faith, or daring God?

I saw a recent Rod Parsley broadcast in which he asked for everyone in debt to write a list of their debts & send them to him, along with a "love gift" of any size. He said that on Nov.28, he was gonna have a "debt-burning" service in which he will burn up all the lists of debts, and that God was gonna take care of'em all. I told a friend that this ranked in tomfoolery with his "prayer cloths" he was hawking last year. My friend immediately went on the defensive, not about Parsley, but about having FAITH.

I believe there's a line between HAVING FAITH & DARING GOD. Do I believe God can do ANYTHING? Absolutely. Do I believe He will do anything I might ask? Absolutely NOT. WE are at GOD'S beck & call, not vice versa.

Matthew 4:7 warns us not to test (tempt in some versions)God. Sure, Jesus coulda jumped off the temple roof & not been harmed. But he referred to an already-existing Scripture(Deut.6:16) which commands not to do this.

This same friend leaves his home unlocked because he says he has faith God won't allow his home to be burglarized. I've told him he's testing God, daring Him to NOT protect his home. I equate this with, "I'm gonna handle this seven-foot rattlesnake in front of the whole congregation because I have faith God will protect me from being bitten, or if I AM bitten, He'll protect me from any serious effects of the venom. If I AM bitten, it will be because my faith was faulty or weak."

Should we simply throw caution to the wind? Should we not seek medical attention when we are ill or injured? Should we not do anything at all for ourselves?

When I was in debt, I took common-sense steps to not get in over my head, and I was honest in paying off the debts. Now, whose fault would it have been if I'd maxed out three credit cards and couldn't afford to pay them off? Should I then expect God to make up for MY stupidity?

I told my friend that God expects those in debt to do what THEY are able to do for themselves to satisfy those debts. Remember the story of the woman whose hubby had died, leaving a large debt behind for his family, whose son was about to be sold into slavery to pay the debt in 2 Kings 4? Yes, GOD rescued her from that debt. BUT...did He do it by making a pile of gold appear on her table? Newp...Through Elisha, He first told her to borrow every vessel she could from her neighbors, & to fill them from her pot of oil. When all the vessels were full, He then said for her to go & sell the oil, which I'm sure took awhile...and to clean & return all the borrowed vessels. Yes, she had to WORK to help herself and her son, doing what she could for herself.

COULD God have simply handed her all the money she needed? Of course. But He helped her in HIS chosen method and time.

NOW...How about those who comply with Parsley's request and find themselves going more deeply in debt? Will their faith in God be weakened, or will every one of them seek to learn more about God and realize he is NOT at the beck & call of either themselves nor that of Parsley? Or, will they simply say their faith wasn't strong enuff?

My premise is this: I have faith God can do ANYTHING, but if He were to suddenly cancel the debts of everyone who complied with Parsley's request, then those people wouldn't be believing God by FAITH any more, but by EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. their faith would be more in PARSLEY who seemed able to command God, than in God who wrought the miracle.

I believe Parsley's thingy here is DARING GOD not to do something, and has crossed the line between faith and dare. What thinkest THOU, O other readers?

 

Thanx for all your responses so far.

Isn't Rod Parsley the brother of Elvis Parsley, who had the hit songs "You aint Nuffin but a Ground Hog" & "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Fat"?

I remember a while back he was offering "prayer cloths" to those who'd send in a "love gift" of any amount.

I've also heard Parsley preach sermons straight out of Scripture. However, a little leaven permeates the whole thing.

While I'm not at all down on teleministers and itinerant evangelists, there are two terms some of them use that immediately raises a red flag before me: "Love Gift" and "worldly". The former is often used by false teleministers while the latter is a fave JW expression and is being used more and more by the purveyors of bunk.

I kindly asked my friend to please provide SCRIPTURAL JUSTIFICATION for what Parsley's doing.

 

TC...I THANK God for the food, not ask Him to bless it...but you have a VERY good and important point! God showed some of His power by performing, IMHO, His greatest miracle that was ever witnessed by mortal man when He fed a large crowd from one little picnic basket. ONLY GOD can make something from nothing. yes, I remember to thank Him for providing my daily food, drink, and air.

Dr. Bob, I have never believed faith needs a gimmick to sustain it. What I'm praying for is that my friend sees that whole thing is phony as a football bat, and if he wishes to help someone monetarily he should start right in his own 'hood and church. He doesn't live in Beverly Hills, so he doesn't hafta go far to find someone needing a boost.