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Before we put up the comments of this E-mail, let me say up front
that we have no patience with personal attacks on people. We are called to present what
the Gospel has to say about the end-time activities of the "tares" in the church
so that people can for themselves recognize the false in the church. We have no idea who
"Good News Today" or "Christian News Today" is…or if such
entities even know about this E-mail. If there are such entities and they are putting out
such writings as though they are in some position to do so, then they are labeling
themselves. If there are such organizations and they have not sanctioned the
correspondence from this E-Mail writer, then they need to be aware that someone is using
their name.
As you read the E-mail in question, you will note that this a classic example of ministry bashing. By naming names instead of presenting the Scriptural concepts that will ID "wolves" in the church and by putting names of good ministries in the pot with those whose activities have branded themselves as end-time "false teachers," this E-mail can be recognized as nothing but malicious spamming…AFTER YOU'VE READ THE E-MAIL, YOU'LL FIND OUR COMMENTS. Having said this, here is the E-mail in question. ____________________ Franklin Graham Is a Thief and Con Artist President George W. Bush who is "born again" as a result of Dr. Billy Graham's influence, along with former President Bill Clinton, a Southern Baptist, released to the public his personal income tax, as well as all his personal holdings. But Dr. Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Dr. Bill Bright, Jerry Falwell, Louis Paula, Pat Robertson, and other prominent Southern Baptist evangelical leaders in America, who are each chairman of their own non profit organization, do not! As a matter of fact, even though he is sick and dying, spends over fifty percent of his time in bed or the hospital, Dr. Billy Graham has been taking a one hundred percent salary and other benefits from the B.G.E.A. that he had founded. Even though the I.R.S. rules state that no non-profit organization should exist for the benefit of one individual. No other salaried employee in B.G.E.A. is allowed to take a one hundred percent salary plus his pension fund and other perks and spends so many days being sick, as Billy Graham has done and does. Where is the justice or integrity in all of this? Does the "Separation of Church and State mean that the chairman of a religious non profit religious organization could legally steal as much salary and other benefits as he wants if it is rubber stamped by his special board of directors and not be accountable to the donors or the public? This seems to be the case! Otherwise hypocritical Baptist leader who preach integrity to others would not hide their salaries but be honest and state the "total compensation" of their five top employees, including Billy and Franklin Graham! Many prominent thieving Baptist evangelists in America, such as Billy and Franklin Graham or Pat Robertson, belong to the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability that purports to work on behalf of the donor but in reality exist for the spenders. The hypocritical motto of ECFA is
But it's is a fact that none of the prominent Southern Baptist evangelists, including Billy and Franklin Graham, who belong to the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability reveal their total salaries and those of their family members and special friends to their donors upon request. They demand integrity of others but themselves will not allow anyone to scrutinize their total salaries. How hypocritical and obtuse? But all of this is not surprising if one examines the history of ECFA. ECFA came into being due to the threats of Congressman Charles Wilson of Texas who had introduced a bill that would have required disclosure "at the point of solicitation unless the Fundamental Evangelical Evangelists would clean up their own house and police themselves. Jeffrey K. Hadden and Charles E. Swann in their book Prime Time Preachers: The Rising Power of Televangelism (1) also stated:
In fact, Congressman Charles Wilson of Texas had already introduced a bill that would have required disclosure "at the point of solicitation." In December 1977 representatives of thirty-two evangelical groups met in Chicago to discuss cooperative efforts. Thomas Getman, chief legislative assistant to Senator Hatfield, told the group, "Legislation is not important; disclosure is." Getman encouraged "a voluntary disclosure program... that will preclude the necessity of federal intervention into the philanthropic and religious sector." Almost two years later Dr. Stanley Mooneyham, president of World Vision, acknowledged, "There is no denying that this threat of governmental action was one of the stimuli'' that produced the December meeting and the subsequent activities which led to the founding of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. In early 1980 the ECFA listed 115 charter members, but the television ministries were conspicuous by their general absence. Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church and Related Ministries was the only charter member among the regular syndicated TV ministries. Also among the charter members were the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which broadcasts specials rather than weekly programs; Mooneyham's World Vision, which produces telethons to raise money for its international ministries; and Bill Bright's Campus Crusade for Christ. But as the recent the bankruptcy and the largest collapse of a religious foundation in the history of the United States, the Baptist Foundation of Arizona has shown standard accountable practices and financial reports only covered up the real crimes committed by prominent Southern Baptists. For its own interest of self preservation BGEA led in the creation and definition of ECFA as to how it would be accountable and what would be it's purposes? So to whom is the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability accountable to? To themselves? Definitely not to their donors or the public? For the history of ECFA shows us this. At least Ned Graham the other son of Billy Graham and an ordained Southern Baptist Minister did the right thing and removed himself out of ECFA! Even though a President of an Evangelical Ministry must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, and not greedy for money, Ned Graham, the son of Billy Graham, Southern Baptist minister, president East Gates International, a group that distributes Bibles in China told Christianity Today in an interview that he had abused alcohol and spent an "inappropriate amount of time" with two women on his staff. Grace Community Church, Southern Baptist Convention, in Auburn, Washington--which counted Ned Graham, his wife, and their two sons as members established the fact that Ned Graham was an adulterer, alcoholic, wife abuser, and drug user and revoked Graham's ministerial credentials. It directed Graham to stop using the title reverend. Yet in a style reminiscent of Jimmy Swaggart, who refused to be defrocked by the Assembly of God denomination, Ned Graham left that congregation for another church. Most of the staff and board members of East Gates International resigned amid controversies. East Gates, in Sumner, Wash., withdrew its membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability after Ned replaced the board members with his sister Ruth Graham McIntyre, brother-in-law Stephan Tchividjian, and business leader Peter Lowe. Graham's sister Gigi Tchividjian has joined the office staff and Ned Graham continues as East Gates president. The ECFA requires that a majority of board members not be related by blood or marriage, which is no longer the case for East Gates reported Christianity Today. A December East Gates fund-raising letter included a note from his father saying that "Ruth and I are proud of and grateful to God for our son Ned." East Gates has distributed 2 million Bibles to Christians in China, Billy Graham said, encouraging Christians to "back this unique and effective ministry." They are nothing but crooks and con artists and their smooth words do not change this fact! John Davies Christian News Today http://cn_t.tripod.com/news.htm Check Out Money Changers and Thieves http://www..phoenixnewtimes.com/extra/bfa/baptist.html http://tampatrib.com/News/GreaterMinistries.htm http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/US/Henry_Lyons http://www.egmi.org/home.asp ________________________ Don & B'Ann Wrote: We don't know the validity of this writer's source(s); but as we consider these accusations, let's look at some Scriptural truths. When anyone considers the authenticity of another, they have to look at the "before and after" of the person. No one is born a Christian. God does not have any grandchildren. Just because a child is born to a minister does not mean the "faith will rub off." What a person does "before" they decided to commit themselves to service to Christ, is handled in this manner—be they preacher's kids or not: if they repent and accept Christ, the following happens.
Now, after the offspring of a minister or of any believer becomes a Christian, we cannot judge him/her by their "gifts" but by their "fruits". The "gifts" can be imitated and are the playground of satan and his tares in the churches of today. Speaking of "gifts", you will find these listed as follows:
The "fruits" are another matter. Here is where we can look at the "after" aspect of Christianity. These we are commanded to use as a test of the true Christian.
There is another list which is called the "works of the flesh".
The list in Galatians 5:20-21 is self-evident and those who practice such are destroying their own walk with God and the trust of mankind. If someone is a leader in the church, and consistently practices this list, then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that he or she is driven by the mammon of unrighteousness or the lust of the flesh. It would seem that these "works of the flesh" are the yardstick you use to measure ministries. Sadly to say, it does make for sensationalism when it is revealed on the national news that a minister or supposed believer is guilty of such works. However, we should note that King David did not lose God's love when he sinned, though he did destroy his relationship with his family, neighbors, and kingdom. In his case, David did not consistently practice the list of Gal. 5:20-21 but repented.
The "fruits" are what we are commanded to use to examine a Christian. Frustrating, yes, and deliberately so; and since they are a "gift" from God, we are somewhat left out of the loop. God does not measure a man by world standards. We challenge you to go back and reconsider these ministers and do so with the measuring stick that God uses. It would appear that you consider them to be "self-serving." We can absolutely understand your frustration toward a church world that does not seem to be doing what it should with the mega-bucks that they a supposedly getting. However, we should not tar and feather everyone with the same brush. We do not know how their monies are re-cycled back into the total ministry. It takes an enormous amount of funds to set up football stadium rallies/ crusades such as Mr. Graham conducts. Does he do it for the offerings? Does he do it to be a great performing star? Only God knows for sure, and we're willing to leave it there. Let me assure you that God has a way of bringing down those ministries that try to become "mega-media" stars. He is still God. He will share His Son's glory with no other. As to the matter of money given to ministries, we can only attest to the fact that we have spent far more to get out God's Word than we have ever received in offerings. Yet, we have no inclination to turn our records over to a reporter looking for some sensational story with which to line his own nest. Be assured that our records, and those of every other ministry, are in the hands of the IRS; so this cry of "foul play" because a ministry does not make its records "public" is of itself "foul play." Those who give to our ministry usually do so when they are made aware of a need and they know their love offering found its place when that need was met. We might add here that this need is usually made known by the Spirit of Christ, and not by our solicitations; and we do not feel that we are unique in this. Let us sum up here by saying that if there is no "before and after" with God, then everyone is totally without hope and we will slowly degenerate down to a lower animal state where we will totally live by the "works of the flesh" listed in Galatians. But this is the "good news" of the Gospel: i.e., Jesus came to this world to save and to convert sinners. Thank God for His grace and may we all learn to walk in it in our observations and our dealings with one another. |
? Wrote: Question-Comment: what does speaking in tongues mean and what does the bible say about it? Is it good to speak in tongues or not? Please answer as soon as possible. thank you Don & B'Ann Wrote: THE PROPHECY The most definitive prophecy for our age concerning the "gift of tongues" was given by Christ Himself.
In the Old Testament, the giving of the Spirit to the New Testament Church was prophesied by the Prophet Joel (See Joel 2:28-31.), but without any mentioning of "tongues." Except for Isa. 28:l1, which seems to be the Scripture that Paul is referring to in I Cor. 14:21, there is no mentioning of the "gift of tongues" in the Old Testament. The only other mentioning of "tongues" in the Old Testament with spiritual significance has to do with the tower of Babel. Through Noah, God had commanded his seed to replenish the earth. To do so, it was necessary for them to spread throughout the earth. Instead, they grouped together to build a tower to heaven, ignoring God's command. God dealt with their rebellion at this tower, now known as the Tower of Babel (confusion). Before the events at the tower of Babel, "the whole earth was of one language and of one speech." At the Tower of Babel, God "confounded their language" by creating many different languages, thereby scattering Noah's seed over the whole earth (Gen. 11:1-8). Had Noah's seed obeyed God, there would have been no need for the first use of tongues as is recorded in the second chapter of Acts. THE HISTORY
On the Day of Pentecost / the birth of the Church, the people were able to hear "as one" but only through the gift of interpretation given by the Holy Spirit. Originally, man had been given the opportunity to function as one in serving the God that had made them and in loving their neighbor as He had commanded them. But the day of the Tower of Babel had come and gone and never again would man be entrusted with a common language that would enable them to band together to do worldwide projects. The reason for this is explained in these Scriptures.
At Pentecost, God was making people "one" again but only through the uniting work of the Holy Spirit as is demonstrated by the gifts of speaking in tongues and of interpreting tongues. Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians that there are "divers" (many, various) kinds of tongues given to the Church. As we've mentioned, the first use of "tongues" took place at a unique event: i.e., at the birth of the Church. Like the birth of the New Testament Church at Pentecost, the gift of tongues that operated at that event seems also to be unique. That is, the people there were of many different languages, but when the disciples spoke, the people each heard the disciples speak in their own language. We're not told if the disciples spoke in their native tongue, or if they spoke with an "unknown" tongue. Whatever the case, each person got the interpretation by actually hearing the disciples speak in their own language. There is another event in the Book of Acts where this same operation of the gift of tongues seems to apply.
These are the only two times that this variation of the gift of tongues are recorded, and both had to do with the inception of the Church. The first had to do with the Jewish disciples and the second had to do with the Gentile believers, so perhaps these were the only two times that it was in operation. From this point on, the gift of tongues operated within the Body of believers as one of the nine-fold gifts given to the Church to help it fulfill its great commission. The first such use of this gift was recorded for us in Acts. It occurred in the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Note that its use was accompanied with the gift of prophecy.
THE DOCTRINE The rest of the mentionings of "tongues" in the Scriptures have to do with the how, the why, the what, and the when of the gift of tongues; and they can be categorized as "the doctrine of tongues." As we've pointed out, Paul tells us that there are "divers" (various, many) kinds of "tongues." We find this in the twelfth chapter of I Corinthians where we also are told that there are interpretations of tongues, and diversities (differing kinds) of tongues. Let's look now at the Scriptures concerning this gift.
PAUL'S TESTIMONY
With this as our foundation, let's try now to answer your questions. First, you ask, What does speaking in tongues mean and what does the Bible say about it? We were at a meeting recently and a woman became upset with what the minister was doing. She became agitated and left the assembly, loudly hurling tongues back at him as she exited. The Holy Spirit is not ever out of order! Either she was terribly out of order or God was terribly angry with the minister. There was no interpretation other than the preacher told her it came from her and not from God. (You need to read all of our WRAPS, especially about the gifts and fruits. The gifts can be imitated but the fruits cannot as they have to manifest through long-suffering.) It was the misuse of tongues that lay at the heart of Paul's epistles to the Corinthians; so, let's look at some of his comments to the Corinthians.
Paul was constantly admonishing people that charity was the principal thing. The charity here was as follows:
SUMMATION: The variation of "tongues"-- which is at the heart of much of the confusion in the church-- was given as a sign for the unbeliever! Why is it then used / demanded by some churches as a "sign" that someone is a believer? This is certainly a mystery.
Tongues are like the rainbow in the sky. God put the rainbow in the sky as a covenant that never again would He destroy man by a flood. "Tongues" are a sign to the unbeliever that God will not tolerate man trying to get to heaven by trying to "build a tower to heaven" -- i.e., through some effort of their own. The New Testament presents the salvation of God as a gift that was purchased for us by Christ on the Cross, and not of any works lest man should boast. In addition, there is a sense that tongues is a sign that God will undo the confusion put on man at the Tower of Babel--a sign that one day in the future, man will once again speak with one language and one understanding. Then you ask, Is it good to speak in tongues or not? Well, it sure is nice to go over into a corner or into ones "closet" and be able to speak "under the control" of God when words fail you be it by anger, grief, concern, frustration, lack of understanding, etc. Instead of hurling words at one another, fighting wars, throwing baby fits, having no hope, we have this promise concerning tongues.
So, if you want to talk to God about some deep problem and not have it scattered all over the church as gossip, then tongues seem to be a very good thing to have. No one can interpret ones own personal tongues unless the Holy Spirit gives the gift of interpretation. Also, there are times when the Lord would have us intercede for others when we have no need to know what their need is. In fact, through tongues we can go to our High Priest and know that all of our needs are in His hands, even though we may not know what the needs are.
I promise you that if you ever come upon / have an intolerable situation, the "gift of tongues" will manifest if / when you need it. We knew a man in the past that was an unbeliever and refused to go to church with his family. One day he was mowing his pasture with a bush hog (large, covered , whirling blade pulled from the back of a tractor). His little four year old boy was riding beside him, leaning on the wheel cover. A branch of a tree brushed the child off and he fell under the whirling blades. Their pastor came later to try to console him, a pastor that was of a denomination that did not believe in tongues. He found father in the bedroom crying out to God in quiet, peaceful tongues. The man had found "tongues" when nothing else could possibly help. The pastor closed the door and left telling the family that the man was in far greater hands than his.
Isn't that a beautiful promise. We should never profane a gift by making it cheap or common. It may be vitally needed, even if it is to tell God about something as simple as a bad toothache! Ask God to give you the "gift of His Son" and all the other gifts will manifest as you grow in Grace or have need of them—even the gift of knowing what to say and when to say it!
This seems to be a good place for the words of that well-known sage--Unknown:
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