By David Cox
[fam16] v1 ©2008 www.coxtracts.com
Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen…
Coming to the end of the year, many people begin to think about Christmas. There are many traditions around Christmas, and it is important that we analyze all these traditions and customs in the light of the Bible so we do blindly follow ignorant people into pagan traditions.
[doct02] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely photocopied
The Bible presents that there is only one God, but that this single God exists in three persons which have an intimate relationship between the three persons. The Bible clearly indicates that the Father is God, the Son (Jesus Christ) is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. There is no confusion of the persons (each is separate from the other two), nor division of the substance (even being distinct persons there is still only one God). Furthermore, there is not more than one God. The resolution of this conflict is made through a teaching of the Trinity.
Salv11 Valuing your Salvation is a tract about how you need to estimate highly Jesus Christ and your salvation through him if you are really to be saved. We are saved by grace which God gives to us through our faith in Jesus the Savior. We are not saved by works. But also, the truly saved will love and highly esteem (place high priorities on the things of God) if they are truly saved.
By David Cox
[PC23] v2 ©2013 www.coxtracts.com
You can freely distribute this tract if for free.
Matt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
God wants us to live in such a way that we do not hold grudges, we do not seek aggression nor vengance, and we don’t constantly seek conflict and friction with others. Forgiveness is key in our spiritual life. So then, God conditions us for divine forgiveness for our sins, by allowing offenses to happen in our life, and he sees how we react. Without forgiveness as a foundation in our lives forming part of our moral character, we cannot receive divine forgiveness for our own sins. Embracing Christ is embracing forgiveness as a concept in our lives. As we have learned forgiveness and exercise it in our own relationships, thus God forgives us, that is God’s promise (or threat). Scary thought! Forgiveness is not something we just want for OUR sins, but it is something that we believe in like Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is a practiced way of life for us. God sees that in how you forgive those that have aggression against you. Let it go! Forgive!
Sexual Purity
By David Cox
[PC10] v1 ©2008 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely copied for non-profit use.
__________
It is not an impossible fight!
1Pet 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
With the increase of pornography and the constant lowering of standards, sexual temptation has become one of the principal problems for Christians. It is a spiritual fight so intense that almost every Christian has it. This fight is not impossible to win, but it is very difficult.
Discerning the will of God
Por David Cox
[cp30] v2 ©2011 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce and photocopy this tract
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
They asked King Alphonso 1st the Great, King of Aragon and Pamplona, “Who is the person most happy in all the world?” He answered “he who has abondoned himself giving himself over to the will of God, he that accepts all thing, blessings or adversity as coming from God’s hands.”
Those who are truly happy are those that encounter satisfaction and joy in the idea that they have complied with the will of God the Father, whether it is involved with pleasure and personal blessing, or with suffering and affliction. Continue reading
Hell and Heaven with studies on Hades, Paradise, Heaven and the Pit
[d04] v1 ©2005 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit use.
The themes of punishment and judgment are mentioned some 234 times in 264 chapters of the NT. It is interesting that we know more about hell through the teaching of Jesus Christ than any other person or source. It occupied a very important place in the mind of Christ, and he warned those who would listen so that they would avoid that place and the punishment that is there.
How to discern a bad minister
By David Cox
[ch41] v1 ©2011 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes
_______________
|
The Marks of a Bad Minister
How to recognize him
By David Cox
[ch41] v1.1 ©2011, 2024 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes
Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
At times, it is difficult to identify who is a true servant of God, and who is not. God has not left us without help in the matter though.
It is interesting that in this minister’s defense before God, (Matthew 7:21-24) that God judged he wasn’t even saved! He defended himself before God in three proposed evidences of his “good minister of God status”: (1) his ability to prophesy, (preach) (2) his power over powers of evil, and (3) his work of miracles and great events. Many in our day want to validate their ministries in a similar fashion. They insist that they are true men of God, exalted ministers of the Highest God, because they have their distinct insight into the mind of God, because their power over demons and evil powers, and most certainly because they impress with what they have done for God, miracles, great works, etc. It is important to note that Jesus in no way tried to contradict what they presented. Perhaps their bragging had some validation in that something notable was on some level accomplished as they claimed. But Jesus’ hard position is that even with signs of great spiritual power; they had nothing to do with God and His Kingdom. Read Matthew 7:21 with great care. The ONLY MARK of a faithful minister is to be always “stuck” on the will of God. “Greatness,” validity, and identification with God is only found in strict obedience to God’s will. Those that exalt God’s will over their own.
Matthew 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In this passage that deals with various parables on service and the child of God, it is very instructive that the evil “servant of God” goes to hell in the end. So we must open the possibility that many supposed ministers of God, preachers, evangelists, or even pastors that exercise official positions in the church, just are not even saved.
The key factor that indicates their salvation is simply their disposition and attitude towards the will of God. The deceiving hypocrite is he who follows his own will in place of exalting the will of God in his life (and ministry) and doesn’t submit to God. These people always pretend to have “biblical ministries”, and they are experts in rhetoric because “they are biblical” or in giving reasons why they are truly “ministers of God”, but if you listen closely, you will see how lightly they respect the Word of God, or how astutely they twist God’s Word to suit their desires, aspirations, and ambitions. They “use” and abuse the Word of God for their own purposes and are not under its authority. True ministers that please God are people who always rely on the authority of Scripture as their authority, but also as THEIR GUIDE,
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Jeremiah 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
One of the principle jobs of the pastor is to gather sheep. This is in one of two forms, both of which fully apply: (1) the evangelization of the unsaved bringing them into the fold (the local church), (2) To visit and encourage members of their church that have stopped coming, to return and actively participate in the church once again. The identifying mark of a fraudulent pastor is that he divides the church by his brutal actions, his cruel attitude, and in general by his style of leadership (way of doing things) which works against gathering and unity. Unity comes because all think alike, and act with the same spirit, carrying the same doctrine. This is not by forceful imposition by authority figures, but by mutual submission to God’s authority.
The good pastor explains the actual text of the Bible, but he also investigates, defines, and insists on the Scriptures ruling over everything the church is and does. The wicked pastor imposes his own will without respect to nor support of Scripture, except some twisted, unclear mental gymnastics. The will of God is grossly abused, mistreated and misrepresented. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:34) refers to their days of “slaughter”, which is to die and not live. The sheep ought to have a spiritual life within them, and the good pastor will promote this. The bad pastor destroys and kills this spiritual life among his sheep. He undermines, disrupts, and cuts off this spiritual relationship between believer and God (spiritual death). He takes the place of God in their lives.
Leadership by Force and Imposition
Jeremiah 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
The style of ministry of a wicked, ungodly pastor is very particular. He scares people with sharp, loud (notorious) actions with lack courtesy and love towards them. He imposes on the brethren, and his objective isn’t to correct sin, but to impose and ingrain his own authority over the people of God. The idea in verse 4 is that (1) they use fear – which is the anticipation of some bad interaction with the pastor. (2) They cause the sheep to be dismayed, which has the idea of submission by means of dragging or violent force, fear, or confusion. He is marked by his leadership style of cruelty, unthinking actions, and an uncaring attitude towards his sheep, anything as long as they obey him. (3) Be lacking – This word is the opposite of pastoral visitation, where the pastor inspects and then handles whatever need they might have. This is totally and importantly lacking.
Jeremiah 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away [on] the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.
There is a specific way in which we sheep should walk, and this is the way of God which Jesus showed us. It is to be spiritual, have faith, and depend on God, and is to complete the work of God on earth. A false pastor is somebody who guides the sheep (he is a pastor), but not in the way of God, and this results in a road that isn’t in the will of God.
This kind of pastor doesn’t bring the unsaved into a saving relationship “with the Master” (the bad minister isn’t saved himself), but rather he collects people to obey his rule and authority stolen from God. This wicked pastor isn’t laboring in intercession and prayer for others, nor does he have compassion and love for those in error, sin, or the unsaved. He may be very astute (usually is), but his presentations, teachings, sermons don’t show great insight and understanding into Scripture, rather they are tools to build his empire.
A true man of God is concerned that others submit to God’s will, and rebuke of sin and repentance from sin are regular objectives of their ministry (moral change). The false prophet is greatly disgusted over all this, and he will make false repentance over meaningless issues, and he regularly pleases himself with indulgence into sin of some kind. But his prime objective is that everybody follows his will, nobody can think or discern God’s will except the pastor.
Rather than understanding Scripture for themselves, the wicked pastor confuses the issues that most press against his own personal sins, distracting, detracting from the importance of him repenting of his own sin. He substitutes tradition (“we have always done it this way”), authority of his office (“I am pastor, and I call the shots here”), or he appeals to popularity. A good pastor preaches sermons to himself first, and having repented himself first, and makes it a great sermon for all. You can mark the bad pastor by his drive to change the traditional, New Testament presentation of what “church is” to a modern version that is more accommodating to our tastes. Reverence, worship, and exposition of God’s actual words are replaced with an entertainment type attitude and environment, where “judging and rebuking sin” is not seen nor present except in unbiblical ridiculous ways.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
The work of God focuses on the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior but also in the spiritual image of Christ. We should imitate Christ. Paul presents this command (Ephesians 5:1).
1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Ezekiel 37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
“Why” God gives good shepherds “according to the heart of God” (Jeremiah 3:15) to the sheep is so that they can direct the sheep INTO God’s way, God’s will, obeying God. Churches today get involved in all kinds of foolishness except the actual work of God as presented in Scripture, evangelism in the street, prayerful intercession, exposition of Scriptures… A bad pastor will “tend away from these things,” not following Christ’s example.
Ezekiel 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel…Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: [but] ye feed not the flock. 8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because [there was] no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Wicked pastors tend to feed themselves, not entering into personal sacrifice, personal risk or adversity, but they seek the “easy life”. They want others to give them a good economic life, but they don’t do the real work of God the right way. Spiritual fruit and abandonment of sin are not the natural products of their ministry or life.
By David Cox
[Ch42] v1 ©2011 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes.
The Destitution of a Pastor: considerations and reasons why the pastor should step down
By David Cox
[ch42] v1.1 ©2011, 2024 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes
There are often problems in churches between the pastor and the members. In general, the pastor is the one who governs and leads the church according to what God teaches him. In itself, the concept of a Pastor is to lead (or govern) the flock of God. The Bible does not indicate that the church can remove the Pastor, because it simply does not like a matter that he does, especially when it is of minor importance. But the pastor is not without his duties and responsibilities either. He cannot do whatever he wants. For some, the pastor is “untouchable.” Once he enters, nothing short of God killing him, or the pastor himself resigning that can remove him. But that is not the case.
In 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-7; and Titus 1:5-9, the Apostle Paul explained the requirements for the bishop, who is the one who cares for the church spiritually and governs it. In making requirements, God gives us to understand that (1) not everyone is qualified to be a pastor, and for this reason, there are requirements before entering the office of bishop. (2) if a pastor officiating and ministering as a bishop becomes disqualified, then he must step down from that position and ministry. It is not valid to dismiss the pastor because you do not like something he does. Each person has “his style” of leadership and of doing the ministry and being a pastor. It is his privilege to direct things as he sees fit. The dismissal must come because he does not fulfill his duties, or for reasons of breaking a biblical norm, a biblical example, or not being exemplary (according to what most men of God and more spiritual Christians in the group see). In 1 Timothy 5:19-20, it clearly speaks of an elder’s rebuke openly before everyone, so pastors are not untouchable.
Many times, wolves or immature men can deceive with their cunning, and for this reason, God says that the deacons and the pastor must be tested first, and then exercise their ministry if they are blameless (1 Timothy 3:10), i.e. meet the requirements. Paul put “these also” with the deacons so that we understand that the test is applied to the pastor as well as the deacon. Likewise, in reading Jeremiah (19 times) and Ezekiel (9 times almost all in chapter 34), God rebuked the errors and faults of the shepherds of Israel (the spiritual leaders of the nation). God rebukes them and speaks repeatedly of their dismissal, and that God is going to exchange them for a man of God who would do the will of God.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God… 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
The pastor is the local living example of Christ (if not, he should step down). His leadership and ministry are one of demonstrating the will of God by the current and historical example of his own life. That is, before spiritual authority, before teaching or preaching, the pastor teaches and guides BY WHAT HE IS SPIRITUALLY. It is hypocrisy to say, “do as I tell you, not as I personally do.” So, if this is the basis of his ministry, when the pastor does not live correctly, he is not blameless like the example of Christ, he should step down or be dismissed.
According to 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:2, it is expressly forbidden for a woman to serve as a pastor, or to preside, or to lead, or to preach, or to teach before the mixed group (men present) or in the general assembly (in any way speaking and being in front of the group in an official or authoritative capacity) or the church (when men are present). Simply put, the job of pastor-bishop is for men, not women.
It is equally forbidden if the pastor is not or does not continue to be “a one-woman man.” Homosexuals, adulterers, or divorced people are excluded from this ministry. The job of pastor is to teach and counsel the group by word and deed. If he does not live up to biblical standards, he should not enter, and if he should “change his mind” about the standards, he should either leave or be removed. God requires that the pastor “be blameless,” and this means that the pastor is an example of Christ, and has no defects, stains on his testimony, or is of bad report. We all sin, but the pastor must be a man who by his personal life’s achievement in following Christ is qualified to stand before others. He is not given to wine, vices, and addictions, but is free from them.
Although we can say that it is the privilege of each pastor to lead the group in general as he wants, there are conditions in this as well. First, it is appropriate to use this as a shield to not comply with God’s standards. These standards are obligatory for every believer, whoever he may be, but the pastor must especially manifest submission and obedience to them. The requirement of not being arrogant means not having an attitude of haughtiness, that is, that he is better than others, and does not care about the lives, feelings, or well-being of others. The pastor is there to give the flock the social, emotional, and spiritual support of God. His purpose of being over the flock is exactly this, to take them to a place of spiritual good, and to take care of them there, and any problem that exists, the pastor is there to correct it, to place the brothers in God’s will, or to give comfort if there is nothing else to do (such as the death of a family member). So, the biblical pastor is marked or distinguished from the evil pastor by being prudent and decorous, a host (1 Timothy 3:2). Prudence is saying the right thing, acting in a noble and healthy way, in a way that others see your behavior as the best in the world.
Being of good behavior and hospitable means having your life in order, everything as it should be, and having a “pro-people” attitude and actions. The biblical pastor wins others to Christ and serves the people of God by his attitude and actions of “being by their side” and not against them. Although sometimes the pastor must take the position of the beloved father who scolds his child, he loves, his actions, words, and attitude are always to benefit and edify the people (so that they walk in the will of God), and not to attack and destroy them. God has imposed that pastors live from this work, but the difference between the wolf and the beloved pastor is simply their attitude toward the will of God and the flock. The good shepherd wants to be God’s instrument to bless them and edify them so that they become adults, mature Christians. For this reason, the pastor does not stoop to the whims, tantrums, outbursts of anger, and the chatter of foolish old women. This is also involved with not being a novice (1 Timothy 3:6), but someone who, through his ALREADY ESTABLISHED experience in the ministry, demonstrates his spiritual and emotional stability. Titus 1:7 mentions “not soon angry” or hot-tempered as a character that disqualifies the person, and this is angry, emotionally explosive, always ready for, looking for and liking fights, arguments, and struggles. 1 Timothy 3:3 uses the phrases not a striker and not a brawler, or the concept of not being quarrelsome, which means that it is a person who loves to fight and win over others and to roll in fame and recognition of his superiority from others. The good shepherd is not like that, but he is controlled, demonstrating the way of God, the character of Christ by his own life, and this is the idea of “prudence.”
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
In 1 Timothy 3:3, Paul specifically states that the person who occupies the place of leader-example of the church must be “gentle, mild.” This means that he is a person with patience, and that he is gentle in his dealings with others, a true “gentleman”. His life demonstrates the gentleness, calmness, and patience of Christ, and if not, then he should not enter, nor should he remain as a shepherd. Isaiah 40:11 also refers to this gentleness and mildness that should be the norm between shepherd and sheep.
Isaiah 56:11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, everyone for his gain, from his quarter.
Furthermore, the Bible emphasizes time and time again that the false prophet always has his eye on money and how he can reap what is not rightfully his, and the man of God is a person “not greedy of dishonest gain” (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7).
There are two possibilities here, the nice way, and the ugly way. The Nice Way. When a Christian who has a viable and living relationship with Jesus Christ as his Savior enters the position of pastor of a church, and he falls into sin, or lets his testimony fall, or becomes bitter in his attitude, he by himself, by his own conscience, will want to step down from being a pastor so as not to tarnish the name of his Savior.
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
The true Christian cares a lot about how his life reflects on his Savior. Because of stains in his testimony (his way of living), others do not come to Christ, or they stumble over his bad testimony, and this should be a strong motive in any Christian not to fall into sin, and if he does fall, to correct his life quickly, and not to occupy places of prominence during or after his sin or bad testimony.
The bad way. Unfortunately, the wolf does not care about any of this, and simply his hold on power over the church and the brethren is exactly like a dog with a bone. You are going to have an ugly fight if you try to take away his prize. (This is why the process of selecting a pastor must take its time, be a calm, quiet process, and understanding the requirements and praying over them and each possible candidate before anything formal and permanent is done.) The only thing that causes a dog to give up his bone is a strong blow to the head with the shepherd’s staff. This is why they used this staff. They will defend “their prize” with vengeance. It will be a challenge to “touch not God’s anointed” (See my tract of this same title, Ch26).
Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.
God wants us to rebuke the erring Christan sharply at times to bring about spiritual healing in our lives and churches. Unfortunately, at times, even pastors get out of line. The more spiritual men of the church should speak strongly to the pastor to remove him if he does not fulfill his duties and requirements. Strong words of exhortation and encouragement should be given (constantly) before a removal process is begun. The pastor needs to know that his people are not ignorant of the image of Christ we all must bow before, and that they are aware of the pastor’s testimony (good or bad).
ch092 The False Prophet’s Spectacles is an examination of the unbiblical methods a false prophet uses to attract new people to his church.
The False Prophet’s Spectacles
By David R. Cox
[ch92] v1 ©2024 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely reproduced for non-profit purposes
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works.
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
So, why would a saved person support such ministries?
These false prophets made many supernatural shows in the name of Jesus. One of the marks that Jesus gave us to discern the false prophet is that they prefer making shows to identify themselves as being truly of God. Jesus declared something that was a strong shock, “I never knew you.” We must meditate on this. There are ministers and churches where those in control, that is, those who preach and teach in such a “ministry” are not even saved. So, why does a saved person have anything to do with them?
Ephesians 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
We must understand what the gospel is, and how we are to treat it in terms of what we say to others regarding salvation. There is a lot of importance in this. I mean, if you don’t understand what the gospel is, what salvation is and how you obtain it, you will never be able to enter it, nor will you treat it well.
A False Prophet does not explain the Gospel very well. A good pastor must explain salvation constantly and with different presentations. For the false prophet, the gospel is the repetition of magic words that if you repeat them, you will be saved. In areas of Catholic cultures, they must dip people in baptismal water (water baptism does not save anyone), but that is what the Catholic Church teaches. A preacher faithful to God will explain the gospel many times with clarity and care so that people understand salvation. Just saying or repeating a few words will not save anyone. Salvation comes when one hears the gospel and understands it, but the point of being saved is when the person believes in the gospel, his life changes and he is born again.
The world is crazy in its desire for economic gain. The gospel is a spiritual orientation to remove the desire for material things. In other words, we begin with sin. We are in error, because we exalt riches to be our god. But our problems go beyond that. When a church or ministry attracts people through its economic giving of gifts, it is not right.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden,
Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
God declares that human needs (and desires) should not dictate how you live your life. It is a deception of Satan that you always have economic gain.
Fasting is exactly a spiritual activity to prove to the person himself that his spirit can dominate his body. But people can’t seem to live without exalting economic gain above everything else. Jesus said several times that we will always have the poor with us (Mark 14:7; John 12:8) and in Deuteronomy 15:11 He commands us to “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy.” We are to be generous to those in need. 1 John 3:17 But if anyone has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
But there is a type of people who always have their hand outstretched, and they are not actually saved, and God’s work cannot be done with such types. But the false prophet uses people and finds it useful to give gifts to people who are greedy in order add them and better control them.
John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Salvation involves a spiritual change in the person’s being in which he leaves the importance of the earthly and the temporal in order to obtain the spiritual. We must live every moment of every day trying to please God. And this means working to sustain ourselves.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
So, our charity to these people must be limited lest we aid people in their sin, but it is totally a sin and the wrong way to live if one always seeks for “a handout.”
Jesus lamented that they would always follow whoever was giving handouts. These followers are not saved but are looking for the handout. They are children of Satan. Satan only has this world, that he has corrupted. He can only bribe people into his realm based on corrupted earthly things. The children of God have heaven and their future in it, blessings without number.
But a child of Satan habitually focuses on what he is going to enjoy now and in this life. Nothing else matters to him.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
The true Christian has changed their way of thinking. They esteem and value what is spiritual, and the rewards in heaven are more important than anything the earth has to offer.
John 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
[literally “bare away” as in carry off the money]
What we must notice is that for some, money and what is economically convenient for them is more important than anything else, and so their god is wealth. In other words, one’s financial well-being controls the decisions of one’s life. Because of this detail, God commands us to give offerings. God commands every believer, every follower of Him, to give spiritual sacrifices of their possessions for His work. There is another important point. How much does a Christian sacrifice of his own life to show God that wealth is not his god?
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Likewise, sacrifice, prayer, and meditation must be done so that this sacrifice does not go to a false prophet. But the point we see today is when a ministry attracts people through this greedy desire among the people, how can anything good come out of it? We are part of the “ministry” of the false prophet by attending, supporting him, going for what he gives away, or directing others to him. It is worse when you give money to the falsehood he represents.
[1] Immoderate desire for wealth; cupidity. An excessive or inordinate desire of gain; greediness for wealth; covetousness; An inordinate desire for some supposed good.
2 Peter 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
The matter here is not just that the false prophets are covetous, but they use the covetousness of people to deceive them and to entrap them in webs of wickedness.
2 Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
We have to understand the economic motive in ministries that give away free things in order to attract people. On the one hand, they give away things in order “build their ministry.” But to appear like a great spiritual success (because the economic attraction is what is actually happening here), they use this to raise funds from Christians that believe their lies of success. In other words, they use numbers to promote themselves.
Jeremiah 8:4 Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return? 5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. 6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.
These false prophets do not preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), because it is not convenient for them. They want a great number of people (that will provide them with money, luxuries, fame, and control of their people), and whatever hard thing that should be preached or that might turn away some of their crowds is avoided. When the false prophets have control over many people, they reach their goals. They are embarrassed when people have spiritual problems, and they don’t deal with that kind of thing.
Ezekiel 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
(To feed is to remedy their spiritual problems.) God used the prophet Ezekiel to get their attention and to instruct us as well. If a church comes to have thousands of members, how can it care for them individually?
John 6:2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
But we observe and analyze what people are like, and what is it that pleases God? The world lives looking at the earthly and as if it is the most important thing here on earth now. In other words, God warns us many times that our sin brings eternal and earthly consequences, and death. Then, God warns us with an illness that our sins will cause us to die. We have limited time to fix our lives. But few are those who use this time for their eternal good. It is the judgment of God that will fall upon one at any moment, and it is certain that it will fall. The false prophet identifies himself with saying good words instead of rebuke when the judgment of God is about to come.
Jeremiah 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
The false prophets do not preach strongly, but only want to appear as if they do. They do not preach towards moral change in their people so that they imitate the moral character of God. It would ruin their goals of success if they did.
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah went “toe to toe” with the prophets of Baal.
1 Kings 18:33… Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
There are some that would say that Elijah fought against the false prophets of Baal, and by this, they also put an axe against physically destroying the icons of false religions. But if we examine the Bible, Elijah did not destroy any idols. He prayed, and God did a miracle that they couldn’t do.
2 Peter 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Because the truly saved support the ministries of these false prophets, the world thinks that all Christians are like this, and it is not true.