Are you practicing idolatry or witchcraft without knowing it?

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ... 

 

We own a house in Texas and have it up for sale with a realtor.  Unknown to us, a Catholic person from the real estate company, buried a statue in our flower bed and prayed for the house to sell.  That is a form of witchcraft & idolatry.  Of course we were shocked when we heard this had been done and we told them to remove this statue immediately! (Of course this woman's statue has no power but we wanted it removed.)  People do not realize what it means to practice idolatry & witchcraft. And in this case it was done by a woman who thinks she is a part of the church itself.  It is a very serious matter and Paul even says they who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  (I Cor. 6:9-10)

 

There are many forms of idolatry being practiced today by church members without them recognizing that which they are doing is idolatry.  Witchcraft is involved with superstitions which could also be a form of idolatry.  Please listen to this Podcast.

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I Corinthians 6:9-10 ... The apostle Paul says:

 

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

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John 4:23-24    But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship HIM.

 

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

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The Lord's supper:  crackers & grape juice?

 

Jesus says:

John 6

31-34   Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

 

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

 

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

 

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

 

35   And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

 

41-42  The Jews then murmured at him, because he (Jesus) said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

 

And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

 

43-45   Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.   It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

 

48-51  Jesus says:  I am that bread of life. 

 

(Jesus, The Word, is that bread of life.)

 

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

 

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

 

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

 

52-54  The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

 

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink HIS blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

(We eat the flesh of Jesus and drink HIS blood each time we eat the Word of God and apply that Word to our lives, doing that Word.)

 

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This pertains to eating and drinking the Word of God which is the supper given to us by God.

 

I Corinthians 11:24-31   For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 

 

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 

 

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 

 

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 

 

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

 

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

 

(We eat the Word of God, examining ourselves by that Word of God.)

 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

 

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die).

 

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

 

(If we judge ourselves by the Word of God and make approprate changes by the Word of God, we will not have to be judged.)

 

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Prayer:

 

I John 5:14-15    And this is the confidence that we have in HIM (in God), that, if we ask any thing according to HIS will, HE heareth us:

 

15 And if we know that HE hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of HIM.

 

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If we practice idolatry, we will not inherit the kingdom of God, says Paul.

 

It is therefore important for each of us to recognize those things that are idolatry in religion.

 

Idolatry is setting up anything that we can see with our natural eyes that is used in religion to make us think by use of such we will get our prayers answered, or making us think by these visible things we will connect with the spirit of God.  These are very evil to do.

 

Here are some of the idolatrous practices in today's church groups:

 

Idols practiced in today's churches:  Not in the New Testament Bible

 

* Crossing yourselves

 

* Lighting candles with prayer, or any other time as a part of religion

* "Holy" water to cross yourselves

 

* Wearing crosses or  "religious"  medallions

 

* Praying to anyone other than God

 

* Calling crackers & grape juice "The Lord's Supper"  (The Lord's supper is partaking of the Word of God.)

 

* Christmas has become an idol greatly observed:  Not in Bible to do this at all.  Easter is not in Bible to observe this.  (Unger:  Easter was added to the church by men in 8th century.  Easter was taken from the pagan goddess of spring.)  In Acts 12, the word Easter means " The Passover".  Lent:  Jesus paid sacrifice for us in today's church.  To pay your own sacrifice by stopping doing something at "Lent" is an abomination and denies the sacrifice paid by Jesus with HIS own blood.

 

* Graven images:  Setting up statues in the church building and kneeling before statues in religious ceremonies

 

* Music: when used as entertainment in the church

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The greatest idol in the church groups today is to take crackers and grape juice and call this the Lord's supper, making the people in the congregation feel religious by taking "communion" of crackers and grape juice.

 

The Lord's supper is partaking appropriately of the Word of God, applying that Word to your life in a proper way.

 

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If you practice idolatry in any form, you curse yourself on this earth, and perhaps for all eternity.  And you even teach your household to practice idolatry as they copy your religious acts.

 

This is a very great sin.

 

Idolatry is like the Philistines worshipping Dagon:

 

I Samuel 5:1-7    And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

 

2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

 

3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord.  And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

 

4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

 

5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

 

6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

 

7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

 

(Instead of getting rid of God and keeping your idol, get rid of that idol that has no real power, and cling to God.)

 

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* For writings on additional subjects, click here:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations Blog