Friday, October 22, 2010

Pharmakeia

pharmakeia
Strongs number 5331

  1. the use or the administering of drugs
  2. poisoning
  3. sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
  4. metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry

In the King James the word is most often translated as "witchcraft" and the verses it is in always show it in a negative light, for example;
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
     So those who practice witchcraft will not inherit the kingdom of God.                
                       This is serious stuff!!!

So what is Witchcraft as outlined in this verse. We know from looking it up in the strongs the word that was translated was Pharmakeia the same word used as the root for words like pharmacy or pharmaceutical.

Same word for Sorcery, Witchcraft and administering Drugs. Imagine that..... A religious belief that taking drugs will somehow improve your condition, or placing trust in drugs more than even God himself. Surely this is a primitive practice that has no bearing on our more modern and educated lives. Who practices Idolatry any more? who would worship Idols and take or prescribe drugs in combination with worshiping Idols? All this must be the work of some primitive people way back when or perhaps some natives off in a jungle somewhere who did not go to community college like the rest of us experts. I mean it all seems a bit silly don't it Idolatry is something we don't practice today is it?
Worshiping Graven Images things made by the hand of man and abandoning reason for faith  in a system that has no basis in reality.
Kneeling at the Altar
       Just a thought. the other day I was watching the news and they were telling everyone to go get flu shots for the coming flu season. these are the shots that have been proven to contain mercury and cause massive complications in people when they get older. Out of all the test done on flu shots there have been little to indicate that there are more positive effects than negative and yet because big pharma pays for about 6 out of 8 commercials during the time the news is on they are given a news story for us to blindly believe because it came out of our box we watch religious every night thinking we are going to hear truth.
    My favorite commercial was for a bladder control drug that had the unfortunate side effect
 (mentioned at the end of the commercial very quickly and in a lowered tone of voice) of uncontrollable diarrhea. So some poor slob who has been deceived by this modern box of Idolatry can go and stop peeing in his adult diaper and start crapping himself instead.
     Out of all these commercial for modern Pharma-Business I have yet to see a cure for anything offered, only treatment. So for the rest of your life you would need to take the bladder control drug that makes you soil yourself rather than a one time cure. I guess there is no money in curing people only treating them. Out of all of this you would think we could spot our blind worship to a system of belief that tries to cloak itself in scientific rational thought.
Is it a pill or Satan's communion?
      Does it sound rational to you to take a drug for bladder control that makes you soil yourself? How bout a male erectile dysfunction drug that can make you go into cardiac arrest (sudden death during love making might just spoil the mood). I love the long list of warnings for the drugs that are supposed to help or cure us. Sounds more like VooDoo than science to me, but even if it did work the big question is, are we putting our trust and faith in something other than God? Are we practicing Pharmakeia something it says in the bible could keep us from inheriting the kingdom?
     When church is over on Sunday and you have a headache how many people do you ask for a aspirin before you consider asking for prayer? what does that say about your faith and what you trust more? Do we as Christians trust our doctors and pharmacist more than our pastors and elders? do we rely more on the PDR than the bible?
   I know at this point there are a few of you out there who will ask "what about Luke, he was a doctor"?
The thing i would point out is that if you went to see Luke I doubt that his office is entirely decorated with posters from drug companies that pay for all his vacations and give him free samples to encourage him to rely on drugs rather than reason.
    Not many years ago if you went to a Doctor and told him you saw an ad for a drug on TV and you think you want that one he would prescribe you a sugar pill to treat your blind belief in pills. In the last few years as we worship drugs more and more the placebo effect is increasing this is to be expected as we go from rational thought into idolatry and witchcraft (Pharmakeia). We are even debating in our government if there is a "right" to have full access to drugs you believe you need and healthcare from the current system of Pharma-business is a inalienable right.
       The worst part is that in church, even in spirit filled ministries that claim to believe in the healing power of the holy spirit through the laying on of hands and anointing with oil (see James chapter 5) when people hear me sniffle or cough they will offer every remedy from bee pollen to the newest cold pill before suggesting prayer or trusting in the finished work of the cross.
     Do we trust Jesus?
James chapter 1 verses 5-8 says;


5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.


If we don't trust that God is the healer and put all our faith in Pharmakeia how can we expect to receive any thing from God? Is God Creator of heaven and earth able to heal your cold symptoms, or can we only trust in pills and potions?
James chapter 5 Verses 14 and 15 say;

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

I think it says it best in 1 Kings Chapter 18 verse 21
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word

Baal was most often religion of earth worship (anyone hug a tree or make recycling their justification lately) and just as our modern Idolitry box spews every day with news about global warming and save the planet earth worship religion while it sells us drugs we have a choice.

Choose this day who you will follow, God or Pharma it is that simple......

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Lords Ranch

It has been an interesting time here at The Lord's Ranch (http://thelordsranch.org) there are anywhere from 30-60 men here at a time many receiving their healing (praise God) from addictions (drug/alcohol) and "issues" (minor mental disorders)  as well as several people here to learn front line missions and evangelism from Adrian Simila (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=653298409). It makes for a very diverse group with the stronger and more capable helping those with issues and learning the love of Christ. It is something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. Everything from men who can not read to men with graduate school educations, Young men and very old, Men from inner city gang backgrounds to hillbillies and cowboys all living and working together toward learning to be more like Christ. There is no worldly reason it should work and yet is has for over 20 years under the anointing of God


 I have been teaching most days during the 1:15pm service and working on projects for missions in developing nations the rest of the day.
   I have really been enjoying teaching classes here on basic Greek, public speaking, and apologetics. It is rewarding to see men who often were living on the streets recently and addicted to drugs/alcohol debating scripture and referring to the Greek meanings of the words. I enjoy counseling the men and watching many with basic reading skills improve and they begin to get a better understanding of the word. God is doing a mighty work here and it is nice to see people getting saved almost weekly and watching the Holy Spirit radicaly change lives.
   I have been working on another project that will make communications to the persecuted churches a lot more secure for almost 2 years now and I am beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel (let's hope it is not a train). Many people, many languages and many computer glitches later it is beginning to take shape and I am hoping it will be ready for wide release soon. It has been interesting communicating complex computer principles across language and culture barriers it has been trying at times to say the least, but it could save lives and equip many to spread the gospel so it looks to be worth it


 My latest pet project is the use of cheap (under $50) routers as full web servers, file servers and print servers and multi line PBX system. this little router hacked into a Linux computer runs on only 5 volts and uses less than 5 watts making it able to run off of a very cheap battery/solar array.
the long and short of it is that I can setup a local phone system, internet and files server for distributing Christian films, teaching and bibles in multi language for under $100 totally self contained and running of solar in the middle of nowhere. I look forward to implementing it on the mission field soon.

I have also been playing with making camp stoves out of pop cans and energy drink bottles with good success. I even got to send one out with the evangelism team last week. they are known for taking unreliable vans long distances so having a cheap camp stove to make a little coffee or dinner on can be a real moral booster. My models run off of HEET gas-line antifreeze (methyl alcohol). one once of fuel boils 16 ounces of water with no fumes, smoke or smell. A bottle of HEET is 12 ounces and costs less than $2 ( I got a 4 pack at walmart for $5).
I can equip a brother with a stove, pot, fuel, ramen noodles and a few coffee packets for under $5. I am working on getting this number lower so I can do it cheaper. We have been getting some little hotel sized shampoo bottles in from time to time and they are 1oz great size for storing single size fuel bottles. having a small kit that contains all your physical needs for a week is the goal. I can also see application for the mission field as alcohol can be found in almost any county in the world.

I have also moved my goat drawn wagon here to the ranch but that is worthy of it's own post and video so until then I remain.
Yours in Christ,
Donald C Phinney II
http://donphinney.com