Apprising Ministries brings to your attention that Elephant Room curator James MacDonald is implying that in his private chats with Word Faith mogul T.D. Jakes that he’s backing away from Word Faith prosperity mythology.
I tell you in this new piece, not so fast.
Apprising Ministries observes that former Gospel Coalition member James MacDonald, who resigned over his inviting Word Faith prosperity preacher T.D. Jakes into his Elephant Room, has gone on the offensive.
Reacting to claims that ER2 gave Jakes a pass on his Word Faith heresy, MacDonald’s claimed that ER2 is the model God wants to demonstrate to His church as the way that grace and truth should be shown.
Well, the truth is, what this effete approach to the robust Christian faith is actually doing is opening the door for things like you’ll see in the video presented in the article.
Carson and Keller, the representatives as it were of the Gospel Coalition (TGC), have published a response to the Elephant Room 2 fiasco. As a response in general, it attempts to be irenic yet firm in its doctrinal stand. I examine the response in this post.
By Marsha West
A large number of Christians are unaware that literally truckloads of counterfeit Christians have gained access to pulpits, wormed their way into Church leadership, Christian organizations and are deeply entrenched in the so-called Christian entertainment industry. Call them what you will–false teachers/prophets, liberals/progressives, cultists, misinformed, misled, even looney tunes–the one thing they all have in common is that they have strayed from the truth.
Unbiblical teaching has been going on since the early church took root. Peter cautioned that “there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).
Today there is a damnable heresy in the Church that many Christians haven’t yet heard of: The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) aka Dominionism/ Kingdom Now/Latter Rain/Joel’s Army. Those who disagree with their false gospel must be removed through intense “spiritual warfare” and by raising up a “new breed “of Christian they call an “Army of God.”
The NAR is not new at all. Only the name has been changed—many times—to fool people into thinking there is a “New Wave” or a “Paradigm Shift” taking place in Christendom. Over the years they have dubbed themselves Joel’s Army, Latter Rain, Manifest Sons of God, and the list goes on. They’re ushering in “a reformation greater in scale than the reformation of the 1500’s.”
A liberal pundit lamented that NAR is on a mission to “take control of communities and nations through large networks of ‘prayer warriors’ whose spiritual warfare is used to expel and destroy the demons that cause societal ills. Once the territorial demons, witches, and generational curses are removed, the ‘born-again’ Christians…take control of society.” (Source)
The concept of spiritual warfare comes from the Bible. It warns of invisible beings who want to harm us and advises us to put on armor (spiritual armor) in order to ward off their vicious attacks. Problem is, the way in which NAR practices spiritual warfare is both unorthodox and extra-biblical. First of all, they teach three levels of spiritual warfare:
“Ground-level” involves casting demons out of individuals; “occult-level warfare” involves more organized “powers of darkness” [They target here New Age thought, Tibetan Buddhism, Freemasonry, etc.]; and “strategic-level warfare” directly “confronts ‘territorial spirits’ assigned by Satan to coordinate activities over a geographical area.” (Source)
In addition, they carry out other extra-biblical practices such as “binding Satan,” “rebuking demonic spirits,” “tearing down strongholds,” and “taking control of cities and situations.”
Why go to all the trouble (and expense) of demolishing demonic strongholds, even if such things do exist, when the Bible teaches that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sufficient for demolishing strongholds! (2 Cor 10:3-5).
Liberals/progressives actually fear born again Christians who hold a place of power, have political influence, and are well-connected. One reason the Left hated George W. Bush is because he purported to be a born again Christian. For daring to openly profess his faith in Jesus Christ, liberal elitists labeled him a religious zealot. The liberal press relish portraying individuals who professes a belief in Christ as not the sharpest knife in the tool shed. Never mind that a number of our Founding Fathers, who most will concede were brilliant men, were born again Christians. But I digress.
Now it seems liberals have a bit of anxiety over “movement operative’s” plans to take dominion:
“The movement’s notion of ‘spiritual warfare’ has spread from the California suburbs to an East-Coast inner city, and has impacted policy decisions in the developing world. Movement operatives are well-connected enough to have testified before Congress and to have received millions of dollars in government abstinence-only sex-education grants, and bizarre enough to maintain that in its prototype communities, the movement has healed AIDS, purified polluted streams and even grown huge vegetables.” (Source)
Note: Michelle Obama is growing huge veggies in her garden at the White House.
With all due respect, most progressives/liberals haven’t the foggiest idea what spiritual warfare even means. What they don’t quite “get” is that spiritual warfare is a metaphor for what is taking place in the invisible realm. The Bible tells us that Satan is the ruler of this world until Christ returns to judge the world. Moreover, the demonic forces control the minds of individuals. Jesus said to the Pharisees: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). What does this mean? John Wesley explains:
“He was a murderer – In inclination, from the beginning – Of his becoming a devil; and abode not in the truth – Commencing murderer and liar at the same time. And certainly he was a killer of men (as the Greek word properly signifies) from the beginning of the world: for from the very creation he designed and contrived the ruin of men. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own – For he is the proper parent, and, as it were, creator of it. See the origin not only of lies, but of evil in general!”
Suffice it to say that Satan and his demons influence people’s thinking–and not in a good way. Since Bible-believing Christians hold that the devil exists, we prepare ourselves for battle by putting on the “armor of God.” (Eph 6:10-19) (Learn how to get dressed for battle by clicking here.) We are commanded to be discerning: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Let us apply this principle to dominionists.
The movement is made up of Charismatics and Pentecostals. There is a movement of charismatic Catholics as well. NAR is growing at a rate of 9 million per year. Charismatics hold that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit seen in the first century Christian Church are still available today and can be experienced and practiced and that the Holy Ghost has endued them with supernatural gifts such as prophetic utterance, speaking in tongues, casting out demons, breaking down strongholds, healing, and other “signs and wonders” to include bringing dead people back to life, although no documentation exists to prove this claim.
The “High Priest” of the NAR is C. Peter Wagner, former professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission. Wagner, born in 1930, is the founder of Global Harvest Ministries and the presiding apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles, which he also founded, and co-founder of World Prayer Center.
There is a hierarchy in NAR that resembles the Roman Catholic Church. Once world dominion is accomplished, those at the top level will have apostolic authority over other ministries. Are you seeing the danger yet? This could mean literally thousands of ministries with so-called apostles and prophets at the helm! Every person will have an apostle or prophet to whom they are accountable.
According to one source the coalition includes “several hundred apostles across the U.S. and about 40 nations, international training centers and prayer warrior communication networks in all 50 states and worldwide.”
Some readers are sitting there with their mouths agape, thinking “This smacks of imperialism!” Bingo!
Sarah Leslie of Discernment Ministries has written on this very subject. In her article “Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism” She reveals what the Dominionism teaches. Here is an excerpt:
“The Gospel of Salvation is achieved by setting up the ‘Kingdom of God’ as a literal and physical kingdom to be ‘advanced’ on Earth in the present age. Some dominionists liken the New Testament Kingdom to the Old Testament Israel in ways that justify taking up the sword, or other methods of punitive judgment, to war against enemies of their kingdom. Dominionists teach that men can be coerced or compelled to enter the kingdom. They assign to the Church duties and rights that belong Scripturally only to Jesus Christ. This includes the esoteric belief that believers can ‘incarnate’ Christ and function as His body on Earth to establish His kingdom rule. An inordinate emphasis is placed on man’s efforts; the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is diminished.” (Source)
Any student of the Bible will understand that the type of thinking described above is highly unbiblical. Where in Scripture does it teach that the sheep, as Jesus refers to His followers, will be given the power to incarnate Christ?
Also mentioned in Sarah Leslie’s article is Pastor Rick Warren. She says Warren “intends to amass the world’s largest volunteer ‘army’ of ‘one billion foot soldiers’ to implement his global P.E.A.C.E. Plan.”
On Sunday, April 17, 2005 Speaking before 30,000 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Rick Warren announced his plan:
“The bottom line is that we intend to reinvent mission strategy in the 21st century. As I stated, this will be a new Reformation. The First Reformation returned us to the message of the original church. It was a reformation of doctrine – what the church BELIEVES. This Second Reformation will return us to the mission of the original church. It will be a reformation of PURPOSE – what the church DOES in the world.”
“Our goal will be to enlist one billion foot soldiers for the Kingdom of God, who will permanently change the face of international missions to take on these five ‘global giants’ for which the church can become the ultimate distribution and change agent to overcome Spiritual emptiness, Self-serving Leadership, Poverty, disease and ignorance (or illiteracy).”
Pastor Warren also made these comments:
“Who’s the man of peace in any village – or it might be a woman of peace – who has the most respect, they’re open and they’re influential? They don’t have to be a Christian. In fact, they could be a Muslim, but they’re open and they’re influential and you work with them to attack the five giants. And that’s going to bring the second Reformation.”
“‘I see absolutely zero reason in separating my fellowship from anybody,” he said. Noting he has theological differences with many of the diverse denominations that invite him to speak, Warren added, “That doesn’t stop me from fellowshipping with them.” When he heard of the SBC’s withdrawal, he added, “I thought, ‘This is silly! Why would we separate ourselves from brothers and sisters in the world?’” (Source)
What Warren is purporting is ecumenicism. Actually, we are moving beyond ecumenicism into interspirituality (interfaith spirituality) or interdenominational cooperation. “In the name of peace and unity,” says Ray Yungen, “the world’s religions are more and more joining together. And with that joining together will come a consensus that it is narrow minded and even hateful to say there is only one way to salvation.”
Peace and unity have a nice ring. But traditional, historic, evangelical Christianity holds that there is only one path to God, one door to enter through. Peter left no doubt when he said, “Salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:10). (Also see John 3:16, John 6:66-68, John 14:6, Acts 16:30-31, 1 Tim 2:3-6, 1 John 2:1)
The Bible clearly teaches that all paths do not lead to God. Those who take a different path will spend eternity in hell. So, the loving thing for a committed Christian to do is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost. In fact, Jesus commanded His followers to go out into the world and spread the good news. Those who keep the good news to themselves fail to understand that God gives no second chances. Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mat. 7:22).
I’ve drifted from my point. Most Christians have no clue that false teachers abound in the Church. And if they’re aware, they’re ignoring it–or they just don’t care! Some may think the Bible teaches that believers must set up a kingdom here on earth to usher in the Second Coming of Christ. But let me assure you, this is extra-biblical teaching.
Christians have got to put up their discernment antenna. We must start probing to see what other Christians believe and then ask ourselves, “Is it scriptural?” There is nothing wrong with examining teaching coming from the pulpit! Paul praised the Bereans for checking his teaching against the Word of God. (Acts 17:11) We must scrutinize Bible teachers, evangelists, missionaries, speakers, writers, politicians, entertainers, health practitioners, bloggers, and look into “Christian” businesses to see what they’re really selling. Anyone can use a Christian symbol or quote Bible verses to make themselves or what they’re selling sound Christian because they know that gullible folks buy into it! Is it any wonder God warns us to be on the lookout for the spirit of error that comes from Satan and his demons? Satan was a liar from the beginning which is why believers have to be armed with the sword of the spirit–the Word of God!
It is imperative that Christians guard (tend to carefully) God’s Word. Deuteronomy 11:17-20:
“Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates…”
When his words are written on our hearts we are not so easily taken in by charlatans, false teachers or enticed into a cult.
Paul admonished Timothy to “keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Tim 6:20). In other words, “continue in the simplicity of sincere doctrine.”
Knowing the truth is essential to the faith. Yet neo-evangelicals are inept at protecting biblical truth. Biblical truth is not found in so-called Christians who abandon Church doctrine and rely on what God or so-called angels say to them in visions and dreams. Never, never, never abandon the Bible to follow the teachings of these men and women! Run from those who deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is not God, Christianity is a sham.
One last thing. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that we are to treat false teachers with charity and Christian love. In fact we’re taught just the opposite:
“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9-11).
Naming Names of Apostates and False Teachers to mark and avoid as per Romans 16:17-18
Copyright 2010 by Marsha West
I just finished listening the today’s (February 2, 2012) The Dividing Line in which Dr. James White interviewd Dr. Voddie Baucham. The interview centered mostly about the fallout pertaining ER2, especially the discussions afterwards in which certain Black Pastors and James MacDonald insinuated that charges of heresy against T.D. Jakes were actually racist and that Black Reformed Pastors and Theologians who also raised into question the theological soundness of T.D. Jakes were doing that to ingratiate themselves in with the White Middle Class Reformed leaders in order to be accepted into their circles, et cetera. Dr. White mentioned in the interview that some had even charged that he had no right to question the theology of T.D. Jakes because he no ability to understand his “Black” experience. Dr. Baucham is a Black Southern Baptist Pastor from the Houston, TX area and is Reformed in his Theology. He has lectured in Seminaries and has pastored several churches. During the discussion it was made clear that Dr. Baucham considered what went on in ER2 and the discussions that followed to be a trap and many fell into that trap. Those who set the trap are assured that they will succeed in capturing the hearts of most professing Christians through the emotional response based in what he called “Ethnic Gnosticism.” This form of Gnosticism states that those of a certain ethnicity can claim to have an experience within it that those of another ethnicity cannot understand or have. However, the human group “experience” we can all have, but no one can share across ethnic boundaries. That is the lie from the enemy and when it is applied to Religion, and man-centered Christianity is not immune, it can be deadly. I suggest you listen to that episode of The Dividing Line if you can. Dr. Baucham is our brother in Christ and he made it clear and Dr. White agreed that the Gospel cannot be divided up into ethnicity nor is there room for Ethnic Gnosticism in the Church.
Soli Deo Gloria!
In this piece Phil Johnson of Pyromaniacs addresses a video of a discussion James MacDonald had with 3 African American pastors after ER2 ended:
This is probably the most blatantly racist presentation I have ever witnessed from an ostensibly “mainstream” evangelical source.
The take-away message is this: If you’re an old white guy with any hint of Reformed theology in your confessional statement and you don’t think T. D. Jakes’s equivocations at Elephant Room 2 were sufficient to erase decades of concern about his Oneness leanings and his relentless proclamation of a false Prosperity Gospel—then you must be a racist. And even if you don’t think you’re a racist, you should shut up anyway. Because in the black community relationships are more important than any doctrine, including the gospel and the Trinity. We all should strive to subjugate doctrine to relationships anyway.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB)
As Dr. Voddie Baucham said today here, “What are the boundaries of our associations? What role does “race” play in modern evangelicalism (btw, I always put quotation marks around race because it is an unbiblical concept in itself… there are but two “races”: the race of the first Adam and that of the Last)?” As a Christian, we must look at our theology as one. There is not a version for different “groups” of people based upon “values” or “race” or any other cultural set. No, genuine Christianity overrides all man-made boundaries. As Dr. Baucham said, there is the race of the unredeemed and that of the redeemed and that is all.
The explosion of ER2 continues spreading shockwaves and Apprising Ministries brings you this exclusive here in this piece.
Apprising Ministries with the shocking shocking story that now if we reject T.D. Jakes as a Christian brother, we’re racist.
See the video produced by James MacDonald in this piece along with a partial transcript of the video clip within.
James White addresses the Elephant Room 2 event:
I need to be brief, as I have many pressing duties.
Reading the commentary on the Elephant Room 2 events, and in particular, the alleged rehabilitation (repentance?) of TD Jakes has truly been brought me sadness. Sure, I know that very few Evangelicals, even scholars, have much experience with modalists and Oneness advocates, but still, the general ease with which many have been taken in by such a shallow and brief discussion does not speak well of the depth of understanding of many today. It also speaks loudly to the fact that many in Evangelicalism disconnect the honor and glory of God from the truth He has revealed about Himself. That is, they do not see that to worship and honor God demands from us our utmost effort to accurately hear and to follow what He has revealed about Himself, primarily in Jesus Christ, and the holy Scriptures. To take lightly God’s self-revelation is an affront to the divine majesty, and would not be the action of a heart that is consumed with passion for its Lord. The true source of a passion for sound doctrine comes first and foremost from a heart that has singular attention to the glory and honor of the object of its passion. Those who “argue doctrine” simply for the sake of ego or self-gratification do so to their own destruction. Sound doctrine isn’t about personalities or men, it is about truth that transcends our brief time on earth.
It looks as if ER2 fallout is only beginning to create division. Apprising Ministries recovers the post by church which is leaving Acts 29 in this post.
Apprising Ministries walks you through Baucham’s detailed post today in this piece concerning ER2 and the men’s conference at the church of James MacDonald, where Baucham was replaced and “escorted to a waiting car and taken back to the airport.”
Apprising Ministries brings you another angle concerning CRN contributor Daniel Neades’ question as to whether this happens today.
In this new piece I offer evidence that, yes, it does. Now, it’s as close as the Elephant Room 2.
Apprising Ministries brings you yet another oopsie related to bromance Er2. In this video clip Driscoll’s teaching about That Shack; as he does he ends up rebuking his new brother T.D. Jakes.
I’m calling again for those in ER2 to repent of their sowing division in the church by putting their arms around the heretical T.D. Jakes. Just who do they think they are anyway to speak for Christendom?
Apprising Ministries shows you this is essentially what’s happening with this piece.
Apprising Minstries continues coverage of how bromance ER2 is diluting the doctrine of the Trinity. Here we point you to the program Dr. James White did on the subject today.
It was short, but O so good; so I decided to put them together for the Body of Christ.
Apprising Ministries is pleased to bring this to you right here in this post.
Apprising Ministries has been reading all the coverage of ER2 and so far this is the best summation I have yet to find.
Apprising Ministries shows you ER2 is heading into serious danger with this video clip.
Apprising Ministries wants you to know that just wrapped in the Elephant Room 2 leaders James MacDonald and Steven Furtick had been discussing the proper way to handle critics.
But just wait until you see Furtick’s on the record conduct concerning critics in this well-documented post by AM special correspondent Erin Benziger.
Because of ER2 Apprising Ministries shows what all comes along with T.D. Jakes in this piece.
Apprising Ministries now shows you that the Elephant Room figures in this resignation with this exclusive piece.
It appears that rather than accepting godly correction from TGC MacDonald opted to resign.
Apprising Ministries has more on MacDonald’s resignation of the eve of Elephant Room 2 right here.
At Steven Furtick’s Code Orange Revival today James MacDonald delivered a mild, technically correct, but too abstract to be seen as any kind of rebuke, message.
Like the wild acceptance of modalist Word Faith heretic T.D. Jakes, this gives us another peek at where the ER2 will head.
Apprising Ministries believes it’s a good time to bring this insightful interview to your attention once again.
By Marsha West
It really doesn’t matter whether or not people believe in angels and demons. And it doesn’t matter if skeptics think those who do are wingnuts. The fact remains that a large number of educated, intelligent people believe in supernatural beings such as angels, demons, spirit guides, fairies, ghosts, poltergeists and whatnot.
It’s no secret that Christians believe in angels and demons. Sadly, for many Christians battling demons has taken center stage. For example, the Spiritual Warfare movement (SWM) spends an inordinate amount of time dueling with demons. Google “spiritual warfare” and one of the first sites on the list is demonbusters.com which is one of many deliverance ministries. Following are a few spiritual warfare prayers the site recommends:
When entering your office, grocery store, anyone else’s home, etc., pray this before entering:
In Jesus name, I cover myself and this place with the blood of Jesus. I bind up every demon in here, and I ask for giant warrior angels to protect me.
And,
After hanging up the phone, leaving work, grocery store, neighbors, or visitors leave your home, etc. pray this immediately:
In Jesus name, I command every demon that has followed me, was sent to me, or transferred to me, to leave now.
Lastly,
Any sharp pain that comes on you suddenly is almost always witchcraft. When this happens, pray this immediately as you use your index finger and thumb on the spot of the pain, like you were pulling out a voodoo pin:
In Jesus name, I pull out all fiery darts, pins, needles, spears, voodoo, all witchcraft and curses and anything else, and I return it to the sender, one hundredfold. (Then motion with your hand towards a window or door like you were throwing it out.) If it is witchcraft, the pain will go immediately. This is a highly effective Spiritual Weapon.
Why not just hold a rabbit’s foot with your right hand, stand on your left foot, circle the rabbit’s foot around your head 3 times and holler at the top of your voice, “DEPART MEAN EVIL SPIRIT!”
In Part 1 I promised to expose some of the false teachers who invented spiritual warfare prayer, so here goes. To recap, Kingdom Theology and deliverance/spiritual warfare prayer stem from the New Apostolic Reformation/Dominionists (NAR/DOM). NAR/DOM’s leaders are highly suspect individuals. Even so, they have managed to weasel their way into high places through their involvement in politics. As a result they have credibility and a lot of clout.
I urge believers and nonbelievers alike to familiarize yourselves with the NAR/DOM because they have managed to mainstream themselves into the pro-family movement aka the Christian (religious) Right (CR). One quick example is “apostle” Rick Joyner who heads the Oak Initiative (OI), a “social justice movement” that is doing political action work with the CR. The OI is a member of the CR’s “supergroup” known as The Freedom Federation. The “basic strategy of The Oak Initiative [is] to be a grassroots movement to find and help develop principled and effective Christian leaders who can mobilize and organize a cohesive force of activated Christians.”
For a couple of decades Sarah Leslie of Discernment Ministries has been reporting on the NAR, which has gone by many different names over the years such as Latter Rain, Manifest Sons of God, Kingdom Now, and most recently the New Apostolic Reformation. According to Sarah,
“The NAR leaders are jumping on the bandwagon political Right issues, which neutralizes much of their potential opposition because people then are fooled into thinking that they are conservative Right. But they have a whole other agenda. They are a cult that descended from the old Latter Rain cult, and as such they have aberrant beliefs that make them very volatile political bedfellows. Cults don’t accommodate pluralism and freedom, especially not religious freedom. They simply want to impose their view on society and turn it into binding law.” (Used by permission)
The person we have to thank for the SWM/NAR is the “Super Apostle” of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICoA), C. Peter Wagner. This demon-battling gladiator has done enormous damage to the cause of Christ. He and his “apostles” and “prophets” have made a mockery of the good news of the gospel and are spreading a false gospel. A few of Wagner’s fellow gladiators are: Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, Rick Joyner, Lance Wallnau (7-mountains), Lou Engle (TheCall), Samuel Rodriguez, Che Ahn, John and Carol Arnott, Bill Johnson, Dutch Sheets, Todd Bentley, Mike Bickle (IHOP), Patricia King, and Kim Clement. Remember their names. Flee from them!
These people are theological revisionists. All of them claim they’re receiving “new revelation” from Almighty God. “We can hear God’s voice,” proclaims Peter Wagner. “He also reveals new things to prophets as we have seen.”
“We” means modern-day prophets!
Wagner outright rejects the completeness of Scripture. How else can he tempt people into shunning historic orthodox Christianity but to dazzle them with “now” revelation? He knows perfectly well his belief that “super apostles” are coming to lay a new foundation is unorthodox. Moreover it’s just plain fiction. Let me stress that there is no “new revelation” that can replace the revelations of Jesus and the legitimate New Testament apostles.
Contrary to God’s truth, the NAR/DOM presents a man inspired fairy tale. For example, disciples are taught that God is pouring out “new wine.” Why is God doing this? This is a humdinger…. the old wineskins (Scripture) must be replaced with new wineskins (new revelation). That way they can declare that every prophecy uttered by one of their self-proclaimed prophets supersedes Scripture. How convenient!
Take a moment to mull over in your mind the fact that for two centuries tens of thousands of followers of Jesus Christ have been persecuted and murdered in the most monstrous ways imaginable because they understood God’s commanded to “earnestly contend for the faith (purity of the good news) which was once (not to be done again; nothing to be added to it) delivered unto to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) (emphasis added)
That said, the old wine isn’t intoxicating enough for these deceivers. They demand more, more, more of the Holy Ghost through supernatural experiences. They are intent on “experiencing God” even if it means becoming involved in “Christian spiritism” and all sorts of other occult pagan practices forbidden by God.
A big fad in some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches is getting “drunk on the Spirit” and for that you need the “Holy Ghost bartender” that serves up “new wine.”
But even worse, false teachers are pushing the blasphemous practice of “toking the Ghost” which one Ghost toking pusher alleges “doesn’t disturb the Holy Spirit.”
Really?
Speaking of false teachers, Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren believes that the Church must change with the culture and the times. The way he sees it, what the Church desperately needs is a “new paradigm,” “A New Kind of Christian.” Christian apologist Sandy Simpson warns that the “emerging new heretics” are willing to make this happen “using fabrication, exaggeration, disinformation, misrepresentation, vilification, prevarication and even falsification to achieve a complete brainwash in their followers.” (Online source)
Peter Wagner also believes the Church must change. Only his idea of a new paradigm differs from McLaren’s. John F. Hart, Professor of Bible, Moody Bible Institute, explains it thusly:
Traditionally, Evangelicals have argued that experience and ministry ought to flow out of theology and Scripture. Wagner offers us a paradigm shift: theology must flow out of ministry (à la experience in exorcisms and healings)! Correspondingly, emphasis is placed on subjective experience over the objective Word of God. Personal experience becomes the verifiable proof of new doctrines about the spirit world. Theology is defined as “a human attempt to explain God’s Word and God’s works in a reasonable and systematic way.” (Online source)
In a piece titled C. Peter Wagner’s “theology” Herescope sheds light on the man behind the NAR/DOM curtain:
He has opened traditional orthodoxy to new words, new understandings, new doctrines, new practices, new eschatologies, and new gospels. For example, in his 1988 book The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit Wagner admits that he obtained his doctrines about spiritual warfare from extra-biblical sources outside of the Canon of Scripture. He cites the apocryphal Acts of Peter where he says there were highly vivid descriptions of “a spiritual ‘shootout'” and “confrontational theatrics” in the forum, and the apocryphal Acts of John where there was a “power encounter… in the temple of the goddess Artemis” resulting in it splitting in pieces “and half of the whole temple” falling down. (pp. 80-81). He says that including such extra-biblical supernatural stories can be “used to bring people to conversion to Christianity.”
Wagner has been at the helm of strategic level spiritual warfare since the 1990’s. One of his Bible shredding cohorts, Cindy Jacobs, always seems to be drunk on the “new wine” as she utters false prophesies. Ironically this poor misguided woman “prophesies” without the foggiest notion that her utterances most likely come, not from the Holy Spirit, but from demonic spirits.
Many in the NAR/DOM are clueless that their leaders hold that the enemies of God must be conquered and ruled over by self-appointed “super-apostles and prophets” associated with Wagner’s ICoA. “Dominion has to do with control,” says Peter Wagner. “Dominion has to do with rulership. Dominion has to do with authority and subduing and it relates to society. In other words, what the values are in Heaven need to be made manifest here on earth. Dominion means being the head and not the tail. Dominion means ruling as kings. It says in Revelation Chapter 1:6 that He has made us kings and priests — and check the rest of that verse; it says for dominion. So we are kings for dominion.” (There’s not enough space to explain the orthodox view of Rev. 1:6, so read Matthew Henry’s commentary here.)
Now listen to what “Apostle” Rick Joyner said on July 19, 2007:
The kingdom of God will not be socialism, but a freedom even greater than anyone on earth knows at this time. At first it may seem like totalitarianism, as the Lord will destroy the antichrist spirit now dominating the world with “the sword of His mouth” and will shatter many nations like pottery. However, fundamental to His rule is II Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Instead of taking away liberties and becoming more domineering, the kingdom will move from a point of necessary control while people are learning truth, integrity, honor, and how to make decisions, to increasing liberty so that they can. (emphasis in original) (Online source)
Here Joyner takes us from “necessary control” over people’s lives to eventually giving them liberty — but only after they’ve been sufficiently brainwashed into the beliefs of the neo apostles and prophets who, by the way, are the “kings” over the Kingdom they’ve established here on earth.
The obvious question is will neo apostles and prophets set up the Kingdom of God on earth by using force which would include killing those who rebel against their authority?
Following is excerpted from The Destiny of Enforcing a Kingdom:
THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND APOSTOLIC GOVERNMENT — We serve a King who is advancing a Kingdom. The King has chosen to position His Kingdom within humankind. He sends those who have His Kingdom within them into every aspect of society’s culture. The Kingdom of God is here now! The seven mountains of society are meant to be influenced and dominated by the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom has Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and apostles properly related to prophets’ form the foundation of the Kingdom. Apostles create and execute God’s prototype plan in the earth and through each nation of the earth until there is a house of prayer built for every people group. Jesus taught us to pray that God’s Kingdom would come to earth as it is in heaven….
SPIRITUAL WARFARE — Because we represent a Kingdom, we are at war to enforce Kingdom principles and plans in the earth. We are at war and must be equipped to stand against the enemy. Accomplishing God’s purposes on earth is not without opposition. . . . [emphasis added]
THE COMMISSION TO DISCIPLE and HEAL NATIONS — From the beginning of God’s covenant with Abraham, His plan was to bless all the nations. One of the purposes of the nation of Israel was to show the other nations how they could relate to God. They were to live in such a way that the glory of the Lord would be on them and Gentiles would be drawn to them (Is. 60). His House was to be a joyful House of Prayer for all the nations (Is. 56:6-7). When the Jews rejected Jesus, they missed fulfilling this portion of their destiny…. Jesus sent His disciples out to fulfill this promise and commanded them to disciple the nations — helping whole nations to be disciples of the Lord. From generation to generation, the Lord develops His Church to disciple the nations until the fullness of His plan has been completed and all nations have been restored.
In closing, it is important to understand that the NAR/DOM’s agenda. Their intent is to take “dominion” over societal institutions and government…and then they will take over the kingdoms of this world and build a literal Kingdom of God on earth. Peter Wagner boasts:
Once we have the apostles in place we will then bring the intercessors and the prophets into the inner circle, and we will end up with the spiritual core we need to move ahead for retaking the dominion that is rightfully ours.
HELPFUL INFORMATION
To learn more about conservative Christian groups that have united with the NAR/DOM as a way of furthering their political agenda, read Christian leaders: It’s about time you test false teachers.
© Marsha West 2012