I know some are going to jump up and down at my “misuse” of the word heretic. I have heard it said in many places Rick Warren had deviated from sound doctrine, today, a friend posted one of his blogs on FB, and I was stunned at the entire piece!
”The more faith you have in God, the more power and the more blessings you will have in your life.”
This is what Warren says in his article, entitled, “To Get God’s Power, Give Him Your Trust.” We give to get?? To get... we give!! Horrific doctrine. Really, in real life, that is a narcissist’s words. It is “all about me!” I will give you something if I get something back. That is not the gospel, where Jesus died for our sins, because of his love for us. Not so we could manipulate him to get what we want. If a man gives a woman a gift so he can get her into bed, he is a womanizer and a user. So why would we take that same approach with God?
Now, I did put a question mark in the title for a reason. Warren seems to be more mixed up than a heretic! Read this, next quote and you will see he is talking about trusting God, which I agree is important!
”[FONT="]That’s why it takes faith to what God wants you to do. You’ll never be able to do it on your own. You were never intended to be able to! Anything you can do in your own strength doesn’t require faith, and when faith is not required, we’re living faithlessly.”
Except, how does a born again believer live without faith? God gives us a measure of faith!
”[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3[FONT="]
Then there is this:
”[/FONT]Without God’s power in your life, you’re just running on your own energy. And that’s like having a laptop that’s unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and all the power will be gone. Why would you live like that?[FONT="]Think of it like this: You’ve got a small battery in you. You can run through life on your own power, which means you’ll be tired all the time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Or you have access to God’s power plant, provided you just plug in and admit you need God’s help. God has unlimited power to sustain your life and mission.”
Maybe I am foolish, but how can a born again believer not have God’s power? Well, for one thing, we need the guidiance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which he never zones in on. And yes, people do work in their own strength, I won’t deny that. But surely seeking God in prayer for his will, leading and guidance comes before needing power? And then there is submission to God’s will. That is about surrendering all, obeying God. Surely that is more important than power?
My final analysis is that Rick Warren does have some basic doctrine underneath this smozzle of twisted doctrines. But, he seems to be tickling ears, trying to attract the Health and Wealth people, using their doctrines without really understanding what he is saying. I really don’t think this is a good article, and now I will avoid him in future, because his message is mixed and confusing.
But I am interested in hearing what you have to say, particularly if you take the 2 minutes to click on the link and actually read the whole thing in context! Because context is important, and I would like to know if I am missing something or reading into this more than is there.
To Get God’s Power, Give Him Your Trust[/FONT]
”The more faith you have in God, the more power and the more blessings you will have in your life.”
This is what Warren says in his article, entitled, “To Get God’s Power, Give Him Your Trust.” We give to get?? To get... we give!! Horrific doctrine. Really, in real life, that is a narcissist’s words. It is “all about me!” I will give you something if I get something back. That is not the gospel, where Jesus died for our sins, because of his love for us. Not so we could manipulate him to get what we want. If a man gives a woman a gift so he can get her into bed, he is a womanizer and a user. So why would we take that same approach with God?
Now, I did put a question mark in the title for a reason. Warren seems to be more mixed up than a heretic! Read this, next quote and you will see he is talking about trusting God, which I agree is important!
”[FONT="]That’s why it takes faith to what God wants you to do. You’ll never be able to do it on your own. You were never intended to be able to! Anything you can do in your own strength doesn’t require faith, and when faith is not required, we’re living faithlessly.”
Except, how does a born again believer live without faith? God gives us a measure of faith!
”[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Romans 12:3[FONT="]
Then there is this:
”[/FONT]Without God’s power in your life, you’re just running on your own energy. And that’s like having a laptop that’s unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and all the power will be gone. Why would you live like that?[FONT="]Think of it like this: You’ve got a small battery in you. You can run through life on your own power, which means you’ll be tired all the time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Or you have access to God’s power plant, provided you just plug in and admit you need God’s help. God has unlimited power to sustain your life and mission.”
Maybe I am foolish, but how can a born again believer not have God’s power? Well, for one thing, we need the guidiance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which he never zones in on. And yes, people do work in their own strength, I won’t deny that. But surely seeking God in prayer for his will, leading and guidance comes before needing power? And then there is submission to God’s will. That is about surrendering all, obeying God. Surely that is more important than power?
My final analysis is that Rick Warren does have some basic doctrine underneath this smozzle of twisted doctrines. But, he seems to be tickling ears, trying to attract the Health and Wealth people, using their doctrines without really understanding what he is saying. I really don’t think this is a good article, and now I will avoid him in future, because his message is mixed and confusing.
But I am interested in hearing what you have to say, particularly if you take the 2 minutes to click on the link and actually read the whole thing in context! Because context is important, and I would like to know if I am missing something or reading into this more than is there.
To Get God’s Power, Give Him Your Trust[/FONT]