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2 Tim 4:2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
KJV
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Five Things You Should Know
About Jose Luis De Jesus Mirenda
By: L. Labrier
1. Jose Luis De Jesus Mirenda.
Mirenda refers to himself as Jesus Christ Man. Jose had an
experience on December 1976 where he believes that Christ “merged
with him”, therefore making him Jesus Christ Man. He even declared
on CNN that he is greater than Jesus Christ. Jose claims divine
inspiration for his teachings and that he is the “sole interpreter
of the gospel”. Mr. Mirenda, an ex-druggie and ex- convict, has been
divorced twice and has five children. Formally, he had been an
evangelical pastor in the state of Massachusetts. He is originally
from Puerto Rico, but now lives in Houston, Texas. Jose claims to be
both Christ returned to earth and the antichrist. In January, De
Jesus proclaimed to his followers that he is the antichrist and then
showed off his new tattoo featuring the number of the beast, “666”.
In addition, Mr. Mirenda has a second tattoo, “SSS”, (seiscientos
sesenta seises) that can either represent the initials of “666” in
Spanish or he claims it stands for “Once saved, always saved, once a
child of God, always a child of God.” Many of his members are
following his example and getting the same tattoos tattooed on their
bodies. In reference to these tattoos, it is said that there is
wisdom behind the symbols, and they symbolize their ministry (Rev.
13:18). Jose stated that anti-Christ only means another christ and
he is that christ. Yet, the Scriptural meaning for antichrist is
“opponent of the Messiah” or also defined as “against Christ”. His
claim to be both Christ and the antichrist are arbitrarily assumed,
since obviously the two are contrarily working against each other.
Jose has been reaching millions through broadcasting his teachings
around the world through 300 plus TV and radio programs, 300 plus
pastors, and through 350 “educational centers” in 30 countries. He
says that people are sick and tired to having religion and
Christianity shoved down their throats and are ready to accept his
teachings. He asserts that “Christianity is behind 2000 years!” De
Jesus envisions a peaceful world government with himself as the
president. Evaluate this man’s claims and consider Luke 21:8, where
Jesus warns that there will be many who will deceive by saying they
are Christ, and Jesus said, “do not go after them.”
1. Growing in Grace.
Jose Luis De Jesus Mirenda has established a church called
“Growing in Grace” that meets for Sunday and Wednesday services. He
has an estimated amount of followers numbering in the hundreds of
thousands. His membership in the US is rapidly growing in number.
His followers are primarily Hispanics. The church members are
encouraged to tithe to the Growing in Grace church as De Jesus
declares, “God says that all gold and silver is mine”. They are
assured they will in turn reap glory and exaltation when the kingdom
of heaven comes to earth. Because of this teaching, tithing is
higher in this church than in most other churches. Jose declares
that all other religions, besides his church, are false and corrupt.
He also says that everyone outside of his group are cultists,
because he is the only one teaching the truth. They believe that
“the sooner existing religions are destroyed, the sooner de Jesus
can usher in his theocratic utopia.” It has been reported that the
Santiago church members come to praise and worship god- not the God
whom Christians attend church to worship, but a man claiming to be
god in the flesh, Jesus Christ Man. They begin and end the service
singing a worship song to De Jesus, “Gratitude and glory to Him…Only
to Him” in the Spanish language.
3. Sin and Satan.
Jose says that it is a lie of the Christians to claim that the
devil and sin exist.
De Jesus teaches that sin and Satan are done away with. He claims
that we are “dead to sin”; therefore, sin is dead and has no effect
on man (1 Jn. 1:8). His followers are known for picketing on the
streets with signs saying such things as, “Sin is no longer.” De
Jesus insists that when someone says that sins still exists he is
showing disrespect to Jesus, because Jesus took away the sins of the
world 2,000 years ago. He uses such verses as Romans 6:2, 11 for
proof that we are dead to sin, but alive unto God through Christ
Jesus. Furthermore, he believes that Romans 10:4 is asserting that
at Christ’s first coming sin was abolished and everyone was given
righteousness. Within an interview, De Jesus stated that when John
the Baptist saw Jesus he exclaimed, “…Behold, the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). He took this verse
as meaning that Jesus took away the sins of the world at His first
coming, 2000 years ago. The teaching of the absence of sin could be
one reason why his teaching is attracting so many followers.
Thinking there is no sin gives Jose’s followers freedom to live as
they please, fulfilling the lusts of their flesh. Even though
there’s no such thing as sin, Jose says that his followers are smart
enough not to go rob a bank, for example, since they know there are
consequences for that behavior with the law. Mr. Mirenda says that
Jesus shed His blood for sin, therefore, when Christians say that
there is still sin in the world, they are lying (1 Jn. 1:10). He
says that it hurts people to tell them that they are sinners; hence
he believes that no one should be told he is a sinner. In rejecting
the doctrine of sin, Mr. Mirenda is neglecting one of the most
elementary doctrines taught in the Scriptures. The Bible is clear
that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans
3:23)
4. Salvation.
Mirenda teaches that every man has
salvation, because Christ has already forgave everybody when he
died on the cross. Within one of Mr. Mirenda’s sermons he exclaimed,
“Our job is to save the believers, to save them from themselves.” De
Jesus says that people simply need to be shown love, because it says
in the Bible that “God so loved the world…” (Jn. 3:16). He obviously
fails to understand the last half of Jn. 3:16, where it says that
one must believe in God’s Son, Jesus, to escape eternal punishment
and receive eternal life. Eternal life is a magnificent gift paid
for by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for man’s sin and is offered
to every man that will reach out and receive that gift (Romans
6:23).
5. Prayer.
Jose does not believe it is scriptural to pray. He says that God
has already given us all we ever needed and if in prayer we ask God
for anything, God would respond, “Why are you asking Me, for I have
already given you all you everything you need.” Yet, no where in the
Bible will one find God wondering why His children are praying, but
rather God’s response is “Thy prayer is heard.” (Luke 1:13). Prayer
is vital in the life of the believer as seen from the many
references to prayer within the Scriptures. A very clear command is
seen in 1 Thess. 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Jesus speaks of
prayer in John 15:7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” God’s
Word admonishes believers in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all their cares
upon Him, because He cares for them. Furthermore, in Philippians
4:6, it exhorts the believer to go to God in prayer for everything.
These verses are clear as to whether the believer should pray or
not. Remember, the soldier of Jesus Christ cannot expect to live a
victorious life without fellowship through prayer with his
Commander, God, when he is needy.
http://www.10news.com/video/11193593/index.html.
http://josetv.com/2007/03/06/my-friend-and-the-messiah.
http://www.metrospirit.com/index.php?cat
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