19 Mar 2009 |
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Taiwo Olokun This month (March 09) i came across a Newsweek article online titled “Newsweek: The Global Elite”. A Nigerian Pentecostal preacher (E.A. Adeboye) was on that list. After reading the section about E.A. Adeboye and especially what people had to say, here are my comments (http://www.newsweek.com/id/ Someone commented:
Pastor E.A. Adeboye is a true prophet and a man of God filled with the Holy spirit. During the ministers/workers conference meeting in Floyd, daddy preached about Elisha and Elijah. He later told us to look at him, and to ask God for the gift of the spirit each of us desired in him. I asked God for two specific things that I desire in daddy and God has granted them unto me. That's idolatry. But in Isaiah 45:22, the only true Saviour (the God of the Jewish Scripture: Old and New Testament) says “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Colossians 1:17-19 “And Christ is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell” In Christ, not in Adeboye or any other spiritual leader. Another person said:
… Africa today, had been forgiven the years of idolatry of the past through the works of the ADEBOYES of this generation. … Adeboye and Obama are the signals to the west that power is changing hand now: as divinely directed by God. The human redemption will surely come through Africa. … Lies, all lies!! Even the coming ruler of the world (the fake christ) is coming from the Roman Empire, not Africa (Daniel 9:26). In John 4:22, Jesus (Ya'Shua) said: “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.” True Salvation is from the line of David Yitzaak, not Africa, not Europe, or any other people. Also, no African or anyone else will be forgiven for idolatry through “the works of the Adeboyes of this generation”. Those who truly desire to be forgiven will only be forgiven through the finished sacrifice of the Jewish Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Another person wrote:
pastor Adeboye is the elijah of our time, may the annointing of God over him never run dry Not true. Hebrews 1:1-2 says “God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the (Jewish) fathers by the (Jewish) prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” Jesus (Yah’Shua), not Adeboye. Another person commented:
It’s unfortunate, today, that most people worship science instead of their maker (God). This should not surprise us because Jesus warned of this in Gospel according to St. Matthew 24:24 when He said "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Amazing blindness! That Scripture along with many others like it is what ought to make people turn away from false spiritual leaders but their followers are so blind they will by all means follow these false spiritual leaders rather than listen to Jesus through the Jewish Scriptures (Old and New Testament). Another person said:
… I don't believe the world has seen a greater gathering of people in one place as seen in Nigeria during the Holy Ghost Services with estimates of over 1 to 1.5 million people. All these people cannot be stupid at the same time! … All these people cannot be stupid? In Matthew 7:13-23, Jesus said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing … Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Many of his followers call him "daddy". The following are few examples:
AM HAPPY TO HAVE A FATHER LIKE YOU DADDY, WHEN I WAS A KID I HAVE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO HAVE A MENTOR LIKE JESUS CHRIST HERE ON EARTH, UNTIL I JOIN THE REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD IN 1998 DEC. THEN I FOUND YOU WORTHY TO TAKE THAT POSITION IN MY LIFE, TODAY YOU HAVE REALLY PROOVE YOURSELF TO BE A FATHER THAT IS WORTH EMULATING, I AM PROUD OF YOU DADDY E.A. ADEBOYE. Another person wrote:
God Bless Pastor E. A. Adeboye. I LOVE YOU DADDY But in Matthew 23:8-9, Jesus instructed His followers: “But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in Heaven.” Why have The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) leaders allowed their followers to develop the evil habit of calling E.A. Adeboye "daddy"? It's idolatry. Most Pentecostal Pastors teach that they are protected from lacking earthly wealth. They teach that they are protected from physical danger/sickness. This makes them more important/powerful than the original apostles of the Lord Jesus who suffered greatly and could never teach such a seductive thing. In 2Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul said: “And lest i should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest i be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing i pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’. Therefore most gladly i will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore i take pleasure in sicknesses, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when i am weak, then i am strong.” Written to Christians: Hebrews 10:32-35 “But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in Heaven. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” In 1Timothy 5:23, Paul wrote to one of his assistants (Timothy): “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.” God used His servants to heal many people but the miracles are at God's discretion and timing, not the apostles' timing (i.e., the apostles did not set up a Holy Spirit time when the Holy Spirit must come and do miracles. Blasphemy!! God is God, not preachers who use various mental tricks to prepare their followers and set up miracle hours). I follow the Jewish Scripture: Old and New Testament. I believe God can do miracles but unlike these lying preachers, God's miracles are not according to our own will or greed or timing. Lying preachers set up miracle hours, it's contrary to the Scriptures. I don't blame the person who said: "Habaa!! 200 miles on empty tank!!" Adeboye (and many deceived preachers like him) claim that God told him to just keep driving. These days, there are too manypreachers that stand over the crowd and just tell lies all day long. It's very sad that millions of people all over the world love to follow lying preachers such as Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, the Copelands, Fred Price, etc., rather than listen to the true Words of the true Jesus who said “Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Anointed One!' or 'There!' Do not believe it. For false anointed ones and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:23-25). 1John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Oral Roberts wrote a letter to a man. In the letter he said he prayed all night long for the man's wife and that god told him the woman will be healed of the cancer. That man was so angry because unknown to Oral Roberts, that man's wife had died. The man angrily replied to Oral Roberts that Oral is a big liar. It's very sad. Some of these lying preachers have really deceived themselves. They think they are doing God a favor by telling faith-buildinglies. A faith/soul that has lies as its foundation will sooner or later begin to perish. I now know why Nigeria is full of fraud stars/fraudsters. The elders/preachers tell lies all day long. That's why Nigeria is full of fraud. Weep for Nigeria. God help us to be courageous and speak out against our father’s house like Gideon who stood up against his father's house/the elders and their lies. Judges 6:25-28 “Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to Gideon, ‘Take your father's young bull ... and tear down the (false altar) that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to YAHOVAH your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement ... So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the (false altar), torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was (on fire) being offered on the altar which had been built.” I’m not saying that anyone should physically destroy any false altar, but those who belong to Jesus should speak out against false teaching/practice. Lying Pentecostal preachers are not God. They are liars. They use fear to put the masses under their grip. No one should fear them. If you are afraid, put your trust in the Scriptures, not in these liars who use fear tactics and often say “touch not the Lord's anointed”. But the prophets of the Jewish Scriptures: Old and New Testament are the Lord's anointed who we must listen to, not these Pentecostal lying preachers who give Shavuot (50th day) a bad name. Rather than allowing people to know the Scriptures and fear the Scriptures alone, they make people fear them. In Luke 18:8, Jesus said “... Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Surely that prediction is being fulfilled in these last days. Lying Pentecostal preachers are everywhere. Millions of church-goers have a false faith (i.e., a faith that is contrary to the truths of the Jewish Scripture: Old and New Testament). Typical of most preachers, E.A. Adeboye has turned himself into a god over his poor followers who themselves are guilty of allowing a human being to be the god they fear and adore. The following two statements were made by E.A. Adeboye in RCCG’s November 2008 HolyGhost Service (http://hgs.rccgnet.org/2008- Quote #1:
There was a little challenge not too long ago, and I told the fellow who was challenging me, if it is me you want to fight, you have won before you start. I have nothing to fight with, I have no strength, I know nobody, I have no money. Why did E.A. Adeboye say he has no money and no friends in positions of power? He is lying. Contrary to the fact that in Dec 08-Jan 09, E.A. Adeboye was selected by Newsweek as one of the Global Elite, in John 15:19, Jesus said to His followers “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Quote #2:
A woman wrote to me and said Daddy I know it is difficult to see you, I don’t want to see you, if you read this letter; I know I will get my miracle. I was reading the letter in the car and I was dancing because I know with this kind of faith the miracle will happen. So I lifted the letter to the Almighty God and said let it be unto her according to her faith. Months later I got another letter from the same woman. Daddy I know you read my letter because I have got my miracle, there is somebody here tonight, and your testimony will be similar. Adeboye should have felt sad/correct his followers who are looking to Him instead of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-15 “Jesus gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” That woman does not know God as her merciful/wise Heavenly Father. She had to go through Adeboye rather than Jesus. How sad. I hope you know God as a merciful/wise Father who will not always give you what you ask for. If you always give your children whatever they desire, then you are a wicked/unwise parent, and God will one day punish you for spoiling your children. Instead of showing me some Scriptures that seem to support people trusting in spiritual leaders rather than simply looking to Jesus, church-goers need to understand the following crucial statement: All spiritual leaders, whoever the preacher may be, whether Benny Hinn, the Pope, Adeboye, etc., must all be held accountable to/subject to the Words of the original prophets/apostles of the Jewish God. The only way this can be accomplished is if church-goers know the Scriptures very well. It is blasphemous to believe/think that the words/decree of any spiritual leader is on the same level (authority) as the original prophets/apostles of the Jewish God. Ephesians 2:19-22 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is making Himself available to every true believer, not just the leaders. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. In Revelation 2, Jesus rebuked the Ephesian church for some things; He also commended them twice by saying: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars … this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Nicolaiti means: Dominion over the common people. Similar to the Catholic priests, Pentecostal preachers are always claiming to have some special connection to God. That’s the base/foundation of their dominion/grip over their poor followers. Catholic leaders claim to be the only ones who possess the power to turn the bread and wine of communion into the real flesh and blood of christ for all Catholics to ingest into their stomach during the weekly Mass. Pentecostal preachers often encourage people to come to them instead of teaching them to connect with Christ simply by grace (God’s undeserved favor). The true God who has become humanity’s only true High Priest hates that practice. Hebrews 10:19-20 “… brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh” 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” It seems the reason spiritual leaders often encourage people to come to them rather than teaching them to simply connect with God through His undeserved favor is because if they do, then that will be the end of their million dollar business. Similar to Psychotherapy’s professionals/tricksters, gullible people/weak souls are the Pentecostal preachers’ source of income. The masses are at fault as well, not just the preachers. Jeremiah 5:30-31 “An astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land: The spiritual leaders prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end (when the coming judgment finally arrives)?” Church-goers fail to know the Scriptures for themselves; they fail to regularly connect by faith to the Gracious God who has already paid for all their sins; they fail to have Him as the only one they worship, therefore they are not courageous to rebuke their spiritual leaders when their spiritual leaders are continually saying/doing things that are contrary to the Scriptures. I used to be very dependent on spiritual leaders as well, but praise God for His marvelous Grace. The following statement was made by E.A. Adeboye in RCCG’s November 2008 HolyGhost Service (http://hgs.rccgnet.org/2008-
Halleluiah, the Lord said there is someone here today, right now you don’t amount to much but the Lord asked me to tell you, your prosperity will lift your family out of the depth of poverty. How many of you believe that? Do you believe you are the one God is talking to? You better say amen loud and clear. I will tell you the story because it deals with faith some of you have heard it before. December 31 of a watch night service my God said to me, he said there was someone in the congregation who was having problem paying his house rent, he said in the New Year he will become a landlord. only one messenger said amen, others were thinking that was impossible, but he grabbed it by faith. … So let me repeat what Daddy said, he said there is someone here tonight that you don’t amount to much now, he said but your prosperity will lift your family out of poverty. If you believe that say it is me Lord. The following three statements were made by E.A. Adeboye in RCCG’s December 2008 HolyGhost Service (http://hgs.rccgnet.org/2008- Quote #1:
There is somebody here today, from the east help will come unto you, from the west help will come unto you, from the north help will come unto you, from the south help will come unto you, from heaven above help will come unto you. If you are the one let me hear you say amen loud and clear. (Usually, the whole crowd shouts: Amen!!) The true God is not confused. If the true God said there is someone here today, He means that person, not someone else. And surely that does not change/become a lie in which more than 100 persons from different families then become that one person whom God is speaking of. I really want to know exactly what Pentecostal preachers such as E.A. Adeboye actually heard. Did God actually say there is somebody here today who He will bless exactly the way E.A. Adeboye relayed the message? Or did God actually say He will bless all who by faith grab that particular message E.A. Adeboye was relaying. What exactly did E.A. Adeboye hear God say? If what Adeboye heard from God is that God will bless anyone/all who would believe that God will be his/her help at all times, then that’s not a special revelation (i.e., given to E.A. Adeboye alone). Everyone should know from the Jewish Scriptures: Old and New Testament that God will bless anyone/all who trusts in Him. But what exactly did Adeboye hear God say? This is the truth: Romans 16:18 “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for YAHOVAH will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Quote #2:
The one … When I pray for salvation here it will reach you at the various altars where you may be, so if you want to give your life to Jesus Christ, get up and go to the nearest altar close to you. That’s a lie. Salvation reaches a person as the person trusts in the fact that, God in His pity towards us took the eternal judgment for us, not through Adeboye’s prayer. Salvation comes through one’s personal faith, not through Adeboye’s prayer. Quote #3:
Those of you … I will be praying for you, very soon you will be receiving miracles that you didn’t pray for and you will know that there is someone praying for you. So I am going to need your name your address and your prayer request. Those of you watching through the television or listening from the internet, I will appreciate it if you will write to me, telling me your name, your address and your prayer request and I assure you I will be praying for you. What will all these people do when Adeboye dies? Will they begin sending their prayers through dead Adeboye? Catholics do. Probably some of Adeboye’s followers will continue their abomination by starting to send their prayers through Benny Hinn, or other spiritual leaders they are trusting in? Hebrews 7:24-26 “But Christ, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” Romans 8:34-37 “… It is Christ who died (for us), and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For God’s sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” James (Yakob) 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” All true believers have been declared righteous through Christ and they have God’s Holy Presence within them. We intercede for one another (i.e., it’s not a special work designated for some special “man of god” or preacher/priest who is trying to take the place of God over a poor/needy crowd). Along with singing, giving is another way of showing your appreciation to God for His goodness towards you. No one should give to any ministry that is using God’s name in vain by claiming that they are relaying a message from God when in fact the message is a vague/general message. Give to the poor, widows, orphans and those who are truly in need. Also, give with a pure heart (a thankful heart). No one should give with the following kind of thought: “What will God give me in return”. Such a thought is very evil. It shows that the person does not know how good God has been towards him/her. Oh! May we pay serious attention to Matthew 5:44-45 where Jesus said “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in Heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” God has been very kind to us the unthankful and to us the evil. No one can pay God for anything. Do you want to pay God for existence/life? Romans 11:35-36 “… who has first given to God that it should be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” The New Covenant does not have a symbolic giving like the Old Testament’s “one-tenth”. True Christianity teaches the following 2Corinthians 8:12-15 “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For i do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack--that there may be equality. As it is written, ‘He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.” 9:7 “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” There are those who are wealthy, and they certainly give more than the Old Testament’s “one-tenth”. But if you are financially unable to give a penny, don’t worry about it. God wants your love, not your money. Don’t allow any preacher to condemn you with unscriptural teachings/lies. Bad things happen to everyone. God is gracious to those who don’t even serve Him. No one is holy enough for God. Those who are accepted by God are only accepted by Him because of Christ. If you are financially poor, be encouraged by James (Yakob) 2:5-8 “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well” Don’t give to any preacher who claims he is relaying a message from God when in fact the message is a vague/general message. Freely give to those who are truly in need; seek to understand true Christianity through the Scriptures. Depend on Christ. Share true Christianity with people, and God will be happy with you. When you give to the poor, remember this: God does not need your money. He is not impressed because you gave, He can easily use another rich person to help the poor. Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God provides for people’s physical needs. He also sustains all living things (plants, animals, etc.) However, God has not guaranteed earthly blessings to anyone. The spiritual blessings of the New Covenant are definitely guaranteed to all/anyone who will abide in Jesus. Serving the true Jesus does not mean you will be wealthy or that everything will go well with you in this world that hates righteousness. Philippians 1:29 “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” Acts 5:40-41 “… when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus,then they let them go. So the apostles departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Your soul will always be fine as long as you are trusting Christ, but God has not promised that you will always be fine physically. All your spiritual leaders (including E.A. Adeboye) are getting old; they all fall sick and die. Don’t let anyone deceive you. In 2Corinthians 4:16, Paul said “… Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 1Timothy 6:5-11 “useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness …” Benny Hinn made the following prediction in 1989: The Spirit tells me, Fidel Castro will die in the 90's. Oh my. Some will try to kill him and they will not succeed. But there will come a change in his physical health, and he will not stay in power. And Cuba will be visited of God. … The Lord also tells me to tell you, in mid 90s, about '94 or '95, no later than that, God will destroy the homosexual community of America. … He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed (Orlando Christian Center, December 31, 1989). Fidel Castro is still alive; he retired in February 2008 and transferred his power to his brother (Raul Castro) on the 24th of Feb 2008. This is March 2009, is the Homosexual community in America a thing of history? The true God never spoke to these Pentecostal preachers. They are being deceived by deceitful spirits, yet millions continue to follow them. 2Peter 2: “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies … And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. … (they) speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption … They have a heart trained in covetous practices … They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness … For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure (they entice) through the desires of the flesh … While they promise them liberty (deliverance), they themselves are slaves of corruption …” Pentecostal preachers often make predictions of things of high probability/general knowledge while claiming it’s a special revelation from God. On RCCG’s Europe website, the following were among Adeboye’s predictions for 2008 (http://rccgeuropemainland. INTERNATIONAL: 1. There will be scientific breakthrough this year 2. There will be major medical breakthrough this year Like witchcraft (Harry Potter, Star Wars Force, etc.) Pentecostal beliefs are very appealing because they promise people immediate power and a million dollars. Also, those who are not yet born of the Spirit of the true Jesus and those who are not growing strong in true Christianity, want a god they can see (e.g., their spiritual leader) rather than the invisible God. In addition, they stubbornly want self-pleasure and self-glory (pride), therefore they want a god that caters to their will/desires rather than a God who says: Shame on you for your selfishness. Repent of your selfishness. The only God who can save your soul from the eternal judgment is the God who continually says through His servants: “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40). Last year, while i was staying with a relative of mine in Lagos, Nigeria, he asked me if i realize that Jesus is actually our servant (i.e., Jesus serves us). I told him yes, Jesus serves us. The reason i said yes is because of Mark 10:42-45 “Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” However, the whole truth is this: Jesus (i.e., God) serves people according to His own will/timing, not according to our own desire/timing. On the other hand, witchcraft does not have holy requirements that limit people, like the requirements of true Christianity. Pentecostal beliefs, like witchcraft are very appealing because they promise you immediate power at your command (just imagine it and speak it). But the spirits who grant these powers are deceitful. They want people to continue on that road (e.g., visualization/imagination); they want people to be on their side, therefore they grant some wish; sometimes they are not able. The true God does not serve us according to our own desires but according to His own holy will. He is not a foolish Father who spoils His children or rarely disciplines His children. He regularly disciplines those who are His. He teaches them to be content, meek, disciplined; and He helps them because they are weak. Hebrews 12:5-8 “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom YAHOVAH loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” If you don’t want to be misled/deceived, the best way to identify a true servant of God versus the many that are deceitful is by comparing the person’s teachings/sayings to the instructions of Scripture, not by signs and wonders. Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” In Deuteronomy 13:1-3, God instructed His people (the Jews): “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’--which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” In Matthew 24:23-26, Jesus said: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Anointed One!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false anointed ones and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.” 1John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believeevery spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 2Thessalonians 2:9-12 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2Corinthians 11:13-15 “… false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
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