Just to share a comment I put on Stillhaventfound's blog
October 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Was reading the comments of the various people here and I see many familiar names.
I used to come from a Roman Catholic Church where I frowned upon talk of prosperity teachings and tithing. I used to think the protestant church was cheating its members of money - thanks to wrong thoughts planted in my head.
It took time to learn what tithing truly is and how to have a heart of worship, even tho’ I truly felt like I had a relationship going with Christ from young.
I then went on to attend an AOG church which focused a lot on the Purpose-Driven life, but left me feeling empty and feeling like I needed to do something for Christ or I’d be spiritually in debt to Him. My hubby and I were dating then and we both agree that those days we felt fed and then not fed. There was spiritual hunger but the Church’s teaching was works-driven in many ways, tho’ there was some teachings on grace… so we became spiritually starved. Going to church became more of a thing we had to do, and there lacked a passion that we now have in NCC.
Grace is a wonderful gift that is not to be earned but should be treasured & bear fruit for the Kingdom of God - Paul is clear on this, but how many churches tell their members this? I know of many Christians and Catholics yoked by wrong teachings and this does not, imho, give glory to God.
Are we saying our God - the same God who made sure the Egyptians left their Hebrew slaves gold and treasures before they left for freedom.. the same God who made the Pharaoh and Abimelech give Abraham riches and herds and even land… the same God who made Solomon the richest man in all history (even today) - would like contemporary Christians to be poor as a church mouse?
I feel that a person when he/she accepts Christ is saved, but unless he/she comes to understand what the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ is, or what He has achieved for us on the cross, he/she will not be able to live a victorious “more than a conqueror in Christ” sort of life.
I think it is sad to think that a life of lack equates holiness. When we are blessed, we are blessed not to bless ourselves but also to pass the blessing on. Even sadder is this feeling of needing to do out of a “brownie point” mentality, when the true work has been finished on the cross. The work we do now is, as some brothers and sisters have shared, the fruit of having come to understand what the finished work of Christ is.
Jesus said that He has come to give us a peace that the world cannot give. The word peace He was most likely to use would have been Shalom. Jesus spoke in Aramaic and not Greek.
The word SHALOM means…Completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord.
SHALOM comes from the root verb SHALOM meaning to be complete, perfect and full.
Hang on. Did we see the word prosperity?? Scroll up and read the definition of Shalom from the bible concordance again.
Yes. God wants us to prosper so that the world can see what He can give that slaving 9-to-5 and playing office politics cannot give. He wants His glory to shine through His prospering us and keeping our health whole and complete in Him so that the world can see what buying Lehman bonds and playing the stock exchange cannot bring.
I think the problem is most people equate prosperity with greed for money… but when the LORD prospers us, He is bringing us blessings that cannot grief us or cause us harm
Money is not the problem… the bible states the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.
Having attended NCC for 3 years now, I can safely say that the NCC-ers I know are there for the message of CHRIST not money. Their heart has Jesus as number one position, so when we are good stewards of the blessings God has given us - be it in wisdom, spiritual gifts or the workplace or finances - He knows He can bless us further as we have no hang ups about loving money more than Him. He knows who the source of our provision is - our Abba Father!
The provision we have in Christ and our faith in His faithfulness demonstrated by our setting apart our First Fruits to our Jehovah Jireh is provision that cannot be shaken - even in the midst of a worldwide recession.
It is through this and many other divine interventions that God shows the world how he has set us apart in Christ to be protected from all the turmoil out there now.
As for discipleship, I must say that since I partook in care group last year, and also in ministry this year, I have witnessed much discipleship. The leadership of the various ministries are very strong and there is this bond in Christ. The leaders never fail to draw the members back to lifting Christ above circumstances, to see Him bigger than our trials, to worship Him in the midst of the storm.
Is discipleship about passing tests before one can be a member of the church? Or about taking bible courses and partaking in exams for different modules?
Christ wants our heart to transform, not just to grow in the head knowledge.
You many know the Kings of the bible and which BC they appeared, but do you know the heart of the King of Kings and what His will for you is?
The God who is the same yesterday, today and forever has this to say about His plans, His will for us -
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jer 29:11
That financial problem did not come from God.
Neither did that illness.
Nor did your love one die from a terminal illness because God wanted it to be that way.
We must know who our enemy is and how he operates, just as much as we must know WHOSE we are and how HIS Kingdom operates and WHAT His WILL is for us… we must know what it means to have a heart of worship…
It is not about this endless bickering about who is right, who is wrong, who is greater, who is lesser…
“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about YOU, all about You JESUS. I’m sorry LORD for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about You, all about You JESUS.”
True discipleship is learning to be like John the Apostle who leaned on the heart of Christ, who knew who he was to Jesus - His ‘beloved disciple’ (and John said this 5 times in his gospel… the number of grace, which happens to be the definition of John’s name).
True leadership is a church that doesn’t profess to be a church of good leaders or formed of leaders who lift everything else above the Messiah… but churches who take their lead from The God of All Ages, Yahweh - our covenant friend… and waves His banner high above all things.
Let us see not as the world sees, to love not as the world loves, to understand not as the world understands… =)
Shalom to you all =D
(( Sorry for the long winded comment ^.^” ))
Hungribunni Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.Just to add -
My poly classmate gave me Pastor Prince tapes in 2001 but I rolled my eyeballs at them thinking that “This pastor look so dapper and handsome - must be some cult leader. The church so big and rich some more. Must be a bunch of cheats.”
I never listened to the tapes for years and then agreed with hearsays. (Haha the friend who gave me the tapes just walked over to offer me biscuits and read what I typed and started laughing. She didn’t know I was so skeptical lol.)
It was only when I finally wandered in to NCC one day during their midweek services and when I finally heard not one sermon, but several months of sermons, that I finally came to realise that this is one pastor whose focus is on glorifying Christ and that is a humble guy who always talks about Jesus, Jesus and more about Jesus with such passion, joy and love. It is through this sheer abandonment of love for Christ that the rest of the Church comes to know, to trust and to ultimately love Christ more too.
Outside I hear Christians going “Aiya old already that’s why like this,”; “Genetics. Family hereditary illness. Cannot escape lor.”
New Creation church goers will tell you this - that as HE is so are we… by HIS stripes we are healed… we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus… we’ve come to learn to trust the Word of God wholeheartedly and not half heartedly; to lean and lean on Jesus even in the face of the impossible.
Also, after attending NCC-er I no longer think twice before blessing others. I honestly used to think about dollars and cents and how-much-i-have-left-if-i-donate-or-give-away stuff to people. Now I can’t wait to bless the people around me because I know my God provides… and He provides more when I share His blessings more.
At least the New Creation-ers I know are like that. =) I’d say they are truly disciples of our Messiah, no?
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