The church of Pergamos

                                          Picture of modern-day Pergamos

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God  (Heb 6:1)

Is Doctrine important?

The meaning of the word doctrine comes there the Greek word “Logos” which means sayings of Decree, mandate, or order. In the ’80s, there was a push to unify the church. We saw a strong showing of unity in the Washington for Jesus movement.  Believers fasted and prayed unto the Lord. Things started to turn around for this country for a season.

After that season, we saw a couple of things happen. A few prominent ministers fell and false doctrines started to make their way into the movement. Ministers started saying that doctrine was not important and as a consequence of those incidents, the unity of the body took a back seat. My friend, doctrine is very important for the body of Christ if we are to stand and make an impact on society.

Doctrine of Balaam

As we study the church of Pergamos, we find two major doctrines that are the mentioned-the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitanes. We had discussed the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes some time ago, and now we will take a look at the doctrine of Balaam. What is the doctrine of Balaam? It is based on the love of money and compromise (2 Peter 2:15)

Have you heard the saying–Money talks? It does, especially within the church. Many Pastors who were once anointed, have compromised the word for the sake of money. There are others who talk about money, prosperity and feeling good without repentance or holiness. I don’t mean to fault-find because by the grace of God stand I, but the doctrine of Christ has to be followed in order to have unity within the body.

The word commands us to be of one mind. ( Phil 1:27, Phil 2:2) One obstacle to this is that we are opinionated, so in the natural, this would be hard to follow. The good news is that God has given us the mind of Christ. If we put on Christ and his identity, being of one mind will not be hard. Revelation knowledge will come and it will cause us to walk in one mind and be unified.

So, in this day, make it a practice to put on Christ. Ask God to help you discern proper doctrine. Declare that you have the mind of Christ. Spend some time seeking his face, praying for the body and what is your part in this end-time movement. God bless.

Reprint courtesy of the Christian corner community church. 

 

 

Pastor's thoughts---Feb 10, 2015

                             WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

While thinking on what to share on my post, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and asked--What's on your mind? As I read my face book posts from many well-meaning ministries, I hear the topic of repentance and holiness. Many times, I hear that we need to get back to preaching the cross. Many would say that all you see on TV is prosperity teachings and no preaching of the cross. With all due respect to my minister friends, Yes, I would agree that we have to repent. In some ways, we may have gotten off track but not completely.

Case in point, you will, always find ministries on TV that do preach the cross, among them, the 700 club. I work as a prayer counselor at the 700 club. I have seen the phones light up as soon as Pat or Gordon invite people to say the sinner's prayer. Also, Pat is not afraid to speak out against sin and the dangers that we are facing as a country. Many would agree to that but would question the endless telethons in raising money for TV stations.

Beloved, I, personally know that it takes money to air the gospel. I had a radio spot for 15 minutes more than twenty years ago. I, very rarely, spoke about money believing that it would come. Yes, a few funds came in but that was not enough to maintain my program. Within about 6 months, I was off the air. Why? Because I did not want to speak about money.

The Apostle Paul spoke about money (II Cor 9) as well as Jesus. Imagine if the Apostle Paul was raising funds for a TV station, would he been mocked? I, personally, get excited when I have an opportunity to give. Dr. Murdock, whose face we all see at late night, challenges people to give a $58.00 seed. I took his challenge and got blessed financially beyond my wildest dreams. I am not saying you ought to give $58 just to try it. You make sure you hear from God before you do.

The important thing is to partner with a ministry and support it. Do we need repentance as a body and walk in the fear of God? Yes, to some degree but let us not overlook what God is doing in our nation. Human nature is so used to bad news. I believe that as the body of Christ adjusts itself and seeks God's face, we will see a revival unparalleled in history with signs and wonders following. Many prophets predicts the year of 2015 as the year of push back. Let's pray for one another and be open to doing our part in pushing back in 2015! God bless.

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Making a demand from God's power!

"  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" ( Mark 5:29-30)

                     I know that title sounds strange, perhaps some may find it disrespectful. The faith message has suffered from grave misunderstandings because people get the wrong message. When we talk about confessing the word, they, immediately, say you are ordering God around. That, my friends, is not true. We are not ordering God around, but we are making a demand on his power. Mark 5:28 indicated that the woman said something. She said that if I can touch his clothes, I shall be whole. The Greek says that she kept saying. 
                     You see, my friends, when you have faith, you say something.That woman was releasing her faith and made a demand on God's power. Remember, in Mark 5:30, it says that virtue had gone out of him. That virtue is translated as God's power. That woman's faith was making a demand on the power of God. In Mark 5:34 as well as other scriptures says..."Thy faith hath made thee whole!" He gave credit to her faith.
                     Throughout my life, I have heard Christians saying---I am waiting on God!" Yes, my friends, there is a time to wait, but what are you doing in the meantime? If you are not confessing God's promises, you may be waiting forever. Now, concerning demand, let's look at it from a different angle. We, all, know that God's promises are Yea and Amen, but did you know that they are stored in the bank of Heaven?  The word is compared as hidden treasures!
          Me and my wife have a joint checking and savings account. She can make any withdrawal to our account at any time because her name is in that account. A withdrawal is a demand on our money. She does the proper paperwork and Voila---The money is there! I don't take offense at that, because what's mine is hers. We are joint heirs with Christ, so if healing and prosperity belongs to us, we can make a demand through faith. We can say in the name of Jesus and withdraw from our faith account.
             That is why it is so important to meditate and confess God's word on a daily basis. We need to build up a faith bank deposit for the evil day. Faith is the currency in heaven that helps us to meet life's toughest challenges. You and I have a miracle in our mouth. Let's start using it and build up our faith account. I like the Greek translation of saith in Mark 11:23. It means Legos in the Greek. We, all, know what Legos is. It is some building blocks that kids play with. As we confess the word, we are building an image of Identification with Christ, healing, prosperity, etc. So, today as well as everyday---Make it a priority to confess God's promises over your life! God bless. 

Scriptures---II Cor 4:13
                 Mark 10:52
                 Luke 17:19