Friday, 3rd April 2009
1. Money
2. Sex
3. Power
The 3 things that the people of the world seek after.
The 3 things that make the headlines and front-page news.
And of late, NewCre seems to be making the headlines on a very regular basis :-)
A few weeks back, it was reported that it raised $19m in less than 24 hours.
Just this week, it was reported that it paid one of its pastors more than $0.5m in salary last year.
Well, there is one thing that cannot be denied in all of this is this
GOD HAS BEEN, IS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE BLESSING NEW CREATION CHURCH!!!!!
The vows of celibacy and poverty that the Catholic priesthood undertook are not biblical. They only suppress the desires that are given to us by God to begin with. It is no wonder then that paedophilia, homosexuality and covetousness are so rampant.
PROSPERITY is not a dirty word. If it were so, then God would not have prospered Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
SEX is not a dirty word. If it were so, then God would not have created man and woman with sexual organs that fit hand in glove so that the two could become one and complete and fulfill each other in a context of a marriage.
POWER is not a dirty word. God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him above all, and we who are in Christ, have that same power to be more than conquerors and to reign in life.
Let us not have a holier-than-thou attitude like the Pharisees and instead see money, sex and power in the proper context of beneficiaries of the New Covenant.
Jesus became poor on the cross so that we may be rich.
Jesus esteemed marriages and gave it its rightful honour when He attended the wedding at Cana.
Jesus, via the Holy Spirit, has given us the power to be His witnesses and spread His good news to all that He has placed around us.
Coming back to the $0.5m salary. I like this parable about The Half-Million Dollar Chef that fellow blogger Stan wrote.
To add to his analogy, the chef in his parable has been gifted to take ingredients that one would normally consider tasteless and boring to cook up a meal that is so tasty, delicious and mouth-watering that patrons are willing to queue up for hours, and still come back for more every week thereafter.
Does it make you curious as to how come he is being paid that much? Good, then go to the Rock and listen for yourself. God is using him so mightily that even the driest of passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy become exciting and come alive because Jesus is being unveiled.
In the Old Testament, the priests and Levites were well taken care of. The tithes collected from the other tribes were meant to be given to them. In Deut 15, we read that some of offerings of oxen and sheep were to be eaten by them, and the best parts (like the thigh and the breast) were even reserved for Aaron the priest and his descendants.
Well, in the current-day context, full-time church workers are the equivalent of the Levites and Pastors are the modern-day equivalent of the priests. This is what Paul had to say in the New Testament:
Gal 6:6
The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
1 Tim 5:17-18
The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."
So let us not begrudge the man what the church's council, in their collective wisdom, has decided is a worthy wage for this labourer of God. Let us rejoice that God has blessed NewCre with the means to do so. Amen?
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13 comments:
very well written bro.
Well said, Amen!
The difference between a chef and a religious institution / faith is that the restaurant is a business...not a mere calling.
Does a church want to be a business or a calling?
How much is enough? How much is too much?
And...what ever happen to the Imitation of Christ?
Do we want to imitate Christ in his poverty so that more can be made rich? And rich not necessarilty in the material sense?
The vows of poverty and celibacy have Biblical roots...go read Paul.
Whatever happened to the story of Jesus telling the rich man, that it was easier for the camel to pass through the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven?
Whatever happened to the man who turned away when Jesus told him leave everything and follow him?
Warning...in the quest to seek argument in claiming that wealth is a blessing from God,remember that God blesses in so many ways, and wealth, sex and power are just they ways..and that those who are not "similarly blessed with riches" are not blessed. That is the extrapolation of the argument...dangerous theology there.
Dear anon who wrote at 11:04PM
The restarant analogy is used to draw up some spiritual truth.
The parable of the seed and the sower likewise contains deep spiritual truths. The devil is like the birds who come and take away the seed. You cannot take that literally.
When Paul told us to be imitators of Christ, he meant the risen Christ -- victorious over His enemies. We cannot imitate Him in the sense of dying on the cross, or being circumcised, or staying single, or dying young. On the contrary, there was a divine exchange that took place in that He became sin and we became righteous. He took the curses so we can take the blessings. He became poor so we can become rich. He took our diseases so we can walk in divine health.
The rich man who Jesus referred to is the same one who boasted in his law-keeping. Woe to those today whp also try to please God with their own efforts because it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle.
In fact, the theology that God blesses us in many other ways (including sicknesses and poverty) is even more dangerous because we are attributing curses to Him rather than to the devil. If such is of God, then why is heaven laid with streets of gold? Why is there no weeping in heaven? Let's get back to first principles.
What is the answer to those in suffering?
Cancer, illness, poverty, war, persecution (not necessarily religious)...
Is it possible to find God in suffering?
Or is God best present in the visible manifestations of good health and prosperity?
While God may choose to bless us, some maybe, in material possessions...for others who are suffering, the Christian hope is in the hope and faith, and belief that the rewards are not only this in this world, but of eternal life.
I just find that the message of blessings in health and wealth terms overt, and overly emphasised.
Just because it is attractive, does not mean it has completeness in truth.
awesome la.
The answer to those who are suffering is to behold Jesus and His finished work.
In fact, that is the answer to all life's problems.
It may sound simplistic but the natural man (yes, even Christians) who uses his intellect cannot comprehend the things of God. It has to be spirit to spirit.
Christians who are suffering from cancer may not have been taught that the Lord's supper is for their health and wholeness.
Paul says that because they do not discern the Lord's body (that He was striped for our healing), for this singular reason many Christians are weak, sick and die prematurely.
Great! Now everyone will follow Christ for Money, Power and Sex! Amen!!!
Yes Malcolm, Jesus and His finished work is the answer. Jesus didn't come to give us religion, He comes to lead us out of the low life that we used to have, into the abundant life that He died to give.
I used to have no answer to Christians who ask me why it is that some Christians die poor, if what NewCre preaches is true. Today, I know that it depends on the teaching that you sit under. If the Christian does not believe in a God who delights in blessing him materially, God cannot force blessings on him. Even though what NewCre preaches is true, if the Christian does not believe God for that, the promise is of no effect. There is a verse on that somewhere.
John 2:13-16"The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!"
Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."
The strength of sin is the Law.
http://yourverdict.blogspot.com/2009/01/hope-of-god-church-split-timeline.html
Dear anon who wrote on Tuesday, April 07, 2009 11:59:00 AM
It is good that you quote these 2 passages.
The first one is a fine example that Jesus was not always a "nice guy". While He was gentle to the prostitutes and publicans (who had broken the law, mind you), there were moments when He was indignant and righteously angry. Likewise, there are times when we grace folks have to speak up strongly in defence of the grace gospel.
The second one was said to the guy who tried coming to Jesus based on his own performance of law-keeping. Notice that the thief who was hanging next to Jesus was not given such requirements.
We have to rightly divide the Word of truth.
I believe that the church, and not the secular world, should lead the way. Why do we always have to come behind?
So half a million is a fine breakthrough benchmark for Christians to attain. Yeah, NCC, lead the way, show the other churches, show the world -- what being a faithful follower and son of God can do for you!
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