I get a lot of questions from people who ask me why my humor takes aim at what many people in the church look to as widely embraced and accepted religious outlets and figures such as TBN and televangelists like Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley and many others.

The simple answer is because they annoy me. But the reason behind their annoyance is because for the most part what they say and teach are lies, half truths, fantasy and paganism.

Are you a Christian?  Yes.

Are you really a Christian?  Yes, and for a quick idea of what I believe it means to be a Christian.

I BELIEVE there is only one living God. He reveals Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes but without division of nature, essence or being. (Mth. 3:16-17; Mth. 28:19; I Cor. 12:4-6; II Cor. 13:14; Eph. 2:18; Eph. 4:4-6)
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I BELIEVE that the Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ, the Word of God. (Psalm 119:89; II Pet. 1:20-21; Mth. 4:18; Luke 21:33; II Tim. 3:16; John 1:1; Rev. 19:13)
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I BELIEVE that man has fallen through sin from his original innocence as created by God, and that only God's grace can bring man back into fellowship with Him. (Gen. 1-3; Rom. 5:12-21; Rom. 1:19-32)
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I BELIEVE that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, partaking of the nature of both God and man but without sin, to redeem mankind from his fallen state through his death and spilled blood on the Cross, in which He took all the sin of the world on Himself and paid the penalty. His resurrection from the dead and Ascension to the Father completed that redemption. (Is. 7:14; Mth. 1:23; II Cor. 5:21; I Cor. 15:1-8; Rom. 4:25; Colossians 1:20-22; Heb. 9:12,22,24-26)
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I BELIEVE that salvation comes through faith in Christ and his finished work on the Cross, a free gift rather than a reward for effort or worth. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10,13; Eph. 2:8,9)

I BELIEVE that believers are to be baptized by immersion in water as a symbolic testimony to their experience of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, and that they are to partake of the Lord's Supper as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice of His body and his blood, and His indwelling in us. (Mth. 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Mth. 26:26-29; Acts 2:41; I Cor. 11:23-34)
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I BELIEVE in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit operating in the Church-- including speaking in tongues and physical healing-- and the power of the Spirit maintaining the believer in the daily walk of faith. (Luke 11:11-13; Acts 2:1-4, 38-39; Acts 8:14-17; Eph. 5:18; I Cor. 12-14; Rom. 8:5-11; 14-17, 26-27; I Pet. 2:24; James 5:14; Acts 4:29-31)
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I BELIEVE that Satan is real and exists to attack the saints and the church as the father of lies, and that we resist him through the truth of the scriptures as Christ did, and the certain knowledge that the adversary and "accuser of the brethren" was defeated at the Cross. (Job 1:6-12; Mth. 4:1-11; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14)
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I BELIEVE that Christ will return personally and visibly at the end of time to bring the world to its appropriate end. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, a place of everlasting torment, and believers will dwell forever in heaven with the Lord. (I Thess. 4:13-18; John 5:24; Mark 9:43-48; Rev. 22:12-15)

Did I write that just for this blog?  No, I thought that out and prepared that several years ago when I started contemplating taking my comedy into the church.

I am concerned for the church and for the people who make up the church. I am concerned we are being led deeper and deeper into a pagan type of faith which is being pushed further and further along by those involved in the word/faith movement and now has spread into several denominations even when it is in opposition to the doctrine of those churches.

Christian entertainment is fine but the doctrine behind the books you read, messages you hear and music you listen to need to be filtered through the reliable and true Word of God.  We must not filter the word of God to meet our theology but instead the Word of God must dominate and lead us in every aspect of our life.

Your faith and the choices you make are not simply a fad or what you do on a whim.  This is for keeps and while I do not have anything personal against the people I mentioned before they are not teaching sound biblical doctrine and should not be followed any more than someone who teaches the practices of Islam should be followed.

I'm not being a smart _ _ _ or a wise guy by writing this I am concerned and I hope you will read this in the heart that it is written.

My very best,

Marty Daniels

http://www.MartyDaniels.com 

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