-06T21:51:00.003-04:002016-02-16T07:28:14.736-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 5: The Truth About Faith<br />
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For the record, here are the links to <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 1</span></a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 2</span></a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-3.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 3</span></a>, and <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-4.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 4</span></a> of this series.</div>
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So, <b>finally</b>, we get to the Christian “f-word” — <b>faith</b>! In earlier parts of this series, I have been disgusted with discussed what I’ve called “Faith™,” the trademark symbol representing the false faith that the Word™ of Faith™ movement pushes on folks. For those just coming in, three of the big talkers in the Word™ of Faith™ movement are Kenneth Hagin and his Rhema school, Kenneth Copeland, and Charles Capps; from their names come my punny title for the series. Oh, and the trademark symbol after Word™? It represents the all-important “spoken word” idea that I’ll be covering in the appropriately-numbered Part 6 of the series.</div>
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<b>So what <i>is</i> faith?</b> Do a word search on “faith” on <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Bible Gateway</span></a> or any other Bible-related search page, and you’ll get tons of references, depending on the translation you search. Be careful, though! Satan knows how to take Scripture out of context, as he does when taking the verses on faith and using them to support the kind of Faith™ that dethrones God and tries to place us alongside of Him!</div>
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First, let’s look at how a modern dictionary, in this case an edition of the Oxford Dictionary, defines faith:</div>
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<b>1</b> complete trust or confidence in someone or something :<i> this restores one’s faith in politicians</i>. </div>
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<b>2</b> strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof. </div>
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<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">a system of religious belief : <i>the Christian faith</i>. </li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">a strongly held belief or theory : <i>the faith that life will expand until it fills the universe</i>.</li>
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I personally have some issues with definition #2, especially the “spiritual apprehension rather than proof” idea, but I’ll deal with that later. Instead, I’d define “faith” as something like this: <b>faith is a deep-seated belief that fosters complete trust in the person or thing in which that faith is placed.</b></div>
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That brings up a few important qualities about faith. First, <b>faith isn’t alone; one has to have faith <i>in</i> someone or something</b>. Second, <b>faith in the wrong person or thing does not guarantee that it becomes real</b>. Finally, <b>faith can change how we look at things</b>.</div>
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Here’s where atheists and anti-theists can start getting flaky. <b>We all have some sort of faith in some sort of idea</b>. That’s how our minds work. Students of deductive reasoning should know that any set of deduction, or proof of a theory, must start with some set of “givens.” These are ideas that are accepted as true, or are the results of previous lines of reasoning. For example, I assume that what I’m typing right now will be published on my blog once I hit the “Publish” button. That comes, in part, from past experience, from reading the instructions (yes, I’m a guy and I read the instructions first … well, usually), and from assuming that the system is working “properly.” On the other hand, I’m a software engineer. I know that Blogger doesn’t always work “properly.” Since I can’t tell until I try, I assume that I’ll be able to recover this if I need to, thanks to Blogger claiming it is saving periodically. (Again, though, that’s having faith in the little “Save” button that changes to “Saving…” all on its own once in a while.)</div>
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Regarding God and/or things beyond the natural, I assume — I have faith — that all natural things do not necessarily compose the entirety of existence. To put it another way, I <b>don’t</b> have faith that the only things that exist are the natural. That’s where I differ from many atheists and anti-theists. They want “proof,” rather than faith. I say, though, that there is no “proof” that they can accept because it violates their faith in the lack of the supernatural, or their faith in the non-existence of anything that cannot be proven using their methods <b>and</b> their assumptions or “givens.”</div>
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Did you see something important in that last paragraph? <b>My faith in God makes Him no more real than the atheist’s faith against God!</b> God is either real, or He is not. My belief doesn’t affect that, nor does the atheist’s belief. <b>There is no inherent power in the faith of either one of us to create or destroy God.</b></div>
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On the other hand, my faith in God allows me to accept the gifts He gives me (Romans 5:1-2), <b>which includes faith in Him</b> (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 2:1-10). That allows me to do so much more through Him. He who has faith in himself alone has nothing else to stand on. In <b>that</b> sense, then, my faith gives me different abilities. On the other hand, the atheist who has faith only in the natural will see a similar advantage from her point of view. <b>Each one’s faith, then, gives us the courage — and perhaps even the power — to see, hear, and do a variety of different things that we wouldn’t do otherwise.</b></div>
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The Word™ of Faith™ movement claims that God used “His Faith™” to speak things into existence. <b>True faith doesn’t do that.</b> In fact, <b>God needs <i>no</i> faith!</b> How can an all-knowing being have faith? He already knows what we will do, and He knew it before Eve plucked the forbidden fruit from the tree and passed some on to Adam. He knew the stupid mistakes and evil desires of our hearts when Jesus was nailed to the cross for them! <b>God is not human, needing faith. We are not gods, knowing all. God doesn’t need us, but we need the living Word of God (John 1:1-10)!</b></div>
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This is just the nutshell version of what true faith in God is all about. It makes no sense to the mind of the person who insists that there is no God. It didn’t make sense to me while I made that choice … while I had faith in the naturalistic ideas forming the foundation of current scientific “knowledge.” It didn’t make sense to me until <b>He</b> opened my eyes and challenged my assumptions … my <b>faith without Him</b>.</div>
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<b>What will it take to allow you to Consider †his?</b><br />
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<b>For Part 6, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-6.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. </b></div>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-42255224694168937072011-09-05T21:58:00.004-04:002016-02-16T07:26:49.510-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 4: The True Image of God<br />
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Just as a reminder, this is part 4 in a series. Click on these links for <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 1</span></a>, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 2</span></a>, and <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-3.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 3</span></a>.</div>
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In this part, I want to deal with one of the two factors that the Word™ of Faith™ movement gets wrong: <b>the image of God</b>. As I mentioned earlier, part of the power behind the heresy is that, since we are create “in the image of God,” then we must be like God. At this point they carry it so far as to claim that we have the same power through Faith™ that God does. (The earlier parts will explain why I put the little “trademark” symbol after the word “faith” when referring to what they call “faith,” and a similar mark for “word.” A future installment will deal with faith vs. Faith™ in greater detail.)</div>
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First, I’d like to refer you to one of my favorite sites, GotQuestions.org, and their response to the question, <a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/image-of-God.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">“What does it mean that man is made in the image of God?”</span></a> While this doesn’t cover everything I want to address, it provides a good starting point.</div>
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There are several issues to deal with when talking about man being made in the image of God:</div>
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<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">What, <b>exactly</b>, does “the image of God” mean?</li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">What does the “image of God” <b>not</b> include?</li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Are we <b>still</b> in the image of God?</li>
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The first point is: <b>What, exactly, does “the image of God” mean?</b> The Hebrew word translated “image” in Genesis 1:26-27 refers to a shade, a phantom, an illusion, a resemblance, or a representative figure, “especially an <i>idol</i>” according to <i>Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance</i>. This could, therefore, refer to God’s physical appearance, or something similar to it. In modern terms, a photograph, painting, statue, or digital image (note the word) could apply. In modern usage we can also refer to someone as the “image” of a relative. For example, if a son looks exactly like his father did at the son’s present age, we can say that the boy is an “image” of his dad.</div>
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Genesis 1:26-27 also refers to “likeness” in many translations. The Hebrew word is related to the word for “resemblance.” It can also refer to a model or shape. The same type of arguments mentioned above apply here as well. A likeness is even less concrete than an image. Again, though, something with the same shape as a dog, for example, isn’t a dog.</div>
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The point often made regarding the “image of God,” though, comes from John 4:24, where we are told that God is spirit. “Spirit” here can refer to the breath of life; the Greek word, in fact, is the root of our word “pneumatic,” as in something that is inflated with air. Genesis 2:7 says that man, unique among the other creatures, was given the “breath of life;” some translations complete the sentence saying that man became a “living spirit.” Again, this says <b>nothing</b> about power or abilities, only that we, like our Creator, are also spirit.</div>
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The second point to look at is: <b>What does the “image of God” not include?</b> As we saw earlier, an “image” or “likeness” is not necessarily a full replica of the original. Can a photograph of you do everything you can do? No, it cannot. It cannot move. It cannot speak. It cannot do your homework. It cannot fill in for you at work. It cannot love, hate, breathe, or die. <b>An image does not necessarily have the same abilities as the original.</b> The son that is the “spitting image” of his dad cannot necessarily do everything his parent can do, because the boy may not be old enough or not properly trained the same way that his dad was. The father’s abilities aren’t automatically passed on to the son.</div>
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The third point is: <b>Are we still in the image of God?</b> I believe this is the most important point in the whole discussion. Adam was made in the image and likeness of God. Since Eve came from Adam, she was also made in His image (which doesn’t mean that God is somehow both male and female, by the way). Like God, they were sinless. <b>Unlike God, though, they had the ability to sin. And sin they did!</b> Once Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, they both saw that they were naked, and they both became self-absorbed. Genesis 3:14-24 record the consequences of their sin. They had separated themselves from God. They <b>hid</b> from God; God didn’t hide from them! There would be pain, sweat, and death in their future and that of their offspring. What’s curious is that God said that they had become more like Him <b>after</b> eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:22). No matter what, <b>the image had changed</b>.</div>
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With all of that in mind, the final question arises: <b>do we have the same creative power that God has?</b> I have to conclude that <b>no, we do not have the same power to create something from nothing. We do not have the power to “speak what is not as if it were.”</b> Even if God had to depend on Faith™ to create, mankind does not necessarily have that same ability now, if we ever did.</div>
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<b>I am not saying that we do not have God-given gifts!</b> John 14:1-14 says that we will do greater deeds than even Jesus Himself did before His death, resurrection, and ascension. John 15:1-11 tells us, though, that we can do <b>nothing</b> apart from Him. It <b>doesn’t</b> say that we need Faith™! It <b>doesn’t</b> say that we are connected to Faith™ through speaking His words; the seven sons of Sceva can attest to that (Acts 19:11-20).</div>
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As I continue this series, I want to deal, of course, with the true meaning of faith, and how it actually connects to the power of God. I also want to show some of the history of the Word™ of Faith™ movement, and how it is little more than occult practices wrapped up in a Christian wrapper.</div>
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<b>How would you answer the questions I pose? Are we still in the image of God? What does that mean to you?</b><br />
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<b>For Part 5, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-5.html" target="_blank">click here</a>. </b></div>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-20603064757900684272011-09-02T17:57:00.003-04:002016-02-16T07:25:55.055-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 3: The Idol and The Image<br />
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This is the third part in a series on a great heresy that has permeated the thought processes of too many Christians. <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html"><span style="color: #0000e5;">Part 1</span></a> provides the basics in a chat I had with a friend, whom I’m calling “Bobbi Sue.” <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html"><span style="color: #0000e5;">Part 2</span></a> starts dealing with some of the belief system involved. In there I refer to something I’ve chosen to call “<b>Faith™</b>” … the little “trademark” symbol is there to represent what they refer to as “faith,” as opposed to the more common definitions of the term, including the Bible.</div>
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<b>So what is faith?</b> References to faith occur throughout the Bible. We are saved by grace through faith that doesn’t even come from us, so that we cannot even brag about that (Ephesians 2:8). Faith allows us to persevere, assured that what we do not see right now or that we hope will happen will be there, if not something even better (Hebrews 10:32-12:2). Faith gave courage to those who were in dire straits in the world — those who were poor, literally beaten down, and without any earthly hope (Hebrews 11:32-40). Faith even gave people like Moses the courage to go against the “good life” of being a Prince of Egypt to do what God had called him to do (Hebrews 11:23-27)!</div>
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<b>So what is Faith™?</b> I almost wish I still had some of Charles Capps’ books handy, so I could cite passages to you that should make you fear for his very soul. Faith™ is the creative power “activated” by our <i>rhema</i> (see <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html"><span style="color: #0000e5;">Part 2</span></a> for more details) — our actual spoken words, which I’m calling the Word™. Faith™ does what we command, <b>if we believe without any doubt</b>! Faith™ permits no questioning of its existence, its abilities, or its availability. Faith™ is within all of us, and it is our “responsibility” to bring it to life and effect those changes we are told are necessary to be made on this planet. Faith™ <b>requires</b> our spoken word to work, and it requires a complete absence of doubt! If what we speak does not come to pass, then our Faith™ was inadequate. (How that fits in with Deuteronomy 18:20-22 is, it seems, another story.) <b>Faith™ doesn’t fail; we fail with our lack of Faith™.</b></div>
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Perhaps the most chilling part of the whole discussion, to me, was when Capps started discussing Genesis 1’s account of creation. As I mentioned in the previous part of this series, God used His spoken word to create the universe. Capps goes way out on a limb by saying that “<b>God used His Faith™ to bring the universe into existence</b>!” <b>What does this say to you?</b></div>
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<b>This says to me that God is not all-powerful! It says that God had to use a power limited in its powerfulness by the “spoken word” to do something He apparently could not do on his own!</b></div>
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The bigger connection, though, comes with a wild interpretation of Genesis 1:26-27. There it refers to God making “man” (“male and female” “man,” so don’t freak out, ladies) “in his [God’s] own image.” The exact meaning of this phrase has been a bone of contention for centuries. The bottom line, though, is that the Word™ of Faith™ teachers claim this means that <b>mankind has exactly the same power as God!</b> We were created “in His image,” therefore we must be so much like Him that we can do everything He can.</div>
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<b>This means, according to these teachers, that each one of us can use our Faith™ to bring things into existence, to “speak [into existence] that which is not [in existence]!” It also means that, since we have sinned, we can also speak negative things, such as illness or decay or death, into existence!</b></div>
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<b>In other words, we are effectively “little gods!”</b></div>
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In summary, then, these false teachers inform us that God is subservient to His portion of power known as Faith™, which He used to create everything in the universe. This brings God down from His topmost point. Since we are made in the “image of God,” we can do all this, too. This brings us up to the level of God.</div>
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<b>Does anyone else see any problem here?</b></div>
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As we continue in this series, I intend to show <b>just what true faith is</b>, <b>why we don’t have the power of God</b>, and <b>where our place is in God’s kingdom</b>. That’s a tall order, but that’s what I sense God calling me to do in this series. I ask you to pray for me as I continue writing.</div>
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Let me end this with the same question I’ve posed before: if you don’t accept that Faith™ is what it’s claimed to be, <b>how do you discuss this with those who believe otherwise? Have you had any successes in showing people the error?</b> I’ve tried to include an additional question for those who subscribe to the Word of Faith or Positive Confession movement, but this time I honestly can’t think of one other than: <b>how can you honestly think that usurping God’s rule comes from any place other than Hell?</b></div>
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<b>For Part 4, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-4.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</b>Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-46468901310100212842011-09-01T16:00:00.000-04:002016-02-16T07:24:52.124-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 2: The Basics<br />
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I hope you’ve already read <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/08/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-1.html"><span style="color: #0000ea;">Part 1 of this series</span></a>. If not, go ahead and read it. If you can still stand my writing after that, we’ll carry on from here.</div>
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If you read through the entire chat, you’ll see that I get a bit “fired up” over the whole idea of the “Word of Faith” theology. That’s because too many people treat it as Biblical, when it really is not.</div>
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Before I go deeper, though, allow me to describe what this movement believes. Of course, some may not accept all of this, and there are those who do not subscribe to the major points that still believe in “positive confession” and/or avoiding “speaking negative.” With God’s help, I’ll deal with those as well.</div>
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The foundation of this belief system comes from the first 2 chapters of Genesis. Chapter 1, of course, deals with the general creation of the universe. Genesis 1:3, for example, informs us that “God said, ’Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Genesis 1:6-7 continues with “God said, ’Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters …’ 7 And God made the expanse…” Genesis 1:3-27 continues the pattern of “God said … and it was so.”</div>
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Here’s where things start to go haywire, though. They emphasize the notion that God spoke, and what He commanded happened. They conclude, or otherwise use the pattern to prove, that God’s spoken word was the critical part in the act of creation. God’s creative power, in other words, came from His spoken word. To back this up, John 1:1-10 is used out of context, as it refers to the powerful “Word” that was present at creation.</div>
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The “power of the spoken word” provides a word study (no pun intended) of the word “word,” at least in the Greek. They note that there are 2 Greek words for “word:”</div>
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Both of these Greek words can be translated into the English word “word.” Consider, though, that <i>The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon</i> (© 1979, 1981), gives the equivalent of 2 whole pages for the former, and ½ page for the latter. Obviously the author considered the details to be of vital importance.</div>
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Logos is both the richer and harder to pin down of the two, as it is used extensively throughout the New Testament and the Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Logos literally refers to “a collection,” but Thayer notes that it appears to have 3 distinct usages in the Bible. Generally speaking, it refers to an idea communicated by spoken language, such as a saying, or to a line of reasoning. Thayer also notes that John 1:1-10’s use of “Word” uses logos.</div>
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Rhema, often one of the key terms used in the movement, refers specifically to a series of spoken words, or the sound that is produced in speaking them. For some reason this is of vital importance to the Word of Faith. It’s so important that Kenneth Hagin named his university after it. One definition Thayer provides for one usage of this word is “utterance,” a word that just seems to sound holy to many people.</div>
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What we have so far, then, is that God used the sound of the spoken word (even before He created air, it seems) to cause creation to occur. Charles Capps, an author of many thin books on this ideology, claims there is direct power in the speaking, or that speaking the words “activates” a power that brings about what is spoken.</div>
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That power is given a name by Capps: <b>Faith</b>. A cursory glance at the word would make people think of a solid belief or a system of beliefs, but Capps and his cohorts take it well beyond that. Allow me, then, to refer to it as “Faith™”, with the little symbol by it, to distinguish it from the simpler, more common definition. (Curiously, Capps and the Kenneth’s do not refer to the single Greek word, πίστις or <i>pistis</i> (<i>Strong’s</i> #4102), that is usually, if not consistently, translated “faith” in the New Testament.) Since that power is activated by a specific kind of Word, namely the spoken rhema word, I'll also “trademark” their Word™.</div>
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In the next installment of this series, I’ll investigate how Faith™ differs from ordinary “faith,” and begin to expose just how Faith™ begins to supplant the sovereignty of God.</div>
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In closing, let me ask those of you who have dealt with the Word™ of Faith™ people: <b>how do you explain to them why the spoken word is nothing special?</b> For those of you who believe that the spoken word indeed holds or activates power, let me ask you this: <b>what of the person who is temporarily or permanently mute? How does one who cannot speak, either at the moment (perhaps due to having the breath knocked out of them) or over a longer term, “activate” their Faith™?</b></div>
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(Let me remind everybody that comments need to remain civil. Explaining a different perspective is great. Saying someone is wrong just because you happen to disagree isn’t so great.)<br />
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<b>For Part 3, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-3.html" target="_blank">click here.</a></b> </div>
Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25023153.post-76785085954688713462011-08-31T20:49:00.000-04:002016-02-16T07:20:09.574-05:00The Capped Idol of Copeland-Hagin, Part 1: The Chat That Started The Series<br />
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Recently I had an online chat with a friend of mine who is an EMT (<span style="text-decoration: underline;">E</span>mergency <span style="text-decoration: underline;">M</span>edical <span style="text-decoration: underline;">T</span>echnician) who is also a Christian. We’ve discussed numerous things over the years. This one, though got me thinking of the need to do my first “blog series.”</div>
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It seems she has encountered some folks who have some rather bad theology. What I want to do in this series is explore why the particular theology is bad, where it comes from, and (hopefully) how to respond to it. To be honest, though, I’m going to need your help when it comes to that last bit.</div>
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The theology goes by a number of names: “Word of faith,” “Name it and claim it,” “Hyper-faith,” “Spoken word power,” and others. I prefer the name my best friend calls it, which is a pun on the last names of two men, both named Kenneth, who push this theology: <b>the Copeland-Hagin heresy</b>.</div>
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In this initial post, with my friend’s permission, I’ll give you the chat. She has given me permission to publish the chat, even using her real name. For her sake, though, I’ll use the name “Bobbi Sue” instead.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: grey;"><span style="color: grey;">8:42:56 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have a question for you</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:43:08 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Go for it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:47:33 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have two friends that have been giving me a real had time about my health and dealing with doctors and medicine. They are trying to tell me that I am not trusting God by going to doctors and taking meds. One of them told me to put myself in a bubble and don't even bother trust God. Both of them have told me that carrying an EpiPen is wrong because its not trusting God and relying on drugs instead. They also laugh at me because I choose to take a proactive role regarding my health and that I choose to allow the doctors to run all the tests they are running to find out what is wrong with me. They told me that I should not be relying on these test and that I should not let the docs do them. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:48:06 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I reminded them of the seriousness of the recent events.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:49:30 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I also reminded them that they are insisting that I go against my better judgment as a trained EMT and I told them if I had patients with the same problems I have going on. I would be rushing them to the hospital. My friends had the nerve to tell me well that is them not you. You're not trusting God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:50:06 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">What would you tell these two knuckleheads that might get them to stop bugging me about it.</span></div>
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8:50:08 PM<span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span><span style="color: black;"> ?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:51:15 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">First off, let me throw a few links at you. These are from a site that specializes in answering questions from a Biblical perspective. I've been impressed with their answers.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:51:34 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The first is </span><a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/Christians-go-doctors.html"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.gotquestions.org/Christians-go-doctors.html</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"> which sounds like it deals specifically with this topic.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:51:49 PM</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span><span style="color: black;"> The second is <a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-anti-depressants.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-anti-depressants.html</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:53:01 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I'd first ask them why they have so little faith in God that they believe He refuses to work through medicines He has provided.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:53:40 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">They think medicine came from man not God</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:53:56 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">and its a ploy of the enemy to steer people away from leaning on God</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:54:00 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">God didn't create herbs?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:54:38 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">God didn't create the first and most effective antibiotic known: penicillin?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:55:03 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">they don't see it that way</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:55:20 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">but yet these two wear glasses and take medication. go figure</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:55:24 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">When Jesus healed one particular blind man, why did He make mud when He could've just snapped His fingers?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:55:44 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I understand, Bobbi, and it's quite likely that they will not listen to anything you say.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:55:45 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">but yet I am overreacting and going way overboard according to them</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:56:16 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">A simple response, then, would be, "take it up with God, then. He's the one I obey, not you."</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:56:49 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">oh but I am not obeying Him because I am not learning to trust Him</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:57:01 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">this is all the crap they have told me</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:58:07 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Like I said, it sounds like they won't listen to anything you have to say, so just leave them with the simple truth: that you're trusting the wisdom of God, not the little idol they've put in a non-medical box.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:58:10 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Then one of them called me at 11 p.m. last night to ask me a medical question of all things. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:58:54 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I just laughed and told them they needed to find someone else to answer their question because I was not going to since anything medical is not trusting God</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:59:32 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Good answer. Actually, "trust your god" would've worked, too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">8:59:55 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I'd emphasize that they're trusting "their god," not the one true God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:00:53 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Tell them your God isn't limited by the spoken word, or by a higher power called "Faith." Tell them your God can do whatever He wants, however He wants, whenever He wants, with or without your permission.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:01:47 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Then encourage them that, when their god-in-a-box fails them — and it will — you'll be glad to tell them about the real God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:02:57 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">They probably won't listen to this, but the whole "word of faith" movement, which it sounds like they're a part of, actually has at least two characteristics that betray the fact that it's a lie from Hell itself.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:03:29 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">First, God "used His Faith" to "speak the universe into existence."</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:04:35 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Oh they are into the name it claim it stuff</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:05:00 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Second, since we are "made in the image of God," we, too, have creative power in our spoken words … in other words, we are "little gods."</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:05:23 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The first dethrones God, the second elevates man to the position of God. Sound familiar?</span></div>
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9:05:39 PM <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">yep</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:05:55 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Oh, and if they try to pull anything about an angel speaking to Kenneth Copeland, who told him this garbage, remind them what happened to a third of the angels. :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:06:45 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">One thing you'll have to do, though, is stick to the simplicity of the gospel, make it clear that their god is not God, and tell them that you'll be ready with more only when they are willing to listen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:07:29 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The way I see all of this is that if God was so against medicine and doctors, I would think that I was have a guilty conscience about being and EMT and attempting to save lives. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:08:08 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">True. On the other hand, they could say the same thing in reverse.</span></div>
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9:08:20 PM <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:08:51 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">In other words, they could say that their "heart" or "spirit" confirms their own belief about medicine being "of the devil" and that you're just misled.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:09:59 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">If that is the case then why am I still alive? My life has been saved several times by doctors or EMTs</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:10:24 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">They would probably say it was God's "grace" or some such nonsense.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:10:48 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I bet they would say because God is giving me a chance to wise up</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:10:53 PM</span> Joe Sewell: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Yep.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:12:05 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Their crap just makes me mad and raises my blood pressure to dangerous levels.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:12:28 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Believe me, I understand. Been there, done that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:12:39 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Shredded the T-shirt in anger. :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:13:01 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Oh get this by checking my blood pressure several times a day because my doctor told me to I am overreacting and not Giving God a chance to heal me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:13:09 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">They are so confident in their belief, though, that only God can redirect them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:13:47 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Just tell them that you'll pray for God to show them the truth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:14:00 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">It sounds arrogant, but it's no more so than what they're throwing at you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:14:13 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Then *do* pray for them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:14:24 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">One of them did not used to be like this. It's only since she got in touch with a lady that was mentoring her that got her all screwed up and now the church she goes to. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:14:41 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Yep, the blind leading the blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:15:17 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">They're so insecure in their faith, so afraid that God won't do what *they* want Him to do, that they'll grab hold of anything that promises them control.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:15:28 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That's not how they see it, of course.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:16:26 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That</span> <a href="http://gotquestions.org/"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">gotquestions.org</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">article on doctors addresses this, and they've got more on the "Word of Faith" movement (or what I like to call "folks from Copeland-Hagin")</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:16:52 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Ok real dumb question here. Why do you think God allows us to get sick and even almost die?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:17:21 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Not a dumb question at all. Not an easy one, either.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:17:55 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">You would think I would have this figured out by now after all the year I have been a Christian</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:18:44 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Not really. I've struggled with it myself over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:18:45 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have been asked by people if I feel like I am going against God's will or trying to play God when I attempt to save people. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:19:05 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">No, you're being Christ-like.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:19:08 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I don't even know how to answer that question</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:19:18 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Jesus healed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:19:42 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Actually, that's part of the answer to your earlier question. There's the story of the man born blind.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:20:37 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The disciples asked Jesus who had sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind. In that day & age, as now, people thought that bad things only happened to bad people … but only to a certain set of "bad" people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:21:03 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Jesus blew them out of the water by saying that the reason had nothing to do with sin, but so that God would be glorified!</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:22:38 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Sounds cruel, doesn't it? Someone born blind, remained blind for years, so that God could be glorified?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:23:04 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">ya it does</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:23:11 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Yet God *did* get the glory in it all, even though the Jewish priests weren't too thrilled with the whole idea.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:24:11 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">In Acts there's an almost throw-away bit about Peter and another person coming across a beggar who wanted money. "Silver and gold have I none, but what I do have I give to you." The beggar was healed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:24:39 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Consider This, though: it was quite likely that Jesus passed by that same beggar numerous times before He was crucified.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:24:54 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Was it cruel for him to not heal the beggar?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:25:07 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Or was it better to allow Peter to be the conduit?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:25:44 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">We live in a broken world. We're the ones who broke it, and keep on breaking it every time we sin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:26:15 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">God may have prevented Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of life so that they'd have some release from an eternity of sin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:26:31 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Imagine, before Christ, being immortal and a sinner.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:27:11 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">There are numerous examples of people whose lives have touched so many others through their damages and injuries.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:27:38 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">There are numerous examples of people who reach out in the name of Jesus, rescuing them from an eternity without Him by saving their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:28:01 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Each life *you* save is one more chance they have to accept God's gift of grace.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:28:31 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Each injury *you* prevent or help to heal is one less distraction.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:29:13 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">On the other hand, each injury you *don't* get to fix completely may be the very thing that leads them to Christ, because some EMT cared enough about them to do their best to save them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:29:40 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">We cannot see things from God's perspective. His thoughts aren't our thoughts, indwelling Spirit or not.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:30:15 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">We don't know what our actions, our writings, or even our Facebook chats will do to someone's eternal destination.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:30:28 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">All we can do is do what God calls us to do!</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:30:52 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">All we can do is do our best, and have *REAL* faith that God will make up the difference.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:32:32 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I do pray for each person I come in contact with. They don't know that I do but each one of them gets prayed for along with everything else I do for them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:37:11 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">And *that's* God's calling for you, no matter what anyone else says.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:38:21 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I told my friends that I pray for everyone that I deal with and they said that that is by hypocritical because praying for them and trying to cheat death go against each other. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:38:53 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I wanted to slug the person that said that to me</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:39:13 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Just tell them, "well, I'm glad I don't worship your powerless god, then."</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:40:11 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Or try to keep yourself from laughing. Your choice.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:41:48 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Just tell them that you aren't "cheating any god of death," but obeying the God of Life. Make it clear that the god they're describing is *not* that same God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:42:52 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Over the years I have wanted to slug her so many times for the things she has put me through or said to me but then I thought it was not worth the effort because then I would have to save her because I would slug her hard enough to knock her teeth through her head and maybe even slam her head against something. I came so close to it once but I thought better of it. I know I sound like a horrible mean person to even be thinking like this considering what I do for a living. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:44:03 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">she makes me so mad and now she has her roommate, the second friend talking like her. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:45:28 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Trust me, I understand.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:46:58 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Good I don't want you to think I am a violent person or anything. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:47:46 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">You just get as frustrated as I do, that's all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:48:00 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">If I did what I described, I would lose my license real quick if a police report were filed against me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:48:35 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">You'd probably lose your freedom from jail, too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:51:49 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I had a friend in GA who sent me several books by Charles Capps, one of the big authors in the whole "word of faith/positive confession" heresy. What I described is just the tip of the iceberg, Bobbi. This stuff is pure Satanic mysticism. In fact, I recall coming across an article, maybe on Wikipedia, that traced its roots to mysticism.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:52:37 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Let's face it, the whole "spoken word has power" idea is nothing more than occult incantations!</span></div>
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9:53:42 PM<span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span><span style="color: black;"> oh wow</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:53:47 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Those caught up in the garbage, though, won't see it. It'll shake their faith, which is all the foundation they have.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:54:03 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That's how I make myself see it now.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:54:12 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">It's not an attack on me, but on the throne of Heaven itself.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:54:19 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have some of his stuff that a friend gave me years ago. I don't even know where they are right now. I still have not unpacked everything yet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:54:39 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">These people aren't evil. They're misled. And they may not be Heaven-bound!</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:54:54 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That is scary</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:55:30 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">As soon as I saw it that way, I had to start praying for them, while letting them know with courage that they are *not* serving God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:55:45 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I have heard stories of people playing healing scriptures or reading aloud daily and around the clock and how people were healed just by hearing them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:56:43 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">The mind is still a powerful tool. We *can* believe certain things that will affect our body chemistry, and make us more healthy or overcome some illnesses.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:57:27 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">but where do you draw the line?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:57:32 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I read an article by Pat Boone that described something similar dealing with a man who had months to live from cancer. He died *years* later from something *not* cancer-related.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:57:53 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">You draw the line where God tells you to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:58:13 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">You go with doctors and meds unless He says otherwise.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:58:25 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Or unless doctors & meds don't work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">9:59:25 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Unless you believe beyond the shadow of any doubt, and get some sort of confirming incident or whatever that convinces you it's of God, that you avoid modern medicine, you don't.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:00:22 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Well, there's also the wisdom in studying for yourself about the various procedures, medications, and side-effects, which may be a show-stopper for you as well. In other words, be informed, just like anybody else.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:01:23 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">For example, my mother-in-law had an angioplasty done to her leg this past week. The contrast dye they had to use could've caused her kidneys to fail, though they had medication that could counteract that issue.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:01:46 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">If she refused that treatment, though, it was very likely that she would've lost her leg to gangrene.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:02:16 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Did she have faith? YES! She had the faith to trust God to keep her kidneys going in spite of the dye.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:02:37 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">She had the faith to trust that she would be in Heaven if something serious did happen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:02:56 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">She had the faith to trust that God, not us, knows best!</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:03:54 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That's the kind of faith the Copeland-Hagin Cappers don't have!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:04:47 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">(This would make a good blog post. :) With your name removed, of course.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:05:51 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">That would be a good post</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:07:41 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">With your permission, of course.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:08:14 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Do you have a blog?</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:08:39 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Yep. It's called Consider †his!</span> <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">http://conthis.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
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10:08:53 PM<span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span><span style="color: black;"> Oh cool</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:09:11 PM</span> <span style="color: navy;">Bobbi Sue:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Publish away and I don't care if you use my name if you want.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:09:13 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I don't post every day, just when I have something worth posting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: grey;">10:09:22 PM</span> <span style="color: green;">Joe Sewell:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Cool! Thank you.</span></div>
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As you can see, I really have little sympathy for people who fall into this line of thinking. I know the preachers who mislead their flocks with this garbage want to “fight” anyone who stands in their way. That just means to me that they’re fighting the living God!</div>
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This series will go through this whole conversation and defend what I said, as well as expand upon it. I will tell you right now that this line of thinking is severely flawed at best. In fact, I personally believe it comes from the pit of Hell itself! I’ll tell you right now that, if you disagree with me on this, you’d better have some solid proof <b>other than single verses taken out of context!</b> That’s the type of talk that allows these preachers to continue to deceive people, and I will have none of it here.<br />
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<b>For Part 2, <a href="http://conthis.blogspot.com/2011/09/capped-idol-of-copeland-hagin-part-2.html" target="_blank">click here.</a> </b> </div>
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Joe Sewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14996726052964878052noreply@blogger.com0West Melbourne, FL, USA28.0716832 -80.653387828.0156407 -80.7323518 28.1277257 -80.5744238