I know that the rants and blogs I have been posting are very abrasive especially to ministers and preachers but it is intended to be. It is also intended to be abrasive to the Body. A minister that preaches something wrong could have just made a simple mistake or they may have intentionally led people astray, but either way it is OUR responsibility to study God's word and know the difference between God's voice and man's voice.
I may appear bitter, and maybe I am just a little. I have been personally screwed over by preachers before (it just proves their human). I have been taught wrong doctrine and philosophies by several teachers and I'm mad. Mad at myself. I trusted what they said and I'm mad that I didn't know enough of God's word to tell when they were pulling the wool over my eyes and mad that I didn't study what they taught closely enough to see their error.
So, What's my deal? I want these blogs to be a call to action. A call for Christians to study the word of God closely so we won't be decieved by men and women who preach wrong doctrine. Televangalists that teach "if you're not financially prosperous, you're not in the will of God." Preachers that tell women that "to make it to heaven you are going to have to have sex with me". It is horrible that some of the bigger ministries and ministers teach these things but what's even more horrible is the Christians who feed into these false doctrines. We are truly sheep. The Bible warns us -- be careful about any man or angel preaching any other gosple.
I want these blogs to be a reminder that it is our responsibility to seek the face of God. We must seek our own salvation with fear and trembling. We must start being accountable for what we know. We must also demand that our ministers be accountable. They are not superhumans and they will make mistakes, but stand-up and face their mistakes. Don't hide behind tradition and position.
I strongly want these blogs to be a voice crying in the midst of the congregation that we offer JESUS FREELY to the whole world. I want this blog to be a voice crying in the world and JESUS is FREE, and through JESUS they can be FREE, come as you are and accept this gift from Christ.
My cry from now on will be FREE JESUS!
Copyright © 2007 Terry Banks, Sr.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
What kind of Christian am I?
This is a question I have been skating around lately not really wanting to address it but I find that I must. For some time now, I have been criticizing the "Body". Even though I try to point the same finger at myself as I do at them I still question myself, "What kind of Christian am I?" (A question we should all ask, all the time.)
Let's face it, I know that I am the scum of the earth, not worthy to taste the dust raised from Jesus walking by. I know that my righteousness is "Filthy Rags" and I also know that I cannot point an accusatory finger at anybody. But this boiling raged within my spirit concerning what is happening in the Chruch these days.
Are we just supposed to sit by and let wrong done in the name of God prevail and represent us? Even if we are no great saint. What is our responsibility? What examples did God give us of for this type of situation?
Too many times we abdicate our responsibility to the preachers we sit under. We expect them to do our studying for us. We expect them to hear from God and let us know what God said instead of listening for ourselves. We want the preachers to be the great theologians but we won't even crack a Bible open. (Yes, I am speaking of myself as well.) Instead we want to bicker over trivial doctrine matters that often makes us impotent as servants.
God commands us to seek OUR OWN salvation with fear and trembling. The preachers did not do the work calvary, Christ did. The ministers did not raise from the grave three days later, Christ did. The fact is, the ministers are in the same net that we are, caught up by the love of Christ. Don't get me wrong...ministers and preachers are annointed to be in their position. But that does not make them infalable nor does it give them a license to sin.
We must pray for the pastors and ministers. Because of their position they are under extreme attacks by the enemy. We must be watchful over them and carefully study their messages. It is our responsibility to learn the Word of God so we will know the difference in God's voice and the voice of a minister that has made a mistake. (Ministers are human and they even make mistakes in what they preach from time-to-time.)
Does that mean they are not men and women of God? Absolutely not! It means that they are just as human as you and I. It also means that if they can make mistakes we had better know how to catch the mistakes and how to deal with them. How do we do that? Study the Word of God, listen to the Holy Spirit and pray for our leaders.
So again I ask, "What kind of Christian am I?" I would pray that I am one that is working to be a better Christian.
--More Later
Copyright © 2007 Terry Banks, Sr.
Let's face it, I know that I am the scum of the earth, not worthy to taste the dust raised from Jesus walking by. I know that my righteousness is "Filthy Rags" and I also know that I cannot point an accusatory finger at anybody. But this boiling raged within my spirit concerning what is happening in the Chruch these days.
Are we just supposed to sit by and let wrong done in the name of God prevail and represent us? Even if we are no great saint. What is our responsibility? What examples did God give us of for this type of situation?
Too many times we abdicate our responsibility to the preachers we sit under. We expect them to do our studying for us. We expect them to hear from God and let us know what God said instead of listening for ourselves. We want the preachers to be the great theologians but we won't even crack a Bible open. (Yes, I am speaking of myself as well.) Instead we want to bicker over trivial doctrine matters that often makes us impotent as servants.
God commands us to seek OUR OWN salvation with fear and trembling. The preachers did not do the work calvary, Christ did. The ministers did not raise from the grave three days later, Christ did. The fact is, the ministers are in the same net that we are, caught up by the love of Christ. Don't get me wrong...ministers and preachers are annointed to be in their position. But that does not make them infalable nor does it give them a license to sin.
We must pray for the pastors and ministers. Because of their position they are under extreme attacks by the enemy. We must be watchful over them and carefully study their messages. It is our responsibility to learn the Word of God so we will know the difference in God's voice and the voice of a minister that has made a mistake. (Ministers are human and they even make mistakes in what they preach from time-to-time.)
Does that mean they are not men and women of God? Absolutely not! It means that they are just as human as you and I. It also means that if they can make mistakes we had better know how to catch the mistakes and how to deal with them. How do we do that? Study the Word of God, listen to the Holy Spirit and pray for our leaders.
So again I ask, "What kind of Christian am I?" I would pray that I am one that is working to be a better Christian.
--More Later
Copyright © 2007 Terry Banks, Sr.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
FREE JESUS!
The Body of Christ should be screaming FREE JESUS!!!
The salvation wrought by Christ on the cross is a free gift that no man may sell. The church has allowed itself to be fooled into wrong teachings by greedy men and women whose self-interest has taken over their proclaimed mission.
Recently, many major ministries have come under scrutiny because of the lavish lifestyle of their pastors and leaders. They live like pagan kings while begging for more money to promote the gosple. They promote family values while committing adultery and fornication. They promote ministering to the poor while they take massive salaries.
They promote greed by telling people that you are not in God's will unless you are not financially prosporous. They disciple people to the "Gosple of the Dollar". What's worse is that people are so greedy that they give in to this type of teaching. We must break free from this form of bondage. We must scream FREE JESUS! FREE JESUS! FREE JESUS!
Copyright © 2007 Terry Banks, Sr.
The salvation wrought by Christ on the cross is a free gift that no man may sell. The church has allowed itself to be fooled into wrong teachings by greedy men and women whose self-interest has taken over their proclaimed mission.
Recently, many major ministries have come under scrutiny because of the lavish lifestyle of their pastors and leaders. They live like pagan kings while begging for more money to promote the gosple. They promote family values while committing adultery and fornication. They promote ministering to the poor while they take massive salaries.
They promote greed by telling people that you are not in God's will unless you are not financially prosporous. They disciple people to the "Gosple of the Dollar". What's worse is that people are so greedy that they give in to this type of teaching. We must break free from this form of bondage. We must scream FREE JESUS! FREE JESUS! FREE JESUS!
Copyright © 2007 Terry Banks, Sr.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)