Oh Me of Little Faith?
I believe we all know the following teachings and scriptures by heart as former members of the WCG and perhaps current members of a splinter COG. We were all quite good at knowing what the Bible said.I have selected some basic teachings of Jesus that ALWAYS puzzled me personally. I did not find them to ever be remotely true and if they could be true for the Christian, it may actually prove a disaster in their real life to get things so easily and freely. However, not to worry. I never knew this to be the case or I think i would have noticed.
Here we go....
1) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:21-22 NAS)
2) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 NAB)
3) Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. (Matthew 18:19-20 NAS)
4) Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. (Mark 11:24-25 NAB)
5) And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:9-13 NAB)
6) And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14 NAB)
7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. (John 15:7 NAB)
8) It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. (John 15:16 NAB)
9) On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. (John 16:23-24 NAB)
Now i realize there are apologetics for the times that none of this comes to pass or that when we ask, nothing comes of it. I have asked thousands of time for many small considerations and some large ones in my own life and the lives of others but did not get answers like these promise. Why not I wondered?
Well:
A. I asked amiss. It was an ok request but somewhere along the line I had a wrong way of asking or perhaps a wrong reason why I asked, unknown to me of course, thus...no answer.B. "My ways are not your ways..." saith the Eternal Well....ok,C. I got an answer....doi.....it was "NO!"D. Not now....but eventually, down the road, over the hill, around the corner, in the Kingdom....E. "There is an answer that seems right to you Dennis....but....no banana."F. Those teachings mean something else that I have never figured out but they are 100% accurate.etc......
The fact is, either Jesus was speaking way deep and really didn't mean it the way it comes across, or he stretched the truth or worse about his ability or who he was and what he had to offer the faithful. I always figured I had NO faith because i could not move a pebble with it, much less a mountain. Sometimes I think when you say dumb stuff, as long it was a really really long time ago, it seems deep and spiritual. If someone said it to me from the pulpit today, it would seem goofy and a sign of real trouble in the pastor.
Another problem is that getting everything you want can be one's worse nightmare. What a church that would be! Forget about Faith!. The world's resources would have been gone 1500 years ago... and everyone would be in charge flying Gulfstream XII 's doing the work. (I'd ask for a degree in Paleontology:)
These scriptures and reputed teachings of Jesus have been the cause of more suffering in the lives of the sincere believer than they are worth. Life does not work this way. It should NOT work this way anyway! From "Save my child!" to "Please heal me...!" asking "whatever" neither works nor builds faith when nothing comes back. The person then believes they are defective, asking wrongly, selfish, unworthy, not a real Christian, faithless and so on and this is not helpful in our journey as a human being.
Did Jesus lie? Exaggerate? Think he had to be this full of faith? Mean something else? Ever really say this? I dunno. I just don't find it credible, real or true in my own experience so I don't expect anything anymore and don't ask.
Some of what Jesus taught can be taken to border on the insane. It seems his family in Mark thought so too. Frankly, I always found it rather chilling to read..."I am the way, the truth and the light....NO MAN comes unto the Father but by ME." It makes me nervous. But this is for another time perhaps.
14 comments:
You sure know how to flush a "christian's" faith down the toilet, don't you, Dennis.
And, of course, being a 25 year paid COG minister - true believer, gives you insight few poses. Right?
I appreciate this article as it concerns the thing which is most lacking in this impatient, self-willed, sarcastic, loveless, and unbelieving world:
1. FAITH, TRUE FAITH which does not DOUBT.
Almost no one has it because of the reasons given and several others. That's why the Messiah asked if he would find it in the earth when he returns.
2. The CONTEXT of all his statements on answered prayer is paramount. The Master's Prayer gives us that context. The Messiah came preaching the Kingdom, and EVERYTHING he taught is in that context. That is the Father's WILL and desire: His Kingdom come on earth.
Naturally then, those who are Matt.6:33ing will be praying in accordance with his will which applies to the coming of his kingdom.
Most, who are using prayer as a means of getting what they want and what they want for others, are out of luck, because its not 'MY KINGDOM COME, MY WILL be done.' There's NO AUTHORITY and therefore NO POWER in that prayer!
Those who want those things should pray to Satan and the evil spirits who will certainly entertain their lusts for worldly success.
3. ATTITUDE is also a major concern when considering answered prayer.
I can honestly (not deludedly) say that ALL my prayers IN HIS WILL are being answered, sometimes right away, sometimes not yet, sometimes with different, but always BETTER answers than requested, and sometimes when my own faith failed, the coming answers were deferred. When I think back over my life, while in and out of his service, I recall 100% blessings and provision, everything I have desired has been given.
This is because my ATTITUDE (not always perfectly) is ONE OF FAITH! BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS WITH ALL MY HEART, THEREFORE, IT IS SO. I will not entertain and be seduced into questioning the Messiah's words or authority.
Most have lost faith in the Messiah and many even question if he ever existed, or that the scriptures give us his word. "I" (meaning the Messiah in me) for one will lie in an open unmarked grave before "I" will let that lying serpent convince me of that.
He is in a life-and-death struggle and has wrought many spiritual casualties, but "I" will overcome his lies through the Messiah's spirit which reveals ALL TRUTH to those who believe and do not give up. (wow - "I" am really something, aren't "I"?)
(continuing)
4. All the REASONS you gave are true and valid, but #1 is most often applicable, because WE ASK AMISS.
At the risk again of being labeled, 'sacred names' (a clever label to discredit the truth), praying to this 'JESUS' character is a total waste of time. The MESSIAH is not and never will be 'JESUS'! It has no power at all!
Praying to 'JESUS' and 'God' can do nothing for you but keep you a frustrated, doubtful failure; this is the intended attitude for satan's Churchianity (including the COGs) today, hopeless mired in falsehood and worldly lusts.
'JESUS' is meaningless and false, but the Messiah's name means 'YAH saves/has saved' and carries authority for those who serve him in spirit and truth.
NAMES are NOT TRANSLATABLE, more BS from the god of BS. Its the same name in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. Those who refuse to honor it will receive NOTHING in prayer as he clearly said.
P.S. Its the SPIRIT of YAH that leads us in ALL TRUTH, NOT the written and mistranslated word which man can manipulate. The SPIRIT can decipher for us from the scriptures what is true and what is false.
So don't let the those 'red words' tie you up in knots. In some dishonorable grave, a demon in a false scribe's corpse in twitching in delight.
James.....is that you? Aren't you in Petra yet gazing at the moon?
Faithful:
Those are every apologetic i have listed and have ever heard and used myself.
Plainly, without all the machinations and maneuverings, the vast majority of sincere Christians read the simple statements without all the reasonings around why it is not so and judge themselves harshly.
Grandma or kids do NOT try to figure it all out in some other way not stated or implied. They simply conclude it does not work for them or they don't undertand it.
Steve: I am not endeavoring to flush anyone's faith down the toilet. I am asking and stating what most agonize over alone and don't understand how that works because "in my house, it was not so."
I have buried a lot of children "whose Angels do watch over them..." and had grieved moms beating on my chest in rage over why God did not save them or where where these Angels at the time. Then one said, "I know I don't study the Bible as I should...." etc. They blame themselves. I blame the plain statements that lead them to such self abuse and guilt.
Anon:
Annon: Decades dealing with religious issues in the lives of really sincere people who take the Bible literally and at face value have given me insights that I have to address. You'd be surprised, or not, how many have the same unspoken insights but won't ask because they know they will be at fault no matter what.
Anon: As with most who just make a crack without actual response, how about writing about how you view these scriptures in real life. What is your view, opinion, experience? Anyone can make a wisecrack. Are you a person of substance?
DennisCDiehl said...
"Steve: I am not endeavoring to flush anyone's faith down the toilet. I am asking and stating what most agonize over alone and don't understand how that works because "in my house, it was not so."
MY COMMENT: I know that you're not endeavoring to do so. You're just stating the facts, and the obvious conclusion. No one on earth has their prayers answered from a benevolent God. Oh, they can work it up, and do their best to defend it, but when they're alone, they know deep down in their soul that no one is talking to them nor listening to them, no matter how much non-doubting, wishful thinking they conjure up.They just come up with excuses, cop-outs, and more Armstrongism as to why God doesn't answer, and if He doesn't answer, then someone must have a bad attitude. I heard this shit for almost 30 years.If you don't have the "truth", or use the right name, then God won't listen. Blah, blah, blah! Superstition always seems to goe hand in hand with faith.
I have found that Faith is what you exhibit before you get the Facts, which changes Faith...
I grew up Catholic. When we lost something, we prayed to St. Anthony, who was the patron saint of lost articles. For anyone out there who is Catholic, we had patron saints for virtually everything.
Then one day, St. Anthony plus a whole bunch of other saints were thrown out of the Catholic Church for having never existed. But we still prayed to them anyway.
Interestingly, I don't ever recall a prayer to St. Anthony in pursuit of a lost article that went unanswered. I now have to wonder if the answered prayer was actually my own determination and focus that resulted in the desired end. There are times we pray more intensely, and perhaps it is that confidence and belief that leads us to the desired result. Biblical promises have always fallen pitifully short otherwise.
Anon, are you sure Saint Anthony was "thrown out of the Catholic Church for having never existed"?
Perhaps Saint Anthony can help you find a citation?
"Thrown out" was the wrong phrase. I believe the correct word should have been "legends".
St. Christopher, St. Rocco, and St. Rose are three others that immediately come to mind. There was a revised teaching around the time I was in high school or college and attending Catholic church. Ironically, churches with names of those legendary saints didn't change their names.
Anon, I think we were misunderstanding each other.
I know it sounds kind of silly to say Saint Anthony was "kicked out" of the Catholic Church for never having existed.
But I was asking for a citation, since my understanding is that Saint Anthony is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church.
With regard to the others you mentioned-
Saint Christopher is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church.
As for Saint Rocco: He was "unsainted", his legend being considered to be a mirror of a saint of older times: Saint Racho(who is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church).
As for Saint Rose goes, I'm not sure which "Saint Rose" you are referring to, but-
Saint Rose of Lima is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church.
Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church.
Saint Rose of Viterbo is still regarded as someone who lived, and still regarded as a saint, officially, by the Catholic Church.
BTW, I'm not Catholic, but many of the families in the neighborhood I grew up in, were Catholic.
I certainly don't believe most of the legendary stories ascribed to these "saints"
Not a few times there were neighbors who lost things, prayed for help from Saint Anthony, then found them, crediting it to Saint Anthony's skills.
After I lose things, I tend to find them, regardless of the fact that I don't ask for Saint Anthony's help.
I think it's very common among people of religious faith to ascribe a "supernatural intervention" label to ordinary occurrences, especially because it can helps to bolster their faith, and also give them a hokey little story to help them proselytize.
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