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Topic: Memory (07/10/08)
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TITLE: Remembering the Simplicity of Christ | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nana Bunch
07/16/08 -
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I suppose that some people take their faith and their understanding of the Bible for granted. I did too, at one time – well actually, for most of my life. I attended church from birth onwards. I never had to defend or explain what I believed except to parrot learned and expected responses.
I was shocked at the age of forty-six to discover that I did not know God. I had no relationship with Him other than to offer up a quick prayer occasionally and get all misty when someone “got saved”. I never experienced a true relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord of my life and Redeemer of my sinful soul.
Associations with two religious movements entrapped me, one after another, with deceptive teachings upon my capitulation to the Lord. It was a sorry few years that yoked me to many destructive doctrines and beliefs. I didn’t understand the need to be cautious of various religious doctrines which caught me unaware. Some will rip the Word of God into tiny shreds with shrapnel, promoted as “truth”.
I continue to study these “truths” sold today, in hopes I can warn people of the errors that destroyed me and others. It’s worse now than when I was in the height of my delusion. I am so thankful God gives us memories, because I don’t ever want to forget how He rescued me from the “ear tickling”.
Paul was fearful that “our minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”. Sinless Eve “was beguiled by satan*” with, “you shall be like God”. It was so much easier for me, while drowning in sin-laden flesh, to fall into that same trap of Gnosticism. It “felt so good” to achieve a “higher level” of knowledge and revelation of God than others. I persuaded myself that my belief system was closer to perfection than some who did not practice their “walk” like I did, pointing to foundational Gnosticism.
I am writing this from my heart, not to offend, but to explain that people hold onto things they experience. It all appealed to me too, so I compute the desire for experience, which is above faith in God. I don’t believe that experience is faith manifested. Nor do I believe that faith is a force or a way to make God “obey”. The Bible tells us that faith “is the evidence of things not seen”. “Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith” – we cannot make our faith grow.
Both systems taught me of "revealed knowledge for a time such as this”. One camp convinced me of an angelic language in order to communicate the deeper spiritual concepts of God, and the other promoted the “pure holy language of God” [“original language” of the Bible] with the proper “mind-set” to understand the deeper levels of Scripture.
I learned that special gifts are necessary in both venues. One teaches our spiritual heritage is the “believer’s authority” which gave me the “anointing” to do miracles and signs. The other; that my grafted-in heritage into national Israel rendered me able to keep the former covenant as Jesus did via the “spirit”. Through “special revelation”, both sides are equally convinced they are the chosen “Bride of Christ”.
The office of prophet as accented in both venues includes visions, dreams, revelations, audibly voiced “words” indicating foreknowledge of personal and world events, and special application to events of the past. Often these “revelations” are contradictive to the other movement. “God is not the author of confusion”.
I considered myself a spiritual “prophetic giant” in the first system. I never regretted a moment, at that time, but merely moved into "deeper" and "better" Gnosticism with the second. Inevitably, these “truths” were not available unless I purchased a fair amount of CDs and books.
Memories … I truly believed I was drinking “more of God”. I was wrong. I didn’t need “anointings” and “the ancient paths” to get “more of God”, indicating Gnosticism and base seduction of satan*.
God’s Word is specific – it’s not about doing activities or achieving perfection through fleshly doctrines and desires, with the appearance of garnering more knowledge of God. True godliness comes by the Holy Spirit, who changes and renews us into the image of Christ. My fervent desire is His continued transformation of my heart.
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End note:
* I refuse to give any dignity to “satan” by capitalizing his name.
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writing. Good job on this article!