So, what is a more biblical approach?
1. God is good. He is generous. He desires that we have what we need, and more to share.
2. God is spirit, and desires us to worship HIM in Spirit and in truth. Any material thing or person that interferes in our worship is liable to removal. He will not share his glory with anyone.
3. God prospers and humbles according to his own plan and purposes. Paul said he could be content to abase or abound. God blessed Abraham's family with a fortune... then asked him to leave it behind. He gave Abraham another fortune, which Abraham held loosely, as we can tell from his tithing to the priest, and his foregoing plunder in a war, in order to keep his heart and allegiance to The Most High pure. Job prospered, and was reduced to nothing in a day. He was blessed for holding fast to his belief that God was a GOOD God despite his experience of devastation. After a season of darkness, the Lord again prospered him. Both Abraham and Job had the experience of a messenger coming to them to challenge their ideas of the limits of what God could do, of impugning his character.
Jesus spoke clearly: The Great Commission calls for willingness to abandon all we have at a moment's notice. Yet the Plan rests upon people like Cornelius and Zaccheus, and Lydia, prospering and opening their homes to the proclaimers of the good news and blessing the poor with what they need.
It is a defamation of God's character to believe that he prefers discomfort, rejoices in hunger, that he loves that which is ugly and harmful, or that he doesn't care about the physical needs of those who love Him.
What is God's will for me today? Is it for abundance? Or abandonment? We have his promise, "You will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way: walk in it.' "
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Biblical Abundance vs. American Prosperity
First, Do no harm. Or as Dr. Catherine posted this morning, ""
The so-called Prosperity Gospel has done a great deal of harm. The anti-prosperity gospel has ALSO done a great deal of harm. The accuser of the brethren doesn't care which extreme we embrace, as long as we don't embrace God's view!
Three ways the Prosperity Gospel does harm:
1. "Faith of the believer" becomes the focus, not Him in whom our faith is,
2. "Wishing makes it so" is not the same as praying,
3. "Denial" is not the same as "trusting in the Lord".
The result of the first is a prideful attitude. Those who receive abundantly appear, in the community, to be favored and more spiritual. "I must be really good at having faith, because I got what I wanted." Those who do not receive are looked down upon, even shamed. The "poor in heart" are bullied by the very believers who should be lifting them up. The greatest harm here is in married couples. The optimistic partner shames and blames the one who struggles with faith or depression. All adversity becomes the fault of the partner who is unable to pretend they are joyful and faith-filled when they are hurting.
"Wishing makes it so" is a heathenish attitude. It is magic thinking or superstition. "If I don't think bad thoughts, nothing bad will happen" is oppositional to the scriptures. God is sovereign: not my mind. I realize I have to be careful here, because there certainly IS power in the words we think to do good or harm. But we are not to be "balanced" about it - we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Meditating on the word so that we know what is the mind of Christ toward our desires makes all the difference. Willingness to let go of what we want to embrace the vision God has for us is a hallmark that we are first trusting and obedient, and fighting down the flesh that "wants what we want when we want it."
Denial causes great harm. Pretending there is no problem when there is has no place in the life of a believer. The temporal world is real; adversity is real. More importantly, shouting down another person for being concerned and blaming them for continuing difficulty is not loving your brother, it is siding with the accuser of the brethren.
At the other extreme is anti-prosperity: The belief that suffering is God's desire, that want and hunger are somehow spiritual, and that self-punishment makes us holy.
While, in our troubles, God can be glorified, and sometimes discipline or growth come through suffering, God's self-proclamation is, "“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
The so-called Prosperity Gospel has done a great deal of harm. The anti-prosperity gospel has ALSO done a great deal of harm. The accuser of the brethren doesn't care which extreme we embrace, as long as we don't embrace God's view!
Three ways the Prosperity Gospel does harm:
1. "Faith of the believer" becomes the focus, not Him in whom our faith is,
2. "Wishing makes it so" is not the same as praying,
3. "Denial" is not the same as "trusting in the Lord".
The result of the first is a prideful attitude. Those who receive abundantly appear, in the community, to be favored and more spiritual. "I must be really good at having faith, because I got what I wanted." Those who do not receive are looked down upon, even shamed. The "poor in heart" are bullied by the very believers who should be lifting them up. The greatest harm here is in married couples. The optimistic partner shames and blames the one who struggles with faith or depression. All adversity becomes the fault of the partner who is unable to pretend they are joyful and faith-filled when they are hurting.
"Wishing makes it so" is a heathenish attitude. It is magic thinking or superstition. "If I don't think bad thoughts, nothing bad will happen" is oppositional to the scriptures. God is sovereign: not my mind. I realize I have to be careful here, because there certainly IS power in the words we think to do good or harm. But we are not to be "balanced" about it - we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Meditating on the word so that we know what is the mind of Christ toward our desires makes all the difference. Willingness to let go of what we want to embrace the vision God has for us is a hallmark that we are first trusting and obedient, and fighting down the flesh that "wants what we want when we want it."
Denial causes great harm. Pretending there is no problem when there is has no place in the life of a believer. The temporal world is real; adversity is real. More importantly, shouting down another person for being concerned and blaming them for continuing difficulty is not loving your brother, it is siding with the accuser of the brethren.
At the other extreme is anti-prosperity: The belief that suffering is God's desire, that want and hunger are somehow spiritual, and that self-punishment makes us holy.
While, in our troubles, God can be glorified, and sometimes discipline or growth come through suffering, God's self-proclamation is, "“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Scriptural Living and Raindrop Technique
1 John 4 1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (NIV from Biblegateway.com)
Some are asking why believers would embrace "Raindrop Technique", as taught by Gary Young, who does not share publicly what faith he practices, leaving us to speculate who he means when he tells us that God gave these oils for healing.
There are websites accusing Young of promoting demonic activity. So, I'd like to share my thoughts as I have dug into the Bible, and experimented with using the Raindrop Technique as a method of "laying on of hands". (Hebrews 6:2)
1. I like the use of the word "Essential Oil" use in the place of the historic words "perfume" "resin" "fragrance", because these words have come to include synthetic, poison smells that dominate health and beauty products. But, when you see the word "essential oil" understand, that it basically means the smelly part of a plant.
2. The Bible clearly mandates the use of oils by the "priesthood of believers". It was normative in scripture, from before Moses hired perfumers at God's direction, through the Psalms, and on to James 5:16, where believers are told to call on the elders to pray with oil.
3. However, the Church has been remiss in this, losing the practice altogether. Except for symbolic use of olive oil applied as a token, and incense at funerals, the use of aromatic resins (Genesis 2:12) perfumes (Exodus 30:25), anointing oils (Psalm 45:7) and poultices (2 Kings 20:7) has been totally lost among God's people.
4. As a missions aficionado, I have seen that sometimes traditional cultures are illustrators of Bible concepts, which were not explained in context because the original readers needed no explanation. We don't know what, for example, "elders in the city gates" or "babbling like pagans" looks like, until we see it in another culture. Farmers in America turn to Asian farmers to learn how to grow without chemicals, because the art has not been lost there.
So it is with the use of oils. While we will not imitate the spiritual practices or ideas of other faiths, we may observe the PHYSICAL aspect of what they do traditionally - knowing that they may share these traditions with the peoples of biblical times. This way, we may learn what the Bible meant when it says "anointing the feet" or "The Messiah" (The Massaged One) or "laying on of hands".
5. I note that the essential oils are just essential oils. They have verifiable physical properties. They are not charms or fetishes imbued with power by religious ritual.
God indicated their use. Where the Bible is silent, I allow liberty. There is no use of oils forbidden in the hundreds of passages I have looked at. The only negative use of oils had to do with natural manipulation, as in the case of the adulteress in Proverbs using myrrh as an enticement, or Simon the Magician thinking that the power of God could be "bought with money". There does not seem to be any warning against the use of the oils. We know that generous use of oils was smiled on, as in the case of the woman who used a large amount of very precious oil on the feet of Jesus. The widows who were full time ministers were to be known to "wash the feet of the saints". Might we speculate that more than soap and water was part of that?
6. Gary Young seems to be a cross between a mad scientist and a storyteller. He has discovered many oils that have healing properties, created stories and protocols that are simple and memorable and get the oils into people in a methodical, relaxing way. David Stewart has collected data to verify that these protocols do enhance the feeling of well-being in people, at least, and stimulate actual healing, at best.
I have read the attacks on Gary Young on the net, and they appear to be baseless. The oils I have used do act as advertised. The protocols allow people of faith to use the words they prefer. Does that mean New Agers may call on the Goddess Isis? It sure does. Does that remove the oils from God's sovereignty, and make them belong to the Kingdom of Darkness? That would be a warped perspective!
Young tells the story of researching the healing essence of oils, and also seeing a healing massage technique some AmerIndians developed. He sprinkled the healing oils on first, and gave a light massage and named it "Raindrop" because the oils would be sprinkled in drops.
Is any of that "demonic"? Which part? The oils dropping, or the back rub? Seriously! Do we pray as we do it? If so, healing virtue from God may be added by Him. If not, then the natural healing may still flow. In either case, I find no scriptural basis for shunning the use of anointing oils, or for praying for healing, or for avoiding "massage" - as we "have the massage of the Holy Spirit".
1 John 2:20
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
NIV
Some are asking why believers would embrace "Raindrop Technique", as taught by Gary Young, who does not share publicly what faith he practices, leaving us to speculate who he means when he tells us that God gave these oils for healing.
There are websites accusing Young of promoting demonic activity. So, I'd like to share my thoughts as I have dug into the Bible, and experimented with using the Raindrop Technique as a method of "laying on of hands". (Hebrews 6:2)
1. I like the use of the word "Essential Oil" use in the place of the historic words "perfume" "resin" "fragrance", because these words have come to include synthetic, poison smells that dominate health and beauty products. But, when you see the word "essential oil" understand, that it basically means the smelly part of a plant.
2. The Bible clearly mandates the use of oils by the "priesthood of believers". It was normative in scripture, from before Moses hired perfumers at God's direction, through the Psalms, and on to James 5:16, where believers are told to call on the elders to pray with oil.
3. However, the Church has been remiss in this, losing the practice altogether. Except for symbolic use of olive oil applied as a token, and incense at funerals, the use of aromatic resins (Genesis 2:12) perfumes (Exodus 30:25), anointing oils (Psalm 45:7) and poultices (2 Kings 20:7) has been totally lost among God's people.
4. As a missions aficionado, I have seen that sometimes traditional cultures are illustrators of Bible concepts, which were not explained in context because the original readers needed no explanation. We don't know what, for example, "elders in the city gates" or "babbling like pagans" looks like, until we see it in another culture. Farmers in America turn to Asian farmers to learn how to grow without chemicals, because the art has not been lost there.
So it is with the use of oils. While we will not imitate the spiritual practices or ideas of other faiths, we may observe the PHYSICAL aspect of what they do traditionally - knowing that they may share these traditions with the peoples of biblical times. This way, we may learn what the Bible meant when it says "anointing the feet" or "The Messiah" (The Massaged One) or "laying on of hands".
5. I note that the essential oils are just essential oils. They have verifiable physical properties. They are not charms or fetishes imbued with power by religious ritual.
God indicated their use. Where the Bible is silent, I allow liberty. There is no use of oils forbidden in the hundreds of passages I have looked at. The only negative use of oils had to do with natural manipulation, as in the case of the adulteress in Proverbs using myrrh as an enticement, or Simon the Magician thinking that the power of God could be "bought with money". There does not seem to be any warning against the use of the oils. We know that generous use of oils was smiled on, as in the case of the woman who used a large amount of very precious oil on the feet of Jesus. The widows who were full time ministers were to be known to "wash the feet of the saints". Might we speculate that more than soap and water was part of that?
6. Gary Young seems to be a cross between a mad scientist and a storyteller. He has discovered many oils that have healing properties, created stories and protocols that are simple and memorable and get the oils into people in a methodical, relaxing way. David Stewart has collected data to verify that these protocols do enhance the feeling of well-being in people, at least, and stimulate actual healing, at best.
I have read the attacks on Gary Young on the net, and they appear to be baseless. The oils I have used do act as advertised. The protocols allow people of faith to use the words they prefer. Does that mean New Agers may call on the Goddess Isis? It sure does. Does that remove the oils from God's sovereignty, and make them belong to the Kingdom of Darkness? That would be a warped perspective!
Young tells the story of researching the healing essence of oils, and also seeing a healing massage technique some AmerIndians developed. He sprinkled the healing oils on first, and gave a light massage and named it "Raindrop" because the oils would be sprinkled in drops.
Is any of that "demonic"? Which part? The oils dropping, or the back rub? Seriously! Do we pray as we do it? If so, healing virtue from God may be added by Him. If not, then the natural healing may still flow. In either case, I find no scriptural basis for shunning the use of anointing oils, or for praying for healing, or for avoiding "massage" - as we "have the massage of the Holy Spirit".
1 John 2:20
"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
NIV
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
10 Ways we can save the world before Christmas
The roar and whistle of the Christmas Trains, bearing merchandise and new model year automobiles are keeping us awake at night in Foyil, again.
I can't help but think of the Will Rogers quote, "We are consumed by desires to buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like."
Cheap merchandise made by exploited labor will be dumped onto America's markets... and sadly, if we keep buying it we drive the exploitation.
Here are some ideas for making this Christmas different, none of which is original, but may give food for though:
1. For the children: Buy tools instead of toys. Children from a young age can begin learning useful skills, and "want to be big". Why give them computer games when we can give them child sized hammers, guitars and shovels?
2. Plan a simple Christmas now, before toxic madness starts. Set people free by allowing them to give gifts if that is their desire, but offering alternatives. We can say, "This year, our family will be... I hope you understand."
3. Refuse to participate in meaningless exchanges that are a hardship on others. Suggest the office party, Scout holiday gathering or church fellowship feature a simple luncheon and donations to a charity instead of an expensive spread with Secret Santa gifts.
4. Find a "Working Poor" family to assist, and help them get meaningful gifts with good play value instead of cheap trinkets. Between those who can afford Christmas, and those who qualify for "Toys for Tots" there is a swath of people who often overspend at the last minute using credit because they panic. A nice Lego block set will give many more hours of delight than this year's movie-themed action figures, and are often overlooked in the haste.
5. Invite international guests of our country for a special event, or to your family holiday meal. Get to know people from other nations. Prepare by reading cultural understanding books, such as "A Deadly Misunderstanding" (Siljander) "The Ugly American" (Burdick, Lederer) or The Faith Club (Idliby et al).
6. Read "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television" and turn off Madison Avenue's version of reality. Recognize that the "advertising is the message, the show is the packaging".
7. Reduce the buying of cheap merchandise that draws people away from food production in their own lands, and into dead-end jobs in factories.
8. Buy fresh, buy local, buy real - not food grown by child labor and contaminated by the latest "Agent Orange" type of substance, but food grown by knowledgeable, caring farmers.
9. Give up recreational drugs. As long as our Billion$ fuel the machine, the drug lords will thirst for our blood.
10. Be thoughtful about those who will be forgotten this holiday season. Those who have lost loved ones in the past year, who have lost jobs, moved to a new community or been robbed may not feel much like celebrating but appreciate a small gesture that says, "I'm thinking of you."
I can't help but think of the Will Rogers quote, "We are consumed by desires to buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't like."
Cheap merchandise made by exploited labor will be dumped onto America's markets... and sadly, if we keep buying it we drive the exploitation.
Here are some ideas for making this Christmas different, none of which is original, but may give food for though:
1. For the children: Buy tools instead of toys. Children from a young age can begin learning useful skills, and "want to be big". Why give them computer games when we can give them child sized hammers, guitars and shovels?
2. Plan a simple Christmas now, before toxic madness starts. Set people free by allowing them to give gifts if that is their desire, but offering alternatives. We can say, "This year, our family will be... I hope you understand."
3. Refuse to participate in meaningless exchanges that are a hardship on others. Suggest the office party, Scout holiday gathering or church fellowship feature a simple luncheon and donations to a charity instead of an expensive spread with Secret Santa gifts.
4. Find a "Working Poor" family to assist, and help them get meaningful gifts with good play value instead of cheap trinkets. Between those who can afford Christmas, and those who qualify for "Toys for Tots" there is a swath of people who often overspend at the last minute using credit because they panic. A nice Lego block set will give many more hours of delight than this year's movie-themed action figures, and are often overlooked in the haste.
5. Invite international guests of our country for a special event, or to your family holiday meal. Get to know people from other nations. Prepare by reading cultural understanding books, such as "A Deadly Misunderstanding" (Siljander) "The Ugly American" (Burdick, Lederer) or The Faith Club (Idliby et al).
6. Read "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television" and turn off Madison Avenue's version of reality. Recognize that the "advertising is the message, the show is the packaging".
7. Reduce the buying of cheap merchandise that draws people away from food production in their own lands, and into dead-end jobs in factories.
8. Buy fresh, buy local, buy real - not food grown by child labor and contaminated by the latest "Agent Orange" type of substance, but food grown by knowledgeable, caring farmers.
9. Give up recreational drugs. As long as our Billion$ fuel the machine, the drug lords will thirst for our blood.
10. Be thoughtful about those who will be forgotten this holiday season. Those who have lost loved ones in the past year, who have lost jobs, moved to a new community or been robbed may not feel much like celebrating but appreciate a small gesture that says, "I'm thinking of you."
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Below is my response to this discussion:
http://drthomreece.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/ten-commandments-for-church-failure-5-thou-shalt-not-be-accountable/#comment-181
Is "Church" the "Kingdom"?
"God chose to indwell and empower to spread his salvation through Jesus Christ and that organism is the church. "
That is my question. Wasn't that organism the household? "Find a man of peace... stay with him..." Peter's house in Capernaum, where it all started... Zaccheus... Simon the Leper... The day of Pentecost... Cornelius... Lydia... Ekklesia - not a synagogue, but a bunch already together.
I have not "quit church to be the Kingdom of God in my community" because I have some kind of hurt.
Not at all! I LOVED church! Loved the people! Loved being on the platform or in the pew! We were the people that pastors wept over when we had to leave. Never left a church on bad terms*.
But where was the fruit? It wasn't in what I did when I invited people to church or clubs. It was in what I did in my home and community. Applying the 80/20 rule meant... giving up meetings and loving my neighbor instead.
We're finding that discipleship is effective in real life. I see my friend being bossy, and I challenge her. She sees me being argumentative and gives me the Word. My husband models loving parenthood to a single dad. The family and community are the most natural accountability system in the world. And we are, for the first time in our Christian life, seeing transformation regularly. 40 years in the desert was long enough for me:)
Isn't that discipleship as Jesus demonstrated it? And, yeah institutionalization can be eliminated. Paul lined it out so well!
*And had total sympathy with the breakdown of my pastors... Almost all of them, actually. 2 divorces, two suicides, one porn addict, one affair... That alone makes me think there is something not quite right with our way of doing church... Is it spiritual attack? Or is it disobedience to what Jesus told us to do?
That is my question. Wasn't that organism the household? "Find a man of peace... stay with him..." Peter's house in Capernaum, where it all started... Zaccheus... Simon the Leper... The day of Pentecost... Cornelius... Lydia... Ekklesia - not a synagogue, but a bunch already together.
I have not "quit church to be the Kingdom of God in my community" because I have some kind of hurt.
Not at all! I LOVED church! Loved the people! Loved being on the platform or in the pew! We were the people that pastors wept over when we had to leave. Never left a church on bad terms*.
But where was the fruit? It wasn't in what I did when I invited people to church or clubs. It was in what I did in my home and community. Applying the 80/20 rule meant... giving up meetings and loving my neighbor instead.
We're finding that discipleship is effective in real life. I see my friend being bossy, and I challenge her. She sees me being argumentative and gives me the Word. My husband models loving parenthood to a single dad. The family and community are the most natural accountability system in the world. And we are, for the first time in our Christian life, seeing transformation regularly. 40 years in the desert was long enough for me:)
Isn't that discipleship as Jesus demonstrated it? And, yeah institutionalization can be eliminated. Paul lined it out so well!
*And had total sympathy with the breakdown of my pastors... Almost all of them, actually. 2 divorces, two suicides, one porn addict, one affair... That alone makes me think there is something not quite right with our way of doing church... Is it spiritual attack? Or is it disobedience to what Jesus told us to do?
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