But with whom was he furious forty years? Wasn’t it those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the desert? But with whom did he swear that they were not to enter into his rest? Wasn’t it the unbelieving ones? (Hebrews 2.17-18, Smythean) In Hebrews, the writer spends the first half of the book pleading with [...]
But with whom was he furious forty years? Wasn’t it those who sinned, whose carcasses fell in the desert? But with whom did he swear that they were not to enter into his rest? Wasn’t it the unbelieving ones? (Hebrews 2.17-18, Smythean)
In Hebrews, the writer spends the first half of the book pleading with Jewish believers not to toss off their faith. He brings up the Israelites in the wilderness and tells his readers that the reason—the only reason—why they didn’t enter the promised land was because of their unbelief. The writer’s remarks are pungent: their unbelief left the Israelites as carcasses in the wilderness.
The Israelites, after being delivered from some of the most extraordinary miracles ever recorded, heard that God had given them the promised land, but they didn’t hearken to it. There were giants in the land, they were scared of them, and nothing that God said was going to change that.
Hearkening isn’t hearing and it isn’t mental assent. It’s hearing the voice of the Lord and then acting on the truth of that word. In America, we see a lot of mental assent. People call themselves Christians without knowing anything about the Righteous One who came to be made a curse for them. Others claim that the believe in divine healing, but prayer for healing is more of a pretense of spirituality than it is a whole-hearted reliance on the finished work.
Like it or not, the sine qua non of the gospel is belief—bona fide belief. God’s power is only dished out to the extent that you hearken to his word.
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Dear Peter,
On July 9 I was involunarily hospitalized for my spiritual beliefs. they wanted to have me medicated until I was brain dead and judically commited to a nursing home. But I resisted them all by rhema. yesterday they released me free with a clean bill of heath. But my parents disagree and they have stolen my keys to my rented apartment. They want to extort me into homeslessness to force me back into the nursing home after the psychiatrist in the hospital gave up on the idea and set me free. They want to separate me from Church, health, and freedom. They want to keep me from getting married. They want to keep me from independance. the police say it is a civil matter. But it is extortion. My pastor keeps giving me an evil report and wants me to go to the nursing home after the psychitrtaist gave me a clean bill of health and freedom. After the psychiatrist gave up on haveing me judicially committed me Word Faith pastor wnats me to return thier off the streets and go back on pills because he is afraid of my mob parents. I am staying at a shelther tonight. My parents number is 847 439 5429. Please pray for me. Please tell them to let me in my apartment and not steal my belongings.I am going up at once to posses my apartment and Church and wife and prosperity for I am well able to overcome it.
http://www.goodnewschristiancenter.com
In Christ Jesus,
Jim