Was Christianity Influenced by Mystery Religions

Was Christianity Influenced by Mystery Religions? by Hank Hanegraaff is a must read.

read an excerpt

"S" will serve to remind us of syncretism. The mystery religions were syncretistic in that adherents not only worshipped various pagan deities but also frequently embraced aspects of competing mystery religions while continuing to worship within their own cultic constructs. Not so in Christianity. Converts to Christ singularly placed their faith in the One Who said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). Says J. Gresham Machen, "A man could become initiated into the mysteries of Isis or Mithras without at all giving up his former beliefs; but if he were to be received into the Church, according to the preaching of Paul, he must forsake all other saviors for the Lord Jesus Christ....Amid the prevailing syncretism of the Greco-Roman world, the religion of Paul, with the religion of Israel, stands absolutely alone." 9

Apologetics — the defense of the faith — has a dual purpose. On the one hand, it involves pre-evangelism. We should thus pray that God uses our well-reasoned answers as an opportunity to share the good news that Jesus can become more real to people (like Jennings and the fellows of the Jesus Seminar )than the very flesh upon their bones. On the other hand, apologetics involves post-evangelism. During an age in which Jesus is being demeaned in both private academia and the public arena, knowing how to defend His historicity serves to strengthen our faith

God's call to be Faithful in an Unfaithful World

Unfaithfulness is what got the nation of Israel in major trouble with God. They found it difficult to stay faithful and loyal to God on a consistent and regular basis. Time and again God called them harlots and adulterers because they kept chasing after other gods.

Faithfulness is a divine characteristic. 2 Timothy 2.13 says, if we are faithless (to God), He will remain faithful (with us), for He cannot disown Himself. (powerful, eh?) Faithfulness is a quality high on the list with Yahweh God. It is a quality that we must carefully cultivate in our relationships. God expects us to be faithful and loyal not only with Him but also with our spouses, children, parents, associates, fellow believers and friends.

Faithlessness with God leads to faithlessness in every other area of our dealings. All around us we constantly hear of fathers walking out of their marriages and forsaking their children. More and more mothers bail out of their responsibilities in search of personal happiness. Husbands and wives having affairs behind their spouses back completely destroying the trust of their spouses and children. Fickleness and inconstancy spreads like an epidemic into such abandoned children and into the very fabric of our society.

In the materialistic and self-centered world that we are living in faithfulness is a quality that has become passé. God however is concerned whether we are going to stay true, loyal and faithful to Him as well as to the family and friends he has brought into our lives.

Watch Out: It's A Trap

Jesus warned his disciples against offense. The word offense is defined as “the name of the part of a trap to which the bait is attached, hence the trap or snare itself”. You have probably never thought of offense as being a snare. The fact remains that if you allow offense to attach itself to your heart, it will stop the power of God from flowing in your life! (read that again, slowly)

Have you been harboring offenses in your mind? Our mind is a battlefield and all our life battles are either lost or won first in our minds. Jesus taught us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Have you lately caught yourself speaking words of offense, then carefully checklist everything you have allowed to enter your heart.

Nazareth Jesus’ hometown Let’s examine what happened in Jesus’ hometown Nazareth when the people there allowed offense to trap them. (Matthew 13.54-58) Observe that the people of Nazareth were astonished by Jesus’ wisdom and mighty works, yet they dishonored God by rejecting His Son Jesus as the Messiah. They were offended at Jesus for ‘putting on airs’, ‘not knowing his place’. As a result, they put a stop to the mighty works of Jesus in their entire town. Offense laid its trap and the town of Nazareth got caught in it.

John the Baptist While in prison John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether He was truly the Messiah(Luke 7. 19). [This is the same John who testified about Jesus (John 1.29-34). His disciples reported to him all that Jesus was doing (Luke 7.16-18) . Yet his confidence in Jesus was shaken due to certain personal circumstances] After asking John’s disciples to report to John the miracles He was performing, Jesus made a very profound statement – “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (Luke 7.23)

You can be a born-again, spirit-filled child of God and yet take offense at God. Jesus warns us not to be offended at Him.

Stronghold: Proverbs 18.19 says that ‘offense is like the barred gates of a citadel’. Nothing could go in or out when the citadel gates were barred. (Citadels were built to withstand any attack. Nothing could breach the barred gates of a citadel). Offense acts like the barred gates of a citadel in our life effectively blocking our blessings. Therefore avoid the trap of offense at any cost. Be on guard. Never allow the devil to sow his seeds and block your healing, deliverance or
harvest.

Stony ground Mark 4:16-17, King James Version)' jQuery1267862726343="14">Mark 4:16-17 talks about seeds sown on stony ground. The stony ground speaks of a heart that is easily offended. Nothing fruitful grows on stony ground. Recognize the trap the devil has set for you and refuse to be offended, and then you will walk in victory and blessings.
Proverbs 14.1 says, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down”.

For many years my heart was a stony ground. I was easily offended (especially with God, I was under the mistaken notion that God was withholding my blessings, despite everything I did for Him!!!) and I bore no fruit (no bonus points for guessing why). The day I learned the Truth about offense I decided to make a radical change in my outlook (You see I had nothing to loose. It was an uphill task, but worth every moment) Looking back I can truthfully say that every blessing that my attitude of offense had held back came pouring into my life and that of my family from that day forth.

Common offense traps:
1. People, especially people in authority
2. Health and financial constraints
3. Adverse situations and circumstances
4. God

Offended at God Everytime we harbor offense against people or circumstances we are harboring offense against God. We are effectively telling God that we do not believe He is able or willing to act on our behalf. The Word of God assures us that God is the defender of the defenseless, widows and fatherless (Isaiah 19.20, Psalm 68.5, Proverbs 23.10-11).

Our God is our defender. He will rise up and defend your cause. But you need to let go of your offenses so that God can grab you by His right hand. Offense is like the barred gates of a castle that prevents us from experiencing the abundant life of Jesus. Every time offense rears it ugly head send it back to its father the devil by refusing to keep it in your heart. If allowed to stay in your heart offense will grow like a weed and destroy your harvest. The price you will have to pay for harboring offense is way too high, you cannot afford it.

In the Gospels if there was anyone mentioned who was entitled to be offended it was that Canaanite woman who had a demonized daughter Matthew 15: 21-28. Initially Jesus and His disciples ignored her pleas for help. Finally when He spoke, Jesus called her a dog. But this woman of great faith knew she could not afford to be offended. Her need was too great and she deftly avoided the trap of offense. Jesus commended her for her great faith and her daughter was set free.

As a born-again child of God you have direct access to His throne room and you can be confident that He will not call you a dog. So let us too learn to avoid offenses like the plague and please God with our faith that seasons of refreshing may come upon us.

Interested in some more additional tit-bit? Read on.

• Matthew 15: 1-11 Some Pharisees and teachers of the law argue about the importance of tradition, what is clean and unclean with Jesus.
• Verse 12 Jesus’ disciples inform Him that the Pharisees’ were offended at Him. Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Verses 13-14 If you are easily offended take care, every plant not planted by the Father will be uprooted.
• The Disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable to them and He explains to them the meaning verses 16-20.
• However, Jesus being the Master Teacher decided to teach them a lesson about offense . That is where the incident with the Canaanite woman became a great teaching tool. (Read Matthew 15.1-28 and Mark 7.1-30)

Sexual addiction

Must reads:

1. Sexual Addiction: Ministry and Misdiagnosis
   Meg Wilson
   Author, Hope After Betrayel
   Melanie, an attractive brunette, sat across from me looking down at the soggy remains of a tissue in her hand. She revealed the recent counsel she and her husband received from their pastor the week prior. He had listened to both sides, looked in her eyes, and said, "If you were more available sexually for your husband, this would reduce his need to go elsewhere for gratification." Shocked and broken, Melanie came to me for clarification.
2. Overcoming Sexual Addiction in Marriage by Dr. Barry Leventhal reminds us that, “First, all addictions, and sexual addictions in particular, are a judgment from God.”
   What can we do to prevent sexual addictions from invading our lives and wiping us out? Or, if we have been infected with the disease, how can we find the healing and deliverance from this sexual onslaught? To read more click here
3. In 2 Timothy 2:20-22 the Apostle Paul tells us there are two kinds of vessels. There is a vessel that is pure, and there is a vessel that is impure. There are two kinds of lives: a life that is pure, and a life that is impure. Here is my question to you today: What kind of life do you have? Is your life full of the debris, garbage, and stench of impurity...of sexual addiction? Or is it sexually pure? Read here what Ed Young has to say about Overcoming Sexual Addiction