I don’t mean to sound envious of these gigantic churches that have maybe a thousand or more congregants, whereas I have only a couple of hundred subscribers, even though I am on the Internet, which gives me exposure to the entire globe!
If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.
Over the years, and even before I became a Believer, I have watched some of the great speakers that run these congregations, such as Oral Roberts- that man was an inspirational and charismatic speaker, which you really need to be if you are going to keep the interest of hundreds and hundreds of people for an hour or more.
But what is the message they give that keeps so many people wanting to hear more?
Is it how God wants them to live their lives?
Is it about tithing and doing for others?
Does it cover the entire Bible, teaching that we all should live according to how God said to in the Torah, that the Torah is what Yeshua taught from, and not to do what some man-made religion misinterpreting Paul’s letters says?
I can’t recall ever hearing any of that from any of them.
No. In fact, not just the megachurches, but most churches I have been exposed to tell only of all the wonderful things that God will do for you.
Faith healing churches (many of which have been exposed as frauds) don’t ask for a regular tithe but for contributions. I remember when I was in the Marine Corps (late 1970’s) and living in North Carolina, a certain televangelist faith healer used to say if they called and made a pledge, they could then touch the television screen and he would heal them.
Imagine that! Digital faith healing- wow! God enters the age of technology. Maybe instead of calling them “prophets” we should call them human modems?
Alexa….say a prayer for me.
My ministry will never be big because I don’t tell people what God will do for them; I tell them what they are to do for God.
God’s promises of blessings (Deuteronomy 28) are not from God to us, but first and foremost, from us to God. The order of things is that God tells us what he wants us to do (in the Torah), then we do it, then God sends us blessings.
That’s the way it works, people.
Do you want to know if God will do wonderful things for you? The answer is ” Yes- absolutely!”
But you have to do your part first- blessings do not precede faithful obedience; no, blessings are the reward for faithful obedience.
And when I say faithful obedience, I don’t mean going through the motions, or that we receive salvation through works. Faithful obedience means doing as God says because you trust in God, because you want to please God, and because you know that whatever God says to do is in your best interests.
And, for the record, what religions have misinterpreted Shaul’s (Paul) letters to mean is NOT from God- it is from Shaul to the people in those congregations he wrote to who were having interpersonal and spiritual problems. The letters to the churches are not God-breathed scripture; what Shaul said in 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the Tanakh, which was the only scripture that existed then.
The letters Shaul wrote are managerial directives to get the neophyte Gentile Believers back on track, teaching them how to be Torah observant (albeit a little at a time).
Remember that in Acts 15:21 James said,
“For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
which demonstrates- unquestionably- that the Elders in Jerusalem expected these new Gentile Believers to eventually learn how to be Torah observant.
So, if you enjoy watching those paragons of religion on TV, please ask yourself what you find so enjoyable and uplifting about them. Is it because you feel “Oh! So good!” when they tell you how God loves you and will do all these wonderful things for you?
If your answer is, “Well, yeah- what’s wrong with that?” I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it- it is misleading you. While telling you all about what God will do for you, they are leading you into rejecting all God said he wants you to do for him.
God has more blessings in store for you than you will ever be able to count, but they ain’t free! You’ve got to be obedient to what God says, not to what some guy running a church tells you.
If you can’t tell the difference between what a religion tells you is God’s word, and what God’s word is from the Bible, then you will be misled.
Thank you for being here and please subscribe and share these messages with everyone you know to help this small ministry be just a little bit bigger. Buy my books and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but please make sure you click that you agree to the rules, or you’re not allowed in.
And remember that I always welcome your comments.
That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!
