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I went onto the balcony and opened my Bible to the book of Hebrews. I started reading the first chapter in the way I always had, analyzing and studying the text as I read.
But something was wrong, I said to myself, “I’m not receiving a thing.” Then I looked right up to God and said aloud, “Father, You said that ‘man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord’ (Deut. 8:3). Now Lord, I am a missionary, and I am supposed to tell others that they can live by the Word of God. If I myself do not live there, I’m a phony. Now please prove that I can do this. Lord I am serious, I am asking You. You promise that You will reward a person who truly seeks You. Lord it is up to You! I am going to begin reading again. Lord, please make Hebrews come alive to me.” I began to read Hebrews again, starting from the beginning.
The next time I looked up, I had finished the whole book. Almost four hours had gone by. Looking back I cannot explain any particular truth the Lord gave me or remember any particular verse that shone with special meaning. But what happened was this. Through reading God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit and depending upon God to give life through it, it was as though God had picked me up and taken me into Heaven where He dwells. I had been with Him! My entire spiritual being was renewed. Leaving the balcony, feelings of lassitude disappeared, depression was gone–I had received God’s words and was rejuvenated in every part of my being.
I write this because it has been one of the secrets of my life. Again and again in China it was impossible to avoid acute loneliness. Sometimes there were acute problems and I suffered from depression. Then I would remember the solution–to saturate myself in God’s Word, in other words, God Himself.
A. Wetherell Johnson
“Created for Commitment”
pg. 112-113
The Seductive and Subversive “Shack”
By Jan Markell
Many have asked me to comment on William P. Young’s ragingly popular book The Shack. Is this work of fiction really Christian? It is called by some as one of Christianity’s most influential books. One prominent endorser says it will “leave you craving for God.”
Yet people I respect highly, including Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Seminary, calls it “undiluted heresy.” He maintains there is no way it can seriously address the issues of Christian faith.
Here is the scenario in brief. Remember, this fiction plot is going to transform lives! A man by the name of “Mack” has a daughter murdered and he slips into a depression. He gets a message that he is supposed to meet God in the shack. Entering the shack, he is in the company of the Trinity, but now it gets weird and hard to believe anyone could be deceived by this piece of work.
In the shack he learns that God is “Papa” but is really an African-American female. Thankfully, Jesus is a Jewish man, but the Holy Spirit is another female figure of Asian descent. So much for Trinitarian theology! So Christianity has been misconstrued and has been revised. Talk about minimizing the Divine!
On page 110 Jesus says that He is perhaps not the way, truth, and life, but the BEST way to relate to the Father and Holy Spirit. Papa God, the African-American female, says she has many followers of many religions in different lands. This is not Orthodox Christianity, yet millions of Christian readers claim it is! Discernment has taken a summer vacation or perhaps a permanent vacation.
Mack asks “Papa” God, the female, about God’s wrath. The answer is that she doesn’t punish people for sin; rather she wants to cure sin. No mention of repentance, the shed blood, and all the things the new “seeker” environment wants to leave out in the church parking lot.
Former “New Ager” Warren Smith says, “The Shack is being described as a Christian novel and is currently ranked number one on the New York Times best-seller list for paperback fiction. Many believers are buying multiple copies and giving them to friends and family. The Shack reads as a true story but is obviously allegorical fiction. The book conveys postmodern spiritual ideas and teachings that challenge biblical Christianity – all in the name of ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’ and the ‘Holy Spirit.’ Author William P. Young’s alternative presentation of traditional Christianity has both inspired and outraged his many readers. All the while his book continues to fly off the shelves of local bookstores.”
Smith, who has been on my radio program many times denouncing Oprah Winfrey’s deception, goes on to say, “I was drawn into the ‘New Age Movement’ years ago by books and lectures containing parabolic stories that were not unlike The Shack. They felt spiritually uplifting as they tackled tough issues and talked about God’s love and forgiveness. They seemed to provide me with what I spiritually needed as they gave me much-needed hope and promise. Building on the credibility they achieved through their inspirational and emotive writings, my ‘New Age’ authors and teachers would then go on to tell me that God was in everyone and everything.
“I discovered that author William P. Young does exactly the same thing in The Shack. He moves through his very engaging and emotional story to eventually present this same ‘New Age’ teaching that God is ‘in’ everything.”
As writer and researcher Berit Kjos concludes, “Yet countless pastors and church leaders are delighting in its message. By ignoring (or redefining) sin and guilt, they embrace an inclusive but counterfeit ‘Christianity’ that draws crowds but distorts the Bible. Discounting Satan as well, they weaken God’s warnings about deception. No wonder His armor for today’s spiritual war became an early victim of this spreading assault on truth.”
So The Shack opens in the context of tragedy. Four years have passed since the cruel murder of Missy, Mack’s precious six-year-old daughter. Enveloped in grief, he receives a strange invitation. “I’ve missed you,” it says. “I’ll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together. Papa.” What could it mean?
Doubtful, but drawn to the meeting, Mack heads for the Oregon wilderness and finds the dilapidated old shack. “God” miraculously transforms it into a cozy cottage, and Mack meets his supposed maker.
No, it doesn’t get any stranger but sadly, it doesn’t get more popular with Christians who miss the point that The Shack is intended to bring about a new definition of the Christian faith. As Albert Mohler says, “This is totally seductive and subversive, but readers, even believers, don’t seem to mind.” You can listen to all of his comments at this link.
If you know of someone taken in by this, please pass this commentary on to them. You’ll be doing them an enormous favor.
To learn more, visit Lighthouse Trails Research and the article The Shack: Father-goddess Rising.
I thank God for all of those who are speaking out today over outrageous issues like this one. I am reminded about the many false things promoted today written in 2 Timothy 3:16: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” This is a last days’ reference and if you don’t think we’re in them (the last days), I’ll sell you a beach vacation to Minnesota in January.
********
Here is another article by Berit Kjos
Deceived by a counterfeit “Jesus” – The twisted “truths”…..
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/shack.htm
Also by Mike Oppenheimer – Shocked by the Shack
The Faithful
Once I read a comment on a blog from a woman complaining that her church was focusing on faith. “Faith, faith, faith” she ridiculed.
I went to my concordance in the Bible and wrote down the most referred to subjects. A full page of verse references was 3 columns. Here is what I found were the top four words.
Lord – 9 columns
God – 8 columns
Love – 6 columns
Faith – 5 columns
Lord, God, and love are obvious subjects one would find in the Bible but are you surprised to find out Faith is the fourth most used term recorded in the concordance? Obviously, faith is a very important aspect of our walk with Christ. But strangely enough at the second coming of Christ, He will certainly find a lack of faith.
Luke 18:8
“However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Hebrews 11 is known for its teaching on faith and tells us of the people of God throughout biblical history who lived by faith alone.
Let’s see who is mentioned. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the parents of Moses, and Moses.
All of these men are wonderful examples of their great faith and all were tested. None of them saw all the fulfillments of what was promised but they looked forward to the heavenly promises. When we realize that the things of this world are just temporary and we wait patiently for our true eternal home we begin to realize how important it is to walk in faith. Faith is storing our treasures in heaven ( Matt 6:20) where they are not seen with today’s lustful eyes.
We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” This is one of most important verses in Hebrews.
Lastly, I go to Habakkuk. Once I had my Bible open and someone inquired “What are you reading?” I replied, “Habakkuk,” to which I received a puzzled look in response.
But what do we find! Habakkuk 2:4 says “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright – but the righteous, will live by his faith.” This verse is so important it is repeated in Romans, Hebrews and Galatians.
God is not out of reach for those who walk in the faith of the Word of God. We seek God by prayer, and reading His Word. Be content with what you have, because discontent is really a lack of faith. Expect tests and discipline from the Father who loves us. When a parent disciplines it is because of love, and so it is with our Heavenly Father. If we struggle on this path of faith think of others who also struggle and help them. When our faith strengthens we can take our eyes off of ourselves, put them on Jesus, and begin to help others.
SOURCE
http://christianresearchservice.blogspot.com/ (GREAT NEW LOOK ..BTW)
DOMESTIC ABUSE IN THE CHURCH
An Open Letter to Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is
not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not
provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice
in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things. –1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
As you may know, I have taken the time to educate myself on the problem of domestic abuse and the mindset of a female abuser. I have communicated with both Christian and non-Christian abuse counselors locally and nationwide, written a Letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, shared my concerns with numerous pastors locally, and written the story, “The Waitress, the Man, and the Rose” ( http://tinyurl.com/WaitressManRose ).
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/TheWaitressTheManTheRose.htm
Yesterday, during another phone conversation with Paula Silva (a Christian counselor and former sufferer of domestic abuse), I was informed of the widespread abuse occurring within the body of Christ, and that many of the calls she receives are from pastors’ wives–all of whom are suffering from one or more forms of domestic abuse (verbal, emotional, and physical).
Yes, you read it right: wives of pastors are being verbally, emotionally, and physically abused by the very men who stand in their pulpits at least three times per week preaching the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.
Again, during my phone conversation with Paula, I learned that it is rare that a man will get involved in the battle against domestic abuse, and stand in the gap for women everywhere who are suffering and living in fear every day of their lives.
While the very thought of a man abusing a woman is repulsive, a man who refuses to come to the aid of an abused woman causes within me an acute case of righteous indignation.
I am not ashamed to say that I have diligently prayed through my tears for women who endure the terrible ordeal of domestic abuse. Now that domestic abuse has reared its ugly head within the body of Christ, our Lord has led me to appeal to you to get involved in yet another “unpaid bill” of the church.
Yes, the battle to expose the cultic, occultic, and heretical teachers of our day is extremely important. However, as we defend the faith against those who promote demonic doctrines, please keep in mind that a man who abuses a woman has the same mindset of a cult leader, who uses the same fear, intimidation, humiliation, and isolation tactics on his followers.
Is there a woman or women in your church who are being abused by their pastors or husbands? Is there a teenage girl or single woman in your church who is dating or living with a man with a background of abuse? If so, are you willing to reach out to them with help and assistance in the same way you would to a victim of a cultic or heretical leader? Think about that as you attend church this week.
Across our country, women are dying–both emotionally and physically–at the cowardly words and brutal hands of an abusive man. We cannot, we must not sit back and allow someone else to bear the burden and tremendous responsibility to protect and assist women who live in fear on a daily basis.
As Christians, we are joined together in Christ as brothers and sisters. We are family. Right now there are members of our family who are suffering the tragic effects of emotional and physical abuse. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for domestic abuse to rear its ugly head within our family before we decide to get involved.
Today, a Google search on “domestic violence” netted over 11 million hits, and the numbers are growing on a daily basis. Therefore, I appeal to you to educate yourself and your family on the warning signs of domestic abuse, as well as the cultic mindset of an abusive man. Afterwards, I pray you will prayerfully consider getting involved in the battle against domestic abuse in the church.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord led me to write “The Waitress, the Man, and the Rose”. If you haven’t done so, I ask you to prayerfully consider placing it on your website and blog. Your doing so will help inform and educate your readers to a serious problem within the church, and will serve to encourage abused women to seek help and assistance.
Finally, Hits never hurt until they hit home! The emotional pain of knowing that a close friend or daughter is in harm’s way is excruciating. Those who have experienced it know exactly what I am talking about. If you haven’t, I pray that God will spare you and your family that pain.
I have pledged to do my part and stand in the gap for abused women. What about you?
In Christian love,
Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
http://www.christianresearchservice.com
http://christianresearchservice.blogspot.com
June 23, 2009
BROTHER JOE: NAME DROPPING AND MAN PRAISING
May 28, 2009 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service)
The following is by Pastor Buddy Smith of Malenda, Queensland, Australia <smiletex@bigpond.net.au> —
Brother Joe was one of a kind. He only ever pastored one church. It was the church he started when he moved to a town near us in 1939. He never received a salary from his church. He said he would simply trust God for his needs to be met, and he did, and they were. He never asked for anything, but God heard his prayers and blessed his faith, and he never did without. He taught all the way through the Bible at least three times in a pastorate that lasted more than fifty years. He preached on the radio everyday for all those years and wrote a book that is a classic on raising children. He sent all his children to Bible college, and his son Tim now pastors the church his dad started almost 70 years ago.
One thing about Bro. Joe that puzzled me was the way he would quote preachers or commentators without telling us their names. He would say something like this, “A dear brother in the Lord once wrote…” or he would say, “A godly old commentator once observed this about our text…” I can’t ever remember him telling us who he was quoting. Later on, as I became a bit more familiar with writers and preachers I would stumble across the quotes he used and wonder why he never told us who said them. They were not heretics, nor were they involved in entangling and compromising alliances. They were men like Harry Ironside or A.W. Tozer or Harry Rimmer. But he never told us who he was quoting. Oh, he made it clear that the quotes were not his. He was never guilty of plagiarising. He just didn’t tell us who he quoted.
It was through his wise and discreet use of truth that I learned an important lesson on worship. Bro. Joe avoided name dropping because he sincerely desired for God and God alone to have all the glory. He very carefully and wisely used the truths that fell from the lips and pens of godly men, and he did so in ways that directed the worship of his hearers away from those men and toward God. As the years passed I heard of God’s blessings on Bro. Joe’s ministry, of the people who loved him and asked him to preach in their Bible conferences and churches and colleges, but it wasn’t Bro. Joe who told me about it. He simply had no desire for the praise of men. Certainly, we should thank God for those He uses, and thank them in person, but the crowns can wait till the judgment seat.
The apostle Peter speaks of the wisdom God gave to his dearly beloved brother Paul, so it is obvious that it is not inherently wrong to name preachers that we quote, but Peter avoids heaping upon Paul the lavish praise we hear so often given to mere mortals (2 Peter 3:15-16). Bro. Joe simply desired that men should praise God and Him alone.
Giving praise to men is a very subtle form of hero worship. God has spoken ever so clearly on the subject of who is worthy to be worshipped. We all swim in a sea of pagan, materialistic, hedonistic, sensual, and rationalistic culture. Our culture genders in us visual, auditory, and olfactory failures. We do not see that we are worshipping idols. We do not hear the warnings of God’s Words, and we are totally unaware that swimming in our culture leaves us smelling like dead fish. Every culture thrives on the praise of men. Name dropping is the name of the game, in the world and in the church. “Dr. Flutesnoot said this,” and, “Rabbi(t) Warren said that,” and “The gospel according to Jack is this…” I attended a conference some time ago in which the main speaker could hardly finish a sentence without dropping the name of some well known Christian leader who is is his friend, or dropping the name of some famous church or college he had preached in. I got the impression that we were all expected to say, “Oh! Do you know him?” and “Wow!, did you get to preach there?” We just love to drop names, don’t we?
Why do we do this? Do we really believe that the gospel of Christ is enhanced by someone who has attained to celebrity status in our stagnant little cultural puddle? Does God need the endorsement of a megachurch guru or a supersalesman soulwinner? Will it count for eternity and for the glory of God that you or I were feted by the ringmaster of the religious circus that he calls a church? Or that you had a 30 second revival meeting with the pastor who jumped a Sunday School bus over a dozen tricycles? All our glorying in man is idolatrous and an abomination in the sight of God. It doesn’t really matter whose signature is at the bottom of your Bible college diploma. It doesn’t really matter whose endorsement is on the back of your book. What has eternal value is whether we have gathered up all the glory and praise we can find and given every bit of it to God.
Consider a few of the Scriptures that speak of the worship of God,
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
“I am the LORD, that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8).
“For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? And I will not give my glory to another” (Isaiah 48:11).
“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth’s sake” (Psalm 115:1).
One last thought: whether we realise it or not, our praise of man tends to have a hidden agenda. We tend to praise men so that they will praise us back. There is in every one of us enough Devil to crave the praise of men. And so we give it to get it. We need to read John 5:44, “How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” Our craving for recognition, for praise, for honour and glory, according to our Saviour, is an impediment to faith. “How can ye believe who receive honour one of another……..?”
One of my favourite evangelists lived to the ripe old age of 87 years. He preached for over 70 years and is sometimes described as the “best loved evangelist of all time.” When he was very old it was decided by his friends that he should be honoured publicly. Many were invited to come and give testimonials as to his usefulness in the Lord’s work, and they came in droves. One speaker after another sang the praises of the old preacher until finally the speeches were done, and the moderator turned to invite the aged preacher to the lectern to receive the award. To everyone’s surprise he was nowhere to be found. The guest of honour was not on the platform, or even in in the building. He had absented himself some time during the meeting. He had chosen to turn a deaf ear to the sweet words from his admirers! They searched high and low, and eventually they found him, outside the great hall, in the street, speaking to a cabbie about his soul. He knew all about the priorities if godliness and he knew about the emptiness of the praises of men.
Only God is worthy of worship!
Someone may ask, “Who was Bro. Joe?”
I don’t think he would want me to tell you.
We could be guilty of stealing from God the glory that belongs only to Him.
Todd Bentley: Claimed but Not Ordained
by Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
April 7, 2009
According to his January 2008 book, Journey Into The Miraculous, Todd Bentley claims to have been “ordained” through the Canadian-based Christian Ministers Association, and recognized as a “minister” through the World Ministry Fellowship here in the United States.
With its original roots in the Pentecostal movement, the Christian Ministers Association (CMA) is a “licensing body” that “provides a covering for those in need of meeting the requirements of Canadian Law concerning ordination of clergy,” and a “Canadian charter society registered with the Federal Government” ( http://www.canadacma.org/home/index.php?id=4 ).
But according to a top official from the Christian Ministers Association (CMA), Bentley is not ordained through the CMA, and has never been a member of that association.
Further, Christian Research Service has learned that while Todd Bentley was recognized as a minister through the World Ministry Fellowship (WMF), his membership “papers” have been removed, according to a top official.
Founded in 1963, the WMF is an outreach and fellowship of ministers worldwide that “functions under the oversight of a 12 member Executive Board, a 21 member Advisory Board, and a 12 member Credentialing Committee” ( http://www.worldministry.com/aboutwmf.html ).
Once the WMF board learned the circumstances surrounding Bentley’s leaving the Lakeland revival and resignation from Fresh Fire Ministries, the WMF wasted no time and “moved-in quickly to take action,” a top official said.
Christian Research Service’s contact with the CMA and the WMF was due to the claims made by Todd Bentley in Journey Into The Miraculous:
I thank God for my friendship with Patricia [King], and for how God used her as an instrument to ordain me into the ministry–but I always will know that the call came from God. I’ve since been ordained in Canada by my local church, and through the Christian Minister’s Association. In the U.S., I’m recognized as a minister of the Gospel through World Ministry Fellowship in Texas. [Todd Bentley, Journey Into The Miraculous, Destiny Image Publishers, January 2008, p. 162]
According to Bentley, “God” led him to write Journey Into The Miraculous (p. 22).
Currently, Todd Bentley is undergoing another “restoration,” this time under the auspices of Rick Joyner, Bill Johnson, and Jack Deere. Unfortunately, Joyner, Johnson, and Deere are part of the problem, not the solution.
Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
Truth to the core
In 2008, Todd Bentley left the Lakeland revival in controversy, disgrace, and sin. Since then, Christian Research Service has maintained that he needs to repent and be born again, and surround himself with solid, Bible-based Christians for council.
CRS has also maintained that if Bentley is groomed, mentored, and “restored” by those who groomed and mentored him in the first place, he will end up in worst shape than ever before.
Solid, Bible-based men and women strive to lead holy lives and teach sound, Bible-based doctrine. They set good examples for others to follow–including the younger generation. They do not suddenly disappear in controversy, disgrace, and sin, then suddenly return months later in more controversy, disgrace, and sin. They are accountable first to God, then to their fellow Christians. To them, truth is paramount, and a false prophet is a false prophet; a false teacher is a false teacher, and sin is sin.
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them
on the tablet of your heart (Proverbs 3:3).
Closing comments…
This current fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg, and a natural consequence to a hyper-Charismatic movement gone wild and out of control. In many cases, false prophecies, false teachings, and sin are just mere “mistakes” that can be handled by playing the Wiser than God game, then filtered down though the Department of Compromise and Excuses. Eventually, after all the dust has settled, sin in the camp ends up in a mound of paperwork on the desk of Mr. I. Could Care Less. From there, it ends up in “File 13” (trash can), never to be discussed again.
And they get away with it because they have spent years conditioning and deceiving and intimidating their followers into believing in their self-appointed apostles, prophets, and teachers over-and-above God’s written word, the Bible.
But their fine-tuned deception hasn’t gone unnoticed. God’s righteous judgement is already at work, for He does not bless, honor, or excuse false prophets and false teachers. And they, like others before them, will fall:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap (Galatians 6:7).
There is an old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Todd Bentley made choices. His actions will return to haunt him and those surrounding him. In the meantime, God warns those who continue to be fooled by the Todd Bentley’s of this world:
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD (Proverbs 17:15).
Time is an enemy to all false teachers. Time has revealed that Todd Bentley’s claims are not ordained.
Related reading and viewing:
America used to be a country founded on Christian principles. But as time passes, we have become a nation obsessed with material goods, amassed wealth and unpayable debt. Lately, questions have arisen in my mind. How can a godly nation be a superpower? Are not the characteristics of a Christian humility and meekness? Are not we to be poor in spirit, merciful, and peacemakers? Are not we to be the persecuted? Does this sound like the United States? No, I think not. Are we truly a blessed nation, under God? Where is the Lord Jesus Christ in all of this? He isn’t.
The average American’s first inclination in the morning is to open the newspaper or website to check the stock report or to see which store has the best price on cell phones. Who opens their Bible first thing in the morning? Who starts their day with a prayer of repentance from yesterday’s sins, cleansed from the power of God’s forgiveness and grace?
These are not times to relish as the sound of despair rise up in families, businesses and communities. However, these are times to reflect on what our values truly are and how we can start living for Christ instead of ourselves.
If you know Jesus Christ, are others seeing your faith today or are they seeing your unbelief? If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, He may be calling out to you. God knows our weaknesses and strengths. He knows all. He knows your breaking point and what it takes to make you turn to Him. The times I have felt the closest to the Lord, is when I am despairing, crying out to Him and on my knees in prayer. What does it take to drive you to your knees?
Those who have perpetrated evil and stolen from the unsuspecting populace may be used by God to force you to make a decision about what rules your life. Money or holiness? The world in is control by “the evil one” according to 1 John 5:19. When we are unregenerate and not filled with the Holy Spirit we are easily seduced by the world and all it has to offer. The world system influences all our thoughts and deeds and infiltrates our walk with the Lord. The remedy is to walk in faith knowing that we will be tempted but that God will always be faithful to us by not giving us more than we can bear. [1 Corinthians 10:13]. If we resist the evil one God promises that the devil will flee from us. [James 4:7]
If you do know Jesus Christ, have you been a Bible reading, praying Christian, or have you been a wandering complaining Israelite, more concerned about the variety of food in your diet, unhappy with daily sustenance provided by God? Are you more concerned about blessings instead of obedience to God’s Word? The reason I ask this, is because the Israelites were indeed blessed by deliverance from captivity and daily bread, but this did not create faith. In fact they rejected the blessings God gave them by saying, “Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt.”
Studying the Bible has shown me that my priorities were all out-of-whack, and any financial problems I currently have are of my own making. God never promised to make life easy for any of us. He did say He would supply all our needs. I guess this is where man likes to deviate. Man wants more than food, shelter and clothing. These are blessings we can count on when we truly walk in faith.
*****
OPPRESSION PREDICTED IN SEALS
I have read two books “Earthquake Resurrection” and “Then His Voice Shook The Earth”, by David W. Lowe who interprets the meaning and timing of the seals differently than the majority of the Bible prophecy scholars.
According to his biblical research, the seals one through five have already been opened. This makes so much more sense to me than other interpretations. But I want to focus on the third seal for this article.
The object being held in the riders hand has been translated as a scale because of the reference to food in the next verse. But the word zugon can also be translated as a yoke. This is what changes the whole interpretation.
Read this from “Then His Voice Shook The Earth”:
“A clue about what type of bondage this seal represents is found within Revelation 6:6. The voice heard speaking about the rider and balance scale in its hand mentions the cost of the staples of life: wheat, barley, olive oil and wine. Thus it can be concluded that the meaning of the symbolism of the third seal is a spirit of financial bondage and oppression that was sent out into the earth. Some possibilities of the kind of financial oppression that this horse and rider represent, based on the message that emerged from among the four living creatures, include:”
1. Price controls on the necessities of life, such as food.
2. Inflation and hyperinflation in the price of goods.
3. Scarcity of the necessities of life due to controls on production.
4. Efforts by governing authorities to exercise control over the value of currencies.
5. Efforts by governing authorities to expand or contract the supply of money.” {1}
Looking at our current world financial situation, through this biblical interpretation of the third seal, opens our eyes to the truth. This has been a long time coming.
Evil against mankind is allowed by God. The brothers of Joseph plotted and devised his demise by selling him into slavery. David was exiled. Jesus was betrayed and rejected by his own people, and crucified. And in Revelation, the first four seals reveal that the riders were given power to unleash the judgments, to kill, cause famine, and oppress.
Even though Joseph was a slave, oppressed and treated unjustly, he never lost faith or complained. Ever. Even in the worst of situations he glorified God. Joseph did not yet know that his deliverance was near. His suffering was training for his leadership under the pharaoh.
Are you suffering and cannot understand the circumstances that you may find yourself in today? Will you use this opportunity to trust God to supply your needs? Is your suffering a form of training so that you will be able to help others somehow in the future?
We find the same uncomplaining humility in Moses. When the people were enslaved by the Egyptians, they cried out to God. God heard them, so He sent them Moses. They were delivered from slavery and given manna to eat while they were traveling.
This heavenly bread was dispersed one day at a time. Why? To increase the faith of the people. They were not allowed to store it. It spoiled if they tried . They had to trust God on a daily basis to feed them. We need to read the Word of God on a daily basis to feed ourselves. We need to ingest the word and live it. Believe it. Obey it. Share it with others.
So are you are looking at your circumstances through the eyes of the grumbling Israelites, full of ingratitude? How about looking at our current situation through the eyes of Joshua and Caleb. They were not afraid of the giants in Canaan. Why was their perspective so different from the others? Easy. They believed in God’s promises.
Are you going to raise your fist toward God because of hard times? Are you going to wonder how God can treat you this way? Are you going to grumble against God because of your circumstances? Have you been praying all along or have you just started praying as a last resort?
Today Jesus Christ is our deliverer. In fact, when we believe in Him, we are already delivered. Yet we struggle with unbelief. So how should we act? We should not complain as we wait for our deliverer and trust in His promises.
I see many people, Christians included, blaming society, political parties, anyone or anything for what is happening to our economy today. But isn’t it easy to blame our leaders? If we were to turn to God instead of turning against others, would our world be different today? Our greatest enemy is the same enemy of the Israelites. Unbelief and lack of trust in God. We can only know His promises by careful study of His Word.
What promises should we be clinging to in this time of need, financial bondage and oppression?
Isaiah 41: 10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Matthew 6:30-33
“…O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
******
Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances (G2218) in his hand.
Strong’s G2218 – zygos
1) a yoke
a) a yoke that is put on draught cattle
b) metaph., used of any burden or bondage
1) as that of slavery
2) of troublesome laws imposed on one, esp. of the Mosaic law, hence the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable ‘yoke’; yet even Christ’s commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept
2) a balance, pair of scales
“From the first century until the present, a spirit has been at work to wreak havoc on the economies of the world. Injustice, oppression, and inequity are the goals, and the tools have been governments who have implemented unsound economic controls and unjust taxation through their laws.The underlying reason? Greed. The love of money and the desire to accumulate wealth no matter the cost. That is the spirit symbolized by the black horse and rider, holding a yoke in his hand to represent bondage and oppression of the people.”
David W. Lowe {2}
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Then His Voice Shook The Earth… by David W. Lowe
{1} pgs. 106 – 107
{2} pg. 109
From LocalPaster
Please pray for these young people. They are being demonized.
As Christians we need to be aware of how the world is quickly changing and how fast the new spirituality is emerging. Here in America we are known as a Christian nation…but are we really?
Many are turning to odd and mystical religious systems, because they seek “The Fundamental power they have within.”
From Huna.com
Huna is the modern or Western label given to the ancient healing and spiritual shamanism of ancient Hawai’i. In these pages you will find teachings that were once secret and carefully guarded.
– Connect with your Higher Self
– Access Universal Sources of Energy
– Awaken your Spiritual Evolution
• Introduction to ancient symbols
• Higher Self Connection
• Hakalau: the shaman state
This video starts with the statement “When God created the world…”, but the end of the video shows the people drumming and chanting. This has nothing to do with the God of the Holy Bible.
Listen and hear a woman say, “…undeniable harmony, and that has to come from within.” Then another..”there’s spirits in everything, in the mountain, in the rock or the stone, or in everything or the tree.”
This is panentheism – That God is in all things.
When people resort to shamanism and easily accept it….the time is short for the return of Lord Jesus Christ.
The statement on one of their photos says ” There are many paths to personal transformation.”
Those who know scripture will recognize the “many paths” statement as false.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The world is being prepared for a new spirituality. Cling to the Lord Jesus Christ and do not deny Him by seeking god in rocks or trees or looking within. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father.
| Col 3:1 | If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. |
Looking within yourself to find God, is the oldest trick in the book. Which book? Genesis. The serpent told Adam and Eve this lie, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
See also: Morningstar Ministries delving into paganism. This one is actually worse.
https://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/morningstar-ministries-paganism/
“It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. “
From Eric Barger
TAKE A STAND! MINISTRIES
THE DEATH OF DISCERNMENT
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? – I Kings 3:9
I like Paul Young. Having heard him speak about his life and book three times recently in Portland, Oregon I found him to be passionate, witty and funny. While at Young’s alma mater (Warner Pacific College), I was able to spend a few moments with him privately during which time I asked him to personally respond to several criticisms and concerns that I and other Christians are raising about the theological contents of his book. I wish I could report that he allayed my apprehensions but instead, I went away convinced that The Shack is more than just a little offbeat but is, as Dr. Albert Mohler pegged it on his radio program, “blatant heresy.”
Yes, The Shack is indeed a novel. And many will wonder what could be wrong since it is identified as a Christian book and authored by a man who claims to be a Christian? After all, The Shack is heralded by many seasoned Christian leaders. Pastors are preaching from it. Sunday School classes and small groups are reading and discussing it. Many Christians are buying it by the case to give as gifts. Some Christian Schools are even sanctioning and encouraging the reading of the book. But this is not just a benign story of man overcoming life’s challenges. Make no mistake, the book presents doctrine throughout its clever and gripping story – something the author clearly intended to do. Therein lays the problem.
Trading the Kingdom for a Shack
For those unaware of the book’s storyline, here is the description of The Shack from Amazon.com.
“Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness.
Four years later in the midst of what he refers to as ‘The Great Sadness,’ Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant ‘The Shack’ wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?”
The Shack is a publishing phenomenon but you may ask “is it really any big deal?” This self-published book has sold 4+ million copies since its May 2007 release. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List and has remained there for the past 25 weeks as of this writing. It has also held the #1 position on many other bestseller lists including Amazon.com, USA Today’s Top 150 Books, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books and is the #1 book of 2008 at ChristianBook.com. According to the author, the book is currently selling 87,000 copies a week in the secular book stores alone. All of this has allowed Young and his two publishing partners the luxury of holding out for just the right major motion picture deal as well. But there is a reason why several dozen publishers turned this book down. Here are a few of my observations – and objections.
The Shack’s Trinity
Several chapters into the book, a most unorthodox version of the Holy Trinity is revealed. Young’s tale diminishes Almighty God from His rightful position as a supernatural being. Instead of speaking by His Word and His Spirit, He is morphed into a feminine figure reduced to passing notes to those whom she wants to communicate with.
God is portrayed in The Shack as a large African-American woman named “Papa” also called “Elousia.” (Talk about gender confusion!) Jesus is a Jewish carpenter complete with a tool belt and the Holy Spirit is depicted as an Asian woman named after “Sarayu,” a mystical river in ancient India related to the Hindu deity Kali. Clearly, there is a trinity in The Shack but it is absolutely not the Trinity.
From my first glance at The Shack, it struck me that the idea of God in human form – even in the pages of a novel is more than just theologically questionable. It is forbidden by several passages from both the Old and New Testaments not the least of which is the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5). The Apostle Paul proclaims, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…” (Romans 1:21-23a)
Of The Shack, Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint contributing editor Travis McSherley wrote, “This is the root of the book’s problems. In the course of the biblical narrative, God the Father never reveals Himself in the form of a human. In fact, Christ rebukes His disciples for even suggesting it. (See John 14:5-10)
The Shack would not dispute these limits of understanding – it dedicates many pages to chastising believers who cling too tightly to traditional views of God’s nature. Yet, instead of expanding our thinking and our appreciation for divine mysteries, the book shrinks them quite dramatically by creating a deity so clearly influenced by human expectations of what God should be.”
Sin, Hell, Judgment, Salvation, the Incarnation,
Hierarchy and Authority in the Godhead, a Polynesian
Goddess and other assorted problems
Here are just a few of the many issues raised by The Shack:
– Young’s Papa character insists that sin is its own punishment. This distorts the reality of Hell and discounts eternal retribution for sin.
– Readers of The Shack are told that Jesus is only the best way to know God – not the only way.
– The Shack teaches that when Jesus went to the cross, God Almighty died there too. This is a heresy known as patripassianism. (In our private conversation I challenged Young about this but to no avail.)
– The Shack states that there is no structure or hierarchy within the Trinity and that the three personages of God are all equally subject to one another and to humans as well. I challenge fans of The Shack to open a Bible and try to make that square with the Scriptures!
– Young’s “Papa” character is suspiciously akin to a Polynesian/Hawaiian goddess who also happens to be known as “Papa.” When I quizzed Young on this he denied any knowledge of such a deity. However, the similarities with The Shack’s God character are stunning.
Now lets move on to perhaps the biggest concern.
Is Paul Young still a “Reconciling Universalist?”
I have noticed that in nearly every electronic or print media interview Paul Young volunteers that he is “not a universalist” and does so without ever being asked about it. But is he merely parsing words? Young is obviously nervous about the Christian world becoming convinced of any such thing. That said, it strikes me as odd that on a web page intended to answer critics of the book one of his editors, Wayne Jacobson, acknowledges that Young had previously embraced a form of universalism known as “universal reconciliation” and that this belief indeed appeared throughout the original manuscript. (Jacobson refers to it as “ultimate reconciliation” to avoid using the dreaded “U” word, universalism.)
Jacobson’s website states:
Does The Shack promote Ultimate Reconciliation (UR)?
“It does not. While some of that was in earlier versions because of the author’s partiality at the time to some aspects of what people call UR, I made it clear at the outset that I didn’t embrace UR as sound teaching and didn’t want to be involved in a project that promoted it. In my view UR is an extrapolation of Scripture to humanistic conclusions about our Father’s love that has to be forced on the biblical text.
Since I don’t believe in UR and wholeheartedly embrace the finished product, I think those who see UR here, either positively or negatively are reading into the text. To me that was the beauty of the collaboration.” (See: http://www.windblownmedia.com/shackresponse.html)
It is obvious that Young, Jacobson, and partner Brad Cummings all have a great deal to lose by not doing their best to debunk the book’s critics. They are very aware of where Young was theologically when he wrote the book. And that is the point isn’t it? It is the contents of the book (and presumably that of the forthcoming motion picture) that is being criticized here.
In the very beginning, I began to smell universalism in The Shack by simply reading it. These thoughts were more than confirmed through a very scholarly paper critiquing The Shack written by Dr. James De Young. Other leaders who have been critical of the book including Dr. Michael Youssef, Janet Parshall, Jan Markell and Dr. Larry DeBruyn have quoted Dr. De Young’s research – and for good reason.
Dr. De Young is a conservative professor at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He is fluent in Greek and Hebrew and also teaches an elective on the early Church Fathers. He is well equipped to expose universalism from both biblical and historical perspectives. Perhaps equally important to our discussion here, is the fact that for several years both Dr. De Young and Paul Young were members of a theological discussion group or “think tank” known as the M3 Forum. In response to the bountiful amount of universalistic ideas found in The Shack, Dr. De Young has published a well-documented 39 page paper which can be accessed at: http://theshackreview.com. Once on the website you will also find several shorter documents and a discussion forum with remarks from readers, many of which defend The Shack. These comments serve to illustrate the tremendous confusion and lack of biblically thinking we see abounding inside the Christian community today.
After having Young tell me face to face that he was not a universalist, I asked him about Dr. De Young’s paper. He bristled at me and made several accusations about De Young which I now understand to be unfounded. Since the meeting with Paul Young, I had the opportunity to meet personally with Dr. De Young for several hours. In our meeting he shared another yet-to-be-released paper with me which he has written exposing Paul Young’s very bold defense of universal reconciliation. I can best describe the information in it as shocking. In fact, in the Spring of 2004, Paul gave one of the most complete defenses of universal reconciliation imaginable and reiterated this position on at least two occasions – the latest being in May-June 2007 – after writing The Shack.
Having had no previous indication that a staunch believer was in their midst, Paul Young’s revelations heralding universal reconciliation came as a complete blind-side to the M3 Forum members. After the group contested Young’s ideas, Dr. De Young gave a lengthy rebuttal to all of Paul’s points, branding Young’s position as heretical, citing a church council decision from the 6th century. After this event in 2004, Paul Young ceased participating in the M3 Forum.
In reflecting on my personal conversation with Young at Warner Pacific in October 2008, I wish I had asked specifically “Are you now or have you ever been an advocate of universal reconciliation?” (Note that classical universalists believe that all religions lead to the same place where as those who hold to universal reconciliation believe that all men <read that “ALL”> are already saved because of Jesus’ work on the cross.) This position purports that there is no penalty for sin, no literal hell and no need to accept Christ and repent of one’s sins. It dramatically undermines the work of the Church, evangelism and the core teachings of the New Testament. It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. Again, it is not how skillfully Young may craft his words in denial of being a universalist or even what he may actually believe today that is the real question. It is the theological contents of The Shack that orthodox Christian critics are concerned with. Besides, universalism is but one of the many glaring unbiblical aspects of the book.In reflecting on my personal conversation with Young at Warner Pacific in October 2008, I wish I had asked specifically “Are you now or have you ever been an advocate of universal reconciliation?” (Note that classical universalists believe that all religions lead to the same place where as those who hold to universal reconciliation believe that all men <read that “ALL”> are already saved because of Jesus’ work on the cross.) This position purports that there is no penalty for sin, no literal hell and no need to accept Christ and repent of one’s sins. It dramatically undermines the work of the Church, evangelism and the core teachings of the New Testament. It is a satanic trap denying essential beliefs taught by Jesus, the Apostles and Bible believers throughout the Church Age. It is also exactly what Young believed in 2004. It is what he believed when he wrote The Shack and whether he believes it today or not you can be fairly certain that with millions of dollars at risk he is not about to re-edit The Shack to try and make theological corrections – at least without an act of God anyway. Again, it is not how skillfully Young may craft his words in denial of being a universalist or even what he may actually believe today that is the real question. It is the theological contents of The Shack that orthodox Christian critics are concerned with. Besides, universalism is but one of the many glaring unbiblical aspects of the book.
The REAL Problem
The bottom line concerning books, movies, television shows and other input like The Shack is that if our emotions rule and we fail to use scriptural discernment we can be taken captive by “evil imaginations”
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit… – Colossians 2:8
Knowing that the author actually portrayed himself as both Shack characters Missy (the violated-then-murdered six year-old) and her father, Mack (the one searching for God in a painful world) one’s heart surely breaks for what Paul Young has evidently endured in his lifetime. However, if readers fail to think biblically and allow only The Shack’s emotional storyline to grip them, they chance becoming prey to the very thing that I believe has duped many Christians into accepting and even endorsing the book. Empathy towards the author or his characters or becoming enamored by what many testify to as the positive real-world outcome of reading the book cannot trump one’s biblical analysis of the work. Young plays upon emotions constantly in the book and also as he lectures publically equating that because hearts are allegedly being touched that God must be giving approval to The Shack. When speaking to me personally, he emphasized the concept that results are all that matters. I responded that just because people testify that the book is somehow helping them, this does not necessarily mean that it is actually ordained by God. After all, God can use many means to reach people. God regularly uses disasters, accidents and tragedy of all sorts – even unorthodox or cultic books for His glory. This however doesn’t mean that God somehow deems heresy or terrible events as somehow good or positive in and of themselves.
The Nicest Heretic
Paul Young is perhaps the nicest heretic I have ever dealt with personally. That may sound flip but it’s true. He is a very nice guy who is presenting and defending some very dangerous even seductive heresies. As one who wears his emotions on his sleeve and who found himself being swayed by the heartbreaking storyline of The Shack, I must again caution. To allow a gripping story to cloud our ability to detect even the subtle theological errors strewn throughout its pages is exactly what Dr. Michael Youssef meant when he described The Shack as “a deep ditch that’s covered by beautiful landscape.”
The disturbing truth is that books like The Shack would never become a bestseller in the Christian world if Christians were on guard, thinking biblically and were willing to follow the Scriptures! In these dangerous days it is paramount that we actively develop “eyes of understanding” which constantly check everything by the Word of God – especially the stuff that claims to be of God. The Scripture implores us to prove or test all things (I Thessalonians 5:21-22) and this test can only be accomplished one way – by knowing the Bible and then utilizing what we know from it. Every Believer needs to be alert to the reality that in these last days deception is going to come at a rate never fathomed before. Mark my words, as time passes Satan is preparing to use unheralded and brazen trickery that will look and sound very spiritual, even Christian. The only hope we have to successfully avoid the traps is by prayerful, dedicated and aggressive study of God’s unchangeable Word. Otherwise, sooner or later we’ll find ourselves amongst a growing number from previously trustworthy evangelical circles that are heading straight for apostasy.
Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 that if the end days were not shortened by His return even the very elect would be deceived. Can we not assume that many who currently hang around the Church – and even some who preach or write books now popularly accepted in Christian circles – may in reality never endure to the end and are thus actually wolves in sheep’s clothing?
Source:
http://www.ericbarger.com/emailers/2008/update11-22-2008.htm
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