The gospel of Jesus Christ has for a large part succumbed under the pressure of the world and has changed into one big entertainment industry. Many believers go to seminars, conferences, concerts, watch Christian (social media) channels and buy all kinds of Christian books to entertain themselves, to keep up to date with all the ins-and-outs of the Christian world and to develop a technical faith or mechanical faith. They learn all kinds of new ‘spiritual’ strategies, methods, and technics, which they can apply to their lives or in the ministry, to become successful, wealthy, and prosperous. They learn and learn and are overwhelmed by the many doctrines of different preachers, teachers, and prophets of whom many are carnal and preach carnal messages from their own experiences, visions, findings, and insights, whereby it all revolves around material blessings, an abundance of possessions and prosperity, the enrichment of people, satisfying carnal lusts and desires, supernatural manifestations, signs, and wonders. They go from pillar to post, ever-learning, and never come to a precise and experiential knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).
Worldly doctrines Christianized
They gain as much knowledge as possible. Because, the more head knowledge, the more wisdom, power, and prestige. They become puffed up and exalt themselves above others and think they have the truth.
There’s nothing wrong with knowledge, on the contrary. But you have to be careful that all this knowledge doesn’t become and stay head knowledge and that all this head knowledge, with its strategies and methods, which you suppose to apply in your life, doesn’t become a stumbling block in your life and mess up and suffocates your relationship with Jesus.
Because most of these doctrines are copied from the doctrines and the wisdom and knowledge of the world. What the world does, the believer takes over and Christianizes it.
The strategies, technics, and methods of the world are being applied to the Bible, in the church and in the lives of believers. The scriptures are being changed, twisted, and taken out of its context and used as some kind of magic formula, in order to get what the people want.
God is considered a Machine
It’s just like a machine, you put a penny in the slot and you get the item you want. And that’s exactly what the modern gospel looks like. Many consider God as a vending machine, whereby you get what you want, by applying the right strategies, technics, methods, and by using the right words.
Do you want to be more prosperous? Then you have to say this or do that. Do you want to receive ……, then you have to follow these steps and you will get it.
There are many books written about wonderful promises and the associated methods, formulas, strategies, and technics so that people can get what they want. But many times it happens that after reading a book and applying the methods and strategies, things didn’t turn out the way the person hoped for, expected, and wanted and therefore the person becomes frustrated.
There are many seminars and conferences whereby new strategies, technics, and methods are taught that revolves around prosperity, wealth, supernatural manifestations, and signs and wonders. The people visit, listen, and read to receive.
There are hardly any sermons and conferences anymore about what it really means to follow Jesus, to give up your life, the process of sanctification, develop a godly character and live a holy life. No, because that doesn’t sell and attract people.
Because as soon as you speak hard words, that confront people with their character, conduct, and the way they live, most people feel uncomfortable and leave.
They don’t want to hear words of correction. Because when they do, they experience unpleasant feelings. They only want to hear positive, pleasant, and motivational words, that soothe their ego and cause pleasant feelings.
They want to experience pleasant feelings and are eager to hear new things and doctrines and to learn new strategies, methods, and techniques for supernatural manifestations, signs and wonders, wealth, and prosperity of the carnal man.
As soon as a preacher appears, who performs signs and wonders, most believers run to the preacher as hungry sheep and listen to what the preacher has to say. Because they want to receive, have, and do what this preacher has and does. Therefore, they listen to his words, strategies, technics, and methods so that they can apply them and also accomplish the same things in their lives.
Many believers have put their hope in preachers and the preacher’s technics and methods. Because they think that preachers are the ones, who can solve their problem(s) and satisfy their carnal lust and desires.
Unfortunately, many believers are more focused on manifestations, signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts than in the Giver. And they are more interested in strategies, methods, technics, and provisions than in the Provider.
A technical faith
All these strategies, methods, and technics have replaced God. Because by applying all these strategies, technics and methods the believers become independent and don’t need God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit anymore. They don’t do the work out of their faith in Jesus Christ; the Word and their experiential relationship with Him, but they have developed a technical faith or mechanical faith.
This technical faith causes them to do the works by faith in these strategies, methods, formulas, and technics, and by applying these strategies, methods, formula, and technics.
Many say, that they trust God and need Him, but their actions don’t line up with the words they confess. Because they trust and rely more upon their own knowledge, words, ability, strategies, methods, and techniques, instead of relying on – and trusting in Jesus Christ; the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because when something doesn’t happen, the way they want, they look at themselves and wonder, what they did wrong.
They look at the words they used, which they might have pronounced or used incorrectly and come up with hindrances. Because these things might be the reason, why they didn’t get the result they wanted and didn’t receive the ‘blessing’.
This proves, that have a technical faith. Because they are focused upon their own words, strategies, methods, acts, and technics. Just like the world. Because the world investigates and does research, looking for errors and obstacles, when the intended result has not been achieved.
But in the Kingdom of God it’s not about strategies, methods and technics and the amount of head knowledge, but about heart knowledge. The less worldly head knowledge a person possesses, the better God can use the person.
The human intellect of the carnal mind always reasons from the natural realm and shall always get in the way and prevent a person from walking in faith. The natural mind resists the faith in God, Jesus; the Word, the Holy Spirit, and God’s Kingdom. Because the flesh always strives with the Spirit (Gal 5:17).
It’s not about how many scriptures you can quote or if you know the Bible by head and how much you know about Jesus. It’s not about how much you know about the Word, but if you know the Word. It’s all about if you know Jesus experientially and through Him the Father.
Father-son relation instead of Employer-employee relation
From the beginning of creation, God wanted to have a personal relationship with every person. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve were seduced by the devil and became disobedient to God. Their union was broken in the spirit. But God had already a plan of restoration.
God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth, to become a Substitute for fallen man. Jesus died at the cross and rose from the dead. By His blood, Jesus opened the way to the Father and reconciled those, who would believe in Him and be born again, to the Father.
God is not looking for an Employer-employee relationship. God wants to have a Father-son relationship. He wants to be your Father and He wants you to trust Him and depend on Him. He wants you to spend time with Him and abide in His Word so that you will get to know Him.
It is His will, that you believe in His words and apply His words in your life, to prevent you from stumbling and to ensure that you stay and walk on the right path of life.
Strategic prayers for the enrichment of self
God wants to be with you and communicate with you through His Word and prayer. Prayer is not a religious ordinance and is not a tool to use for the enrichment of yourself and to gain earthly possessions. Many believers pray strategic prayers to get what they desire and want. They are focused upon themselves and their own kingdom.
But as long as believers keep praying prayers that are focused upon themselves, it proves that they are not born again or they are born again but they are still carnal and still walk after the flesh.
Because if you are born again and walk after the Spirit, you are no longer focused upon yourself. You are no longer the center of your life, but Jesus has become the center in your life. Therefore you are focused upon Jesus and to represent and establish His Kingdom on earth.
Jesus says, that the Father will provide everyone’s needs. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about a thing. If you really believe in Jesus, then you believe in His words and what He says is true. Therefore you shall no longer ask and beg for it, but expect that God will provide in all your needs according to His will.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:31-33)
Focus on money instead of souls
The world revolves around money and to gain as much money as possible. But the Kingdom of God doesn’t revolve around money, but saving souls.
But, since many believers, and churches, have a carnal mindset and possess the spirit of this world, they are more interested in money than in lost souls. They even lead and direct them to the abyss, by approving their sins and letting them live in sins.
A magical formula
It is sad, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is being misused and is used as some kind of magical formula and tool to receive material possessions and wealth. Despite the fact that many believers have a good life and don’t experience any lack, they still keep asking for more and never have enough and are never satisfied.
But if you look at the life of Solomon, you see what all those riches had done with his life. Many believers take him as an example in order to approve the abundance of possessions and money (the prosperity gospel). But when you look at the end of Solomon’s life, then you see, that his end was not so good. However, Solomon’s end is never mentioned.
Prayer is spending time with the Father
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him (Matthew 6:6-9)
Prayer is spending time with the Father, through Jesus. If you love Him, then you want to be with Him and spend time with Him. You will give Him your time, instead of giving it to yourself and the world. You communicate with Him and listen to what He has to say and reveal to you.
He wants to have a personal relationship with you so that you will get to know Him through His Word and prayer and you will be able to love Him and trust Him and live according to His will. You can only build a relationship by spending time with each other and not by listening to what others say about the person.
If you don’t know Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit experientially, but only know Them by hearing what others say about Them, then you won’t get to know Them and won’t be able to trust Them. If you don’t trust Them, you shall not become a doer of the Word and don’t accomplish God’s will on this earth.
Jesus didn’t rely on methods and technics but on His Father
Jesus didn’t speak the same words and didn’t use the same technics and methods. Why not? Maybe to prevent the people to develop a technical faith and have more faith in His technics, methods, and words, then in Him.
Jesus spent a lot of time with His Father and fully relied on Him. Jesus didn’t have a technical faith, and didn’t rely on His technics and methods, but He fully relied on His Father and walked by faith in Him.
Jesus brought the Kingdom of God to the people. Everything Jesus did, He did by faith in Him and through His personal relationship with Him and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We should follow His example and also bring the Kingdom of God to the people by faith in Jesus, out of our personal relationship with Him, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, many believers have developed a technical faith and have more faith in the strategies, methods, and technics of Jesus, then in Jesus Himself.
I never knew you
When strategies, methods, and technics work, and someone prophecies or does signs and wonders, it doesn’t prove that the person knows Jesus Christ personally. Because in Matthew 7:22-23, we read that technics and methods work and that a person can do miracles, wonders, and powers, without knowing Jesus personally,
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matthew 7:22-23)
These people said they knew Jesus, but Jesus didn’t know them. They tried to justify themselves and prove that they knew Him, by naming all the works they had done in His Name. But Jesus said, that He didn’t know them.
Shouldn’t we do works? Of course, we should do works because faith without works is death (James 2:17).
But you should not develop a technical faith, but instead, develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You should abide in Him and live after His will, which is also the will of the Father.
From your position in Christ and your personal relationship with Him, you shall do the works, with the purpose to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth. So that Jesus will be exalted and the Father will be honored and not so that you will be noticed and seen and be exalted.
Therefore, don’t have a technical faith and rely, trust, and put your faith in technics, formulas, and methods. But believe, rely, trust and put your faith in Jesus Christ, because He is your Guide.
Be a good steward of your time, by spending time with Jesus. So that you will get to know Jesus personally and find out what His will is. Because if you find out what His will is, then you will be able to do His will in your life. Don’t be focused upon yourself and on methods, technics, and strategies, so that you can build your kingdom on earth. But be focused on Him and establish His Kingdom on earth.
As long as you rely on, and trust and have faith in your ability, words, technics, and methods, you shall have a technical faith and do the works out of the flesh. In Matthew 7 we read where that will lead you to. But if you abide in Him and rely on Him, trust Him, and have faith in Him and you do the works out of Him, then you shall do the works out of the Spirit and these works shall be found perfect before God.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
