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Michaela Teaching A Bible Lesson
I do not know who this young girl is. This picture was found on Photobucket along with the caption. I wonder if she is teaching a class from church. Maybe she is teaching her brothers and sisters at home. What I do know is that she is following the commandent of Christ to reach out to others with the Word of God. Don’t you think this is a beautiful picture, this young girl, with a Bible in her hands, speaking forth, prophesying the Word? I do.
So, what are we doing? I mean as Christians, what are we doing for Christ? We banter back and forth and go on and on defending our pet theological positions, but what is being accomplished for the kingdom of God?
Some go to church on Sundays and think they have fulfilled their religious duty for the week, and because of their attendance on that one day a week, they think are OK with God. Nothing really happens through the rest of the week. Do they read their Bibles daily, pray and submit their life to God….? What about telling others about Jesus. Witnessing is probably one the hardest things for a lukewarm Christian to do….and why is it so hard? It shouldn’t be.
When you love the Lord, you have a joy in your heart, even in trials and hardships. It should become natural for us to share this with others. The Holy Spirit gives us the words to speak and the tools necessary to do His will … so what is the difficulty here? Obedience to His Word? An uncommitted life? Unregeneration? Submission? Sin? It is probably a mixture of all these things that prevent us from going out into the world and revealing with our mouths the glory of God. But emphasis may be placed on the latter.
“Oh, but I witness by being a good Christian and living a good life”, you may say. “People can see by my example that God works in my life.” This may be the case but your good example does not get someone else saved, unless they hear the Gospel. There are many good people out their doing “good works” but this won’t save them or anyone else for that matter. Good works without faith is empty. I read about all the works of the great humanitarians and wonder what their mindset is. Do they pat themselves on the back thinking, “Chalk one up for me and the good guy in the sky”….Do we do the same? Remember our good works are like filthy rags in the sight of God. Even in best good intentions are fulled with motives that are tinged with pride and selfishness.
Lets take a look at words of Jesus right before He left this world and ascended to be at the right hand of the Father where He resides today.
Mark 16:15-16
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
According to these verses whoever does not believe will be condemned and it is our responsibility to preach the good news of what Jesus did for us so that we can have eternal life. After that believers are to be baptized and taught to obey the teachings of Jesus. Can we do this? Of course we can, Jesus tell us that He is with us till He returns.
About 3 years ago during the lecture at Bible Study our teaching leader stated, “You know that you are now being trained for your own personal ministry.” At first this went over like a lead balloon with me. I did not want to hear this, but the same statement was repeated again shortly thereafter. This time there was not a sinking feeling but instead there was a realization that the Holy Spirit was working in me. The time had come to consider what my personal ministry involved and I began to pray about it.
The plan that God has for the Christian today is not different than the believers of the first century. The command of the Great Commission is the same for all time. This command is for every believer. So, I had to ask myself… am I making anyone a disciple of Jesus? Am I teaching anyone to obey the words of the Lord Jesus Christ? What was my answer? No..not one.
As we can see from the above verses, Jesus is not talking just about missionaries who go abroad, or just pastors or ministers. He is talking about ALL believers. I know what you are thinking….I am afraid. But consider Matthew 28:18:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Then add, ” And surely I am with you always.”
As a believer you are set aside for the use of God. You have the Holy Spirit at conversion and are born again. There is a profound awareness of the Spirit which gives us the confidence that we belong to Him. Romans 8:16 says:
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
As a child of God please share the blessings and the truth that you have found in your own life. Think back and try to remember who told you about Jesus Christ….A preacher? A relative? A friend? It was someone speaking and teaching the Word of God.
So Jesus is with us. He indwells us through the Holy Spirit. He gives the words to speak, the strength to do His work, and the courage to go boldly and proclaim His glory. He is the great enabler, and I know this so very well because this mouse of a person, who has no words, who has no courage, and is usually trapped by fear, has been able to do and say things that are certainly not of or from myself.
As one who relies on Christ to empower and enable, the promise of His drawing near is sweet and amazing as He fulfills the promise, “I am with you always.”
There is a condition though….please desire to be a clean channel for the Lord to work through. Sin separates us from God and repentance draws us back to Him. Where there is unconfessed sin of yesterday there is no power for today. Until that sin is named and confessed you will have grieved the Holy Spirit and therefore you will not have any true spiritual power. While the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within the believer, it is possible that we are not always walking in the Spirit as commanded.
Too many times, formulas, or phrases weaken our prayers, and these mouthed words have no meaning. So pray ernestly, asking for forgiveness, giving praise and thanksgiving. Then come to Him with your petitions. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power for your servanthood. Know that it is nothing of your own making that will change the lives of others. Only God has the power to change lives.
As you spread the word remember the Parable of Sower. There are four different soils that the seed, the Word, lands on. It is not your concern of what type of soil the Word lands on, but just that the seed is spread.
So what is your decision? Who can you tell about Jesus? A friend, a co-worker, a relative? God will point them out to you. He will give you the words.
Rely and trust in the Lord, and He will do the rest.
FROM THE GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT
From time to time, the General Council receives inquiries desiring comment on various revivals or ministries held in both Assemblies of God and non-Assemblies of God churches.
Rather than attempting to comment on any specific series of meetings, I feel it would be preferable to provide some Scriptural guidelines for assessment. I have great confidence in the maturity of Assemblies of God pastors and laity to make their own judgments and heed the admonition of the Apostle Paul: Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).
The Assemblies of God is irrevocably committed to the inspiration of Scripture, that the Bible provides the assessment tools needed for evaluating doctrine and experience, and is deeply hungry for the continued filling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Our former general superintendent, Thomas F. Zimmerman, once compared the Holy Spirit to a mighty river, and the Scriptures to the banks of that river. Brother Zimmerman said that great harm occurs when the river overruns the banks, but that the river does great good when it stays within the banks.
Thus, it is well for us to look at the safeguards the Bible provides in helping us “test everything.” Here are the questions we should always ask.
1. Is Jesus Christ exalted? The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to testify about Christ; and to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come (John 15:26, 16:8). To the Corinthian church that had become overly enamored with charismatic manifestations, the Apostle Paul reminded them that “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Thus, the focus for any lasting revival always must be on Jesus. The Holy Spirit has not come to glorify Himself, or any human or angelic personality.
2. Is the Word of God proclaimed? Every revival with lasting effect has always been rooted in the preaching of God’s Word. This is in keeping with the spread of the Gospel in the early Church as recorded in Acts.
- Following the first persecution, they “spoke the word of God boldly” (4:31).
- Following the second persecution and flogging, “day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped preaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (5:42).
- After the selection of deacons, “the word of God spread” (6:7).
- Resulting from Saul’s persecution of the church, “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (8:4).
- Samaria “accepted the word of God” (8:14).
- The Gentiles of Cornelius’ household “received the word of God” (11:1).
- Paul and Barnabas preached “the word of God” on their first missionary journey and “the word of God spread through the whole region” (13:46, 49).
- Before departing for their second missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas and many others “taught and preached the word of the Lord” at Antioch (15:35).
- The Holy Spirit kept Paul and Barnabas from “preaching the word in the province of Asia” (16:6).
- The Bereans “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (17:11); Paul “was preaching the word of God at Berea” (17:13).
- At Corinth, “Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God” (18:11).
- Through Paul’s ministry at Ephesus, “all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:10).
- Paul’s farewell words to the Ephesians elders are: “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (20:27).
It is clear from the above references that great focus was given in the early Church to the preaching of the Word, sometimes also identified as proclaiming the Gospel. This is consistent with the first commitment of the early Church following the day of Pentecost – “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine . . .” (Acts 2:42).
Thus, a doctrinal test for any revival is whether the content of the preaching is the same as Jesus and the apostles. The Word of God stands over personal viewpoints. Any Biblical revival must “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). If so-called truth is being proclaimed that cannot be found in Scripture, then that proclamation violates the specific announcement of Scripture that the faith “was once for all entrusted” and such a proclamation also deviates from the apostles’ fidelity to preach the Word, and from the early Church’s devotion to the apostles’ doctrine.
The Azusa Revival (1906-1909) unabashedly proclaimed that the sure plumb line of truth was God’s revealed and written Word. Elder Seymour and others were criticized sharply for their insistence on “checking everything out with the Word.” But, they were unashamed. In fact, Seymour responded to these criticisms in the September, 1907, issue of The Apostolic Faith.
“We are measuring everything by the Word, every experience must measure up with the Bible. Some say that is going too far, but if we have lived too close to the Word, we will settle that with the Lord when we meet Him in the air.
Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival – fidelity to God’s Word is the test. Jesus Himself said there would be many who would do miracles in His name and even cast out demons, but He does not know them (Matthew 7:15-23). Jesus warned that “many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matthew 24:11). Paul warns, “If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3). To the Galatians, Paul writes: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8). Paul also warns us: “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connections with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:18-19). Peter warns us that “there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies . . . Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” (2 Peter 2:1-3).
In summary, the message must always be examined. If the message and the messenger line up with God’s Word, then the revival is on safe Biblical ground and it should and must be embraced. If not, then even though miracles and manifestations occur, it should be avoided.
This raises the question of how can healings and miracles occur if the message and/or messenger are not consistent with Scripture. The attribution for the healings and miracles is the grace of God and his mercy for hurting people.
3. Are persons repenting of sin, and being baptized in water and the Holy Spirit? Repentance has been called the first word of the Gospel because it is the initial response called for by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), Jesus (Matthew 4:17), the Twelve (Mark 6:12), Jesus after His resurrection (Luke 24:47), Peter (Acts 2:36), and Paul (Acts 26:20). With repentance comes baptism in water and the overwhelming or baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39).
Unless these initiatory events of the Christian life occur, along with the sanctifying work of the Spirit that leads to a holy life – then the miracles, crowds, and enthusiasm will quickly wane.
Of course, there are additional questions that can be raised, but my purpose is to give some starter reflections for those who have honest hearts to “test all things” as Paul admonished. If the above three questions cannot be answered with a resounding yes, then perhaps other questions are unnecessary.
The modern Pentecostal revival is now over 100 years old. Within that revival, there have been some significant centers of activity. For example, the Azusa Street Revival generated a missionary movement whose effects we still see today. The Charismatic Renewal brought refreshing both to Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal believers. However, there have also been some tornadoes that have brought destruction. In other words – there have been good winds and ill winds.
It is our responsibility to maintain a deep hunger for God and to keep our focus on the mission He has given us: to bring glory to God, to evangelize the lost, and to make disciples. We cannot do this on our own. We need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit along with the signs that follow those who believe.
Someone has said that revivals are like child birth. They are messy, but you like the final result. Certainly, every revival has been marked by some elements that would be regarded as extreme. Dr. J. Edwin Orr, who studied and wrote more on the history of revivals than any one else in Christian history, told me once that revivals are like a cabin on the Maine coast that has been shuttered up for the winter. When the winds begin to blow, the first thing that begins to make noise is all the loose hinges and shutters. And, that may well be the case – so we must be cautious at the initial onset of a revival to let some “loose hinges and shutters” have their freedom – but, ultimately, if the revival is to have enduring fruitfulness, it must be pastored carefully with doctrinal soundness, moral and financial accountability, and care to give publicity to Christ rather than to the revival.
The Azusa Street revival had such enduring fruitfulness precisely because the three questions raised above can be well answered – both then and now: Christ was exalted, the Word of God was the plumb line, and people responded to the Gospel with repentance, and baptism in water and in the Spirit. And, like the early Church, they were full of the Holy Spirit and went everywhere to share the Good News!
Let us keep the prayer of Habakkuk (3:2) in our hearts and on our lips:
LORD, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds,
O LORD.
Renew them in our day,
In our time make them known.
In our time make them known.
Your brother in Christ,
George O. Wood
George O. Wood
With the concurrence of the Executive Presbytery of
The General Council of the Assemblies of God
The General Council of the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God say Lakeland “should be avoided”?
I’m not sure if it is in direct response to our open letter, but I just received a note (thanks Karen) notifying me that just a few hours ago, the Assemblies of God posted an “Official Statement on Revival” . The link leads to a video of Dr. George O. Wood making comments which deal with “revival” in general. The “statement” never mentions Florida, Lakeland, Ignited Church or Todd Bentley, nor does it mention specific matters in relation to the “Florida Outpouring”.
I think this would be a good start if there is going to be some further direct statements concerning the “Florida Outpouring”. But if there will be no further statements, I would only call this a positive step to a wishy-washy objective. This statement gives no firm warning to the “sheep” to stay away from Lakeland, and to stay away from Todd Bentley and his posse of heretics
For now, I will have to take what I can get. Dr. Wood’s statement deals with the history of the Azusa Street Revival and he states: “the sure plumb line of truth was God’s revealed and written Word. Elder Seymour and others were criticized sharply for their insistence on “checking everything out with the Word.” But, they were unashamed.”
Dr. George Wood also states “The Word of God stands over personal viewpoints. Any Biblical revival must “contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3). If so-called truth is being proclaimed that cannot be found in Scripture, then that proclamation violates the specific announcement of Scripture that the faith “was once for all entrusted” and such a proclamation also deviates from the apostles’ fidelity to preach the Word, and from the early Church’s devotion to the apostles’ doctrine.”
Dr. Wood continues; “Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival – fidelity to God’s Word is the test.”
“In summary, the message must always be examined. If the message and the messenger line up with God’s Word, then the revival is on safe Biblical ground and it should and must be embraced. If not, then even though miracles and manifestations occur, it should be avoided.”
So according to Dr. Wood’s own statements, this “outpouring” in Lakeland, Florida is NOT on safe Biblical ground because it most assuredly DOES NOT “line up with God’s Word! Therefore, Dr. Wood implies that the “Florida Outpouring” and Todd Bentley “should be avoided.”
I wonder how Dr. Wood and the Assemblies of God national leadership will get this message to their flock??
I hate to be so pessimistic but I have a feeling that if Dr. Wood can’t bear to name names, then he must not want to turn his pastors and congregations against a “particular” outpouring.
I’m thankful that Dr. Wood has made some kind of statement (regardless of the generalities and vague non-specifics). I just pray that he does whatever it takes to make sure that the congregations hear the little bit of a leading that he expressed. (Dr. Wood… How about an article in the Pentecostal Evangel telling people to stay away from Lakeland?)
War on the Saints – Manifestations
When I was sixteen and in Youth Group at church, our leader decided that it would be a great idea to visit other churches and attend their worship service. Our first and only visit would be to a Southern Baptist church in Seattle. I lived in Bellevue at the time, a predominately middle-class white community.
On that particular Sunday morning in the year 1969, we all piled into a couple of cars and headed for Seattle. I remember we all sat in the very back row of the church. Now the service started and the music impressed us. We were used to the typical hymns and this music didn’t sound like anything we had heard before, and it was great.
Of course this was before total pandemonium broke out. The singing got louder and louder and then wilder. Before we knew it…people were rolling in the aisles, legs and arms were flailing, there were loud cries and anguished shouts. People were laying everywhere, shaking, jerking and wailing.
Ushers then came out but now they were dressed as nurses. In white uniforms. People who could not get up were carried out on stretchers. I do not really recall how long this went on. I do remember looking over at our youth group leader and noticing how white his face looked.
When the service was over, (there was no sermon) I remember filing out and shaking the pastors hand, with him thanking us for coming. What a silent ride home. We never discussed what we had seen at this church. To this day I wonder what my friends in youth group told their parents.
I knew that this was not of God and that what we had seen….was demonic. This was my first discernment. It was not until 2004, 35 years later, that I found out about the Toronto Blessing, and Brownsville, Pensacola manifestations. Watching video clips from these services mirrored exactly what I saw so many years ago.
This is from War on the Saints:
MIXED MANIFESTATIONS
The majority of those present may have no idea of the mixture which has crept in. Some fall upon the ground unable to bear the strained emotion, or effect upon the mind; and some are thrown down by some supernatural power; others cry out in ecstasy; the speaker leaves the platform, passes by a young man, who becomes conscious of a feeling of intoxication upon him, which does not leave his senses for some time. Others laugh with the exuberance of the intoxicating joy. Some have had real spiritual help and blessing through the Word of God being expounded ere this climax came, and during the pure outflow of the Holy Spirit; consequently they accept these strange workings as from God, because in the first stage of the meeting, their needs have been truly met by Him; and they cannot discern the two separate “manifestations” coming through the same channel! If they doubt the latter part of the meeting, they fear they are untrue to their inner conviction that the earlier part was “of God.” Others are conscious that the “manifestations” are contrary to their spiritual vision, and judgment; but on account of the blessing of the earlier part they stifle their doubts, and say “We cannot understand the ‘physical’ manifestations, but we must not expect to understand all that God does. We only know that the wonderful outpouring of truth and love and light at the beginning of the meeting was from God, and met our need. No one can mistake the sincerity, the pure motive of the speaker . . therefore, although I cannot understand, or say I ‘like’ the physical manifestations, yet–it must be all of God . . “
TRUE AND COUNTERFEIT ACCEPTED TOGETHER
Briefly put, this is a glimpse into the mixed “manifestations” which have come upon the Church of God, since the Revival in Wales; for, almost without exception, in every land where revival has since broken forth, within a very brief period of time the counterfeit stream has mingled with the true; and almost without exception, true and false have been accepted together, because of the workers being ignorant of the possibility of concurrent streams; or else have been rejected together by those who could not detect the one from the other; or it has been believed that there was no “true” at all, because the majority of believers fail to understand that there can be mixed workings of the (1) Divine and Satanic, (2) Divine and human, (3) Satanic and human, (4) soul and spirit, (5) soul and body, (6) body and spirit; the three latter in the way of feelings and consciousness, and the three former in the way of source and power.
There must be more than one quantity to make a mixture; at least two. The devil mixes his lies with the truth, for he must use a truth to carry his lies. The believer must therefore discriminate, and judge all things. He must be able to see so much to be impure, and so much that he can accept. Satan is a “mixer.” If in anything he finds ninety-nine percent pure, he tries to insert one percent of his poisonous stream, and this grows, if undetected, until the proportions are reversed. Where there is mixture acknowledged to be in meetings where supernatural manifestations take place, if believers are unable to discriminate, they should keep away from these “mixtures” until they are able to discern.
In accepting the counterfeits of Satan, the believer thinks, and believes, he is complying with Divine conditions in order to ascend to a higher life; whereas he complies with conditions for Satanic workings in his life, and thereby descends into a pit of deception and suffering, with his spirit and motive pure.
Ppg. 98-100
I have never found out, even though I have been researching how the false manifestations were transferred or originated in this Seattle church.The transfer of the “anointing” from HTB ( Holy Trinity Brompton) to Toronto (the Toronto Blessing), then onto Pensacola, is well documented. If you take a look at this chart you will see some interesting and well-known names.
Here is the main link
The Holy Spirit cannot be passed from one person into another. In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Matthew 25:1-13, each virgin had a lamp which represents the profession of Christianity. It is the oil that gives off the light though. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. When the virgins slept because of their long wait for the bridegroom, five of them had not prepared themselves. When the midnight cry came, the virgins awoke and started to trim their lamps, but alas, five had no oil. They asked the five virgins for some of their oil, but they said. “No, go and buy some for yourselves.” This oil is not transferable. One cannot borrow the Holy Spirit from another person. Neither can it be “transferred”, “imparted” or “passed on.”
It was too late for these foolish virgins, for when they returned the door was shut.
“Sir! Sir! Open the door for us.”
“I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”
MARCIA’S STORY: A STRANGE BUT TRUE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Spirit guides, meditation, astrology, the “higher Self,” raising the kundalini, developing psychic abilities, praying to gurus, astral travel, numerology, Tarot cards, contacting the dead, hanging out with witches, Sufis, followers of Muktananda, Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Maharaji, — all these and more were part of my journey. How did I get on this path?
The beginnings
I grew up with an agnostic father and a mother who was raised going to church. My sister and I had to attend church, because my mother thought that was the right thing to do, although she did not always go. Due to my father’s job in the Foreign Service, we moved around a lot, so we ended up in different churches located overseas and in the Washington, DC, area. Eventually, I became serious about religion. In high school, I had the idea that being good would please God and get me into heaven. But reading about other religions and meeting those who believed differently made me wonder. Maybe there was more to it than what I had — some knowledge of God and Jesus which was mostly superficial. I wanted something deeper, more experiential. I was also rejecting the idea of hell and was disillusioned with Christians. Christianity seemed defined by sermons, going to Sunday School, and doing good works. How boring! I was missing out on something! Also, I never fit in during my high school years. Being someone who wrote poetry, being in an alcoholic home, having no real roots all combined to make me feel different and unlike other people. I started my journey at the end of high school.
That journey continued through college where I had paranormal experiences, made friends with someone who said she saw auras, and attended spiritualist meetings where the ministers received messages from the dead. One bright sunny Florida afternoon, as I rested on my bed fully awake with eyes partly closed, I felt myself floating. I opened my eyes and was stunned to see my body on the bed below me as I hovered near the ceiling. I thought I had died. The shock slammed me back into my body in an almost painful way. This was my first out-of-body experience and I had no idea what it was or that it even had a name. I told no one about it.
The journey stretched into the 70’s when I visited psychics and an astrologer, and did a lot of reading on the paranormal, and about Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. I remember reading a book on Vedanta (sect of Hinduism) each morning in the cafeteria of the building where I worked. I started to see connections in my life with the colors of the chakras, the seven psychic centers of energy in the body according to Hindu beliefs. This and other experiences pushed me into an active plunge into the alluring worlds of the paranormal and Eastern beliefs.
Into the fire
In an Inner Light Consciousness class, I was introduced to my “spiritual master” during a guided visualization. This guide, a spirit being, looked kind and wise. I felt his presence with me and sometimes saw him in dreams and meditations until 1990. I also had unpleasant, scary and weird experiences and visitations, once seeing a tall hooded figure in dark robes looking at my body in the bed as I hovered out-of-body nearby. Although extremely frightened by this apparition, I rationalized it by telling myself that I was being tested. Another time, as I was out-of-body, I not only saw my body on the bed, but also saw a double of myself floating across from me. I had spontaneous out-of-body experiences that sometimes kept me from sleeping and that were also often very eerie. But to me, the paranormal was spiritual, and spiritual was good.
Another reason I accepted the scary stuff was my attitude. I liked to think I was tough and nothing could frighten me away. So I would think, “Go ahead, scare me. I can take it!” I had a lot of anger and defiance in me which probably came from dealing with an alcoholic parent. This angry defiance proved useful to me in many ways. It helped me get through a lot of painful situations, and it was going to help me deal with the bizarre experiences I would face. But anger and defiance over a long period of time easily turn into cynicism. I did become cynical although it was usually hidden, even from myself, behind a desire to help people. This defiant cynicism was my defense, as in “No one is going to stop me doing what I want; nothing can scare me away; and don’t try to impress me.” Later, after many occult experiences, the cynicism was deeper. I knew a lot of people had not done what I had, and I thought most people were wimps and satisfied with superficial lives, not searching deeply as I was. But this was my defense against getting hurt or feeling helpless.
I also learned to meditate, do psychic healing, analyze dreams, and chant. It was mystical and magical. When I first started to do Eastern meditation, I felt an incredible peace. I felt that I was fading away and merging with something greater. It seemed I was literally one with the universe, and the teaching that we are all connected to one force seemed true. After all, I believed that truth was in experience, and here my experience was confirming that belief. At last, I thought, I was connecting to that spiritual realm. Later, my studies took me on many paths — Tibetan, Hindu and Zen meditation and philosophy, spirit contact, numerology, psychic development, past life regression. Reincarnation seemed to answer questions and I experienced what I thought were memories of past lives. However, it was sad to think that my next life might not be so great so if I did not learn lessons from this or previous lives. But why dwell on that?
Finally, it seemed I was on the edge of a hidden wisdom, a truth higher than the everyday superficial thinking around me. Books by Edgar Cayce, Ruth Montgomery, Chogyam Trungpa (Tibetan Buddhism), Annie Besant (Theosophy), Hanz Holzer (ghosts), and Ram Dass (Hinduism/New Age), and titles like Seth Speaks, The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra, The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, and Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda began to fill my shelves, along with books on astrology, tarot cards, numerology, and other occult teachings. My spiritual progress seemed assured, especially since I was having so many paranormal experiences. The natural result was that I felt I was an “insider” in the spiritual realm.
Unanswered questions
Over the years, my psychic experiences escalated. I studied astrology and took a 7-hour exam on astrology in Atlanta, Georgia, administered by the City but formulated and graded by an astrology board, in order to qualify for the business license. Passing the test, I started practicing astrology, and eventually I taught astrology, gave public talks, wrote for astrological and New Age journals, and sat on the board of astrology examiners that gave and graded the exams, becoming chairman of that board. I became president of the Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society in June, 1989. My Halloween birthday and astrological skills made me popular with witches and others.
I noticed that while doing chart readings for clients, I would “tune in” to the chart in a paranormal way, during which I felt an energy connecting my mind to the chart, and felt guided through the chart. It often seemed that I was being fed information or led to specific things to say about the client. After so many years of Eastern meditation techniques, I was slipping without effort into an altered state of consciousness while doing astrology. I gave credit to my “past lives” as an astrologer and spiritual counselor, to the help of spirit guides, and to astrology itself. In those years, the only source of such information could be good since I did not believe in evil.
Yet, with all the knowledge and experience I had acquired, what were the answers? Since I came to believe there was only ignorance, not evil, stories of vicious cruelty and murder made me uncomfortable. Though I believed I would be coming back after my death, where would I go in between and for how long? Some taught that we would go somewhere that was like a school, then choose our next life. Others taught that we go somewhere to be spiritually purified – how, it was not explained – then our next life would be chosen for us. By whom? That was not explained. We were supposed to just trust the process.
There was also the disquieting teaching that whatever thought was in my mind at the moment of death would determine the after-death experience for some time. Better not have a bad thought for too long! Better not fall asleep with fearful images! This was scary to contemplate — but that contemplation was itself a negative thought! I would often soothe myself by meditating or chanting something — maybe the “Hare Krishna” chant I had taught myself, or repeating a Tibetan Buddhist mantra like “Om Mani Padme Om.”
I sought peace in Zen Buddhism. Trying to detach myself from all desire involved a meditation that allows thoughts, fears, or desires to come up and then not to respond to them. This was to be applied to life outside meditation as well. For someone like myself, carrying a lot of emotional pain from my past and my present, this was appealing. But though detachment sounded good in all the books, there was a price to pay. The detachment seemed contrived and unnatural. Seeing “the emptiness” behind my surroundings, another sign of spiritual acumen, struck me as nihilistic and depressing. Maybe if I had pursued these practices more devoutly, I might have gradually replaced my natural reactions and feelings with non-feeling. But is it human to be non-feeling, to accept every thought, action, and emotion without judgment?
Being taught to be natural and “holistic” on one hand, but then learning to let go of my natural reactions on the other, seemed a contradiction. Of course, rational analysis like this was discouraged, even attacked. Therefore, contradictions could and should be accepted. If it didn’t make sense, so much the better. The idea was to transcend the rational mind which was a barrier between me and enlightenment. Although I failed in achieving detachment, I clung to the paradoxical teachings of Zen, reading books with Zen tales, and continuing the meditation. I noticed that the peace I had felt with my initial meditations had decreased, causing me to meditate more in an attempt to re-capture that elusive peace.
I also learned that the nature of occult and New Age thinking is that there is no one answer. There is no one single truth, and there is no one reality. Truth is based on your experience, so it changes and can differ from person to person. If there are multi-levels of reality and there is no absolute truth, then there must be many contradicting truths and realities. In the abstract, this was fascinating food for thought, and led to being comfortable with whatever truth I wanted. But on the practical level, what difference did truth make if one finally discovered it? Or how did we know if there really was such a thing? And if not, what did anything that anyone believed matter anyway? These teachings gave answers that only raised more questions.
Death and love
We are just drops in the ocean, I learned, and the goal is to eventually, after many lifetimes, rejoin the cosmic oneness that some call God. This God-force was what we came from and was our final destiny. So that meant my identity, memories, talents, and personality would be swallowed whole into the cosmic One. Where would I be? The disturbing answer was that I would no longer be. Death became an absorbing but uneasy topic for me.
The best way to help others and stay true to your path, I heard and read over and over, was to work on yourself and love yourself. Although talk of “love” was common and was taught to be the basis for everything, it also seemed that some used the “law of love” as a way to justify whatever they were doing. So, if your husband was not your spiritual match, then “real love” allowed you to leave him or find another with whom you had a true bond. After all, this was a “law” of the universe: the law of love. But this love was not defined. It was just sort of out there – a love force that pervaded the universe. There was no personal being to love me; there was this energy coming from the cosmic One and that was it. Could a force care?
Despite the meditations, trying to live in “the now,” and the talk of love, I continued to have frightening experiences. One of the worst was waking up to see an older woman staring at me from the bottom of the bed. I knew she was not flesh and blood, but a spirit. She did not speak, but I heard her in my mind say to me, “I am here to take over your body.” Too scared to speak, I said in my mind, “No! No!” This seemed to go on for a long time, although I have no idea how long it really was. Finally, she simply faded away. I was left trembling, perspiring, and my heart racing. By the way, I was not doing drugs.
The compulsion
An unexplained compulsion to go to a church gripped me in the spring and summer of 1990. Since I hated Christianity, churches and Christians by now, this made me angry. I first ignored this compulsion, then resisted it, and then, after struggling against it for awhile, I decided to give in, hoping that it would go away. It was probably from one of my former lives as a priest or monk, I reasoned.
In the opening minutes of a service in a large church in downtown Atlanta, I felt a love I had never known wash down over and through me, so powerfully that I started crying. I knew this love was from God, not from the music, the people, or the place. That love was the real thing. Coming from an alcoholic home, I was starving for that love. I returned the following Sunday, not to have another experience, but so that I could be where that love had happened to me.
After several weeks, I began to feel unclean about astrology although no one in this open-minded church said anything about it. All I knew was that it was somehow separating me from this God of love. I then got the impression that God did not like astrology and wanted me to give it up. Give up my life’s work? Give up my identity and purpose? Outside of my son, nothing was more important to me than astrology. But I felt I had no choice; it was so clear to me that God did not like astrology. Not even believing what I was doing, I decided to give up astrology in late 1990. At the time, I was chairperson of the curriculum committee, a member of other committees at the astrological society, and scheduled to teach an upcoming class. I had to find another teacher. I had to tell clients who called I was no longer an astrologer. (I did give a talk in February, 1991, after bad advice from a pastor and not liking what I was doing but not strong enough to get out of it. It took over a year for full comprehension of what I had been involved in to sink in.) Now what happens? Thinking I should read the Bible, I started reading in Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. Reading the Bible put me in touch with something pure, but I didn’t know what it was. Although I had read the Bible before while growing up and had quoted from it for astrological articles, this time it was different. I felt as though I was being cleaned from the inside out as I read it.
As real as it gets
This person Jesus fascinated me. It was as though I was learning about Him for the first time. One evening while reading part of the 8th chapter of Matthew, right before Christmas of 1990, I saw who Jesus really is. On the boat with His disciples, a terrible storm arose. The disciples were afraid and woke Jesus up, telling Him that they were going to perish. Jesus stopped the storm in its tracks! How? He did not visualize calm waters, He did not perform sorcery. He rebuked the winds and the sea, and they obeyed him. That means He has authority over nature. I was separated from God by everything I had done in my past — I had lived my whole life based on my will, a will that had rejected and defied God and His word. I realized that the only way to be forgiven, the only way to be reconciled with God, was through Jesus, the God-man who suffered and died for me out of a great and unconditional love. I realized Jesus is the Savior, He is the Son of God and God the Son. I understood for the first time why Jesus died on the cross. In those several minutes sitting on my bed with the Bible, I knew that the truth and the answer to all my questions were one and the same: Jesus Christ. What a simple but awesome truth! And so I gave myself to Christ and knew I belonged to Him from that moment on. Several months later, I found out that a young Christian man at the part-time job where I worked had been praying for me with a fellowship group at his church during 1990.
Jesus was different from the masters I had studied. He was more real than the spirit guides, the Ascended Masters, the Higher Self — all those airy, elusive things that gave no evidence of their existence — because He came to earth in flesh and He hungered, thirsted, felt pain and sorrow. He did not give a message that denied the dirt and dust of life, but He sat with the outcasts, the prostitutes, and the hated tax collectors yet remained sinless. He was as real as it gets. Though fully man, Jesus was fully God incarnate, equal to God in nature but setting aside that glory (not deity) to be among suffering men and women. Jesus Christ willingly was tortured, laid down His life and died an agonizing death to pay for our sins. He bodily rose on the third day, conquering death, so that we can have eternal life with God. No sorcerer, no spiritual master, no Buddha, no shaman, no witch, no psychic has conquered death, but all still lie cold in their graves. But Jesus has power over death and is living today.
Truth and satisfaction
Spiritually, I had been in a grave with the buddhas and the sorcerers and the seekers of wisdom who had rejected the truth of Christ. The complicated and intricate studies that had enthralled me, the endless layers of truths and realities I had pursued, the constant effort to evolve, the paranormal experiences, the need to believe in one’s own goodness at all costs, were all a maze and a trap. The truth was simple enough for a child because the truth is a Person. Jesus did not teach the way or say He had a way. He said that He is the way — not a way, but THE way.
Many people want to know if I had to wage spiritual warfare after trusting Christ. Well, a few months later, as I was about to go forward in a church to publicly proclaim faith in Christ, I got incredibly ill. When I went home, I got sicker. I felt an angry presence in the room and I thought it was my spirit guide. I basically told him I belonged to Christ and there was nothing he could do about it, that even if I died, it was too late. “You lose,” I said. I was addressing Satan, although I was really talking to my spirit guide. I do not believe in doing this now; I do not address demons nor Satan. They have already been spoken to and defeated by Christ. I prefer to speak to the ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ. I do not want to give demons any attention at all. Yes, I have had a few strange attacks that could be construed as demonic. But I do not like to focus on them. My focus is on the One who is worthy of attention: Jesus Christ, who has power over all rulers and principalities, in both the physical and spiritual realms.
What is the biggest difference between my former life and my life in Christ? That I am happier, that life is easier? Not at all. The difference is that I am spiritually satisfied. There is more to learn and much room to grow, but the learning and growth spring from Christ as the foundation, not from a search outside Him. The search has ended; the thirst has been quenched; the hunger within has been filled.
(You will find Marcia’s story with more detail in Chapter 10 of The Unexpected Journey (Zondervan) by Thom S. Rainer. This book contains the firsthand accounts of 12 people who came to faith in Christ from other spiritual beliefs and told their stories to Dr. Rainer. This book is sold on Amazon’s site and also on the CBD site at www.christianbook.com, and can also be found in or ordered by bookstores).
Jesus speaks
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” – John 14:6.“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” – John 4:14“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” – John 6:35“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'” – Matthew 28:18
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20
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Here is Marcia Montenegro’s site
CANA Christian Answers for the New Age.
http://christiananswersforthenewage.org/AboutCANA_Background.html
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England’s best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London’s famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861 the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.
Spurgeon’s printed works are voluminous, and those provided here are only a sampling of his best-known works, including his magnum opus, The Treasury of David. Nearly all of Spurgeon’s printed works are still in print and available from Pilgrim Publications, PO Box 66, Pasadena, TX 77501.
Always hungry for the Word, I have been enjoying the many quotes that people have been using from C. H. Spurgeon. I decided to take a look at a Spurgeon site and start reading some of his sermons.
It is like…wow…the truth…unadulterated messages from the Word itself. Oh, how spirit-filled this man was…you can read and hear it in his words. The words come tumbling out of his mouth as they are truly spoken from the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit filled words. How wonderful!…how….rare!
Seeing, example after example of false prophets, spouting new age ideas, ministering false gospels, I needed to read Spurgeon to assure myself that I knew the truth when it was being truly administered. Someone who knew scripture, who wasn’t turning it into pretzels, with circular reasoning, or snipping off part of a verse off with scissors and pounding it into an ill-fitting jigsaw puzzle of apostasy.
Here Spurgeon speaks of what is expected of the true mininsters of God and about repentance. Here is the link to this sermon, but below are a few timely quotes:
From the Sermon: Apostolic Exhortation.
“Accursed let him be that takes away from the gospel of Jesus Christ that he may win popular applause, or who bates his breath and smoothes his tongue that he may please the unholy throng. Such a man may have for a moment the approbation of fools, but, as the Lord his God liveth, he shall be set as a target for the arrows of vengeance in the day when the Lord cometh to judge the nations. Peter, then, boldly and earnestly preached the gospel—preached the Christ of the gospel—preached it personally and directly at the crowd who were gathered around him.”
“Oh! blessed readiness of a soul on fire with the Spirit, Lord, grant it to us evermore.”
“The object of the Christian minister should always be to withdraw attention from himself to his subject, so that it should not be said, “How well he spake!” but, “Upon what weighty matters he treated!” They are priests of Baal, who, with their gaudy dresses, and their pretensions to a mysterious power, would have you look to themselves as the channels of grace, as though by their priestcraft, if not by their holiness, they could work miracles; but they are true messengers of God who continually say, “Look not on us as though we could do anything: the whole power to bless you lies in Jesus Christ, and in the gospel of his salvation.”
“Go on, my dear brethren, preaching the gospel boldly, and be not afraid of the result, for, however little may be your strength, and though your eloquence may be as nought, yet God has promised to make his gospel the power to save, and so it shall be down to the world’s end.”
“We are not come to tell you that you must reform a little, and mend your ways in some degree: except you put your trust in Christ, forsake your old way of life, and become new creatures in Christ Jesus, you must perish. This—nothing short of this—is the gospel requirement. No church-going, no chapel-going, will save you; no bowing of the knee, no outward form of worship, no pretensions and professions to godliness- ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and if ye do not this, neither shall your sins be blotted out. Thus much, then, on the first point: the apostle commanded men to repent and be converted.”
“When our Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to the tree by sinners, sin only did then literally and openly what all sin really does in a spiritual sense. Do you understand me? Those offendings of yours which you have thought so little of, have been really a stabbing at the Deity. Will you not repent, if it be so? While you thought your sins to be mere trifles, light things to be laughed at, you would not repent; but now I have shown you (and I think your conscience will bear me out) that every sin is really an attempt to thrust God out of the world, that every sin is saying, “Let there be no God.” Oh! then there is cause enough to repent of it.”
Oh Lord, I pray that those who are involved in false ministries will have their eyes opened to the truth. I pray that false teachers will see the result of their rotting fruit, and repent of their sin. Amen.
Once I read…. “to understand the book of Revelation you need to study Genesis”. Not much of an explanation was given but I have been thinking about this for a long time. Studying New Age Enlightenment piqued my interest in looking at verses about “light”. New Age techniques that involve meditation can take a person into an altered consciousness that may result in seeing an explosion of light. They often describe a feeling of euphoria or a oneness with the universe along with this experience and believe it to be godly. Let’s take a look…..
Q. SO WHAT IS THE LIGHT?
A. It is the Word of God.
Psa 119:105 . Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
A. It is Jesus Christ.
Jhn 8:12 Then spake Jesus again into them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Jhn 12:46 I am come as a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Q. WHAT DOES THE LIGHT DO?
A. It exposes evil.
Jhn 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Jhn 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the ligh, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Jhn 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Q. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LIGHT?
2Cr 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2Cr 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath sinned in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
A. The light gives knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Q. WHOSE LIGHT ARE YOU SEEING?
Luke 11:33-34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when [thine eye] is evil, thy body also [is] full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
A. 2Cr 11:14 And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light…….
We were discussing Luke 11:33-36 at Bible Study and talked about ways Christians could be light unto the world and how light is used and what does it do? Light shows the way and it exposes what is in the darkness. It exposes sin. Think of a speck of dust in a sunbeam. Suddenly dust and dirt show up in greater detail than we like to admit. What once was a speck is a now a whole lot of dirt when it is under the scrutiny of the Lords eyes. Light is a beacon opening up a pathway to the truth. This light on the pathway also warns of any bumps on the road.We are to expose our light to others, helping them find the way to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to share the gospel with others and our love of Christ.
This prompts me to ask:
Does the light of new age meditation expose sin?
Does the light of new age meditation cause repentance and hunger for the word of God?
Conclusion: If the answers are no, then the New Age enlightenment is not “the light of the world”, it is the light of Satan’s counterfeit spirituality.
Now back to Genesis….
Genesis 1:3-4 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:14-19And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them by for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
This is what amazes me. God said “let there be light” on the first day. But He did not create the sun and the moon till the fourth day. God’s own light, reached the formless earth and empty darkness.
Revelation 21:23-24 says: The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light…
The Lord says He is coming soon! He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. We can see by studying God’s word, that His light shone on the earth in the beginning and and we who live for Him will walk in the glory of His light at the end of time. The light is Jesus Christ who is bodily coming again to set up his kingdom here on earth and He will rule.
Is your present life dark and empty? Have you been seeking light from the wrong sources? Read God’s word and pray that its meaning will be illuminated in your heart and mind. Jesus is the only true light in this world. Will you seek him today?
Chicken Soup for the Soul…did you know that the author of these series of books is listed under the New Age section on the Master List from Christian Research Services?
- UPDATE – This list is no longer available .
Have you ever read the shocking book “The Secret”? Well now you can get the Christian version called “the Secret Things of God” by Dr. Henry Cloud, a psychologist. More about this later…..
Every month I regularly receive a magazine from a well-known Christian store. I am on their mailing list because I have ordered from them in the past. I have been known to absent-mindedly just toss most of the magazines I get into the trash. This time I decided to take a look.
This particular christian book store has quite a few titles and many gift items. I have purchased CD’s here also. Now this was about two years and since, my taste in books have definitely changed with discernment and research.
Magazine in hand, I decided to search for bookstore authors featuring Centering Prayer, Church Growth, Contemplative, Emergent, Labyrinth, Mysticism, and Purpose Driven systems.
Here is who I found:
Ken Blanchard
Richard Foster
Tony Jones
Keri Wyatt Kent
Sue Monk Kidd
Dan Kimball
Brennan Manning
Erwin McManus
Don Miller
Beth Moore DVD
John Ortberg
Doug Pagitt
Eugene Peterson
Leonard Sweet
Gary Thomas
Rick Warren*
Robert Webber
Lauren Winner
I only found a few authors on the New Age list online with this particular website, although the New Age authors on the Master List are blatantly New Age. On the other hand this list will have to be closely watched because contemplative prayer is but one step from metaphysics which is entering an unknown spiritual realm. One will need to constantly review this portion of the list to inform the reader of any New Age material in their possession.
Brooke Boon (Holy Yoga)
Jack Canfield (They Call Me Dad, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Christian Soul)
Here is a quote from Canfield which will explain why he is in the New Age category. “In USA, we have a Christian fundamentalist movement right now which is threatening other religions and I don’t like it. It’s a religious revival which is intolerant, it creates separation, pain, and is based on ignorance…What works for me is a combination of disciplines: I do yoga, tai chi which is a Chinese martial art and three kinds of medidationvipasana, transcendental and manta (sound) meditation…I meditate every day and I do something with my body every day: yoga or tai chi”.
Now on to the Word-of-Faith, New Apostolic Movement, Kingdom Now, Manifest Sons of God, Latter Rain, False Healing, False Prophets and False Teachers. This is a different story…..
Reinhard Bonnke
Charles Capps
Paul Yongi Cho
Kim Clement*
Kenneth Copeland
Creflo Dollar
Jesse Duplantis
Richard Foster
Francis Frangipane
Marilyn Hickey
Benny Hinn
Bill Hybels
T. D. Jakes
Rick Joyner
Joyce Meyer*
Miles Monroe*
Joel Osteen*
Rod Parsley*
Frederick K.C. Price
Dutch Sheets/Chuck Pierce
Tommy Tenney
C. Peter Wagner
*Authors found in catalog.
So these were all the authors I found being promoted on the Christian website even though they are classified as unfruitful works by the Christian Research Service.
There is another list of contemplative authors on http://lighthousetrailsresearch.com which serves to round off the list. I believe there to be many more. But this a very good start. New names are sure to be added.
Now back to the featured book on the Christian website …. “the Secret things of God” by Dr. Henry Cloud. apparently Dr. Cloud a psychologist who is interested in spiritual things, was asked to write a “Christian” version of the shocking book “The Secret”. He says “This book is not a Christian argument for or against The Secret. In fact, it sometimes agrees with and sometimes differs with it.” For the record, this book needs to be totally rejected by Christians.
Here is an excerpt telling of how he became a Christian…..
I wandered across the SMU campus and found an empty chapel. It was cold and dark, and I went down to the altar and said a simple prayer. It was something like this: “God…I don’t even know if you are there. But if you are, I need your help. If you help me, I will do anything you tell me to do. Just help me. Find me.” At that point, I knew something had changed.
No — nothing happened. No lights, no burning bush, no feelings of peace. Just empty silence. Nothing on the outside was different, but I knew that inside something had changed. I had just taken a real step of faith…and I knew that if God did not show up in some real way, my life had just gotten a lot worse. I knew that if he did not answer me, I was truly alone in the universe. All my life I’d had the good ol’ American security blanket of “There is a God out there who is nice and loves us.” But now, I had actually stepped out and asked him to do something. (Emphasis mine).
It is not my place to decide if someone is living for the Lord, but where is the repentance? To belong to Christ involves admission of sin, as we are all guilty in God’s eyes. What is telling is that 25 years later he is on an airplane and describing how he usually tells a nosy passenger that he write books about God to shut them up.
Here is a video clip (1.5 min.) of the author and his book:
*UPDATE THIS CLIP IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. *
This video was taped at a Women of Faith Conference. I was once invited to one of these events when it was being promoted in Seattle, but when I researched the speakers, I found them to be “fluffy” with little biblical content. Max Lucado was one of the main speakers and I had been warned of him as a contemplative. I declined the invitation.
Well….. all this to tell you that Christian bookstores are promoting questionable books. You cannot trust many sources these days and I always recommend reading your Bible and pray that the Lord to open His word up to you. My study group uses the NIV but I use the King James Version and go to the Blue Letter Bible all the time to verify a translation or to see it in Greek or Hebrew. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ Whenever I am in doubt I simply google the author and check the discernment sites.
The time has come that I no longer can go to the religion section in a big-name bookstore and just select something that sounds interesting. Actually the New Age section is larger than the religion section, but the worst of it lies in the fact that there is a crossover of New Age and Religion titles. I only buy books that I know tell the truth, and the truth is getting harder to come by.
Zondervan is now owned by Harper Collins, who also publishes “The Satanic Bible” and “The Joy of Gay Sex”.
Need I say more?
8/21/16. I am adding a link of an excellent article taking a close look at his teachings.
Click to access 27%20Cloud%20Changes.pdf
Even though I was a Christian..I was as lukewarm as a leftover glass of yesterdays iced tea still sitting on the coffee table from the previous evening. Melted ice…diluted flavor…dingy glass…bent straw…wilted lemon slice. There was no way that an unbeliever would know that I believed in Jesus Christ. If I was standing in front of a judge would there be enough evidence in my life to convict me of Christianity? NO, sorry lady… you do not have a shred of evidence, no proof whatsoever. This verdict would have been correct.
Then one day I picked up a paperback book on prophecy in a garage sale. It was fascinating. I had never read anything before about prophecy and no teacher had ever taught Revelations when i was in Sunday School and I don’t ever remember a sermon about the end times.
This was the first time I had read about the rapture. Reading this material caused at first immense interest. Then the conviction started. Weight upon weight began piling into my heart until no longer could i hold inside the tears of 30 years of unconfessed sin. Down onto floor…this is where i stayed for hours..on my knees..on my back..crosslegged…in prayer, begging forgiveness for the time I had spent idly wandering this shameful world. I had been hit with a powerful realization that my indifference to sin and the Lord Jesus Christ would result in being doomed in the upcoming wrath and judgment.
I rededicated my life to Christ that afternoon. This single episode has been the most significant life-changing event of my life. I had accepted Christ as a young girl and have always been a believer but the conviction of my guilt shook me to my very core and caused true repentance.
What happened next was a hunger and thirst for God and the Word. I had never experienced this before in my life. Because I was expressing this hunger for the Word of God, someone invited me to Bible Study Fellowship which is an intense study which will put you into the Word of God daily. Then the time came for next step. I asked the Lord to expose my sin to me and further convict me of areas in my life that needed to be changed. This was another milestone and yet another corner turned. If you ever want a fast answer to prayer……ask this:
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Opening your life to the Lord in this way is cleansing and He needs clean vessels for his servants.
I try to keep myself low, humble. I am nothing, I am a nobody. All that I am is what the Lord has done in me, I am nothing in myself. When I bow down before Him it is in total submission. The Holy Spirit then can do His work and can use me as a vessel. Everything in my life has to be done His way, in His time, for His Glory and for His purposes only.
We need to confess and repent of our sin constantly. I believe everyone knows what it is to confess of something, but that they do not really know what repentance truly is. To repent is to turn away from sin. To repent causes a changed reformed life. If your life has not seriously changed since becoming a Christian then you need to take a good look at your walk with the Lord.
In Revelation 3 the church of Laodicea is admonished.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
I will never in my lifetime be able to express the gratitude I have that the Lord loved me enough to rebuke and chasten me and therefore caused me to repent and change my ways so that I could truly be his servant. Is the life of a servant easy? Not always…but there is nothing more empowering than lowering and humbling yourself before the Lord.
What about you? Is the Lord rebuking and chastening your heart this very moment? Would you please listen for his voice, read his Word, and completely turn your life over to Him?
kim
I should have seen it coming….
Chiropractic – the adjustment of the vertebrae in the spine
Chakras – the gateways or centers of spiritual power located on the spinal column
= NETWORK CHIROPRACTIC
A reader informed me of a new danger in the health field, Network Chiropractic or Network Spinal Analysis. NSA has evolved from chiropractic and it has some mystical new twists. The spine is now considered “a conduit of consciousness”. NSA was developed by Dr. Donald Epstein, a chiropractor from Colorado. Apparently Dr. Epstein discovered “Spinal Gateways” (hmm…chakras maybe?) running along the spinal cord. Also he discovered that these gateways run from the tailbone up to the bottom of the skull. What else did he discover? He found that the spinal gateways lead to the front part of the brain awakening the brain’s cortex causing profound changes in the body. Sounds like kundalini serpent power running up the spine through the chakras and enlightenment to me…!!
Read this article about Network Chiropractic:
During Network Spinal Analysis™ (NSA) care two “healing waves” develop which are unique to Network. One is a breathing wave that releases tension throughout the spine and body and relaxes a person. The other is called a somatopsychic (or body-mind) wave, which is associated with a dolphin type undulation or movement of the spine. These waves are related to a significant increase in wellness and quality of life. Once people experience these Network “healing” waves, they tend to make healthier choices. Suddenly the exercise, diet, supplements, meditation or prayer that may have been resulting in minimal wellness benefits increased in effectiveness. Saying it differently, people in Network care, who experience these waves often double their perceived wellness. As these “healing waves” progress along a person’s spine it revitalizes, energizes, and helps the body to self correct distortions of alignment and posture. They move “stuck energy” and are a resource of new energy and vitality. Vertebra of the spine spontaneously realign as one of the by products.
This video is named Riding the Kundalini Dragon and it shows how the energy is being directed through the body and its effect. The video is not from a network chiropractor but a yoga studio. They are calling this procedure Breath and Touch which serves as an entry point into an altered state in which the mind-body system processes and releases the stress or emotional blocks.
While watching a short video from a Network Chiropractor in San Diego i noticed that the body movement of the patient was exactly the same as those in the yoga studio video. I do not know how to embed this video so please click on the below link to compare with the above video.
http://www.bodywisdomhealing.com/BodyWisdomSite/healing_wave_video.htm
******update November 2008 – it looks as though the above video has been removed from it’s site, if i can relocate the video i will fix the link – thanks, kim *********
The rippling effect of the body is also the same as those under kundalini serpent power. These kundalini manifestations are now being relabeled as “healing waves”. This healing is not of God…is this healing worth the risk?
I scanned various NAS websites, and the names sounded like this…The New Wave Chiropractic, Ride the River, Esprit Healing Center, Care Wave, Healing Wave…..These offices are sporting a new look, a new name and carry a dangerous spiritual message.
Here is a list of awakened kundalini manifestations from Swami Nityananda (Kundalini Yoga Guru) : trembling, shaking, uncontrolled speaking, weeping/crying, uncontrollable laughing, altered consciousness, elation, feelings of electricity….waves of bliss.
Now i want to relate a list of manifestations from the Pensacola/Toronto outbreaks. Spasms, tremors, shaking, spontaneous trance states, holy laughter, energy rushes, and involuntary body movements.
When reading about Network Chiropractic from the EastWestHealth website i read some interesting statements from a patient and a chiropractor.
“When the tension of stored emotional stress is released, people often express it by laughing or crying. For example, after one patient’s second adjustment she went home and was laughing for two hours..”
“When I get adjusted I feel my mind become completely still, and I feel much more attuned with my heart”
“What always amazes me is that you touch me so gently, like with one fingertip that I can barely feel, and then these powerful waves of energy start traveling up and down my spine and bringing everything into alignment.”
“It always shocks people what profound changes happen from such a light touch. The light touch is like tuning a guitar; it gives the proper vibration for good harmony. Information travels in waves so when we “tune” the spinal cord we can experience our own inner rhythm.”
These two statements are alarming:
“As one persons spine releases, it actually helps release the spines of other people in the room.”
“It’s the phenomenon which researchers have found the most astonishing about Network. They watch Donald Epstein adjust someone and then point to the person on the next table: the second person’s spine is visibly unwinding and he is not even touching them. It’s community healing, and it shows how we are all connected on a very deep level.”
Dr. Epstein has something in common with Rodney Howard-Brown, Benny Hinn and Swami Nityanada; they are all distributors of the power: (kundalini, shakti, fire, anointing) Kundalini awakening can be imparted by…light touch on the body or forehead, by pointing to someone, or just laying one’s hands on someone.
There are many obvious relationships between Network Chiropractic, Yoga, Eastern Mysticism, and the false spiritual anointings of today. When we see a chiropractor merely point to a patient, who then starts manifesting with kundalini signs, we need to question where this power is coming from and what is actually happening to the patient. When a doctor or a patient will not question why a second patient automatically manifests without being touched or refers to the undulating spine as “unwinding” from stress….i despair at the deception.
This power is demonic because it is metaphysical in nature, so it is unbiblical for the Christian to participate in this type of activity. It is imperative to understand that the Hindu term kundalini translates into “serpent power”. Meditation and yoga positions pushes this power at the base of the spine up working its way snake-like, through the chakras or gateways. In Network Chiropractic the chiropractor has attained the ability to pass this serpent power onto others with only a simple touch. I cannot begin to tell you how dangerous this is. Patients who are treated by a Network Chiropractor are in danger of allowing a demonic presence to enter their body. The “waves of bliss” are deceptive. Satan does not show himself as a demon, he shows himself as an angel of light, deceiving all who will fall into his false spiritual trap.
May the Lord protect his own who may unknowlingly walk into one of these offices for treatment. I have no problem with getting standard adjustments, but whenever a health practitioner begins to talk “spiritually”… immediately question the procedures.
Will P.E.A.C.E. really come on the earth before Jesus returns?
Did Jesus say that His church would bring peace to the earth? That concept cannot be found in scripture. What Jesus did say is:
Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Christians need more discernment not more gurus with humanistic dominionist dreams
It is high time that the Church went back to the basics and studied the scriptures for themselves and stopped being led by the nose by gurus who publish their latest whim.
Recently Rick Warren caused an uproar by going to Syria where he was taped praising the antichristian dictator of this terrorist nation. Warren has future plans to go to North Korea. One might wonder how Warren gets access to these rogue nations. Warren is a member of the ultra elite Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
Could it be that what is being espoused in some evangelical circles are doctrines of men or demons that have been deceptively weaved into the fabric of the many colored garments that are now displayed on the backs of multitudes of Christian dummies?
For the full article go to:
http://www.thepropheticyears.com/comments/Globel%20Peace%20plan.htm
To me…one of most important statements in the above article is “Warren is a member of the ultra elite Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).”
What is the CFR and why is it important here? The CFR created in part the Social Gospel, so the fact that Rick Warren has proclaimed to be a member of this elite organization is very significant.
Here is his statement made to Joseph Farah:
“Warren explained that he had also counseled with the National Security Council and the White House, as well as the State Department, before his little courtesy call for a neighbor.”
”In fact,” Warren added, ”as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Oxford Analytica, I might know as much about the Middle East as you.”
One of the main goals of the CFR is to create a gospel that is favorable toward a world government. There are many in government today and past who are members. Just to name a few in no particular order…… Eisenhower, Cohen, Feinsten, Mondale, McGovern, Lieberman, Bentson, Carter, Bush, Clinton, Gore, Powell, McNamara, Rumsfeld, Rockefeller, Nixon, Albright Humphrey, J.P. Morgan, Gephartd, Gingrich, Kissinger, Cheney…it goes on and on. Take a look at the list at the below link.
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/cfr-members.htm
The public knows what the CFR wants the public to know about the CFR, and nothing more.
Dr. Quigley knew a lot about the behind-the-scenes work of global power because he was a part of that power network for most of his life. In his book, Tragedy and Hope, Quigley states:
The “Hope” in the title of Quigley’s book represents the thousand-year reign of a collectivist one-world society which will be created when the “network” achieves its goal of world government. Quigley believed that the “network” is so powerful at this point that resistance by the common people is futile. Hence, those who resist the schemes of the globalist planners represent the “Tragedy.” By Dr. Quigley’s logic, there is no point in struggling against the noose around our necks, because resistance will merely guarantee strangulation.
According to Dr. Quigley, the Council on Foreign Relations is one of several front organizations set up by the network’s inner circle to advance its schemes. The ultimate goal: a New World Order.
http://www.infowars.com/print/Sept11/cfr_whitewash_commission.htm
The late Admiral Chester Ward, who resigned from the CFR in disgust after being a member for 16 years, was not exaggerating when he charged that the group’s agenda is to promote “disarmament and submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence into an all-powerful one-world government.” The leadership of the group, he said, “is composed of the one-world-global-government ideologists � more respectfully referred to as the organized internationalists.”
http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/12/social-gospel-60.html
The CFR and the Social Gospel: Part 4
The concept of “peace” was re-defined so that it contained the added meaning of an international new world order by the architects of the United Nations, many of whom were leaders in the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). John Foster Dulles led the way in this effort, writing a concept paper entitled “The Problem of Peace in a Dynamic World” presented to the World Conference of Life and Work at Oxford in 1937.
“…Dulles… stated that he looked to Church leaders in particular to guide the world into a peaceful future.” (p. 86)“…[H]e challenged a new generation of pastors to guide their future congregations into the unfamiliar terrain of a new world order as the only sure hope of peace.” (p. 88) [emphases added]
These CFR leaders contrived to manipulate a new Christian ethic and era of “peace” by creating a new doctrinal ideal – that of building the kingdom of God on earth. This doctrine would serve as the foundation upon which international peace could be built.
****************
Have you ever heard of Peter Drucker’s 3-legged stool? The three legs of the stool are…government, business, and churches. These three sectors of society must be joined or partnered to facilitate the New World Order. You can see today how the church is becoming involved with businessess, (starbucks) using advertising and marketing methods, (bring in the customer) and government (the patriotric movement) on the superficial level. On a deeper level Peter Drucker’s networking management genius is being implemented into the church and is helping to create a dominion-based kingdom here on earth.
Who are two of Druckers prominate protege’s? Rick Warren and Bob Buford.
I am reading the Dec 06 Interchange Postings Summary for the P.E.A.C.E. Briefing for Mission Agencies, held by the Saddleback PEACE team in Atlanta GA. Here are two statements:
“We must take everything we have learned [about missions] in the past centuries and infuse it in and through the local church.”
“The specific components of this Summit are still being finalized, but the goal is to bring togther many of the key P.E.A.C.E. players from churches, businessess, agencies, and government for information and interaction.”
The above statement taken from the Saddleback Church Briefing defines exactly the same goal as Drucker’s 3-legged stool, which is the incorporation of the main segments of society into the church.
Let’s take another look at this statement taken from Herescope:
“…[H]e challenged a new generation of pastors to guide their future congregations into the unfamiliar terrain of a new world order as the only sure hope of peace.” (p. 88) [emphases added]
So.. (a CFR leader) is challenging pastors (Rick Warren… a CFR member) to guide future congregations (us) into the New World Order as the only sure hope of peace.
Clearly we can see that Rick Warren has been pretty effective to date. He has one of the largest congregations in the United States and he has implemented a huge undertaking with the P.E.A.C.E. Plan. He is using the “40 Days” programs as a way of inserting his agenda into the churches and pulling them along right into the next phase as they go.
First, bring the people into the congregations by a social and weak gospel message by appealing to their desires instead of their need for the true gospel. Second, “bring together many of the key P.E.A.C.E. players from churches, businessess, agencies, and government for information and interaction”. Third…..?
Will the mega-churches unite? Is the mega-church of today to be part of the one-world church of tomorrow? Is the true mission of the P.E.A.C.E. plan to feed the poor? I wish it was. But when looking at the Big Picture…I see how the networking, the blending of the three segments of our society…is creating a church for all mankind… a church with no gospel message…a blending of all other religions with Christiantity…a new universal religious system full of mystic practices. A new religion for the New World Order. Do you see it? It is happening before our very eyes.
kim
DiscernIt 
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