Commentary, analysis and opinion.

Media respond to Houston dropping hot potato “pastor” Driscoll from Hillsong Conference 2015

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From Berean Research:

Mark DriscollHere’s a comedy of errors if ever there was one. Hillsong Church’s pastor and notorious false teacher Brian Houston decided to drop former pastor of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church, Mark Driscoll, from Hillsong Conference 2015 even though he has been fully aware of the controversy over Driscoll. Houston had many people shaking their heads when he decided to do an interview with Driscoll. Well, over the weekend he decided to dis-invited him from the conference and offered the following reason:

It was clear to me that Mark’s attendance had the potential to divert attention from the real purpose of Hillsong Conference, which is to see people leave encouraged in their own spiritual journey.

For whatever reason, it finally dawned on Houston that a preacher who’s known for his potty-mouth…explicit sexual messages…plagiarism…bullying…and an over-inflated ego might not be the best one to encourage people in their spiritual journey.

Churchwatch Central has the details:

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The New Transgender Agenda: Cultural Confusion

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From Berean Research:

Dave Fiorazo, author, speaker and radio host, addresses the Left’s attempt to normalize what the majority of people have always thought of as a sexual perversion: Transgenderism. Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner has been portrayed by the press as courageous for saying publicly that he no longer wishes to be a man; now he wants to be viewed as a woman even though it is predetermined by his DNA that he’s male. Fiorazo challenges the idea that what Jenner did took courage. To him “Conforming to this world and going with the flow of pop culture is not courageous; courage is telling the truth in the face of evil and accusations of hate. Courage is living counter-culture for Jesus Christ and sharing the gospel with people because we love them.” View article →

Not Just Acceptance, But Coercion—Christians Now Being Told to Embrace Gay “Marriage” or Else

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Ken Ham and Mark Looy of Answers In Genesis discuss the best approach for Bible believing Christians to take in the growing controversy over gay “marriage.” More and more professing Christians are ignoring what the Bible expressly teaches and are falling in line with the radical gay lobby. Ham and Looy blame this shift on biblical illiteracy. They point out that “with the increasing emphasis on entertainment in church life today, there has been a corresponding dearth of solid Bible teaching and thus a lack of spiritual maturity seen among Christians. Such congregations essentially function as a group of biblical illiterates and are more susceptible to being swept up in anti-biblical thinking of the day, such as supporting gay ‘marriage.’ An ignorance of what the Bible teaches about homosexual behavior combined with a mindset that Christians must be ‘loving’ has led to many churches accepting gay ‘marriage.'” So, how can believers influence a society that no longer takes God’s Word seriously?

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Cindy Jacobs was first to “prophesy” C. Peter Wagner would be “Apostle”

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C. Peter Wagner & Cindy JacobsJohn Lanagan of My Word Like Fire continues to expose the false teaching of the NAR “apostles” and “prophets.” He writes:

While still assessing the damage done through Empowered21’s Jerusalem gathering, where many were exposed to New Apostolic Reformation leaders and teachings, it seems appropriate to share these words from Cindy Jacobs about her own alleged prophetic gift, as well as her prophecies (?) to C. Peter Wagner, the founder and Grand Poohbah of the New Apostolic Reformation:

“I first prophesied when I was four years old.” –Cindy Jacobs, from The Turn Around Season, spoken at the Empowered21 Jerusalem gathering

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Warning Met With Deafness

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Danger signBill Muehlenberg of Culture Watch addresses the sad fact that people in discernment ministries are having to “duck and cover” more and more these days. But not from bullets coming from secularists who hate the truth and attempt to shoot them down for declaring it. The bullets are now coming from so-called brothers and sisters in Christ! He writes,

And when people come along warning them about all these great evils, instead of getting irate at the evils, they get mad at those bringing the warnings. They shoot the messengers and condemn the watchmen, and simply go back about their business.

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Cindy Jacobs whups “Jewish witchcraft” to help Empowered21 gathering go smoothly

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John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire lays out the ways in which he believes Satan is using the ecumenical Empowered21 and the New Apostolic Reformation to torment the Body of Christ. Lanagan writes,

Lecturing her audience at the Empowered21 gathering in Jerusalem, New Apostolic Reformation prophetess Cindy Jacobs urged, “We need to live to torment the powers of darkness.”

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NAR’s Faytene Grassechi uses Empowered21 to teach Luke 4 is about…Dominionism!

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John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire has an update on New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) false teachers who are becoming mainstream thanks largely to pro-family leaders; likewise Assemblies of God leaders, which Lanagan has brought to light in a string of articles he has written on the NAR. A case can be made that many of these so-called leaders lack spiritual discernment. He writes:

WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHINGJesus Christ “died for you, He died for me. Absolutely. But that’s not all He died for. He came to destroy the works of the devil and He came to take back everything that was lost in the Garden, and according to Luke 4 one of the primary things that was lost was authority over kingdoms…” –Faytene Grassechi, speaking at Empowered21 (bold and italics mine)

The Empowered21 organization met recently in Jerusalem with Christians from around the world, and the event essentially served to introduce New Apostolic Reformation leaders and teachers to many.

NAR adherents Faytene Grassechi, Cindy Jacobs, Becky Fischer and many others gained much exposure.

There is no biblical basis for Dominionism, the aberrant belief that Christians must take control of the earth before Christ can or will return. This is a terrible misunderstanding of Genesis 1:28. Nevertheless, this aberrant teaching is a foundational belief of the New Apostolic Reformation. It is why you will often find the NAR in politics, and seeking to influence nations.

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Better gear up for the 5 major changes coming to the Church

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John Burton has written a piece titled “Ancient and Emerging: 5 Major Changes Coming to the Church.”  Before you get all excited, or maybe even concerned over those changes, you should know a bit more about Burton.  As it turns out he’s a “prophet” in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement.   According to his blog, John Burton, he “has been developing and leading ministries for over 20 years and is a sought out teacher, prophetic messenger and revivalist. Burton has authored ten books, has appeared on Christian television and radio and directed one of the primary internships at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City.”

That Burton was associated with IHOP-KC could only mean that he has served under IHOP’s Pied Piper Mike Bickle.  I spent quite a bit of time researching Bickle for a piece I wrote and discovered his strong ties to the NAR or what some refer to as Dominionism.  Also identified was his involvement with the Kansas City Prophets (KCP).  According to Pastor Ken Silva, the KCP:

brought grandiose claims that a ‘new breed’ of super prophets were beginning to arrive on planet earth who would change the world forever. These so-called prophets were a group of men that coalesced around a church known as the Kansas City Fellowship, pastored by Mike Bickle, that attracted a following of other likeminded churches in that region. (More on the KCP here)

It gets worse.  Mike Bickle believes that God speaks to him in an audible voice.  But here’s the kicker.  He has visited heaven – twice.  On one visit he told false teacher Bob Jones:

I stood in this room and it had…clouds, it was a room only maybe 20 by 20 or 30. It was a little room. It had clouds in the bottom, on the top and the walls…I stood there, I was at the Lord’s left hand, and I stood there, this was not a dream, this was as real as life here…I know it wasn’t a dream or a vision… (There’s more to the story  here)

I included Bickle’s background and a snippet of the tall tale he spun on his alleged visit to heaven to highlight the fact that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

So here’s my question: why is John Burton proud of his association with a false prophet who’s the main man at IHOP-KC?  IHOP –KC is viewed by many mainstream scholars as a cult because it is a “false, unorthodox, extremist” sect of Christianity (dictionary.com).

On his blog Burton calls himself a “prophetic messenger and revivalist.” Revival?  What revival?  There’s no sign of any sort of “revival” in America or any place else (except an occult revival), so the “revival” the so-called prophet refers to is……where?

Before I get to the 5 major changes “Prophet” John B predicts, those of you who are unfamiliar with the nuts and bolts of the NAR should know what we’re dealing with. Over the years it has had many handles such as Kingdom Now; Latter Rain; Joel’s Army; Manifest Sons of God – they keep changing the name as if this will allow them to keep their heretical teachings hidden.

What is the goal of the NAR loons leaders?  To transform society into the kingdom of God on earth.

How do they hope to accomplish this lofty goal?  By taking control of various aspects of society.  (Here’s the plan)

Apologetics Index describes it as:

a dominionist movement which asserts that God is restoring the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of Prophet and Apostle.

Leading figures in this seemingly loosely organized movement claim that these prophets and apostles alone have the power and authority to execute God’s plans and purposes on earth. They believe they are laying the foundation for a global church, governed by them.

They place a greater emphasis on dreams, visions and extra-biblical revelation than they do on the Bible, claiming that their revealed teachings and reported experiences (e.g. trips to heaven, face-to-face conversations with Jesus, visits by angels) can not be proven by the ‘old’ Scripture. (emphasis added )

So, keeping John Burton’s background in mind—especially the part about his affiliation with IHOP-KC– here’s what this so-called prophetic messenger revealed about the future:

Fortune teller looking into crystal ball

I call this the ancient and emerging church. Ancient because it’s rooted in scripture; emerging because the biblical structure has been largely forsaken. What will this ancient and emerging church look like? Here’s just a small peek into a grand shift in the structure of the church:

1. Services will become more like prayer meetings. One of the greatest indictments on the church today is that prayer is not the driving force. Today, people tend to choose churches based on the appeal of the teaching and the worship instead of the fervency of prayer. If the church was a house of teaching, or a house of worship, that would make sense, but it’s not. The church is a house of prayer for all nations. Every person in the church will function as a burning intercessor and the services will be marked by this unified groan of fiery prayer.

2. Personal need will give way to personal mission. Today, churches are often more like organic, socially driven hospitals. People tend to use the church as a way to meet their personal needs instead of serving it as a minister of God. This is going to change. Of course, there will still be personal ministry and true needs will be addressed.

However, instead of the church functioning as a hospital, it will once again function as a mission-driven military. The mission will take precedence. The saints will be equipped for service, not for personal survival. In this ancient and emerging model, their will be MASH units that will take very good care of the wounded with the primary purpose of getting the soldier back into battle. Apostles will again lead with governmental authority and pastors will be seen as the main leader less and less as they focus more on shepherding and less on primary leadership.

3. Teaching will be minimized while instruction is emphasized. Teaching is mostly for personal edification while instruction is mostly for corporate assignments. Today, most churches focus on teaching principles of scripture, providing truths that will help Believers navigate through their lives and giving nuggets of biblical info. While there will still be important Bible teaching, apostolic instruction will emerge as a necessary new ministry.

There is enough Bible teaching online, on CDs, in books and on video to turn every one of us into personal spiritual giants. We need to take it upon ourselves to grow. What is lacking, however, is apostolic leaders, military commanders who give instruction and assignments to a ready army. Teaching is personal growth-based while instruction is a call to corporate action for the sake of mission fulfillment.

An example of apostolic instruction is this: The apostolic leader gives a corporate assignment for everybody in the church to fast for a week and then show up together to prayer walk through the city streets. It’s a corporate call to action versus biblical study. It’s mission focused versus personal growth focused. Personal growth will be largely our responsibility between services so we can be ready to respond to the corporate instruction where we will receive our assignments.

4. We will gather together most days of the week. The 24/7 church will again emerge as the church drives culture instead of reacting to culture. Cares of life will lose their power as we simplify our lives and put corporate prayer and mission ahead of most everything else.

This may be the most challenging change for Christians. Today, Sundays are the days to set aside for corporate worship while we give precedence to our ‘normal lives.’ In The Coming Church, the very reason we live will be to pray on fire together every day, receive apostolic assignments and then move out into our lives as kingdom ambassadors. It wouldn’t be surprising if a tithe of our time is what became the standard. Two to three hours a day, whether it’s in the morning, afternoon or evening, or even in the late night hours, will be given by every believer to praying on site together with others, ministering and giving ourselves to intercession-fueled kingdom ministry. Of course, much of what we have been giving ourselves to will have to be eliminated so we have the time necessary to devote.

5. Worship will be supernaturally driven. There is a new sound coming to worship, and it’s not simply a new style. There is a supernatural, otherworldly groan of intercessory worship that will explode out of the entire body as a new breed of trembling worship leaders lead the way into the shock and awe of the glory of God. We will no longer simply sit in a pew or stand with a raised hand while a familiar worship song is sung.

The prophetic, groaning sounds of Holy Spirit facilitated worship will make it normal to shake and fall to our faces as we cry Holy! The natural, logical sing-a-longs will be no more. We will have a hard time standing as God’s Shekinah and Kabod glory resides in his church. Worship teams will practice less and pray in the Spirit with tears in their eyes more.

Of course, this is an extremely limited glance into the many, many changes that are coming. I wanted to share this to provoke you to preparation. There is much that you and I enjoy in the church, or that is comfortable to us, that we will have to let go. Again, the coming church will be troubling and shocking, but it will result in the power and life that we have been crying out for.

God is about to answer that cry.

This is…..nauseating.  My head is spinning.  Seems the Church is in for some BIG changes, at least according to “Prophet” John B.  Notice that the changes he purports would empower a few and turn the rest of us into mere puppets.  Sound familiar?  The message he’s sending is that we mustn’t hold to God’s sacred Word as our final authority.  No.  We must abide in what those who are supposedly hearing from God tell us.  I mean, really?  Coming from someone with his decidedly unbiblical theology it’s pretty easy to figure out where this rubbish came from.

Hint: The Evil One

We are not to fear evil, brethren.  We are not to back away from it.  We are not to cower in the corner.  We are commanded to:

Armor of God Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to standfirm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel… Ephesians 6:10-19  (emphasis added)

I’ll close with this admonition: Stand against the schemes of the devil!

Recommended:

Dominionism and the Rise of Western Imperialism by Sarah Leslie

Dominionist are on the move…and they mean business by Marsha West 

Research Sites:

Herescope

Deception in the Church

Apologetics Index

Copyright by 2015 by Marsha West.  All rights reserved.

Hillsong: The multi-million dollar “crazy cult”

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Churchtwatch Central brings us Australia’s “A Current Affair” report on Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal megachurch out of Australia. Hillsong Church’s well-recognized music ministry has spread all throughout the globe.

Brian HoustonIn spite of Hillsong’s continual lies, their facades of “relevancy” and their contemporary nonsensical gimmicks, the world still sees through it. The reality is this: the world is not being won over to Jesus Christ. In fact, Hillsong is giving the world an excuse to hate Christianity while Hillsong is militantly campaigning against biblical Christianity. Not only that, Hillsong is stealing Christians from other churches and taking over churches by force under the guise of “blessing” churches. It is time the media, the Australian Government and more importantly church leaders, stop calling Hillsong a church. Cults have always declared war on Christianity. Hillsong for decades have proven again and again to be a word of faith and prosperity cult. When will Christianity finally say enough is enough?

Churchwatch Central has provided “A Current Affair” video. View article →

Rick Warren twisting Scripture – teaching Storehouse tithing, and Word of Faith

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According to Psalm 12:

On May 17, 2015, Pastor of Saddleback Church took the opportunity during Sunday Morning worship service to make a plea for more money. He twists several Scriptures in order to guilt members of his church into believing that if they aren’t giving 10 percent of their income on a weekly basis, they will not receive the blessings of God. He then ends his message with having his members sign an oath, “pledging” to give 10 percent of their income from this point forward, and that it “saddens him” to “know that some members would be missing out on God’s blessings,” and that “people might not go to heaven” because they didn’t give their money to his church.

A video of Warren’s Scripture twisting has been provided on the Psalm 12 blog. View article →

Apostate Churches Promoting Sin

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From Berean Research:

Bill Muehlenberg has spent thirty years of his life writing books on the culture war. He’s one of the few Christians who actually understand what radical homosexual activists have in mind. “And it sure ain’t pretty.” Their final goal,” he says, “is to totally silence the churches – the true churches that is. They have no problems at all with the lukewarm and compromised churches – indeed, they love them, and are fully using them to achieve all their goals.” So my brethren, don’t say you weren’t warned.

Bono & U2 I know I should no longer be surprised about these sorts of things happening, but it still leaves my head and spirit reeling: I will write about something so utterly clear in Scripture that no biblical Christian could differ, yet that happens anyway.

I will get bus-loads’ full of so-called Christian pastors, leaders and others absolutely foaming at the mouth at me and what I write. Instead of agreeing with God about clearly defined sin, they will blast me for daring to affirm biblical truth and morality.

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The Emergent Church Cult Of Postmodern Liberal Theology

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Before he went to be with the Lord, our brother Ken Silva went to great lengths to warn the flock of the impending danger of what he referred to as the “cult of postmodern liberal theology.” Sadly, his warning was largely ignored by Christian leaders who thought Ken was just a clanging symbol. Well he wasn’t. And neither was the founder of the Christian Research Institute, Dr. Walter Martin, who took a lot of heat for shouting from the rooftops that “historic, orthodox Christianity” was being invaded by liberals and cultists.

With that in mind, we’re linking to a piece over at Apprising Ministries Ken put together back in 2011 that includes strong words from Dr. Martin:

Walter Martin Apprising Ministries brings to your attention the following hard-hitting and prophetic words, circa 1986, from “the father of modern cult apologetics” Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989). No matter what you may think of some things he taught, it is simply beyond question that, in his day, Dr. Martin was a foremost defender of what he so often called “the historic, orthodox Christian faith.”

Theological poison is, right now, seeping into the veins of the mainstream evangelical camp the upgraded sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church with its postmodern Progressive Christian theology—a Liberalism 2.0—that they often refer to as “big tent” Emergence Christianity.

So if you want to know the Truth about its infiltration of orthodox seminaries and Bible colleges, who err in assuming many of their professors are the same, then read on. And if not; well then, you might have just qualified yourself to become a leader within evangelicalism…

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“God” tells NAR “prophet” about Dominionist Seven Mountains plans

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John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire alerts us to yet another false prophetess. They are literally coming out of the woodwork:

WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHINGThe New Apostolic Reformation is not an organization. These are networks of “apostles” and “prophets” who believe the Second Apostolic Age is here. This means the age of denominations has passed and it is these “anointed” apostles and prophets who are to govern the church.

From the NAR we have such luminaries as C. Peter Wagner, James Goll, Mike Bickle, Bill Johnson, Mark Chironna, Brian Simmons, Cindy Jacobs, and many others.

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Voddie Baucham’s big move to Africa

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Reformed pastor Voddie Baucham talks with World Magazine’s Warren Cole Smith about his work at home and explains his bold move to Zambia with his wife and seven of their children.

Voddie Baucham is a husband, father, pastor, author, professor, conference speaker, and church planter. He currently serves as pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas. He’s also served as an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Houston. Whether teaching on classical apologetic issues such as the validity and historicity of the Bible or the resurrection of Christ or teaching on cultural issues, such as gender roles, marriage, and family, he says his goal is to help people understand the significance of thinking and living biblically in every area of life. We had this conversation at an event hosted by Alliance Defending Freedom.

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MOVIEGUIDE Props Up Profane Preacher

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Marsha West

Marsha West

Anyone who follows the news knows that mega pop-star Justin Bieber has made headlines for behaving badly. What some of you may not know is that Justin’s a professing Christian. Don’t stop reading here. This isn’t about bad-boy Bieber. What it’s about is his pastor, Judah Smith, who is a rising star in Christendom. Smith is the teaching pastor of The City Church, a megachurch in Seattle. His wife and mother, who started the church with her late husband, are two of several City Church pastrixes. I should point out that it is unbiblical for women to be pastors and elders.

The late Ken Silva, Christian apologist and owner of Apprising Ministries, once called Judah Smith a “charismatic quasi-prosperity preacher.” If you’re unfamiliar with the Word of Faith/prosperity gospel (name-it-and-claim-it), it is outright heresy. Some readers will likely disagree with me on this and may even think I’m being too harsh. So I urge you to do as the Bereans did by going to the Word of God to see if what I say is true. (1 John 4:1)

A few years ago when Pastor Smith was first becoming a rising star, Ken Silva produced a short video showing him addressing a crowd of 60,000 young people under the age of twenty-five at the 2013 Passion Conference. While the founder of Passion, Louis Giglio, looked on, Smith paraded around the stage abusing the Lord’s Name. Yes, a “pastor” chose to use OMG five times. (See the video below) Perhaps he did it for shock value. Or maybe he uses the Lord’s Name in vain all the time and didn’t realize he was saying what he said. Regardless, when it comes to the clergy, neither of these reasons holds water.

Smith certainly knows the Bible warns about the power of words. He’s also aware that the Christian’s role is to glorify God. I mean, that’s what the Passion Conference is all about. According to its website, “Passion exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”

Did Smith think that using the Lord’s Name in this way would glorify God? Probably not. I rather suspect he’s aware that Christians have a responsibility to watch how we speak. One can only conclude that he doesn’t think Exodus 20:7, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…” applies to him.

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Assemblies of God exposed to New Apostolic Reformation through Empowered21

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Cindy JacobsAccording to John Lanagan of My Word Like Fire, the apostate New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement has infiltrated the Assemblies of God (AG), a Pentecostal Christian denomination. Lanagan fills us in on the E21 event that is currently going on in Jerusalem. NAR “prophetess” Cindy Jacobs “was not only a featured speaker … at the Amman, Jordan event, but is the co-chair of the Jerusalem2015 Prophecy and The End Times Ministry Track.”

A few comments, observations, and a question or two for Assemblies of God General Superintendent George Wood and his E21 co-chair, Billy Wilson of Oral Roberts University:

Sit under the teaching, gifting, and anointing of the world’s top Spirit-empowered pastors, leaders, and teachers. –E21 promotional for Jerusalem 2015 event [1]

In the past few years we have seen a dilution of biblical doctrine occurring throughout the Body of Christ. Now, it seems anything called “Jesus”—The Shack and Jesus Calling come to mind—is welcomed without question by huge numbers of Christians.

Is the same thing happening in terms of the Holy Spirit? Are increasing numbers in the visible church beginning to place less emphasis on doctrine in order to facilitate Spirit-empowered unity?

This brings us to the Empowered21 organization:

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Talk with your deceased loved ones using new virtual-reality software

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According to Market Watch columnist Jurica Dujmovic, “Project Elysium, made by a couple of gaming geeks, aims to help people cope with the loss of family and friends.” The “game”the geeks came up with is steeped in the occult, thus Bible believing Christians must have nothing to do with it or any “game” like it — not even if it’s “just for fun.”

Dujmovic writes:

Communing with deceased loved ones usually involves a visit to the graveyard. Project Elysium, by Paranormal Games, is attempting to turn the experience into a 3D virtual-reality simulation.

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“Q” Is Cool

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In piece over at truthXchange, noted Bible scholar Peter Jones reveals what he believes are the reasons the evangelical movement is in theological crisis mode right now. Dr. Jones informs us that in April 2015, 1,300 Christian leaders sat through teaching by “Q” founder David Gushee and homosexual activist and professing Christian Matthew Vines defending the “Christian Gay” movement. One of his concerns is that, “publicly airing the issue, in such an important “Evangelical” forum, in a cool kind of way [which is what was done] … may indeed bestow a certain legitimacy on such a biblically unsupportable position and thus threaten the on-going health of Christian orthodoxy.”

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Tim Keller promotes Catholic mystic, rejects Genesis 1 as literal truth

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There’s a must watch video over at My Word Like Fire that shows Tim Keller’s fascination with Catholic mysticism.

In a 2014 interview, Pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church noted that Puritan John Owen was “down on Catholic mysticism and down on an awful lot of the ways in which evangelicals are trying to bring in Catholic contemplative prayer practices.” [1] Keller also stated, “Most books I know that are critical of contemplative prayer, as I am…” [2] (bold mine) Wait a minute. As he is?

Keller himself has advocated Catholic contemplative prayer practices. Here on YouTube Keller promotes Catholic mystic Teresa of Avila…

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God showed Cindy Jacobs The Lord’s Prayer is really about Dominionism

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John Lanagan shared a video on My Word Like Fire of New Apostolic Reformation “Prophet” Cindy Jacobs teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. We’re posting the video and Lanagan’s comments so that visitors to CRN will understand why we have said all along that the NAR is a dangerous movement within Christendom.

Did you know The Lord’s Prayer is really about transforming nations? Did you know sin came into the world because we didn’t understand our Dominionist commission? Neither did I.

So you see, this is exactly why we need the leadership (?) of New Apostolic Reformation prophets like Cindy Jacobs. Please pardon my sarcasm.

27 seconds into the video: “…and God showed me [The Lord’s Prayer] was a prayer and every part of the prayer is an element on how to reform and transform a nation.”

53 seconds into the video: The Lord’s Prayer “is the prayer of intercession that will help bring into manifestation the original Genesis Mandate to fill, subdue, multiply and have dominion in the earth.”

1:24 seconds into the video: “This was our commission in the Garden and it never changed…because we didn’t understand our commission sin came into the world and it began to deteriorate the ability we had to steward the earth.”

2:55 seconds into the video: “So we have authority to reverse the Genesis curse of poverty and death. Not only do we have the power to do so, we have the mandate. You have to understand this.”

***

The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13:

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

(Source)

Emergent Catalyst conference says it’s time to “awaken your wonder”

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Berean Research reports:

Catalyst Conference 2015Catalyst, the premiere mega-conference for Emergent Church Leaders, is sending a curious message to potential attendees of its next Atlanta conference Oct. 7-9:

We are hardwired for wonder.

Just as the wonder of the world points to God, a sight unseen, so too should our acts of creation bridge the gap between what is and what could be. We transfer wonder when we awaken it in others. Leadership is about providing a lens through which others can see. A heart awakened to wonder invites others to follow in its path. It connects ultimate existence to daily experience, helping others see the solutions, rewards, treasures, they previously could not see.

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“The Shack Up”

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Lyndon Unger of The Cripplegate tackles the topic of professing Christians living together before marriage. Many Christians feel that there’s no problem with “shacking up” because “everyone else is doing it.” However, they cannot point to the scriptures to show that God approves of “try before you buy.” In Part 1, Unger lays out a biblical framework for dealing with sex outside of marriage and explains why Christians must not to try to justify “shacking up” before walking down the aisle. Clearly, God is not silent on the issue of sex outside of marriage.

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Liberalism’s Warm Fuzzy god

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By Marsha West

For a number of years a woman I know, I’ll call her Rachel, has wrestled with giving her life to Christ. She admits she really wants to, but how can she when she’d have to serve a God who allows murderers into heaven and sends “good people” to hell? It would be awkward to have to explain to her husband, family and friends that they’re bound for hell if they reject Christ. In other words, Rachel won’t play by God’s rules because His rules make her uncomfortable. In her way of thinking the God of the Bible is too punitive for her sensibilities. And besides, what kind of God would allow a serial murderer into heaven who professed a belief in Christ only minutes before going to the gas chamber while at the same time condemn “good people” to hell for their unbelief?

Liberals like Rachel require a more palatable religion, one that’s all-inclusive and, of course, fair. They desire a warm fuzzy God. The liberal’s ideal God is a sort of jolly ol’ St. Nick figure. The liberal’s jolly ol’ god has a Naughty and Nice list but his heart is so big that he often overlooks naughty children’s indiscretions (even the ones who are unrepentant) and delivers the goods to them anyway. He’d be unloving if he didn’t bend a little.

Rachel has yet to place her faith in Christ because it’s unthinkable that God would send “good people” to hell. Her major stumbling block is that she’s acquainted with a number of “good people” who aren’t Christians — and are a whole lot nicer than some Christians she knows.

Rachel contends that a just God wouldn’t send nice folks to hell for all eternity simply because they reject Jesus Christ.

But the Bible says otherwise. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

People like Rachel sincerely believe they could do a far better job of running the universe than the One who created it. Talk about chutzpah!

No human being has the wisdom to determine if a person is fundamentally good or evil for the simple reason that no one knows for certain what’s in a person’s heart! No one can ever truly know a person’s motives.

For those who hold to a relativistic worldview, good and evil, ethics and morality are simply cultural inventions and cannot be objectively defined. Liberals perceive the Bible as a book of myths and fables, thus it mustn’t be taken seriously. Those who do take the Bible seriously are considered “unenlighted” – a bunch of addlepated dunderheads.

Unbelievers carp that the Bible should not be the standard by which we judge good and bad. So my question is, if not the Bible, then what standard do we use to determine ethics and morality? And how should right and wrong be determined? By consensus opinion?

Another one of Rachel’s grievances against Christianity is that many so-called Christians behave the same as unbelievers. In other words, the lives of Christians she comes in contact with are inconsistent with what they profess to believe in. They claim Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, but they lie, cheat, steal, binge drink, sleep around, view pornography, plus they’re lazy. In other words, they act like heathens.

Rachel has a point.

Many people want Jesus to be their Savior — because they know they’re dirty rotten sinners. But they’re unwilling to humble themselves before the throne of God and put their complete trust in Him. Obedience comes at a cost (take up your cross and follow me) and the price is too high. They may believe in Jesus Christ, that He’s the Savior of the world and all. But their pride gets in the way of allowing Christ to take the helm of the ship. As poet William Earnest Henley noted:

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll:

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul. 

Contemporary Christians

In order to make my point, I created three typical Christians.

Michelle professes faith in Christ. She attends church every Sunday, sings in the praise band, mans the coffer bar, and attends an occasional Bible study. She rarely shares Christ with anyone, unless she’s forced into it, whereby she quickly spouts the condensed version of the gospel to avoid making the person feel uncomfortable. Her excuse is that evangelism is not her spiritual gift. Michelle believes God has gifted her with the ability to sing. Her voice rivals Judy Garland’s so she really belts out a song in church. But when it comes to sharing her faith she’s as timid as a mouse. She feels that as long as she’s in a committed relationship, having sexual relations is not sinful. Nor is aborting a child. Michelle became pregnant and had an abortion so as not to bring an unwanted child into the world. She also swears like a sailor and dresses like a Hollywood pop-tart.

Jeff accepted Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade when he was a teen. Ever since then he has tried to be a good person and lead a moral life. Unless his kids have a sports event, the family is in church most Sundays. He and his wife participate in a small group that meets in their home for Bible study and prayer. Jeff is generous with his time, talent and treasure. He tithes 10 percent of his income and is always there to lend a hand. One thing Jeff enjoys is getting together with the guys for Monday night football at a local sports bar. He limits his beer intake to two schooners because any more than that could impair his driving. Jeff believes he has the spiritual gift of evangelism and often brags about sharing his faith with dudes he meets at sports events or bars. When Jeff does his income tax he uses “creative accounting practices.” On occasion he views pornography on the Internet and thinks it’s no big deal. Unbeknownst to his wife he regularly emails a woman he met in a chat room.

Michelle and Jeff profess Christ. They both consider themselves good people and for the most part they try to live godly lives – but they’re quick to admit they’re not perfect! They reject the “fundamentalist fringe” of Christianity and the “fundies” constant harping on God’s holiness. God knows we all have our faults, so why does a pastor need to belabor the point? Michelle and Jeff do the best they can, and at least their hearts are in the right place. In the long run going to heaven is what really counts anyway, and since they accepted Christ (on their terms), they’re there! They may get through the pearly gates by the skin of their teeth, but at least they’ll be in!

Michelle and Jeff typify a lot of church-goers. All they need is enough of God to feel comfortable. Neither one of them want the fire and brimstone God the “fundies” preach about. That God is too harsh, too judgmental – way too scary! That God can be mean!

Wilber Reese sums up the attitude of a large number of contemporary Christians:

I would like to buy 3 dollars worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I’d like to buy 3 dollars worth of God, please.

Far too many Christians are looking for an ecstatic experience – they’re not looking to be transformed. Why? Because transformation involves change. Change takes work. It’s often slow and at times painful.

For transformation to occur believers must immerse themselves in the Bible. It’s the instrument God uses to conform His people to the image of Christ. And by the way, there is no such thing as a solitary Christian. No one should try to do Christianity on their own. Christians are a part of a body — the Body of Christ — with Christ as the head. Members of the church body are designed to function together as a whole. Moreover, they are meant to lean on each other when the going gets tough. Every believer should have a friend they can call at a moments notice. This friend can assist with good advice and hold them accountable.

It’s not uncommon for the Christian to “crawl off the alter” and slink back into the world every once in a while. Some believers can’t seem to shed what Paul calls our “flesh” because it’s like slipping one’s feet into a favorite pair of shoes. But God will deliver us “out of the body of death.” (Romans 7:24-25)

Listen to what Paul has to say about transformation:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12: 1-2).

If you’re a Christian, you must present yourself “holy and acceptable to God!” Offering your life to Christ, holy and pleasing, is a prerequisite for discernment. If this were happening, discernment wouldn’t be almost non-existent in the visible Church. Sadly, professing Christians are dependent on the government for their education, health care, food, shelter, retirement, and all sorts of other “stuff.” And it doesn’t help that God’s people are involved in a whole host of unbiblical practices, including Eastern mysticism, which God expressly forbids. I’ve already covered this topic in “Got Meat?” so I won’t belabor the point.

Returning to Rachel, it hasn’t been lost on her that most professing Christians she knows share her liberal worldview. And they behave like heathens! This means (a) they’re unaware of God’s rules; (b) they’re aware of what the rules are but lack the will to conform. A religion that breeds hypocrites turns Rachel off. For that reason she has chosen to concoct a user-friendly religion with an open-minded god that has very few rules, a god that loves and accepts everyone. Before I move on, it’s important to point out that Christians who have no desire to live their lives in accordance with what the Bible teaches could very well be false converts.

Rachel’s generic god does not require an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I mean, please. The atonement thing is so yesterday! “Self” has replaced the Savior of mankind. In other words, “I” will go to heaven, but “I” will make it on “my” own, without anyone’s help, because “I” deserve it. So move over Jesus!

Generic god is very cool.  In fact, he/she is so cool that there’s no penalty for sin!  Man is judged solely on his good deeds….or whatever.  Rachel assumes her performance on Earth will pass muster and that generic god will welcome her into his/her kingdom when the time comes.  But what happens if Rachel’s performance doesn’t pass muster?  Wishy-washy Generic God can always be persuaded to change his/her mind.

Rachel is well aware that the God of the Bible offers no hope for those who reject His Son:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:23).

What did Jesus mean by, “the will of my Father?”  God’s will is that we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ.  Performing miraculous signs and wonders, doing good deeds, and being a “good person” does not cut it with God.  Here’s the reason:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

I’ll close this with one last comment about Michelle, one of the women mentioned above. If you recall, Michelle claims she doesn’t have the gift of evangelism, so she’s off the hook when it comes to sharing the gospel. Really?

Not according to Paul:

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1:14-17). (emphasis added)

Resources:

Does the Bible actually teach that we’re not to judge others? By Marsha West

A culture of counterfeit Christians By Marsha West

Book: The Holiness of God By R.C. Sproul

Copyright by Marsha West, 2015.  All rights reserved.

 

China Preparing for Drone Warfare

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Bill Gertz, Senior Editor for the Washington Free Beacon writes:

China’s military plans to produce nearly 42,000 land-based and sea-based unmanned weapons and sensor platforms as part of its continuing, large-scale military buildup, the Pentagon’s annual report on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) disclosed Friday.

China currently operates several armed and unarmed drone aircraft and is developing long-range range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for both intelligence gathering and bombing attacks.

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