WHY DO YOU STOP EVANGELICAL CHURCHES?

GALATIANS 1: 6-12

The inconstancy of the Galatians - Paul vindicates the divine authority of his apostleship and doctrine

6 I marvel that you passed so quickly from him who called you to the grace of Christ into another gospel;

7 Which is no other, but there are some who trouble you and want to disrupt the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which I have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 So now, as I told you, now I tell you again. If any man preach any other gospel unto you than ye have received, let him be accursed.

10 Why do I persuade men or God now? Or do I try to please men? If he were still pleasing men, he would not be a servant of Christ.

11 But I make it known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not after men.

12 For I received him not, neither did I learn of any man, but the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Learning With The Puritans - Joel Beeke Https://youtu.be/KtgrW pwgJI0

Historical Roots of Prosperity Theology

Brazilian evangelicalism presents appreciable and worrying characteristics. Among the latter is the taste for novelties. Leaders and believers feel that in order to maintain an interest in God's things, a new teaching, a new emphasis or experience must arise from time to time. Generally such innovations have their origin in the United States. Like other countries, Brazil is an importer and consumer of North American material and cultural goods. This is also true in the religious area. A movement of American origin that has had enormous receptivity in the Brazilian evangelical milieu since the 80s is called the theology of prosperity. It is also known as "positive confession," "word of faith," "movement of faith," and "gospel of health and prosperity." The history of the origins of this teaching reveals questionable aspects that should serve as a warning to those who are fascinated with it.

Contrary to many people's beliefs, the basic ideas of positive confession did not emerge in Pentecostalism, but in some syncretic sects of New England in the early 20th century. However, because of some affinities with the Pentecostal worldview, such as belief in Prophecies, revelations, and visions, it was in Pentecostal and charismatic circles that positive confession was most welcomed in both the United States and Brazil. The story of his two great paladins will elucidate the roots of this popular theology and show why it is damaging to the integrity of the gospel.

Essek W. Kenyon, the pioneer

Although Prosperity theology considered Kenneth Hagin the father of this movement, careful research by several scholars, such as D. R. McConnell, conclusively demonstrated that the true originator of positive confession was Essek William Kenyon (1867-1948). This Methodist-born evangelist was born in Saratoga County, New York, and became a teenager. In 1892 he moved to Boston, where he studied at Emerson College, known to be a center of the so-called "transcendental" or "metaphysical" movement, which gave birth to various sects of dubious orientation.

One of the influences received and acknowledged by Kenyon at the time was that of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science.

Kenyon initiated the Bethel Bible Institute, which he directed until 1923. He then moved to California, where he made numerous evangelistic campaigns. He preached several times at the celebrated Angelus Temple in Los Angeles by evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel. He pastored independent Baptist churches in Pasadena and Seattle and pioneered radio evangelism with his "Church of the Air." The recorded transcripts of his programs served as the basis for many of his writings. He coined many popular expressions of the faith movement, such as "What I confess, I possess." Before his death in 1948, he commissioned his daughter Ruth to continue his ministry and publish his writings.

What were the beliefs of such metaphysical groups? They taught that the true reality is beyond the physical realm. The sphere of the spirit is not only superior to the physical world, but it controls every aspect of it. Moreover, the human mind can control the spiritual sphere. Therefore, the human being has the innate ability to control the material world through its influence on the spiritual, especially in regard to the cure of diseases. Kenyon believed that these ideas were not only compatible with Christianity but could enhance traditional Christian spirituality. By right use of the mind, the believer could claim the full benefits of salvation.

Kenneth Hagin, the publisher

The great promoter of the teachings of Kenyon, to the point of being considered the father of the movement of the faith, was Kenneth Erwin Hagin (1917-2003). He was born In McKinney, Texas, with a serious heart problem. He had a difficult childhood, especially after the age of six, when his father abandoned his family. Just before he was 16, his health worsened and he was confined to a bed. He had some remarkable experiences. After three visits to hell and to heaven, he was converted to Christ. Reflecting on Mark 11: 23-24, he came to the conclusion that it was necessary to believe, verbally declare the faith and act as if he had already received the blessing ("believe in your heart, decree with your mouth and it will be yours"). Shortly afterwards, he obtained a cure for his illness. In 1934, Hagin began his ministry as a Baptist preacher and three years later joined the Pentecostals. He received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. In the same year he was licensed as pastor of the Assemblies of God and pastored several churches in Texas. In 1949, he began to engage with independent preachers of divine healing and in 1962 he founded his own ministry. Finally, in 1966 made the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the headquarters of its activities. Over the years, Faith Radio Seminary, Rhema Correspondence Bible School, Rhema Bible Training Center, and Word of Faith magazine have reached an immense number of people. Other resources used were cassette tapes and more than one hundred books and pamphlets. Hagin, claimed to have received the divine anointing to be a teacher and prophet. In his fascination with the supernatural, he claimed to have had eight visions of Jesus Christ in the 1950s, as well as several other out-of-body experiences. According to him, his teachings were transmitted to him directly by God himself through special revelations. However, it was later proved that he was greatly inspired by Kenyon, to the point of copying, almost word for word, entire books of this predecessor. In a Master's thesis at Oral Roberts University, D. McConnell demonstrated that much of what Hagin claimed to have received from God was nothing more than plagiarism of Kenyon's writings. Hagin's rather suspicious explanation is that the Holy Spirit had revealed the same things to both of them. Reflections in Brazil Hagin's teachings influenced a large number of American preachers, starting with Kenneth Copeland, his presumptive heir. Other followers were Benny Hinn, Frederick Price, John Avanzini, Robert Tilton, Marilyn Hickey, Charles Capps, Hobart Freeman, Jerry Savelle and Paul (David) Yonggi Cho, among others. In 1979, Doyle Harrison, Hagin's son-in-law, founded the International Convention of Churches and Ministers of the Faith, a virtual denomination. In the 1980s, the teachings of positive confession and the gospel of prosperity came to Brazil. One of the first to spread it was Rex Humbard. Marilyn Hickey, John Avanzini and Benny Hinn participated in conferences promoted by the Association of Business Men of the Full Gospel (Adhonep). Other visitors were Robert Tilton and Dave Robertson. Among the first manifestations of the movement were the Church of the Word of Life and the Seminary of the Word of Life (Guarulhos), the Rema Community (Morro Grande) and the Verbo Vivo Church (Belo Horizonte). Some leaders who embraced this theology were Jorge Tadeu, of the Maná Churches (Portugal); Cássio Colombo ("Uncle Cassio"), of the Cristo Salva Ministry, in São Paulo; The "apostle" Miguel Ângelo da Silva Ferreira, from Cristo Vive Evangelical Church in Rio de Janeiro, and R. R. Soares, responsible for the publication of most of Hagin's books in Brazil. Perhaps the most outstanding figure of the earliest times was Pastor Valnice Milhomens, leader of the Word Ministry of Faith, who knew the teachings of positive confession in South Africa. Brazilian churches were impacted by an avalanche of books, tapes, and Positive confession. Ricardo Gondim noted in 1993: "With extremely simple books, [Hagin] has been able to influence the course of the church in Brazil more than any other religious leader in recent times." Conclusion In addition to presenting questionable teachings on the faith, prayer, and priorities of the Christian life, and relativizing the importance of the Scriptures through new revelations, the theology of prosperity, through the writings of its exponents, presents other worrying emphases in its Understanding of God, of Jesus Christ, of the human being and of salvation. Since the 1980s, various American Pentecostal denominations have officially positioned themselves against the excesses of this movement (Assemblies of God, Foursquare Gospel and Church of God). Authors such as Charles Farah, Gordon Fee, D. R. McConnell and Hank Hanegraaff, all sympathizers of the charismatic movement, wrote works contesting positive confession and its implications. They pointed out how, although this theology seems to be an exciting way of looking at the Bible, it departs at crucial points in the historical Christian faith. In Brazil, three significant works published in 1993 - "The Gospel of Prosperity "By Alan B. Pieratt; "The Gospel of the New Age", by Ricardo Gondim; And "Supercrentes," by Paulo Romeiro - solemnly warned the evangelical churches to these dangers. Sadly, various groups, especially those with greater visibility in the media, are increasingly committed to this theology unknown to much of church history. By defending and legitimizing the values ​​of secular society (wealth, power, and success), and by offering people what they aspire to, not what they really need in God's eyes, such churches grow impressively but miss great opportunity to Have a salutary and transformative impact on Brazilian society. SOURCE: Produced by: Alderi Souza de Matos holds a Ph.D. in church history from Boston University and an official historian of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. He is author of The Christian Walk in History and "The Presbyterian Pioneers of Brazil". Asdm@mackenzie.com.brThe True Worship to God - Paulo Juniorhttps: //youtu.be/WqGbDBoiMaEO that belongs or does not belong to a Christian cult? What does the Bible tell us? CAN WE DO WHAT WE WANT? Not at all. The Bible indicates that in our worship of God, Christians should do only those things that God positively requires of us, whether by commandment or inference. Several lines of biblical evidence support this position: • Only God has the right to determine how he should be worshiped (Lev 10: 1-3, Jn 4: 20-26, 1 Cor 14) • The second commandment forbids not only worshiping others beyond The only true God, but also to worship the true God in a way that he did not command (Exodus 20: 2-6). Given that: faith is an affirmative response to the revelation of God. Since: everything that does not come from faith is sin (Rom 14:23). Therefore: God will not accept any worship other than an affirmative response to his revelation. • Since: The New Testament requires Christians to meet regularly (Heb. 10.25). Since: Christians should not be required to submit to rules and practices invented by man (Colossians 2: 16-23). Therefore, any church that effectively requires assembled Christians to participate in a practice that God did not prescribe expressly is unjustly constraining the conscience of these Christians. In other words, because the conscience of these Christians must remain free of human requirements, no church has the right to corporately worship God in a way that it has not affirmed. • How, then, do we decide what belongs to a Christian worship? We examine the Bible to find out what God said Christians should do when they come together. So we do all the things that God tells us to do, and nothing more. What does the New Testament Say What Churches Should Do When Gathering The New Testament says that when churches come together they should read the Bible, Preach the Bible, pray in the light of the Bible, sing the Bible, and see the Bible.1. Read the Bible: Paul said to Timothy: "Be devoted to the public reading of Scripture" (1 Timothy 4:13, NIV). The churches should read the Scripture aloud during their meetings.2. Preaching the Bible: Paul said to Timothy, "Preach the word" (2 Timothy 4: 2). Paul himself declared "all the design of God" to the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:27). Church meetings today should be centered on sermons that take the main point of a Scripture passage, make it the main point of the sermon, and apply it to the life of today. Praying in the light of the Bible: Paul urges prayers to be made in the assembled church (1 Tim. 2: 3, 14-15). The content of these prayers should be biblical in order to edify all those present (1 Cor. 14:12, 26). This does not mean that prayers in a church service should be dry and formal, but that they should be biblically rich. Sing the Bible: Paul said to the church in Colossus: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly ... with prayers and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in your heart" (Col 3:16) . This does not mean that churches should sing only Psalms or just the words of the Bible, but it means that churches should sing songs that are soaked with the language and theology of the Bible. See the Bible: We say "see the Bible" because the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper are, to use Augustine's expression, "visible words." In baptism and the Lord's Supper we see, smell, touch and taste the Word. Christian churches should celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper during their public worship meetings (1 Cor. 11: 17-34). -pertence-to-a-worship-Christian-the-bible-tells-us / 

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