Positive confession

Positive confession is quite the watchword of the famed 'Health and Wealth' gospel preachers who'd tell you that everything - everything is contained in your lips. Here's an interesting example: Kenneth Hagin writes in his book In the name of Jesus, “Just a few months ago, as I left the office building and started home, suddenly my head started hurting, someone might say, “well, you had a headache. No, I didn’t have one! I don’t have headaches. I haven’t had a headache since August 1934. 45 years have come and gone. And I haven’t had a headache…but if I had a headache, I wouldn’t tell anybody. And if somebody asked me how I was feeling, I would say, I’m fine, thank you.” (In the Name of Jesus, p.44) In his book The Power of your words, Don Gosset writes the same way - if you fall sick and you have prayed for your healing, you shouldnt say your sick anymore even if the symptoms remain!

What I dont know is, from which part of the Bible they get all these interesting stuff. But the danger of all this is it encourages lying. There is really nothing wrong in praying for a high-paying job. But according to positive confession preachers, you should say that you have already got the job! They say that your confession reveals your faith. But the tricky question here is, wether the so-called confession is an act of faith, or a deliberate lie? Just think. Its one thing to believe that God would give you a good job, but it is an entirely another thing to believe that you already have the job. Isnt it? Now consider this, if you tell your friend that you have got the job you've always wanted (when you really havent), is it a confession of faith or a lie? So its evident this positive confession stuff is just another way to tell lies.

The Bible puts all doubts at rest, it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18,
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV) 

Note that the Bible doesnt say that we should give thanks because everything is good, but rather we should thank God for everything - the good, bad, ugly, everything. When things go wrong, we are not supposed to sit back and confess, we are to take action. If you are your loved ones fall sick you've got to get medical aid, it would be foolishness if you simply sit and confess binding Satan and all that. God heals, He does heal. But remember we have no right to tell Him how He should heal us. The method He uses to heal is His choice, not ours. Secondly, like James says in Chapter 5:10-12

 10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 
 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 
 12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

There is a simple way to prove that positive confession doesnt work. If positive confession really works then its preachers should never ask for money. They can simply put their hands on their wallets and confess money into it. Secondly, they wouldnt get sick and die, they should actually wear out, but thats never the case. Hence its clear that this so-called positive confession, also known as word-faith is one of the biggest lies christianity has ever known.

Prosperity doctrine: Truth or bluff?

The most recent doctrinal uprising today in the christian world is this so-called prosperity doctrine. Almost every other preacher seems to be preaching it. What is intresting is, neither Jesus nor His apostles seem to have known this. In fact, they preached otherwise. Jesus said, in this world you (christians) will suffer. Again St. Peter writes,

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: I Peter 2:21

We are called to accept suffering

 Luke 9:23-24
 23And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Romans 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

2 Timothy 3:12
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Philippians 3:10
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

2 Timothy 2:11,12
11It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

2 Corinthians 1:5-10
 5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.  6And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.  7And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.  8For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:  9But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:  10Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Suffering is real. Christ despised its shame.

 Hebrews 12:1-13
 1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Unlike what these preachers are driving at, suffering does not pull us away from God. Maybe sin does.

Romans 8:35-39
 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rather its prosperity that may seperate us from God:

James 5:1-6

 1Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

So dear friend take heed that you dont get carried away by a false theory of prosperity. Suffering was, is and will be a part of christian living. The word-of-faith, speak-it-have-it, visualize-it-have-it doctrines are too unbiblical. It has lead many to greediness.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the root of all evil.

Lets take care to avoid such stuff.

Pentecostalism today

Being a fifth generation pentecostal I'm deeply saddened at the route the pentecostal movement is taking. The pentecostal movement has a nature that allows unbiblical doctrines to creep in very easily. Today there's a lot of emphasis on emotionalism, extremism and even fanticism. The pentecostal movement in its early days was seen as a return to the first century church principles but unfortunately I think we are drifting further away.

To be honest with you, a little research would let you know that not wearing jewels is not a pentecostal doctrine at all. It was copied in from the Bretheren. It was they who started the "dont wear jewels" doctrine. Not only is it unbiblical it is quite dangerous too. Most people who dont wear jewels think that they are so spiritual when in reality they may not be so. Not wearing jewels thus gives a sense of false security. You might have seen pentecostals who dont wear jewels owning posh houses, glamorous cars, etc. So what is the point in not wearing jewels? None.

Next some pentecostals teach something called as "divine healing" which is actually "absistence from chemical medicine". But is it biblical? Unfortunately no. What is wrong in taking medicine? None. Again its a false security. People who dont take medicine think that they far more spiritually superior to those who do take medicine. Certain churches consider taking medicine as sin. People who took medicine or were hospitalized are refused the Holy Communion / Lord's Supper. But now the attitude has changed a bit but not completely. Pastors in certain churches have two options if they get sick - not to take medicine or leave the church. What deception!

Next the overwhelming emphasis on emotionalism. Many pentecostal preachers seem to say if you dont get emotional enough you havent felt God. If you dont jump, quake, shake or kick about the person sitting next to you, you havent felt God. I dont know which version of the Bible these preachers follow. The Bible tells us how to know God is present. Its too simple. Where two are three people are gathered in My (Jesus) name, I (Jesus) will be among them. Matt 18:20 We can know for sure God is there if we have gathered in His name. The Bible never tells us to look for emotionalized overtures to confirm His prescence. The Bible never tells you should speak in a lot of tongues to know God is there or feel Him. Now I dont say talking in tongues is wrong but we should know that it can be easily counterfeited by the devil. How can a man so full of the Holy Spirit go about battering his wife and kids? Doesnt it appear obnoxious? The Bible tells us how to know that the Holy Spirit is working in us. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness and temperance Galatians 5:22,23. This is the best scale to measure your life in the Spirit. The devil can easily counterfeit the gifts but he can never counterfeit the fruit. The devil has been counterfeiting miracles since Moses' time (Remember the Egyptian magicians?) but he can never counterfeit the fruit, because it simply is not his nature. So I think its time for us Pentecostals to look for fruits instead of gifts.

What is most horrifying is the rising popularity of the so called Prosperity doctrine. The say-it-have-it doctrine as some people call it, is utter deception. It is also known as word of faith. You believe you'll become a millionaire and you confess it, you'd become one. Thankfully it hasnt infected all pentecostal churches, but certainly a lot of them. I feel our early church fathers didnt know it. Perhaps thats why they lived in poverty. Jesus never said that if we believed in Him we'd become millionaires, neither did He die on the cross for that. Rather, Jesus said that in this world we will suffer. God knows which Jesus these prosperity teachers preach.
There are still a few more unbiblical practices in certain pentecostal churches:
i. Many churches emphasize dress restrictions that are clearly unbiblical
ii. Many preach blind obedience to whatever they say. The Bible says we have to validate doctrines based on the Scriptures. Gal 1:8,9

Where are we going? What are we doing?
Only time can tell...