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What motivated Martin Luther to risk his life andchallenge the church? It was his love for the poor,

the sick, and the lost. This passion for thedowntrodden has been lost and MUST be

regainedwe need a NEW REFORMATION!

Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min

With all thy

getting get an

understanding!

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The New ReformationChaplain Mark H. Stevens, B.Th, M.Min

Jan.2006

[email protected]

Scriptures from KJV and the NASB unless otherwise noted

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form orotherwise by any means, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles orreviews, without permission from the publisher of the author.

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IntroductionTable of Contents

Chapter One - The Spirit of Martin Luther

Chapter Two - Pastoral Accountability

Chapter Three - What is a Layperson?

Chapter Four The Pope vs.VS Thethe Bishop

Chapter Five The Fallacy of Seed-Faith Giving

Chapter Six Please Read Your Bibles

Chapter Seven What is Wrongwrong WithTelevangelist?

Chapter Eight How the Early Church Was Financed

Luther 95 Thesis

Conclusion

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Dedicated to Servants of Jesus Christ

Martin Luther dealt the symbolic blow that began the Reformation when henailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. Thatdocument contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgencesby church officials.

But Luther himself saw the Reformation as something far more importantthan a revolt against ecclesiastical abuses. He believed it was a fight for thegospel. Luther even stated that he would have happily yielded every point ofdispute to the Pope, if only the Pope had affirmed the gospel.

And at the heart of the gospel, in Luther's estimation, was the doctrine ofjustification by faith--the teaching that Christ's own righteousness is imputedto those who believe, and on that ground alone, they are accepted by God.

Luther saw poor people taken advantage of fleeced and abused by thechurch and the clergy that was supposed to feed them and help them. Todayit is no different. The Gospel and the Anointing of God is being merchandisedby the same type of men and women. I am NOT Martin Luther, but I believewe need men and women like him today to put these Pulpit Pimps on

notice! God is not pleased!

I also want to thank my lovely wife Stephanie for being a woman of greatintegrity. I watch her travel all over the world spreading the Gospel of JesusChrist and feeding the hungry here in the City of Camden. She is someonethat GETS IT! The ministry isnt about glory and fame, but rather servitude.

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Introduction

Ill get right to the point! Every since Martin Lutherreceived the revelation from God that salvation was a freegift from God, that came through grace and faiththerehas been a chasm between the Catholic and theProtestant. As an ordained Protestant minister I know allof the doctrinal problems involved in Catholicism. I havestudied church history in college and ion my spare time. ,I know about all of the church councils through the agesand the anti-biblical decisions they made, I know Peterwasnt the first pope. I know praying to Mary is notscriptural or right. I know we can confess our sins to theLord directly and not a priest. I know that a wafer andwine isnt actually Jesus when I take communion.

I also know that if Martin Luther and some of the otherreformers could see where the Protestant movement hasgone, I think they would be ashamed and disgusted. If theApostle Paul could see the confusion and apostasy in thechurch, of both Catholic and Protestant, he would scream.Why? The Protestant church has become the very thing itdespised. I have spent 23 years in the Air Force and have

traveled all over the world. I have worshipped in nearlyevery church imaginable; (including Catholic) these aresome reasons and observations as to why I feel there

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needs to be a second reformation. First the observations:

While Catholicism has its problems lets look at the historyand flaws in Protestantism.

First,. Protestantism has many different groups:Fundamentalist, Evangelicals, Charismatic, Pentecostals,Holiness, Oneness (Jesus Only), and The Word Faithgroups. This fragmenting of Protestantism is the firstproblem in itself. Fundamentalist say they believe in theBible literally yet most reject the gifts of the Spirit, TheBaptism of the Holy Spirit, and healing for today. Theytrust Scofields teaching more than they trust the Bible

itself. While in Bible College, I heard teachers andstudents a like quote Scofield like he was The ApostlePaul. Evangelicals say they believe in fulfilling the GreatCommission, yet many Evangelical churches areselectively racist; America has driven segregation out ofalmost every place except itstheir churches. Martin LutherKing said Sunday morning is the most segregated time ofthe week. Both white and black churches are guilty of this.However I must say Americas history is silent concerningthe Protestant churches, silence through 300 years ofslavery and annihilation of Native Americans. The

Charismatic movement on a positive note brought praiseand worship back to its rightful place in the Body ofChrist, yet they also ushered in a propensity to place trustnew revelations that dont always line up with scripture.I believe in the gifts of the Spirit and the gift of prophecy,but these utterance gifts MUST line up with scripture!According to New Testament examples of prophecy, mostprophecies are warnings or words of encouragement; NOTinsight on how to be a millionaire. In many Charismaticchurches, everyone has a word from God; this hascaused many a problems in the lives of the saints of God.

I am from the category called Pentecostal, oh yeahwe have problems as well. Pentecostals stress the need to

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be Spirit-filled, which I agree with, yet they over

emphasize speaking in tongues; the key issue is the needto be Spirit-filled! I believe in the gifts of the Spirit, I prayin tongues myselfbBut,! sSpeaking in tongues doesnotnt confirm a persons holiness or spirituality. (Thereare 8 other spiritual gifts!) Show me a Christian thatshares Christ (Acts 1:8) and shares love (ICor.13) and Illshow you a Spirit-filled saint. Holiness churches tell peoplethey must dress a certain way to be saved,saved, lookingsour and not have any fun, holiness is important and allbelievers must live separated lives, but, BUT! Holiness is away of life that can only occur after the New Birth.

Wearing long dresses and black suits in the summerDONT MAKE YOU HOLY! The Word/Faith movement hasdone some positive things in encouraging people to studythe Word, yet the enemy duped some of them intopreaching prosperity as the Gospel and not salvation anda hunger for spiritual blessing versus the material. Theother problem with the faith camp is the false teaching ofbelievers never having problems and divine healing orthe denial of sickness in the life of a believer.

I believe in healing and have received healing myself,

but Christians are not exempt from getting sick. (KennethHagin Sr.; Fred Price and his wife; and R.W. Shambachhave all preached divine healing and have all beenseverely ill recently) Remember when Jesus encountereda man born blind, his disciples asked the question, Whosinned him or his parents? Jesus said, Neither. Paulsdear friend Epaphroditis was sick nigh unto death, butPaul said God had mercy on him. Saved people can anddo get sick! The Lord can also heal us as well. Our faithwill be tested one way or another, why should we be anydifferent than Abraham, Joseph, Job, or Daniel; their faith

was tested greatly on many occasions. It was because oftheir faith they endured hard times and persecutions. TheOneness or Apostolic camp believes in Jesus only and

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denies the Trinity. They also over emphasize the act of

baptism. Salvation comes through the avenue of GRACEthrough FAITH! They believe baptism saves yet the Bibleis clear, belief MUST precede baptism or it is an emptyact. (Read Philip and Eunuch in Book of Acts) What is mypoint? The bottom line is Jesus died for our sins and wemust preach this to a lost and dying world. I went to arevival 5 years ago (A world famous evangelist wasthere); he preached before at least 3,000 people andtalked about prosperity and healing for 2 hours. He calledfor a prayer line and never mentioned salvation throughgrace and faith. What does it profit a man to have

prosperity and divine health and not eternal life and aclose walk with Jesus.Jesus?

There is a need for unity amongst believers; this isdifficult because each of the groups I mentioned has itsgood points and strengths, yet they are all flawed in someway. The Word of God has no flaws, and this is where wemust meet. I was raised in the Baptist church, I went to aLutheran School (middle school), I have had fellowshipwith different groups within the military chapel system,

and I worked with foreign missionaries in Korea for 2years. I helped start the first Church of God in Christ inKorea. During Operation Desert Storm I lead 2 Muslims toChrist with an Assembly of God brother and an apostolicbrother. (This was not easybut it happened) I havepreached in Honduras, Turkey, and Somalia. Now why amI sharing all of this? Everywhere I went God teamed me upwith people from nearly every group I mentionedAND ITWORKED! It worked because in the military we didnt havethe luxury of always finding Christians just like you. Myfirst assignment overseas I was teamed up with a

Southern Baptist Caucasian brother. He was fromForsythe County, Georgia. This is one of the most racistareas in America, yet we worked together like brothers.

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The demonic walls of separation in the Protestantchurch MUST come down. How can we preach to theCatholic about the mote in his eye, while we theProtestants have a beam in our own? The saints of Godmust gather at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The Word ofGod must be all of our training manuals. Salvation bygrace through faith is what caused Martin Luther to startthe first reformation; we have departed from this in agreat way. The doctrine of salvation through grace andfaith has to be the preeminent prime directive for thechurch. Paul said it best in Romans 1:16, For I am not

ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of Godunto salvation, to the Jew first and to the Gentile. Wemust rally around the Gospel of Christ as our anthem andbattle cry. Paul also said, Woe unto me if I preach not theGospel. What is the Gospel? It isnt politics, it isntprosperity, and it isnt divine healing or speaking intongues. These things have their place but they cannotreplace the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus came to savethe world! Salvation is a free gift that is for all thatdesiredesires it. This is what Martin Luther nearly died toprotect. Paul did die to protect this doctrine! All of the

disciples died for this message of hope in Christ. Let usnot stain their memory by dividing over things that dontimpact salvation.

Salvation of the soul is the main issue, what does itprofit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.Eternity is a long time, iInsuring people spend it with theLord is more important than insuring they have wealth!What do you think can help usher in the SecondReformation?

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Chapter One CHAPTER ONE

THE SPIRIT OF MARTIN LUTHERThe Spirit ofMartin Luther

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When Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of

the church, he did so not to create a denomination, assome believe. Martin Luther wanted to correct anti-biblicalpractices being promoted in the church. The main themerevolved around the practice of selling indulgences.What the church was doing was convincing people thatthey could pay their family members out of purgatory.The church did this primarily to finance the Popes greedand desire to finance the CisteneSistine Chapel in Rome.Now we Protestants read this stuff in Church Historybooks and we gasp, yet how many of us enlightenedSpirit-filled Protestants that know of Bishops, Pastors, and

Preachers in our Protestant churches that sell blessingstoday.

We have condemned Catholics for centuries, yet wehave the same skeletons in our closets. From ReverendIke, Robert Tildon, or to the pastor in the storefront in theinner city, we too have been guilty of selling blessings.Every Protestant denomination (and non-denomination)has had it share of Greedy Popes. I really admiredMartin Luthers guts, but where are the Martin Luthers oftoday? When Oral Roberts said he would die unless he

got 80 million dollars in donations, where was the outragefrom Christians? Of course the world ridiculed hisnonsense, but there was no moral outrage from anyChristian leaders. Why? Well Ill tell you why! It is a verylonely position when you stand on the truth of scripture.We are quick to condemn Catholics trust in traditions andchurch doctrine, but we are equally guilty! How oftenhave you seen and heard things done in the name of theLord Jesus Christ in your church, but in your gut (spirit)you knew it was against the Bible? And why didnt you saysomething is the more disturbing question.

Jim Jones was able to take hundreds of lives in Guyanabecause someone refused to listen to their gut (spirit). I

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firmly believe in supporting the local church and helping

pastors, I want to make that clear. However there is a realepidemic of spiritually stupid saints that dont studytheir Bibles and try every spirit by the Spirit. We weregiven the ability to discern so we WONT end up giving ourmoney to crooks and drinking poison Kool-Aid! Many oftodays most prominent preachers would be labeledheretics hundreds of years ago because MOST clergymenwere devout Theologians and serious students ofscripture. Today ordination papers and licenses are givento anyone that says they are called to preach. I agreethat being Spirit-filled and called is the first priority of

being a preacher, but ALSO there has to be trainingSERIOUS TRAINING! A lack of understanding of just thebasic Bible doctrines of the faith can lead to the types ofabuses I am talking about. Martin Luther was able tostand up to the lies of Rome because he was filled withthe knowledge of the truth. I am a Pentecostal preacher, Ibelieve in the Charismatic Gifts of the Spirit, but thatdoesnt negate the fact that we must have a scholarlyapproach to the scriptures and its teachings.

I have heard PREACHERS say stupid things like, I

dont know the Bible that well but I am filled-with the HolyGhost and fire! This person is a prime candidate fordeception and a good whipping from the devil! The Biblesays in I 1st Timothy 4:4 In the last days some shallDEPART from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits andDOCTRINES of devils. The Devil will fill your head withHIS doctrine (teaching) if your head isnt already filledwith sound Bible doctrine. Martin Luther unlike otherpriest actually studied the Bible for truth and not tosupport a man made lie. We must as individual believershave reformers courage to stand up to the church when it

strays from the truth of scripture. I know it sounds crazyto say stand up AGAINST the church, I am of coursetalking about organized denominational/non-

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denominational institutions that profess to be of Jesus

Christ, yet stray away from the truth of Jesus Christ. Ihave seen enough heresy in the church in the last 25years of my life to make ones head spin and the majorityof it went unchallenged.

We allow preachers to say anything in our pulpitsand we say AMEN! We are afraid to be attacked forstanding up for the truth. In 1980 I was stationed atKunsan Air Base in South Korea. While there I heard aBaptist preacher (Who was also a Freemason) tell a groupin Bible study that all roads lead to Rome meaning

every religion can get you to heaven. I was a newbeliever, but I knew this was wrong! I challenged him,because NO ONE else would say a word. He was a popularpreacher and I was a new convert so you can imaginewhose side everyone lined up on. My point is this, whenyou hear false preaching or teaching SAY SOMETHING!The Apostle Paul was the new kid on the block (ReadGalatians) yet he challenged and corrected the ChiefApostle Peter for treating the Gentile believers wrong.

Ministers are NOT infallible, only the Word of God is! No

matter how popular or how powerful a preacher is, theyare NOT above reproach!

But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastlyto prayer and the ministry of the Word. (Acts 6:4Amp)

This is one of the key verses in the Bible to help anovice minister be a successful tool for the Master.

Preaching has nothing to do with popularity, titles, orposition. The successful minister is the one that realizes

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that sharing Gods Word is a divine call and privilege that

cant be done in ones own strength.

The Apostles took this charge so seriously that they knewtotal devotion to prayer and study was paramount. Apreacher that doesnt devote his life to prayer and studyis a potential false prophet. Satan loves preachers thatsay Im too busy to study or I dont think preachersneed formal Bible training.

The gospel preacher must devote his (or her) life to purityof doctrine. Paul warned Timothy to avoid fables and old

wives tales. Its very easy for preachers to get involved inthe flavor of the month teachings. In last 20 years wehave been bombarded with the faith message,prosperity gospel, Spiritual Warfare, and Prophecy.Every one is an Apostle or Bishop; no one is simply aGospel preacher. Dont get caught up in trends and hype.Be lead by the Holy Ghost and walk in your calling. I havebeen preaching 23 years. I have done the work of anevangelist, and served in pastoral capacities, but I amcalled to teach. My anointing is that of a teacher. Itwould be foolish to try and be anything else. I live to

study and teach the Word of God. We need more MartinLuthers in the church today. Too much of our teachingtoday is unbalanced. We have churches teaching crazythings like you have to speak in tongues to be saved,Christians should never get sick, or you can only be savedin MY church! Wake up saints and speak out against falseteaching! There are churches that teach everyone has ademon, yes some people need demons cast out! Howeversome problems are not demon powered but human error!Teaching the truth can solve more problems in the churchthan by casting out a demon.

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(Note: I am not picking on any particular denomination,denomination; there is enough heresy inevery Protestant denomination)

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CHAPTER TWO

PASTORAL ACCOUNTABILITYPastoral Accountability

A filing cabinet drawer full of objections can be raised against pastoralleadership by a board of elders. For the Bible-believing Christian, however,the real issue is this: is pastoral leadership by a board of elders biblical? Is itapostolic? It is my belief that it is! Both the apostles, Paul and Peter,mandate that the local church elders pastor the flock of God (Acts 20:28; 1Peter 5:1, 2; cf. Titus 1:5). We have no right, then, to take away the eldersGod-given mandate. Yet that is precisely what most churches have done byapplying the apostolic mandate to shepherd the local church to a single,professional pastor and by subordinating the eldership to the pastor. Wherein the New Testament do we find references to the ordained (reverend-clergyman) pastor and his advising elders? We dont! We find only pastor

elders mentioned.

We must admit, however, that most traditional, clergy-led churches willfind pastoral leadership by a plurality of qualified pastor elders to be difficultif not impossible to implement. So, to try to implement biblical eldership willrequire two conditions. First, each local church and its leaders must be firmlyconvinced that eldership is a scriptural teaching. Second, the local churchmust be committed to make the difficult, personal changes necessary inorder to make eldership work for Gods glory.

These two conditions, of course, are essential when implementing any

unfamiliar or difficult biblical practice or doctrine. If you were to ask, forexample, "doesDoes marriage work?" many people would answer that itdoesnt appear to be working. So should we discard the institution ofmarriage and look for something better? No! The marriage institution isGods will for the human race, as revealed in the Bible. So, in order to makemarriage work we must first believe it to be a biblical teaching and then becommitted to making it work. Only then will marriage work. The sameconditions hold true for implementing a biblical eldership. We must believe itis scriptural and be committed by Gods help to making it work effectively.

To be sure, the incorporation of pastoral eldership into the local church is

not the cure-all for every problem. Eldership creates its own problems, andthese must be understood and continually addressed. However, whenproperly implemented, biblical eldership allows the church to be what Goddesigned it to be, fosters the spiritual development of the leading men withinthe church family, and honors the teaching of Gods precious Word. It is forthe spiritual safety of the saints to have a church led by a board of Eldersrather than one man.


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Cults usually start because a church or group put all of their trust in oneperson to lead them and interpret the Word for them. (Sounds like theCatholic Church?) A pastor HAS to be accountable too! This is why so manychurch congregations are like the Stepford Wives! God wants us to support

our leaders, but when they not Gods! The Bible is the plumb line that wemeasure doctrine by to see if it is true. We must never choose a personalityover Bible truth!

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Pastors Take Precautions!Proactive/protective steps to avoid sin:

1. Do you have an accountability partner or group and do youmeet with them regularly and honestly? (This is criticallyimportant for pastors who do any serious counseling at all.)

2. Do you leave the office door open or the window in ituncovered?

3. Do you keep your desk between you and your counselee?Physical distance between you and the counselee is veryimportant for her security and comfort, and for enabling you toresist any improper contact. Close personal proximity is notnecessary for healing.

4. Avoid even casual physical contacts. We recommend noteven shaking hands with counselees of the opposite sex. You canmake them feel safe, comfortable, and welcome without physicalcontact.

5. Ideally, men should counsel with men, women should counselwith women. This is not always possible. Teaming up with atrusted and professional partner who can assist the male pastor

when meeting female counselees, is a good idea. If the counseleeis unwilling to meet with the pastor along with his designatedpartner, it may be time to refer.

6. Never assume a self-concept of sexual invincibility. Given the


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wrong circumstances, every pastor is vulnerable to temptation, sinand the abuse of power.

CHAPTER THREE

WHAT IS A LAYPERSON?What is a Layperson?

One problem I have found in the modern church is that we have made thechurch a CLERGY run entity. God meant the church to be driven by ALL ofthe saints. We are a body of BELIEVERS and BELIEVERS are supposed toCAST OUT DEVILS, PREACH THE GOSPEL, and LAY HANDS on the sick.

(James 5:16 and Mark 16:20) Evangelism, Healing, and Deliverance were notjust for the APOSTLES! This is a lie many Seminarians teach and advocate. I

too am a college-educated preacher,preacher; however I know that the Wordof God teaches that ordinary men and women participated in the work of theministry. Ananias was not an APOSTLE, he was an ordinary Christian, justlike you and I, yet he prayed for Pauls HEALING and that he would receivethe BAPTISM in the HOLY GHOST. Healing the sick is NOT just for theApostles! The signs are designed to follow THEM THAT BELIEVE! Believersare supposed to BELIEVE that Jesus power is yet for today. I am a firmbeliever that we dont see the miraculous because we dont EXPECT themiraculous and we believe ONLY clergy can minister. (Mark 16:20, Luke1:37,37 and Phil. 4:13)

We Protestants are just as guilty as the Roman Catholic Church (our sister) ofhaving a church run by professional clergy. We dont study hard because wedepend on the Pastor to feed us. So many Christians are spiritual babiesbecause they refuse to feed themselves. Catholics are not the only ones thatjust believe what clergy feeds them. I have heard so many Protestants (toinclude Pentecostal and Charismatic) quote their Pastors like it was theBible. Often in the Bible Institute, I teach in kick over Sacred Cows with the

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Word of God. Even after showing some people sound Bible doctrine they willstill say, But my church doesnt teach that. Or My Pastor teachesdifferent. I dont care if your pastor wears a gold robe and floats into thepulpit on wires, if he is teaching something contrary to scripture, HE ISWRONG! I hate to use this as an example but it is true, if Christians were as

ministry minded as Jehovah Witnesses, imagine how much of an impact wewould make in our communities? Unfortunately we are so clergy driven inour churches that we act like Its not my job, man. We forget that Jesusgave 5 types of ministry gifts for the church, not just Pastors! He gaveApostles, Teachers, Pastors, Prophets, and Evangelist for the edification ofthe local church as well as the body as a whole. We need to have all of thoseministry gifts in operation in order for our churches to run effectively. Canyou imagine a basketball team with only point guards? It wouldnt win muchbecause they need other skills and talents in order to be a good team. Thelocal church in many instances functions like the basketball team with allpoint guards.

God gave FIVE types of ministry gifts for the perfecting of the saints, forthe work of ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Most peoplethink the only type of minister God sends is Pastors! Thank God for Pastors!Pastors are the main instrument in feeding the new converts (Lambs), butpastors NEED HELP! If there are no evangelist out in the highways andhedges to compel people to believe ion Jesus Christ, and no teachers to takepeople from milk to meat and defend Biblical doctrine, and no prophets togive words in season, and finally no apostles to GO and establish ministries,churches will NOT grow!

Too often our modern day churches are so Pastor driven, that the flock isoverly dependant on their Pastors. God never intended Christians to be onthe sidelines or spectators in ministry. We are all to be Ambassadors forJesus Christ. Most churches especially in America are governed by onepersonthe Pastor! In most African-American Churches the Pastor is NOTONLY a pastor, but he pretty much does everything in the church related toministry. This man or woman preaches almost every sermon; many teachBible study, lead prayer meetings, go into prisons and hospitals, and someeven sweep and clean the church house. This is as ludicrous as a bBasketballteam that lets the point guard shootshoots 50 times a game and post up in

the centers position. Just like a bBasketball team the church was givenguidance from GOD as to how to run the team called the CHURCH!

In the Early Church you find that the Body of Christ functions verydifferent from the church as we know it today. The Early Church was NOTclergy driven, it was laity driven. In fact it almost seemed like there was nosuch thing as laity, the saints of the Book of Acts were an active and vital

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part of the ministry. The Apostles could NOT have had the spiritual successthey had unless they had ministry minded men and women functioning intheir respective positions.

The Five-fold Ministry Gifts

Apostles are leaders and visionaries... they bring direction to the church.They have the courage and ability to keep the Church moving forward,growing, buildingand building in new directions. Apostles are also fathers,able to nurture and disciple the other ministry gifts. They have maturity andexperience beyond their fellows and can give guidance as well as leadership.They wear the Helmet of Salvation, which means they walk "within"

salvation. They know the mysteries of Christ's salvation. Such knowledge isonly acquired through time and experience, trials and testing. An apostle isproven by his example of holiness and demeanor in Christ Jesus. The Helmetof Salvation is not a royal crown: it is the hat of a warrior general who isaccustomed to putting his life on the line, for the sake of the Kingdom ofGod. Many who are in this office will never be recognized as APOSTLES! Thereason is this, when a man is truly led by God to establish a work of any kind,it may bristle against the establishment.

The Apostle Paul is a good example of a man on a Mission from God, Ilaugh as I write this because I am reminded of the movie The Blues Brothers,They were the oddest of odd, yet they went through every obstacle becausethey believed they had a mandate from God. Listening to God is noteasy,easy; it can cause you to be treated like an outsider and at times evena rebel! I believe men that are in the office of Apostle are alwaysMISUNDERSTOOD and treated like oddballs. Based upon scripturalprecedence apostles are usually the recipients of dreams and visions,Apostles receive an abundance of Revelation from God, Why? They establishministries and churches. It is quite possible to be an Apostle and NEVERpastor a church.

Contrary to popular belief Paul WAS NEVER A PASTOR! Paul was aTEACHER/APOSTLE. Now another shocker is that PETER was not a PASTOReither, the PASTOR of the church in Jerusalem was JAMES (The LordsBrother); Peter was an EVANGELIST/APOSTLE. Apostles usually carry dualroles! Here is another curve for you, Barnabas was an Apostle too, but hewas a DEACON/APOSTLE, his ministry was one of service and support yet he

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was counted as an APOSTLE! I do believe that there are Apostles today, Menthat are SENT to establish works according to Gods divine mandate. Now toomany guys are starting storefront churches and calling themselvesApostle. Real Apostles dont run around calling themselves APOSTLE! Theyknow it, and they walk in it! The Five-Fold Ministry Gifts are to operate in all

of our churches, and each ministry gift is vital. The Pastor is just ONE pieceof the puzzle.

Prophets/Prophetess has a strong sense of right and wrong, but evenmore than that: they have a strong sense of the Spirits leading. Theirspiritual antennae start quivering when things are going off balance or inwrong directions. Their voice is important for keeping the Church on track inwhat the Lord wants to do. Prophets also understand justice and aredefenders of what is fair and right. Prophets carry the Breastplate of

Righteousness, which illustrates the passion and conviction that burnsdeep within their heart and soul and spirit. "Righteousness" is actually anethereal word, a supernatural word. True righteousness flows only from thethrone of God. Therefore, the insight of the prophet is a very mysterious,deep conviction that is not easily described even by those who walk in thisgifting. The purpose is for guidance and revelation, so that the church canlearn what it means to be the Holy People of God.

The Prophet/Prophetess must maintain a level of personal holiness that isexemplary. The primary purpose of the prophet is to warn the church ofapostasy and help saints press into the holiness and purpose of God. (Elijah

and Ezekiel) Unlike the Office of Apostle which is male ordered, wWomen canfunction in this office as well as men. (Deborah, Huldah, and PhillipsDaughters)

The Prophet must have an extraordinary prayer life, Ifif you study the life ofthe Biblical prophet, they were often solitary people. (Elijah and Jeremiah)They didnt have a lot of friends, this is on purpose! God needs those in theprophetic office to be focused on HIM! The Prophet and the Teacher aresimilar in this regard; Prophets focus on the inspired word (Rhema) and the

Teacher more on the written (Logos). But if you look at Acts 17:11 theBereans understood the importance of both, but they confirmed the Rhemaby studying the Logos! Usually God places Prophets and Teachers as friendsand companions for this reason.

Teachers build the foundations of the church. They minister in the Word ofGod and remind us of the priorities and foundations that will keep us stable

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in our lives. They teach the church how to be wise in the ways of God. Bothteachers and prophets have a special gift for worship because the prophetcan worship in "spirit" and the teacher can worship in "truth" and those twocharacteristics are necessary for true worship. Teachers carry the Belt ofTruth, which means they have intimate knowledge of Him who is Truth.

Teachers are guardians of Biblical dDoctrine (Logos), the Bereans (Acts17:11) eExemplify the character of a Teacher. Teachers search thescriptures. I am a teacher and I study the Word more than the averageperson, there are times when I have stayed up all night reading entire booksof the Bible because I had to determine if something I heard preached inchurch was accurate. In many cases tTeachers are somewhat cold, in thatthey care more for truth than unity or peoples feelings. If you rememberPaul in Galatians, hHe read Peter and the Hebrew saints the riot act for theway they allowed the Judaizers to distort the Gospel of Grace. When I hear asermon that is off scripturally it drives me crazy. I believe tTeachers are

like the Scribes of the Old Testament in that they were determined thatevery jot and tittletittles would be correct. Pricilla and Aquilla were teachersand they caught Apollos preaching doctrine that wasnt correct, they pulledhim aside and corrected him in love. If a church doesnt have the office of ateacher within itsits ranks it is in danger of falling into error. (I Tim. 4:1-4)

Without a proper foundation, buildings don't stand, civilizations don't last,and Christians don't witness well. The foundation I am talking about is thefoundation of basic Christian doctrine. Do you know what the Trinity is? How

many natures do Jesus have, one or two? Are we saved by grace throughfaith or by grace and works? For what purpose did Jesus die? Did He rise fromthe dead? And If so, why?

Perhaps you do not believe that knowing doctrine is important. Maybeyou think that we should just tell people about Jesus and let them choose toaccept Him or not. Unfortunately, witnessing isn't always that simple.Knowing what and why you believe is essential. For example, if someonesays he wants to receive Jesus as Savior but doesn't believe that He is God inflesh, is that important? If someone says that the Trinity is not biblical, whatwould you say? Is the Holy Ghost a force or God? Doctrine is important

because it defines who you put your trust in. It is not simply that youhave faith,faith; it's who you put your faith in.

Evangelists are the warriors, the foot soldiers who take the gospel to theremote areas of the world. They advance the gospel and in so doing theybattle directly with the hindrances of the gospel as well. There are manymore warriors in an army than there are generals and so there must be

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many, many evangelists in the church. Evangelists wear the Shoes ofPeace because they bring news of Peace to a world that suffers in strife andturmoil. Every one of the other 5-Fold Ministers MUST do the WORK of theEvangelist, because soul-winning is EVERY ministers duty!

Too many of our churches have lost sight of the office of Evangelist andhave distorted their purpose by calling Revivalist Evangelist, there isdifference by a mile. An Evangelist is a SOULWINNER first andforemost,foremost; they go into the streets, prisons, hospitals, and missionfields. Many of the people we call evangelist are preaching to peoplealready saved. A revivalist preaches to people already saved to inspire andfire them up, this really more of the ministry of the Prophet, an Evangelistbottom line is REACHING THE LOST and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.The motto of an Evangelist could be a quote from Paul, Woe unto me if Ipreach not the Gospel!

Pastors nurture the flock and comfort them. They build up the sheep in themost holy faith. They tend to the wounded and the sick and have skills forhealing. The pastor leads the healthy sheep into good pastures so they willeat well and be strong. And, the pastor looks for the sheep who havewandered away so that none will be lost. Pastors carry the Shield of Faith.Often a warrior was protected by an armor bearer who held his shield forhim. In the same way, pastors will shield those who need it until they arestrong again. They hover over their flock to build them and strengthen themin the faith. The pastor is not distant from the sheep. The pastor is next tothem and among them, holding the Shield in order to deflect the flamingarrows, the weapons, and the wild beasts that would destroy. The pastor

works one on one so that his sheep will prosper. A flock that prospers is adirect credit to the shepherd who oversees them. A Pastor has to love thesheep, too often people choose Pastors because they can preach well, buteloquence is not the earmark of a great Pastor, it is LOVE. Pastors have tocare for those that are hurting and broken, and at the same time be open tohave the other 4 ministry offices SHARE in the ministry., I think too often ithas been supposed that the office of Pastor is the most important office, butthey all are equally important. A Pastor needs an Evangelist to bring soulsinto a place where they can be nurtured and fed the sincere milk of the Wordof God.

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CHAPTER FOUR

The Pope vs. the Bishop

Over the years I have heard many Protestants criticize the Papal system and

all of its pomp and arrogance. But if you spend any amount of timearound some of our Bishops and Overseers in the various Protestantdenominations, you would think you were in the presence of a Pope.Some of our preachers are so pompous and aloof you would think youwere in the Vatican. Many preachers today have become celebritiesand idols. So often I hear Christians speak of their pastors andbishops with adoration that should be reserved for Jesus Christ. Ibelieve we should respect and support our pastors and clergyman,but they are men! Men are fallible and are prone to make mistakes.We must remember that God uses fallible men to preach an infallibleWord! We condemn the Roman Catholics because of their term Papal

infallibility, yet we will get fighting mad if someone criticizes ourfavorite celebrity preacher! A good example of this is KennethCopeland, many noted and respected Bible scholars and teachershave exposed much of Copelands teachings as heretical, yet manyChristian blindly and loyally continue to act like he is an anointedteacher. It is never popular to criticize or expose false teachers andprophets that are celebrities, why? Because we are just as bad asthe Catholics, when it comes to how we treat our clergy. I am anordained Elder in the Church of God in Christ. I love my church, but itis not perfect either. I listen to many of the members of mydenomination and it is a sad commentary to hear people that have

been saved for years, yet their knowledge of Bible doctrine is veryminimal. Many will say Well I believe what my pastor teaches orThat may be in the Bible but my church teaches it this way; TheBible IS ALWAYS the last word! I am appalled at the number of clergythat struggle with basic Bible doctrines that the average Christianshould be well acquainted with.


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According to 1 Corinthians 3:1 all Christians can be divided into the twogroups, spiritual and carnal. A spiritual Christian allows the Holy Spirit toguide and govern him to do the perfect will of the Father. A carnal Christianhas been born again but has not overcome the sinful nature of his flesh.

Instead of being governed by the Spirit, he is ruled by feelings, emotions,desires, greed, good or bad intentions, intellectual interpretation, etc. etc.Our churches are filled with carnal believers that dont depend on the Wordfor their daily guidance. By rejecting the Word they also reject the Holy Spiritthat speaks the Word to our spirit and mind.

The Catholic Church doesnt encourage its congregates to study forthemselves because the priest is the source of revelatory knowledge, but theBible (John 14:26 and John 15:26) and the Holy Spirit are all the help weneed. Yes we need teachers (Spirit-filled teachers) to help us, but we are stillresponsible to study to show ourselves approved unto God.

Pastors and teachers have to take the church from MILK to MEAT, I would behorrified to see an adult wearing a diaper in church, but spiritually manysaints are wearing diapers in the house of God. The reason we treat ourpastors like gods is that we are babies and we are letting them carry us likebabies! They should be taking us from milk to MEAT! We have to grow up sowe can assist in the ministry and stop being a burden to the church. So manypastors quit because of burnout, but most of the time it is their fault!Imagine a woman trying to care for 20 to 30 babies at one time; she wouldeventually crack under pressure! We have to GROW UP SPIRITUALLY! Wehave to pray and study 7 days a week, not just on Sunday in the presence of

your pastor. Martin Luther was a great man but we need MORE men andwomen like him today! Men and women committed to the truth of scriptureover tradition, hype, and fluff! I leave this scary verse with you to meditateon.

Isaiah 2:6 (NIV) You have abandoned your people, the house ofJacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practicedivination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans.

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Chapter FiveCHAPTER FIVE

The Heresy of Seed Faith Giving

2 Peter 2:1, but there were false prophets also among thepeople, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privilyshall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord thatbought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

What do you think it means to deny the Lord? Many would say that anyperson or group that doesnt believe that Jesus was the Son of God would bedenying the Lord and that would be true enough. False religions like Islamand Hinduism would fall into this category. Most orthodox Christians wouldinclude the pseudo Christian cults like Jehovahs Witness, Mormons, and

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others of that ilk. And they would be correct but are these false teachersPeter is referring to here?

If you look closely you will see that Peter says these false teachers will beamong you. Since he was writing to a group of born again, Spirit filled

believers, we must conclude that he is not talking about the obvious falsereligions or even pseudo Christian cults. The false teachers he is speaking ofwill be found within the Body of Christ.

Now how do you suppose that false teachers will get away with denying theLord among a group of believers?

The word denying as it is used here is the Greek word arneomai {ar-neh'-om-ahee}. It is the same word used in Titus 1:16, Tthey profess that theyknow God; but in works they deny him. Used in these contexts, theword means to contradict.

So a teacher that contradicts the Lord is in fact denying Him. He may saythat Jesus is Lord. He may speak right sounding words claiming to be bornagain and he may have the biggest Bible youve ever seen but if his works orteaching contradicts the words of Jesus he is denying Him.

For example, when Benny Hinn claimed in 1999 that Jesus would physicallyappear at one of his upcoming crusades, he was contradicting the specificwords of the Lord Jesus.

Math 24:23 -26Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew greatsigns and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive thevery elect. Behold, I have told you before Wherefore if they shall say untoyou, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secretchambers; believe it not.

By making the claim that Jesus would physically appear at one of hiscrusades Hinn contradicted (denied) the words of the Lord and proved

himself to be a false prophet and false teacher according to 2 Peter 2:1.

The so called principle of seed faith giving was first popularized by OralRoberts almost 50 years ago. It proved to be so profitable to him that heessentially based his entire ministry on it. As with any other profitableventure others soon followed. Today it is used by virtually every Faith

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preacher, the majority of Christian television networks, and almost all TVpreachers in general. It has even found its way into many mainstream anddenominational churches.

How does seed faith giving work. It is loosely based (very loosely as we will

see) on the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke8. Using the illustration of sowing seed, people are instructed that if they willgive money to the church, the ministry, the TV network, the man of God, etc,God will multiply it back to them 30, 60, or 100 times more than they gave.In fact now days, about all you ever hear about is the 100 fold return. The 30and 60 fold returns have pretty much been dropped altogether.

Thats a pretty good deal wouldnt you say? Give God $1 and get back $100.Give God $100 and get back $10,000. Give God $10,000 and get back a coolmillion. And not only that, but you can also sow money and get back otherthings. Things like salvation for relatives, healing for incurable diseases, and

deliverance from various demonic influences! Thats right,right; all you haveto do is send your seed (meaning money) to the man of God!

Is this really what the parable of the sower is all about.about? What do youthink? Lets examine this important parable.

Luke 8:4-8 NASBWhen a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various citieswere journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: The sower went outto sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it wastrampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on

rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had nomoisture. Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with itand choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, andproduced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, Hewould call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus explains the parable

Luke 8:11 NASBNow the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.

Now right here anybody with even a minimal level of reading comprehensionshould be able to see that this parable has nothing to do with money. Theseed is the word of God. Even a brand new baby Christian should be able tolook at this and say I dont think these fellows are teaching this correctly

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Lets continue with Jesus explanation

Luke 8:12-15 NASBThose beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes andtakes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be

saved. Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive theword with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and intime of temptation fall away. The seed which fell among the thorns, theseare the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are chokedwith worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit tomaturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heardthe word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit withperseverance.

This parable is about what happens when the word of God is sown orrevealed in the heart of a person. It may be the most important parable Jesus

taught. Why do I say that? Because Jesus said this:

Mark 4:;13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye knowall parables?

Jesus is saying that if you dont understand this parable you wontunderstand any of the parables he taught. This is a foundational teaching!

By misapplying the parable of the sower, these false teachers do greatdamage to Gods people. First, by falsely claiming that God works like some

kind of cosmic slot machine, . bBut the real damage is in the fact thatbelievers are robbed of the true meaning of this teaching.

The parable of the sower is at work every time Gods Wword is revealed toyou. In fact it is at work right now in many of you who are reading this.

I know that many of you will read this and say I dont believe that. I dontbelieve that my favorite preacher would preach a false message Youllreject what Im saying. Youll actually be rejecting the words of Jesus.

The devil has come already to steal this word from you.

Some of you will hear what I say and receive it gladly. GloryGlory to Godyoull say, preach it brother. Hallelujah Hallelujah But you wont takethe time to really meditate on this word. You wont really apply it.

And then a testing will come., a. A test to see if you really believe, trust in,rely on, , and adhere to what you claim to believe. Testing is because of the

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word sown in your heart. Youll be challenged. God Himself will allow thatchallenge, that test.

Will you pass the test? Or will you revert back to your traditional thinking?

And of course some of you will hear and believe but you wont give this wordthe proper place in your life. Youll think about it for a while. Youll decidethat its right but then youll get on with your life. Youll get busy with yourjob, your family, your daily responsibilities and it will recede further andfurther into the recesses of your heart until it has no real value to you.

And the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will have chokedthe truth out of your heart.

But I know too, that some of you will hear this word and receive it. Youll

meditate on it. Youll give it the proper priority in your life. When challengedyoull stand and agree with it rather than contradict!

And you will have proven yourself to be good soil. Youll produce fruit,becoming more and more Christ like in your life. Youll become a discipleindeed.

John 8:31-32Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in myword, then are ye my disciples indeed And ye shall know the truth, and thetruth shall make you free.

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A little leaven leavens the whole lump

Paul said that evil men will wax worse and worse and so it is with falseteaching. The false ideology behind the seed faith message has infected thechurch to such a degree that many never even question the idea that if youhave a need you must plant a seed.

But is that assumption theologically sound? Should we really plant a seedwhen we have a need?

During a recent telethon (beg-a-thon) Paul Crouch, founder of TrinityBroadcast Network explained that even God sowed a seed when He had aneed.

Thats right God had a need. Hed lost His first family in Adam, Crouchexplained, ..so God sowed His best seed, Jesus. Not only that, but Godsowed in expectation. Just like we are taught to sow expecting a miracle,God sowed expecting a 100 fold return. He gave His son Jesus and got backmany more sons and daughters. Proof positive that seed faith giving works!

THIS IS A LIE!!!

Does the Bible really teach that God had a need? Did God ever lose anythingor anyone.anyone? Would you like Gods response to Mr. Crouchs

exhortation.exhortation? Well look right here.

Psalm 50:9-12 NKJVI will not take a bull from your house, Nor goats out of your folds. For everybeast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all thebirds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all itsfullness.

Or how about this verse Mr. Crouch,

Math 3:9And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I


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say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children untoAbraham.

God is God. He is not a man having needs. He didnt lose anything. All is His.

If He were hungry He wouldnt tell us. Isnt that incredible!

It is the height of arrogance (or perhaps apostasy) to claim that God isanything like us. He is in no way dependent on us. We are dependent onHim. And herein lies the real heresy of the seed faith message.

It turns the doctrine of grace into a doctrine of works and thereby denies thefinished work of the cross.

The seed faith message is a message of works, not grace. It says God cannot

or will not act until we do something.

Would you like to know how to have God meet all your needs, even financialneeds every time? Go to the words of Jesus.

Math 6:31-33Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall wedrink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do theGentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of allthese things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;and all these things shall be added unto you.

What does Jesus say to do when you have a need? Does He say to sow aseed?

No, He says take no thought. He says dont worry about materialpossessions. He says that the Father knows you have need of these things.

So, when a preacher says sow a seed after Jesus has said take no thoughtisnt that preacher guilty of contradicting the Lord? Isnt he in fact denyingthe Lord?

Of course Jesus doesnt stop there. He tells us how to have our needs met.Its simply, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and allthese things shall be added unto you.

How do we seek His kingdom and His righteousness? Well, Gods kingdomand His righteousness are revealed in the Gospel.

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Romans 1:16-17For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God untosalvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it iswritten, The just shall live by

faith.

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CHAPTER SIX

PLEASE Read YOUR Bibles!

The fact is, these people can find only ONE verse that mentions "Prosperity"in the whole New Testament (-and it is of dubious help, as we shall see). Andthere are dozens and dozens of verses in opposition! But which one do theychoose to quote again and again? Here it is in the King James versionVersion(-which is the only translation that helps them in any way): "I wish above allthings that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soulprospereth." (3 John 2). Now, it is interesting to note what this word"prosper" really means in this verse. Renowned Greek scholar W.E. Vine saysthat it simply speaks of "the prosperity of physical and spiritual health." So

it's not about MONEY at all!

And thus we find that in all the later translations, this meaning is made clear.For example, the NIV translation says: "I pray that you may enjoy goodhealth and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting alongwell" (3 John 2). Isn't that interesting?

As I said, this is one of the ONLY VERSES that these Prosperity teachersquote in the entire New Testament. If they are honest, they will admit thatmost of the rest of the NT is squarely AGAINST THEM.

What I would encourage anyone to do, who wants to research this subject, isto get a Concordance and look up EVERY VERSE in the New Testament thatcontains these words: (1) Rich or Riches, (2) Money, (3) Poor, (4) Mammon(5) Possessions, (6) Treasure, (7) Sell or Sold, etc.

You will be absolutely amazed at how strong the NT Scriptures are on thissubject. I did this exact search year ago, and was astonished at what I found.

When you look up the word 'Rich' you find Scriptures such as this: "Woe untoyou that are rich! For you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:24) and"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a

camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God" (Luke 18:24-25, NIV) and "People who want to GET RICH fallinto temptation and a trap" (1 Tim 6:9) and "You rich people, weep and wailbecause of the misery that is coming upon you" (James 5:1). There are manymore along similar lines. Go and look them up, and you will see!


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We find that when Jesus was preaching kingdom principles, he was verystrong in this area. When the 'Rich young man' came to him, He told him:"SELL your possessions and give to the POOR, and you will have treasure inheaven. Then come, follow me" (Mt 19:21, NIV). He also told his owndisciples to "SELL your possessions and give to the POOR" (Lk 12:33).

In my recent article on "Tithing", we discussed the whole issue of 'Giving' inthe New Testament. The fact is , there is no "law" telling Christians to give10%. In fact, what the NT makes clear is that EVERYTHING we have literallybelongs to God. Many people claim that "All I have is God's" but they do notact like it! In the New Testament it is clear that it was EXPECTED forChristians to sell any spare possessions, land or houses, to give to theirneedy brothers and sisters - especially widows and orphans. They certainlyweren't giving their money to wealthy preachers on TV! And neither werethey giving it to erect a new church building on the corner! (-Such things didnot exist). They were giving from their HEART - and while some of it went to

support the ministry, MOST of it clearly went to feed and clothe the POOR.(See Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:34-37).

Some people today want to go back to the Old Testament and use peoplelike Solomon and Abraham as examples of RICH people to emulate. But whatthey fail to realize is that the Old Testament is a 'type' or a "SHADOW" of theNew. (Col 2:16, Heb 10:1). The Old was a "physical" covenant, with a"physical" temple and rituals, etc. The "blessings" of God were also mostlyPHYSICAL and material. But today we have a "spiritual" covenant - a "heart-based" covenant, with mostly SPIRITUAL blessings. That is why we should notseek Old Testament wealth today, . -wWe live under a different covenant.

It is very obvious from the New Testament that there is NO SUCH THING as a'Prosperity' gospel. In fact, it is the exact OPPOSITE. Jesus said, "Blessed areyou who are POOR, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Lk 6:20). And Jamesdeclared: "Has not God chosen those who are POOR in the eyes of the worldto be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who lovehim?" (James 2:5, NIV). Jesus clearly stated that you "CANNOT serve God andMammon" (Mt 6:24) and yet it is obvious that many Christians today aretrying to serve BOTH. The 'Prosperity' teaching clearly encourages this. It is avery dangerous and harmful fallacy.

The glaring hole in these false and perverted messages that tie yourblessings and prosperity to how much money you give is that you have togive to the person delivering the message! They have set themselves up asGod's trustee for your blessings and prosperity. I guess that means if youbelieve their message and choose to give your gift to some other work ofGod you won't receive the same blessings or be as prosperous.

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The other glaring hole is what if you don't have anything to give? Does thatmean you don't qualify for God's blessings? Does that mean you will neverbe prosperous? Does that mean you have no faith? I guess God doesn't lovethose who follow Jesus in India, or China, or Africa, or in most places on thisplanet where people have little if any material possessions. I guess that

means a man or woman in Texas who loves Jesus and is serving Him eachday but is living in a one-bedroom apartment and driving a 20-year-old carhasve no faith.

Here is the problem with these messages that are designed simply to raisemoney. They use some truth from God's Word but pervert that truth by tyingit all to how much money you give. The Bible DOES teach us to have faith inall things, including our finances. The Bible DOES teach that God will bless usand prosper us as we are faithful, and that includes being faithful with ourfinances. The Bible also teaches us to be wise stewards of what God hasentrusted to our care.

ALL we have is from God,God; He has simply given us stewardship overwhatever resources we have during our brief journey through this life. GODDOESN'T NEED OUR MONEY! We give to God as an act of worship. We give toGod as an act of obedience. We give to give as an act of sacrifice. When youread the Bible, the giving of the tenth or "tithe" in the Old Testament waspart of the Old Treatment Testament Law. We are no longer under the OldTestament Law,. 100%, not 10% of everything we have belongs to God. Sowhen we give, we are simply giving back to God what is His already out ofobedience and as an act of sacrifice and worship!

The Bible teaches us to give according to our ability to give. We are alsotaught to give cheerfully. Don't get so legalistic in your giving that you losethe joy of giving.

I counsel people all the time to sit down with God and decide how much youcan give to His work each week. Agree with God and thean be faithful to givethat amount. As the Holy Spirit leads you, you may be led to give over andabove that amount to those works of God that He lays on your heart.

There will be times God challenges you to give sacrificially, as an act of faith.Again, God will prompt your heart on those occasions and those are the

opportunities in life to really take a stand of faith and trust God. YOU DON'TMAKE THE SACRIFICE TO GIVE BY FAITH EXPECTING ANYTHING IN RETURN.YOU MAKE THE SACRIFICE TO GIVE BY FAITH TO SIMPLY BE OBEDIENT ANDTO PLEASE GOD!

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CHAPTER SEVEN

What in the World is wrong With Thethe Televangelists?

Many who share perverted teachings from the Old Testament on the variousofferings to God, making the false leap that you can make a correspondingoffering to God by writing a check to their ministry. Some are so good theycan take ANY passage of Scripture and create a message that ends with yousitting down and writing them a check.

The most egregious examples are those who preach a prosperity message. Iam not talking about the REAL prosperity message of being a child of God. Iam talking about prosperity strictly from a dollars and cents standpoint.Without saying it, the implication of these messages is crystal clear. The

more you give, the more God will bless you financially. It is a Christian Lottomentality that those who preach this perversion are more than happy toencourage.

Those who preach this type of message will normally use themselves as theexamples of God's blessings. They will tell you how they were just like you,poor, struggling, making it from paycheck to paycheck. Then they will tellyou that by trusting God and giving God everything ( what(what money theyhad )had) God began to bless them. It is very misleading and amisrepresentation of God's blessings when they tell you that if you will givethem everything you have, one day you will be prosperous like they are. It islike the no-money down real estate infomercial guys. They didn't get rich byselling real estate, but by selling YOU!

The glaring hole in these false and perverted messages that tie yourblessings and prosperity to how much money you give,give is that you haveto give to the person delivering the message! They have set themselves upas God's trustee for your blessings and prosperity. I guess that means if youbelieve their message and choose to give your gift to some other work ofGod you won't receive the same blessings or be as prosperous.

The other glaring hole is what if you don't have anything to give? Does thatmean you don't qualify for God's blessings? Does that mean you will neverbe prosperous? Does that mean you have no faith? I guess God doesn't lovethose who follow Jesus in India, or China, or Africa, or in most places on thisplanet where people have little if any material possessions. I guess thatmeans a man or woman in Texas who loves Jesus and is serving Him each


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day but is living in a one-bedroom apartment and driving a 20-year-old carhave no faith.

Here is the problem with these messages that are designed simply to raisemoney. They use some truth from God's Word but pervert that truth by tying

it all to how much money you give. The Bible DOES teach us to have faith inall things, including our finances. The Bible DOES teach that God will bless usand prosper us as we are faithful, and that includes being faithful with ourfinances. The Bible also teaches us to be wise stewards of what God hasentrusted to our care.

1 Thes 2:5 (Jer) ...Never at any time have our speeches been simplyflattery or a cover for trying to get money.

2 Cor 2:17 (NEB)At least we do not go hawking the word of God about, as

so many do...

2 Cor 2:17 (NIV)Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God forprofit.

2 Cor 2:17 (LB)We are not like those hucksters--and there are many ofthem--whose idea in getting out the Gospel is to make a good living out ofit.

1 Tim 6:5 (Phi)...among men of warped minds who have lost their realhold on the truth but hope to make some profit out of the Christian religion.

1 Tim 6:5 (TEB)...They think religion is a way to become rich.

1 Tim 6:5-9 (NIV) ...men, who have been robbed of the truth and whothink that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness withcontentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and wecan take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will becontent with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trapand into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin anddestruction.

1 Tim 6:10-12 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and piercedthemselves through with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this,and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

The Nobility of Poverty?

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James 1:9-11 (Jer)It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his highrank, and the rich one to be thankful that he has been humbled, becauseriches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the scorching sun comesup, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so beautiful nowdisappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business goes on; he

himself perishes.

James 1:9-11 (Phi)The brother who is in need may be proud because Godhas raised him to the true riches. The rich may be proud that God has shownhim his spiritual poverty... Just as surely will the rich man and his ways fallinto the blight of decay.

The Risks oOf Wealth...

Mark 4:18-19 (Phi)"Then there are the seeds which were sown among thethorn bushes. These are the people who hear the message, but the worries

of this world and the false glamour of riches and all sorts of other ambitionscreep in and choke the life out of what they have heard, and it produces nocrop in their lives."

Luke 8:14 (Phi)"And the seed sown among the thorns represents thepeople who hear the message and go on their way, and with the worries andriches and pleasures of living, the life is choked out of them, and in the endthey produce nothing."Luke 9:25 (NIV)"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yetlose or forfeit his very self?"

The Prosperity "Fat Cats" Bite The Dust

...Many of us have been fervently praying that God would turn the churchupside down and vigorously shake it (Heb 12:25-29). When this happens,those who love money and have lost their grip on the truth will be the first tofall. This is why every few years you see a SUPER MINISTER falls by thewayside. God DOES shake us up. Many of these preachers start off sincereand really doing a work for God, but love of money overtakes them! In thebook of Daniel, we find this with NebuchadnezzerNebuchadnezzar, he wasovertaken by his power and wealth and God had to humble him. He was outeating grass like a wild beast because he let his success go to his head! Godstill chastens us today. If a man or woman of God needs to be humbled, God

will do it because HE loves us!

1 Cor 4:8-21 (NIV)Already you have all you want! Already you havebecome rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I wish youreally had become kings so that we might be kings with you!.. We are foolsfor Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong!

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You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry andthirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless... Up to thismoment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. Iam not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children... Iwill come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not

only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. Forthe kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer?Shall I come to you with punishment, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

James 5:1-5 (TEB)And now, you rich people[see James 2:2-7], listen tome! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! Your richeshave rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your goldand silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you,and eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days...Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have madeyourselves fat for the day of slaughter.

Jer 5:27-29 (NIV) ..."They have become rich and powerful and have grownfat and sleek... they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they donot defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?"declares the Lord.

God EXPECTS the rich to care for the poor! When they dont, it upsets God.When I see articles about the rich doing good deeds, it is expected in thesight of God. I dont know whether Bill Gates is a believer or not, but he andhis wife give away millions to charity. Now how much more should a richChristian give away?

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Advice on Security Investing

1 Tim 6:17-19 (Phi)Tell those who are rich in this present world not to becontemptuous of others, and not to rest the weight of their confidence onthe transitory power of wealth but on the living God, who generously givesus everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in kindlyactions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathize with those indistress. Their security should be invested in the life to come, so that theymay be sure of holding a share in the life which is real and permanent.

Luke 12:29-34 (Phi)"You must not set your heart on what you eat or drink,nor must you live in a state of anxiety. The whole heathen world is busyabout getting food and drink, and your Father knows well enough that youneed such things. No, set your heart on his kingdom, and your food anddrink will come as a matter of course... Sell your possessions and give themoney away to those in need. Get yourselves purses that never grow old,inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where no thief can ever reach it, or mothdestroy it. For where your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart willbe there too!"

1 Tim 6:8-10 (Phi) Surely then, as far as physical things are concerned, itis sufficient for us to keep our bodies fed and clothed. For men who set theirhearts on being wealthy expose themselves to temptation. They fall into atrap and lay themselves open to all sorts of silly and wicked desires, whichare quite capable of utterly ruining and destroying their souls. For lovingmoney leads to all kinds of evil, and some men in the struggle to be rich

have lost their faith and caused themselves untold agonies of mind.

Jer 9:23-24 (NAS)Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of hiswisdom... let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boastabout this, that he understands and knows Me... "

Now You Know...

1 John 3:16-18 (Phi)We know what love is because Christ laid down hislife for us. We must in turn lay down our lives for our brothers. But as for thewell-to-do man who sees his brother in want but shuts his heart against him,

how could anyone believe that the love of God lives in him? My Children, letus love not merely in theory or in words--let us love in sincerity and inpractice!(2 Cor 8:9)

Luke 12:47-48 (NIV)"That servant who knows his master's will and doesnot get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten withmany blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving


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punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has beengiven much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has beenentrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Prov 28:20 (NIV)The faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to

get rich will not go unpunished.

Rev 3:17-19 (Phi) [Jesus] "While you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, andthere is nothing that I need,' you have no eyes to see that you are wretched,pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked. My advice to you is to buy fromme that gold which is refined in the furnace so that you may be rich, andwhite garments to wear so that you may hide the shame of your nakedness,and salve to put on your eyes to make you see. All those whom I love Icorrect and discipline. Therefore, shake off your complacency and repent."

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Chapter Eight CHAPTER EIGHT

How the early church was financed

It should come as no surprise that the early congregations of Christianitywere financed the same way the early Israelite society was financedthrough a free-will offering, which according to Moses, was more than ampleto provide that which was needed.

"Men and women, as many as were willing hearted, brought bracelets, andearrings, rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold ...the children of Israel broughta willing offering unto the Lord ... They brought yet unto him (Moses) freeofferings every morning ... the stuff they had was sufficientfor all thework to make it, and too much." (Exodus 35:22, 29; 36:3,7, 7)

When our Fathers people give according to His heart and do the work Hehas called us to do in His way, those offerings of the heart will be sufficientand more than sufficient. The keys are the willing heart and the proper work!

Church historians make it very clear,clear; the early Christian congregationswere not financed by tithing of any kind. Apparently tithing promoters do notread very much early Christian history. The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us

that "The Christian Church depended at first on voluntary gifts from itsmembers." Hastings Dictionary of the Apostolic Church says, "It is admitteduniversally that the payment of tithes or the tenths of possessions, forsacred purposes did not find a place within the Christian Church during theage covered by the apostles and their immediate successors."TheAmericana declares: "It (tithing) was not practiced in the early ChristianChurch." Even the Catholic Church, notorious for its many finance raisingschemes, says in the New Catholic Encyclopedia: "The early Church had notithing system ... it was not that no need of supporting the Church existed orwas recognized, but rather that other means appeared to suffice."

The recently published Nelsons New Illustrated Bible Dictionarytells us thatin "the New Testament, the words tithe and tithing appear only eighttimes (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42; Luke 18:12; Hebrews 7:5-6, 8-9). All of thesepassages refer to Old Testament usage and to current Jewish practice.Nowhere does the New Testament expressly command Christians to tithe."


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It is ironic that the Roman Catholic Church, which brought many OldTestament traditions and rituals back into the church in modified forms, atfirst did not partake in usury, that is, in interest on money. They felt usurywas un-Biblical because of passages such as Exodus 22:25; Lev. 25:35-37;Deut. 23:19-20; Nehe. 5:7,10, 10; Ps. 15:5. To finance their building

programs and wars, the popes and kings assigned Jews in their court to dothat kind of"dirty work."That was perhaps one of the leading contributors tothe Jewish people becoming prominent in banking, that is, through being theChristians money lenders.

Isnt it interesting that those who quote the Old Testament to support tithingfor Christians, mysteriously avoid scriptures dealing with charging interest asbeing unlawful? These same tithe promoters usually have plenty of moneystashed into all kinds of interest bearing bonds, savings accounts, etc. As amatter of fact, every time a bullet or bomb is dropped to kill someone,thousands of churches across America make a profit. How so, you might ask?

Churches and denominational headquarters have billions of dollars which areinvested in hundreds of different profit-making or interest-bearing ventures.Most churches invest in conservative mutual funds with portfolios composedof Blue Chip companies such as defense contractors. Some of these sameconservative companies are even controlled by religious organizations suchas the Roman Catholic Church. When these defense contractors, likeMcDonnell Douglas, sell their war machines to our government, thestockholders, thousands of which are churches, make a profit. War machinesare made to kill people. The church invests in many companies that make allkinds of products that kill or are harmful to humanity. One would be shockedto find out how much Christian organizations earn from the worlds military

industrial complex. (For more information on this subject write for theaudiotape The Church is a Rich Prostitute.)

It was not until after Constantine (Ffourth Ccentury A.D.) made Christianitythe state religion of the Roman Empire that the free-will offering wasreplaced with various forceful means of raising money. Constantine began ahuge building program, constructing churches and renovating pagan templesfor use in what would become Roman Catholicism. Prior to this time,believers did not need ornate buildings. After all, they knew that they were

the true temple of God, not some buildings constructed in the very sameform as the pagan temples only with some Biblical themes added to them. Astudy of the things Constantine and his mother did to pervert Christianitywould be a very worthwhile study.

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So, back to New Covenant financing,. Matthew through Revelations is reallyfull of Scriptures that deal with proper giving. There are really too many toput into such a small publication. But a few will suffice.

Throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, the God of Christianity makes

it clear that He is really not interested in our "offerings of sacrifice."

(Psalm 50:7-15)"Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I willtestify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for yoursacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. Iwill not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For everybeast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. Iknow all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the fieldare Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mineand all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me

in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."(Psalm 50:7-15)

(Psalm 51:16,17)"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I wouldgive it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are abroken spirit, a broken and a contrite heartthese, O God, You will notdespise."

(Hebrews 10:5,6; Psalm 40:6-8)(Psalm 51:16,17) "Sacrifice and offeringYou did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offeringsand sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure." (Hebrews 10:5,6; Psalm 40:6-8)

Our Father makes it abundantly clear that we have nothing that does not,even now, belong to Him already. Offering 10 per cent of His goods or90 per cent of His goods or all of it, means nothing to Him. He knowsit all belongs to Him. We are the ones who seem to have the problem offorgetting that. What He is really after is our sincere thankfulness, ourgratefulness for what He has given us!

Every person knows in their heart that God does not need stained glasswindows, steeples, plush carpet, gaudy looking crosses, and a host of othersthings "tithes" are used to purchase. He would probably prefer a bull to asteeple. At least He made the bull, he didnt make, nor authorize churchleaders to make much of the "stuff" those tithes are spent on.

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Let me ask you, "How did Jesus send out the disciples? Did He give them aCadillac or an American Express Card in the name of the ministry like manymodern American evangelists do today? No, He sent them out with nothingand they were provided for with all they needed as they went.

(Luke 10:3,4,7)"Go your way; behold I send you forth as lambs amongwolves. Carry neither purse, nor script, nor shoes ... and in the samehouse remain, eating and drinking such things as they give; for the laboureris worthy of his hire ..." (Luke 10:3,4,7)

Luthers 95 Thesis

OCTOBER 31, 1517

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light,the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg,

under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther,Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in

Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests thatthose who are unable to be present and debate orally with us,

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may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1.Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said PenitentialAgate, willed that the whole life of believers should berepentance.

2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance,i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered bythe priests.

3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is noinward repentance which does not outwardly work diversmortifications of the flesh.

4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long ashatred of self continues; for this is the true inwardrepentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdomof heaven.

5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit anypenalties other than those which he has imposed either by hisown authority or by that of the Canons.

6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring thatit has been remitted by God and by assenting to God'sremission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in casesreserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in

such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirelyunforgiven.

7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the sametime, humble in all things and bring into subjection to Hisvicar, the priest.

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8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and,according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.

9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us,because in his decrees he always makes exception of thearticle of death and of necessity.

10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who,in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances forpurgatory.

11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty ofpurgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sownwhile the bishops slept.

12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed notafter, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.

13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they arealready dead to canonical rules, and have a right to bereleased from them.

14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, theimperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity,great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.

15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to saynothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of

purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.

16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair,almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.

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17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horrorshould grow less and love increase.

18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, thatthey are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of

increasing love.

19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that allof them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness,though we may be quite certain of it.

20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the popemeans not actually "of all," but only of those imposed byhimself.

21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who

say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from everypenalty, and saved;

22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which,according to the canons, they would have had to pay in thislife.

23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remissionof all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remissioncan be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the veryfewest.

24. It

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