Monday 1 January 2018

Doctrine - A Christmas covenant



A merry churchmas?

While growing up in the OAC, Christmas was viewed as a celebration by the “world”. The definition of “the world” in OAC terms refers to non-believers, i.e. non-OAC members irrespective of whether they are Christian or not. I remember how a “Priest” would preach that on Christmas day, the shopkeepers would gather their families around the table and they would start counting all their money. While counting all their money they would be singing “what a friend we have in Jesus”. Back then we believed that every day of the year should be regarded as Christmas because Christ was “born in us” daily.

Nowhere does the Bible say that Christ gets born in us daily. Christ does not get born in us daily, He was born as the Messiah only once (Matthew 1:16-25) and it is us that must get born again (John 3:1-8, 1 Peter 1:18-25).

Our old man that served sin (previous sinful way of life) is crucified with Christ so that sin won’t reign in our mortal bodies (Romans 6:6-14). When we are dead to sin then we become alive to God through Jesus Christ. If you don’t obey the sinful lusts of your body, you are a new man wherein the word of Christ dwells richly and the old man (old sinful way of life) is crucified (Galatians 5:24). The new man we put on is created in righteousness and true holiness, renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (Ephesians 4:20-32, Colossians 3:1-17). If you return to your old sinful way of life then you crucify to yourself the Son of God afresh (Hebrews 6:4-6).

  • Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread (Matthew 6:11, Luke 11:3)
  • Jesus taught us to deny ourselves daily, pick up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23-26)
  • Jesus doesn’t need to offer up sacrifices daily like the priests, because Jesus did this only once when He offered up Himself (Hebrews 7:22-28, Hebrews 10:1-18)

In recent years the OAC’s stance on Christmas has changed slightly, and there are still varying opinions regarding Christmas. Many members believe Christmas is actually the day they were “sealed”.

Nowadays December 25th is celebrated in the OAC as the day of the covenant.

An OACElder” wrote: “...I tell the world that Christmas is special because I commemorate the birth of the child Christ in my life. This is why we call it the day of the covenant in our Church...”

OAC Home Tuition Calendar (19 December 2016): “...On Christmas day we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and the fulfilment of the covenant God made with man. God was made flesh, even for us today, and the kingdom of God came within our reach, as He proclaimed it so by the words: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” [GAL 4:4-5; JOH 1:14; MAT 4:17]...”

OAC Home Tuition Calendar (22 December 2016): “...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save whoever believes in Him [JOH 3:16]. Christmas is the time when we think of our own beginning in Christ, the Church. We became members, individually, in the body of Christ. We are in Him who is true and this is the true God and eternal life.
[1 COR 12:27; 1 JOH 5:20]...”

OAC Current Teaching (25 December 2017): “...Today is a very special day and we will attend the Christmas services. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." [LUK 2:15] How do we respond to the wonder of Christmas? We need to revisit the day we made a covenant with the living God – the beginning of our lives in Christ, the Church – our rebirth through water and the Spirit. [1 PET 1:23]...”

See how the focus is shifted from Christ to the OAC (“...in Christ, the Church...”)? Christ is not a Church, He is the head of the church (1 Corinthians 11:3, Ephesians 5:22-32, Colossians 1:18)?

Coincidentally, the founding father of the OAC, Carl (Karl) George Klibbe was born on December 25th, 1852. Nowadays the OAC celebrates the day of the covenant on his birthday.

"Father" Klibbe

An OACPriest” wrote the following: “...Jesus is supposed to be the most famous human to walk the earth naturally. If so why was his actual birth date not recorded ? No dates of birth of ANY biblical figure is recorded simply because they were never born physically...”

An OACUnderdeacon” wrote the following: “...Those who said jesus was human being, let them give me the verse that says he was born on the 25th December?...”

These statements by myopic OAC officers are blatantly ignorant and atheistic. There is archaeological evidence of biblical figures and they were not figments of the imagination. When I mentioned the arguments of these OAC officers to my wife, she laughed and said that if none of the biblical figures ever existed, then the persons who wrote the Bible must have had a very good imagination. My wife, still laughing, asked me if these OAC officers had been smoking something. Unfortunately this is no laughing matter and terribly tragic, the OAC officers mentioned above are serving a god of imagination.

Very little is written in the Bible regarding birthdays, and what we do read is not very positive. We read the following in the Bible:

  • On the Pharaoh’s birthday, the chief baker was hanged (Genesis 40:20-22)
  • Job cursed the day he was born (Job 3:1-5)
  • Jeremiah cursed the day he was born (Jeremiah 20:14-18)
  • On Herod the tetrarch’s birthday, John the Baptist was beheaded (Matthew 14:6-11, Mark 6:21-28)

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

The celebration of birthdays was regarded as a tradition that justified the flesh, which is why early Jews and Christians did not celebrate birthdays as these were pagan customs.

Jesus was not born in December though; December in the Northern Hemisphere is winter.
During winter the shepherds kept their flocks in stables or indoors at night, the shepherds wouldn't have been abiding in the fields at night to keep watch over their flocks during winter. Besides, what would their flocks have been grazing on anyway in the middle of winter out in the fields?

First century homes in Judea had an upper level that served as a guest chamber, and a lower level that served as the living and dining rooms. Vulnerable animals would also be brought in to the lower level at night to protect them from the cold.

Jerusalem in winter

December to February is winter in Israel, which means temperatures of between 5º-18º Celsius in Tel Aviv. It may get colder around Jerusalem and the Ramat Hagolan mountains down to a level of 0º Celsius at night.

Luke 2:8-11 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The flocks were out in the field at night because it wasn’t winter, thus Mary likely gave birth to Jesus where some of the animals would’ve been brought in during the winter. Bear in mind that a manger is a container (usually in a barn or stable) from which cattle or horses feed; a feeding trough.

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

According to Strong’s, the word “manger” is translated from the Greek word phatnē and is defined as:
(to eat); a crib (for fodder): - manger, stall.

The birth of Jesus was a BIG deal, not a daily occurrence! His birth was announced by means of a star to wise men in the east that came to worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2). His birth caused an angel, a multitude of heavenly host and shepherds to glorify and praise God (Luke 2:8-21). The Bible is littered with verses that alluded to the great day that Jesus was born although the exact date was erased from history in order to protect Him from Herod who wanted to kill Him.

The birth of Jesus is part of the foundation of Christianity; namely His birth, His death and His resurrection. Times and dates are of no consequence but the birth of Jesus was important, because it’s important to know and understand that God became man and paid the highest sacrifice for us on the cross of Calvary, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. This would not have been possible if Jesus was never physically born.

Christmas was unknown in the early church, Christmas as a celebration was only introduced sometime after 300. However, during the time of Jesus there was another feast that took place in winter. Although this festival is not mentioned in the Old Testament, its origins occurred between the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New Testament.

John 10:22-23 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

The feast of the dedication is known as Chanukah (Hanukkah) or the festival of lights and remembers the dedication of the Temple by Judah Maccabee after he had conquered the armies of the Syrian oppressor, Antiochus Epiphanes, who had polluted the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar.

The events took place over 2,300 years ago in the land of Judea, now known as Israel. It begins in the reign of Alexander the Great, who conquered Syria, Egypt, and Israel, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. More than 100 years after Alexander, Antiochus IV rose to power in the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs on the altar. One of the groups which opposed Antiochus was led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee.

This small band of pious Jews led guerrilla warfare against the Syrian army. Antiochus sent thousands of well-armed troops to crush the rebellion, but the Maccabees succeeded in driving the foreigners from their land. When Jewish fighters entered Jerusalem, the Temple was in shambles, defiled and desecrated by foreign soldiers.

The Maccabees cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated it on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar, a day which typically falls in November or December. When it came time to re-light the Menorah, they searched the entire Temple, but only one small jar of oil bearing the pure seal of the High Priest could be found. Miraculously, the small jar of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply of oil could be brought.

From then on these days were appointed as an annual festival with prayers of praise and thanksgiving. This festival is observed for eight days in honor of this historic victory and the miracle of the oil. The observance features the lighting of a special lamp stand with eight branches plus a helper candle, adding one new candle each night with prayers of thanksgiving.

The Afrikaans word kersfees seems to be an apt description of the festival of lights (kers = candle, fees = festival).

"kersfees"

During this great season of remembering miracles, Jesus pointed out to His listeners that the miracles He had done authenticated His claim that He was, indeed, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (John 10:37-38). His works and His true character clearly demonstrated who He was. The Lord Jesus gives all of us the light of life. The light He gives us is meant to be shared.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus became the incarnate, physical expression of our Heavenly Father's presence, the light of the world, who came to dwell among us and give us the eternal light.

Jesus told us that whoever follows Him will not have darkness, but the light of life. What a wonderful time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that our Father has done for us, by giving us new light and new life. We can celebrate by rededicating our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as the perfect and true light of this world. The temple belongs to God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Ephesians 2:19-22).

At this time, and every day thereafter, let us remember that Jesus is the light of the world. Let us not worship our Father in allegories and lies, but in spirit and truth (John 4:22-24).

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The good news is that there is only one REAL Jesus and He is the ONLY Messiah.

Saturday 2 December 2017

Doctrine - The angling angel angle



The angel of light and his ministers of righteousness

When I was an active member in the OAC I was taught that members of the OAC are angels. Their wings are supposedly the word and the deed. The word (father) is spoken by their “Vessel of Blessing” (VOB/overplaced/“owergestelde”). Their obedience to this word (father) is deemed to be the deed (son). By being obedient to the spoken word they would have peace of mind and that would be their supposed halo.

OAC interpretation of an angel

OAC Current Teaching (2 May 2017): “...We must serve the brotherhood, that they can be free from sin. Bring about joy, peace and happiness in their lives and leave them in a peaceful state of mind. The angel of the Lord proclaimed the birth of Jesus to the shepherds and brought a message of good tidings of great joy to all the people; peace on earth and goodwill towards men. [ LUK 2:8-14]...”

OAC Current Teaching (24 July 2017): “...We are the angels of the Lord, who excel in strength because we do His word. We have all put on the full armour of God and are in possession of all the godly qualifications represented by the various items of the full armour of God. [PSA 103:20; EPH 6:10-17]...”

OAC Current Teaching (25 July 2017): “...Angels of the Lord are those whom are born of God; they will overcome the world and the cares thereof for they rely on God, His power and strength. They are powerful men of valour and champions of God whom are strengthened by Him and utilised for His purpose. [JUD 6:12; PSA 103:21]...”

OAC Current Teaching (26 July 2017): “...The angels of God host and reveal the Spirit of God and bring good tidings of salvation. They serve in the name of the Lord and they are the builders of the kingdom of God. Their feet are shod with the gospel of peace. Read and study the contents of [PSA 103]...”

OAC Current Teaching (27 July 2017): “...What is an angel? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? [HEB 1:14] They are God’s angels and ministers authorised by God and sent to bring the gospel of Christ unto those who should be heirs of His salvation. [PSA 103:20-23]...”

OAC Current Teaching (5 August 2017): “...Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! [PSA 103:20-22]...”

An OAC young member wrote: “...according to Sunday school teaching that we received last year,an angel is a person who is being used or sent by the holy spirit to sent or deliver message to people,the msg must be send forward before any accurance cn tym place.remember the is no way we can walk without angels,dream,protest,visions etc comes thru angels to warn or thank us...”

An OAC member wrote: “...You become an Angel when your home is the body of Christ, meaning when it's night and you go to your natural lives like going to work...”

An OACUnderdeacon” supposedly had a vision of the angel Gabriel: “…My vision of Gabriel appeared natural, 3pm in the early hours of the morning. I was not asleep, but when I want to ask him something, he just smiled and disappeared
I was sitting upright in bed, deeply disturbed by my vision three days earlier, and trying to make sense of it,when he appeared
His visit to me was directly linked to his visit to Daniel, many years ago, and later warned of by Christ in Matt 23:15. I still have the proof of what and how it happened on 16 August 1994.
He is Victorian in appearance, with a strong crooked nose,but his distinct hairstyle indicated or proved to me that he was an angel. And the fact that he knew about my vision and the implications thereof…”

Another OACUnderdeacon” wrote: “...Angel is the spiritual gift that is within you
Theophanies are always lives within man from the beginning and man ( living soul) will always being a temple or dormain of these spiritual creatures.
These heavenly host are originated within ( heaven) man and planted through the breath of life that is breathed in our nostrils.
When you read the following statement it shows how did the word of the Lord sitting within us and the host of heaven:
1 Kgs 22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left
Only life giving Adam (Gabriel) is able to insiminate or transplant the word of God within you (Virgin Mary) through gospel that was preached to you.
Read: Mk 4:4-8
I believe Gabriel is a spiritual being "theophany" that had appeared in the midst of the vision of Daniel and Zachariah to mention the least. And I've got the verses that proves my comment, but I will text later to prove that Gabriel is the spiritual being.
Daniel 9:21-22 & Lk 1:11, 19
His identity is not transferred to anyone, because same Gabriel appeared to Daniel is the same Daniel appeared to Zachariah, Elisabeth, Mary, and John the Revelator...”

The teachings and the comments above by officers of the OAC completely misinterpret the Scripture. It’s interesting that the OAC would teach that they are angels while they also believe that they are the collective Son of God. According to the Bible there is a clear distinction between angels and the Son of God.

Hebrews 1:1-13 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;
and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
They shall perish;
but thou remainest;
and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed:
but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

The son of man is made a little lower than the angels, yet man is crowned with glory and honour (Psalms 8:4-5). We are called sons of men but angels are never called sons of angels because they don’t marry or reproduce. In the resurrection we become as angels or equal unto angels because we won’t marry nor be given in marriage (Matthew 22:30, Luke 20:34-36). In the heavenly Jerusalem there is an innumerable company of angels as well as the spirits of just men made perfect, two separate groups (Hebrews 12:22-23).

According to Strong’s, the word “angel” in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew word mal'âk and is defined as:
to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically of God, that is, an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher): - ambassador, angel, king, messenger.

According to Strong’s, the word “angel” in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word aggelos and is defined as:
a messenger; especially an “angel”; by implication a pastor: - angel, messenger.

Depending on the context, the Bible uses the word messenger(s) to describe ordinary people (Job 1:14, Luke 7:24, Luke 9:52), prophets (Isaiah 42:19, Malachi 3:1) and priests (Malachi 2:7). Therefore context is important because a messenger may be a person sent by another person, or a person such as a prophet sent by God, or a spirit being such as an angel sent by God from heaven.

The word mal'âk appears 213 times in the Old Testament (KJV).
The word aggelos appears 186 times in the New Testament (KJV).

Angels are ministering spirits (Psalms 104:4, Acts 23:9, Hebrews 1:14) and spirits don’t have physical human bodies (Luke 24:39). Angels can take on the appearance of strangers (Hebrews 13:2) or as lightning dressed in snow white garments (Matthew 28:2-4, Luke 24:4). Nowhere in the Bible does it specifically say that angels have wings and it is certain that the angels that appeared to Abraham had no visible wings (Genesis 18-19). Besides, why would a spirit need wings?

  • A cherubim has four wings and four faces (Ezekiel 10:1-21).
  • A seraphim has six wings and he uses two wings to cover his face, two wings to cover his feet and two wings with which to fly (Isaiah 6:1-3).

Angels are greater in power and might than men but do not accuse them before the Lord (Psalms 103:20, 2 Peter 2:9-11). An angel of God is wise and knows all things that are in the earth but angels don’t know everything (2 Samuel 14:20, Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32).

God used an angel to encourage Hagar (Genesis 21:16-20), encourage and feed Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-8), and angels ministered unto Jesus after He was tempted of the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and allowed the apostles to escape after they were arrested (Acts 5:17-20). Later after prayer without ceasing by the church, an angel of the Lord freed Peter from prison (Acts 12:3-11). An angel of God revealed to Paul that everyone on board the ship would survive the coming shipwreck (Acts 27:21-26). The angels of God serve as divine messengers to communicate God’s messages and they also appear in dreams (Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:19) and visions (Luke 1:19-22, Acts 10:3-4).

Not all angels can be trusted though (Matthew 25:41, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6) and Paul warns against the worshipping of angels (Colossians 2:18). Taking all of this into consideration, you have to wonder which angel is leading the members of the OAC and why their focus is more on their own works than on the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.

The good news is that there is only ONE Jesus Christ and He is so much better than the angels, and by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:4).

Angels had authority and could pronounce judgements before Jesus came to redeem us.

Luke 1:19-22 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;
and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them:
and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple:
for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.

With Jesus Christ as our Messiah we become heirs of salvation and the angels are our servants because they serve us as ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:13-14).

Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Through the name of Jesus which is a name above every other name, we can give instructions to angels because He is so much better than the angels. Don’t you know that we will judge angels (Matthew 25:41, 1 Corinthians 6:3, Galatians 1:8, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6)?