Mark 9 (NAS)
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”24 -Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I
do believe; help my unbelief.”
Help our Unbelief
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NAS)
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing:
4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Satan wants to keep us in Unbelief
Seminaries training clergy in unbelief
Cessationism – ceased on earthQuestion the authority of scripture
Universalism – all are savedAtheist
Trained in Unbelief
Undermining the Faith – The Problem with Seminary:The recent study by Tufts University
about Preachers Who Are Not Believers, as it was addressed in the Washington Post this week, has raised a number of questions for me. The one that intrigues me the most is the role that seminary has played in the formation of these unbelieving clergy (March 2010)
Trained in Unbelief
Undermining the Faith – The Problem with Seminary:That mission has been lost. Many
seminary professors not only do not believe the Christian faith, they openly mock it. And several do everything in their power to undermine it.
Trained in Unbelief
Mark 2:1-9 (NKJV)
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard
that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered
together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not
even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
Reasoning vs Faith
Mark 2:1-9 (NKJV)
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four
men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof
where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the
bed on which the paralytic was lying.
Reasoning vs Faith
Mark 2:1-9 (NKJV)
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins
are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but
God alone?”
Reasoning vs Faith
Mark 2:1-9 (NKJV)
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they
reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you
reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your
bed and walk’?
Reasoning vs Faith
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NKJV)
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For
it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the
prudent.”
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NKJV)
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since,
in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God,
it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who
believe.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NKJV)
22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the
Greeks foolishness,
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (NKJV)
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
Acts 7:54-60 – Stephan stoned
Acts 9:20 – Paul began preaching
Trained in unbelief Miracles Gifts Visions, dreams, encounters
Revelation brings Faith
If the early Christian Church:Lacked $, resources, facilitiesLacked educationPersecution/ MurderedNew Testament (not yet formed)
(How did they take over the world in about 200 years?)
Ramsey Macmillan (YALE UNIVERSITY)
1. Casting out demons2. Miracles
Matthew 10:8 (NAS)
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out
demons. Freely you received, freely give.
Ramsey Macmillan (YALE UNIVERSITY)
The story is famous of the discourse between Pope Innocent IV and Thomas Aquinas. When that great scholar came to Rome, and looked somewhat amazedly upon the mass of plate and treasure which he saw. . .
Replaced Faith with Earthly Things
“Lo,” said the Pope, “you see Thomas, we cannot say as St Peter did of old, ‘silver and gold have we none.’” “No,” said Aquinas, “neither can you command, as he did, the lame man to arise and walk.”
Replaced Faith with Earthly Things
John 5:38-40 (NKJV)
38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He
sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them
you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
How can I believe?