I’m Sick of Spiritual Peddlers and So Was Yeshua and Paul

2 Corinthians 2:17, For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of Elohim; but as of sincerity, but as from Elohim, we speak in the sight of Elohim in Messiah. Are you as sick and fed up with peddlers of the Word of Elohim as I am? It’s everywhere you go—people standing along the highways of biblical religion with their hands out panhandling.

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Show me just about any big name in Christianity, Messianic, the Hebrew Roots Movement and, in most cases, I’ll show you someone who has built their ministry on shameless self promotion, hype, glitz, corporate marketing techniques and their ability to cleverly woo people to their book seller’s table or website that is chalk full of wares that  promise to fill your head with the latest prophetic insights, esoteric biblical head knowledge, pop-psychological, self-help, humanistic, new-age, ear-tickling pap. It’s all yours, if you’ll only plunk down some of your hard-earned cash.

Well, I’m not the only one who’s fed up with these modern-day merchandizers of the gospel. The Apostle Paul was too. Evidently it was rampant in his day as well as we have seen in the scripture verse quoted above: “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of Elohim…”  The word peddling there means “to be a retailer, to make money by selling anything, to get sordid gain by dealing in anything, to do a thing for base gain, to trade in the word of God, to try to get base gain by teaching divine truth, to corrupt, to adulterate, peddlers were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain.”

These guys don’t need to bother knocking on the door of the congregation I pastor, Continue reading

 

When Did Major Unbiblical Traditions of Men Enter into the Early Church?

It’s time to rock the boat of some of you who suffer from the spiritual disease of “non-rock the boatitis.”

Second Peter 2 says,

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (2 Pet 2:1–2)

Here is a partial list of the approximate time periods when several major unbiblical doctrines of men crept into the early church from the writings of the early church fathers.

Don't sink my boat! Pleeeze!

Don’t sink my boat! Pleeeze!

The Human Soul Is Immortal

  • A.D. 130— The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ch. 6
  • Ca. A.D. 155—The First Apology of Justin Martyr, ch. 18
  • Ca. A.D. 180—Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, Book Two, ch. 34
  • Ca. A.D. 180—Irenaeus’ Against Heresies, Book Five, chaps. 7.1; 31.1

Teachings Against the Sabbath and Biblical Feasts

  • A.D. 130—The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ch. 4. The author calls the Sabbath and biblical feasts “utterly ridiculous and unworthy of notice.”
  • Ca. A.D. 130—Epistle of  Barnabas, ch. 2 (also ch. 14). The author says that the Sabbaths (weekly Sabbath and biblical feasts) are abolished.
  • Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Philippians, ch. 14

Observance of the Lord’s Day (Sunday) Advocated Over Sabbath Observance

  • Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesian, ch. 9. The author says to keep the Sabbath on Sunday.
  • Early part of second century A.D.—Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians, ch. 9
  • Ca. A.D. 130—Epistle of  Barnabas, ch. 14
  • Ca. A.D. 155—The First Apology of Justin Martyr, ch. 67 Continue reading