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A local Episcopalian church recently ran an ad in my local newspaper advertising their celtic worship service and promoting the “ancient wisdom.” One could also come on a weeknight to discuss the teachings of Marcus Borg. It all ties in together, doesn’t it? Moving away from biblical truths leads people so far astray, so far from the truth, they become completely lost.
Please read this by David Cloud
The Jesus Seminar, which claims that only a small part of the four Gospels contain authentic sayings of Jesus, has been revitalized in recent days. After the death of founder Robert Funk in 2005, the organization nearly went out of business. Now it is moving to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and is receiving an influx of money to carry on its Satanic work of destroying people’s faith in God’s Word.
Through the Jesus Seminar, the hiss of the slithering serpent can still be heard asking, “Hath God said?” In the 1980s, the Jesus Seminar boys cast ballots on the authenticity of Christ’s sayings in the four Gospels, using red balls to indicate that a saying was probably authentic, gray, that it was possibly authentic, and black, that its authenticity was improbable. Less than a third of Jesus&rs quo; sayings received red votes.
In 1992, Marcus Borg, a participant in the Jesus Seminar, said, “It makes no historical sense to say, ‘Jesus was killed for the sins of the world.’ … I am one of those Christians who does not believe in the virgin birth, nor in the star of Bethlehem, nor in the journeys of the wise men, nor in the shepherds coming to the manger, as facts of history” (Bible Review, December 1992).
The Jesus Seminar is only one voice in a loud chorus of end-time unbelief that was supernaturally prophesied in the very Bible they so blindly denounce.
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
“But 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).
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3).
(Friday Church News Notes, August 28, 2009, http://www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) –
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on Friday approved a resolution to allow gays and lesbians in same-sex relationships to be ordained. ELCA’s highest legislative body voted 559-451 during the biennial Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.
I attend a ELCA church. Today our Pastor announced he is leaving the ELCA because of the above resolution. There are going to be lines drawn in the sand in our church. It is going to be interesting to see who leaves with the Pastor and who wants to remain in the apostasy of this liberal synod.
We have an older congregation and many hold to the truths of God’s Word and we cling to each other. Some do not hold to the truths and are being seduced by ecumenism and universalism.
A new article by Jan Markell is fascinating because the excerpt below, describes what is happening this very day in our congregation.
Since the vote on Friday I have heard from good Lutheran people who plan to leave the ELCA. May their vote with their feet send a message that urges others to follow them. The ELCA is likely not going to change, so lovers of truth and the Bible in all liberal denominationsshould take a cue from disgusted ELCA members now looking for a new church home.
Read “Was God in the Whirlwind?” by Jan Markell ….HERE
I believe this tornado was a judgment against the church… Please boldly stand with those who have the courage to separate themselves from the apostasy and walk in obedience to the Word of God.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Rom 1:27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
I have enjoyed immensely Dave Hunt’s book, “An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith, A Prophetic Alarm for the Bride of Christ.”
I want to share these excerpts:
The situation in the church today is reminiscent of the last days of Israel’s kingdom. Instead of heeding God’s Word, God’s people consulted spirit mediums (Isaiah 8:19). Israel had sunk into the mire of occultism, astrology, and idolatry (Jeremiah 19:4,5,13; 32:29). Immorality was rampant even among the priests (Ezekiel 16:15-59; Hosea 6:9). God’s righteous judgment was about to fall, as it is upon today’s church and world.
Israel desperately needed rescue from a merciless, invincible invading army, but deliverance could only come through repentance and submission to her Lord. God had patiently sent prophet after prophet to indict Israel with her rebellion, idolatry, wickedness, and occult practices and to plead with her to repent, but she would not. She needed to face the truth, but turned instead to the numerous false prophets who lulled her to sleep with their soothing lies. [pg. 219]
While being soothingly assured by today’s “prophets” that we are in the “greatest revival ever,” the church is sinking deeper into the last-days apostasy foretold by Christ and His apostles. [pg. 220]
Isn’t this so true. The church today is embracing mysticism by walking labyrinths, centering prayers by focusing on one’s “inner-self”, and doing “Christian” yoga.
There is a new wave of Taize services being conducted in the churches. These services are created to appeal to the general worshiping public so it contains no doctrine. But you will find mind-numbing repetitions that serve to dull the thinking of the participant. This process may elevate or heighten feelings, but it is self-serving. What glory does this bring to Jesus Christ? How can we worship in Spirit and Truth, when we just want to make ourselves look and feel spiritual?
So we are repeat offenders. The church is falling into the same trap that Israel did. But God always saves a remnant of true believers.
For those who truly belong to Christ, though they mourn for the delusion and disaster they see coming upon the world, there is a joy and excitement of knowing that it cannot be long until they will hear that shout from Christ Himself calling them to meet Him in the air.
What motivation that realization give for both holy living and for declaring the clarity God’s message to mankind! [pg.221]
Find Dave Hunt’s book, “An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith”
Here at the Berean Call
Luke 18:8 haunts me.
“….However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The Bible predicts that there will be an end time apostasy or falling away from the faith.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away come first, and the man of sin is revealed , the son of perdition.
There is debate as to whether it refers to an apostasy among those who once followed God, or a general worldwide rebellion. But, Paul may have both in mind since there is evidence of each in the end times (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4).
Do we not see this falling away today?
Paul in Galatians was astounded at how fast the people who heard the Word were turning to a false gospel. Paul said that this false gospel is “no gospel at all”. If the gospel being preached today is not the gospel, then the sad truth is that people are not being saved.
The epistles are full of warnings to the church. In Timothy, Paul was warning this young preacher about false doctrine, myths, and controversies.
A most read verse in Timothy that is applicable today is 1 Timothy 4:1
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Again we see that people are abandoning the faith, or truth. Peter also writes of false teachers.
2 Peter 2:2-3
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign Lord, who bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and bring the way of truth into disrepute.
Did you notice the words in bold? This warning is for the church. The false teachers are in the church. They lead people away from the truth and it is happening today. Unbelievers have their own truth, rejecting the inconvenient truth found in scripture.
Many false leaders today downplay sin and hell. But in 1 John 1:8 we find the truth.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
John also had to deal with gnosticism. This involved the Jewish mystics, or Kaballah. There is a resurgence of the Kaballah today. These centers are sadly found worldwide and in Hollywood. (Madonna) They believed they had advanced knowledge beyond the teaching of the apostles. The greek word for “knowledge” is gnosis. Many today advocate a secret or advanced knowledge, but it is either puffed-up worldly wisdom, or gained by mystical methods which the Bible calls detestable in Deuteronomy as divinations.
The warnings in scripture are clear and need to be prayed about. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the deeper things of God’s Word for the end-time deception and apostasy. When Christ returns will He find you in the faith? The faith is the belief in Jesus Christ, The Son of God, who died for us for the forgiveness of sin, and was resurrected and is now at the right hand of the Father. When one truly believes this, he repents and turns away from his old life and is reformed. The change in our life creates a thirst for the Living Water and hunger for the Word.
Jesus is the only way of salvation for mankind.
John 14:6
I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.
I have often wondered how one gets to a mindset that entertains God as a female. Anyone who knows scripture and reads the Bible on a consistant basis knows that God is called the “Father”. No other possibility exists.
So where do the heresies come from?
The explosion of mysticism in our society is key and it is not confined to the general public. It is rampant in the church.
Take for instance Neal Donald Walsch. He claims to converse with God. The truth…he is deceived and deceiving others. His “god”, speaks of a new age gospel which is truly distorted from God’s word. There is no truth in him and his enlightened revelations. His experiences trump the truths found in the Bible, so he says.
As Walsch meditates, here is a product of what he has “received” taken from “Conversations with God.”
“If you think God looks only one way or sounds only one way or is only one way, you’re going to look right past Me night and day. You’ll spend your whole life looking for God and not finding Her.”
The problem with the statement is vast. To know God you have to study His word. He is the only way.
No one can find reconciliation with God and salvation from sin except through union with Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
There is no place in scripture that refers to God in the female sense. Heresies are often traced back through man’s secret revelations obtained by occult mystical spirit guides that are quickly emerging.
So on to the article for today from David Cloud.
THE EMERGING CHURCH’S FEMALE GOD (Friday Church News Notes, June 12, 2009, http://www.wayoflife.org
– Phyllis Tickle, an Episcopalian lay “Eucharistic minister and lector” and a Senior Fellow at Cathedral College at the liberal Washington National Cathedral, is an influential voice in the emerging church and the contemplative prayer movement. Tickle promotes non-verbal contemplative praying. She says, “The whole business of entering prayer WITHOUT THE VEHICLE OF WORDS is very important, for it allows the spirit to flow freely with the spirit of God, and does not have to articulate what is happening until one comes out from prayer” (“Praying in Color: A Conversation with friends and authors Sybil MacBeth and Phyllis Tickle,”
Wordless meditation is not biblical prayer; it is a pagan practice that is a recipe for demonic deception. Those who practice it are invariably led into heresies. It should not be surprising, then, that Tickle believes in a female God and calls the Holy Spirit “he or she or it.” She teaches that by partaking of the Lord’s Supper the believer is feeding God and reinvigorating the Holy Spirit, whatever that means.
Speaking at Rob Bell’s Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she said: “God is both male and female. God is both father and mother. … There is more than one thing under the name of God, and it is both male and female. … As we are about to do that [take the Lord’s supper], let us remember what we are doing. We not only celebrate that death and that promise of return, but we are feeding by eating God–which is what we are doing here–by eating the body and blood of our God, we are feeding the God within us. For as we take those elements the Spirit also feeds within us and is reinvigorated as he or she or it is by our faith” (Tickle, “A Treasure We Don’t Understand,” May 3, 2009).
Phyllis Tickle, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and that crowd are worshipping idols. The Shack, a popular book in emerging circles, also depicts God as a woman.
It is easy to find what is wrong with the church today, because there is aplenty. It is not too difficult to point out error and false doctrine with scripture. But the Lord has been speaking to my heart. “Feed my Sheep”.
When I protested the showing of a Hindu movie in our church called “Water”, I was told that “knowledge is power and that we have our faith, and they have their faith.” How sad is that..?
Here are some verses on knowledge…
Col 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
2Pe 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
As the world is pummeled with the phrases “common ground” and “tolerance” in reference to the world’s religions, the need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ becomes even more evident. It has been shocking to discover that many professing Christians do not believe that belief and faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. I recently quoted John 14:6 to a church-goer only to hear back, “Well… I don’t know whether I believe that.” Stunned, I asked, “You don’t believe the Bible?”
This lack of biblical knowledge in our churches is a major cause of the absence of discernment of the times that we live in.
Here are a couple of excerpts that struck close to my heart and soul.
From Jack Kelley
http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/seven-major-prophetic-signs-of-the-second-coming/
THIS GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL NATIONS … Looking at the state of the world, it’s hard to be encouraged. But as world news gets worse and worse, more people are turning to the Lord for solace. According to some reports as many as 175,000 new believers are born again every day, mostly in Africa, China, and India. Reports of these conversions are accompanied by accounts of miracles, people receiving supernatural healings and even being raised from the dead. Just as He did at the beginning of the church Age the Holy Spirit is moving mightily at its End. I believe the Lord is issuing a giant “last call” before He suddenly takes the church out of here to begin the End Times judgments.
And this from Jan Markell
http://www.olivetreeviews.org/wordpress/2009/06/has-god-abandoned-america/#more-5330
Thankfully some Christian leaders and pastors are speaking up and risking all, but for the most part, the church is asleep. A nation is only as strong as her churches. A passage was given to Israel that can be applied to our day reads, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, then turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). The verse is not directed at the devil’s crowd! The responsibility for turning the direction of a country is up to the church. Again, while many state this verse is only for the nation of Israel, other world powers, including the U.S., can still learn from it and heed the warning and exhortation.
Unfortunately many churches today don’t want to preach about judgment. They are spiritually anesthetized. They have not been taught to fear the Lord but rather, that God is all about love because that makes people come to church. Many pastors and ministry leaders would never put a big part of the blame on America’s demise onto the church! They’re into church-growth and don’t make waves or people won’t return next week. Praise needs to be extended to pastors and church leaders who are holding to truth, who are telling the truth, and who are warning of serious judgment to come.
We have reached a point where we can only pray that God would have mercy in His judgment on America and that He would send out a pouring of His Spirit to help beat back the rampant evil of our times. And just perhaps right now our only focus should be on evangelism before the Ark door shuts once again. Maybe it is too late for petitions and pleading with Congress to do things right. Maybe our focus should be eternal, not earthly. But once an individual or a nation give up, the slide can be at rapid-pace and no one wants to see that. Thus I would exhort you to press on and speak up for righteousness, for Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
How to Know When the Emerging Church
Shows Signs of Emerging in Your Church
Commentary by Roger Oakland
http://understandthetimes.org/
The world is changing. So is the Christian evangelical church. There was a time— not that long ago—when the Bible was considered to be the Word of God by the majority of evangelical Christians. Now that we are well into the third millennium and the post-modern, post-Christian era, the term evangelical can mean almost anything. What has happened? Why is this happening and what is the future for mainstream Christianity?
For the past several years, I have been speaking around the world on current trends that are impacting Christianity. After these presentations, I am approached by Christians who come from many different church backgrounds. Many are expressing their concerns about what is happening in their churches, troubled by the new direction they see their church going. While they may not always be able to discern what is wrong, they know something is wrong and that it needs to be addressed.
Further, many have told me they have attempted to express their concerns with their pastors or church elders. In almost every case, they were told they had a choice to make—get with the new program or get out of the church.
This move towards a reinvented Christianity (one designed to “reach people”) seems to be here for the long haul. It is not just a passing fad. I am often asked by concerned brothers and sisters in Christ to provide an explanation in order to help them understand what they have encountered. They want to know why these changes are underway and what to expect in the future. As well, they want to know what, if anything can be done, to stem this tide. It is for this reason I am writing this commentary—to provide biblical insight regarding the Emerging Church and where it is heading in the future.
The Gospel According to the Scriptures
Throughout church history, various trends have come and gone. While culture changes from place to place, biblical Christianity has always been based upon the central message of the Bible which is the gospel of Jesus Christ and the message never changes.
This gospel message is about who Jesus Christ is, and what He has done. A child can understand the gospel message. This message proclaims that life here on planet earth is finite and that life after death is eternal. The good news is that we can be saved from our sins if we will repent and simply ask for forgiveness and follow Him.
How we respond to the gospel message during the time we have on earth determines where we spend eternity—heaven or hell. Jesus, the Creator of the universe, provided a way and the only way we can spend eternity with Him. It is a matter of making a personal decision whether or not we will accept the plan He has provided.
God’s adversary does not want mankind to understand the simple message. His plan is to deceive the world. If he can blind people from the gospel or convince them that they believe the gospel when indeed they do not, his plan has been successful. Throughout the ages, countless billions have been duped, either rejecting the truth, or believing that they had believed the truth when instead they had been deceived.
The Gospel According to Postmoderism
Times change! However, the gospel must remain the same no matter what else changes. We are now living in the postmodern era. In a sincere attempt to reach the postmodern generation with the gospel, it seems many Christians have become postmodern in their thinking.
Perhaps the term postmodern is new to you. Let’s examine what it means.
First, the modern era was characterized by a time of rational thinking based on factual observation. Many claim the modern era ended in the mid 1900s.
The postmodern mindset moves beyond the rational and the factual to the experiential and the mystical. In other words, in the past it was possible to know right from wrong and black from white. In the postmodern era all things are relative to the beholder. What may be right for you may be wrong for someone else. There is no such thing as absolute truth. The only thing that is absolute is that there is no absolute.
We now live in a time in history that is characterized as postmodern. Professors at universities teach students there is no right or wrong. All things are relative. The gospel message to the postmodern mindset is far too dogmatic and arrogant. They say it is necessary to find a more moderate gospel that can be accepted by the masses.
Many church leaders are now looking for ways to reach the postmodern generation. They believe they can find the appropriate methods to do so without changing the message. However, in their attempt to reach this postmodern generation, they have become postmodern themselves and have changed the message. As the gospel is fixed upon the Scriptures, the gospel cannot change, unless of course it becomes another gospel. I believe this is what is happening in the Emerging Church.
He Didn’t Come
Many have noticed that since the turn of the millennium, their churches have changed positions on Bible prophecy and the Second Coming of Jesus. Many have given up on the return of Jesus. From the ‘60s on there was an excitement about the imminent return of Jesus. The Jesus People were excited about Bible prophecy and could see signs that Jesus would descend from the heavens for His Bride at any moment.
The year 2000 was of particular importance. When Jesus didn’t show up, it seems many were apparently disappointed. “Perhaps Jesus has delayed His coming,” some have said. Others are even taking the position that He may not be coming at all, at least not in the manner we have been taught. They are now convinced that we need to be busy about “building His Kingdom” here on earth by “whatever human effort is required.”
The Gospel of the Kingdom
One of the main indicators that something has changed can be seen in the way the future is perceived. Rather than urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short, the emphasis has now shifted. No longer are “signs of the times” significant. The battle cry is very different. A major emphasis among evangelicals is the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs.
This concept, while on the surface may sound very good, has some serious biblical implications. According to the Scriptures, there will be no kingdom of God until the King arrives. All the human effort man can muster up will fall short of bringing utopia. In fact, according to the Scriptures, fallen man will lead us further down the road to a society of despair and lawlessness just like it was in the days of Noah.
Thus, this purpose-driven view of establishing global utopia may be a plan, but it is “driven” by humanistic reasoning and not led by the Holy Spirit. While it is of course good to do good unto others, all the goodness that we can do will not be good enough. Pastors and church leaders who get involved in such man-driven programs can usually be identified by certain characteristics:
Sound biblical doctrine is dangerous and divisive, and the experiential (i.e.,mystical) is given a greater role than doctrine.
Bible prophecy is no longer taught and is considered a waste of time
Israel becomes less and less important and has no biblical significance
Eventually the promises for Israel are applied to the church and not Israel (Replacement Theology).
Bible study is replaced by studying someone’s book and his methods
Church health is evaluated on the quantity of people who attend.
The truth of God’s Word becomes less and less important
God’s Word, especially concepts like hell, sin and repentance, is eventually downplayed so the unbeliever is not offended.
Spiritual Formation and Transformation
Much of what I have described provides the formula for a dumbing-down of Christianity that paves the way for an apostasy that will only intensify in the future. This trend away from the authority of God’s Word to the reinvented form of Christianity has overcome all evangelical denominations like an avalanche. Few Bible teachers saw this avalanche coming. Now that it is underway, few realize it has even happened.
However, there is another big piece to the puzzle that must be identified in order to understand what is emerging in the Emerging Church. While biblical Christianity has been dumbed-down and the light of God’s Word diminished, another avalanche of deception is underway that is equally devastating.
This is best described by the Word of God giving way to experiences that God’s Word forbids. The best way to understand this process is to recall what happened during the Dark Ages when the Bible became the “forbidden book.” Until the Reformers translated the Bible into the language of the common person, the people were in darkness. When the light of God’s Word became available, the gospel according to the Scriptures was once again understood.
This trend, which is underway today, shows us that history is in the process of repeating itself. As the Word of God becomes less and less important, the rise of mystical experiences is alarming and these experiences are being presented to convince the unsuspecting that Christianity is about feeling, touching, smelling and seeing God. The postmodern mindset is the perfect environment for the fostering of what is called “spiritual formation.” This teaching suggests there are various ways and means to get closer to God. Proponents of spiritual formation erroneously teach that anyone can practice these mystical rituals and find God within. Having a relationship with Jesus Christ is not a prerequisite.
These teachings, while actually rooted in ancient wisdom (the occult), were presented to Christendom post-New Testament and not found in the Word of God. The spiritual formation movement is based upon experiences promoted by desert monks and Roman Catholic mystics – these mystics encouraged the use of rituals and practices, that if performed would bring the practitioner closer to God (or come into God’s presence). The premise was that if one went into the silence or sacred space, then the mind was emptied of distractions and the voice of God could be heard. In truth, these hypnotic, mantric style practices were leading these monks into altered states of consciousness. The methods they used are the same that Buddhists and the Hindus use as a means of encountering the spiritual realm
Such methods are dangerous, and are not sanctioned in the Bible – God gives no instruction for this. On the contrary, he warns severely against divination, which is practicing a ritual or method in order to obtain information from a spiritual source. While proponents of spiritual formation (like Richard Foster) say these methods show that the Holy Spirit is doing something new to refresh Christianity, I would suggest that what is happening is not new and is not the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual formation movement is being widely promoted at colleges and seminaries as the latest and the greatest way to become a spiritual leader in these days. These ideas are then being exported from seminaries to churches by graduates who have been primed to take Christianity to a new level of enlightenment.
As well, these contemplative practices are being promoted by emergent leaders such as Brian McLaren, Robert Webber, Dallas Willard and others. Publishers like NavPress, InterVarsity and Zondervan are flooding the market with books promoting contemplative practices based on Eastern mysticism. Pastors and church leaders read these books and then promote the ideas as if they were the scriptural answer to drawing close to God.
Signs the Emerging Church is Emerging
There are specific warning signs that are symptomatic that a church may be headed down the emergent/contemplative road. In some cases a pastor may not be aware that he is on this road nor understand where the road ends up.
Here are some of the warning signs:
Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation.
Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
What does the Future Hold?
If the Emerging Church continues unfolding at the present pace, mainstream evangelical Christianity will be reinvented and the gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures will be considered too narrow and too restrictive. In other words, the narrow way to heaven that Jesus proclaimed will eventually be abandoned for a wider way that embraces pagan experiential practices. I call this reinvented, re-imagined form of Christianity that is unfolding—“Christian Babylonianism”.
This new form of Christianity will replace biblical faith with a faith that says man can establish the kingdom of God here on earth. The Word will continue to become secondary to a system of works driven by experiences.
An ecumenical pattern towards unity with Rome will become more apparent. Those who refuse to embrace this direction will be considered spiritual oddballs that need to be reprimanded. Those who stand up for biblical faith will be considered the obstructions to the one world spirituality that is promoted as the answer for peace.
The best way to be prepared for what is coming is to gain an understanding of what is happening now. While there are not many who seem to discern the trend underway, there are some. Without the Bible and the Holy Spirit as our guide, the darkness that is coming would be overwhelming. However, the light of God’s Word penetrates the darkness and there are those who are being delivered from deception and see what is taking place.
I am convinced we are seeing apostasy underway, exactly as the Scriptures have forewarned. This means that this current trend is not likely to disappear. We must continue to proclaim the truth in the midst of deception with love. As Paul instructed Timothy:
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Timothy 2: 24-26).
There are still pastors and churches who are dedicated to proclaiming the truth. Find out where they are and support them. If you are in a location where this does not seem to be possible, seek out materials that are available from solid Bible-based Christian ministries and hold Bible studies in your own home.
And keep looking up! Jesus is coming soon.
New to my blogroll – Slaughter of the Sheep
Two People “Healed” at the Lakeland Revival Die – From Slaughter of the Sheep
It was inevitable. A false healing revival with overblown and unsubstatiated reports of healing can only lead to one thing for those who are desperate and looking for healing… death.
I grew up as a Charismatic. I have seen people suffering with maladies and they were visibly in pain, but yet they would say, “I don’t accept that. I don’t have _______.” Even though they have been diagnosed by reputable doctors, they refuse to claim the disease or illness they have been diagnosed with. To some charismatics, words have power, and if you speak a negative word, they will negatively effect you. Therefore, only positive words must be spoken.
People with little to no Biblical knowledge have a heart that is a breeding ground for error. It is these people that are susceptible to the hocus pocus of the Word of Faith/Charismatic doctrine. One of the cruelest things a minister can do is to tell people unequivocally that they are healed. Especially when these people are suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Their misplaced faith can then turn deadly if they aren’t grounded in the Word of God.
Rest of article HERE
Some Dare Call It ‘Christian’
John Crowder and the ‘Mystical Communion Festival’
by Bud Press, Director,
Christian Research Service
www.christianresearchservice.com
April 17, 2009
Parents, do you know what your children were doing during April 8-11, 2009? If they attended John Crowder’s “The New Ecstatics Mystical Communion Festival” in Santa Cruz, California, they may have been “Rolling in the Butter” or caught up in a “Butter Trance.”
And what does “Rolling in the Butter” and “Butter Trance” mean? Take a few minutes and watch these two YouTube videos:
#1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hYi6AHrAg
#2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gweZGg0Rz_0
Pause video #1 at 12 seconds, and notice the bodies laying next to and on top of each other. Pause the video again at 16 seconds, and notice the young girl in the tye-dyed T-shirt reaching for the umbrella.
Pause video #2 at 56 seconds, and notice the young boy trying to walk through the bodies on the floor. Pause the video again at 1:03. The man in the blue helmet is Stacy Denboer, blasphemer and dedicated follower of John Crowder (for example, watch this video of Crowder leading Denboer around by his head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8QZG2ngxp4 ).
For the past year, Stacy Denboer has worked hard to make a name for himself within the hyper-Charismatic camp, and has finally attained celebrity status.
Stacy Denboer, whose discerment IQ is 3 digits higher than a house plant, recently founded “Drooling Ministires,” which he so eloquently introduces in this video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr37W7N7-os ).
This is the same Stacy Denboer who believes “God” put it on his heart to “give birth to a global revival,” who enjoys nursing on the “breast of Jesus,” and who is the inventor of the “Piggy Anointing” (among other animalistic anointings):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AmjGUghuKo&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDg9FL8HZ0s&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AmjGUghuKo&feature=channel_page
And some dare call it “Christian.”
If anyone doubts the cult-like influence John Crowder has over his followers, show them the above videos, as well as the following quote from none other than Stacy Denboer:
“You know, I just got my disco-mystica from John Crowder. I’m gettin’ really, really sautéed. And, you know what I was thinking about? I just really think that if Jesus were here in the flesh, that He’d probably be, like, part of John Crowder’s ministry team. That’s what I think.” (Stacy Denboer, “The Church Needs to Bring Heaven to Earth,” YouTube video, March 18, 2009,
There is nothing “Christian” about the above videos. To the solid, Bible-based Christian, the videos demonstrate an intensified level of deception that has slithered its way into the minds of gullible, innocent, and unwary.
After all, is there a better way to ensure the future of demonically-inspired teachings and behavior than to condition and deceive impressionable children and young adults?
It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble (Luke 17:1-2).
Parents, do you know what your children will be doing on April 17-19? For John Crowder’s next appearance is scheduled at Glorybound Ministries in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Crowder is among those the Bible warns as “evil men and impostors” who “will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
Be delayed and wait, blind yourselves and be blind; they become drunk, but not with wine, they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has shut your eyes, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, the seers (Isaiah 29:9-10).
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth. The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are going mad (Jeremiah 51:7).
Related reading and viewing:
BLASPHEMY INCORPORATED
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/Blasphemy_Incorporated.htm
Videos by LocalPastor
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/VideosbyLocalPastor.htm
Videos by VinnieActs2030
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/VideosbyVinnieActs2030.htm
From – Possessing the Treasure
A Dead Church
April 7, 2009 — Mike Ratliff
by Mike Ratliff
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1 ESV)
As part of my research for this piece, I did some Google searches on the Internet using the word phrase, “A Dead Church.” It was very interesting reading what “some” people considered the markers of a “dead church.” One fellow was adamant that the two markers which revealed that a church was dead was that its leaders used a Bible other than the King James Version and/or its denomination practiced infant baptism. Other markers I saw were things like the sort of music was used in worship or if there was an over abundance of ceremony or ritual in the order of worship. Are these the markers of a “dead church?”
I received the following commentary by John Piper today in an email from a dear friend.
My Annual Visit to a Mainline Protestant Church
April 6, 2009
by: John Piper
Category: Commentary
I made my annual visit to a Sunday morning service in a “mainline Protestant church” a couple weeks ago. It is an eerie experience. Heart-wrenchingly eerie.
- A magnificent building.
- A magnificent choir singing, “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of he world, have mercy on us” (in Latin).
- A closing hymn, “Lord, I want to be a Christian.”
- Three women pastors on the platform and two men.
- Pews filled with well-to-do looking folks.
The reason I say it was eerie is that much of this religious language means something totally different in their minds from what I mean by it. There is a keeping of the language and a demythologizing of the original meaning.
On one of our earlier visits Noël recalls the pastor saying that when he was a child he used to read stories like the one about Jesus walking on the water as if they were literally true.
What made my visit heart-wrenching was that the children’s choir sang these words-trust me, I am copying them from the bulletin-”Birds and trees, people and plants, dolphin and whale all lives are equal. . . . Sister Rain, Brother Stone bring us back to our true home.”
So when I stand at my study window that looks out over the downtown cityscape of Minneapolis, I pray: “O God, have mercy on us. Send a shocking revival to the churches-and a great awakening to this city. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.”
This mainline Protestant Church is dead. It is spiritually dead because its leaders are people without faith. No one can be spirit-filled, spirit-led, Christian without the faith given to him or her at regeneration. This faith believes God and when the Word of God is read, it is believed because it is true. The markers of dead church are given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 3:1-6.
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Revelation 3:1-6 ESV)
In Matthew 5:48 our Lord Jesus said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” He stated in Revelation 3:1-6 to the church in Sardis, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead…” Why was it dead? It had become contaminated by the world just like the church John Piper visited above. It had taken on the world’s values and integrated them into how church was done there. It had disintegrated and was now dead. What is more, they did not realize it. They continued going through the motions of worship and activity, but it was just like the dead religiosity of the Jews in Jesus’ day. In other words, the church as Sardis was very much like the liberal church today; i.e. Dead!
The people in the church at Sardis were physically alive, but they were spiritually dead. Unbelievers were operating the church. Some may scoff at that and disbelieve that churches and whole denominations can be taken over by unbelievers, but this very thing is happening today. Dead men are in the pulpits. Dead men are in the pews. Dead men are running the church and dead men are in control of the denomination. Churches die when those who truly alive in Christ are replaced by dead people. What causes this?
A church becomes dead when unbelievers are allowed to take over ministries in the church. It happens when a church becomes more concerned with form and liturgy than it is with life on a spiritual level. It also occurs when a church becomes more concerned with welfare and social ills than it is about the Gospel. Death occurs when a church loves its religiosity more than it loves Jesus Christ. It may very well love another Jesus and another gospel, but this is the same thing as elevating religiosity over the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Death occurs when a church’s focus is moved away from God’s Truth to Man’s so-called truth. Focus moves away from obedience of Gods’ commands and devotion to Him to material things or any temporal focus. A Church dies because of sin.
Sin in any form that a church tolerates is the root cause of a church dying. It does not matter if the sin is tolerated in the leadership or in the members. This tolerance begins the cycle of death. This opens the door to tolerance of unbelievers in the church. Soon, no one cares who is a believer or an unbeliever. When the man who runs the church is not a believer, and this is inevitable once the cycle starts, then the end comes and the church dies spiritually. The cycle of death begins with tolerance of sin. These sins of commission and omission kill the church bit by bit. Over time, the professing Christians in the church become carnal. The carnal do tolerate unbelievers being part of the local body. This is followed by total tolerance for sin. As the church begins its death throes, God will draw out of it the people in it who really love the Lord Jesus. As they leave, unbelievers replace them. I hear from several believers every month who cannot find a local church in their area that has not become compromised like this. I left a church that was beginning the process of inviting unbelievers in. It was putting one foot in the world while trying to keep one foot in the Church. That was nearly 3 years ago and the pain from that separation is still with my wife and I.
The church at Sardis was only going through the spiritual motions. It may have indeed had a name that it was alive, but God condemns every single religious activity that is not directed by the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers were not persecuting it. Why? The church at Sardis was just a religious form of the world and this is exactly what any church in our day is that is not controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit to serve the Lord Jesus Christ according to God’s will. We were discussing markers of a dead church earlier. We have actually been looking at this over the last few days. Dead churches and disingenuous believers hold to a man-friendly, man-centered, easy-believism from of the gospel. This non-gospel is cross-less, therefore, it also is Christ-less. The genuine Church holds to the genuine Gospel, which is cross-centered, and does not flinch from the reproach and shame of the Cross of Christ. The natural man hates the Gospel. It is hated by the world. Only the regenerate loves it, grasps it, and preaches it. This will bring persecution from the world.
Never forget my brethren that God is in the business of preserving a remnant within that which is dead, “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.” God always has His remnant. Even in this dead church at Sardis there were still some who were not contaminated by the world. These would be suffering mightily as they were spiritual, but surrounded by carnal and fleshly. They were devout and sincere amongst hypocrites. They were humble among the proud. They were separate from the world, but the rest in that church were of the world. These would be equivalent to those I regularly hear from who remain in their dead church because there is no where else to go. Never forget my brethren, a church is not a building, but a body of believers. The church at Sardis was speaking of every professing Christian in that city. These genuine believers were God’s remnant at Sardis. The emphasis on their garments not being soiled is speaking of their righteousness, which is spotless so it is God’s righteousness. These are genuine believers who are promised that they will receive a new “white” garment and will walk with Christ in glory.
Our Lord gives five key commands to the church at Sardis. These commands are: wake up, strengthen, remember, keep it, and repent. These commands are given to all three different types of members of the church in Sardis. These three types of members are the dead (unbelievers), the sleeping or fleshly professing Christians, and the few who have not defiled their garments.
The first command is “wake up!” (vv 2,3). This can also be translated as “be watchful” or “watch!”. The command is a warning that if they do not watch then He will come upon them as a thief in the night. This is obviously spoken to the unbelievers in the church at Sardis.
The second command is “Strengthen!” This is a command to the genuine believers at Sardis to work to wake up the sleeping professing believers on the fringes. These fleshly Christians are spiritually blind. They are next to dead. This command is to those who see God’s light, reflect it to all, and hear His voice to preach repentance to those who are just hanging on.
The third command is “remember!” This is spoken to the genuine believers at Sardis to remember their salvation. This is a command to continue growing in Grace in their daily walk devoted to Christ. This remembering is keeping the mind occupied with the person of Christ and the miracle and reality of their salvation.
The fourth command is “keep it!” This can also be translated as “Hold Fast!” This is another command to the genuine believers at Sardis. They commanded to hold fast or keep to sound doctrine. This is vital. We are constantly under attacks that are designed to distract us with the things of this world away from God’s perfect doctrines of His truth. These distractions include false doctrines as well. The command to these Christians and to us in our time is to hang on and not let the world distract them from sound doctrine.
The fifth and final command is “repent!” This is given to the unbelievers and the fleshly believers at Sardis. These need to repent. The unbelievers need to believe the Gospel and repent. The fleshly believers need to seek for God to grant them repentance as they turn from the flesh and its debilitating blindness to have their hard hearts smashed by the grace of God.
Sardis was a dead church, but so are countless churches in our time who have become compromised. These five commands are for them as well. Examine yourselves by brethren. If you are in a doctrinally sound and spiritually alive church then rejoice and do not take that for granted. If you are in a dying church and there is nowhere else to go then ask the Lord for the grace to stand firm as His remnant where He has you. On the other hand, if you are dead then the command from our Lord is to believe and repent. If you are a professing Christian who is enslaved to your flesh then now is the time for you to come to the throne of grace for some serious confession and repentance.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Source:
http://mikeratliff.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/a-dead-church/
[reprinted by permission.]
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