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Christ In You means No Degrees to Spirituality
The Myth of Degrees of Spirituality I do not agree that there are degrees of spirituality, or that there is anything a believer can do or not do to be more or less pleasing to God. Read on to see why there is actually no heirarchy of spirituality...
Comparative Religion 101 – What They Won’t Tell You in That Class
Almost every four year liberal arts college has at least one comparative religions course. These courses are meant to touch the surface of each major religion and illustrate the basic differences or similarities. Are these courses effective, or...
Law vs. Liberty
Do you suppose the expression 'it's raining cats and dogs' originated with the flood? For 120 years, Noah preached, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! They laughed at Noah. Who'd ever heard of rain? It isn't all that different today. "The...
Revelations A Study, Conclusion.
Revelations A Study, Conclusion. Section 17 is the conclusion of our study of Revelations. We have learned many things about the end of time, the vast number to be killed, false religion, doctrine and The Anti-christ. I thank you for spending the...
The Two Most Important Commandments - Love
The Two Most Important Commandments – LOVE By: Lara Velez Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible. I'm sure God must be trying to tell us something. We will start our study with Matthew 22:37-38; And He replied to him, You shall love...
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Spiritualism's Tools And The Last Days
Spiritualism is a religion whose basic appeal is contacting the dead. Some of the members of the spiritualists attend séances, promote methods of healing and investigate psychic phenomena. Some people become involved in spiritualism because they seek excitement. Most people join into spiritualism due to losing a loved one and they are going through a period of grief. They feel lost and vacant and the idea of conversing with the dead is appealing. Also, the idea of receiving direction from one in the spirit would be very assuring.
Spiritualists teach from the Bible. They claim to have the nine miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they claim to use during séances. They mention Jesus in their prayers, but they do not believe He is the Divine Son of God. The spiritualists teach that one can be "saved" by good works. However, they do not believe in a Death, Hell, or a Judgment.
The spiritualists have worship services. They sing and pray. However, the service is not like that in which Christians are accustomed. For instance; during a séance a sacrifice may be offered, it may be an animal or a human being. During a communion service - one of the spiritualists may be called upon to sacrifice a finger joint. The finger joint will be cut off and the blood collected in a cup. The cup and the finger will be distributed among the spiritualists to sip the literal blood and to take a bite of the literal finger. This they say corresponds to the Christian Communion Service. However, the Christian Communion Service or Lord's Supper is not the literal body and blood of Jesus; but the unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice are only symbols of the sacrificial body and blood of Jesus.
The spiritualists have Mediums, which are the mediators who supposedly contact the dead during a séance. The spiritualist sits in a circle in a darkened room and follows the directions of the Medium. Ouija Boards (we ge) are very popular in the USA. However, even though there is not any power in the "we ge" board itself - it is feared by many that it is a "doorway" through which a person allows those of the spirit world to control him. They have served as a "doorway" to occult practices. Thus, it is a form of Divination, which is the art of obtaining secret information from the spirit world.
Spiritualism is very real. It is a tool used by Satan to delude and captivate people's souls. The Bible forbids God's people to deal with the spirit world in the following Scriptures:
"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God..." (Leviticus 19:31); "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out these nations." (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
Jesus and the New Testament writers warned about false religious teachers, who possess miraculous powers: "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24); "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They
perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that all will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2 Thessalonians 2:9- 11); "And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men." (Revelation 13:13); "They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the Kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty." (Revelation 16:14)
May we all strive to be better Bible students and to realize that God has spoken and encourages us to heed the following warnings: "The Spirit clearly says that in latter times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer." (1 Timothy 4:1-5) "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."(2 Timothy 3:1-5) "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, 'Where is this "coming" He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.' But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of the water and by the water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2 Timothy 3:3-7)
If we will all accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we do not need to fear Satan or his "drawings" upon us (demons, mediums, witches, and etc.) "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome then, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
The Holy Spirit, which one receives when he or she is baptized "into" Christ, is greater (more powerful) than the power of Satan, which is in the world.
May everyone of us commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and follow His ways. It was Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father, except through Me." (John 14:6)
About the Author
Brother Hoyt W. Allen Jr. is a Restoration author, preacher and director of the KYOWVA Evangelistic Association in Ironton, Ohio. You may visit his website at www.kyowva.com.
Brother Allen's article is courtesy of the The Home Bible Study Institute - www.james1-22.org.
Permission to use is granted if attributed to author, his website and the website of The Home Bible Study Institute.
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