Replies

Listen to his sermon, and he will tell you what he believes. You don't have to speculate.

I've listened to part of it. I don't like it:

Larry Huch: "...We will become so blessed that we will usher in the coming of the Messiah."

Is seems to me that the coming of the Messaih shall be heralded this way:

Luke 21
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

I believe Rafael Cruz loves the Lord and I'd love to ask him lo que da???. Anyway, having voiced my misgivings, I don't want to be a part of making a heathen like Trump a herald of the Messiah. I have no misgivings about that.

I'm going to watch/listen/comment on the rest of this, painful though it may be. Thanks SubMareener.

The sermon contains doctrine that is more Pentecostal than Southern Baptist, to be sure, and some points with which I strongly disagree (I am an historic premillennialist, not a postmillennialist), but nothing which suggests Rafael Cruz is either NOT trusting in Jesus or that he IS trusting in his own works.

And other than the eschatology and the wealth theology, this is nothing new. As I have said before, all the way back to the reformers and before it has been taught that believers are given their life work, whether secular or ecclesiastical, by appointment and purpose of God, to work out God's plan in the world.

So we should have great scientists and great economists and great presidents and great musicians and writers and lawyers and brick layers and bus drivers and whatever else there is, who do all they do for the glory of God and for the spread of the Gospel and of god-honoring life in every way. There is nothing unusual in believers believing what Christ and the apostles taught on these matters. I dissent from the dominionists in that I do not think we will be in charge until after the fully visible Second Coming of Jesus, but while we wait, we are still to be salt and light.

As for salvation itself, what Rafael Cruz presents at the end of his talk is just a standard evangelical alter call, in which the hearer is invited to trust in Jesus for the washing away of all their sin in the blood of Jesus. Admission of the need of forgiveness is a recognition that we cannot save ourselves. It is the man who doesn't know he needs to be forgiven has no understanding of his very dangerous position before God.

So I ask you again: Do you have evidence you can direct me to that Rafael Cruz does not trust Jesus? You are the one making this charge. You ought to be able to back it up.

Peace,