Does this man have a devil in him?

https://www.facebook.com/pufischer/posts/10207689960917410?comment_id=10207694590593149&ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply

Sing F Lau
Repentance towards God REQUIRES a man to do something... it is man's work of turning turning turning, turning from sins and unrighteousness, unbelief and lies and falsehood and superstitions, etc. 

Believing requires man to do something... it is work... it is man's work of turning to Christ the Saviour, to His truth, His righteous ways, etc.

Christ says believing is work, a work God requires of His children.

Jhn 6:29 "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

The grace of faith and repentance that are WORKED in the hearts of God's children ENABLE them to believe and repent. Believing and repenting are spiritual activities performed by those who have been given eternal life.

A Biblical distinction is the essence of SOUND theology... otherwise all you have is SOUND-bytism!!!

Pieter
God is the one who will and makes you repent. It is all Him. We wont, so He Makes us willing.

Your biggest problem is your pride. Rom 9:16. It is not of Him that willeth, nor him that runneth, but God that showeth mercy. Faith is a gift from God, if God does not give you faith, you will no in any way have it. Faith without works is dead. It is a separate thing but it's evidenced by the work based on it. Jesus also said that salvation is of grace not of worsk lest any man should boast.

[God makes you willing is not the same as God wills and makes you repent. If don't see the difference, better hold your peace!]

Sing F Lau
Pieter, your wee small (not big yet!) problem is that you cannot distinguish the eternal salvation in which man DOES NOTHING, because he is in his native state of sin and death from the temporal salvation in which God's children must respond to the commandments of God. Repentance is commanded of those whom God has bestowed - freely and sovereignly - eternal salvation.

If any man thinks that God commands those still dead in trespasses and sins to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, I say that man does not yet know the a,b, c of the gospel.

No man is so stupid as to command a dead man to eat a big Mac; but there are so many such among teachers of the word doing that!

Sad, isn't it???

Pieter
Actually, repentance is commanded of both...

Sing F Lau
A man may be stupid (lacking common sense), God is always consistent, as well as infinitely wise. It is STUPID men who make God to appear stupid!!!

God declared that He sovereignly purposed eternal salvation for a particular people, and entrusted them to Christ to redeem them.

Christ came to sovereignly redeem those that are His and not one more, i.e. AS MANY AS - God the Father gave to Him.

The Holy Spirit sovereignly applies that same salvation that Christ has accomplished to the SAME people...

The Lord Jesus Christ ordained the gospel ministry for the calling out of the SAME people... calling them to repent and believe the truth of their eternal salvation by God's free and sovereign grace. They are called to believe that which IS ALREADY true, and not that something may come true.

God's children are commanded to repent and believe what is ALREADY true of them.

USING GOD TO COVER THEFT - Singapore's mega-church scandal

USING GOD TO COVER THEFT: Together they stole S$ 50 MILLION - Singapore's mega-church scandal

 In 1989, together with his wife Sun Ho, Mr. Kong Hee founded a megachurch – City Harvest Church (CHC) – which becomes one of Singapore’s wealthiest evangelical churches, boasting 30,000 members and 15 services every weekend.

The church claims to have 48 affiliates in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Taiwan, India and Australia.

Today, the CHC founder together with 5 (five) other church leaders have been found guilty of misappropriating S$50 million (US$35.8 million; £23 million; RM154 million) of church funds and falsifying the church’s accounts to cover up their misdeeds.

Singapore prosecutors said the misuse of funds happened between 2007 and 2008.

Besides 55-year-old CHC founder and senior pastor Kong Hee, other partners-in-crime include deputy senior pastor Tan Ye Peng, 42; former CHC fund manager Chew Eng Han, 55; former CHC finance managers Serina Wee, 38, and Sharon Tan, 40; and former CHC finance committee member John Lam Leng Hung, 47.

 

They were accused of misappropriating S$24 million in church funds, funnelling them into bogus investments that funded the singing career of the pastor’s wife, Ms Ho Yeow Sun (Sun Ho). Later, a further S$26 million was used to cover their tracks. The six faced varying counts of criminal breach of trust and falsifying accounts.

Mr. Kong and John Lam were found guilty of three charges of criminal breach of trust. Tan Ye Peng, Chew and Wee were convicted of six charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsifying accounts. Meanwhile, Sharon Tan was found guilty of three charges of criminal breach of trust and four charges of falsifying accounts.

Delivering the verdict to a packed courtroom, Judge See Kee Onn said Kong Hee, Tan Ye Peng, Chew and Wee each clearly played a substantial role in conceiving and executing the plan to channel CHC’s Building Fund through music firm Xtron, which manages Ms Sun Ho, for Crossover Project, a project started by the church in 2002 to evangelise through Ms Ho’s pop music.

Although John Lam’s role was evidently less substantial, the judge concluded that he had his own part to play as a board member and investment committee member. While Judge See has not delivered the sentencing, all the six church leaders are looking at a maximum cumulative sentence of 20 years, in addition to a fine.

Apparently, the church leaders claimed that the Xtron bonds purchased using CHC’s Building Fund were genuine investments which could yield financial returns. They claimed Ms Sun Ho’s planned US Crossover album could sell more than 200,000 copies. However, Judge See wasn’t convinced and said it was not a realistic expectation.

Judge See also slapped a bail of S$1 million each to Kong, Tan Ye Peng, Chew and Lam. Bail amount was set at S$750,000 for Sharon Tan and Serina Wee. Wee was previously out on bail for S$500,000. All six are barred from travelling overseas. The CHC trial is one of the longest-running criminal battles in Singapore history, started in 2013 and has gone on for 140 days in court.

 

Ms Sun Ho’s music career was initially funded by the church but after disgruntled church member Roland Poon made public allegations in 2003 thefunds were being misused to bankroll her music projects, all hell breaks loose. Started her music career in 2002, Ms Ho has several albums in Mandarin to her name and is known in China and Taiwan.

The defence lawyers, interestingly, argued that the six church leaders did nothing for personal gain, but out of a belief in the evangelistic mandate of the church. However, they have clearly misuse CHC’s funds by siphoning offlarge amounts from the building fund for Sun Ho’s music career.

\

Most importantly, they chose to defraud the auditors with falsified accountssuggesting a series of genuine transactions for the redemption of bonds and advance rental. Furthermore, there was no expectation that the money funnelled to Sun Ho’s music career would be repaid, not to mention the bond investments were not an authorised use of the building fund.

In a statement posted on the church’s website, Ms Sun Ho said they were“disappointed by the outcome”. She added that all six involved in the case are studying the judgement and will await further legal advice. “God is making us stronger, purer and more mature as a congregation,” she said on behalf of the CHC Management Board.

 

So, it seems not only Saudi government who often uses God to cover their incompetency, these 6 Singaporeans thieves also use God to cover their theft, in spite of glaring evidence that church funds have been misused by them.

Sure, they argued that Ms Ho’s music was part of a church project but amusingly her videos and lyrics have little to do with Christianity. 


- http://www.financetwitter.com/

http://www.financetwitter.com/2015/10/mega-city-harvest-church-theft-all-6-leaders-guilty-of-stealing-fifty-million.html

The sacrifice of fools...

A popular conman in action, offering his sacrifice to God! 

Ecc 5:1
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

This passage warns us that sincere people can go to the house of God with all their sincere intention BUT end up doing evils - i.e. they behave like fools, as though God has not plainly directed them how He is to be worshiped, and they do things that God has not required of them to do.

Isa 1
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

May we guard our feet when we go to the house of God; and may our feet direct us to the place where God's word is reverently preached for the instruction and edification of His children; where no sacrifices of FOOOOOOLS are sincerely but fooooolishly offered.

Save us from the delusions of this perverse generation.

Do you see the plain and obvious connection between Eccl 5:1 and 2Tim 4:1-4?
If we are to go to the house of God to hear, then there must be the preaching of the word of God.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Doctrinal preaching... and the hypocrites, and Christ's sheep

https://www.facebook.com/defendersofthegospelofjesuschrist/photos/a.1400347116950202.1073741828.1400324740285773/1502418170076429/?type=3

J. I. Packer is a renowned Anglican modern day calvinist.

A good friend posted the picture above on Facebook... and attracted many likes!

I left a comment, and a little exchange took place. Read, and enjoy yourself.

Sing

The first sentence is just another typical calvinist's fable.
The truth is doctrinal preaching bores EVEN many of God's children. Apostle Paul said that, and warned against that.

4:1 ¶ I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
(clearly apostle is speaking of Christ's sheep; the time will come when EVEN the sheep will not endure sound doctrine!)
Christ's hard sayings offended many of God's children. God's children can be so easily offended, and they were NO hypocrites; they were sincere disciples, but sincerely misguided!

[I'm just stating harsh biblical reality; and NOT condoning nor approving the anti-doctrine mentality and doctrinal woolliness that prevail among Christians!]

Robert 

Sing,   God's children be Hypocrites as well. unless you have a different understanding of a hypocrite. And it is true only sound doctrine can save the Lord's sheep in time! I am not sure I understand your objection?

Sing

The calvinist's definition of a hypocrite precludes the idea of a child of God!!! And J I Packer is a well known Anglican calvinist.

Robert

Right but not mine! 

Sing

In the calvinist's fable, no child of God can be a hypocrite, and no hypocrite can be a child of God. They are both mutually exclusive.

Stephe

Do you say this because in your understanding, Sing, Calvinist teaching is that all Christians are perfect?

Sing

No, I don't.

In Packer's statement above, the hypocrites are contrasted with Christ's sheep, OBVIOUSLY implying that they AREN'T among the sheep! I fear good innocent PBs who don't know what those calvinists mean by their "grace" soundings words, some will soon imbibe those ideas!

Stephe

Methinks this quote is in error.
A) Doctrinal preaching won't save anyone - only the work that Christ did on the cross can save.
B) Christ's sheep don't need saving. If they are in His flock, they have salvation.

Sing

Doctrinal preaching DOES save, ONLY not in the way the calvinists like J I Packer imagine.

1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both SAVE thyself, and them that hear thee.

Only those to whom Christ's work of redemption has been applied, THAT IS, those that are saved freely by God's grace, can be saved through doctrinal preaching. The former is eternal salvation; the latter temporal salvation.

Christ SAVED His sheep from the LOST condition, separated from God, in their native state of sin and death, and deserving of eternal damnation; the doctrinal preaching SAVES Christ's SAVED sheep from their ignorance, superstitions, lies, hopelessness, etc... and instruct and edifies them to live godly, etc.

Stephe

I should have clarified.
A) Doctrinal preaching can't provide eternal salvation for anyone.
Is that better. It is more to the point of what I intended.

Sing

Heb 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Doctrines can choke them who refuse to grow up... such babes are NO hypocrites but the sheep of Christ.