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A Different Jesus Doctrine By The NAR False Prophets

The NAR prophets are proliferating a very dangerous teaching known as the Kenosis doctrine.  Such doctrine is not merely academic disagreement on certain interpretation of Scripture but it actually denies most essential doctrines.  By either diminishing the deity of Christ or undermining the union of the two fully-God and fully-man natures in one Person, this Kenosis doctrine has presented a doctrine of a different Jesus.  Marking themselves as false prophets through this Kenosis doctrine and many more,  it is not surprising to see more fruit of strange and bizarre teaching of pagan shamanistic-like practices from them.

(2 Cor 11:4.  For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.)

The Kenosis doctrine teaches that the Messiah, in order to assume the form of a servant and become incarnate (into human flesh), had to give up some, several, or even all the powers and attributes of God and “live as a mere man.”  The logic is that since Jesus left His powers and attributes behind and lived as a mere man, we born-again believers are just as much an Incarnation of God as Jesus was.   So if Jesus did all His miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit, born again believers could do likewise and even more.

This Kenosis doctrine is extremely dangerous as it denies most essential doctrines, especially Christology.

  1. It destroys the integrity of the atonement.   

The Blood that redeemed the church has to be the blood of God.  Acts 20:28.  If He was not God, then His blood sacrifice was not INFINITELY powerful to redeem all who believe in every age.  In other words, if Jesus was not fully divine, then His atoning work would not be sufficient to atone for the sins of the world.  God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col 1:19-20.

  1. It destroys the Christian view of the incarnation.

Sovereignty is an attribute of God. According to Don Fortner it means ruling “all things, everywhere, at all times absolutely.”  If, by becoming man, Christ gave up the use of His divine attributes in any way, then He was not sovereign. If Jesus was not sovereign during His earthly ministry, then He was not God. If He was not God, the Word that was God (Jn.1:1) never became flesh – only part of the Word did. And the name “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us” (NAS Mtt. 1:23), is a lie, and God’s Word is not true.

  1. It denies the immutability of God.

In order for the God the Son to abandon His sovereignty in any way, He would have to change His character or being. This, God would never do. “IAM WHO I AM” (NAS Ex. 3:14). “But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end.” (NAS Ps. 102:27). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.” (NAS Heb. 13:8). According to R.C. Sproul, “If God laid aside one of His attributes, the immutable undergoes a mutation, the infinite suddenly stops being infinite; it would be the end of the universe.”

  1. It undermines the monotheistic distinctive of the Christian faith.

The only way to limit the use of attributes of one Person without limiting the attributes of all three members of the Godhead is to divide God into three divine Beings for each of the three Persons. Jesus could then suspend His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, etc., while the Father and Holy Spirit would continue to exercise sovereign dominion over the universe. This view of the Trinity, however, is polytheistic, not Christian. The Christian faith is monotheistic. We believe there is only one God. “Hear O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). The Creed of Athanasius  affirms this truth: “The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but there are not three gods, but one God…The Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent and the Holy Spirit is omnipotent, but there are not three omnipotent Beings, but one omnipotent Being …We distinguish among the Persons, but we do not divide the Substance.”

(Article is extracted from www.kenosis.info and re-phrased.)

 

Evangelistic Outreach Through Solar Lamp Project

One of my given missions is to share the gospel both in word and in deeds  in galvanizing churches in the region to meet the basic needs of the community and gain a hearing of the gospel as a result.   Over the years of feasibility study by the grace of God,  JC’s Manifesto has narrowed down to 3 evangelistic outreach projects as the most effective approaches – the farming aids, technology to rear poultry, the bio-sand water filter and the solar lamps.

JC’s Manifesto had participated in relief effort by supplying solar lamps to the typhoon victims in Tacloban, Philippines before.  We have also given these lamps to some Nepalese pastors in enabling them to gain a hearing of the gospel in the border towns with India.

In late 2016,  Bishop Martin of the National Chaplains of Philippines had gone to share the gospel in the mountainous regions in northern Luzon enabling the people there to have bible study in the evening using the solar lamp as there is no electrical grid in these regions.

So far, the missions to use the solar lamp as a bridge to evangelism have been relatively successful.

Praise the Lord !

Christian Liberty

1 Cor 10:23-33

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” 27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Although Paul talked extensively about food offered to idols, the issue regarding Christian liberty is not limited to just food and drink but whatever we do.  1 Cor 10:31.

On one extreme, we have believers that believe they have the right to do anything which may deteriorate to license.  On the other, we have believers with weak conscience which may also lead to legalism.

On talking specifically about the issue of food offered to idols, Paul cited two examples of such situations in which believers might eat such food : the public meat market where food was purchased for home consumption and private meals in a non-believer’s home.  And he continued to explain the issue was not the food itself but the situation in which it was eaten.

Likewise regarding Christmas celebration for an example, we should not focus on the apparent inappropriateness of the background or arbitrary chosen date, but on the situation it is celebrated.

In situation where Scripture is silent on matter of conscience, this saying regarding biblical response is true :

Essentials (matter of truth),  unity;

Non-essentials (matter of conscience);  liberty;

All things, charity.

(On Scripture being “silent” on matter of conscience, I mean Scripture does not mention that it is specifically forbidden and I believe one has the liberty to act or not to act on the matter of conscience.  Allow me to illustrate.  For some countries, if there is no U-turn sign, the cars are not allowed to make U turn.  But in most western countries,  if there is no “No U-turn allowed” sign,  the cars are free to make the U-turn.  It is the latter situation to which I am referring.)

Whether to celebrate or not is up to each believer according to his conscience.  If one chooses to celebrate, he shall do it for the glory of God and shall not stumble a brother with a weaker conscience.  But he will be taking a wrong turn to judge others on whether to celebrate or not.

When the angel announced the birth of our Lord to the shepherds, he said,”…I bring you Good News that will cause great joy for all the people…” I celebrate because it is Good News. And I express my great joy through celebration.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. – Colossians 2:16

1 Cor 10:29b-32a summarizes the biblical response for matter of conscience :

For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or WHATEVER YOU DO, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble…

Holy Are You, O Mighty God

Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy are You, Lord

Holy are You, O Mighty God                                         (2x)

Glory, Glory, Glory,  All glory to You, Lord

Glorious are You, O Mighty God                                 (2x)

Worthy, Worthy, Worthy, Worthy are You, Lord

Worthy are You, O Mighty God                                   (2x)

 

The Blessing Of Religious Freedom

When God graciously opened the door for me for the first time in 2011 to start the mission of galvanizing churches to prepare for the end times,  I was invited to share a message in a nationwide pastoral conference held in Medan, Indonesia.

I was pleasantly surprised over the religious freedom there.   Vans were allowed to ply the streets with loudspeakers blaring about the event and the local main newspaper even reported on the event.   The whole event was broadcast on radio reaching out to millions of listeners in all corners of North Sumatra.

Utmost thanks and glory to God our Father and Jesus our Lord for the tremendous blessing of the availability of media like newspaper and radio in enabling the gospel to be shared so freely there.

Following is the translation of that newspaper report (translated by Google) :

“Thousands of pastors and congregations and various denominations of Church and Service Institution attend Seminars & Fellowship at once the PA & KKR services of the Body Building Team of Christ at the Pearl Building of Suara Nafiri Convention Hall.

Seminar & Fellowship sekligus worship that has been going on since Monday and ends today, Wednesday and open to the public from all walks of life. Church leaders, pastors and even church activists and Christian youth organizations come from various regions, such as from Batam, Pekan Baru, Jakarta, Surabaya including North Sumatra and even abroad Brazil, Singapore and Korea.

The keynote speaker at the seminar was Rev. DR Jhonston Silitonga (Batam) and testimony of the word from Ev Jhonny Pardede (Medan) and Pastor Antonio from Singapore. This Seminar & Fellowship is “The Hope Is Not Disappointing Because God’s Love Has Been Shed Inside Our Hearts By The Holy Spirit Who Has Granted Us (Rom. 5: 5).

The seminar and fellowship activities as well as the worship of PA & KKR itself are self-funded by all churches who are members of the Community Guild of Christ surrounding Medan in cooperation with the Radio Narwastu 97.9 FW Voice of truth that all activities are broadcasted directly to the listeners so that the congregation can be heard almost in all corners of North Sumatra.

The participants were very enthusiastic about following this activity, even the servants of God feel grateful to attend seminar & fellowship with the presence of Rev. DR Jhonston, Ev Jhonny Pardede and Pastor Antonio.”

Grace And Law

Obviously Grace and Law are vastly different principles.  In some ways, they contrast starkly.  Though both are found throughout Scripture, Law was the dominant theme in the Old Testament; Grace is the central message of the New Testament.  “The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).  The Law judges sinners guilty, but Grace grants believers forgiveness.  The Law pronounces a curse; Grace declares a blessing.  The Law says,”The wages of sin is death.”  Grace says,”The gift of God is eternal life.” (Rom 6:23)

…The Gospel is not a call for sinners to save themselves.  It is not advice about something the sinner must do to gain salvation.  It is not about the sinner’s own self betterment.  The gospel is a message about God’s work on behalf of the sinner.  It is an account of what God does to save sinners.  It is about how God justifies the ungodly.

…That is why the gospel is good news.  It is a glorious message about liberty from the Law’s curse and condemnation (Rom 8:1).  It sets us “free from the law of sin and death”.  (Rom 8:2).

…But if you imagine that Grace establishes a NEW STANDARD of righteousness that CONTRADICTS the Law, or if you think of the law itself as an evil influence, then you have not listened carefully enough to what Paul and the other apostles taught.  “Is the Law sin ?  Certainly not !  On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Law” (Rom 7:7).  After all, “sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4) – meaning the Law shows us what sin is.  The Law also defines righteousness for us (Deut 6:25).

…And don’t imagine that the principle of justification by faith renders obedience unnecessary for Christians.  The fact that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers does not give them license to live unrighteously;  it motivates them and gives them a constant desire to pursue practical righteousness.

Although our own good works, obedience, and holy living are not in any way the ground of our justification, they are nevertheless inevitable fruits of genuine faith and one of the vital tests by which saving faith can be distinguished from mere pretense.  “Every good tree bears good fruit…Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matt 7:17,20)…Believers are saved “for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”.  (Eph 2:10)

  • The above article is an excerpt from Dr John  MacArthur, “The Gospel According To Paul”.

I Love You, O Lord

(Psalms 18:1-2)

I love You, O Lord, my strength,

My Rock and my fortress, and my Deliverer,

My God in whom I take refuge.

You are worthy, O Lord.

You are worthy, O Lord.

You are worthy, O Lord.

(Updated on 5 July 2020 with a bridge for this song.)

How Wealth Reduces Compassion

Berkeley psychologists Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner ran several studies looking at whether social class (as measured by wealth, occupational prestige, and education) influences how much we care about the feelings of others.

The findings from these studies seem to go against common thinking that the wealthier we are, the more likely we are to act fairly.

In one study, they found that less affluent individuals are more likely to report feeling compassion towards others on a regular basis.

In another study, they found that those with less income and education, were more likely to report feeling compassion while watching the video of the cancer patients.

These studies built upon previous research that showed how upper class individuals are worse at recognizing the emotions of others and less likely to pay attention to people they are interacting with (e.g. by checking their cell phones or doodling).

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-wealth-reduces-compassion/

That can explain why as a country progresses in affluence, the rich and poor divide will get wider causing social upheaval later.

Such scientific research findings actually lend weight to our Lord’s Word that it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God.  But of course, nothing is impossible with God.

Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10 proved it is possible for a rich man to give up the hold of possessions to be our Lord’s disciple.  Luke 14:33.  Though the rich majority are likely to end up like the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-29 who turned away from Jesus sadly.

The church has to command those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable and tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 1 Tim 6:17-19.

If human nature tends to be less compassionate when getting wealthier,  how amazingly true is the exhortation of Scripture that it is great gain to live in contentment with godliness.  1 Tim 6:6-10.

 

 

What It Really Mean To Take Up One’s Cross And Follow Jesus ?

“What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)?”

Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.
Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.
In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests.

Therefore, Jesus appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation! How many people would respond to an altar call that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life”? The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions:
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?
• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

In some places of the world, these consequences are reality. But notice the questions are phrased, “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but are you willing to take up your cross? If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) with the gift of life in Christ: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26).

  • Excerpt from, G. D. Watson, “Others May, You Cannot”.
  • Also appeared in gotquestions.org article “What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?

The Ultimate Unity And Diversity In The Triune God

“God has unity in being one God.  He has diversity in being three persons.  The two go together. This unity and diversity is the ultimate unity and diversity, because it belongs to God Himself rather than merely to creation…God’s capability to plan unity and diversity together has its root in God’s own inner unity and diversity.

The principle of unity and diversity applies to chance events like rain.  We see unity in the pattern of weather and the pattern of the rain over a whole season.  We see diversity in the particular instances when God sends rain…

We see unity in the general motion of a coin as it is thrown into the air.  It goes up in the air and comes down in agreement with the general principle of Newton’s law of gravitation.  It spins at a regular speed.  These are regularities.  They are unities that belong to all the coin flips.  As the same time we have unpredictabilities, which are a kind of diversity.  We see diversity in the results of different coin flips…There are only two possible results for any one flip of the coin, which is itself a regularity.  But each result comes at a particular time.  And the whole sequence of results could be any of a large number of possibilities…There is a further unity of pattern.  If we take the average over a large number of coin flips, we will find that about 50% come up heads.  Though any one flip of the coin is unpredictable, the average is roughly predictable.

God plans and controls both the unpredictable and the predictable aspect…Regularities in the long range patterns of weather and coin flips display God’s faithfulness…The particularities and unpredictabilities in the coming of rain and the result of individual coin flips manifest God’s creativity…”

  • Chance And The Sovereignty Of God,  Vern S Poythress

Likewise, though life has many random and unpredictable events and choices made by men, yet ultimately God is sovereign over every single one, the overall training pattern and eventual conformance.  The biblical view in Scripture is that God is both transcendent and immanent.   Being transcendent, it means God controls everything.  Being immanent, it means God is present everywhere and is intimately involved in the events in this world.  We can take courage that His Spirit indwelling us will help us overcome the world despite the vagaries of life.

Rom 8:29-30

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.