Damnable Heresies & Pernicious Ways

Growing up without TV has some huge advantages. One of those advantages was being tele-evangelist free for all my formative years. I only recall seeing the odd one from time to time whenever we happened to stay at a motel where there was a TV readily available. It wasn't until I was in my early to mid twenties before I really sat down and watched a tele-evangelist in action.

I wasn't impressed.

There's one big-name dude (who shall remain an un-named dude in this blog) that has been making a lot of waves. I actually know a woman who was healed of cancer at one of his crusades, and so, naturally, I became curious to learn more about him. I checked him out on youtube. The bottom nearly fell out of my stomach. I've never been so embarrassed to be a Christian in all my life! It was all foolishness and money grubbing. Now I know why atheists say Christians are delusional; after a performance like that we deserve it! What still mystifies me is how on earth so many thousands of people are attracted to that person's "ministry." All I can say about my friend who was healed, is that, in all likelihood, it was her faith and not the shenanigans of said "faith healer" that brought about the miracle. (There's more to be said on this point, but it will keep.)

What has this got to do with stars and celebrities, you ask? Well, simply put, there's been some who have made very scorching comments about tele-evangelists. One well-known figure, commenting on the frequency with which these religious stars claim God spoke to them, said, "If God was going to come down and talk to somebody, it wouldn't be somebody with a fleet of Cadillacs." Another referred to "that B-s- preaching." All of this is like a sword through the heart for me. If money-grabbing, blow-dried, posturing tele-evangelists are the only examples of a Christian that these artists know, then I want to endeavor to set the record straight.

First of all, let me say to anybody out there reading this, if you think classic tele-evangelism is what Christianity is all about, let me hasten to assure you that that is far from the truth. There are many, many in the world of faith who view such behavior with horror and shame... such as myself. If a crate of apples stinks, it doesn't always mean that all the apples in the crate are rotten. One or two will do the job nicely.

Secondly, I would like to point out that God hates the money-grabbing as much as you do. Christian author, Max Lucado, put it this way, "Mark it down, religious hucksters poke the fires of Divine wrath." Amen, brother. Remember, it was the money changers Jesus drove from the temple with a small whip, and it was the tables of the money changers that He turned over in His fury with the corruption of the religious system of His day. And His hatred of bilking people in the name of God has not abated.

When I first became a Christian I will never forget my amazement when I read Second Peter chapter two. I never knew such a passage existed in the Bible. You see, I knew enough about tele-evangelists before I was a Christian to have taken a scunner at them myself; so when I read the first three verses of that chapter, I was all agog. I would like to share them here with various and sundry thoughts, in hopes that I might clear God's name in this matter.

Verse 1: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly/subtly) shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

St. Peter is reminding the relatively new Christian community that there have always been false prophets - those who talk glib in the name of God, those who love gold more than they love the God they profess to represent. He is warning them that the new Christian era will be no different. He's also sounding the alarm that their teaching will be subtle - sneaky, if you please - as preposterous at is my seem, they will deny even the Lord Jesus Himself - His true teachings, His person, and what He truly stood for - and they will seem to get away with it. But it will only seem that way. Destruction will come... swiftly. There are those that will take exception to the word swiftly, since many tele-evangelists and "false prophets" seem to have a long and prosperous "ministry," but from the perspective of eternity, even a lifetime is short, and the destruction that follows upon its heels comes surely and swiftly.

Verse 2: And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.


If ever anything was timely and bang on target that verse is. Many shall follow, huh? Just do a video search on some big-named evangelist, and you'll see the definition of many. Pernicious ways means, causing injury, destructive, or causing injury by insidiously undermining or weakening. I don't need to tell you how destructive the teachings of false prophets have been to the cause of Christ, how insidiously the testimony of God's people has been weakened and undermined by the greed and absurd behavior of those same false prophets, or how "turned off" the unbelieving world has been by the followers of those infamous individuals. Truly the "way of truth" has been "evil spoken of."


Verse 3: And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:


There's more to that verse, but that will suffice for the moment. When people say "religion is all about money" they aren't far off the mark, at least with regards to false religion. With unerring precision, God puts His finger upon the motivation on these false prophets - greed, materialism, the love of money, filthy lucre. Like it or lump it, that is the plain, ugly truth - it is all about the money. Without attempting to soften the facts, God calls their message exactly what it is: feigned words - false show. I saw a tele-evangelist pull a snake out of the back of some poor arthiritis sufferer. Or, rather, he told us/his audience that he pulled it out, and, like blind sheep, we believed him, and whooped it up, praising God for such a demonstration of His power. Poppycock. And, boy, with their feigned words do they make merchandise out the poor, gullible, souls that they suck in! "Oh, send, me a dollar, and God will give you a hundred!" "Sow a seed, brother" - translation: write me a cheque. Bah.

I have been rather blunt on this blog, but I think the topic calls for it. It's high time Christians call a spade a spade. I just hope that this little soap box rant has cleared the air a bit. You don't like the outrageous behavior carried on in the name of God? Well, you are in good company. God has a mighty poor opinion of it, too. Unless that behavior is repented of, God has made it clear that it will end in no less than damnation.

So if you've been using tele-evangelists as an excuse not to be a Christian, please reconsider and give the real deal a chance. I promise you will never regret it... not now, not for eternity.

With love,
Pastor Chelle

Someone to Care

If I had two wishes one would be that I would have the ability to change people's hearts - soften the stubborn, to make the wicked love righteousness, to make the sinner love God - or rather, to be able to be used of God to bring about that change. My second wish would be that I would be able to help people experience God's love for them.

I have experienced God's love in extraordinary ways. Because of those sacred moments, I know in my heart of hearts that it is the love of God that the world needs above all else. Once someone gets a taste of God's glorious love, they will never be the same. There is nothing like it in the world or out of it. It is a love like no other: it surpasses the tenderest love of a mother for her child, and it far exceeds the exquisite bond lovers share. The love of God is enough to melt the hardest heart and put spine into the greatest weakling. It gives worth to those who feel worthless and hope to those who have forgotten what hope is. God's love brings comfort when all other comforters have failed. God's love is the answer when there is no answer to be found. Or as someone once said:

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky."

(Significantly, the above verse was found etched into the wall of an insane asylum cell - obviously somebody was an inmate wrongfully.)

Yet, even the sublimest poetry falls far short of expressing the riches of God's love. As the pithy, little saying goes, "It is better felt than 'tellt.'" The past week has been a special week for me - I have sensed God's tender love and care for me in a vivid and profound way. And though I revel in the wonder of it, I know that everyone can experience what I've experienced, and, in hopes that it will help or encourage someone, I would like to share the thoughts of my heart.

There is an old gospel song that says,

"Someone to care, Someone to share,

All your troubles like no other can do;

He'll come down from the skies,

And brush the tears from your eyes -

Your His child, and He cares for you."

Have you ever been lonely in a crowd? Have you ever wished someone would just take the time of day to be a friend without prompting? Have you ever wondered if anyone cares, or are you alone in a universe that could care less? Well, I'm glad to tell you, that there is Someone who cares.

He not only cares, but He understands better than anyone ever could. The little things that others might think you are silly to care about are not beyond or beneath His notice. He is the keeper of both the stars and sparrows. When no one else understands, He does. He not only understands, but He weeps when you weep. What hurts you hurts Him a hundred times more. He shares your sorrow and He bares your sorrow, but He doesn't stop there - He'll carry not only your burden, but you, too. Oh, yes, there's Someone Who cares, and there's Someone Who shares all your troubles like no other can do.

And He does come down from the skies to brush the tears from your eyes. Oh, not in the physical sense, of course, but the presence of God does come to us in our time of sorrow in a very real way, and there are no words for the glory and the mystery of it. Like a father picks up his child who has scraped up a knee, and gentle wipes away the tears and whispers, "Don't cry, Daddy loves you," just so it is with God. And there's nothing pansy, sappy, or silly about it. Rather, it's what the heart of every person, regardless of age, craves. It's a love that is as cozy as a quilt on a winter's day, and bracing as a blast of wind across the ocean.

Above all, you are His child and He cares for you. Do you know what delight and love a good parent has in their child? Do you know that gush of love you feel sometimes clear out of the blue when you just happen to glance at your child? They may be raggamuffins, but you love them, oh, bless you, how you love them just because they are your child. They are more precious to you than the stars of Heaven. That's the love God carrys for you in His heart -He loves you "just because." You matter to Heaven. He'd forfeit the stars and the planets just for you. He'd divest Himself of His splendour and walk through the worst hell had to offer - you're His child, and He cares for you.

God grant that you may know how truly God cares for you.

The love of God be with you,

Pastor Chelle

The Hypocrite Cop-out

How many of you readers have heard someone say, "I wouldn't be a Christian because there are so many hypocrites in the church!"

I've heard it frequently in my short 31 years, and, truth to be told, I made the same declaration numerous times myself before I surrendered to a life of faith. So, how do you respond to that time-honored statement? Are you thrown for a loop, or do you have a clever comeback? (Incidentally, if you do have a clever comeback, I'd like to hear it - drop me a line in the comment box.)

I've noticed that the stars and celebrities are among those who express that sentiment or a very similar one. The band that I've been featuring in the Daily Prayer Request, AC/DC, has been among those who have taken pot shots at Christian hypocrites, and I'm going to take this opportunity to answer them as if they were actually reading what I have to say (fat chance!).

"You are right - there are hypocrites in the church - perhaps even lots of them - perhaps the biggest majority of professing Christians are hypocrites. After all, Jesus said there were few who actually found the straight and narrow. The Bible even tells us there are hypocrites in the church. But you know what? The world is full of hypocrites, too, not just the church. In fact, I'd like to suggest there are more hypocrites at rock concerts than in church - hypocrites that will pump their fists and scream your praises one minute and run you down the next - I know, I've heard them for myself.

"You don't like hypocrites? Small blame to you: neither does God. Jesus spent an entire chapter in Matthew denouncing them, and assured us that hypocrites are going to hell. In fact, I would like to suggest that there is nothing like a hypocrite to infuriate God... unless it is someone who takes advantage of the weak, and/or wounds the innocent.

"But tell me something: how do you know what a hypocrite is? Hmmm? Well, let me tell you how you know - you know what a hypocrite is because somewhere out there is the real thing whereby you can tell the phony from the genuine. And if there is a real deal, isn't it a bit hypocritical to use the excuse that a hypocrite keeps you from being the real thing yourself? Why don't you become a Christian and show the world what the real thing is? The world needs more of the real thing... desperately. Since when do you allow the presence of counterfeit bills in the world to prevent you from becoming a millionaire?"

I urge all my readers to lay aside the hypocrite cop-out, search your heart, and be such a blazing hot Christian, that even the faintest whiff of hypocrisy will be burned away.
God bless us all... and AC/DC, too.
Pastor Chelle

Three, Big Fat Assumptions pt 3

Now for the last of those three, big fat assumptions. And I do believe it is the biggest and fattest of the three. The atheist or humanist assumes that God cannot reveal Himself personally to an individual. This goes beyond both having the moral law written on the conscience or knowing basic Biblical facts. Yet, if I may say so, if there is a God, particularly One like the Christians claim, then it is indeed a big stretch to assume that He doesn't reveal Himself to people. This is the weakest argument in Charles Templeton's hypothesis.

There are so many stories to corroborate the fact that God does reveal Himself, that I scarcely know where to begin. But there are two that stand out foremost in my mind. One of which I will tell, one of which I will let technology tell for me.

The first tale is about a man named Jimmy, a coal miner in Yorkshire. Now, I grant you that Yorkshire isn't exactly pagan, nor or the Yorkshire folk ignorant heathen, but just the same it does make an interesting point. During my teens, I had a marvelous pastor, Pastor Brian, himself a Yorkshireman. Pastor Brian had a friend, who I will call Tommy for the simple reason I have forgotten the dear man's name, though I saw Tommy on two separate occasions and heard him tell this story with my own ears. I must go on record to say that both Pastor Brian and Tommy are still alive, if you really would like to verify this story, and I assure you, furthermore, that these fine men are anything but flakes..., or liars.

Tommy was a coal miner before he too joined his friend, Brian, as a pastor. He became a Christian as a teenager, and was full of zeal to tell people all about the wonderful Jesus he had found. Of course, most of the people whom Tommy knew were his coal mining workmates. He began to witness to all of them with great enthusiasm, including his boss, Jim. Jim wasn't impressed. And Jim, who was a rough, hard-living, hard-drinking man, promptly proceeded to mock and belittle Tommy every chance he got. In fact, he made Tommy's life downright miserable. Naturally, Tommy being young in the faith didn't always have a brilliant, theological come-back for Jim's smart remarks.

Finally, one day, when Jim was being particularly difficult, Tommy, as a last resort, said to Jim, "Jim, if you just knew how much Jesus loves you!"

To his amazement, tears came to Jim's eyes, "I know, Tommy, I know."

"How do you know?!" was Tommy's shocked response.

And Jim told Tommy how, when he had been a teenager himself, he had become very ill. So ill, in fact, that all the village biddies (old women) had gathered at the cottage with Jim's mother and were waiting for Jim to snuff it. (pronounced "snoof" it, in good, broad Yorkshire) When Jim was at his lowest point, Jesus came and stood at the foot of Jim's bed.

"And He loved me so much, Tommy," Jim said, with tears rolling down his cheeks, "I've never forgotten it."

Jesus healed Jim then and there, and Jim walked out of his room fit as fiddle to the consternation of the old biddies who were waiting for him to snuff it. I'm also happy to say that Tommy did have the incredible privilege of leading Jim back the Jesus he had left behind.

What strikes me as singular about that story is who would ever suspect that old rascal of a coal miner would have had such an experience? Certainly not Charles Templeton or his ilk.

You may recall that in the first of these three installments, I mentioned that Mr. Templeton had theorized that if you were born in an Arabic country it was likely that you would be a Muslim, and that a Muslim can't be blamed for what he is because of his culture. Very well. But don't assume that Jesus doesn't reveal Himself to Muslims. In fact, some have speculated, and not without good reason, that Muslims might be providing the most converts to Christianity. Wikiislam has actually stated that the number of converts from Islam to Christianity is so high and so large and so frequent that it is impossible to tabulate proper statistics. What is more curious about this phenomenon is that it is guesstimated that roughly 90% of these conversions are the direct result of dreams and visions of Jesus. A perusal of the 'net will turn up dozens of these stories. I strongly urge you to check out youtube for just such testimonies. To conclude this series of blogs, I am going to leave you with two links to the amazing, wonderful and glorious story of an Iranian man named Afshin. I trust it will bless you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYgLFm0CQGQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBMZDO22sfs

'Til next time. Peace out.
Pastor Chelle