10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 6)

This is the sixth installment of things overheard or beliefs commonly held about the Christian life that, upon further reflection, are not as true as they first seem.

Feel free to leave your own thoughts!

Breakthrough Should Be a One-Time Event

Before I introduce this topic, I must first share a little about my spiritual background. I was raised Catholic, but for the better part of my Christian life, I have been a part of churches that would be classified as non-denominational charismatic and even “faith-based.”

When we talk about breakthrough, we are talking about it in the broadest sense. Breakthrough is the act of experiencing freedom or fruit or power in an area of our lives where such freedom or fruit or power did not previously exist. For example, if we turn to the Gospels, we find many people experiencing breakthrough as a result of Jesus’ ministry. They were healed physically, and they were delivered from demons. As scripture says, Jesus went about the countryside healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

Continue reading “10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 6)”

10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 5)

This is the fifth installment of things overheard or beliefs commonly held about the Christian life that, upon further reflection, are not as true as they first seem. Feel free to leave your own thoughts!

We should not dwell on the past

A ministry that I love recently posted the following quote on Facebook: “We do not go forward by looking backward. We are not called to fix an old life but find a new life.” Continue reading “10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 5)”

10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 4)

Faith is spelled R-I-S-K

I am in the process of going into business for myself again, and it has brought to mind the first time I did so. Continue reading “10 things that Christians believe that aren’t true (part 4)”

10 things Christians believe that aren’t true (part 3)

This is the third installment of things overheard or beliefs commonly held about the Christian life that upon further reflection are not as true as they first seem. Feel free to leave your own thoughts!

  1. Being a Christian is about obeying the Bible.When I was younger, a man older than me professed to know what God requires of his servants. He said Jesus’ true followers did what the Bible said to do. He proceeded to tell me what it taught and also that I must obey it as he instructed if I wished to be a true disciple of Jesus.His basic premise — that we as believers are to obey the Bible —  sounded reasonable, even self-evident — so much that I felt compelled to radically change my life and do so. So from that day forward, I took it upon myself to obey the Bible.

    Problem was: I could not do it. Continue reading “10 things Christians believe that aren’t true (part 3)”

10 things Christians believe that aren’t true (part 2)

This second installment continues my thoughts on things often said, or commonly-thought, about the Christian life that sound true but after reflection are not as true as they first seem. Feel free to leave your own thoughts also!

  1. Faith is thinking positive thoughts about God.There are many diverse views in the church body concerning what faith is, but a common one I run across is this one. Namely, that when the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God, or it is by faith we obtain answers to our prayers, that the thing we envision ourselves doing is concentrating real hard on God’s positive attributes, or even Biblical promises, and this act is what faith is all about.

    There is of course nothing wrong with — and even everything right with — meditating on God’s divine attributes and on Biblical promises. It is one way for us to come to a greater knowledge of God. It is just not, in itself, faith. Nor for that matter is any effort we put forth.

    Continue reading “10 things Christians believe that aren’t true (part 2)”