The Church today and other problems

Good morning dear ones

2008-02-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

Ranting time!!!

What is going on with these elections? We have 3 people running for President that are like a carbon copy of each one (for the young ones, they are like clones). Their agendas are so similar that we have to wonder who we vote for? In my case I am voting independent, my candidate was Tancredo, but of course the media will not let him arise. By the way I have a letter that he send to the eL President de Mexico. Enjoy this beautiful all american letter

President Calderon :

I was disappointed by misguided comments you recently made regarding U. S. - Mexico relations and U. S. Immigration laws . Purveying misinformation and absurd allegations is hardly a positive step to building a constructive Partnership .

According to the Associated Press you recently said , " You have Two economies. One Economy is intensive in capital , which is the American Economy . One Economy is intensive in Labor , which is the Mexican economy . We are two complementary economies , and that phenomenon is impossible to stop . " Yes , both Countries benefit by the 85 % of Mexico 's manufacturing exports that come to the U. S. , but people are not commodities . While I appreciate your concern for our joint prosperity , the economic and social ills that plague Your Country cannot be Resolved by simply Exporting your citizens to the United States .

It is undeniable that Mexico faces major challenges . Endemic corruption and the power of violent Drug cartels still dominate everyday life across Mexico . Beyond the headlines , Mexico has deep Institutional maladies . Mexico's absurdly antiquated Napoleonic - inquisition styled Legal System and the squandering of robust energy - industry opportunity by a poorly managed , State - run PEMEX Monopoly are just two Examples of the kind of self - inflicted wounds that hobble your Troubled nation .

I understand that you are attempting to resolve some of these problems and applaud your leadership in trying to do so . But what would contribute more to the long term stability of your economy and Your Country would be to focus more Energy on addressing your Domestic Challenges and less on lobbying the U. S. to provide amnesty for Mexicans who have Illegally entered this Country with the blessing of Your government . In doing so , you might be able to keep Mexico 's " best and brightest young men " 'in' Mexico – where they can contribute more to Mexico 's economy than Remittance payments . Unfortunately , your recent comments indicate that Mexico will continue its Policy of encouraging Illegal Immigration and treating the United States as little more than a dumping ground for your Social and Economic problems .

In your speech yesterday to the California State legislature , you lectured the American people on how to improve Our immigration Policies . Why did you not propose that we model Our Policies on Mexico 's own policies toward Illegal Entry across your own Southern border ? Mexico expends enormous resources to prevent Guatemalans , Hondurans and Salvadorans from entering the country Illegally , but you castigate the United States for wanting Secure Borders . Mr. President , in my neighborhood that is called Hypocrisy .

You proposed in your Sacramento speech that " migration " be made " legal , safe and organized . " Mr. President , we already have such a program and it is called Legal Immigration . Over One Million Legal immigrants come through our Ports of Entry each year , not across our border fences . The American people set limits on the number of legal immigrants through our Immigration laws , and it is not the job of the Mexican government to revise, or expand those limits .

President Calderon , you are insulting the American people when you tell us that Fifteen to Twenty million Illegal aliens in our Country bring only benefits and no Costs . I challenge you to give one concrete example of How the enforcement of our existing Immigration laws violates anyone's human rights . The people of Oklahoma are Not anti - Mexican for passing Laws to require verification of employment Eligibility . The people of Indiana are Not anti - immigrant for passing Laws to require photo identification for voting . The people of California are not anti - Mexican for denying Driver's Licenses to Illegal aliens . The people of Arizona are Not anti - immigrant for passing Laws that deny Welfare Benefits to people who are in that State Unlawfully .

It is no secret that the purpose of your visit is to influence the American election , and in fact your trip has been billed as a high - stakes effort to 'shape' the Immigration debate underway in the U. S. Presidential race . What is perhaps more disappointing , however , is your attempt to insinuate that anti - amnesty sentiment here in the U. S. is the same as anti -Mexican sentiment . I am referring to your statement , " I need to change in Mexico the perception that the Americans are the Enemy , and it is important to change the perception that the Mexicans are the enemy . "

It is both disingenuous and dangerous for you to inject this kind of xenophobia into this Debate . The fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans support the enforcement of our Immigration laws and take Issue with the notion that we should reward Illegal Behavior , hardly qualifies as Ethnic animosity or International enmity . What you must understand is that a treasured aspect of our National foundation is a Respect for The Rule of law . Perhaps if corruption were not so widespread and commonplace in Mexico , it would be easier for you to understand this .

President Calderon , in many ways your trip thus far has been a long series of mixed messages . You accuse the United States of recent Protectionist trends , yet you heavily restrict foreign entry into Mexico 's Energy sector through a massive , State -run PEMEX monopoly . You assure American politicians that an open flow of cheap, Mexican labor is not only Benign but vitally Necessary , but you take great care in securing Your own Southern border with Guatemala . You come to the United States ' purportedly ' to promote better political and economic ties with the U. S. , but then issue a thinly veiled Threat that Mexicans will regard the U. S. as An Enemy if we refuse to provide Millions of Illegal aliens with Unconditional Amnesty .

President Calderon , I respectfully suggest that the next time you visit Our Country , rather than trying to influence U. S. policymakers or our Election process , you Take Time to Listen To Americans rather than lecture them . If you want to make changes in Government policies , apply your energies to Mexico 's Laundry list of Problems rather than meddling in domestic American politics . _

Sincerely ,

Tom Tancredo , M. C.

AMEN!!!!!!

This is the person that we need as President.

Warning to these false preachers

2008-01-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

2Cr 4:1-2

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

From Pastor David Guzik at Blueletterbible.org

1. (1-2) How Paul preached the more glorious gospel.

a. Since we have this ministry . . . we do not lose heart: Paul preached his gospel boldly. When Paul considered the greatness of his calling, it gave him the heart to face all his difficulties. We often lose heart because we do not consider how great a calling God has given us in Jesus.

i. The idea behind the Greek word for lose heart is the “faint-hearted coward.” The Greek word has the idea of not only a lack of courage but of bad behavior and evil conduct.

ii. “The preacher should either speak in God’s name or hold his tongue. My brother, if the Lord has not sent you with a message, go to bed, or to school, or mind your farm; for what does it matter what you have to say of your own? If heaven has given you a message, speak it our as he ought to speak who is called to be the mouth of God.” (Spurgeon)

b. As we have received mercy: Paul preached his gospel humbly. He knew his glorious calling to ministry was not due to his own works, it was as we have received mercy. Mercy, but its very nature, is undeserved.

c. Renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully: Paul preached his gospel honestly. The word deceitfully is a verb only found here in the New Testament, meaning “to dilute or adulterate.” Paul didn’t preach a concealed gospel (renouncing the hidden things of shame), or a corrupted gospel (craftiness . . . deceitfully), mixing the message with human ingenuity or watered down accommodation to his audience. Paul preached an honest gospel.

i. Many preachers fail on this exact point. They have the true gospel, but they add to it things of human ingenuity and wisdom. Often, they add these corrupting or diluting things to the gospel because they think it will make the gospel more effective, or give it a greater hearing. But they are still doing what Paul insisted he would never do, handling the word of God deceitfully.

ii. “Certain divines tell us that they must adapt truth to the advance of the age, which means that they must murder it and fling its dead body to the dogs . . . which simply means that a popular lie shall take the place of an offensive truth.” (Spurgeon)

iii. “For just as chaste and honourable women are content with the gracefulness of natural beauty and do not resort to artificial adornments, whereas harlots never think themselves well adorned until they have corrupted nature, so Paul’s boast that he has set forth the pure Gospel whereas others have offered a counterfeit Gospel decked out with unworthy additions.” (Calvin)

iv. Craftiness speaks of “a cunning readiness to adopt any device or trickery for the achievement of ends which are anything but altruistic.” (Hughes)

d. By manifestation of the truth: Paul preached an openly true gospel. Anyone could look at what Paul preached and see the openly revealed truth of it.

e. Commending ourselves to every man’s conscience: Paul preached a gospel of integrity. Anyone could look at Paul’s gospel and his ministry, judge it by their own conscience, and see that it was full of integrity.

i. Some men might attack Paul by their words; some might attack him with their actions. But Paul knew both his ministry and his message found approval in the conscience of every man, even if they would not admit it.

f. In the sight of God: Paul preached his gospel before God. It was important to Paul to know every man’s conscience would approve his manner of ministry, but it was far more important to know that what he did was right in the sight of God.

i. “There is a higher scrutiny than that of the human conscience: it is to God that every minister of the gospel is ultimately and eternally answerable.” (Hughes)

ii. Paul will, later in this chapter, reflect again on his sufferings. In these first two verses, he has made it clear that he has not suffered because he has been an unfaithful minister of the gospel.

It would have been easy for Paul’s enemies to claim, “He suffers so much because God is punishing him because he is unfaithful.” That wasn’t the case at all.

Strong warning for these false teachers who have deceitfully used and continue to use God's words for their own personal agenda. Be careful dear ones you may have fallen pray of these animals and they may be leading you into the eternal lake of fire.

John Hagee Controversy

2008-01-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

In his recent book, In Defense of Israel, Pastor Hagee has opened a can of worms by his statements, "Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jews, but rather the Savior of the world." Also he claims "Jews did not reject Jesus as Messiah" (pag. 132), "Jesus was to be a light to the gentiles" -not the Jews" (pag. 133), "the message of the Gospel was from Israel not to Israel" (pag. 134), and "had Jesus permitted himself to become the reigning Messiah to the Jews, he would have missed the sovereign will of God for his life." (pag. 134). He also said: "it was not the Father's will, nor his, to be the Messiah" (pag. 138), and, "The Jews were not rejecting Jesus as Messiah; it was Jesus who was refusing to be the Messiah of the Jews" (pag. 140) ???

What happened Pastor John? Have you forgotten theology? I was shocked and wanted to rebute his very clear theological mistakes but I have a great deal of respect for him as a Pastor so I will let what MJAA and UMJC responded to Pastor Hagee.

Messianic Jews Respond to John Hagee

On November 28, 2007, the Executive Committee of the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations issued the following statement concerning certain doctrinal positions espoused in the recently published book, In Defense of Israel, by Pastor John Hagee:

As Messianic Jews we appreciate the support for Israel and the Jewish community that many Christians have shown in recent years. This remarkable change in Jewish-Christian relations corrects centuries of Christian anti-Semitism and promises to bear much fruit in the coming years. In particular, we recognize the important work that Pastor John Hagee has accomplished in rallying thousands of Christians to this cause. At the same time, we must note serious concerns about some of Pastor Hagee's doctrinal positions, particularly as expressed in his recent book, In Defense of Israel. These teachings contradict biblical doctrine, undermine the testimony of Jewish followers of Jesus, and weaken the cause of Christian supporters of the Jewish people.

Hagee argues that Jesus is not the Messiah of the Jews, but rather the Savior of the world. The premise that Jesus is not Messiah not only ignores numerous passages in the New Testament, but also undermines the very claim that Jesus is Savior. The New Testament opens with the words, "An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1, NRSV). (John 1:41 and 4:25 state that the words Messiah and Christ are equivalent, respectively the Hebrew and Greek terms for "anointed one.") If Messiah, son of David, is not Israel's king, then whose king is he? Matthew connects the Messiahship of Jesus to his descent from Israel's greatest king, David, and the father of the Jewish people, Abraham. At the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) Peter proclaimed to "Jews from every nation," "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah . . ." (Acts 2:5, 36). As a result, thousands of Jewish people acknowledged Jesus as Messiah that day. By the end of the 1st century there were multiple thousands of Jews who acknowledged Jesus as Messiah. Were they wrong?

Paul speaks of the Jews who accepted Jesus in his own day as a remnant that served as a reminder and anticipation of God's unchanging purposes for all Israel (Romans 11:1-6, 16). How about today? There are hundreds of Messianic Jewish congregations around the world, comprising thousands of Jews who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. We represent Paul's great statement regarding the return of the Jewish people to the Messiah: "What will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Yet, Hagee ignores these realities and the foundational Biblical truths they reflect.

Hagee's book also weakens the cause of Christian Zionism to which he has devoted so much of his life's work. If his theology is so clearly aberrant on the Messiahship of Jesus, why should thinking Christians accept anything he says in support of the Jewish state? But the extreme interpretations that he advocates are not necessary to build the case for support for Israel and the Jewish people. We affirm that Christians can proclaim faith in Jesus as Messiah and also support for Israel without diminishing either.

To teach that Jesus did not come as the Messiah for the Jews is ultimately anti-Jewish. Jesus becomes the savior of the world, but with no particular relationship to the Jewish people. If Jews want to respond to him as savior they have to leave Israel and its messianic hope and become part of something universal. In contrast, when we declare Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel, we do not invalidate Israel or the Jewish people. Yes, Jews need to respond to Jesus, as do all people, yet in this response they discover that he is distinctly Jewish, distinctly relevant to them, and very much part of the Jewish story.

My thoughts now.

It is sad to see a Pastor twist the Word of God to serve his or hers agenda. The German priest Martin Luther ended his days calling for the destruction of the Jews, lets hope this is not the case for Pastor Hagee.

More to come,

Your friend

Mario

The Products of the "Prosperity Theology"

2008-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

Sentinel Special Report
Scores lose jobs as Holy Land undergoes extreme makeover
The new owners preach the prosperity gospel while boosting park attendance.
Mark I. Pinsky Sentinel Staff Writer
October 21, 2007

Paul and Jan Crouch, founders of the world's largest Christian media empire, walk a little slower these days. But that hasn't slowed down the whirlwind transformation of their newest acquisition: Orlando's Holy Land Experience theme park.

When their Trinity Broadcasting Network purchased Holy Land for $37 million in June, longtime employees and supporters hoped the takeover would usher in a new era of financial stability for the park. However, once the first family of old-school American televangelism settled in, they began reshaping it.

More than 50 employees -- or a quarter of the work force -- were fired or laid off. Scores of trees buffering the re-creation of first-century Jerusalem from I-4 traffic were cut down. The cavelike interior of the biblically themed Oasis Caf� was painted purple. Furnishings left behind by the previous owners were dumped, and then replaced by opulent and expensive new pieces.

Such staff reductions are common in corporate takeovers, and religious organizations are no exception, said Trinity's attorney, Colby May. (Paul and Jan Crouch declined interview requests from the Orlando Sentinel.)But for many of the longtime Holy Land workers let go since Trinity took the reins, the Crouches have been more like a wrecking crew. Paul, Jan and their management team have acted like "a cross between the Sopranos and the Beverly Hillbillies," said Keith Wright, Holy Land's former security chief.A gospel of prosperitySince Holy Land passed into the control of the Crouches, it also has undergone a theological shift -- from its founder's Baptist roots to a branch of Pentecostal Protestantism.The Crouches are proponents of what is known as the "prosperity gospel." It is based on the precept of "sacrificial giving by faith," which encourages followers to donate to their financial limits -- and in some cases beyond -- believing the contribution will miraculously multiply.While Baptists, such as Holy Land's founder, the Rev. Marvin Rosenthal, do not subscribe to the prosperity gospel, the doctrine has worked for Trinity and the Crouches. They drive luxury cars, occupy 30 houses across the country and fly on a 19-seat corporate turbojet -- all owned by Trinity.Trinity Broadcasting Network took in more than $194 million in 2005, mostly from on-air telethons, and spent more than $129 million, according to documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Today, the network's net assets are estimated at more than $1 billion. Paul Crouch, Sr.'s compensation in 2005 was $419,500; Jan's was $361,000. That puts the couple among the highest-paid chief executives of religious nonprofits, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.And since the hand-over, the Crouches and their associates say the park is in better financial health."Trinity has not only dramatically increased the number of visitors -- by more than 30 percent -- it has also reduced operating costs by over 20 percent, without a loss of service," said May, the attorney. "Bottom line, things are working better, and many more people are enjoying Holy Land.

Yeah right, ask about those who lost the job, non-profit organizations that should depend upon God to provide for them are becoming worst that regular profit organizations. I wonder, what are they going to tell Christ when they have to stand up before His White Throne of Justice?

Salaries of 419K a year for a ministry worker? What do you do with that kind of money when the ministry is paying for your hotel expenses, travel expenses, gas, car rental, etc? Vacations in Hawaii maybe? More to come....

Your friend Mario

More of the same

2007-12-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Well dear friends, this is one of the first stories about what really goes on. Here is a recently published article, you be the judge:

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer Thu Dec 27, 2:56 PM ET
The message flickered into Cindy Fleenor's living room each night: Be faithful in how you live and how you give, the television preachers said, and God will shower you with material riches.

And so the 53-year-old accountant from the Tampa, Fla., area pledged $500 a year to Joyce Meyer, the evangelist whose frank talk about recovering from childhood sexual abuse was so inspirational. She wrote checks to flamboyant faith healer Benny Hinn and a local preacher-made-good, Paula White.

Only the blessings didn't come. Fleenor ended up borrowing money from friends and payday loan companies just to buy groceries. At first she believed the explanation given on television: Her faith wasn't strong enough.

"I wanted to believe God wanted to do something great with me like he was doing with them," she said. "I'm angry and bitter about it. Right now, I don't watch anyone on TV hardly."
All three of the groups Fleenor supported are among six major Christian television ministries under scrutiny by a senator who is asking questions about the evangelists' lavish spending and possible abuses of their tax-exempt status.

The probe by Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has brought new scrutiny to the underlying belief that brings in millions of dollars and fills churches from Atlanta to Los Angeles — the "Gospel of Prosperity," or the notion that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches.

All six ministries under investigation preach the prosperity gospel to varying degrees.
Proponents call it a biblically sound message of hope. Others say it is a distortion that makes evangelists rich and preys on the vulnerable. They say it has evolved from "it's all right to make money" to it's all right for the pastor to drive a Bentley, live in an oceanside home and travel by private jet.

"More and more people are desperate and grasping at straws and want something that will alleviate their pain or financial crisis," said Michael Palmer, dean of the divinity school at Regent University, founded by Pat Robertson. "It's a growing problem."

The modern-day prosperity movement can largely be traced back to evangelist Oral Roberts' teachings. Roberts' disciples have spread his theology and vocabulary (Roberts and other evangelists, such as Meyer, call their donors "partners.") And several popular prosperity preachers, including some now under investigation, have served on the Oral Roberts University board.

Grassley is asking the ministries for financial records on salaries, spending practices, private jets and other perks. The investigation, coupled with a financial scandal at ORU that forced out Roberts' son and heir, Richard, has some wondering whether the prosperity gospel is facing a day of reckoning.

While few expect the movement to disappear, the scrutiny could force greater financial transparency and oversight in a movement known for secrecy.
Most scholars trace the origins of prosperity theology to E.W. Kenyon, an evangelical pastor from the first half of the 20th century.

But it wasn't until the postwar era — and a pair of evangelists from Tulsa, Okla. — that "health and wealth" theology became a fixture in Pentecostal and charismatic churches.

Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin — and later, Kenneth Copeland — trained tens of thousands of evangelists with a message that resonated with an emerging middle class, said David Edwin Harrell Jr., a Roberts biographer. Copeland is among those now being investigated.

"What Oral did was develop a theology that made it OK to prosper," Harrell said. "He let Pentecostals be faithful to the old-time truths their grandparents embraced and be part of the modern world, where they could have good jobs and make money."

The teachings took on various names — "Name It and Claim It," "Word of Faith," the prosperity gospel.

Prosperity preachers say that it isn't all about money — that God's blessings extend to health, relationships and being well-off enough to help others.

They have Bible verses at the ready to make their case. One oft-cited verse, in Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians, reads: "Yet for your sakes he became poor, that you by his poverty might become rich."

Critics acknowledge the idea that God wants to bless his followers has a Biblical basis, but say prosperity preachers take verses out of context. The prosperity crowd also fails to acknowledge Biblical accounts that show God doesn't always reward faithful believers, Palmer said.
The Book of Job is a case study in piety unrewarded, and a chapter in the Book of Hebrews includes a litany of believers who were tortured and martyred, Palmer said.
Yet the prosperity gospel continues to draw crowds, particularly lower- and middle-income people who, critics say, have the greatest motivation and the most to lose. The prosperity message is spreading to black churches, attracting elderly people with disposable incomes, and reaching huge churches in Africa and other developing parts of the world.
One of the teaching's attractions is that it doesn't dwell on traditional Christian themes of heaven and hell but on answering pressing concerns of the here and now, said Brian McLaren, a liberal evangelical author and pastor.

But the prosperity gospel, McLaren said, not only preys on the hope of the vulnerable, it puts too much emphasis on individual success and happiness.

"We've pretty much ignored what the Bible says about systemic injustice," he said.
The checks and balances central to Christian denominations are largely lacking in prosperity churches. One of the pastors in the Grassley probe, Bishop Eddie Long of suburban Atlanta, has written that God told him to get rid of the "ungodly governmental structure" of a deacon board.
Some ministers hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works. Atlanta-area pastor Creflo Dollar, who is fighting Grassley's inquiry, owns a Rolls Royce and multimillion-dollar homes and travels in a church-owned Learjet.

In a letter to Grassley, Dollar's attorney calls the prosperity gospel a "deeply held religious belief" grounded in Scripture and therefore a protected religious freedom. Grassley has said his probe is not about theology.

But even some prosperity gospel critics — like the Rev. Adam Hamilton of 15,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in suburban Kansas City, Mo. — say that the investigation is entering a minefield.

"How do you determine how much money a minister like this is able to make when the basic theology is that wealth is OK?" said Hamilton, an Oral Roberts graduate who later left the charismatic movement. "That gets into theological questions."

There is evidence of change. Joyce Meyer Ministries, for one, enacted financial reforms in recent years, including making audited financial statements public.

Meyer, who has promised to cooperate fully with Grassley, issued a statement emphasizing that a prosperity gospel "that solely equates blessing with financial gain is out of balance and could damage a person's walk with God."

Amazing!!! Can you explain how are you using the money of the Lord for your own benefit instead of spreading the Gospel, how many homeless are you helping, how many widows and orphans are you attending, how many hungry American children are you feeding? Gimme a break, be honest and use the money that God has provided for you, to reach out for the lost souls, maybe you should start with your own soul first!!!

More to come, your friend

Mario

The Church today a cash cow?

2007-12-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Good day

Dear friends and those who just meet me, for several months the Holy Spirit has been poking my heart about what is going on the church today. More and more preachers are abandoning the true faith to follow after the desires of the world. More and more we see these false preachers sucking the life out of poor old ladies promising them "get rich quick" scams. God is not pleased with them and they are so full of themselves that when you write to them, they never bother to reply to the writers. The scandals that are consuming the church today is proof that we are getting closer to the End Times. Thousands of children go to bed hungry in our country and you have the so called "prophets buying tables worth tens of thousands of dollars. Why not to use this money to feed our homeless and poor people, what about our war veterans and disable people who can barely make on a few dollars that receive from the government. It is time for our mighty preachers to get down from their horses and look around them, the world doesnot revolve around you!!! wake up, God is watching. Why are you not helping those desperate teenagers that are killing themselves today because of lack of someone who cares? Stop lying to the people about Jesus promising them to be famous, rich and succesful in their lives, Our Master didn't have even a pillow where to rest His head. God is watching and many of you are going to test the wrath of God very soon. Repent rich church and return to your first love, help and feed the homeless, the orphans and the widows. Point the lost to the right path, become the beacon of light that Christ called you to be. Open your eyes Church, Christ is knocking trying to get in.
Christ said in the Book of Revelation:

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Let Him in!!!!