If you are a Mormon, please listen to this interview and check out the following links.
http://www.exmormon.org/whyileft.htm
http://www.vftb.net/archive/vftb095.mp3
http://www.mrm.org/
http://www.mrm.org/questions-for-lds
If you are not a Mormon, listen to the above interview and view the links prior to reading my writing.
What follows is a study for Christians who don't know much about Mormons, and for anyone else who doesn't know about Mormonism and thinks it may just be another denomination of Christianity.
A few months ago, i saw two Mormons at the mall, presumably proselthyzing(sp?) to two young guys. None of them looked very joyful.
I thought about going to talk to them, but chickened out, since I'm rather poor in face to face interaction especially if I'm on the spot. I did pray for them, and maybe that was all i needed to do. Maybe i should have talked to them. One of the reasons i didn't talk to them is because it's very difficult and tricky to share the Gospel with Mormons.
Mormons for the most part are friendly and kind people. I met some in Utah once and they were decent. But Mormonism is very, very complex. Before going further, ask that God lead you in the name of Jesus Christ, and that His Holy Spirit will lead you. Since Mormonism is complex, don't let me or my words get in the way.
The tricky thing with Mormonism is they have many things and in common with main-line Christianity. The terms are all the same. To get a flavor of this, here's something from a prominent Mormon website. (http://www.aremormonschristian.org/). This of course makes it hard to evangelize Mormons-they already think they are saved.
Here's a good example from that site.
"Most will agree that Christians believe...
that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, foretold in the Old Testament of the Bible. that Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior of the world. that God loved us so he sent His Son Jesus to suffer for our sins that after Jesus died on the cross, he was resurrected. that we must accept Jesus as our Savior to return to live with God.
that the Bible is God's word."
The site goes on to say that Mormon's also believe these things. In short, many Mormons believe that they are truly Christians. But the trick is, they move from the foundation of truth (the Bible, the Gospel, who Jesus is, Jesus' death and resurrection) and begin talking about Joseph Smith and certain special revelations he is said to have received. Some of these visions were not known even by Smith's early followers. He allegedly met with Jesus and angelsd and received "hidden knowledge."
Many paint Joseph Smith as a spiritual seeker, and he very likely encountered spirits. They indicate that he went out to pray felt an evil presence, but continued to pray and had a spiritual encounter-allegedly with Jesus Christ. I say allegedly, because Mr. Smith never tested the spirit (1 John 4:1-3) and this would have been a good idea given the evil presence that he admittedly felt. It also does not specifically say who he was praying to, or for. That alone is worth looking at his theology with a wary eye.
Not to mention that seeing Jesus, or someone we believe is Jesus, does not mean it's really Him.
Lynn Dickie of Set the Captives Free has stated that she met a spirit (when she was stil into the New Age) that sold itself as Jesus, and she now states that it was not. The "Jesus" she saw, was a spirit masquerading as Jesus and led her further into the New Age, something the real Jesus would never do. Remember, that satan and his minions can present themselves as something they are not. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 Timothy 4:1) So just because Joseph Smith "saw Jesus" doesn't actually mean it was the real Jesus. That's the whole point of testing the spirits.
Later on, Smith claimed to have met Moroni, an angel who supposedly revealed "hidden knowledge," (echoes of Revelation 2:24) something common in nearly every false teaching. "Deeper truths" are often used by spirits to make an individual feel special. The angel reportedly revealed things about the "lost tribes of Israel", a theory which has been debunked quite thoroughly by Chuck Missler and I'm sure other serious scholars. They also revealed that "Jesus" allegedly visited these tribes, which gives us a Quetzalcoatl-esque vibe, after His resurrection. This is attractive, i almost fell for this too a while back and discussed this in my Quetzalcoatl blog.
But, these hidden archeological "truths" about the lost trives and Jesus coming as Quetzalcoatl have no evidence to back them up. One such claim is that the pre-columbian tribes used Egyptian/Hebrew style writing, which is completely false. The book of Mormon makes a number of these types of archaelogical claims which are easily refuted.
"There is a general consensus among non-Mormon archaeologists (and even some Mormon archaeologists) that the archaeological record does not substantiate the Book of Mormon account, and in some ways directly contradicts it."
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology_and_the_Book_of_Mormon
While i've shared some basic information about Mormonism above, as well as a few reasons to question it, it certainly does not exhaustively study or refute the many claims Mormons adhere to. It shouldn't be necessary to look at every whit of Mormon doctrine to figure out if they are truly Christians or not.
This can be revealed easily with three things.
1) What do they teach about God and His Son Jesus Christ? 2) Who was Joseph Smith really? 3) What gospel do they preach?
1) Mormons believe that God is a physical being. They also believe that "god" was a regular human being like us, but because He performed enough good works, He evolved into "god" and received a planet to rule and lives on a world called Kolob. (http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/lds/mormondoctrines.shtml)
Here's an excellent article breaking down the beliefs and details of Mormonism.
http://bible-truth.org/LDStheism.html
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolob
Who created him, and gave him the planet to rule remains a mystery. As with the ancient aliens or ancient astronaut theory, the question of who made the advanced aliens and so on is shrouded in mystery. And how is it that a man can evolve into a god?
In other words, without an eternal, self-originating, self-sustaining creator God, as outlined in the Bible nothing makes any sense. To say that God was a normal being who evolved is nonsense.
Furthermore, Mormons believe that this god had physical sexual intercourse to create the souls of people, "spirit babies" and with Mary to conceive Jesus. (http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/lds/mormondoctrines.shtml)
This is in direct contradiction to one of the Bible's central points of doctrine. That is, the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in a virgin, miraculously, without sex (hence why she was still a virgin at Christ's birth) (Matthew 1:20 as cited in the below link) Mormons deny the Holy Spirit and His part in the virgin birth.
http://mmoutreachinc.com/mormons/morchristjesus.html
This link further contrasts the differences between the created, Mormon god and Mormon-jesus and the Eternal, Son of God Jesus as revealed throughout scripture, the Holy Bible.
One key item, is that Mormons believe Jesus and Lucifer are brothers (http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/religion/lds/mormondoctrines.shtml) which is completely unBiblical. In other words, Mormon doctrine makes lucifer into an equal of the Jesus. That is another common element with deceiving spirits. They downgrade Jesus and elevate themselve. Lucifer was a created being, while Jesus is uncreated and an integral part of the Godhead. Any time Jesus is dethroned from deity to equality with angels or other creatures, that's a clue a teaching is false.
Galatians 1:8-9
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
2) Who was Joseph Smith?
Getting the real dirt on Joseph Smith is like trying to organize the origin story of Boba Fett. There's a number of conflicting accounts, and they all seem plausible.
To start, the wiki on Smith (for what thats worth) indicated that his parents played fast and loose with religious beliefs, including partaking in folk religious practices (i.e. occult) which definitely sounds like an open door to false spirits to me. His father and brother were also possibly Freemasons, which would likely open that door further.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_Freemasonry
He was also apparently inspired by Freemasonry and seems to have been a Mason.
http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/masonicsymbolsandtheldstemple.htm
"Smith and several prominent Mormons had become Freemasons and founded a lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois, in March 1842. Soon after joining Freemasonry, Smith introduced a new temple "Endowment" ceremony including a number of symbolic elements that were essentially identical with their analogues within Freemasonry. Smith remained a Freemason until his death; however, later Mormon leaders distanced themselves from Freemasonry."
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_Freemasonry
In addition to this Mason connection, he seemed to have a general affinity for the occult.
"Mormon scholar D. Michael Quinn, has carefully documented that Smith was influenced by the culture of his day and particularly by his immediate family. His father and uncle both used divining rods.5 Luman Walters was likely the individual who introduced Joseph Smith, Jr. to using the "seer stone" for the pretense of discovering treasure.6 The Palmyra Reflector dubbed him as "Walters the Magician" who operated by the use of "familiar spirits," using instruments of witchcraft such as a "stuffed toad," "an old sword," and a "seer stone."7"
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Mormons/mormon-kabbalah2.htm
With all of these obvious ties to the occult, any spiritual revelation that Smith had would in all liklihood be with fallen spirits.
3) What is the Mormon "gospel"?
True Christianity relies purely on faith, on the finished work of Jesus Christ's death on the cross and resurrection. It is purely by God's grace that we are saved through repentence and believing that what Jesus did was enough.
"The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God."
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/what-gospel/
Sounds pretty clear. Human effort is worth nothing in terms of eternal security with God, and rightly so.
So what is the Mormon gospel? Not a gospel at all, there is no good news of a sure thing. No promise or hope.
"Mormons believe that one's salvation is based on such good works as baptism, good deeds, missionary work, and following Mormon teachings. In The Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, justification by faith in Jesus Christ is called a "pernicious doctrine" twice and he states that it has been "an influence for evil."
http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Mormons.html
When examined under the light of the Bible, Mormonism's true colors are revealed. It's the same old lie Satan gave us in the garden, "ye shall be as gods". It may have Christian iconography and trappings, but in the end it's just the same old trick of turning people away from the truth of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, resurrected and glorified.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Dream on: Christian Dream Interpretation
A few months ago i was at Wal Mart, itself a horrifying experience, when i noticed a book that added to my already yucky feeling. In the Christian books was a book by Perry Stone about "Christian" dream interpretation.
I looked at it, and on the whole it seemed to be quite New Agey. So much in fact, that it reminded me of when I was trying to develop "psychic powers" and trying to force myself to dream about the future. I used to try to practice lucid dreaming (controlling your dreams) and i would focus on certain things before sleeping. Or i would try to meditate so i could absorb chi/universal energy/the Force. I wanted to know what to do with my life, etc., etc. and looked to dreams for the answer, thinking perhaps God may tell me in dreams. It was basically divination through dreams, and that's what many people are looking to do whether they realize it or not.
And dream i did. I even kept a journal and looked up the meaning of certain symbolism in my dreams. Often times, it was a rehash of the days events. Sometimes, I thought the symbols in the dreams could give me insight into life's circumstances. Other times it "felt" prophetic or apocalyptic, but really was not. Even when I dreamt a future event, it wasn't 100% accurate and I wanted to know the future for selfish reasons.
But rather than boring you further by rehashing Perry Stone's book, or all of my weird dreams, i'd like to go over what true Christian dream interpretation should look like. What does the Bible tell us about dreams? What does God want to tell us through our dreams, if anything?
The Bible does talk about dreams. Quite a bit actually. Even more, there does seem to be a consistent manner in which God uses dreams to inform not only His people, but non-believers as well. Modern dream interpretation is self-centered and "what is God going to do for me", but in the Bible it's a different story.
A brief search on Blue Letter Bible turned up that forms of the word "dream" appear 123 times in the Bible. (Do a search for dream*)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=dream%2A&t=KJV
Thats kind of alot. But not all of these references are people having prophetic, "thus sayeth the Lord" dreams.
Where do we start? Working from least important to the most, that way you have a reason to stick around.
Firstly, God seems to use dreams to "talk" to His people when there's few other options. The book of Genesis is a place where many people receive God's revelation through dreams. Why is this? Because there was no Bible yet! (At least not written out for people). People couldn't go to the Bible for guidance, and so God chose to reveal information in this way.
In Genesis 20, we see God using a dream to warn Abimalech not to sleep with Sarah. Now, we have the Bible to tell us not to commit adultery. (There were other factors i suspect which will come up later).
Genesis 31 - seems to be dealing with just wages, later expounded on in scripture.
This may be one reason why, on the whole at least, God doesn't use dreams in the "developed" world to communicate with us. While on the other hand, there are reports from the Muslim world of folks dreaming of Jesus. But even those dreams should be viewed carefully, especially in light of 1 John 4:1 (testing the spirits) and the below articles.
www.yoyomaster.com/ministry.file/IsaDreams.pdf
And John Piper's stance for what that's worth.
http://www.outofur.com/archives/2011/11/john_piper_susp.html
In our modern world, we have the Bible and we have believers to spread God's Good News and His Word so dreams should be a "last resort", but that is not to restrict God. Just a caution.
Second, and sort of tied in with the first, God used dreams in the Bible to direct people in specific situations-situations that would accomplish establishing His people and plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, faith and heartfelt repentence.
Genesis 28 - deals with God telling Jacob that He would give him (and his descendants) he land he was on.
Genesis 37, 40, 41, - God seems to be revealing through Joseph that he and his brothers would play a critical role in establishing the Jewish people.
It also revealed the future. But this revelation of the future appears to be multi-faceted. There's the obvious that God revealed the future in dreams (to Joseph and several gentiles) so that Joseph would be in a position to help establish the Jewish people. Second, it revealed God's power over people and those in power. It also demonstrates that God is in charge of circumstances.
Judges 7 - God prophesied in a dream that Gideon would gain victory over Israel's enemy.
Daniel 4 - Nebuchadnezzer's tree dream, warning him that if he didn't repent and humble himself to God, he would go crazy. After he went crazy he was given a chance to repent and be restored. The dream seems to have been sent to demonstrate God's mercy.
David Guzik has an interesting look at it with prophetic implications.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=7789&commInfo=31&topic=Daniel&ar=Dan_4_5
The third and probably most important aspect of dreams as a form of prophecy is that they foreshadow the coming of Jesus Christ, provide some sort of revelation (during Biblical times only) about Him and His safety.
Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
Genesis 28 - full of symbolism. The ladder to Heaven, the stone that will be God's house.
Genesis 40 - the cup bearer and the baker (bread and wine) foreshadow Christ's body and blood. That's more of a Chuck Missler look, but it could work.
Daniel - 2 Nebuchadnezzer's dream does predict the future of the "World" empires, but only because they will be supplanted by God's kingdom set up by His Son Jesus Christ.
Daniel 7 - also predicts the World empires and God's ultimate victory over them.
About Jesus Christ (directly, not alluded to in the Old Testament)
Matthew 1 - Joseph is told that Mary was pregnant with Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit and was still a virgin.
Matthew 2 - the magi are warned in a dream not to report their findings of Jesus to Herod. Joseph was warned in a dream to go into Egypt, and told in another dream to go back.
Matthew 27 - Pilates wife had a dream(s) indicating Jesus' innocence and that Pilate should have nothing to do with Him.
We have seen that God used dreams in the Bible to direct people when His Word (the Bible) was not available. And when He did do that, it was to help establish His people and His plan of salvation through that people. It was also to help foreshadow the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Lastly, we see a dream used to bring a king to repentence (and possibly serve as a greater model of something else.) In other words, when God did used dreams, He had a very clear agenda.
That should be quite enough to give us a decent understanding of what Christian dream interpretation should look like. But for anyone looking for further guidelines about interpeting dreams the TORAH outlines how to do so. But be warned, this was as a guide for the prophets (whose job it was to prophesy about Jesus, and convict Israel of its sin. The same motivation for the dreams above more or less.)
Oh, and anything less than 100% accuracy was a death sentence. Literally.
Numbers 12, and Deuteronomy 13 - God gives guidelines for prophets and prophetic dreams.
Joel 2 - that people would have dreams and visions. (Fulfilled in Acts 2:17)
I believe that we are not to actively seek to use dreams as a way of discerning God's will. It is not a tool for us to predict the future. We can see in the Bible that God is the one to send prophetic dreams, not for us to seek out. He will initiate it, we are not to initiate "prophetic" dreams.
If we do have a prophetic dream, it should first of all be perfectly clear to us or someone that God has ordained (the body analogy) to interpret. It shouldn't rely on bizarre or vague Jungian (New Age) symbolism.
Furthermore, the dream should bring about repentance of sin, or serve to spread the Gospel and glorify Jesus Christ. If you encounter a being, or even Jesus in a dream, don't be afraid to test the spirits (1 Joh 4:1) if it's really Jesus, He'll be happy you're obeying His Word!
So, stop looking to dreams and symbolism in them for direction in your life, go to God in prayer and repentence. If He sends you a dream, it will be without a doubt Christ honoring or used to lead you or someone else to repentence and faith in Jesus Christ. It will also be perfectly clear, and if it's prophetic, it will be 100% correct. If the dream is not from God and involves fallen spirits, call on Jesus Christ, and He will save you. He has saved me from demons in dreams more than I would like.
God can and does use dreams to tell us things, but His Word and prayer through His Son Jesus Christ is the preferred route. God will ordain the dreams.
I looked at it, and on the whole it seemed to be quite New Agey. So much in fact, that it reminded me of when I was trying to develop "psychic powers" and trying to force myself to dream about the future. I used to try to practice lucid dreaming (controlling your dreams) and i would focus on certain things before sleeping. Or i would try to meditate so i could absorb chi/universal energy/the Force. I wanted to know what to do with my life, etc., etc. and looked to dreams for the answer, thinking perhaps God may tell me in dreams. It was basically divination through dreams, and that's what many people are looking to do whether they realize it or not.
And dream i did. I even kept a journal and looked up the meaning of certain symbolism in my dreams. Often times, it was a rehash of the days events. Sometimes, I thought the symbols in the dreams could give me insight into life's circumstances. Other times it "felt" prophetic or apocalyptic, but really was not. Even when I dreamt a future event, it wasn't 100% accurate and I wanted to know the future for selfish reasons.
But rather than boring you further by rehashing Perry Stone's book, or all of my weird dreams, i'd like to go over what true Christian dream interpretation should look like. What does the Bible tell us about dreams? What does God want to tell us through our dreams, if anything?
The Bible does talk about dreams. Quite a bit actually. Even more, there does seem to be a consistent manner in which God uses dreams to inform not only His people, but non-believers as well. Modern dream interpretation is self-centered and "what is God going to do for me", but in the Bible it's a different story.
A brief search on Blue Letter Bible turned up that forms of the word "dream" appear 123 times in the Bible. (Do a search for dream*)
http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=dream%2A&t=KJV
Thats kind of alot. But not all of these references are people having prophetic, "thus sayeth the Lord" dreams.
Where do we start? Working from least important to the most, that way you have a reason to stick around.
Firstly, God seems to use dreams to "talk" to His people when there's few other options. The book of Genesis is a place where many people receive God's revelation through dreams. Why is this? Because there was no Bible yet! (At least not written out for people). People couldn't go to the Bible for guidance, and so God chose to reveal information in this way.
In Genesis 20, we see God using a dream to warn Abimalech not to sleep with Sarah. Now, we have the Bible to tell us not to commit adultery. (There were other factors i suspect which will come up later).
Genesis 31 - seems to be dealing with just wages, later expounded on in scripture.
This may be one reason why, on the whole at least, God doesn't use dreams in the "developed" world to communicate with us. While on the other hand, there are reports from the Muslim world of folks dreaming of Jesus. But even those dreams should be viewed carefully, especially in light of 1 John 4:1 (testing the spirits) and the below articles.
www.yoyomaster.com/ministry.file/IsaDreams.pdf
And John Piper's stance for what that's worth.
http://www.outofur.com/archives/2011/11/john_piper_susp.html
In our modern world, we have the Bible and we have believers to spread God's Good News and His Word so dreams should be a "last resort", but that is not to restrict God. Just a caution.
Second, and sort of tied in with the first, God used dreams in the Bible to direct people in specific situations-situations that would accomplish establishing His people and plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, faith and heartfelt repentence.
Genesis 28 - deals with God telling Jacob that He would give him (and his descendants) he land he was on.
Genesis 37, 40, 41, - God seems to be revealing through Joseph that he and his brothers would play a critical role in establishing the Jewish people.
It also revealed the future. But this revelation of the future appears to be multi-faceted. There's the obvious that God revealed the future in dreams (to Joseph and several gentiles) so that Joseph would be in a position to help establish the Jewish people. Second, it revealed God's power over people and those in power. It also demonstrates that God is in charge of circumstances.
Judges 7 - God prophesied in a dream that Gideon would gain victory over Israel's enemy.
Daniel 4 - Nebuchadnezzer's tree dream, warning him that if he didn't repent and humble himself to God, he would go crazy. After he went crazy he was given a chance to repent and be restored. The dream seems to have been sent to demonstrate God's mercy.
David Guzik has an interesting look at it with prophetic implications.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=7789&commInfo=31&topic=Daniel&ar=Dan_4_5
The third and probably most important aspect of dreams as a form of prophecy is that they foreshadow the coming of Jesus Christ, provide some sort of revelation (during Biblical times only) about Him and His safety.
Foreshadowing Jesus Christ
Genesis 28 - full of symbolism. The ladder to Heaven, the stone that will be God's house.
Genesis 40 - the cup bearer and the baker (bread and wine) foreshadow Christ's body and blood. That's more of a Chuck Missler look, but it could work.
Daniel - 2 Nebuchadnezzer's dream does predict the future of the "World" empires, but only because they will be supplanted by God's kingdom set up by His Son Jesus Christ.
Daniel 7 - also predicts the World empires and God's ultimate victory over them.
About Jesus Christ (directly, not alluded to in the Old Testament)
Matthew 1 - Joseph is told that Mary was pregnant with Jesus, by way of the Holy Spirit and was still a virgin.
Matthew 2 - the magi are warned in a dream not to report their findings of Jesus to Herod. Joseph was warned in a dream to go into Egypt, and told in another dream to go back.
Matthew 27 - Pilates wife had a dream(s) indicating Jesus' innocence and that Pilate should have nothing to do with Him.
We have seen that God used dreams in the Bible to direct people when His Word (the Bible) was not available. And when He did do that, it was to help establish His people and His plan of salvation through that people. It was also to help foreshadow the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Lastly, we see a dream used to bring a king to repentence (and possibly serve as a greater model of something else.) In other words, when God did used dreams, He had a very clear agenda.
That should be quite enough to give us a decent understanding of what Christian dream interpretation should look like. But for anyone looking for further guidelines about interpeting dreams the TORAH outlines how to do so. But be warned, this was as a guide for the prophets (whose job it was to prophesy about Jesus, and convict Israel of its sin. The same motivation for the dreams above more or less.)
Oh, and anything less than 100% accuracy was a death sentence. Literally.
Numbers 12, and Deuteronomy 13 - God gives guidelines for prophets and prophetic dreams.
Joel 2 - that people would have dreams and visions. (Fulfilled in Acts 2:17)
I believe that we are not to actively seek to use dreams as a way of discerning God's will. It is not a tool for us to predict the future. We can see in the Bible that God is the one to send prophetic dreams, not for us to seek out. He will initiate it, we are not to initiate "prophetic" dreams.
If we do have a prophetic dream, it should first of all be perfectly clear to us or someone that God has ordained (the body analogy) to interpret. It shouldn't rely on bizarre or vague Jungian (New Age) symbolism.
Furthermore, the dream should bring about repentance of sin, or serve to spread the Gospel and glorify Jesus Christ. If you encounter a being, or even Jesus in a dream, don't be afraid to test the spirits (1 Joh 4:1) if it's really Jesus, He'll be happy you're obeying His Word!
So, stop looking to dreams and symbolism in them for direction in your life, go to God in prayer and repentence. If He sends you a dream, it will be without a doubt Christ honoring or used to lead you or someone else to repentence and faith in Jesus Christ. It will also be perfectly clear, and if it's prophetic, it will be 100% correct. If the dream is not from God and involves fallen spirits, call on Jesus Christ, and He will save you. He has saved me from demons in dreams more than I would like.
God can and does use dreams to tell us things, but His Word and prayer through His Son Jesus Christ is the preferred route. God will ordain the dreams.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Cross is Mightier Than the Sword: Book Review of The Cross and the Switchblade
Synopsis:
It's been about a year since I've read this, but it's stuck with me and I'll probably be reading it again soon.
David Wilkerson, pastor of a small town church, one day decided to give up watching TV. He would use this extra time for prayer,Bible study and following the Lord's leading - wherever that might be. And one night, he received marching orders from the most high.
In a magazine, he saw the picture of several teenage boys on trial for murder in New York City. He felt a leading from the Lord who told him to go help those boys.
And he tried to.
He attended their trial, and attempted to contact the boys, but was pushed back by the police. In his eyes, he failed, but this moment had been caught in the papers. He now had street credibilty because of the police's "harassment."
He was able to use this street credibility to open doors with many kids on the New York City streets, and through this, God moved mountains with street-tough gangsters and brought many of them to Jesus Christ. Before long, this street ministry became what is now the worldwide organization, Teen Challenge.
Review:
Outside of the Bible, this is probably hands-down one of the must read books for new Christians. I wish I had read it in my early years. This book is an awesome example of how God works and does indeed lead us in modern, every day life. Without being inspired scripture, and without lifting up any human effort, this book is the closest thing I've seen to the Book of Acts in our day.
What i mean by that is it shows boldness in fatih, and people stepping out against sharp odds and seeing God's power triumph in lives in the face of those odds. In this book are many stories of a faithful witness proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing the Holy Spirit work in the lives of all manner of "undesirables." Drug addicts, gangsters, thieves, thugs and many more repent and come to know Jesus Christ.
What an awesome book.
It's also an easy read. Wilkerson and the other authors made the language extremely accessible and didn't use an abundance of "Christianese". Not that i recall anyways. Furthermore, the story is rife with drama. Many times an impossible situation comes up, and yet God works in amazing ways to see His will done. It's not always what we or Wilkerson expect, but it's clear that God made it work out.
"The Cross and the Switchblade" is an amazing story about the good that can happen when we turn off the idiot box and heed God's call. It's the journey of a man ministering from his car, all the way up to a ministry touching lives around the world today. Most importantly, it's a story of how God still works miracles in our day and age, and continues to show His mercy through His Son Jesus Christ.
If you're in a gang and want a way out, Jesus Christ will help you!
It's been about a year since I've read this, but it's stuck with me and I'll probably be reading it again soon.
David Wilkerson, pastor of a small town church, one day decided to give up watching TV. He would use this extra time for prayer,Bible study and following the Lord's leading - wherever that might be. And one night, he received marching orders from the most high.
In a magazine, he saw the picture of several teenage boys on trial for murder in New York City. He felt a leading from the Lord who told him to go help those boys.
And he tried to.
He attended their trial, and attempted to contact the boys, but was pushed back by the police. In his eyes, he failed, but this moment had been caught in the papers. He now had street credibilty because of the police's "harassment."
He was able to use this street credibility to open doors with many kids on the New York City streets, and through this, God moved mountains with street-tough gangsters and brought many of them to Jesus Christ. Before long, this street ministry became what is now the worldwide organization, Teen Challenge.
Review:
Outside of the Bible, this is probably hands-down one of the must read books for new Christians. I wish I had read it in my early years. This book is an awesome example of how God works and does indeed lead us in modern, every day life. Without being inspired scripture, and without lifting up any human effort, this book is the closest thing I've seen to the Book of Acts in our day.
What i mean by that is it shows boldness in fatih, and people stepping out against sharp odds and seeing God's power triumph in lives in the face of those odds. In this book are many stories of a faithful witness proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing the Holy Spirit work in the lives of all manner of "undesirables." Drug addicts, gangsters, thieves, thugs and many more repent and come to know Jesus Christ.
What an awesome book.
It's also an easy read. Wilkerson and the other authors made the language extremely accessible and didn't use an abundance of "Christianese". Not that i recall anyways. Furthermore, the story is rife with drama. Many times an impossible situation comes up, and yet God works in amazing ways to see His will done. It's not always what we or Wilkerson expect, but it's clear that God made it work out.
"The Cross and the Switchblade" is an amazing story about the good that can happen when we turn off the idiot box and heed God's call. It's the journey of a man ministering from his car, all the way up to a ministry touching lives around the world today. Most importantly, it's a story of how God still works miracles in our day and age, and continues to show His mercy through His Son Jesus Christ.
If you're in a gang and want a way out, Jesus Christ will help you!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Tai Ch-Ch-Chi - Can Christians do Tai Chi
This is a question that i think many Christians may ask themselves, and it's one that I've wondered about myself. I've avoided it up until this point for a few reasons, mainly i wanted to make sure i was right, and that my own personal bias and experience didn't cloud the truth.
I sort of felt like i should touch on it since there are so many people who come here via search queries about Christians and Qigong.
My first encounter with tai chi or taiji was not too long ago, maybe around 2 years ago. This was after I had been restored from my wondering UFO/reincarnation/New Age relapse, and sometime before starting this blog.
In my experience of doing taiji, i never felt any "energy" or spiritual power as people do with Yoga or Qigong. Since that was the case, I thought tai chi was merely exercise or a fighting style. My thought was something like, "tai chi must be OK since it's not 'religious like Yoga.' Yoga is tied to Hindu worship, whereas tai chi, i don't see that kind of link." I learned and practiced the entire tai chi chuan short form, and the applications for self defense.
I have not practiced tai chi for quite some time by this point, mainly because i am not sure if my earlier thoughts were correct. I am not sure that I should do it, and the Bible does not include a "thou shalt not do tai chi" command. So i err on the side of caution.
In looking at tai chi, I do not have a bone to pick with China, the Chinese or Chinese culture, so long as that element of culture is not an occult practice or originated from the occult. I would (now anyways) avoid any practice which has occult ties, regardless of cultural origin. If the movements in the hokey-pokey or playing tiddlywinks had origins in a satanic/occult ritual, i wouldn't do those either. Call me paranoid, but it's better than getting demonic oppression and sleep paralysis.
Trust me on that one.
That's my personal bias and experience.
Like many mysteries in the world, there is no solid foundation for the true origins of tai chi. Google it, you'll find dozens of conflicting stories. In light of this, discerning if tai chi is OK for Christians or not is made all the more difficult.
One origin story i read in a book suggested that a wiseman had a vision of a bird trying to eat a snake, and when the bird struck the snake withdrew. From this he developed tai chi. There are many more.
Got questions has a great overview here:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Tai-Chi-Christian.html, and i unintentionally duplicate some of what they have, then go down a rabbit trail.
Without a solid origin to pin it to, we should instead look at the claims people make about tai chi, and make our best guess from there.
To start, tai chi chuan is defined as "supreme, ultimate power", or usually something similar. As a Christian, this alone should raise a flag as God, and God alone is THE Supreme Ultimate Power. And God has manifested Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
John 1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Ephesians 1:19-21
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
It doesn't get anymore supreme than creating the universe.
Moving on, one of the most popular claims about tai chi is that it's good for health. A number of health benefits are claimed, from stress reduction, to arthritis relief. The slow, continuous flowing movement is probably one reason why. Some even claim it can make you live longer.
http://news.health.com/2010/11/24/tai-chi-may-provide-arthritis-relief/
But how does tai chi actually affect our physical state? How can it improve our health?
Aside from the slow movements and stretching, the true power of tai chi comes from chi. Manipulating chi is the end goal of tai chi, it seems to accomplish this through the movements, breathing and presumably mental state. We've dealt with chi in the qigong article, and we'll get around to it again shortly.
"Tai chi chuan is just one of many categories of qigong, but its chief distinction lies in its martial art application."
"Admittedly, the longer and more complex the tai chi form, the more beautiful. The extended length of the longer sequences also give the practitioner more time to generate more powerful intrinsic chi energy."
"After all, tai chi is a study of health, balance and longevity, using yinian (yin-yang) to generate and manipulate the chi energy. Since chi is integral to health, longevity, healing and personal, spiritual growth, the longer one practices the tai chi form, the more effective the practitioner becomes at generating chi and benefiting from it."
http://www.chikung-unlimited.com/Tai-Chi-Chuan.html
The above connection between tai chi, and cultivating chi seems inseparable. When i learned it, we were told to make sure we maintained certain hand positions lest we "drop our chi."
Another quote.
“The same cautions as expressed with all other life energy therapies apply to Tai Chi. The religious nature and goals of Eastern therapies should not be forgotten. In attempting to introduce people to the universal energy field — and help them become unified with the Universal Consciousness — these practices can be the door to the occult realm.”
http://www.drwalt.com/blog/?p=3898
As we've discussed on a previous occasion, chi is basically believed to be an energy field, and all living things are said to possess it. I believe it's also supposed to be kind of just everywhere. Obi-Wan's explanation of the Force to Luke in Star Wars is the best example. George Lucas basically ripped it off.
It has another name as well, and that's pantheism. Chi is pantheism as much as Carl Jung's definition of the collective unconcious seems, or "universal conciousness." Both are unBiblical, and therefore not compatible with sincere Christians.
We know the idea of a collective mind connecting all of our mentalities, or an impersonal Force/energy field "binding" everything together isn't true, because Jesus Christ is the one.
Colossians 1:14-17
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And in Isaiah 34:4 & Revelation 6, the heavens are rolled up like a scroll, and afterwards (in Revelation) people are cowering from the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
I won't get into this "energy field" idea much more, as it's been covered in the qigong and Yoga articles i've done here, as well as what Edgar Cayce was tapping into. The summary is basically that it's a bad idea for human beings to try to tap into this energy field. Call it the Akashic records, chi, reikii or Brahma humans have no business with it. Doing so will put a person in touch with spirit beings. Spirits that are demonic. Of course the Bible tells us this.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
God didn't give us this rule for no reason, it was for our protection. He knows these demonic beings hate us, and that's why he forbade us to practice witchcraft and associate with them. Manipulating chi, whether it be through tai chi, qigong, reiiki or whatever will only open us up to satan's minions. In this respect, tai chi is essentially witchcraft.
Apart from this obvious connection to contacting the spirit world via chi, can one do the exercise without the spiritual connotations?
For a while, i really wanted to say yes. Especially since i never felt any energy, or spirit contact. But as Gaz Parker told me (when i was being stubborn in continuing tai chi) just because i didn't feel anything was no indication of the spiritual dangers i was partaking.
Looking back, i think he was right.
Allow me to speculate here. Firstly, everything we do in this life has an impact somehow in the spirit world. Just as things going on in the spirit world affect us. (Ephesians 6)
As an unbeliever, everything we did was a dead work. Good deeds (because we sought to good apart from the one who is good, God). Bad deeds. It didn't matter, unsaved we belonged to satan, and our works, good or bad, were done in rebellion against God. (http://www.guidedbiblestudies.com/001sin8.htm). (Hebrews 6:1). These dead works probably had an effect in the spirit world.
Similarly, when we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, He works through us, and our works serve to His glory. When we pray,God moves. All in the unseen spirit world. Revelation 20 outlines the final outcome of these dead works.
All that to say, doing tai chi is a dead work.
Secondly, as i corresponded with Gaz, and Chris White about starting this blog, i had an episode of sleep paralysis. Was it caused by tai chi? Perhaps. Maybe i had allowed the entities a foothold into my life through tai chi.
Having seen that tai chi is but one method to contact the spirit world, i know that i won't be doing it again. Knowing this, do you want to continue it, a dead work?
Has tai chi caused you to encounter spirits? If so, i pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will be set free. You can be set free FOREVER by praying telling Him that you accept Him as Lord and Savior, and repent (change your mind, turn away from) of your sins. Accept what He did on the cross, that it paid for your sins, and believe He rose again. Give Him your life, and He will be with you forever.
Further reading:
Someone who says you can separate the act from the spiritual aspect: (though i don't agree with the author's logic, especially since it's not a Christian view.
http://www.dotaichi.com/Articles/ReligionandtheMartialArts.htm
And one that indicates they cannot be separated.
http://www.heavenlymanna.net/christianArticle.php?article_id=112
Natural explanation for "altered conciousness"
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001662.cfm
A Muslim's story about tai chi and demonic encounters. I haven't read all of it, so pray up. I also don't know if the author's had any other things that would invite demons, so take this story for what it's worth.
http://www.thejinn.net/chi_jinn_my_story.htm
I sort of felt like i should touch on it since there are so many people who come here via search queries about Christians and Qigong.
My first encounter with tai chi or taiji was not too long ago, maybe around 2 years ago. This was after I had been restored from my wondering UFO/reincarnation/New Age relapse, and sometime before starting this blog.
In my experience of doing taiji, i never felt any "energy" or spiritual power as people do with Yoga or Qigong. Since that was the case, I thought tai chi was merely exercise or a fighting style. My thought was something like, "tai chi must be OK since it's not 'religious like Yoga.' Yoga is tied to Hindu worship, whereas tai chi, i don't see that kind of link." I learned and practiced the entire tai chi chuan short form, and the applications for self defense.
I have not practiced tai chi for quite some time by this point, mainly because i am not sure if my earlier thoughts were correct. I am not sure that I should do it, and the Bible does not include a "thou shalt not do tai chi" command. So i err on the side of caution.
In looking at tai chi, I do not have a bone to pick with China, the Chinese or Chinese culture, so long as that element of culture is not an occult practice or originated from the occult. I would (now anyways) avoid any practice which has occult ties, regardless of cultural origin. If the movements in the hokey-pokey or playing tiddlywinks had origins in a satanic/occult ritual, i wouldn't do those either. Call me paranoid, but it's better than getting demonic oppression and sleep paralysis.
Trust me on that one.
That's my personal bias and experience.
Like many mysteries in the world, there is no solid foundation for the true origins of tai chi. Google it, you'll find dozens of conflicting stories. In light of this, discerning if tai chi is OK for Christians or not is made all the more difficult.
One origin story i read in a book suggested that a wiseman had a vision of a bird trying to eat a snake, and when the bird struck the snake withdrew. From this he developed tai chi. There are many more.
Got questions has a great overview here:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Tai-Chi-Christian.html, and i unintentionally duplicate some of what they have, then go down a rabbit trail.
Without a solid origin to pin it to, we should instead look at the claims people make about tai chi, and make our best guess from there.
To start, tai chi chuan is defined as "supreme, ultimate power", or usually something similar. As a Christian, this alone should raise a flag as God, and God alone is THE Supreme Ultimate Power. And God has manifested Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
John 1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Ephesians 1:19-21
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
It doesn't get anymore supreme than creating the universe.
Moving on, one of the most popular claims about tai chi is that it's good for health. A number of health benefits are claimed, from stress reduction, to arthritis relief. The slow, continuous flowing movement is probably one reason why. Some even claim it can make you live longer.
http://news.health.com/2010/11/24/tai-chi-may-provide-arthritis-relief/
But how does tai chi actually affect our physical state? How can it improve our health?
Aside from the slow movements and stretching, the true power of tai chi comes from chi. Manipulating chi is the end goal of tai chi, it seems to accomplish this through the movements, breathing and presumably mental state. We've dealt with chi in the qigong article, and we'll get around to it again shortly.
"Tai chi chuan is just one of many categories of qigong, but its chief distinction lies in its martial art application."
"Admittedly, the longer and more complex the tai chi form, the more beautiful. The extended length of the longer sequences also give the practitioner more time to generate more powerful intrinsic chi energy."
"After all, tai chi is a study of health, balance and longevity, using yinian (yin-yang) to generate and manipulate the chi energy. Since chi is integral to health, longevity, healing and personal, spiritual growth, the longer one practices the tai chi form, the more effective the practitioner becomes at generating chi and benefiting from it."
http://www.chikung-unlimited.com/Tai-Chi-Chuan.html
The above connection between tai chi, and cultivating chi seems inseparable. When i learned it, we were told to make sure we maintained certain hand positions lest we "drop our chi."
Another quote.
“The same cautions as expressed with all other life energy therapies apply to Tai Chi. The religious nature and goals of Eastern therapies should not be forgotten. In attempting to introduce people to the universal energy field — and help them become unified with the Universal Consciousness — these practices can be the door to the occult realm.”
http://www.drwalt.com/blog/?p=3898
As we've discussed on a previous occasion, chi is basically believed to be an energy field, and all living things are said to possess it. I believe it's also supposed to be kind of just everywhere. Obi-Wan's explanation of the Force to Luke in Star Wars is the best example. George Lucas basically ripped it off.
It has another name as well, and that's pantheism. Chi is pantheism as much as Carl Jung's definition of the collective unconcious seems, or "universal conciousness." Both are unBiblical, and therefore not compatible with sincere Christians.
We know the idea of a collective mind connecting all of our mentalities, or an impersonal Force/energy field "binding" everything together isn't true, because Jesus Christ is the one.
Colossians 1:14-17
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And in Isaiah 34:4 & Revelation 6, the heavens are rolled up like a scroll, and afterwards (in Revelation) people are cowering from the Lamb, Jesus Christ.
I won't get into this "energy field" idea much more, as it's been covered in the qigong and Yoga articles i've done here, as well as what Edgar Cayce was tapping into. The summary is basically that it's a bad idea for human beings to try to tap into this energy field. Call it the Akashic records, chi, reikii or Brahma humans have no business with it. Doing so will put a person in touch with spirit beings. Spirits that are demonic. Of course the Bible tells us this.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
God didn't give us this rule for no reason, it was for our protection. He knows these demonic beings hate us, and that's why he forbade us to practice witchcraft and associate with them. Manipulating chi, whether it be through tai chi, qigong, reiiki or whatever will only open us up to satan's minions. In this respect, tai chi is essentially witchcraft.
Apart from this obvious connection to contacting the spirit world via chi, can one do the exercise without the spiritual connotations?
For a while, i really wanted to say yes. Especially since i never felt any energy, or spirit contact. But as Gaz Parker told me (when i was being stubborn in continuing tai chi) just because i didn't feel anything was no indication of the spiritual dangers i was partaking.
Looking back, i think he was right.
Allow me to speculate here. Firstly, everything we do in this life has an impact somehow in the spirit world. Just as things going on in the spirit world affect us. (Ephesians 6)
As an unbeliever, everything we did was a dead work. Good deeds (because we sought to good apart from the one who is good, God). Bad deeds. It didn't matter, unsaved we belonged to satan, and our works, good or bad, were done in rebellion against God. (http://www.guidedbiblestudies.com/001sin8.htm). (Hebrews 6:1). These dead works probably had an effect in the spirit world.
Similarly, when we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, He works through us, and our works serve to His glory. When we pray,God moves. All in the unseen spirit world. Revelation 20 outlines the final outcome of these dead works.
All that to say, doing tai chi is a dead work.
Secondly, as i corresponded with Gaz, and Chris White about starting this blog, i had an episode of sleep paralysis. Was it caused by tai chi? Perhaps. Maybe i had allowed the entities a foothold into my life through tai chi.
Having seen that tai chi is but one method to contact the spirit world, i know that i won't be doing it again. Knowing this, do you want to continue it, a dead work?
Has tai chi caused you to encounter spirits? If so, i pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will be set free. You can be set free FOREVER by praying telling Him that you accept Him as Lord and Savior, and repent (change your mind, turn away from) of your sins. Accept what He did on the cross, that it paid for your sins, and believe He rose again. Give Him your life, and He will be with you forever.
Further reading:
Someone who says you can separate the act from the spiritual aspect: (though i don't agree with the author's logic, especially since it's not a Christian view.
http://www.dotaichi.com/Articles/ReligionandtheMartialArts.htm
And one that indicates they cannot be separated.
http://www.heavenlymanna.net/christianArticle.php?article_id=112
Natural explanation for "altered conciousness"
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001662.cfm
A Muslim's story about tai chi and demonic encounters. I haven't read all of it, so pray up. I also don't know if the author's had any other things that would invite demons, so take this story for what it's worth.
http://www.thejinn.net/chi_jinn_my_story.htm
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