The Need to Address Alternative and New Religious Movements

Just recently my wife press upon my heart to deal with the whole idea concerning speaking in tongues according to Acts 2:4.  I agree to do a verse by verse expositional study of God's Word regarding this subject matter, but it was equally important to study Acts 2:1-11 so as to shed light upon this particular issue as it relates to speaking in tongues.  Even though my wife was a former member of a Bible-based sect known as The Church of God in Christ for 16 years she felt that it was necessary that we address on our Radio broadcast because of the confusing issue of speaking in tongues that surrounds many of professing believers and the Church at large especially within the context of many Charismatic and Pentecostal movements whose belief is in the "second" work of grace, or the "second" blessing as essential to the completeness of the believer's salvation (Gal. 1:8, 9; 3:1, 2-4).      Within many sects and cults there is an tendency to add works on the...

We live in a culture that are driven by what is experiential; not what is objective. For example: There are many professing Christians who prefer experience ("inward" voice) as oppose to the content of biblical truth. In so many words the Church today have in fact become so dissatisfied as to the biblical content of God's Word in favor of what is mystical ("voice of God") by which the intrusion of mysticism have sap the spiritual lifeblood of the church today as to its skeletal remains (2 Tim. 2:17, 18).      I am applaud as I have witness over the years "how" that the church today have travel the road of theological mysticism by which many believers have been led astray.  Whenever the Church explicitly deny the authority of the Bible ("rule of faith") so as to seek some "newer" revelation to validate its relationship with the God than is it walking on dangerous grounds.  If in fact scripture is not sufficient than there is no s...

There are books on the Christian marketplace who promote hearing God's voice. The consensus  is in favor of hearing God's voice within a person [human] spirit as opposed to what is revealed already within the written revelation of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:15, 16).  In order that a person can receive salvation is through personal faith in Jesus Christ; not what is experiential theology (Col. 2:18, 19).  The problem with Christian mystics in the professing church today is to claim that God has given them such personal revelation, prophecy, or prophetic utterance whereby such "revelation" of the spirit is their source of authority; not the objective truth of God's Word (2 Pet. 1:19-21).    Throughout this article I will begin to lay the foundation as to the content of the nature of the Bible as it relates to the authority and inspiration of scripture (2 Tim. 3:16).  Scripture is inspired by God by which the Holy Spirit (God) is the Author of scripture.  As...

There is such a misunderstanding of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. When it comes to the Person of the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit of God is a Divine Person; not some impersonal "force" or "it" taught by many cults today.  In these times the Holy Spirit is ever mentioned nor it is taught within the Church today as if they have such a complete understanding of the Person of the Holy Spirit, but are teaching doctrines that are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture (1 Tim. 4:1).     The apostle Paul according to 1 Timothy 4:1 says, "The Spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will abandon the faith and following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."  We are living in the last days where people today within the professing church will abandon the true faith so as to pay attention to deceiving spirits taught by demons." It is important that we as God's people begin to teach what is taught clearly in scripture: th...

Paul encourages the Philippians believers to rejoice in the Lord.  To rejoice in the Lord is to know that we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by telling others of our "newfound" faith in Christ.  There is always a threat by others within the Church today whose primary goal and objective is to rob believers of their relationship with Jesus Christ through man-made rules and regulations (Phil. 3:1b).  Legalism, moral plank, and Christian perfectionism is at the heart of spiritual apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1).  The outcome of apostasy is to destroyed the true faith and to ruin the moral lives of God's people.  There are many professing believers despite of the truth of God's Word they will persist in such doctrinal error so as to reveal what they really believe and who they are (Matt. 7:15-ff).      The apostle Paul also warns the Philippians believers by saying: "Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh...

The issue of tongues have been greatly misunderstood by the church today! There are many within both Charismatic and Pentecostal circles who believe that "speaking in tongues" is apart of the believers salvation experience (Acts 19:1).  There is no where that gives indication in the Bible that teach that Christ's death on the cross provides such a second work of grace:  that of speaking in tongues as part of the Christian salvation experience.  If in fact speaking in tongues is apart of the believer's salvation experience than the purpose by which Christ died for our sins is insufficient in securing our salvation.  Christ's death on the cross provided salvation by which a person can be saved from the guilt and penalty of sin (Rom. 6:23).    Throughout this article I will begin to lay the foundation as to how it is important to rightly divide God's Word of truth as to (1) comparing scripture with scripture. (2) the historical context of scripture. (3) th...

Just on today I was listening to a local Radio station by which the Host asked the question, "Is Jesus Black? Or Is this Jesus the Image of a Caucasian of the White European Race?"  What was the image of this Jesus? What Did He Look Like?  Even though it "appears" that there is an interest in the historical Jesus of the Bible but it is a way to to convince others that the Jesus of scripture is not the Savior of the world (contrast, Jn. 3:16, 17).  The history of liberation theology believe in a "Black" Jesus whose purpose is to deliver Black folks from the tyranny and oppression of White domination that have given our forefathers in slavery a "image" of a "White" Jesus by which they are to be in subjugation to white rule and domination.  The historical Jesus of the Bible along with Christianity was taught to our forefathers of slavery that He is the God of the oppress and subservient.  In so many words the whole idea about Christianit...