Common Misconception in Bible Teachings – The True Life of a Christian Walk with God.

Written by Joseph Ho, May 8th, 2009

Jesus always says we are not to be like the world and narrow is the gate to life which very few will find it. How can a Christian be the light of the world when we do what the world does? The value systems of the world are about wealth, fame and power. The world is about hoarding not sharing, it’s about control not empowerment, it’s about subjecting not about serving. But nowadays, the Gospel of Jesus has been watered down, diluted, modified to suit the relevant trends of the world to cater for the needs of a liberal people.

Can this be the true reason for preaching a different emphasis on the Gospel message?

The light flickers and changes color as the world changes and that reflects a God who changes as well, we do not become the light and salt we become the flavor of changing taste instead. The pressures of this world and the demands of operations have made more pastors and shepherds preaching half truths. They only emphasize the glorification of Christians choosing to testify of his goodness and not sanctification of the spirit man by the Holy Spirit.

And it begins like this, God just solved all my financial problems, God gave me my promotion, God blessed me with fifty dollars on the road, God healed my sickness, and God gave me a bigger church with more offerings and tithes and God gave me a bigger car and God gave me my hearts desire. It’s all about the gifts and not much about God himself. We glorify the material gifts from God more than the true things of the eternal Gospel.

Matthew 23:23
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Malachi 2:9
“So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Matthew 7:14
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:13
[ The Narrow and Wide Gates ] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Does Jesus solve all our problems after we become a born again Christian?

This is a common misunderstanding for all new born again Christians. No, Jesus does not solve all your problems when you received him as your savior. Does your amputated leg grow back again when you received Jesus as your savior? I have not seen that in my life, if anyone has seen such a thing do tell me please. God can make uneven legs grow to its proper length but God don’t replace amputated legs. Why didn’t God healed Jacob’s limping leg, he was the chosen one of Jesus’ heritage surely he is more important than I in all of creation, but why didn’t God heal his limb. And why did Timothy have to take some wine for his stomach problems, why cant Paul lay hands on him to heal him?

Have you heard of any prophet in the Old Testament that died of a disease?

Yes, there was one such Prophet, and his name is Elisha. God is the one who afflicts us of illness, in this case, Elisha must have sinned. And the soul that sins must be the soul that dies. So what was Elisha’s sin, he cursed the youths who laughed at his baldhead. We are told to forgive others when they sin against us, but Elisha abused his prophetic gifts and cursed the children who did not know what they were doing. Even as a Prophet of God, you can also be punished by God when you sin. How can Elisha die at all? Bible says his bone can resurrect the dead, so how can a man with a set of bones of resurrecting power died in it? This shows that the anointing and the sin of a man of God will be treated separately by God, who is a God of Justice.

2 Kings 13:14
Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died. Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him. “My father! My father!” he cried. “The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”

2 Kings 2:23-25 (New International Version)

Elisha Is Jeered

23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

2 Kings 13:21
Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.

What actually happens to you when you become a Christian?

I guarantee you that you will encounter more problems than ever before. Why did I say that? The truth is you must proceed from justification to sanctification then come glorification. You are justified when you receive Christ as your savior, but you don’t immediate get the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That you don’t get immediately. Jesus is the baptizer of the Holy Spirit not any men and not any institution can do that for you. Because all must enter by the narrow gate, which is through Christ, he is the good shepherd and no one comes to the father but through him. The Roman Catholics and the Anglicans faith practiced confirmation, man made traditions but no one on earth can confirm that a man is saved, only Christ Jesus. Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes not immediately when you get baptized, no it doesn’t happen like that for everyone.

Luke 3:16
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Your pastors can not baptized you with the Holy Spirit either, they are mortal man with human abilities, unless they are true servants chosen by God, whatever they say can not be fulfilled. The truth is that there are many professional pastors who took the job of a pastor by profession only; not by faith neither by conviction. What does this mean? It means they treat their position like any job, its just work to them; they don’t have any encounter with the true living God, zilch, nana, nil, zero, no Damascus experience. They chose to serve God as a job and God did not choose them to serve him. Such pastors don’t have any spiritual power in their words. They do not become pastors because they love to save the lost; no they took the job to earn a living and to feed their family, their own flock at home.

Do you not know that even the church pastors who attended seminary were taught by teachers who are very knowledgeable in the bible but are not Christians and, neither were they born again. This is the truth. They have their Phd in Divinity but they don’t know God personally nor do they have any encounter with anything spiritual, all they know comes from books and reading of material and writing a logically mental thesis. This, my fellow Christians is the real world and the truth. Now why didn’t they tell us all these when we joined the church? No one wants to depreciate their power base would they that would be committing personal anarchy. No, you got to be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove. Jesus told you all these in the bible, if only you will read it yourself instead of hearing it from a second source. Let today be your truth day and let your mind be opened to all these hidden agendas and conspiracy; removed your veil and see with clear eyes.

Being baptized in water is an only act of repentance; it does not mean a thing when it comes to being baptized in the Holy Spirit. The baptism in the Holy Spirit can not be done by any men of God; it has to come from Jesus or his chosen apostles. Again, chosen apostles means those chosen by God and not some Council of Apostles Instituted by Men, so be careful who is who and what is what. God gave us certain sure ways to know who are His Apostles and only if you bother to read the bible yourself, you will find this signs of the mark of the man of God. These people in the book of Acts, they were baptized in the name of Jesus, yet they did not receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit until the apostles laid hands on them. The first evidence is speaking in tongues, although it’s not the only absolute evidence. Acts 8:14-17 (New International Version)

14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19 (New International Version)

Paul in Ephesus

1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7There were about twelve men in all.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit can not be counterfeited, it’s a real experience. No one should assume that they have it because the bible says there are evidence of this baptism. Well, again unless you bother to read about it, you will never know and how can you let your eternal salvation be told to you by who knows whom; a professional or an apostles of God for that matters. If you can not discern or tell the difference, I suggest you seek out the truth whether you have the Holy Spirit of not. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you are not going to heaven for sure. Those in heaven wears a white robe and what is this white robe, it’s the Holy Spirit within the person. Our righteousness is of the Spirit of Christ which is the Holy Spirit of God himself. Joseph had the multicolor coat and if you mixed the seven rainbow colors together, you get a white color which is the Holy Spirit.

These are the few questions you must answer:

Can you Prophesy?

Revelation 19:10
At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

2. Can you hear the voice of God?

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:3
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Psalm 95:7
For he is our God,and we are the people of his pasture,and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,

John 8:47 (New International Version)

47He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Some are Apostles and some are Sheep, Apostle should prophesy while Sheep should hear the master’s voice. That means you should be able to do one or the other. If you can not then I suggest you talk to Jesus about this and maybe you will know why. Well, there are many signs, if you bother to read the bible, look at

1 Corinthians 14 (New International Version)

Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues

1Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 2For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.3But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. 4He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Many claimed that they are born again and have the Holy Spirit, yet they did not show any signs of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit given for your own profit or is it given so that you may become a witness for Christ Jesus? Sons and daughters are to do the Father’s business. They are given the Holy Spirit to undertake the great commission to bring the good news to the ends of the world. If you don’t even know if you got the Holy Spirit then I suggest that you may not be truly baptized in the Spirit as many pastors don’t even themselves understand this spiritual part of God. What they can not read, they don’t know since they do not know what they don’t know, so how can they preached it? We must worship God in Spirit and in Truth.

But if they were to let others know that they don’t know, there will be trouble, so they act like they know but still within they know that they don’t know. And its killing them day by day, the emptiness of preaching a powerless God. God does not have to show himself to people who are not truthful. Our God is a God of Truth. God has no obligations to show himself to a people who worship the idols in their own mind and do not fear him nor walk in his ways. The way is narrow, so we will know who truly walks the narrow way by the narrow things they do, they all show the signs and the marks of a true apostle of God.

Should you want to know more, check our my website or write me an email, I would be happy to tell you more about things which you desire very much to ask but was afraid or shy to ask. God bless you all, when you find the truth, you will know it because it will set you free. Amen.