JESUS THE SAVIOUR

Prayer is a tool to force God to grant prosperity. Prosperity gospel preachers often note we “have not because we ask not” ( James 4:2 ). They encourage us to pray for personal success in all areas of life. As  Creflo Dollar writes , “When we pray, believing that we have already received what we are praying, God has no choice but to make our prayers come to pass. . . . It is a key to getting results as a Christian.” Prayers for personal blessing aren’t inherently wrong, of course, but the prosperity gospel’s overemphasis on man turns prayer into a tool believers can use to force God to grant their desires. Within prosperity theology, man—not God—becomes the focal point of prayer. Curiously, prosperity preachers often ignore the second half of James’s teaching on prayer: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” ( James. 4:3 ). God does not answer selfish requests that do not honor his name. Certainly all our requ...

The Abrahamic covenant is a means to material entitlement. The Abrahamic covenant ( Gen. 12 , 15 , 17 , 22 ) is one of the theological bases of the prosperity gospel. It’s good that prosperity theologians recognize much of Scripture is the record of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, but it’s bad that they don’t maintain an orthodox view of this covenant. They incorrectly view the inception of the covenant; more significantly, they erroneously view the application of the covenant. In his book  Spreading the Flame (Zondervan, 1992), Edward Pousson stated the prosperity view on the application of the Abrahamic covenant: “Christians are Abraham’s spiritual children and heirs to the blessings of faith. . . . This Abrahamic inheritance is unpacked  primarily in terms of material entitlements .” In other words, the prosperity gospel teaches that the primary purpose of the Abrahamic covenant was for God to bless Abraham materially. Since beli...

A prophecy against Tyre: Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For Tyre is destroyed and left without house or harbor. From the land of Cyprus word has come to them. 2 Be silent, you people of the island and you merchants of Sidon, whom the seafarers have enriched. 3 On the great waters came the grain of the Shihor; the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre, and she became the marketplace of the nations. 4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea, for the sea has spoken: “I have neither been in labor nor given birth; I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.” 5 When word comes to Egypt, they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre. 6 Cross over to Tarshish; wail, you people of the island. 7 Is this your city of revelry, the old, old city, whose feet have taken her to settle in far-off lands? ...

Understanding the difference between  praise  and  worship  can bring a new depth to the way we honor the Lord. Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous to mention. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord ( Psalm 89:5 ;  103:20 ;  148:2 ). All inhabitants of the earth are instructed to praise the Lord ( Psalm 138:4 ;  Romans 15:11 ). We can praise Him with singing ( Isaiah 12:5 ;  Psalm 9:11 ), with shouting ( Psalm 33:1 ;  98:4 ), with the dance ( Psalm 150:4 ), and with musical instruments ( 1 Chronicles 13:8 ;  Psalm 108:2 ;  150:3-5 ). Praise is the joyful recounting of all God has done for us. It is closely intertwined with thanksgiving as we offer back to God appreciation for His mighty works on our behalf. Praise is universal and can be applied to other relationships as well. We can praise our family, friends, boss, or paperboy. Praise does not require anything of us. It ...

Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in   glorious songs.”  (Psalm 66:4) " Great is the  Lord ! He is most worthy of  praise ! He is to be feared above all gods."  (Psalm  96:4) "With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever," (Psalm 86:12)

Worship, according to the dictionary means: a) to show profound religious devotion; b) to have intense love and admiration; and the definition of praise is: a) to express admiration or approval for; b) to express thanks and worship to God.  In other words, praise and worship go hand in hand.   Praising and worshiping God is not about a ritual, or prayer repetition.  It’s not about spending a few minutes a day reading our bible or about reciting our wish list on a daily basis.  True worship requires total commitment of our body, mind and spirit.  It’s about exalting, adoring and acknowledging the God of the Bible.  It has nothing to do with religion, but it has everything to do with having an intimate and profound relationship with God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To many, worship is associated with singing.  But there are certainly other types of worship.  I believe the most important way to show our devotion to God is through our every...

We can worship God in church, in the garden, while we’re shopping or in the shower.  Location doesn’t matter or how many people are involved.  Worship can be done with a group of people, or by ourselves.  When we come before the Lord with a pure and repentant heart, He will bless us with His grace and mercy.  We can worship God through prayer, singing, raising our hands in adoration, dance, art, through the use of colors, playing instruments, using flags and banners, and even through mimestry (an exciting combination of mime, sign language and drama). "Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!       Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.       Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.  Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!       He is to be feared above all gods.  The gods of other nations are mere idols,   ...

To worship in truth we must: Have purity of heart Deal with any sin in our hearts and repent Have a spirit of humility Have a spirit of submission to the will of God Have a spirit of obedience Have a spirit of commitment Have a sense of wonder of who He is and have a sense of awe in His presence Have an awareness of God's presence and be overwhelmed by His majesty Be speechless in His presence and allow Him to speak to us True worship is not about us but it's all about God.  We cannot worship God in truth with sin in our lives or if there is self-will in our hearts, because it is about God’s will for us and not the other way around. The Bible warns us not to worship anyone or anything else.  We are not to worship, saints, statues, angels, money, or celebrities.  Anyone or any thing that becomes more important than God, and turns our hearts away from Him is an idol or a false god. God says in Exodus 20:2-3  “I am the LORD your God .....You shall have no ...