From: "Castillo, Jaime W." <jwcastil@utmb.edu>

Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 15:33:06

To: "'WalterMartin@mail.serve.com '" <WalterMartin@mail.serve.com>

Subject: RE: WM: Word Faith teaching

>>>Is not God glorified in the life of our dear suffering sister Joni Eareckson Tada, whom God has not healed?

---Michelle

Amen, michelle, amen! That is what the prosperity and word faith people fail to see. There is God's glory in everything, and only the faithful who have full trust in God's wisdom and love see it. Your examples show that blessings are seen in many ways, and some of them are received by Christians in eteernal life. As you said about the Christian martyrs, these people died either POOR, STARVED TO DEATH, SICK---completely opposite of what the prosperity people preach. Do they have LESS faith, as the Word Faith people would suggest? God would give an emphatic NO. The blessings are now being received by our departed brethren IN HEAVEN. These prosperity and Word Faith people are MODERN-DAY VERSIONS of the pharisees and Job's friends. These groups claim the sin of lack of faith as to why people are poor or remain ill. The pharisees thought that it was man's sins why he has a physical defect, tribulations, or illness. Job's friends thought the same thing. All such assumptions are mere HALF-TRUTHS. They only see what they want to see.

God's goodness is in everything for those who love Him. Scriptures say that we will be going through tribulations before we enter the kingdom of Heaven. But Jesus comforts us by saying, that though be so we should take comfort that He has overcome the world. The prosperity and Word Faith people are hiding in the carnality of material blessings, and I fear that some of them are no better than Simon the Sorcerer. They accept Jesus out of material gain, or "supernatural powers".

As Christians, we are not denying that God will give us material blessings, for He does. But there are times that He does not--not because we lack faith, or we have sins (though there may be times these are the reasons).As part of His divine plan, He may want us where we are right now. Jesus Himself was a poor carpenter, who died in a humiliating way (aacording to the world). The first Christians died as POOR TORMENTED MARTYRS; Sudanese Christians die poor, starving, and sick today. The list is long of God using illness, poverty, and tribulation for His glory. The ultimate glory is in these people's persevering LOVE and FAITH in Him during such troubled times. And this is a much higher manifestation of God's power and glory, far higher than material blessings or tongues.

However, if you point this out to the prosperity and Word Faith people, they would probably be appalled, and block their minds about illness, poverty, and tribulation by saying, "God promised material blessings and health, PERIOD. Ask and we shall receive, END of Discussion." This is the lethal deception of knowing only a half-truth. Such carnality is of this world. They look down on Christians who are ill or poor, claiming that these people did not have enough faith. What Pharisees! The gall for them to say it to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering! I do not know what is worse, being in a cult, or being a Christian with such a self-righteous air. As Jesus probably would have said to us about such modern-day pharisees, "...Verily I say unto you, they have their reward." (Matthew 6:5).

Love in Christ,

Jaime