Christianity Today: “What is it all about?”
WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY ALL ABOUT IN CHRISTIANITY TODAY?
Riekert Botha, in one of his many widely viewed YouTube videos from about a year ago, investigates “What is it all about?” I deliberately label it a blockbuster video since the comments section is turned off, which seems to indicate that he faced significant criticism for his opinions on Pentecostalism and Charismatics, prompting him to turn off the comments feature beneath his video. However, I may be wrong.
When discussing spirituality, we must consider how the phenomena of christianity today shapes beliefs and practices. Many people are exploring what Christianity today really means and how it shapes their lives.
For anyone examining the landscape of religious practices, understanding Christianity today is essential. These questions arise particularly as we delve deeper into the impact and interpretation of Christianity today. It is crucial to seek clarity. Discussions about Christianity today often include debates on its core principles and practices. Understanding the core beliefs can help individuals navigate their faith in christianity today.
The distinction between the Gospel and christianity today is often overlooked. Many believers are realizing that the essence of Christianity today is rooted in the Gospel (John 17:17) and not in a self-opiniated or group-opiniated experiential religiosity, such as mysticism, speaking in tongues, and other charismania.
As we analyze this phenomenon, it becomes evident how christianity today is perceived. In conclusion, understanding these aspects is crucial to navigating Christianity today.
Riekert Both clearly states that he harbours no resentment towards Pentecostals or Charismatics, likely due to his upbringing in that setting during his childhood in his parents’ household and later serving as a pastor in a Pentecostal church. However, as a young boy, he began to pose numerous questions but was silenced, as he recounts, without receiving any responses.
Of course, such an attitude on the part of parents may cause the budding mind of a young child to wonder and even plant seeds of doubt.
The author of this article empathises with his childhood struggle, having himself faced family conflicts stemming from grown-up children who have succumbed to phenomena such as being slain in the spirit, the so-called ‘power of the tongue’ (positive and negative confessions; the law of attraction), and the health, wealth, and prosperity cult.
Many families have been torn apart by these cults. They often adopt a mindset of superiority in spiritual matters, asserting that their negative thoughts and advice are the root cause of discord and division. They blame you instead of taking responsibility for their own actions. In short, it is demonic to the core. Why? . . . you may ask.
Understanding the complexities of these issues is essential for anyone exploring the themes of Christianity today.
WHAT IS A CULT?
A cult can be described as a congregation of individuals or a religious institution that has either intentionally or unintentionally become subject to the authoritarian methods employed by an individual or a group referred to as apostles, prophets or generals.
The most frequent technique for dominating your mind and keeping it in bondage to these alleged apostles, prophets and generals, is through the act of laying on of hands and falling backwards in an uncontrollable state of unconscious euphoria.
Some begin to laugh uncontrollably; others cry uncontrollably. Henceforth, they gain an immense foothold in your soul (I cannot stress it any stronger) to the extent that they govern your life at will.
The term “must” serves as a commonly employed mechanism to maintain control over their followers. “You must be baptised and speak in tongues as proof of your salvation; if you fail to do so, you are not saved,” they usually tell their followers.
“You must contribute generously to their church; the greater your contributions, the more blessings you will receive.”
Followers are discouraged from questioning the teachings of the apostles and generals, as they claim to have been divinely anointed to foretell future events.
To support their deception, they misquote Psalm 105:15, stating, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Consequently, they instil fear in the hearts of the unsuspecting fools who follow them, worried that a terrible fate would befall them if they opposed their colleagues.
Their greatest fear is negative confession, leading them to only declare positive affirmations such as “I speak life and not death,” as if their spoken words possess divine powers.
Various other blasphemous doctrines are being taught, such as the belief that Jesus did not redeem us of our sins on the cross, but instead in hell, where demons assaulted Him until He was likened to a worm, after which He broke free to become the first born-again man (Joyce Meyer and Kenneth Copeland); and the assertion that God is the ultimate failure in the universe, not Satan (Kenneth Copeland).
It is distressing to hear these blasphemous falsehoods. I did not plan to add this part. However, I believed it could provide insight into the challenges and confusion Riekert Botha faced during his childhood and throughout his life.
Regrettably, those who criticise erroneous teachings often overcorrect, leading them to swing the pendulum too far to the other side, causing them to make serious blunders of their own.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY VERSUS THE GOSPEL OF GOD
Riekert Botha’s initial mistake lies in his choice of wording in his efforts to address the question “What is it all about”. It would have been significantly better to use the term Gospel (Good News) rather than Christianity.
The term “Christianity” is notably missing from the New Testament, whereas the term “Christian” is mentioned only twice (Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16), while the word “Gospel” is referenced at least 104 times.
Unfortunately, the Gospel (Good News) has gradually diminished to a small number of believers globally (Matthew 7:13-14), while Christianity has expanded significantly, so to speak.
Virtually every Tom, Dick, Harry, Jane, Jill, and Mary, from the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Maronites in Lebanon (who are affiliated with the RCC), as well as Calvinists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science practitioners, to name but a few, refer to themselves as Christians.
Riekert Botha is well aware of the vast number of denominations that amount to about 40,000 worldwide. Based on the most recent estimates, the number of Christian denominations worldwide is approximately 45,000, though some sources report figures ranging from 41,000 to 47,000.
Why wouldn’t most of these denominations that have apostatised from the Gospel of God call themselves Christians when Satan himself is called an angel of light? (2 Corinthians 11:13-14).
As believers, we must navigate the complexities of Christianity today while staying true to God’s eternal Word (Psalm 138:2) .
As we may see from his video, Riekert Botha is genuinely concerned about Christianity. Nonetheless, his “core of the core of Christianity”, as he prefers to call it, is also faulty.
WHAT CHRISTIANITY IS NOT ALL ABOUT
Riekert Botha mentions several core aspects of Christianity which, according to him, is not the “core of the core” of the matter. They are all very important parts of Christianity but not really the “core of the core” of Christianity, as he puts it.
1. Is it about being saved and going to heaven once you die?
His response is distinctly shocking when he stated, “It is certainly a part of it, but it does not lie at the heart of it.”
His frivolous use of the term “heart” illustrates his misconception of the divine love that God the Father poured out on the world in the blood of His Son on Calvary. How can it not be at the heart of it when God is the very essence of love as expressed so vividly in John 3:16?
How is it possible that Botha interprets the heart of God so casually, missing the essence of love it holds? (1 John 4:16). Jesus Himself magnified God’s heart of unrequited love when He said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
The fundamental goal of his incarnation and mission was to prepare a body for Him (Hebrews 10:5), so that God the Father could transfer our sins to Him and unleash His wrath and indignation upon Him instead of on lost sinners. (1 John 4:10).
Hence the expression, “Christ suffered once for sins.” (1 Peter 3:18). Should this, according to Riekert Botha, not be at the core of the core of Christianity, then the Gospel of God itself is ineffective.
This is the core of the core of the Gospel:
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1John 4:14).
Yet, Riekert Botha admits that it is part of Christianity, but still not the core of the core or the very heart thereof. Maybe he does not realise what he is saying; having seen what God says in 1 John 4 about God’s love for the entire world and God the Father sending his Son to die on a cursed cross for sins, we cannot overlook Botha’s unfortunate superciliousness for God, who is the essence of love by sending his beloved Son.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)
2. Is it the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and being anointed for ministry, and being anointed with divine power to be witnesses, aka Pentecostalism?
He openly acknowledges, “that’s a significant aspect of it, the impartation of the Holy Spirit, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of God… but that’s not the core of it.” Botha carefully navigates the situation, as he evidently wishes to avoid upsetting the Pentecostal community, possibly out of a fear of persecution.
It’s interesting to observe that Botha uses the same word “impartation” instead of “being filled with the Holy Spirit” to express the Pentecostals’ habit of laying hands on people when imparting the Holy Ghost. The word “impartation” never once appears in the New Testament, which means “to transport” or to transfer.”
The pastor or person who ostensibly imparts the Holy Spirit to someone else serves as a conduit through whom the Holy Spirit supposedly flows from one to another, of which speaking in other tongues is allegedly the sign that the receiver has indeed been filled with the Holy Spirit.
This, Riekert Botha says, is a big part of Christianity. It may be of present-day Christianity, but it surely has no part in the Gospel of God.
Furthermore, the warning in 1 Timothy 5:22 cautions against the hastiness of laying hands on anyone, as it may lead to participation in the sins of others; however, the apostles were sanctioned to perform the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Spirit.
A good example appears in Acts chapter 8 from verse 4 to 25. Philip the Evangelist, as he was called (not Philip the apostle – Acts 8), like Timothy, had the authority to lay hands on those who had been ordained or commissioned, and set apart for leadership or ministry in a church.
The appointment of someone whose faith and integrity were dubious could not be ordained or commissioned for any leadership in the church. Therefore, it was incumbent on the person who performed the laying on of hands to first make sure whether the person who was to be ordained was fit for such a high calling.
Hasty and premature endorsements were a very serious matter in the early church because the person who had been ordained in this way could sully the hand-laying with his own sins, should the ordained even later fall into sin and apostasy.
Pentecostals can’t wait to lay their hands on every Tom, Dick, and Harry while superficially defending their hasty habit from Acts 8.
A more detailed examination reveals that Philip, one of the seven selected alongside Stephen to care for the welfare of widows, engage in prayer, and preach the Gospel (Acts 6), preached in Samaria, where many were saved.
However, he did not lay hands on anyone; instead, he baptised the newly redeemed Samaritans with the water baptism of John the Baptist in the Name of Jesus.
Simon the sorcerer, who bewitched the Samaritans for so long, also believed and was baptised by Philip. He started to follow Philip on his journey and was overawed by the many miracles and signs he performed. Sounds rather familiar, doesn’t it? However, the miracles and signs Philip performed were genuine, while the present-day Pentecostal miracles are genuine fakes.
When the twelve apostles heard about the Samaritans who had received the Gospel with much joy and got saved, Peter and John were sent to investigate. This was truly a divinely inspired decision because it led to two occurrences that proved to be of the utmost importance.
The first is that John the Baptist’s water baptism had steadily become redundant after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. We may recall John saying, “He must increase, but I must decrease” in reference to his testimony (not himself) that he baptised with water but that He whose shoelace he was not worthy to loosen would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
The main reason that the Holy Spirit prompted Peter and John to go to Samaria was to pray for the newly redeemed saints and to lay hands on them so they could receive the Holy Spirit.
“For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”.
Only the apostles had been given the authority to lay hands on newly saved people to receive the Holy Spirit. This puts to rest the silly notion that the office of apostle is still in existence today and that one needs to be laid hands on by them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to speak in other tongues.
The next significant event is associated with the yearning for more than just miracles, signs, and wonders. Simon the sorcerer, who had solicited a great deal of money through his mesmerising tricks, saw how newly converted individuals received the Holy Spirit through the apostles’ laying on of hands, and he offered them money for this powerful capability.
And then, with the sharp cutting sides of a two-edged sword, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, strongly rebuked him and said,
Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. (Acts 8:20-23).
The question often arises whether Simon was truly saved. Two things demonstrate that he was not truly redeemed. The one is Peter’s strong rebuke, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter”. What “matter” may we ask? Well, the entire series of events in Acts 8 revolves around salvation.
Next, Peter said, “Repent, therefore of thy wickedness and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thy heart be forgiven thee.” Take careful note that Peter urged him to call on the Lord for forgiveness for his sins himself.
Instead, Simon asked Peter to pray for him: “Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.”
He was more preoccupied with the terrible events that might happen to him than with the act of repentance itself. There are many Simons in the churches today who are more concerned about their well-being than true repentance. Like Simon, they yearn for more money, power, and control over their flocks.
So, to wrap up this section, I again would like to differ with Riekert Botha, who said, “that’s a significant aspect of it, the impartation of the Holy Spirit, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of God… but that’s not the core of it.” I am inclined to say with Peter,
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
Ladies and gentlemen, the recent days have seen apostasy rise to levels that can barely be connected to Christianity, but rather, it aligns more with the occult.
Don’t be foolish to brush off the things we’ve learnt from these passages in Scripture. Your soul is at stake if you remain in one of these churches. Deborah Ellish has posted a poster with photos of all the false apostles and prophets on Facebook. Look again and make sure to flee from them as soon as you can.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (John 10:1-5).
3. Is it about Charismaticism?
Here, once again, Riekert Botha steers away from being overly critical as not to rock the boat and hurriedly says,
Now, if you are Pentecostal, I just want to ease your mind here. Listen, listen, I have no action against Pentecostals, Charismatics, Presbyterians, Methodists.
I mean, really, I mean, this is not that, this is not that at all. I have been the pastor of a Pentecostal church, of a Baptist church, I’ve ministered in Reformed Churches countless times, and in other denominations. But you get to a Pentecostal church, and then there’s a huge emphasis on the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the service, . . ., in the gathering, in the worship service.
A huge manifestation, or emphasis, rather, on the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. And people would . . . dancing spontaneously, . . . under . . . the influence of the Holy Spirit, and they would, . . . shout out loud ‘glory and praise to God,’ and . . . they would sing fervently, with much energy. But then, the rest of the week, things are dire in the lives of those people.
They live unholy lives, they are violent, they are untrustworthy concerning finances. I’m talking within my experience sphere, I mean, you would see, and then the two don’t match up . . . So, there is such a huge focus on the spirit of holiness.
What Riekert Botha says is so true. A woman shared with me her experiences of what they refer to as holy moments of Holy Ghost manifestations. In church, she felt as though she were floating on clouds.
However, upon returning home, she would fall into a state of despondency, fear, and anxiety, yearning for the next spree of a ‘Holy Ghost’ manifestation, just to ease the feelings she experienced at home.
It resembles a drug addict who finds it impossible to live without his daily supply of drugs, persistently consuming the poison that is leading to his demise. Riekert Botha rightly calls it “a Christianity without Christ”.
However, the most important and sorely blasphemous thing Botha did not mention is that Charismatics, Pentecostals, Mormons, and Charismatic Catholics believe they are gods (with a little g) in God’s class. Here are a few quotes that will make a true believer’s heart throb with holy anger.
“The devil told the truth. I do not blame Mother Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. That’s how we become gods.” – Brigham Young. Mormonism is essentially grounded in the idea that the lie the serpent told Eve, which destroyed humankind, is actually the gospel truth.
“To put it plainly, our unconscious is God – God within us. God wants us to become totally, wholly God, a new life form of God – to become Himself, or Herself, or Itself – this is the destiny, man’s evolutionary destiny.” – M. Scott Peck (Psychiatrist).
“The appeal of Zen, as of other Eastern philosophies, is that it unveils a vast region where at last self is indistinguishable from God.” – Episcopal priest who turned Zen Buddhist Master.
“To know God, to love God, to understand God, is finally to realize one’s own godhood.” – Rodney R. Romney, pastor of Seattle’s First Baptist Church: Journey to Inner Space: Finding God in Us.
“We are not servants of some God. We are our own gods.” Okay?” – Michael Aquino, a Major in the US Army, speaking on Oprah Winfrey’s show, a leading Satanist.
“When we stand up here, brother, you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo; you’re looking at God.” – (Maurice Cerullo, Founder of Morris Cerullo World Evangelism (MCWE) in 1963. Conducted crusades in over 100 countries, often drawing crowds of 200,000+.
“Man was designed, or created, by God to be the god of this world.” . . . “We are a class of gods – we’re created in a god class.” – Kenneth Copeland.
“In the Holy Scriptures, we read of a unique call directed to us. You are gods, all of you.” – Christoforos Stavropoulos, an Orthodox scholar, explaining the heart of Eastern Orthodoxy.
The whole lot are parroting Satan, who vows to destroy God’s true church, the Bride of Christ.
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:13-17).
Positive confession, one of the core doctrines of Pentecostalism and Charismatics, is nothing but a clarion call to say, “I am God, and I can speak things into or out of existence.” Another term for this is “The Law of Attraction.”
You will often hear Charismatics and Pentecostalists saying, “I speak life and not death.” Many of them who had done so are now dead, having died of some disease. It just doesn’t work because God will never allow anyone to put their faith in something other than Himself and His Son (John 14:1). It is idolatry of the worst kind, and God hates any shape or form of idolatry.
This they do and practice despite God’s declaration in Isaiah 44:6,
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
CONCLUSION: THE CORE OF THE CORE OF CHRISTIANITY
Having stated that none of the things mentioned above are the core of the core of Christianity, although they are all part and parcel of it, Riekert Botha prays a prayer at the end of his video which is rather closely reminiscent of mysticism.
But first, he reveals the core of the core of Christianity when he quotes God saying to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5).
Of course, this is an amazing and most wonderful experience. However, experience alone is not the main and most important thing of this event; the command “listen to Him” (“obey Him in all things:) is the core of the core of this experience.
You may recall that the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6-7). It was a legitimate question because they expected that Christ’s Kingdom on earth would immediately follow the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
And why shouldn’t they when the Old Testament often joined the two to appear in close succession to one another? (Isaiah 32:15-20; 44:3-5; Ezekiel 39:25-29; Joel 2:28-3:1; Zechariah 12:8-10).
The restoration of the kingdom will be to Israel as a nation on earth. It cannot be the Kingdom in heaven which is eternal while the Kingdom or Millennial is temporal, lasting a 1000 years.
The angel Gabriel confirmed Christ’s rule as King of kings and Lord of lords during the Millennium as early as the annunciation of Christ’s miraculous virgin birth when he said,
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33).
His reign from the throne of David in Jerusalem will transpire on earth in Jerusalem, while his eternal Kingdom will commence after the Millennium, when He hands over this kingdom to his Father for an eternal Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Christ’s transfiguration on Mount Tabor in Galilee, when God said, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him”, was a preview, a foretaste, if you will, of his Millennial reign on earth (Psalm 2).
And now, the core of the core question. Is Riekert Botha listening and obeying God’s beloved Son in whom He is well-pleased? Hardly, because he does not believe in any of Christ’s eschatological doctrines.
- He does not believe in a literal pre-tribulation rapture of the Bride of Christ.
- He does not believe in a literal seven-year tribulation period known as the time of Jacob’s trouble. (Jeremiah 30:7).
- He does not believe in Christ’s Millennial reign of peace on earth. (Psalm 2).
It is possible that his parents’ erroneous views on these doctrines could have added insult to injury, causing him to discard them wholeheartedly, which, of course, is a tragedy. Nonetheless, it is not an excuse to disobey Christ while urging others to obey.
Indeed, acknowledging the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) as the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, equates to possessing eternal life (John 17:3).
Yet, to consider that God’s unwavering promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel) were rendered void as a result of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, and thus substituted by the church, is an act of disobedience and a disrespectful position towards God.
You can pray and beg Jesus to reveal Himself to you so that you may see his glory and truth until doomsday, but He won’t do it while you regard his unconditional promises to Israel as null and void.
If God were to fail to honour his promises to Israel because of her idolatry, He would fail to keep his promises to his church as well. And may I remind you what Riekert Botha said about the state of the fastest growing church in Christianity, “It is Christianity without Christ.” The goose is as good as the gander,.
Yet, this is what Riekert prayed,
Let me just encourage you to pray this prayer. Maybe you’re searching for God because you are in a deep crisis, a deep crisis. You’re searching for God.
Well, God is going to show you that there are more important reasons for searching after God than just your crisis. A crisis can drive you to some sort of answer . . . getting out of this crisis – marriage, money, whatever it is. There is the discovery of who Jesus is, and it will take you to places.
It will transform your entire life. And even though you don’t have many of the answers to the most pressing questions of the day, suddenly you realise you don’t even have to have them.
Discovering Christ, that’s what it’s about. Pray this prayer. Say, ‘Lord Jesus, help me wherever I am, whatever place I’m at, just help me. Open my eyes so that I can see you.
Open my eyes that I can see your glory and your truth; that I can see what it is all about. Just minister to me in the way you broke the bread in Luke 24 – you know, Cleopas.
The moment Jesus broke the bread, their eyes were opened to see Him. Break the bread, Lord Jesus. Let me see you. That would be a worthwhile exercise.
A prayer requesting Jesus to open one’s eyes to see Him may pose risks. The exemplary prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, does not allow such a request, and neither does Paul in all his prayers (John 14:8-9).
Jesus will never respond to such a prayer, given the fact that “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” (Luke 16:29). This was precisely what Jesus did when he met the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. One of them was Cleopas, while the other is not identified in the text. When they did not recognise Him, He scolded them for being foolish.
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luk 24:25-27).
Luke 20:16 explains that their eyes were withheld from recognizing Him until they remembered who He was when He broke the bread at their dinner table. Indeed, when He served the Last Supper, while breaking the bread and serving the cup. He said. “Do this in remembrancew of me.”
When Jesus rose from the dead, Mary Magdelene who visted his sepulchre on thte first day of the week ,also did not recognise Him and mistook Him for the gardener. Unlike the two Emmaus goers whose eyes were withheld to recognize Him, Mary Magdelene who saw Jesus as the risen Lord thought that He was the gardener.
She only recognized Him when He called her by her name, “Mary.” It vividly reminds one of Jesus’ words in John 10,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (John 10:1-5).
The prayer Riekert Botha urges his follower to pray may lead some to think that they need to see Jesus and his glory in visions and dreams. In fact, it can open the door to a mysical encounter with a Jesus, which surely is not the Jesus of the Bible but aanother Jesus. How do we know?
Jesus Himself said,
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.(Jonh 16:7).
A free transcipt of his words would be the following.
Listen, I don’t want you to be saddened and unhappy because I said I must leave you to return to my Father who sent me. Truly, it is more beneficial and profitable for you that I leave you now, because if I don’t the Holy Spirit cannpt come to you. He will reside in you and remind you what my voice (doctrines, commands, and teachings) sounds like. so that you may not be led astray by strangers (false teachers).
Nowadays, experiential theolgy with its emphasis on dreams, visions, and so-called prophecies and its unbibical craving to encounter Jesus bodily, are robbing multitudes of the expediency of his Christ’s bodily absence and the joy to be led by the Holy Spirit into the full counsel of God. Would Jesus be so brash to come down bodily in visions and dreams and shove the Holy Spirit aside just to satisfy the carnal wishes of those who want to see Him?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1).
Riekert Botha commenced his video by recounting an incident involving a young man who inquired, “Where is the reset button?” Such a question can only be asked when one realises that he has fallen into sin or fallen into believing all kinds of dubious doctrines.
In everyday vernacular, the word “reset” means to set something wrong to rights or to begin over again. Every truly saved Christian knows that salvation is only the beginning, followed by an entire life of sanctification, characterised by falling, begging for forgiveness, and getting up again to follow Christ.
If it hadn’t been so, Jesus would never have warned,
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) and,
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments (doctrines) (1 John 2:1-3).
Wow! Here, in a few words, we learn what the real “reset button” is. We only need to approach Jesus Christ in the holiest of holies in heaven with boldness through faith in his shed blood (Hebrews 10:19-23), to ask for forgiveness and a re-set-tlement in his presence.
