Pastor Wale Adefuye wrote the following on his Facebook Timeline:
"HELP! HELP!! HELP!!!
A research effort needs your help in compiling a list of statements Christians utter, but are not consistent with Scriptures.
An example:
Someone dies and the Christian says, "May his soul rest in peace." "
And I made the following comments in response:
...
1. "I am strong".
Often said by sick Christians, not as a confession, but as an indication of ill-health.
2. Song: "Today oh, I will lift up my hands in praise.....when success comes my way, I will praise the Lord".
Anyone can praise the Lord "when success comes [their] way. The original song, in line with Scriptures, actually and correctly says "when TROUBLE comes my way, I will praise the Lord". It takes faith to praise God in trouble!
3. "God is in control".
Spoken as a fatalistic assumption that whatever happens is God's Will. God has given man authority on earth to permit whatever he wishes. God only takes control if and when He is given control by man's conscious submission of the situation to Him in faith.
4. "It is well".
Many Christians say this as a mere knee-jerk response to a statement or situation for which they have no rational answer or just to comfort themselves when they are troubled and perplexed. It is only truly well if and when the Christian engages the Wisdom of God, gains understanding and knows what he/she ought to do. Thus, the Christian can say it is well not merely in hope but in Word-grounded Faith.
5. "I claim it".
Spoken by many Christians to possess some material thing [usually a car, a house, a wife, a husband...etc] which the person making the statement is praying about and/or for which he/she is "believing God".
They say this as a "profession of faith" even when there is no specific indication from God that the object being "claimed" is in accord with His Revealed Will. Faith should begin when God's Will is known with certainty.
6. "You are blessed".
This is only true if the person to whom this statement is made is also a Christian. If the person does not know Jesus Christ as Lord, God and Saviour, he/she is NOT blessed. He/she may have much material possessions but he/she is a stranger from the commonwealth of Israel and is without God in this world.
7. "I am rich", "I am prosperous", "I am a billionaire" or such other confessions of financial blessings.
The declaration is only true and shall be fulfilled if the Christian is living in obedience to God. Many Christians are in sin, give bribes, tell lies, scheme and scam to make money yet they declare Covenant Blessings of financial prosperity when they are ruled by mammon. God is not mocked. True Kingdom Wealth, good success, comes from GOD. And it is such blessings from God which make rich and have no sorrow added. Gain is not godliness. Godliness is profitable and has the promise of this life and the one to come.
"HELP! HELP!! HELP!!!
A research effort needs your help in compiling a list of statements Christians utter, but are not consistent with Scriptures.
An example:
Someone dies and the Christian says, "May his soul rest in peace." "
And I made the following comments in response:
...
1. "I am strong".
Often said by sick Christians, not as a confession, but as an indication of ill-health.
2. Song: "Today oh, I will lift up my hands in praise.....when success comes my way, I will praise the Lord".
Anyone can praise the Lord "when success comes [their] way. The original song, in line with Scriptures, actually and correctly says "when TROUBLE comes my way, I will praise the Lord". It takes faith to praise God in trouble!
3. "God is in control".
Spoken as a fatalistic assumption that whatever happens is God's Will. God has given man authority on earth to permit whatever he wishes. God only takes control if and when He is given control by man's conscious submission of the situation to Him in faith.
4. "It is well".
Many Christians say this as a mere knee-jerk response to a statement or situation for which they have no rational answer or just to comfort themselves when they are troubled and perplexed. It is only truly well if and when the Christian engages the Wisdom of God, gains understanding and knows what he/she ought to do. Thus, the Christian can say it is well not merely in hope but in Word-grounded Faith.
5. "I claim it".
Spoken by many Christians to possess some material thing [usually a car, a house, a wife, a husband...etc] which the person making the statement is praying about and/or for which he/she is "believing God".
They say this as a "profession of faith" even when there is no specific indication from God that the object being "claimed" is in accord with His Revealed Will. Faith should begin when God's Will is known with certainty.
6. "You are blessed".
This is only true if the person to whom this statement is made is also a Christian. If the person does not know Jesus Christ as Lord, God and Saviour, he/she is NOT blessed. He/she may have much material possessions but he/she is a stranger from the commonwealth of Israel and is without God in this world.
7. "I am rich", "I am prosperous", "I am a billionaire" or such other confessions of financial blessings.
The declaration is only true and shall be fulfilled if the Christian is living in obedience to God. Many Christians are in sin, give bribes, tell lies, scheme and scam to make money yet they declare Covenant Blessings of financial prosperity when they are ruled by mammon. God is not mocked. True Kingdom Wealth, good success, comes from GOD. And it is such blessings from God which make rich and have no sorrow added. Gain is not godliness. Godliness is profitable and has the promise of this life and the one to come.
I must emphasize that the statements I listed above are all true and Scriptural by themselves in absolute terms. The error I am highlighting is that they have become mere clichés which many Christians mouth without any revelation or understanding of their Biblical context.
For example, if a Christian is sick and he/she declares "I am strong" as a confession of faith to be made whole, that is OK. But usually, the expression on the person's face and poise often make it evident that he/she wants to communicate that he/she is sick. If you ask such a person, "Why were you not in Church yesterday?", he/she would say "I was strong" to let you know he/she was indisposed. "Strong" is not a synonym for "sick"!
For example, if a Christian is sick and he/she declares "I am strong" as a confession of faith to be made whole, that is OK. But usually, the expression on the person's face and poise often make it evident that he/she wants to communicate that he/she is sick. If you ask such a person, "Why were you not in Church yesterday?", he/she would say "I was strong" to let you know he/she was indisposed. "Strong" is not a synonym for "sick"!
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