Word Faith Disgrace, Disgusting, Shameful, Damaging !!
joyinhim said:
I believe Word of Faith is disgracing His name with their witnessing. I have many Christians attending prostperity church in my neighborhood and they are the worst kind in their witnessing in over all. They don't know how to be kind to others. They use people instead of helping people etc.
I agree that the Word Faith and Prosperity doctrines and teachers are a disgrace!! I have personally suffered much damage, as my children also have suffered terribly. My boys' mother is involved in a church that is supposedly Christian, but has many cult-like characteristics. She finally left us, becausae I would have nothing to do with her false church. Praise God that my boys are safe with me, and no longer subject to the false teachings of that Word Faith church.
I have also experienced the arrogant attitude from many in the Word Faith churches. God has blessed THEM SO MUCH!! God is SO GOOD TO THEM!!! God takes care of ALL THEIR NEEDS. God does this, and God does that for THEM. You just need FAITH brother/sister. Name your needs, wants, desires, and you WILL HAVE IT. Even if you don't see it now, name it and claim it. Even if you are still sick, don't admit that you are sick. Walk around like a fool, saying "I'm not sick." I'm sure many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. I've been there, done that. Doesn't work. Isn't real.
Don't get me wrong. God does heal. God can heal. But God doesn't heal everyone. I believe in miracles. Isn't the greatest miracle of all that God saved me, a sinner? God gave his only begotten son, to die on the cross, and shed his blood, and forgive my sins? Hallelujah, for the greatest miracle of all.
Another point, it seems a greater miracle to me, that God gives me the strength and grace, to continue on, each day, in this wicked world, striving to make a living, and raise my children by myself, against all odds, but somehow, God is still good, even though I've not driving a mercedes. My billfold isn't overflowing and bursting at the seems. I still have debts, bills, etc., but I STILL HAVE FAITH!! Glory to God in the highest.
When they prayed for me (the Word Faith people), and I wasn't healed, all of a sudden, it's all my fault that I was not healed! Either I didn't pray enough, or didn't say the correct prayers, or I wasn't reading the Bible (how would they even know?), or I wasn't reading the right version, or maybe I simply really didin't even believe in God, but just thought that I did.
I remember attending many Bible studies and prayer meetings at the Word Faith I used to attend, both in church and in people's homes, and watching the pastor take many scriptures out of context, especially whenever something bad would happen to someone. This one lady's apartment burned up, and the pastor said something like, "See, God is judging her," and then would pull scriptures out of his hat, and twist the verses to fit his false theology.
Where was the Christian love? Doesn't the Bible say that we are to bear one another burdens? We should help those who are in need, struggling, pray for them, take care of them .........
I've seen that happen many times, where Word Faith teachers take scriptures out of context, and show no love, and have no fruits, according to the Bible (the Bible lists a number of the fruits of the Spirit).
Many people I know personally have been damaged by this cultic church, that I used to be involved with. Slowly, strange doctrines creept in, prosperity teaching, and then the holy laughter craze hit the church! People were acting very strange, out of control. There was no glorifying of God in any of these hideous acts, which very well could have been demons, or the people just getting excited (overly excited).
I have seen the black preacher on tv, I believe his name is "Kenneth Price." Please correct me if I'm wrong. He used to be rather thin, and preached that handicap people are a disgrace to God!! Can you believe that? This guy pretending to be a preacher of God, and making fun of people with handicaps, saying that God can't use them, that they are like leaky toilets, and that if they can't see, then God can't see, and if their hands and feet don't work, then God can't use them, because God can't get around to use them if their bodies don't work right!!!
What a terrible disgrace to God, the Bible, Jesus, Christians, and church. It's no wonder so many people see something like that, and walk away from God, or Christianity.
There are many people who suffer variious handicaps, like Joni Eareckson Tada
http://www.joniandfriends.org/
who have been a blessing to others, and who God CAN and DOES use!! Praise God for people who have the inner strength, spiritual strength, and awesome faith, to still believe and trust in God, no matter what their handicap is.
I wonder how this prosperity doctrine goes over in other countries?
I have always thought that it takes more faith, and real faith, to believe in God when hardships strike. It seems too easy to believe in a nice, loving, fun, happy, prosperity, rich, etc. gospel.
What about the examples in the Bible that tell us plainly that we will suffer? We will be persecuted, pute to death ....? Those who say that we don't need to pray according to God's will are simply mocking God. That's not very healthy, to be making fun of God, ordering God around, telling God what he can do, should do, and MUST do!!
What about Joyce Myers saying, "Speak to your billfold, you fat billfold, you are so full of money ..." I remember seeing her say that, and thinking, what a joke!! What a farse!!! What a FALSE teacher!!!
I could write a book on this subject, but I'm busy writing several books on my family history. Hank Hanegaraff has written in depth about the subject concerning the teachings of the Word Faith doctrines.
Praise God for brother Hank!! I have listened to him for years, and by listening to him, and reading the Bible, I was able to discern the truth of God's word, from the lies of the Word Faith teachings, and get myself out of that heretical church.
I'm still working on trying to reteach my children now, as they were also subjected to the false teachings of the Word Faith church we attended for many years. Just think of how many people's lives have been destroyed!!
My friends in Oregon went to jail, because they were also following the Word Faith teachings. They believed that they only need to pray for people to get healed. No medicine. No doctors. When their little boy, about five years old, became ill one evening, they simply prayed, believing that God would heal him. Well, God didn't heal him, and he died that night.
My friend's son had appendicitis, and could have been saved by a simple opperation, if they had only taken him to the hospital. I know an elderly man who had his hopes lifted so high at the Word Faith church I had attended, and even thought that he was healed. Well, as it turns out, he was never healed. The people made him so excited, and forcefully took his cane away, and told him that he didn't need it. As far as I know, he still walks with the cain, and is having increasing difficulty getting around. I believe it's called, "OLD AGE!!" You can have all the faith you want, but all of us will get old, and slow down, teeth will fall out, hair will fall out, eyes will grow dim, and we will die!! Even the Word Faith teachers cannot avoid the ailments of old age!!!
