Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? 7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 7:18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.…
Some thoughts from Peter Mead. Here they are, using a mixture of his words and mine.
Ian Paul has some helpful thoughts on preaching online during the present corona virus epidemic.
I summarise.
Introductory thoughts
This question is addressed by Costi Hinn in his recent book, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel (Zondervan).
(Costi, as the nephew of Benny Hinn, was raised in the bosom of prosperity gospel teaching and practice, although later came to thoroughly repudiate it, as his book documents.)
1. The prosperity gospel distorts the biblical gospel
The biblical gospel is all about God, and what he has done for us in Jesus Christ. This is seen clearly in passages such as Rom 3:23-25; 5:8-10; Eph 2:4-10. …
The Prosperity Gospel promises healing.
So what happens when someone gets ill, is promised that God will heal them, but doesn’t get better?
Does this put a dent in the theology of the Prosperity Gospel?
Absolutely not!
According to Costi Hinn (a former insider, but now a vigorous critic, of the Prosperity Gospel), the following reasons apply in such cases:
Psalm 105:14-15 – ‘He let no one oppress them; he disciplined kings for their sake, saying, “Don’t touch my chosen ones! Don’t harm my prophets!”’
This phrase is often thrown around in ‘prosperity gospel’ circles to warn against the dangers involved in criticising God’s ‘anointed’ leaders. (See, for example, Costi Hinn’s God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel, chapter 3).
Saying negative things about a recognised leader or celebrated preacher can (it is claimed) lead to nasty things happening to you.…
With the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ in mind, Costi Hinn draws the following points from the New Testament:
1. False teachers are disguised as good guys
2 Cor. 11:13–15 ‘For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.’…
It is well known that Joseph, the husband of Mary, features in the accounts of Jesus’ birth and childhood (in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke), but does not appear again in any of the New Testament documents.
There is no way of knowing exactly what happened to Joseph, although it is reasonable to suppose that he died some time after Jesus’ 12th birthday (Lk 2). But it is interesting to note that the New Testament accounts attest to his ‘disappearance’ in highly consistent, yet uncontrived ways.…
Lydia McGrew has identified a number of instances where a passage in John’s Gospel is illumination by some incidental detail in one or more of the Synoptic Gospels.
Here is her summary:
† Indicates a coincidence that uniquely confirms one or more of the Synoptic Gospels.
*Indicates a coincidence connected with a miracle.
L indicates a coincidence that shows Lukan independence from both Mark and Matthew and that supports Luke’s reliability in matters on which he is independent.…
A summary of chapter 35 of The Fountain of Life, by John Flavel.
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30
It is finished. This was uttered as a triumphant shout when our Lord Jesus Christ saw the glorious issue of all his sufferings now at hand.
It is but one word in the original; but in that one word is contained the sum of all joy; the very spirit of all divine consolation.…
