Have Faith In

GOD

 

-part four-

 

what faith means:

(or so they say)

 

Have you ever heard of the irresistible force paradox? If an immovable object meets an unstoppable force, something’s got to give. At least, that’s what Frank Sinatra sang. The construction of modern word of faith teaching presents faith as both an immovable object & an  unstoppable force. Indeed, Paul tells Corinth & us by extension, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1^st Corinthians 15:58) & again “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” (2^nd Corinthians 1:24). Is this what faith means? Our word of faith friends will tell us that it is, but in our eagerness, haven’t we missed some vital aspects concerning a true & living faith in God, in Christ & in His word?

Not least of all, we must return to The Scriptures afresh. Because if our view of our God, The Lord Jesus Christ & His Word are wrong, we will soon find ourselves in uncharted waters & there is no telling what those waters are infested with. Take heart weary reader, this will not take long. Rather than conduct a long & drawn out forensic examination of word of faith doctrine, we can simply take a biblical sledgehammer to it. Word of faith rhetoric is paper thin. It is a mile wide, but mere millimetres deep. It is highly unstable & dangerously incendiary. But it continues to insinuate its way into the main body of christian doctrine & casually rub shoulders with orthodoxy all too easily. Only in The Millennium can we expect to see the wolf & the lamb laying down together, yet this deadly set up & state of affairs occurs every time false doctrine remains unchallenged with The Church. The lamb may believe it’s raining, but in reality, it is the drooling of the wolves surrounding it.

Before we attempt to go any further, we need to recognise the role that we have played in this scenario. If there weren’t individuals like us, prepared to believe what’s being taught, our situation would be very different indeed. At a very basic level, the problem we began with was a concerning lack of biblical literacy on our part. I didn’t say that the Bible wasn’t being read. I didn’t say that The Bible wasn’t loved. I didn’t say that The Bible wasn’t believed. I’m saying that a proper biblical exegesis wasn’t being viewed as a vital part of our discipleship. As I stated previously, in our first meeting on this subject; the ill-informed & the ill-prepared [are] equally susceptible to the attractive propositions offered by word of faith mythology. Faith teaching [fills] the vacuum created by our ignorance. With little or nothing in the way of strong, orthodox, biblical theology to compare it to or combat it with, many of us blindly followed the instructions given to us on the tin of Charismatic goodies.

At the inception of The Church “..they that gladly received [Peter’s] word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:41-42). The Apostles taught the people what Jesus taught them. That was their doctrine. Their instructions from Christ were “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:” (Matthew 28:19-20a). We seem to have strayed from the path. But who has led us awry? Whose drumbeat did we march to? Whose pied piping made us dance? I’m glad you asked, so I’ll tell you.

Men & women in the ministry were claiming to have been gifted with supernatural & superhuman abilities, granted to them by none other than The Holy Spirit Himself. Men & women waving their hands & their coats, displaying their amazing spiritual powers, one of which seemed to be making a whole heap of cash. These heroes of the faith & their exploits rivalled those of men & women in Hebrews chapter eleven. Well, every champion needs an origin story. How does a person go from being a mild mannered & simple individual, to a superhuman or supernatural powerhouse?

Perhaps a sickly man or woman is dramatically healed of their terminal disease in a demonstration of God’s miraculous power & is then called into the healing ministry, being commissioned personally by The Lord Jesus Christ Himself in a series of glorious visitations? Is this what faith means?

Perhaps a deeply poverty stricken man or woman receives direct revelations from The Lord concerning principles for prosperity & they somehow manage to use these universal laws that have been revealed to them, becoming rich beyond measure as they effortlessly manipulate the power of their apparent blessing? Is this what faith means? 

Perhaps a prayerful but powerless man or woman, seeking The Lord about their apparent inadequacy, finds themselves overwhelmed by tangible currents of something akin to electricity & from that moment forward, they are infused with a power or ability that they did not possess previously? Is this what faith means? 

Whichever way we may choose to cut it, we have the same circumstance constantly & consistently repeating itself within parts of the modern Church. The leading actors of the word of faith movement begin at the other end of the scale to their present embodiments. They who were weak are now supernaturally strong. Is this what faith means? They who were poor are now unequivocally rich. Is this what faith means? They who were sick are now healing dynamos. Is this what faith means? How do they claim to have achieved their status? By faith, of course. Is this what faith means? 

You will be promised that you can be the same as them if you listen to, follow & obey their instructions. Before you know it, the doctrine of the Apostles, which they received from Christ Himself, is the furthest thing from your mind. Instead, you’ll find yourself eating up every word that proceeds from the mouths of these teachers. With your newly found faith you’ll be able to turn stones to bread, conquer kingdoms & realise your own godhood. What a very sorry state of affairs we have found ourselves in. 

If you’re reading this article & you are on this unbiblical treadmill, you must seriously consider what you’re doing & what you’re believing. I remember reading book after book, attending service after service, watching video after video & listening to cassette tape message after cassette tape message, in which the pursuit of the God kind of faith was the primary objective. At the time, I was convinced that that was the only way forward, but I later discovered that I was very, very wrong. 

We have to look again at the shaky foundations of this movement. We have to look again at the pattern that exists, at present, among those in the Bible-twisting-confession-claiming-believing-coat-swinging-arm-waving-kicking-punching-slapping-blowing-barking-howling-rolling-word-of-faith contingent of The Church. 

During my tenure within charismania, there was a lot of teaching & preaching. There were a multitude of books & articles written. There was an assortment of special meetings convened, all themed around the subject of the faith message. However, in typical charismatic fashion, solid biblical exegesis was very thin on the ground unless it served the preacher’s purpose. Not that that mattered to the majority of ministers, ministries or those being ministered to. Everyone wanted revival & a tremendous move of The Holy Spirit. Of course, we were told that in order for us to be an effective part of that wave, move or restoration, we would have to be taught about the law or force of the God kind of faith. So, where did we begin? We started with some so called specialists. In they came, brandishing their particular & peculiar set of knowledge & skills. We were told their origin stories, their personal experiences. They taught us their interpretation of The Bible. They laid their hands on us for divine impartation. They left with pockets full of our cash, smiling as they did so. They did it all by faith, of course. We clung to the grindstone, pressed in & worked the word. 

“Do not become discouraged because the truth [as they teach it] does not dawn on your spirits all at once. But keep meditating on the facts of [their interpretation of] the Word. The more you meditate on that which is written [in their many overpriced & heavily plagiarised books], And the more you meditate on that which is said [by them about God’s Word] as one shall speak under the anointing and the inspiration of the Spirit, then little by little it will become real to you. And as on the inside of you, in your spirit, in your inner man, it takes shape and form [said no Scripture anywhere!], it will reshape your own spirit, until you'll no longer be a weakling, spiritually, [what a pity The Lord slipped up when He told Paul “ ..My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness..”] but you shall become strong, and be able to stand, and do the works the Lord has called you unto, and rule and reign and dominate in life, as a king by Jesus Christ. So do not turn away [buy more of our overpriced & heavily plagiarised books] even because you do not fully understand or see [because there’s actually nothing there]. But let your mind be open and your spirit be receptive [remain highly suggestive & deeply impressionable] and say thou, "O blessed Holy Spirit, unveil the truth unto my spirit [which He has already done in the closed canon of Scripture], that I may stand in the fullness of the provision of my Father, For He is my Father [because I have His DNA?]. I love Him and He loves me." And so you will become that which He has ordained that you should become [a little god?], and rise up to the level of the full privileges, and rights, and authority, and dominion of a [Branhamite manifest] son of God. Rejoice and be glad, and speak forth the Word of Faith [y a w n]. Speak unto those circumstances that have you bound. And command them to leave, and so you shall be loosed. Speak unto the storm that appears on the horizon of your life, and say, [y   a   w   n] "Peace be still," and there will be calm. Learn what [we say] is yours, and act upon it. And it shall become yours in reality. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Prophecy given by Kenneth E. Hagin October 19, 1980, RHEMA Bible Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma (emphasis & parentheses added)

These & many other so called words from The Lord form the backbone & the parameters within which word of faith teaching takes root, grows & eventually blossoms. It is only when one steps outside of this framework & views it in the pure illumination of The Scriptures, that its cracks appear. Until then, word of faith doctrine is a false light. To the uninitiated, the sales pitch is subtle. The product is attractive. The cost appears to be minimal. It’s all about you, even though it ought to be all about him. However, in an abstract, backward & roundabout way it becomes about him, by being about you, because you’re exactly like him. Poor old God. He just can’t tell the difference between you! Remember that “..as he is, so are we in this world.” (1^st John 4:17b). We’ll ignore the sixteen & a half verses before this one, as well as the four after it.

“God made man His understudy [chapter please?]. He made him king [verse please?], to rule over everything that had life. Man was master [not a servant son?]. Man lived in the realm of God [no, he didn’t, he lived on the Earth]. He lived on terms of equality with God [no, he didn’t. Man would have to possess every Divine attribute for that to be true!]. God is a faith God [no, He isn’t. God alone is God]. All He had to do was simply say, "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3), and there was light [yes, because He is Almighty!]. God created everything except man by speaking it into existence. He's a faith God [I refer the gentleman to the response I gave moments ago]. Now, God made man a faith man [Genesis 2:26?], because man belongs to God's class [in a classless society?]. A faith man lives in the creative realm of God [so what did man create?]. This is the end of the weakness message [never heard that one]! Man lost his place by high treason against God. He lost his dominion over all the works of God's hands. He lost his dominion in the fall. With the fall went his dominion over his spirit and soul [what about his body?]. But, my friends, if one is a thinker or a student of history [or incredibly naive], one knows universal man has ever yearned for the return of his lost dominion. Here's one of the most tremendous facts we have to face: There never has been a primitive people found upon the face of the earth who have not yet yearned for dominion [like the nazis?]. Not a single primitive people has been found who did not have a golden past where they had dominion, and a golden future where dominion was going to be restored [yep, just like the nazis]. That is the tradition of universal man.”

Kenneth Hagin Copyright © 1981 RHEMA Bible Church, AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved (emphasis & parentheses added)

Forgive me, but it is only when these things are viewed in the cold light of day, they can be seen for what they really are. Riddle me this; what is the success v failure rate among those who embrace these doctrines & practise them? Balance that against those who embrace these doctrines & teach them. I’ll give you three guesses which way the scales tip. Not your way or mine, but theirs. What are their reasons or excuses for their triumphs & our tragedies? Well, we’re obviously not using the right kind of faith. Apparently, there is sense knowledge faith & revelation faith. The human kind of faith & the God kind of faith. If you use the wrong type of faith, you’ll fail. However, if you learn how to use the right type of faith, you will become like God Himself, but with a little ‘g’. Like Christ, you’ll become [an]  “..absolute Monarch of the laws that govern the Universe.”

“Faith has never been given a square deal by the Church [then surely very few have ever been born again & even fewer please God], yet it has given birth to all of man's greatest achievements. Woolworth had faith in five and ten cent pieces and left behind him a fortune of $60,000,000 and stores at every crossroad. Ford had faith in a low-priced automobile that every man could afford to buy [two examples from the world of business do not prove the point, after the fact. What about Nikola Tesla? What about Thomas Edison? Oh no, they had failures didn’t they]. Faith is the greatest element in advanced civilization [then why haven’t they managed to cure the common cold!]. As human faith gives birth to such achievements in the natural realm, so the believer's faith in the Father and His Word gives birth to spiritual achievements [for instance?]. The preacher who has faith in the message that he is giving, finds that the Word produces faith results in the hearts of the men who hear him [if his teaching is correct]. He has faith in the Word, that God is in it and back of it [if his teaching is correct]. He has faith in humanity, that it will respond to the thing he is giving [his faith should be in God & in The Gospel, if that is indeed what he’s preaching]. He has faith in Love, the Jesus kind of Love. He believes it is the solution of every human problem, and the family that practices love produces the highest type of Christian character [not read much church history then, eh?]. It was a great day in my own life when I discovered that God was a Faith God [He isn’t]. I knew He was a Love God [He is]. I Knew He was a Righteous God, an Omnipotent God, an Omniscient God [He is]; when I found He was primarily a Faith God [found this how?]I saw that it was natural for us, as His children, to walk by faith.”

The Two Kinds of Faith Copyright © Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society 1981 (emphasis & parentheses added)

Is this really what faith means? I say again [that] we must return to The Scriptures afresh. Because if our view of our God, The Lord Jesus Christ & His Word are wrong, we will soon find ourselves in uncharted waters & there is no telling what those waters are infested with.

²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster (Galatians 3:25).

The word of faith movement has thrown down the gauntlet. Its claims to superiority, dominance & authority are truly unfounded. Now that we have faith, we no longer need the old schoolmaster of the law & its traditions. Neither do we need the complexities & entanglements of a proper theology, because The letter killeth (2^nd Corinthians 3:6). Interestingly enough, those who denounce a formal theological education will scramble to use the title Dr. or Ph.D & plaster the moniker everywhere they can, with every given opportunity. We’re encouraged by them to freewheel our way through The Bible, ripping the text out of all reasonable context, claiming revelation knowledge & insight into biblical principles. Now that faith has come, we can take our place as supermen & do exploits. Is this what faith means?

¹ Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; ² but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. ³ Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: (Galatians 4:1-3).

Apparently, The God kind of faith will move us from the place of spiritual childhood into maturity. Until we do this, we will never enjoy the rights & privileges that we’re entitled to. We will be held back by our old schoolmasters & their tutelage, never rising up above the elements of the world, by faith of course.

⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; (Romans 10:8).

If the chief promoters of the word of faith movement are correct in what they teach & preach, the world should be a very different place. The dominion decreed; the power desired; the prosperity declared, should have swept through society in a whirlwind of revival. But these things have not happened. There are popular preachers with huge ministries & mega churches, all promoting their books, programming & conventions. They all claim to preach the word of faith & live by its principles, but they do not.

In our next meeting we will conclude by going full circle & examining the basic, faulty premise that this movement has as its foundation. With close to half a billion people claiming to be of the charismatic persuasion, why are there so few for whom it works? The success stories are at the top, yet these same people do not practise what they preach. If it isn’t good enough for them, doesn’t that tell you something? Furthermore, doesn’t it make you wonder & ask the question; is this what faith really means?

 

 

 

 

 

copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxxv all rights reserved.

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