Inconsistent Constantine
Recently saw the movie Constantine. Now obviously a lot of it was bound to be a twist of Christianity… this I am sure is obvious to most people…
I will give merit to the part were Gabriel tells Constantine that he can’t buy his way into heaven. That it is not about works… I thought it was quite nicely put.
The one major twist of the movie which will not be so obvious to people watching it is that Jesus did die on the cross. It was not the spear that killed him. The spear thrust was a test to see whether he was already dead or not. Biologically I am not sure what happens but apparently when you die some kind of watery liquid separates from your blood around the lungs… when Jesus was stabbed by the spear the water burst out indicating that he was dead.
Depending on your theology then it wasn’t the crucifixion that killed him either… but God’s judgment on him as he took upon the worlds sins. This been the very act that allowed me and every other born again Christian to receive forgiveness and enter into a relationship with God.
I have noticed that there seems to be a massive process involved in the casting out of demons in Catholic doctrine. Why is this? I have no idea? I don’t see it in scripture. In my own experiences demons rely on 2 things…
1. The will of the person demonized.
2. Fear tactics so that everyone else is scared into believing they have power.
My encouragement to Christians out there is don’t be fooled by the way Hollywood portrays the power of demons. A demon is terrified of a Christian who knows his/her authority. If you know your authority the leg that a demon has to stand on is if the person who is demonized is giving the demon permission to be there.
Jesus wouldn’t have commanded us to go out and cast them out of people if they had some kind of power greater than his.
I must also add… it annoys me somewhat when another Christian asks me to pray for someone else who is demonized. I had been a Christian for less than 3 or 4 months when I delivered a non-Christian from demonic activity… this was without any kind of training. I simply understood that the power that raised Jesus from the dead and performed many miracles was now living in me. Rather first give it a try yourself… if your faith fails you then call someone else.
The same goes for baptizing people in the Holy Spirit… I was horrified the end of last year when at a conference +- 30 people responded to an alter call and over 100 responded to a call to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. To this a have 2 gripes:
What kind of a Christian thinks they could possibly live the adventure that God calls us to without the power of the Holy Spirit. This probably explains why so few Christians get past looking at their own needs the whole time and are so selfish with their time, money and talents.
If you are baptized in the Holy spirit… why on earth are you not using the gifts of the spirit. How do you expect other Christians around you to live victoriously because you’re to scared to step out in faith. News flash… it is not dependant on your own abilities. It (just like everything else in Christianity) is based upon grace. It is not acceptable that people just wait hoping that within the next year or so that some “powerful” guest speaker will come and baptize people in the Holy Spirit.
That’s my gripe. I shudder to think how depressed, beating down and unhappy I would be right now if I was not attempting to follow Jesus. If you aren’t following the basic things that Jesus said… well then as far as I can see… you are not a Christian.
Having all the Hillsong/Vineyard/Soul Survivor/MorningStar cd’s, owning a corny t-shirt and reading your bible does not make you a follower of Christ. Laying down your own needs and life everyday does. It is about the internal conviction flowing out into your external actions. Not external actions trying to mask up unhappiness on the inside.
It is no surprise that Christians are so easily labeled as hypocrites. If they would simply live for God (which is what it is suppose to mean when you give your life to God) instead of themselves… then a whole population would be surrounded by miracles constantly occurring. As James 2 puts it, "Faith without works is dead"
Here is a thought what if when Hollywood brought out its next demon filled movie that all the Christians watching it burst out laughing because of how ridiculous it is.
Mmm another thought? Where does the whole concept of Satan been God’s opposite equal come from. Has nobody read that Satan will be cast into hell along with unbelievers? Satan doesn’t own hell, he is not in charge of it. Where does this idea come from? Demons don’t live there either… Satan and the demons are fighting desperately to stay out of hell… they are terrified of it themselves.
Ok… really my gripe is over now.
Blessings
I will give merit to the part were Gabriel tells Constantine that he can’t buy his way into heaven. That it is not about works… I thought it was quite nicely put.
The one major twist of the movie which will not be so obvious to people watching it is that Jesus did die on the cross. It was not the spear that killed him. The spear thrust was a test to see whether he was already dead or not. Biologically I am not sure what happens but apparently when you die some kind of watery liquid separates from your blood around the lungs… when Jesus was stabbed by the spear the water burst out indicating that he was dead.
Depending on your theology then it wasn’t the crucifixion that killed him either… but God’s judgment on him as he took upon the worlds sins. This been the very act that allowed me and every other born again Christian to receive forgiveness and enter into a relationship with God.
I have noticed that there seems to be a massive process involved in the casting out of demons in Catholic doctrine. Why is this? I have no idea? I don’t see it in scripture. In my own experiences demons rely on 2 things…
1. The will of the person demonized.
2. Fear tactics so that everyone else is scared into believing they have power.
My encouragement to Christians out there is don’t be fooled by the way Hollywood portrays the power of demons. A demon is terrified of a Christian who knows his/her authority. If you know your authority the leg that a demon has to stand on is if the person who is demonized is giving the demon permission to be there.
Jesus wouldn’t have commanded us to go out and cast them out of people if they had some kind of power greater than his.
I must also add… it annoys me somewhat when another Christian asks me to pray for someone else who is demonized. I had been a Christian for less than 3 or 4 months when I delivered a non-Christian from demonic activity… this was without any kind of training. I simply understood that the power that raised Jesus from the dead and performed many miracles was now living in me. Rather first give it a try yourself… if your faith fails you then call someone else.
The same goes for baptizing people in the Holy Spirit… I was horrified the end of last year when at a conference +- 30 people responded to an alter call and over 100 responded to a call to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. To this a have 2 gripes:
What kind of a Christian thinks they could possibly live the adventure that God calls us to without the power of the Holy Spirit. This probably explains why so few Christians get past looking at their own needs the whole time and are so selfish with their time, money and talents.
If you are baptized in the Holy spirit… why on earth are you not using the gifts of the spirit. How do you expect other Christians around you to live victoriously because you’re to scared to step out in faith. News flash… it is not dependant on your own abilities. It (just like everything else in Christianity) is based upon grace. It is not acceptable that people just wait hoping that within the next year or so that some “powerful” guest speaker will come and baptize people in the Holy Spirit.
That’s my gripe. I shudder to think how depressed, beating down and unhappy I would be right now if I was not attempting to follow Jesus. If you aren’t following the basic things that Jesus said… well then as far as I can see… you are not a Christian.
Having all the Hillsong/Vineyard/Soul Survivor/MorningStar cd’s, owning a corny t-shirt and reading your bible does not make you a follower of Christ. Laying down your own needs and life everyday does. It is about the internal conviction flowing out into your external actions. Not external actions trying to mask up unhappiness on the inside.
It is no surprise that Christians are so easily labeled as hypocrites. If they would simply live for God (which is what it is suppose to mean when you give your life to God) instead of themselves… then a whole population would be surrounded by miracles constantly occurring. As James 2 puts it, "Faith without works is dead"
Here is a thought what if when Hollywood brought out its next demon filled movie that all the Christians watching it burst out laughing because of how ridiculous it is.
Mmm another thought? Where does the whole concept of Satan been God’s opposite equal come from. Has nobody read that Satan will be cast into hell along with unbelievers? Satan doesn’t own hell, he is not in charge of it. Where does this idea come from? Demons don’t live there either… Satan and the demons are fighting desperately to stay out of hell… they are terrified of it themselves.
Ok… really my gripe is over now.
Blessings
posted by Gareth at 8:25 AM
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