I totally believe you where it comes to miracles. I know miracles happen and I have seen a few myself. One of the things I have learned, especially since starting seminary and seeing things from “the other side of the pulpit” (so to speak) is that it’s not the spiritual maturity of the healer that brings about healing, but the faith of the person being healed that matters. Even Jesus couldn’t heal where people had no faith.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Jesus didn’t heal everybody all the time. His miracles were meant as a demonstration of God’s Kingdom power, to prove that the Kingdom had come. But the apostle Paul suffered from an illness of some kind and prayed for healing and the answer he received was “my grace is sufficient for you”. As you say, what God does is always good — but we may not understand why He does what He does.

As for God’s purposes — “all God wants is to bless us” — I’m afraid I have to disagree with you here. God’s purpose is not to make us happy in this life. God’s purpose *is* to do us good, but that’s just a side-effect of his ultimate purpose. God’s ultimate purpose is to make a people for Himself, to grow us up to be like Him, to be in relationship with us for eternity. In order to do that He needs to mature us, cleanse us, perfect us… all these things are blessings but we may not always experience them as pleasant. Just like children have to learn to eat vegetables… or just like a bone must sometimes be re-broken in order to be set properly… God’s work in our lives may sometimes be painful. Only in the long run does it lead to blessing and glory.

What is harmful about the Prosperity Gospel is that it teaches people they can have everything they want NOW, in this life. And the people who are held up on TV as role models of how to live the Christian life have worldwide fame and all the money and material goods they could ever want… and yet they’re constantly asking for more. Like Jesus said, they have already received their reward.

As for me, I will always believe and preach and teach people to see God as a loving Father who only asks them to turn from living according to their own ways and believe and obey His way. Of course this is only obtained through Jesus precious body and blood.

Keep on preaching and teaching that, my brother, and you will never go wrong! May God bless your ministry richly.

Peg

They happened when Jesus walked the earth and people opened their hearts and minds to receive the “gospel of the kingdom” that Jesus preached. People who had simple faith that there IS a God and He loves us and wants us saved from all manner of illness and infirmity and oppression of the devil.
It’s very simple. Devil’s works are bad. God’s works good.

I learned a lot from Kenneth Hagin and none of it has hurt me or anyone I minister to. Through Hagin and Norvel Hayes and E.W.Kenyon and Smith Wigglesworth and dozens of others God teaches His people we are loved and cherished and all God wants is to bless us.

I have never heard any of those who taught me anything promote greed or anything else unGodly. People who have greed in their heart don’t get that way hearing “God wants us to prosper”. They already are that way. Kenneth Hagin never taught anyone to be greedy. He only taught God is a loving God who wants to bless us with every good thing.

As for me, I will always believe and preach and teach people to see God as a loving Father who only asks them to turn from living according to their own ways and believe and obey His way.

Of course this is only obtained through Jesus precious body and blood.
All I ever heard Kenneth or Benny say was “Accept the wonderful gift Jesus purchased for all mankind on the cross.”

All God asks is for us to renew our minds to think His thoughts and speak His words and His Holy Spirit WILL work in our lives to bless us and make us a blessing to others. Why? Because He loves us. And God and Jesus get ALL the glory and praise and honor and worship.

All we as God’s children are His subjects in His kingdom to bring about the expansion of His kingdom. And to be His ambassadors and ministers to other people.

Thanks for your post… the questions you raise are good ones.

First, I think it’s important to keep in mind that God counts things differently than people do. Our God is a God who changed the world with only twelve disciples, most of them poor and uneducated.

Second, God is capable of bringing people to faith in some pretty strange ways. For example, there are thousands who have found Jesus through New Age religion and have later come to understand that while Jesus is true, New Age religion is not. What makes the difference is the seeker’s heart. If a person is really seeking Jesus they will find Him — that’s His promise — even if they’re standing in a spiritual quagmire when they do.

I’m highly skeptical of the claims of both Hinn and Hagin in regard to healings, deliverances, and so on. I know the gifts of the Spirit are real, I just doubt the integrity of these men. I don’t think the Holy Spirit’s gifts are given so people can become rich and famous and live flashy lives. And I don’t think the Holy Spirit of God can be trained to perform on command. I think their teachings promote greed and self-centeredness and are spiritually harmful. If people are coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ through their ministries, terrific! But they will do well to find better pastors to grow them into spiritual maturity.

In other words, has God honored their words and lives and manifested His love and mercy and grace to countless people with redemption and healings and miracles and demonic deliverance and renewing of minds with God’s word and restoration of broken lives, families and relationships and on and on?

Then, since God has so honored these men, it would behoove us to not take snippets of teachings out of context perhaps and find out what these teachers really are saying. That is, read the book these “quotes” come from.

I also would like to see a comparison of the results of the life and teachings of Benny or Kenneth and Mr. Smalling. I guarantee there is no comparison.

I thought about starting my own blog too but I’m just too lazy so, I guess I’ll just have to keep checking yours out.
LOL,

….Frank Scurley

It’s good to know another John Stott admirer!