Believe & Deceive

By Colin P. Norris

The title of the book is based on how the Word of Faith "system" is often described: "Believe & Receive". But the R in Receive is crossed out and replaced with a D. Sitting under WoF teaching for over 20 years, the author when comparing what is taught by WoF against what is clearly taught in the Bible, could come to no other view than that WoF deceives trusting Christians into following a path that will eventually cause them harm, some, serious harm.

There are millions of Christians around the world unknowingly being harmed by Word of Faith teaching because they trust their pastors to have properly studied and rightly divided the word of God. This book exposes the false teachings by responsibly and carefully examining the scriptures the WoF most often use to make it seem that their teachings are biblical.

The book covers five main WoF false teachings:
1. The "Little Gods" doctrine which says that people were made in the image of God so can therefore use their words to create their own reality just as God did. The study shows what it really means to be in the image and likeness of God.
2. That "Faith" is a supernatural force that can be developed by Christians and applied to any situation to change it to the person's desired outcome. The study reveals why this is false and provides a more biblical view on what Faith is.
3. That the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus is that He came to give those who let Him be part of their life, health, wealth, happiness, and success. Unfortunately, because it is a gospel for the worldly, it of course attracts many false converts who are deceived into believing they can have all their worldly desires met on earth, and will then be accepted by Jesus at the resurrection. This books hopes to confront such people so that they might turn to the true gospel.
4. The "Abundant Life" doctrine, like the "Faith" doctrine, claims that Christians should have an abundance of all the good things the world has to offer, especially things. This study shows what the Bible says the Abundant Life of a Christian really looks like, and how it is over and above anything those who are greedy for things can even imagine or hope to experience.
5. The "Healed by Jesus' Stripes" doctrine which asserts that Christians should be able to live in perfect health if they believe it and claim it. This book shows clearly the problems with that doctrine, including that many WoF preachers and their immediate families have suffered or died from bad health issues.

After clearly and biblically revealing the false teachings of the WoF "cult", the book offers suggestions of how Christians and churches can confront and overcome the harm done by, and being done by, the false teachings.

Believe & Deceive has a Bonus Sections - Christians & Tithing. This study looks at ALL the passages in the Bible on tithing to determine if it (and the giving-to-get message) is for the New Testament church, and if not, what should be the Christian response to giving.

Believe & Deceive makes a worthwhile companion book to the author's first book confronting Word of Faith teachings, "Before You Stop Believing". First published in 2005, Before You Stop Believing was updated in 2022, and is now available as an eBook.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Colin P. Norris
• Release date: Apr 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645470314

Colin P. Norris

Born in England in 1959. Born again in Tasmania Australia in 1986 because a demon appeared in his flat.But having been raised a nominal Christian, Colin was not quick to accept the Christian narrative he had been given even though it did resolve the problem with the evil spirit. So he went on a journey to question and test everything he was hearing and reading about Christianity. This lead him to Bible College where he continued to question. When he was told by the teachers to not ask questions in class any longer, he spent all his spare time in the College library looking there for the answers the teachers were not able to supply.After 5 years of questioning, Colin one day realised he no longer doubted that the Bible was inspired by God, and that everything He says in it is true. That didn't stop Colin asking questions, but at least he found one source in the world he could trust - against which he would continue to test all claimed "truths" including the myriad of Christian denominational and ideological truths.Now having spent most of his life as a Christian he has found a great many answers, but is still testing. Much of the result of this can be found in the abundance of articles Colin has written based on his Bible studies, written to help clarify and galvanised his understanding, but also to be available to other Christians who are having the questions he had.Four of his studies have resulted in books.* Before You Stop Believing (2005) - A look at 9 areas of church doctrines that cause confusion and damage to most Christians - Faith; Sin & Righteousness; Salvation; Church; Prayer & Fasting; Blessings & Curses; Money, Giving & Tithing; The Devil, Demons & Christians; Holy God & Holy People. (Updated in 2022 and published as an eBook.)* As Your Soul Prospers (2018) - 8 Steps for Christians to Overcome Personal Difficulties, starting with helping them understand the Body, Soul, and Spirit, and the way people become who they are and then change after becoming a Christian.* After Pentecost (2021) - The role, purpose and gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church, as revealed through the New Testament. (Particularly looks at most of the passages in the New Testament mentioning the Holy Spirit, and delves into the different views about those scriptures to reveal the most likely truths.)* Intentional Marriage Workshop (2022) - A DIY Marriage Workshop to help Christian couples identify and achieve their ideal marriage. (Based on the many lessons Colin and his wife Diane learned by the things the suffered, which brought them to a blessed and God glorifying marriage they didn't know was possible.)* Believe & Deceive (2022) - An extensive Bible study of the scriptures used by Word of Faith, which when read in context and compared to the rest of Scripture, clearly reveals that the Word of Faith is based on False Teaching! Areas covered are the "Little Gods" doctrine, the Faith Power doctrine, the false gospels of WoF, what the Bible actually says about "Abundant Life", and the believe it and claim it doctrine of perfect health by "Jesus' Stripes". A Bonus Section of the book looks at every passage in the Bible on tithing, then takes a close look at the give-to-get tithing message promoted in many churches to show that it is dishonest.Now at the far side of 60, Colin is even more eagerly studying the word, asking questions, and testing truths, because he knows his time is short - three score and ten, eighty if by strength. He hopes to leave a legacy of resources for his children and grandchildren so they have answers at their fingertips when he is no longer around to help with answers and encouragement - which he never had access to growing up.

Book preview

Believe and Deceive

[eBook]

The Bible Reveals that the Word of Faith is False Teaching.

By Colin P. Norris

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Published by Colin P. Norris

[Smashwords Edition]

Copyright 2022 Colin Peter Norris

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only, therefore it may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover Design: Frog Print WA (frogprint.com.au)

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version (NKJV).

Contents

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Introduction

Little Gods

Faith

A Different Gospel

The Truth About Abundant Life

By Jesus’ Stripes...

Overcoming Harmful WoF Teaching

Conclusion on WoF

Bonus Section

Christians & Tithing

About the Author

Introduction

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Quite some years ago I went through a stage in which I read many of the most popular secular books on having a successful life and making millions. At the time I was surprised that a significant number of the success gurus taught what was also being taught in many churches, particularly many Pentecostal churches i.e., visualise what you desire, believe that you already have it, speak out that you have it, act as if you would if you had it, and be generous to people in need, then the universe (God) will give you according to the energy (faith) you sent out. Or ideas along that line. I couldn’t help but be amazed that secular success preachers would use biblical truths but not give credit to the author – God.

It was only as I continued to study the Bible that I realised that the world had not borrowed from the church, but that the church had borrowed from the world and had simply added scripture references to make it sound Christian. This worldly doctrine, which would have once been called witchcraft by the church, can now be primarily identified by the term Word of Faith.

First, I should clarify what I mean by Word of Faith (WoF) teaching. Although for well over 20 years I attended and was involved in leadership positions in churches that taught WoF to some degree or other, it is difficult to precisely describe what it is because it changes form depending on the church it is taught in, and between those who teach it. Also, those who teach it blend WoF teachings with scriptural truths and with their own personally received revelations which range from heretical (e.g., believers are incarnate gods just as Jesus was – Kenneth Copeland) to outright ludicrous (e.g., because God gave Adam dominion over the birds and sea creatures and all creation, Adam could fly with the birds, breathe underwater with the fish, and go into space, or else he would not have been able to have dominion – Benny Hinn). However, for the sake of this book, I describe the teachings of the Word of Faith to have the following at its core.

People are little gods with the same dynamic force as God when they apply the principles of faith such as creative visualisation and positive confession which is most effective when done in line with God’s promises as found in the Bible. The death of Jesus, along with His suffering in hell, provided all that is needed for the believer to create his own reality, in particular, to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Those who practice Word of Faith but do not receive or maintain what they desire, either do not have enough faith, do not wait long enough before making a negative confession, do not sow enough seed (money), or have sin (secret or known) giving Satan the right to steal from them.

This book will clearly show that the WoF movement is not biblically based (even though it uses scripture to support it) and is, therefore, a false gospel which should be confronted and overthrown in the church. As long as any part of this false gospel remains part of church doctrine many, many people in the church will continue to be severely hurt by it.

Some ways people are hurt by the Word of Faith include:

• Feeling that God does not love them because they have not received His promised abundant life.

• Becoming hard-hearted toward the true gospel because they believe the WoF is true Christianity.

• Putting their wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others, at risk by stopping or rejecting actions that are necessary for their happiness, health or wealth.

• Deceiving sinners in the church that their sin or ungodly lifestyle is accepted by God because they believe He blessed them in some way in response to them practicing WoF, and will therefore accept them as His own at the resurrection.

• Restricting Christians to unproductive and ineffective lives because they are focussed on a godless form of Christian living.

• Keeping baby Christians weak, vulnerable and ineffective because they do not learn what true Christianity involves, and therefore never become mature.

Obvious ways the Word of Faith is proven false:

• Its leading exponents get sick, get cancer, have serious accidents, have failed relationships, lose their jobs, have their businesses fail, get robbed, become diseased, need glasses, lose their teeth, lose their hearing, get depressed, and go bald, etc. All contrary to the message they peddle.

• In the long term, the outcomes don’t match the promises. People who have spent decades practicing the system eventually run into the painful wall of reality.

• There is little or no empirical evidence to show it works. Many healing ministries claim hundreds of medically proven miraculous healings yet rarely, if ever, provide the proof. It is not honest for a person who is healed from a tumor to say that God healed them if a doctor removed it. Likewise, if a person is healed of any medical issue by undergoing any medical procedure which heals others who do not practice WoF, the healing should not be attributed to God. For WoF Christians then to say that doctors are a gift from God to provide healing refutes their claims that healing is by faith.

• The most godly and faith-filled people in the Bible and the early church did not teach WoF but suffered great loss and hardship – glorifying God in it. Were those who God inspired to write the New Testament mistaken about what they believed, taught, and even died for?

• The WoF is contrary to the biblically based view of Christian character and purpose, i.e., Submission to Christ, Denial of Self, and Denial of Worldliness. Matthew 16:24 – Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

• Scriptures used to support WoF teaching can mostly be shown to be taken out of context or not rightly divided. Hence the scriptures are used to support the belief system, rather than the belief system being based on the fullness of Scripture.

If Word of Faith teaching can be proven false, why do so many people Christians follow it?

• Most ministers who incorporate the WoF in their otherwise biblical doctrine, do so because that is what they have been taught is the best way for people to be blessed. Ministers trained in WoF Bible Colleges have been indoctrinated to accept it as a biblical view through which all scriptures are filtered. (It is usually only when these faulty foundations are put under continued pressure in their personal lives, that they begin to carefully examine their beliefs or walk away from God.)

• Broken, hurting people in the world and in the church fundamentally seek their own comfort above all else. So if they see or hear of a supposed or genuine miracle which they are told proves that they too can have a life of miracles and prosperity if they embrace the easy to follow system, why would they not go that way?

• WoF pushers have an arsenal of reasons to explain why any person does not get their miracle. So it can take many years to go through them all, and a combination of them.

• It is easier to go with the flow and talk the talk with the rest of the congregation than to question the leadership, or do their own Bible study.

• Unsaved people inside the church (who probably believe they are saved) do not have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16) or the Holy Spirit to help them understand the scriptures, so they go along with what they are told they mean.

This book was written for them all, to show clearly what the Bible actually says about core WoF doctrines: Little Gods, Faith, the Gospel of Worldly Success, Abundant Life, and Healing by Jesus’ Stripes. The Bonus Study on Tithing, though not solely a WoF doctrine, is an issue that causes harm to WoF Christians, so also needs addressing.

So let’s get into it...

Back to Contents

Little Gods

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Psalm 8:4-6 – What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to