Even as First Baptist Church of Dallas launches a $115 million capital campaign, the most ambitious ever for a large Protestant church, congregations across the country struggle to pay everyday bills.
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. churches experienced declines in church giving and offerings in 2009, the second consecutive year of significant funding drops, according to the 2010 State of the Plate surveys conducted by the Maximum Generosity ministry and Christianity Today International.
After the October 2008 stock market plunge, 29 percent of churches reported declines in giving. In 2009, 38 percent of churches responding to the survey had experienced declines.
“What normally happens is a downturn hits churches about six months after it hits everyone else, and it takes about six months after the recovery starts for churches to see that,” said Simeon May, chief executive officer for the Richardson-based National Association of Church Business Administration.
“We aren’t seeing much improvement yet.”
It’s little wonder, then, that some churches have delayed or postponed capital campaigns and focused instead on “operational giving,” said Joel Mikell, president of RSI Church Stewardship Group of Dallas, which guides 200 to 250 churches through capital campaigns each year.
“Make no mistake, the economy has influenced a number of churches in a way that makes them say, ‘Let’s wait a year … let’s wait 18 months,’ ” he said.
First Baptist Church of McKinney, for example, ultimately decided to postpone a major capital campaign because of members’ concerns about the economy, employment issues and debt.
Church leaders are increasingly cautious about income, what’s being spent and how – a reflection of the economy in their towns.
But some churches, following well-defined visions that can change lives, have decided to go ahead with major projects, “because vision always trumps the economy,” Mikell said.
“That’s why in this economy with giving being cut back in many ways, here’s this church announcing a $100 million-plus campaign,” he said.
“First Baptist’s decision to reach downtown Dallas and the community makes this a transformational situation.”
Others, though, after experiencing years of double-digit growth, are now learning to deal with a much different fiscal environment.
On Dec. 30, 2009, members of Southern California’s Saddleback Church, one of the largest in the country, received a shocking e-mail from Pastor Rick Warren.
With roughly 10 percent of the 22,000-member congregation out of work, costs of caring for the church’s Orange County community had risen dramatically. But income was stagnant.
Saddleback was able to stay on budget through prudent financial planning, Warren wrote, until “the bottom dropped out” at post-Christmas services.
“On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive,” wrote Warren, “leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year, unless you help make up the difference today and tomorrow.”
Members responded with $2.4 million in last-minute donations. But Saddleback’s case points to the precarious circumstances for many churches, which, like some in their congregations, live paycheck to paycheck.
A report released earlier this year by the Barna Group, a research group focusing on faith and culture, found that budgets for Protestant churches were down about 7 percent on average from the year before. One in 11 churches lost 20 percent or more in annual income, with 2 percent reporting drops of 35 percent.
The declines come as Americans pull back in large numbers from gifts to nonprofit groups, Barna found. In interviews taken in January and February, nearly half of adults said they’d reduced contributions. The numbers weren’t quite so dire for churches, but 29 percent said they had cut donations.
“While many church donors have been able to maintain their typical level of donations, those who have cut back have dropped their giving substantially,” the Barna report noted. “Nearly one-quarter of church donors had cut contributions by 20 percent or more.”
And the number reducing donations more than doubled in 14 months.
But this isn’t a new problem, according to Scott Thumma of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, who said donations to megachurches were “basically flat between 2005 and 2008.”
“So it wasn’t a rosy picture even then,” he said. “When we look at those same things in 2010, I think we’ll see that it’s been a decade of trouble for the church, a whole lot of trouble.”
It is in that climate that First Baptist of Dallas plans to raise a total of $115 million to transform its downtown campus for 21st century ministry. But church officials are confident First Baptist can meet its goals.
“We have about $35 million right now,” senior pastor Robert Jeffress said, “so we have $80 million to go. Most of our members are not wealthy, but the people have really given sacrificially.”
Consultants like RSI – which isn’t part of First Baptist’s program – say an average capital campaign is two to three times the church’s annual income. First Baptist, with an annual income of about $15 million, is taking a large leap.
But Mikell of RSI said he has been involved with campaigns far more ambitious than the average, including one for $6 million at a church with an annual budget of about $1 million, and what began as a $105 million campaign at Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale, which has about $25 million in annual income..
“First Baptist’s is an extraordinary commitment any way you measure it,” Mikell said, “and there will be skeptics and cynics. But having been there at Calvary, I look at these and say God just showed up and did something extraordinary.”
The Calvary Chapel campaign was ultimately reduced to $85 million, mostly because a number of large commitments were tied to investments in Florida real estate, where values plunged in the recession.
But that doesn’t mean the same will happen to First Baptist, he said.
“What makes people give these kinds of dollars in a down economy? It’s important to remember that church campaigns are spiritual before they’re financial,” Mikell said. “They’re built on stewardship. ‘Everything I have is from God.’
“Secondly, they’re highly relational, because our resources follow our relationships. We have a relationship with our church.
“That’s why capital campaigns in the church typically have such extraordinary results.”
An Iranian evangelist says a spiritual awakening of unprecedented magnitude is occurring behind the scenes in a nation known for its terrorism.
Most Americans have put Iran on a blacklist. We’re concerned about Shiite militants who spread terrorism around the world, we don’t trust Iran’s nuclear weapons plans and we can’t stomach Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s human rights record or his maniac ways.
But my friend Lazarus Yeghnazar, an Iranian evangelist based in England, hopes you will develop some compassion for this part of the world. Most of us associate the Bible with Israel, but did you know that Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra and Habakkuk all walked on Persian land that is now called Iran? In fact, the tombs of Esther, Daniel, Habakkuk, Cyrus and Darius are in Iran.
““Yeghnazar says the churches are growing so fast in Iran that some leaders have wondered if they should stop evangelizing. ‘One church leader told me they have stopped sharing their faith because every Iranian they witness to comes to Christ.’ “
Yeghnazar points out that Iranians were among the first Christian converts. The people known as Parthians, Medes and Elamites, who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:9,11), were from what is now Iran. Jeremiah prophesied that God would “restore the fortunes of Elam” in the last days (see Jer. 49:39). Elam is modern-day Iran.
This promise of spiritual restoration is no longer a far-off dream. A vibrant New Testament church is thriving in Iran, in spite of brutal persecution under Ahmadinejad’s regime. And this growing spiritual awakening in Iran could play a significant role in end-time events.
“In this repressive atmosphere many Iranians are coming to Christ,” says Yeghnazar, whose 222 Ministries is reaching millions through television and Internet broadcasts. Currently more than 3,000 Iranians are converted each month through 222’s work, even though the Iranian government has cracked down on satellite television and smashed satellite dishes in Tehran and other cities.
“The need is so great,” says Yeghnazar’s wife, Maggie, who does special gospel broadcasts for Iranian women. She says the women respond to Christ faster than men because they tend to stay at home.
Yeghnazar and his wife fled Iran in 1988 to base their operations in the U.K. Their Farsi-language programs not only bring Iranians to faith in Christ but also serve to strengthen the underground house church movement. Yeghnazar says the churches are growing so fast in Iran that some leaders have wondered if they should stop evangelizing.
Says Yeghnazar: “One church leader told me they have stopped sharing their faith because every Iranian they witness to comes to Christ. [The leader] told me, ‘We don’t have enough New Testaments to handle the growth.’ There is a huge need for discipleship!”
The challenges in Iran are huge. The country has an extremely high rate of drug addiction, and at least one-fourth of the people are depressed. About 60 percent of the nation’s 71 million people are under age 26—and many of these are university students who are growing increasingly restless under Ahmadinejad’s dictatorship. Police brutality is common—and it is often aimed at Christians who gather in groups smaller than 20 to worship.
“Believers in Iran are not praying for persecution,” Yeghnazar told me, “but they know it is helping fuel the growth of their churches.”
Yeghnazar is aware of the danger lurking inside Iran. The country has exported trained terrorists for 30 years and has fueled the growth of Hezbollah, the Palestinian Intifada and suicide bombers in Iraq as well as radical Islamic movements in North Africa and the Philippines. Yet he believes there has never been such a huge open door for the gospel in Iran.
The evangelist quotes from Isaiah 65:1 to describe what is happening in his homeland. “God said, ‘I permitted myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, “Here am I, here I am,” to a nation which did not call My name.’” Today Iranians are not only coming to Christ in record numbers but they are downloading Farsi New Testaments on MP3 players, receiving smuggled Bibles and training young pastors to start new churches.
“In this repressive atmosphere people are coming to the Lord in record numbers,” Yeghnazar says, noting that almost 200,000 unique visitors come to 222’s Farsi gospel site each month. Many of them are seeking discipleship because they just gave their hearts to Christ.
I’ve been shocked to hear some sword-rattling Christians say they hope someone drops a nuclear bomb on Iran to stop Ahmadinejad. Let’s put aside hate and open our eyes to what God is doing behind the scenes. The next time you hear bad news coming out of that country, remember that a growing underground church full of new converts is spreading from Tabriz in the north to the southern city of Shiraz, where Esther prayed and stopped a genocide.
J. Lee Grady served as editor of Charisma for 11 years and is now contributing editor.
Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, “Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me.” So, under God, dear brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, “Excelsior.” He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at the last, who continueth till war’s trumpet is blown no more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory. “It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from this constant warfare.” Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest. He will endeavour to make you weary of suffering, he will whisper, “Curse God, and die.” Or he will attack your steadfastness: “What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do.” Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: “Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times.” Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armour, and cry mightily unto God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end.
EMERGENT CHURCH is SPREADING SPIRITUAL CANCER
-Extracts by Marsha West.
In the Sixties the counterculture rejected consumerism,
individualism, traditional values and ideas, and protested against
their parent’s middle class values…. Now a similar assault on
historic orthodox Christianity is underway…
In John 8:31-32 Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are
truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free.”
There is a growing movement afoot in the postmodern Church
that does not abide in God’s Word; hence they do not know
the truth. The movement calls itself “Emergent” or “Emerging
Church” (ECM) and it’s emerging away from orthodox Christianity,
spreading its spiritual cancer throughout the globe. ECM change
agents have made inroads into evangelicalism, big time. What
they preach is a counterfeit social gospel. They say they bring
a “message of peace.” Their hope is to make Christianity more
palatable to the world. Sounds altruistic, doesn’t it? But don’t
believe it! In order to accomplish their lofty goal, the shifters
must first repackage the Church.
So they’re touring the country, promoting their social gospel and
message of peace to the masses. Prominent ECM leader Brian
McLaren is spearheading the “Everything Must Change” tour.
According to McLaren’s website the planet is in Deep Shift – A
time of transition rethinking re-imagining and re-envisioning.
You may not have heard about The Shift yet, but you will – soon!
Shifters, like pod people, are in our midst… They lecture,
write for Christian news sources and they’re all over the Internet.
Now they’re touring the country. Many shifters are familiar faces
on TV and have become media darlings. Browse through your local
Christian bookstore and you’ll find their names lined up on shelves.
Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, Marcus Borg, Dallas
Willard, Leonard Sweet, Erwin McManus, Phyllis Tickle , Rob Bell,
Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, Scot McKnight, Eddie Gibbs,
Ryan Bolger, Jeff & Sherry Maddock, Peter Rollins, to name a few.
Every one of them are theological liberals!
But shifters are offended when they’re labeled liberal. And
besides, liberal is so yesterday! And let’s be honest here;
liberal has a negative connotation, thanks largely to vociferous
conservatives…
ECM’s beginnings
In his article, “Understanding the Emergent Church” Walter
Henenger says that while some of ECM’s leaders came of age
in the “new paradigm” churches of the Sixties and Seventies,
“the real starting point was the mid-1980s, when Gen X
ministries began catering to youth culture…”
In my research I ran across a panel discussion on You Tube,
“Let’s Talk Post-Modernism and the Emergent Church.”[16]
Here highly regarded orthodox theologians R.C. Sproul, Albert
Mohler and Ravi Zacharias had a “conversation” about
postmodernism, modernism, liberalism, and ECM.
The main thrust of ECM, the scholars say, is its rejection of
modernism and its embrace of postmodernism. Why reject
orthodoxy? Because the orthodoxy are absolutists. Absolutists
want to reinsert categories of right and wrong, whereas
postmodernists balk at doctrinal assertions. They gave as an
example Brian McLaren’s position on homosexuality in a Time
Magazine interview. Following is the excerpt from Time:
“Frankly, many of us don’t know what we should think about
homosexuality. We’ve heard all sides but no position has yet
won our confidence so that we can say ‘it seems good to the
Holy Spirit and us.’ That alienates us from both the liberals
and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should
think.” So McLaren suggested a five-year moratorium on making
pronouncements. And what will we do in the meantime? He
went on to say, “[W]e’ll practice prayerful Christian dialogue,
listening respectfully, disagreeing agreeably. When decisions
need to be made, they’ll be admittedly provisional. We’ll keep
our ears attuned to scholars in biblical studies, theology,
ethics, psychology, genetics, sociology, and related fields.
Then in five years , if we have clarity, we’ll speak; if not, we’ll
set another five years for ongoing reflection.”[17]
Um.the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, Brian. (Lev. 18:22,
Lev. 20:13, Rom.1:26-28, 1 Cor. 6:9-10,)
McLaren’s wishy-washy comment on homosexuality obviously
did not go over well with the panel. Near the end of the
discussion Albert Mohler commented that his response to the
homosexual question is the very essence of postmodernism.
He then cautioned, “It is the abdication of Christian responsibility.
It is the abdication of Christian conviction and it is a cave in of
Christian courag e. We do have an answer! And it’s not like we
don’t know what it is!”
As R.C. Sproul said so well, ECM appeals to Christians “who
don’t want to have to deal with theological conflict.” These same
folks relativize doctrine, and that makes Sproul angry. He then
points out that disagreeing doctrinally is a “bad thing.” Looking
rather grim-faced he said, “We can’t be satisfied with it. Because
truth is too important to kill it in the streets for the sake of peace!
You can’t do it!” Bravo!
The Emergent movement is most definitely gaining currency,
especially with young people and those who are dissatisfied
with mainline evangelicalism. Which is the reason it’s
imperative that committed Christians take a deeper look
into the “conversation.” Listen carefully to the language to see
whether or not what a person purports is within the pale of
orthodoxy. In other words, check to see if it’s biblical. Because
if the “conversation” doesn’t line up with Scripture, it’s not from
God. And if it’s not from God.it’s from the pit of hell.
(Matt 5:27-30), “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ {28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. {29} If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. {30} And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
In his statement about looking at a woman lustfully (Mat 5:28) he acknowledges that men are attracted to woman visually, see Adams comments on seeing Eve for the first time:
(Gen 2:22-23) Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. {23} The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘ for she was taken out of man.”
Pornography is not a modern phenomenon, it has existed for millennium, but modern technology has made it more realistic through print, film or video. Pornography is closely allied to idolatry because one is worshipping the image of a woman and attempting to become one flesh with the image. It encourages mental promiscuity, it is never satisfied, it never finds fulfillment other than an orgasm, it is searching for perfection, the original Eve. It exalts and idolizes one’s image of woman, but at its heart is the amelioration of the inner loneliness of Adam, but it fails because it involves an image of a woman. There is no commitment involved. The joys and difficulties involved with a real woman are not encountered, she is an image of man’s creation. She is passive unlike a real woman, who responds to ones caresses.
“Marital relationships are often broken or marred by the work of evil spirits which commonly work in the husband. Because of wrong information and erroneous conditioning in our society, he will lust after his wife.
This lust expresses itself in a strong masculine sex drive with selfishness and a brutal indifference to the sensitivity of the wife and her feelings and needs.
A woman senses this lust and is offended by it, often feeling her husband has approached her as if she were a harlot to be exploited and used for his pleasure. As one wife expressed it, “There are times when I feel like a spittoon.”
Such an encounter leaves the wife wounded and unsatisfied, often feeling unclean and unvalued by her spouse. This can bring a distaste and repulsion in her toward sexual contact with her mate. This in turn generates frustration and anger in the passionately aroused husband. He is mad to feel inadequate by her rejection (active or passive) and yet his approach often makes it almost impossible for her to respond warmly. Too often the only time there seems to be any tenderness toward or interest in her is in the bedroom. No woman can stomach this repeatedly.
Men must be reprogrammed to love, not lust after, their wives. Love does not rule out the strong sexual desires or fulfillment of them in marriage, but does refine and sweeten them so that the maximum satisfaction and benefit can come to each partner in the union. Women must never use the bedroom as a time for bargaining or airing of grievances. There is time for this, but it is not when the husband is romantic and aroused with desire for relations with his wife. If she presses such things on him at such a time, one of two things will happen. He may quickly accede to her every demand in order to have his way in bed. However, repeated episodes of this nature will build up a deep resentment against her for doing this to him. On the other hand he may begin to develop an aversion for sex – with her – because of the emotional price he has to pay. Woe to the woman who puts her man through these gymnastics in order to consummate a sexual relationship. He may find he can do without her nicely or find a substitute in another person, his work or some other outlet. Males are equipped with a very strong sex drive but if a woman thwarts him repeatedly on various pretexts, she will live to regret it.
A wound to the male vanity in the area of sexual adequancy or potency is very difficult to heal and even more difficult to live with. Many women have discovered that it would have been far simpler to have accommodated their spouses more often rather than to face the results of their repeated refusals and rebuffs which created deep frustrations and anger in the husbands. Because sex is such a mental thing, the real meaning of the sex act can easily be destroyed for the male. It then becomes nothing more than a physical release of pressure, much like urination. This can trigger dangerous dissatisfaction and restlessness in a male and has contributed to marital discord and breakup. No wonder the Bible admonishes older women to teach the younger to love their husbands.(Titus 2:3-5). Unfortunately many of the older females have damaged their own marriages by sexual rationing to their husbands and what they teach the young will not help.
Man must learn to bridle and control his sex impulses and not expect his wife to satisfy him always, regardless of cost to the wife. He must learn to pace and practice abstinence for the benefit and blessing of the wife. Mutual happiness is the goal, not unbridled satisfaction of one partner at the expense of the other. Many men enter marriage like spoiled brats who have always had their way. They have never denied themselves sexual pleasure whenever they desired it, either through sexual relationships or masturbation. They must recognize this as childish selfishness and work to satisfy and please their mate rather than themselves.
Many men force their wives into oral, anal and other sexual perversions. What they do not realize is that this gives openings for spirits to enter, setting them up for homosexuality. In this realm, what a woman can do, a man can do better, because he understands male anatomy and responses and can be quick to comply. These practices can cause a man to fall into the snare of perversion when the situation is right. The same is true of a woman and lesbianism.
Fear of Homosexuality is a driving one in many American men, primarily because most have at some time in their life had homosexual contacts. They fear falling into the snare and therefore throw up a great facade of hatred of anything resembling homosexuality. One man in his thirties I dealt with recently, while in the fifth and sixth grades, was introduced to new erotic pleasures by some older buddies. Mutual masturbation led to oral sex. After he finally broke off the practices, he was left with a fiercely demanding habit of masturbation. He had no further homosexual experiences, but became exceedingly heterosexual, plunging into many affairs, which often involved oral sex with the women.
When he married, he and his wife experimented with many forms of sexual gratification detailed in the sex manuals, including oral sex. After they were both saved, by mutual consent they dropped all such things and settled into a satisfying sex life without any of the former overtones of perversion. He came to me seeking release from a terrible foreboding sense of fear which tormented and upset him. It was vague and he could not analyze exactly what it was. As I prayed with him, the Lord said it was Oral Sex and a deep-seated terror of being a homosexual. When I questioned him about his area he told me of his encounters as a youngster.
When I demanded that the ruler of Oral Sex manifest, a cackling laugh came forth and he informed me that he was an exceedingly powerful spirit and had had this “fool” for all these years and by no means would he come out! He declared that he and Homosexuality had this “stupid bastard” bound and they would never release him. I pointed out that the man had had no homosexual contacts since he was a young teen and also that he was very happily married.
The demon snarled, “I know it! That lousy bitch, we would have gotten him a lot of times if she hadn’t been so damned loving and met his needs. But we still have him… and he doesn’t even know it.” Then angrily, “That fool! He has fought so against us. I tried to get him to look at the other guys in the showers and locker rooms. Damn him, he just won’t cooperate, just goes home to that bitch he married. I even arranged for him to have a gay roommate in the service and had guys approach him at work. The idiot! He could have such fun if he would just listen. I hate his damned guts, and I hate your too, Worley. We’ll still get him though. We’ve got our hooks in him and have made him so miserable and the dummy doesn’t even know where it is coming from. For years we had him hooked good on Masturbation and tortured him regularly with that, but he got control over that. Damn him! We’ll get him back though and wear him down.
Let him climb. We will shoot him down eventually for we are all still here.” Deliverance eventually dislodged them. Oral Sex spirits lodge in the lips, tongue, taste buds, jaws, mouth and the throat. They are also in the sex organs. After dealing with many spirits of perversion, we know that they can enter through the eyes, the ears or participation, active or passive. In one case, a friend of mine was delivering a woman who had been introduced and forced into oral sex by an uncle when she was only 5 or 6 years of age. As she grew up she continued this with her dates. At her deliverance large gobs of slimy material were vomited which reeked with the strong odor of male semen.”
The corrupted church had so many saints and gods to be prayed to and worshiped, and so many monasteries, pilgrimages, lifeless churches, relics manufactured and invented for the sake of formalism, ritualism, and legalism, and lying miracles that only by the grace of God did any foundation or remnant of believers so remain. The church worshiped dead stocks and stones; it gave adoration to a piece of bread rather than to Christ; it gloried works instead of the blood of the lamb; it recognized the word of man as that which is the final authority rather than the Word of God; it confused the Law of God and the Gospel into the same thing of understanding the law and the gospel and their differences; its leaders committed adultery and fornication simultaneously following a vow of celibacy; it invoked a vow of poverty, but possessed great wealth; it petitioned itself to be separate from the world, but tried and did rule over the world; it took a reign of incorruption and immortality, and made it into a reign of corruption and mortality; it replaced the grace of Christ with that of worldly, carnal, and exterior fixtures that constitute formalism, legalism, and ritualism such as the mass, hours-singing-service, Lent-fast, jubilees, the advocation of saints, the advocation of angels, praying to images, pilgrimages, vows of chastity (or celibacy), wilful poverty, pardons, indulgences, penance, buildings of chapels, and other things.
In this church, the ritual, rites, and ceremonies became the central theme and the central essence of worship rather than the grace of God without any such thing as this. If all this is necessary, then, the death of Christ is in vain and grace is dethroned!
Many Christian and Jewish yogis are incorporating prayer and religious teachings into the practice. ‘It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual,’ one leader says.
Christian pop music played quietly in the background as instructor Bryan Brock led a recent yoga class at the nondenominational Church at Rocky Peak in Chatsworth.
Incorporating prayer and readings from the Bible, Brock urged his class of about 20 students to find strength in their connection to their creator through yoga’s deep, controlled breathing. “The goal of Christian yoga is to open ourselves up to God,” he said. “It allows us to blur the line between the physical and the spiritual.”
The instructor then recited the Lord’s Prayer while his students moved slowly through a series of postures known as the sun salutation.
Such hybrid classes, which combine yoga practice with elements of Christianity or Judaism, appear to be growing in popularity across Southern California and elsewhere.
Some Christians call their versions of the discipline holy yoga or Yahweh yoga and some teachers urge participants to “breathe down Jesus.” Jewish yogis, in turn, have developed — and in some cases, even trademarked — Torah yoga, Kabbalah yoga and aleph bet yoga, applying Eastern meditative movements to Jewish prayer and study.
Meanwhile, Californian Muslims who practice yoga have yet to merge it with the teachings of the Koran or worship of Allah, a local leader says. And there are skeptics within all three Abrahamic religions who question whether it is proper to integrate the Hindu-based spiritual practice into Western monotheistic traditions.
Rayna Mike said she was skeptical of yoga before she started going to Brock’s class at the Church at Rocky Peak, an evangelical congregation. “I never did it before because I considered it Eastern philosophy and I didn’t want any part of it,” said Mike, a Bel-Air businesswoman.
Mike changed her mind when her trainer at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys recommended the yoga class, and she said the practice has improved her health while feeding her soul.
“You can go and sweat anywhere, but that’s not the point,” she said. “This is a beautiful thing. It’s an answer to my prayers.”
Brock completed a 200-hour accredited course in Phoenix designed by Brooke Boon, author of the book “Holy Yoga.” Boon has trained nearly 200 Christian yogis, about a dozen of whom are teaching in Southern California.
“Christ is my guru. Yoga is a spiritual discipline much like prayer, meditation and fasting,” Boon said in a telephone interview. “No one religion can claim ownership.”
Some fundamentalist Christians distance themselves from yoga, saying it is inseparable from Hinduism or Buddhism and therefore dangerous, even blasphemous. Some Orthodox Jewish authorities warn that if practiced with all its Eastern components, including Sanskrit chanting and small statues of deities, it amounts to avodah zarah, or the worship of false gods.
For many religious Jews, Christians and Muslims, viewing yoga as a physical rather than spiritual practice solves the dilemma.
But Rabbi Avivah Winocur Erlick, a chaplain at Providence Tarzana Medical Center, says it is impossible to separate yoga from her Jewish spiritualism. About six years ago, Erlick began having intense spiritual experiences while doing yoga. She sought advice from a rabbi.
“He said, ‘God has been trying to reach you all these years and he is reaching you through yoga,” Erlick recalled. The rabbi challenged her to reconcile yoga with Judaism, which led to five years of study to become a rabbi. “For me, yoga is prayer,” Erlick said.
Erlick, who is writing a book on the subject, says Jews have vigorously debated the issue for two decades. She counts 83 active teachers, mainly in the U.S. and Israel, who combine yoga and Judaism.
One is Californian Ida Unger, who draws on Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, to interpret yoga postures as Hebrew letters. Unger recently demonstrated her aleph bet yoga to seniors at Los Angeles’ Milken Community High School.
“I was in a triangle pose and I had an epiphany. I was an aleph,” Unger told the class, posing in the shape of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
“In Kabbalah, letters are the building blocks with which the holy creator is channeled to Earth.”
Unger chants shalom (peace) instead of om, and recites the daily Jewish prayer for awakening when she does the sun salutation.
Milken students Jamie Mayer and Sharon Winter, both 17, said they found the hybrid yoga class more spiritually fulfilling than conventional synagogue services.
“I want my yoga practice to be my daily prayer. It’s not instead of, but in addition to, my other Jewish practices,” Jamie said.
Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman, who teaches the teens’ Jewish Thought class at Milken, said there are “places of alignment and integration” between yoga and Judaism — particularly in Kabbalah — but he cautioned that important elements may be watered down or lost when religions borrow from one another.
Still, Hoffman has no problem with Judaism embracing yoga as it has embraced aspects of other cultures throughout history. “Judaism has always borrowed from other religions to re-energize itself,” he said.
For local Muslims, the debate is just beginning.
Although Islam’s mystical strain of Sufism was influenced by Indian yogic practices, some strict Muslims view it as out of bounds. In 2008, Malaysia’s top Islamic authority issued a fatwa, a nonbinding prohibition, against yoga. That angered Muslim yoga teachers across Asia, and many continue their yoga practice.
Muslim daily prayers already offer a “personal and direct connection with the creator,” says Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. He also believes that as long as there is no Hindu or Buddhist religious content, yoga is “no different than jogging around the track.”
Syed fully expects that some Muslims in California will eventually develop a hybrid spiritual practice.
“I’m sure one day somebody will try to combine yoga with Islam and they will get a following,” Sayed said.
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/12/2010 22:14 -0500
And all the pundits thought that the IMF would be on the hook for just €10 billion… The IMF has just announced that it is expanding its New Arrangement to Borrow (NAB) multilateral facility from its existing $50 billion by a whopping $500 billion (SDR333.5 billion), to $550 billion. The current lending participant group of 26 entities will be increased by 13 new members all of whom will contribute token amount of capital to the NAB. The one country most on the hook in the new and revised NAB – the United States of America, will provide over $105 billion in total commitments, or 20% of the total facility. The US is currently on the hook for just $10 billion, meaning its participation in global bail outs just increased by $95 billion. And the bulk of these bailouts will certainly be located across the Atlantic. What is most troublesome is the massive expansion of the NAR. If the IMF believes that over half a trillion in short-term funding is needed imminently, is all hell about to break loose.
Never one to present a realistic picture Dominique (or is that Mrs, Pisani?) Strauss-Khan said: “The expansion and enlargement of the NAB borrowing arrangements provides a very strong multilateral foundation for the Fund’s efforts in crisis prevention and resolution, as an essential back-stop to the Fund’s quota resources. This will help ensure that the Fund has access to adequate resources to help members that are vulnerable to financial crises.”
If memory serves us right, the Fund’s current resources give it acces to about a third of a trillion, so as of today the IMF has recourse funding to just under a trillion. Something big must be coming.
Some more details on the NAB from the just released PR:
The NAB is a standing set of credit arrangements under which participants commit resources to IMF lending when these are needed to supplement quota resources. The expanded NAB will become operational when it receives formal acceptances from the required proportion of current and potential participants, which will require legislative backing in some cases.1
“The expansion of the NAB will make an important contribution to global financial stability, but it is not a substitute for a general increase in the Fund’s quota resources. The Fund is, and shall remain, a quota-based institution. It is important now that member countries rapidly take the necessary steps to make the increased resources available,” Mr. Strauss-Kahn underscored. Background
The NAB is a credit arrangement between the IMF and a group of members and institutions to provide supplementary resources to the IMF when these are needed to forestall or cope with an impairment of the international monetary system. The NAB is supplementary to quota resources, which are made up of the quota subscriptions each country pays upon joining the Fund, broadly based on its relative size in the world economy. IMF members’ quotas currently total SDR 217.4 billion (about US$330 billion). Like quota allocations, the NAB is reviewed on a regular basis. The recent unprecedented shock confronting the global economy has led to a sharp increase in the demand for IMF financing. To ensure that the IMF continues to have sufficient resources to meet demand, leaders of the G-20 agreed in April 2009 that immediate financing from members of US$250 billion would subsequently be folded into an expanded and more flexible NAB, increased by up to $500 billion. This call was endorsed by the IMFC. The G-20 leaders reaffirmed their commitment on September 25, 2009 to a tripling of the resources available to the IMF, from a pre-crisis level of about US$250 billion. At its meeting in October 2009, the IMFC welcomed the expected agreement to expand and enhance the NAB. Pending the entering into force of the expanded NAB, member countries have pledged more than $300 billion in immediate bilateral financing should the Fund require additional resources for lending.
We have a few questions:
1) Just where will central banks suddenly find access to over three hundred billion in SDRs (which is what this facility is based on)? Also, we are curious just how this SDR expansion will impact dollar levels. As the dollar is the primary component in the SDR basket (17%), banks will have to sell more dollars than other currencies on a pro rata basis to increase their SDR holdings. What will happen to the DXY when $85 billion new dollars flood the market via assorted CBs but mostly the FRBNY?
2) Who came up with the expansion factor? Why is Japan’s allocation increasing by 18.7x, that of the US by 10.4x, while that of the Bundesbank only by 7.2x? We thought the IMF is more of a eurocentric bailout facility? Why does it fall upon the US taxpayers to disproprtionately bailout Greece?
3) What is the joke with having Greece join the group of new participants? The IMF sure has a sick sense of humor.
4) Curious how this comes the day before Greece is supposed to auction off some ultra-short term debt. If this facility is enacted, watch for socereign credit curves to hit 60 degrees, with near-term risk disappearing, once again courtesy of Joe Sixpack. We hope you pay your taxes by the April 15 deadline.
5) Funny money will galore. At this point nobody will allow anyone or anything to fail.
Here is the full table of old and existing contributors. Congrats US – you are once again leading the charge in the world bailout.
Matthew 5:28 seems to indicate that even seeing a woman and having the slightest thought of her attractiveness could equal the actual carrying out of sexual sin. Because of this, too many times we have been confronted with Matthew 5:28 and this type of interpretation that leads us into condemnation. It has time and time again been said that there is no difference between the thinking of Adultery (sexual sin) and committing it. All of this type of thinking is based upon Matthew 5:28, but Paul correctly defines that there are levels of sins and that the acts of sexual sin–indeed the acts of sexual perversion– are far greater sins than the mere thinking of sinful thoughts in the realm of sexual activity (1 Cor. 5-8). To Paul, the very acts of sexual sin are not the same thing as the thinking of any sinful act.
How many times have I personally been brought into a situation where the man and woman are condemned, believing that they have already committed a physical sexual sin because of sexual thoughts coming into their mind. Their thinking, if not checked I agree, will lead them into the very acts of physical sexual sins. Yes! Sinful sexual thought is wrong. The thoughts come from Satan as an impulse to cause us to truly commit physical sexual sin (some type of fornication). If we dwell on that thought, then it does become sin. If we rebuke it, there is no sin committed at all. The point is that the thought itself, if rebuked, is not sin, and even if we dwell upon it, it is not the same as the sins of the flesh, real physical sexual acts done with another person. The statement, therefore, refers to intentional and conscious desire, not to unintentional desire. Even the later is sin; but a sinful thought, without the consent of the mind and the carrying out of that desire in the physical realm, is not of the same level of sin as the physical act of fornication, murder, and other types of sins of the flesh. Nevertheless, it is sin, but included in the general forgiveness.
Greek Scholars have seen a difference here meant in Matthew 5:28 between the physical sexual sins and those evil sexual thoughts dwelt upon in our minds. According to the Greek New Testament, the precise meaning should in this verse be kept in mind, as the neglect of it, may lead into the error mentioned above. Our Lord is speaking of the sin of adultery (sexual sin), and therefore, however the saying may undoubtedly apply by implication to cases where this sin is out of the question—for example, to the impure beholding of a married or unmarried woman with a view of fornication, it being borne in mind that spiritually, and before God, all fornication is adultery, inasmuch as the unmarried person is bound in loyalty and chastity to Him. In other words, according to Matthew 5, all men and women who are unmarried are truly married to God regardless of who is saved and unsaved only in the sense as already mentioned—loyalty and chastity. The direct assertion of Matthew 5:28 must be understood as applying to the cases where this sin is in question—the sin of Adultery (Sexual Sin). The Greek text where we have “gazing to lust” must not be interpreted of the casual evil thought which is checked by holy watchfulness, but the gazing with a view to feed that desire, committing in your heart already the sin, and with the focus on bringing that lust into the physical realm—actually committing that sinful and sexual act. The Greek text states quite clearly that the man who can do this—with a view to feed unlawful desire—has already in his heart passed the barrier of criminal intention, made up his mind to commit this act of sexual sin, stifled his conscience, and will finally commit the act itself. It is more than the mere thought of sin; it is the very process of carrying it out. Jesus locates adultery (sexual sin) in the eye and heart before the outward act.. We must remember that the eye and the heart are the two brokers of sin.
Process of Sin.
From Satan to Lust.
From Lust to thought.
From thought to choice.
From choice to habit.
From habit to loss of control.
From loss of control to bondage.
From bondage to almost total demonic control.
From almost total demonic control to total demonic control.
Further, the desire here mentioned is such a desire (lust) as gains the full consent of the will, and will finally terminate in the action of the deed thought of, desired, and lusted after. The desire is an unrestricted desire for a forbidden person or thing. The desire is not mere desire, coming and going, being sent by Satan and later rebuked. It is a desire that consumes the person so much so that he acts upon it and was and becomes even more an adulterer and fornicator.
The very look is supposed to be not casual but persistent, the desire not involuntary or momentary, but cherished with longing. It is an intensification of lust, more than mere sinful thinking. While wrongful and sinful thinking is absolutely sin, it is not the same as here mentioned, nor the same as the physically committing adultery or fornication. It is the focus on an object to lust after in order to push forth the final act. We must remember James 1:15 and what it truly means. James 1:14-15 reads, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” For lust to be sin, lust must conceive to bring forth its sin.
In Greek, the present participle characterizes the man by his act of continued looking, not the causal looking, but looking continually to feed that lust and finally to satisfy that lust by committing sexual sin. The construction with the infinitive denotes purpose, not result; it is somewhat like our phrase, ‘with a view to.” Jesus does not say that by the accomplished lusting or by and during the act of looking at the woman the man in question commit adultery. The aorist, emphasizing the feature of the time, precedes these acts. Therefore, the aorist sees the man who casts lustful looks is already an adulterer to begin with physically before his thoughts and lusts. The sin is already in his heart and has already been acted upon. In other words, he is someone who has already physically fallen into such sin, and continues to follow his sinful career. If the heart were pure, without adultery, no lustful look would be possible. According to Jesus all sins begin on the inside.
The occurrence of a true Great Awakening requires judgment from God upon the lukewarm, worldly, and backslidden churches. There is no escaping this fact. A study of past Great Awakenings and major revivals across the world reveals that for a true Great Awakening to take place, God’s judgment upon the church and upon the nations must also occur.
God’s sequence for revival is clearly revealed in studying the past. We must know and respect His divine sequence. The common sequence of the Great Awakenings is as follows:
Powerful Prayer.
Powerful singing of songs or hymns (occasionally this was omitted).
A kind of preaching where the power of God was released throughout the congregation as the minister spoke. The focus of the sermons was always Jesus; He was their center. Everything is about Jesus from the beginning to the end. A few times, preaching in a service was omitted or shortened, but this was not the rule.
People experienced the power of God through the preaching especially.
The power brought on hard conviction, repentance, healings, miracles, and other godly manifestations.
Salvation was not easy; the people experienced salvation in a groaning, agonizing way so that they would keep it; and most did keep it.
If there was no preaching like this, there was very little moving of God.
When the people focused on signs and wonders, the revivals fell into trouble.
I agree that we are ripe for another Great Awakening. But what concerns me is that our desperation for the moving of the Lord has left us even riper for the Last Days’ deceptions. Yes, we are apt for deception. To prevent this, we must have discernment to see through the lies and craftiness of our adversary; and a mature saint will be able to do this. God has His own pace, and if we move ahead of God, we will pay dearly. Therefore, we must be able to discern between good and evil—between the profane and the holy. If good things or benefits alone are the very criterion by which something is judged to be of God, we may have already fallen into the arms of deception. There is something more important than benefits, something more important than being released from depression, sickness, or addictions—that “something” is the holiness of God, His name, His honor; it is God Himself.
Receiving benefits of a dubious kind is too high a price to pay if it is going to throw any shadow upon God’s great Name. We have lost everything for the sake of benefit when the desire for benefit is, in itself, suspect.
It is remarkable that, though we are explicitly warned about End-Time lying signs and wonders (2 Thess. 2:9; Matthew 24:24), we somehow imagine that it is future, and mindlessly trust ourselves in our greed for experiences, empowerments, or releases, to dubious personalities who have caught the public fancy in incredible overnight popularity. I profoundly respect God’s use of the weak and the foolish thing, but I cannot, for that reason, endorse what is garish, cheap and coarse as being that weak and foolish thing of which Paul speaks. “Holiness unto the Lord” is still the standard of God’s House, even when it is unspectacular and unassuming in the eyes of the world, and even in our own eyes.
Waiting is a priestly function. We need to wait to see if our spirits are hospitable to what is being mediated from church platforms. Is it compatible with our existing knowledge of God? If it is not compatible, those involved can stand on their heads, run all over the platform, and display every other kind of madness, and we should be grounded in the Word enough to know that not everything is the genuine moving of the Lord. There is a counterfeit! We are not to mindlessly give ourselves to every manifestation we see. Our integrity in God needs to be guarded, and we should not allow ourselves to be influenced, taken up and affected by church trends, or else we will never have anything significant to give of ourselves to our Lord.
The teaching of the Scripture is to seek out, through the Word and prayer, the roots of the problems that come in life. One will usually find that unacknowledged disobediences are at the root of nearly every problem we face in this life. Absolution of our problems is accomplished primarily through that part of the Body to whom one is accountable and authentically joined.
But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Eph. 4:15 -16).
Once more, we are shown fanataicsm, hysteria, and satanic devices all working together to undo, corrupt, or hinder the moving of the Holy Spirit. We are in a mess spiritually. We have become blinded or deceived into believing that all manifestations are of God, or none are from God. We cannot afford to be ignorant of the devices of Satan. We cannot afford accepting all manifestations or denying all manifestations either. We must judge all manifestations by Scripture. We must never accept experience over the Word of God.
If this is not all, the church has accepted almost completely Seeker Friendliness. The church has become disarmed, and if the power of God does not come back to the church, America will fall. A repentant church is the hope of America. A repentant church will revive America. We should be searching our hearts, asking forgiveness, standing upon the Word, exalting Jesus, repenting of our sins, and believing that God will move for us.
Every war or battle that has been or will be fought has a connection to the supernatural realm. They are fought there first. The direction of America has slowly but surely moved toward a socialist, communistic, or statist country far from the founders’ view. We have sown into the wind, and now we are reaping the whirlwind.
Going to the source will only save the church and only save America.
In these days of widespread debauchery, concupiscence and uncleanness, married Christian couples are being bombarded with messages about sex from the church pulpit and various forms of Christian and secular media. Amidst these messages is the constant reassurance that the marriage bed is undefiled. Hebrews 13:4 is usually cited to “prove” the marriage bed is automatically and unconditionally undefiled in the sight of God:
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
Hebrews 13:4 does not make the case that the marriage bed is incapable of ever becoming defiled. Rather, it contrasts the purity of the marriage bed with the impure behavior of debauched individuals–whoremongers and adulterers.
Could it be that only the marriage bed as God intended it is undefiled? Has God placed any restrictions regarding sexual expression in marriage? Does God have a specific plan for the practical physical outworking of the marriage bed?
The Natural Use Vs That Which is Against Nature
Romans 1:18-32 is addressed to people who knew God but refused to glorify him as God. Consequently they were unthankful and became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were darkened. They actually changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped the creature more than the Creator. In response to their wicked idolatry, God “gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.”
These verses should be instructive to the Christian. Those who hold the truth that is revealed in the Holy Bible while continuing to engage in unrighteous behavior are in danger of the judgment of God. God judges idolatry by giving idolaters over to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts. If you are committed to certain forms of sexual pleasure over and above your commitment to the revealed will of God then you are setting yourself up to be given up to uncleanness as well.
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Romans 1:25
Do you serve the creature (including yourself) more than the Creator? If so, you are also in danger of being given over to vile affections (degrading, shameful passions).
Romans 1:26 reveals that God makes a clear cut distinction between natural sexual union and that which is against nature. God places intimate coupling that is against nature in the category of vile affections. Male and female homosexuals reject the God-designed natural use of the woman and dishonor their own bodies between themselves.
Women who are physically intimate with other women change “the natural use of the woman” because they reject God-ordained male with female coupling:
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: Romans 1:26
In like manner, men who reject the natural use of the woman work that which is unseemly in the sight of God:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. Romans 1:27
Here again we see God’s division between the “natural use” and that which is not natural (unseemly). Like the women who rejected the natural use, the men also left the natural use of the woman because they rejected God’s natural order of things. In Romans 1:26 the women changed the natural use into that which is against nature and in this verse the men left the “natural use” of the woman and burned in their lust toward one another.
The Bible is clear that God has determined the sexual use of the woman. It is the natural use.
Adulterers and whoremongers often have relations confined to the natural use of the woman but that does not sanctify their actions in the sight of God:
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Hebrews 13:4
God ordained one place for the “natural use” of the woman: the marriage bed. The marriage bed in which “the natural use of the woman” is not changed or abandoned is undefiled. What about Christian married couples who engage in not only “natural use” coupling as God intended but also engage in oral and/or anal practices inspired by the perverse spirits who work in those who reject the natural use of the woman? Does God condemn those of the same sex who go “against nature” while sanctioning the same behavior as long as it is performed in the marriage bed?
God cannot condemn the one while sanctioning the other. Both are the same behavior. Therefore, Sodomy and other types of unlawful (ungodly) sexual behavior cannot be brought into the marriage bed and it remain undefiled. There is nothing, absolutely, nothing that brings forth demon activity (demon possession) faster than unlawful (ungodly) sexual behavior. There is no way that Christ will continue to be joined to a saint if that saint practices such acts of depravity. I Corinthians 5 through 8 speak of fornication as having to do with two persons or more. Paul also says that such acts separate us from Christ absolutely. Repentance can come and people can be forgiven and Christ be joined again with us, but that does not mean that any can go back into such activity.
Nothing is more vile than acts of perversion. All forms of fornication are the worst type of sins that there are, except blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Further, even regular sexual acts outside of marriage are still acts of perversion because these acts are done outside of God’s will and what God has setup as normal and moral.
Paul makes it clear in 1 Cor. 5 through 8 that Christ cannot be joined to us if we commit such acts. At the moment of that act, Christ removes Himself and the person backslides. Only an unholy Christ could be united with us. And that Christ would not be the true and real Christ. The person is opened up to demonic possession in particular by the incubi or succubi. I cannot believe the tongues of that person nor anything about that person to be of God. Personally, I have dealt with women and men who have these spirits in them.
Paul in 1 Cor. 5 deals with a saint, part of the community of saints, who has committed fornication. Paul sees him as backslidden. Paul does not see him as saved any longer. Paul ex-communicates him from the community and then throws a curse (or judgment) upon him. The curse is that his body will be turned over to destruction so that his soul can be saved.
From that point on, Paul deals with marriage and fornication. Paul re-interprets Jesus’ saying about adultery and fornication and concludes for there to be real fornication, there must be two subjects, man and man, woman and woman, man and woman, man or woman with an animal. Fornication to Paul cannot be committed by one person, that is you can do it upon yourself.
Sin and wickedness have levels to them. Some sins will be destroy your relationship with Lord at the time of committing while others will not.
The easiest way to be possessed is through ungodly sexual behavior. The person opens himself or herself up completely to another emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Such a union must be sanctioned by God to prevent such negative results from occurring.
To restate what has already been said:
Let us suffice to say, then, that the theme of a “natural function versus the unnatural function” of men permeate both the Old Testament and the New Testament in support of the principle that vaginal intercourse alone is God’s prescription for healthy sexual activity.
It follows that sexual practices such as oral sex (or “falatio”) or anal sex must be considered perversion (sodomy) since, in these instances, as well as other instances such as bestiality or incest, the sexual organs are being used for that which is unnatural in the eyes of God and for which they were neither intended, designed, nor ordained.
Peter warned of this, stating that many people followed their own sensuality and maligned the way of truth by indulging their own flesh (2 Peter 2:2,9,10,18,19,20,21). And again, Paul admonished a church not to make any provision for the flesh and it’s lusts (Romans 13:14), noting that the Body is not for immorality but for the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:13).
And we may conclude from Romans chapter 1 that God’s stance and support of the “natural function” of male and the female coming together to utilize that function, is the only righteous and holy doctrinal position of scripture. Indeed, Paul goes on to say that because of the use of “unnatural functions”, those who partook in such sinful acts, using the sexual organs for functions for which they were not intended, were given over to a STRONG DELUSION.
The foolishness of mankind usually exalts the actions of violence, conquest, war, and bloodshed as their subjects of their highest esteem. It is quite true that in a righteous cause of defending a man’s country or his life, all actions of valor are just. But in other cases, these actions are no more than murder and rapine. And thus those who practice such are the scourges of God and the greatest plagues and calamities that occur to the world!
Nothing will cause God’s anger to come forth worse than forceful and prideful sinners. In truth, defiant sinners, blaspheming God day in and day out, will cause a nation to be under the wrath of God faster and greater than anything else. Therefore, they become a worse danger to a nation than any other. In fact, defiant sinners may be seen as a plague upon a nation. Sinners time and again have been the cause of a righteous God pouring His vengeance against a whole nation or an empire. Remember Sodom, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Persia, and other such examples.
The Bible speaks of righteousness as exalting a nation, and sin as a reproach (Pro 14:34 KJV). The Bible also speaks of a sinner destroying much good (Ecc 9:18 KJV). Therefore, the sins and wickedness of people are in fact the cause of a just God bringing judgment, and all those who are defiant in their sins and wickedness become even more the trigger or the main cause for God actions. Those who walk in righteousness can only intercede for so long before God moves.
If only ten righteous would have been found in Sodom, this city would have been saved. Pray that America has at least ten righteous left!
In the years that I have done marriage counseling, I have found that many do not know the definition of Sodomy. They do not know that, according to the Greek New Testament and even backed up by Webster’s, that a man and a woman married can commit Sodomy.
Marriage must be a place for natural use of sex, not unnatural.
Just look at the definitions.
Sodomy: [Webster's 1913 Edition]
Sodomy (Page: 1366)
Sod”om*y (?), n. [From Sodom. a country mentioned in the Bible: cf. F. sodomite.] Carnal copulation in a manner against nature; buggery. Gen. xix. 5.
From the Webster’s 1828 edition:
SOD”OMY, n. A crime against nature.
From Merriam Webster Online:
Main Entry: sod·omy
Anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex; also : copulation with an animal http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sodomy
Sodomy \sa-de-me\ n 1 : sexual intercourse with a member of the same sex or with an animal 2 : noncoital and esp. anal or oral sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex. sodomize \sa-de-mz\ vb (C) 1995 Zane Publishing, Inc. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (C) 1994 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
Sodomy = unnatural carnal intercourse between man and woman (New Lexicon Webster’s Encyclopeic Dictionary, and Dictionary of English Synonyms, Checkerbooks)
Sodomy..1: anal copulation of one male with another. 2: anal or oral copulation with a member of the opposite sex. 3: Copulation with an animal. Reader’s Digest Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary.
The Early Church saw that people could be possessed with demons working in the capacity of familiarity. They mostly called familiar spirits “pythonic spirits.”
The evocation of the dead through familiar spirits was a feature of that Gnosticism which assailed the Christian church in the Apostolic era, and against which Paul, by the Holy Spirit, speaks of particularly in his epistle to the Colossians.
Some of the church, however, in later times saw no problem with seeing visions of the human dead, the dead saints, and communicating with them. Problem! Paul in 2 Cor. 5:8 said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. What is more clear and explicit then this? For a saint to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (that is, the soul of the saint being absent from the body is present with the Lord).
Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Please notice 2 Samuel 12:23: But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
The Practice
The practice of inquiring by familiar spirits can be traced back to the Egyptians. This art was discovered by the Israelites from their capacity by the Egyptians. All abominations were introduced to the Israelites by the Egyptians.
The practice of familiar spirits was commonly found during the times of rebellion or apostasy. It had to be stomped out many times. Notice the Witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:3).
It was a forbidden practice (Deuteronomy 18:11; Isaiah 8:19; 1 Samuel 28:7-25). This shows that the trafficking of spiritual spirits was foreign to the true worship of God. God should be called upon, not demons or the human dead.
The ob of the Hebrews was in fact the same as the pythons of the Greeks. It was commonly used to denote the medium and his spirit (familiar). With this trafficking (with) of familiar spirits is many times found ancestor-worship, nature worship, and other types of paganism.
The trafficking with familiar spirits by the Jewish people, in particular by Rabbis continued to be found. Some rabbi was able to visit with the spirits of Adam and Abraham. It has been reported that some rabbis conjured up for questioning the spirits of Titus, Balaam, and Jesus.
A Jesus that you can conjure and manipulate is not the same Jesus that went up.
Familiar Spirits and their Mediums.
The medium prepares himself or herself for the entrance of the spirit. Most mediums were women. There was sexual practices involved as well. The mediums liked to be around grave yards.
The mediums would empty their minds so that the entity would come and possess them. The mediums may show physical signs of the entity entering and taking possession. The spirit would speak audibly only to the questioner and not to the necromancer who alone who could see the spirit. The spirits when taking possession and thereafter may show other signs:
The phrase “peep and mutter” in Isaiah 8:19 in particular deals with the spirits peeping and muttering through the mediums. They squark and gibber from the earth. They speak with their own voice or imitate the voice of the human dead.
Notice about the mediums: There can be no doubt that mediums can receive communications from another world. And there can be no doubt either that mediums receive this communications from evil spirits.
“Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him” (1Sam 18:12). Satan envies and fears most those who have been with God in prayer and are determined to stand up and fight in faith. Satan fears even a small army of those who are girded up in faith for a fight.
He cowers before those who are up on their feet and ready to resist. And because he fears you, his design is to neutralize your fighting spirit. The devil does this by trying to flood your mind with defeating, distracting, hellish thoughts that breed mistrust and questions about God’s power. He’ll scream into your mind and spirit, “It’s no use fighting any more. You are too weak from your personal struggles. You’re never going to be an overcomer.
The powers of hell are just too big to overcome. So, you might as well relax. You don’t need to be so intense about the battle anymore.” This is all a distraction! Satan’s entire strategy is to get you to take your eyes off the victory of the Cross. He wants to turn your focus onto your weaknesses, your sins, your shortcomings – and that’s why he turns up the heat of your present problems and sufferings. He wants to make you believe you aren’t strong enough to go on. But your strength is not the point: Jesus’ strength is!
The fact is, we’re all going to be in a fight until we either die or Jesus comes back. We may be given seasons of calm, times of reprieve. But as long as we are on this earth, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. And there is simply no end to these battles.
That’s why Paul says Jesus has given us weapons that are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. We have been equipped with weapons that Satan cannot withstand: prayer, fasting and faith. The time has come for us to get our focus unstuck from our current afflictions. We must take our eyes off our trials and fix them on the Captain of this war.
Jesus holds the key to all victory and he has promised us: “I have supplied you with every weapon needed for battle. And I am ready and willing to give you strength in times of weakness.”
What does the term “Passion for Jesus” mean to you? Would it surprise you to learn that whole Christian movements are now using it to mean a kind-of “eros” love for Jesus – a ‘passion’ for Him similar to what an earthly husband and wife have for each other? (-From the word “eros” we ultimately get the word ‘erotic’). And what does the term “Intimacy with Jesus” mean to you? Would it surprise you to learn that many are now using it to mean sensual “romantic” encounters with Jesus – with Him as the Bridegroom and them as the ‘Bride’?
You may think that such unscriptural practices must be out on the “fringe” somewhere. Surely they cannot be part of mainstream Christianity? Well, look around you, because this stuff is now everywhere. I live very close to one of the world’s largest and most influential prayer centers here in Kansas City – and it has been a major source of this “Jesus as Romantic Lover” teaching for many years. And now it is all around the world. At this center you will find hundreds of young men and women who will tell you about being “ravished” for Jesus, “kissing” Jesus and ’swooning’ in His arms, etc. Their entire understanding of “WHO GOD IS” and their relationship with Him is being shaped by this teaching. -And it is an utter twisting of Scripture.
Why is it important to have a right concept of “WHO GOD IS”? Why does it matter so much? Well, this one thing shapes everything else about our faith and our relationship with the Lord. At the heart of a lot of cults and deceptions is a fundamental mis-apprehension of the true character and nature of God – ie. “Who He is – How we approach Him”. It really does affect EVERYTHING.
Now, imagine that there is a new doctrine that re-invents our very understanding of God – a doctrine that sweeps the world and catches up many young people. So, is this new doctrine based on a careful exegesis of the New Testament, you ask? -No! To your surprise you find that it is largely based on “spiritualizing” the SONG OF SOLOMON. Yes, that’s right. An entire re-inventing of our relationship with God based not on the New Testament, but on Solomon’s love-poetry about the body and breasts and comeliness of one of his 700 wives. -Wonderful poetry to be sure, but what kind of basis is that for such a drastic change in our basic beliefs?
(So is there no benefit to be gained from an ‘allegorical’ understanding of the Song Of Solomon? -Certainly there is! Hudson Taylor and others used it this way. But that is not the point I am making. The real issue is this:- Should we re-invent our entire understanding of “Who God is” and how we approach Him – to fit in with a tiny book of semi-erotic poetry from the Old Testament? Should this become our dominant understanding of God?)
As history shows us again and again, to the equal degree that we lose our grasp of the real character and nature of God – to this same degree we will lose genuine Christianity. You cannot have the true New Testament Faith if you have lost the true New Testament Jesus. -Which is why it is so serious when people say that in the West today we have invented a kind-of “American Jesus” to suit our self-centered, “me”-focused lifestyle. They point out that today you mostly hear of a Jesus who exists to make you “happy” rather than holy, a Jesus who is always a “friend” but never a Judge, a Jesus who does not any longer hate sin or demand repentance, but only wants you prosperous and ‘blessed’. This is a Jesus that utterly suits our selfish Western mindset, but is found nowhere in the Bible.
And the new “Jesus As Lover” doctrine is just another twist in the ongoing tale of modern Christians distorting the character and nature of God.
Does Jesus love us? Of course He does – more than words can tell. And are we to love Him? Of course! -With all our heart, mind, soul and strength! But does this mean that we are to approach Him with a sensual “romantic” love, like some adolescent schoolgirl, “swooning” and smooching with our ‘lover’ Jesus? Is that what God’s love means? Are we to exchange ‘agape’ for emotional “eros” and act like Jesus’s “girlfriend” here on earth? (-Men as well as women?) God forbid!
Of course we know that in Scripture the corporate body of Christ (particularly at the end of the age) is described as the “Bride” of Christ. But isn’t it obvious that this is talking about the ‘CORPORATE’ Body – not individual Christians? Are we each to become Jesus’s little “girlfriends” here on earth – or is it the “WHOLE BODY” that is to one day be the Bride of Christ? -Clearly it is the latter.
The effect of this doctrine on young men is particularly distressing. To describe it as “effeminate” is quite an understatement. As it is, the modern church is already known for being an “anti-masculine” zone, with its flower displays, pink walls, mauve carpets, emotion- laden music, etc. A lot of commentators point to this when discussing the low attendance of men in our churches. But this new doctrine takes this theme to undreamt-of depths.
Can you imagine zealous praying young men who relate to Jesus (ie. another MALE) as a “lover” whom they kiss and ’swoon’ over? Can you imagine what happens when this becomes their basic approach to God? -And this is just the beginning of the gender- bending weirdness that is starting to become “normal” in this movement. (Some are in such deception that they even have experiences of “Jesus” kissing them on the mouth, etc. The movement itself warns against “sensual encounters” but their very teaching leads directly to this kind of thing. Deceiving spirits are always super-active in this kind of environment. Where do you think the famed ‘incubus’ and ’succubus’ originate from?)
The ironic thing is that a lot of the people who are into this doctrine claim to be “seeking Revival”. They really think that this is the kind of ‘intimacy’ that God desires. It is greatly influencing the modern ‘Prayer’ movement, the Prophetic movement and the ‘Worship’ movement (-which explains the recent rash of songs with “Song of Solomon” type themes: “I kiss you with the kisses of my mouth”, “Take me into your chamber”, etc).
I find their talk of “Revival” particularly ironic, because I have studied Revival for many years, and I am aware that all the old Revivalists prayed to a God who is very different from what is being presented here. -And their understanding of “WHO GOD IS” was utterly crucial to their obtaining Revival. They prayed to a God of holiness and majesty and awe – a God of glory who hates sin, yet sent His son to die for sinners.
The God that the old Revivalists prayed to was the “throneroom” God that Isaiah described- “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple… And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts: The whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” (Is 6:1-5).
This is the “throneroom” God who is described again in Revelation chapter 4 – where we are told that the four beasts cry, “Holy, holy, holy” day and night without ceasing, and the 24 elders cast down their crowns before His throne – over and over again. It is “HOLINESS” that is the chief characteristic of God! No other characteristic is ever repeated three times together in the Bible – let alone over and over, day and night! -”HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.”
And actually, the full title of the book of Revelation is the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”. So in other words, it is a ‘revealing’ of who Jesus is and what He is really like. And when John (the ‘beloved’ disciple) first sees the glorified Christ in Revelation 1, we are told that such is His terror-inducing holiness and glory that John fell at his feet “as though dead.” -This is the true Jesus – as He really is.
In every true Revival, it is the God of majesty who reveals himself. For Revival is the “Glory of God” coming down. It is His very ‘throneroom’ presence coming down amongst men. Thus, even His own children should approach Him with awe. And if we do not pray to this God, then we should not expect Revival at all. -That is one of the basic lessons of Revival history. -We must pray to the ‘RIGHT GOD’ if we are going to see true Revival.
Incidentally, the ‘Bride of Christ’ in Revelation is described as a ‘holy city’ – a “new Jerusalem” coming down from heaven. (Rev 21). So it is clearly a ‘CORPORATE’ entity that exists at the end of the age. -Not some individualized “girlfriend of Jesus” in the here-and-now.
It is a very serious thing to tamper with our understanding of ‘WHO GOD IS’ and how we relate to Him. In a lot of ways it is like preaching “another Jesus”. -It really is that bad. If you hear phrases today like ‘Lovesick for Jesus’, ‘Bridal Paradigm’, “Bridal intimacy”, “Inflamed heart”, ‘Romancing’, “Ravished”, ‘Fascinated’, etc, then you can be pretty sure that you are being exposed to this deceptive doctrine. I believe it is serious error, and I urge you to flee from it as far as you can, my friends.
READERS REPLY TO THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
“D–” writes:
I ran into this a few weeks ago at our home fellowship. A woman whom I see to be very Spirit filled, was talking to us at the dinner table about being taken into the “upper chambers” where Jesus laid her down on a bed of roses (because He is the Rose of Sharon He can do that, she said), and that He made love to her. She described to me this whole scene as if it were out of a romance novel. The thought of Jesus actually making love to me made me sick… I was actually disheartened, grieved and shocked that she was talking about this. What gets me is that her friends who were with her all agreed as if this was sound biblical doctrine.
[NOTE: The above email is not from Kansas City - but rather from elsewhere in the USA. It is a good example of what is happening as this doctrine spreads around the world. Please note that the prayer center in Kansas City does NOT teach in any way that we should have sexual or 'physical' encounters with Jesus. However, their teaching certainly lays the groundwork for it - and is the ultimate cause of it, in my opinion. Their claim is that it is "immature" believers who are misusing and distorting their teaching.
Well yes - of course! But they are actually preaching it to thousands of "immature" believers themselves! In fact, this seems to be their "target" audience. The hundreds of young people at their own prayer center boast an average age of 22 years, reportedly. So yes - a whole lot of "immature" believers are being greatly influenced by this doctrine. Tell me then - whose fault is this? Is it right for the KC leadership to simply wash its hands of the evil effects that this doctrine is having around the world? Isn't this actually the "fruit" of this teaching? -Isn't it producing "bad fruit" wherever it goes?]
“J—-” writes:
I just went to a ladies retreat two weeks ago and the theme was this same “lover Jesus” as portrayed in a book they used called, “With an Everlasting Love”… It was so Godless and selfish and full of “eros”, putting thoughts and feelings in whoever reads it that certainly did not bring glory to God… I now have the opportunity to confront the pastor’s wife about this teaching that literally every woman fell for (except me!) and was “wooed” by their sensuality as women and the need for love, that they sucked it right up.
“R—” writes:
I moved here to KC 2 years ago to attend [the PrayerCenter]… I have been so confused by the whole up-sweep of the “Bridal Paradigm” and ravished heart of Jesus and Song of Solomon. I cannot relate to Jesus as romantic lover, nor do I want to!! I am trying to have clean thoughts and a pure heart. I want a Godly husband to be that for me, to model Christ’s love and headship. All my friends tell me, “Jesus is your husband – let Him be your first love and your provider”. As if I should shun men and give up on the idea of marriage.
The Editor of a Prophetic Newsletter – who follows the whole movement closely – writes:
I too have been concerned about this for a while. In particular I have seen much written about intimacy without any reference to obeying the revealed will of God. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” The intimacy emphasis is not just out of balance, it is dangerously soulish, promising emotional experiences and opening up the way to deceiving spirits if pursued too far.
“C—” writes:
What’s amazing is how the presence of this teaching is like yeast. For a few years I was among believers who had absorbed ‘bridal paradigm’ teaching out of KC. It had a weird way of rubbing off. Even though I’d never even encountered it myself directly, for awhile I’d unwittingly absorbed some of it & had some dreams I now know came from unclean spirits. Thankfully my discernment antennaes began picking up on & rejecting the unholy nature of all this. Like many such excesses, it’s the mixture that results when deception is mingled with the pure revelation of the Spirit that’s so very, very deadly.
“L—” writes:
There is a strange message behind this Bridal Paradigm. -It was shown at the CALL in Kansas City. I was there. I witnessed this. There was a call to all those young people who were in attendance at this KC gathering and a few older – to pledge a marriage covenant right then that night to be MARRIED to Christ.
There was a Marriage Canopy held up for a marriage procession as hundreds marched under it as to become covenantly married to Christ. They made it seem so righteous and holy – So – many threw away their discernment and followed the leaders – forgetting that the marriage actually takes place in heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
CBN NEWS REPORT – JAN 6, 2002:
“THE CALL” IN KANSAS CITY: A Marriage Covenant with Jesus. By Wendy Griffith, CBN News Reporter.
Some 20,000 mostly young people packed the Kansas CityConvention Center on New Year’s Eve for a wedding ceremony unlike any other… as each person who came embarked on a marriage covenant with the Bridegroom of Heaven… From noon until midnight they danced and sang, fasted and prayed, and got ready to get married to Jesus.
“There’s going to be a wedding and God is raising up friends of the Bridegroom to prepare the church, there’s going to be a wedding!”
One by one, thousands of men and women, young and old, made their vows and walked under the prayer shawl symbolizing their commitment to Jesus.
[A COMMENTATOR NOTES: The huppah is in fact an integral part of a binding WEDDING CEREMONY between man and woman; therefore what these young people were doing was getting married - but to whom? The Bible tells us that the marriage of the Lamb takes place "in heaven" and only at the Day of Redemption when all believers are gathered in. It does not take place on earth as a "preparation" for the Lord's coming].
Continuing the CBN Report…
“Stewart Greaves, a 30-year-old, said, “I really feel like the Lord is calling young people to fall madly in love with Him. I’ve always felt that the difference between religion and relationship is intimacy with Jesus…”
Here in Kansas City, there has already been a tremendous focus on the bridal love of Jesus… where for three and a half years, a team of prophetic singers, intercessors and others have held 24-hour-a-day praise and worship focusing on Jesus as the bridegroom. [-END of NEWS REPORT].
FROM a BOOK that is Required Reading at the School of this Kansas City prayer center:
“He [God] has given Himself to both the exhilarations and the woundings of a lovesick heart. When He gazes upon me, He sees through the eyes of love and desire. He comes before me and says, ‘I am a Man in love. I am a God that burns with desire, and I have set My affections on you. I am an all-consuming fire of love, and you are the inheritance that My Father has promised me. Will you receive My love?’” (Pg 57).
“O Gaze Eternal,
How penetrating are Your Fires
Rushing through my darkest places
With the burning streams of Desire
Leaving me naked, purged and bare
… Yet embraced…
You take hold of my weakest places
And kiss them with Your mercy
Lifting up my low grounds
With your mighty love so holy…” (Pg 52).
“She lifted her arms wide to the Lord and said with all of her strength and her love, ‘Enjoy me. Right here, right now, in my absolute weakness, enjoy me.’” (Pg 84).
[NOTE: The above book goes on and on in a similar vein for 200 pages. We remind you again that this is an officially recommended publication at this Kansas City prayer center, with a Foreword by the LEADER of the movement himself. It is "Required Reading" for the young people at their ministrySchool.
When they talk about a Bridal "Paradigm" - what do they mean? Well, a 'paradigm' is a new mindset or "world-view". These people are now viewing Jesus and Christianity through an entirely new set of lenses, so to speak - ie. Through this 'BRIDAL' Paradigm. -For many, that is now their dominant understanding of Jesus Christ.]
TRUE “INTIMACY” WITH GOD
-by Andrew Strom.
With all this talk about the error of the “Jesus as Romantic Lover” teaching, I don’t want to give the impression that I am against having a deep relationship with God. The fact is – my whole ministry is devoted to bringing people into a closer and closer walk with Him – a walk of truly deep communion. But there is one very important difference. -And it is all to do with the ‘CHARACTER’ of God, and how we approach Him.
Since I was 17 years old – when I first went through a true “Revival” experience in my life – I have found myself in deep communion with God in prayer. Many times I have found myself (as it were) in the very ‘throneroom’ presence of God, where all I could do was behold His glory and majesty in awe – often with tears streaming down my face. “HOLY HOLY HOLY”. Sometimes I have been unable to speak or utter any word for hours at a time – because what words are sufficent for such things? -This is the God that I came to deeply love. -A ‘HOLY’ God. And I believe that ‘knowing’ God deeply in this way is for every believer. In fact, this is what I spoke about at our recent ‘Gathering’. -’Personal Revival’ and coming into a state of deep communion with Him. I am totally committed to the fact that this is God’s will for every Christian. -Nothing ‘unusual’.
But there are “foundations” that must be laid to come into this. And one of the most important of these foundations is a right understanding of God as a ‘HOLY’ God. -I mean deeply and utterly “Holy”. -Holy beyond words and almost beyond comprehension. The more we get a grasp of God’s HOLINESS, the more we ourselves desire holiness, and the closer and closer to Him we become. I have seen this and I know it is true.
We all know the Scripture- “The FEAR of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” But what a lot of us don’t realize is that it is through this reverential ‘Fear’ of the Lord that we ultimately come into a deep ‘LOVE’ relationship with Him. It is utterly crucial that we embrace His judgments and holiness – as well as His mercy and grace. And as this foundation of God’s glory and holiness and majesty is laid in our hearts, our whole approach to Him changes. We start to see Him as He really is – in all His GLORY – and we start to LOVE Him more and more. And as His holiness works its way more and more into our lives, we come closer and closer to Him – not in any “romantic” or ’sensual’ way, but in a ‘HOLY’ way. -This is a major secret of the ‘Revived’ life: Apprehending the ‘HOLY’ character and nature of God. -That is where it starts.
Which is why I have such a problem with the “Jesus as Lover” teaching. -Because it brings God down to “our level” – a sentimental ‘romantic’ level rather than a ‘throneroom’ one. It is an awful distortion. I believe it actually ruins a lot of people’s relationship with God – rather than helping it. In many ways it is a “false Jesus” that is being preached – and the approach is completely wrong.
I know from Scripture and all Revival history that it is the God of GLORY and HOLINESS – the “throneroom” God – that we must get to know if we are to come into the deepest heart communion and intimacy with Him. The ‘Fear’ of the Lord really is the beginning of wisdom.
Through the free gift of the cleansing blood of Jesus – a FREE GIFT – we can truly and deeply become the ‘FRIEND’ of the King of Kings. -Now, how precious is that?? How many billions of dollars could you pay for that?? -We can actually become the ‘FRIEND’ of the God of all glory – Creator of the Universe. This is the God that we can come to deeply know and love. And the key is His ‘HOLINESS’.
TO SUM IT ALL UP:
I am convinced that the “Jesus as Romantic Lover” teaching is more than just an over-emphasis. It is serious error, which is producing bad fruit all over the world.
But more than that, I regard it as an utterly “anti-Revival” doctrine. If you are a seeker of true Revival, then I cannot imagine a worse way to be sidetracked than this. It promises a new kind of “intimacy” with Jesus, yet delivers only cheap ‘romance’. And it fights against true ‘holiness’ preaching (ie. Revival preaching) by bringing God down to a more earthy and soulish and sentimental level. You cannot ever conceive of it preaching “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” At the end of the day, I believe it simply preaches a ‘FALSE JESUS’.
Of course, our culture today is saturated with sex and romance, so this “Romantic Lover Jesus” doctrine plays right along with that. But are we supposed to adapt our whole understanding of God to the sick culture of the day, or are we supposed to represent the TRUE JESUS as He really is – and change the world? Clearly the latter, of course. To change our gospel to make Jesus a “wooing” romantic lover, chasing his beloved and playing “hide & seek” with her, is obviously ‘off’ in a major way. But you can see why many of our youth are falling for it.
Of course, there is another distorted teaching related to this, which is also coming out of that same group in Kansas City. It is the over-emphasis on how much God aches and desires and takes “pleasure” in us – even in our “weakness” and ‘brokenness’ and sinfulness, etc. Again, when this is distorted and over-emphasized to such an extreme, it becomes an “anti-Revival” doctrine of the worst kind. I have been studying Revival now for over 20 years, and I would say that this kind of teaching is just about the worst barrier to true Revival in existence. Instead of exalting God, it portrays Him as excessively ‘emotional’, as He woos and enjoys us with His ‘inflamed’ heart – even in our ‘weakness’ (ie. sin). In other words, the seriousness of sin is down-played and “we” become the center instead of God. Again, this is in direct opposition to all true Revival preaching, and it simply amazes me that any “Revival-seeking” group would come out with it.
Of course, as we have intimated before, this “Bridal” teaching seems to distort or ruin almost everything it touches. ‘FASTING’ is another example. Here is what one person wrote about their encounter with ‘Bridegroom’ fasting: “I have had experience with some ministry that included what they call a “bridegroom fast” where they mourn in “lovesickness” for the purpose of experiencing more of divine Love. Seems to be really over-emphasizing emotional experiences.” – Yes – exactly!
So is such ‘Bridegroom’ fasting actually pleasing to God? Does He even notice it at all? And what about their ‘Bridegroom’ PRAYING? Or their ‘Bridegroom’ MUSIC? (-Of which there seems to be such an abundance!) -Does any of it actually achieve what it is supposed to achieve? Or is it all based on a completely false perception of God?
These are the questions that need to be seriously considered by anyone who is thinking of getting involved in this movement.
Most professing Christians in America are infected with at least some measure of the health and wealth gospel, said one theologian.
John Piper – Why I abominate the prosperity gospel
That is, believers have no concept of a love and a joy that does not eliminate hardship and heartache, Sam Storms of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City said at a pastors conference this week.
“For most professing believers if God is love He must promise to minimize my struggles and maximize my pleasure,” he lamented. Many believe it’s their spiritual birthright to experience comfort and prosperity and that it’s God divine obligation to provide it.
It’s a disease that’s rampant in the culture and in the church. People are inundated with messages from powerbrokers, media, entertainment, TV evangelists and bestselling authors that say joy is inextricably bound up in material prosperity, physical health, relational success and all the comforts and conveniences Western society provides.
For most people, joy and suffering are incompatible, Storms noted.
Thus preachers have a difficult task at hand in communicating to such a culture a genuine joy found in Christ.
The so-called prosperity gospel that teaches wealth and good health is a sign of God’s favor and blessing is prevalent in the church, Storm lamented. Underlining the seriousness of the problematic theology many preachers have picked up, the Oklahoma City pastor called it a “corrosive and disintegrative pox” on the church and “a disease far more infectious and ultimately fatal to the soul than the worst bubonic plague and the affects it might have on the human body.”
“We have to fight this infection in the body of Christ,” he emphatically told pastors at the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis.
But the blame for the rampant “disease” shouldn’t fall on the TV evangelists, Storms noted.
“I want to lay it (the blame) at our feet,” he said.
“It’s the pastors and leaders of the church today who fail to explain from the biblical text how hardship and tribulation are actually used by God to expose the superficiality of all the human material props on which we rely,” he explained. “We failed … to show … how hardship and persecution and slander compel us to rely on the all-sufficiency of everything God is for us in Jesus.”
That failure has left most professing Christians unable to grasp “the simple truth” that “infinitely more important and of immeasurably greater value than our physical comfort in this world is our spiritual conformity to Christ,” Storms noted.
And conformity to the image of Christ is orchestrated through trials and hardship.
“If I suffer it is because God values something in me greater than my physical comfort and health that He in His infinite wisdom and kindness knows can only be attained by means of physical affliction and the lessons of submission and dependency and trust in Him that I learn from it,” he said.
“That’s how suffering serves joy.”
Everyday people are hearing about a joy less durable and far inferior than the one offered by God. Yet, Storms asked pastors, when was the last time you expounded on the nature of the fullness of joy, … the superior beauty of God?
Citing the work of 18th century theologian Jonathan Edwards, Storms advised pastors on how a “Christian hedonist” should preach on the pursuit of joy.
Arab voices were fanning Middle East war fever Wednesday night, Feb. 3. debkafile’s military sources report that not only are Syrian leaders beating war drums – Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem said in Damascus: “Israelis, do not test the power of Syria since you know the war will move into your cities” – but Egyptian military sources have put out information purporting to outline Israel’s preparations to strike Iran.
They report that the Israeli Navy together with the US Fifth Fleet have for some weeks been charting Persian Gulf waters and Iranian shorelines in preparation for attacks by Israeli naval and special operations forces.
IDF intelligence and special forces officers, they also say, have been marking out routes for their air and ground forces to drive into Iran and hit its nuclear installations.
According to these Egyptian sources, Saudi Arabia has demanded clarifications from Washington about reported US-assisted Israeli preparations to strike Iran and asks why they were not brought to the notice of Riyadh and the Gulf Arab governments.
The Saudis added that several Gulf intelligence and naval units had tracked Israeli movements and gathered documentary evidence.
Some of this information was leaked in Cairo Wednesday night to Shorouk, a publication which Egyptian intelligence often uses as an outlet for information held to be credible.
Shorouk was first out with the story of the Israeli Air Force attack on Iranian arms convoys in Sudan in January 2009.
JERUSALEM — Archaeologists said on Wednesday they have found a 1,500-year-old Jerusalem road that was once a bustling throughfare used by throngs of Christian pilgrims and which is depicted on a famed mosaic map of the Holy Land.
The small segment of road was found in a dig conducted before Jerusalem authorities carry out infrastructure rehabilitation just inside the Old City’s Jaffa Gate.
“After removing a number of archaeological strata, at a depth of 4.5 metres (14.80 feet) below today’s street level, much to our excitement, we discovered the large flagstones that paved the street,” said excavation director Ofer Sion.
The single, central thoroughfare is clearly visible on the Madaba Map, a floor mosaic in the Byzantine church of Saint George in Jordan which is the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, said Sion, standing on scaffolding above the cracked flagstones.
“In those days, thousands of pilgrims from across the Christian world would be using that road,” he said.
Sion recounted that an eminent scholar of the Byzantine period, whom he wouldn’t name, was close to tears when he saw the flagstones, which are over one metre- (3.2-foot) long.
But, because it is below a busy street, the dig will have to be covered up again in a few weeks, Sion told journalists.
The excavation led by the Israel Antiquities Authority also uncovered remains of buildings from later periods as well as a a water cistern measuring eight by 12 metres and five metres deep (26 X 39 x 16 feet.)
In addition, the archaeologists found numerous pottery vessels and coins and five small square bronze weights.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Presbyterian Church USA’s statement of faith says God through Jesus Christ delivers followers “from death to life eternal.”
But one in three members of the nation’s largest Presbyterian denomination seem to believe there’s some wiggle room for non-Christians to get into heaven, according to a recent poll.
The Presbyterian Panel’s “Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians” found that 36 percent of members disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: “Only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Another 39 percent, or about two-fifths, agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.
“There seems to be some universalist streak in Presbyterianism, where some Presbyterians are open to the idea of other paths that folks in other faiths might be taking,” said Perry Chang, administrator of the Presbyterian Panel, which convenes every three years.
The Presbyterian Church USA, with about 2.1 million members, is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country. A total of 3,450 Presbyterians responded to the study, which was mailed in October 2008. The panel issued the religious and demographic report last month.
Polls asking similar questions about views on salvation have provided a wide range of results.
A 2005 national survey funded by Baylor University found that 53 percent of the 1,721 adults who were polled agreed with the statement, “Many religions lead to salvation,” and another 19 percent said “My religion is the one true faith that leads to salvation.”
A 2007 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation believe many religions can lead to eternal life.
Another study found that evangelical Christians may adhere to a much stricter interpretation of salvation. The 2008 report by Lifeway, the publishing and research arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, found that 75 percent of Protestants who hold “evangelical beliefs” strongly disagreed with the statement, “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he or she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.”
The Rev. Dirk Ficca, a Presbyterian minister in Chicago, said a majority of Presbyterians feel that “the God they know in Jesus” can bring salvation to non-Christians.
“I’m a Christian. And so I can’t think about God or about the nature of salvation apart from Jesus of Nazareth,” said Ficca, executive director of the Chicago-based Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions. But “that God I know in Jesus, I find at work in people who aren’t Christians.”
” … Some other traditions would say, ‘No, God is only at work in us,’” said Ficca, who was not a part of the Presbyterian Panel’s study. “And that is a big divide in the Christian community.”
Chang said the panel has been asked the salvation question in the exact same way since 1996. He said in that time, there’s been virtually no change in the way Presbyterians have responded.
The study broke down responses in four categories: members, elders, pastors and specialized clergy. The panel found that 45 percent of elders agree or strongly agree that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved,” while 31 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed. More pastors disagreed (45 percent) than agreed (35 percent) and a majority of specialized clergy (60 percent) disagree.
Evangelicals and Pentecostals are more likely to claim they have had a “personal experience with a divine kind of healing” than Presbyterians, which may help explain the Presbyterian church’s divide on beliefs about salvation, said Candy Gunther Brown, a religious studies professor at Indiana University in Bloomington.
“They don’t generally tend to expect in Presbyterian churches that there’s going to be a miraculous response to that prayer,” Brown said. “And I think that does get related to theological questions about salvation.”
Questionnaires were mailed in the Presbyterian study and recipients could choose not to respond. The report says 59 percent of members and 79 percent of elders responded. Response figures for pastors and specialized clergy were not available.
It also asked a key question about the ordination of openly gay ministers. Last year, the denomination’s presbyteries rejected an effort to undo a 1996 policy requiring gay clergy to be chaste.
When asked if the church should allow sexually active homosexuals to be ordained as ministers, 53 percent of members and 60 percent of elders responded, “no, probably not,” or “no, definitely not.” More pastors opposed the ordination of gays as ministers than supported it, 48 percent to 44 percent, while 64 percent of specialized clergy supported it.
The following clarified some things for me… Pastor, What say you!
Question: “What is the Latter Rain Movement?”
Answer: The Latter Rain Movement is an influence within Pentecostalism which teaches that the Lord is pouring out His Spirit again, as He did at Pentecost, and using believers to prepare the world for His Second Coming. The Latter Rain Movement is anti-dispensational and amillennial, and many leaders of the movement embrace aberrant teachings.
The term “latter rain” was first used early in the history of Pentecostalism, when David Wesley Myland wrote a book called Latter Rain Songs in 1907. Three years later, Myland wrote The Latter Rain Covenant, a defense of Pentecostalism in general.
The name comes from Joel 2:23, “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Pentecostals interpreted the “rain” in this verse as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The “latter rain” (the end-times outpouring) would be greater than the “former rain.”
In 1948, a “revival” broke out in Saskatchewan, Canada, and the teachings of the Latter Rain movement were clarified. Those involved in the revival were convinced that they were on the verge of a new era, one in which the Holy Spirit would demonstrate His power in a greater way than the world had ever seen. Not even the age of the apostles, they said, had witnessed such a movement of the Holy Spirit.
Latter Rain teaching is characterized by a highly typological hermeneutic. That is, the Bible is interpreted in a symbolic, extremely stylized manner. An emphasis is placed on extra-biblical revelation, such as personal prophecies, experiences, and directives straight from God. Latter Rain doctrine includes the following beliefs:
- the gifts of the Spirit, including tongues, are received through the laying on of hands
- Christians can be demonized and require deliverance
- God has restored all the offices of ministry to the Church, including apostle and prophet
- divine healing can be administered through the laying on of hands
- praise and worship will usher God into our presence
- women have a full and equal ministry role in the Church
- denominational lines will be destroyed, and the Church will unify in the last days
- the “latter rain” will bring God’s work to completion; the Church will be victorious over the world and usher in Christ’s kingdom
Many “apostles” in the Latter Rain Movement also teach the doctrine of “the manifest sons of God.” This is a heretical doctrine which says that the Church will give rise to a special group of “overcomers” who will receive spiritual bodies, becoming immortal.
It is important to note that the Assemblies of God deemed the Latter Rain Movement to contain heresy from the very beginning. On April 20, 1949, the Assemblies of God officially denounced Latter Rain teaching, nearly splitting the denomination in the process. Other established Pentecostal groups have passed similar resolutions.
Today, the term “latter rain” is rarely used, but the theology of Latter Rain continues to exert an influence. Most branches of the Charismatic Movement adhere to Latter Rain teaching. Modern movements such as the Brownsville/Pensacola Revival, the Toronto Blessing, and the “holy laughter” phenomenon are a direct result Latter Rain theology.
Christ’s church has never been approved or accepted by the world. And it never will be. If you live for Jesus, you won’t have to separate yourself from other’s company; they’ll do it for you. All you have to do is live for him. Suddenly, you’ll find yourself reproached, rejected, called evil: “Men shall hate you, and…they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake” (Luke 6:22).
Yet, Jesus adds, this is the path to true fulfillment. “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25). In other words: “The only way you find meaning in life is by selling out your all for me. Then you’ll find true joy, peace and satisfaction.” Christ tells us, “My church is without spot or wrinkle. So, when you come to me, you must be willing to lay down all sins. You must surrender all to me, die completely to self, ungodly ambition and ego. By faith, you’ll be buried with me. But I will raise you up into new life.”
Think about what it means to be without spot or wrinkle. We know a spot is a stain. But what about a wrinkle? Have you ever heard the phrase, “a new wrinkle”? It means adding a new idea to an existing concept. A wrinkle, in that sense, applies to those who try to improve on the gospel. It suggests an easy way to attain heaven, without full surrender to Christ.
That’s the kind of gospel that’s being preached in many churches today. The sermons are aimed only at meeting people’s needs. As I read Jesus’ words, I see that this kind of preaching will not work. It doesn’t accomplish the true work of the gospel.
Don’t misunderstand: I’m not against preaching comfort and strength to
God’s people. As a shepherd of the Lord, I’m called to do exactly that. But if I preach only to people’s needs, and ignore Christ’s call to lay down our lives, then true needs will never be met. Jesus’ words are clear: Our needs are met by dying to ourselves and taking up his cross
Christians were shocked last week after learning that Benny and Suzanne Hinn are divorcing. Do ministers owe us an explanation for their failures?
Judging by the calls and e-mails I received last week, charismatic Christians were confused and dismayed when the Los Angeles Times broke the news that healing evangelist Benny Hinn and his wife, Suzanne, are getting divorced. The comments I heard were mostly sympathetic: “I am so grieved.” “This is a wake-up call.” “This is heartbreaking.” “I’m praying for the Hinns.”
And a few people were angry: “What is happening?” “Here we go again.” “This is why the secular world looks at us and laughs!”
“Every Christian has access to God’s mercy when he makes mistakes. But a leader is held to a higher standard of accountability and disclosure.”“
Hinn’s ministry, based in Texas, eventually posted an official statement online to quell the public outcry. It says:
Pastor Benny Hinn and his immediate family were shocked and saddened to learn of this news on February 17 without any previous notice. The couple has been married for more than 30 years, and although Pastor Hinn has faithfully endeavored to bring healing to their relationship, those efforts failed and were met with the petition for divorce that was filed without notice.
Both Pastor Hinn and the board of directors of the church ask for the prayers of ministry partners and friends as the Hinn family walks through this difficult season. Pastor Hinn also wants everyone to know that he remains firmly and unquestionably committed to God’s calling—as he continues in his thirty-sixth year of ministry—to take the life-saving and miracle-working Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations through crusades, broadcasts, and mission outreaches.
I’m grateful that Hinn released this statement, but I hope he plans to say more soon. He has influenced far too many people around the world to keep us wondering why his marriage is ending.
The charismatic segment of the church has endured a long string of divorces, moral failures and embarrassing scandals among high-profile ministers. The most recent wave began in 2006 with Ted Haggard’s fall (which did not end in divorce, thanks to Gayle Haggard’s tough decision to forgive Ted). Megachurch pastors Randy and Paula White of Tampa, Fla., announced their break-up in 2007; then came similar news from Juanita Bynum and Thomas Weeks III in Atlanta, followed by Jamal Bryant and his wife, Gizelle, of Empowerment Temple in Baltimore. And on and on it goes.
Part of the fallout of these scandals was the widespread disillusionment among people who follow these leaders. We naturally expect ministers to be models of Christ-like behavior, and they have a solemn charge to do so. When shepherds fail, the sheep often faint.
We’ve even seen this in the secular world. When politicians or celebrity athletes experience personal failure, the public wants an explanation. Tiger Woods, for example, waited three long months before finally hosting a press conference last week to admit what he called “irresponsible and selfish behavior.”
Of course no minister is perfect, and every Christian has access to God’s mercy when he makes mistakes. But a spiritual leader is held to a higher standard of accountability and disclosure. Those who assume a public ministerial role incur a “stricter judgment,” according to James 3:1. That means a leader can’t have a moral or ethical breakdown and then just hide it, ignore it or laugh it off.
It also means he can’t spin the statement to his advantage. The church, of all places, should be a No Spin Zone. We must take full responsibility, and that includes publicly owning up to our failures—and stepping down from the pulpit, if necessary, for however long it takes to find healing.
Please understand that I am not attacking a brother in Christ. I honor Benny Hinn for the fact that many people have come to the Lord in his evangelistic events around the world. I also know that leaders often are hit with the worst spiritual attacks because they are on the front lines. I believe we owe it to Benny and Suzanne to pray that their marriage can be restored.
Yet in this season of moral and spiritual crisis we must appeal to all those in public ministry to handle their charge with care. Of all people on earth, those who preach the Gospel of Truth must tell the truth.
Even as Muslim spokesmen try to deny Jewish claims to the
Holy Land, archaeological discoveries have recently been coming in fast and furious proving the veracity of the Biblical account of history.
HebrewUniversity archaeologists have revealed an ancient path in Jerusalem believed to date back to the time of King Solomon, along with structures including a gateway and the foundation of a building. Dr. Eilat Mazar, the leader of the archaeological dig, said the findings match finds from the time of the
FirstTemple.
Arutz Sheva TV’s Yoni Kempinski visited the archaeological dig where the ancient wall was revealed and heard from Dr. Mazar about the importance of the find and its connection to the Biblical description about the time of King Solomon.The latest find includes a 70-meter long and six-meter-high stone wall, a small house adjacent to a gateway leading to what was once the royal courtyard, a building that served city officials, and a tower that overlooked the Kidron river.According to Mazar, the wall is likely to be the wall built by King Solomon. “This is the first time a building has been found that matches descriptions of the building carried out by King Solomon in
Jerusalem,” she said.The third chapter of the Biblical book of Kings describes King Solomon building “his own house, and the house of the L-rd, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.” The wall testifies to relatively advanced engineering capabilities, archaeologists said. It runs through historic Jerusalem, between the City of David and the
TempleMount.The remnants of a public building discovered along the wall contained shards of pottery that allowed researchers to estimate the date at which the building was in use – the 10th century BCE. One of the shards was engraved with Hebrew writing saying “For the chief…” Mazar believes the shard, part of a jug, belonged to the royal baker.Other jugs bore a seal saying “For the king” in Hebrew. Dozens of seals were discovered using a water sifting technique. The building was ravaged by fire, researchers said, but the jugs that were found at the site were the largest discovered in Jerusalem to date.
The discoveries were made during a months-long dig run by
HebrewUniversity in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority, East Jerusalem Development Ltd, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The dig is sponsored by Daniel Mintz and Meredith Berkman of New York.
An Open Letter to Peter Wagner, Dutch Sheets & Other “Apostles”.
I recently received a report of a new “Apostolic Network” headed
up by Dutch Sheets which held a gathering in Florida last week to
“carve up” territories for it’s ‘apostles’, etc. I need to put in writing
what I believe the Lord would say to these men.
But first I need to remind us all of something. On June 23rd, 2008,
a group of “apostles and prophets” under Peter Wagner’s headship
stood on a stage in Lakeland at the Todd Bentley revival – to lay
on hands and commission him, etc. But it was far more than that.
Peter Wagner called it an “apostolic alignment.” He made the
following statement before all the TV cameras and all the people:
“I take the apostolic authority that God has given me and I decree
to Todd Bentley:
-Your power will increase.
-Your authority will increase.
-Your favor will increase.
-Your influence will increase.
-Your revelation will increase.
I also decree that:
-A new supernatural strength will flow through this ministry.
-A new life force will penetrate this move of God…”
Onlookers might have thought that Wagner was ‘prophesying’ the
above statements. But actually what he felt he was doing was
“decreeing” these things over Todd – since he was the ‘head
apostle’. In a letter the following day, Wagner called this a
“groundbreaking event” and stated that, “We are now in a place
in what I see as the Second Apostolic Age…” (In other words,
a “new era” of real apostles).
So how did that work out for you, Peter? Well, literally within
weeks we found out that many of the “miracles” at Lakeland had
no foundation, and then Todd Bentley’s wife separated from him
apparently over an affair he was having – and the entire ‘revival’ fell
to pieces in the worst way possible. That’s how it worked out.
All the big Charismatic leaders that had stood on that stage hardly
knew what to do with themselves – they were so embarrassed.
And none more so than Peter Wagner – after making an “Apostolic
decree” like that. -Probably the most colossal disaster of his life.
So who pulled the rug out from under your “apostolic alignment”,
Peter? I need to tell you that there are two responsible parties.
One is ‘yourself’ – clearly. And the second is GOD – because He
is now pitted against you and your so-called “apostles”. He is the
one who did this to you.
You and your friends have presumed to an office and a place over
the Body that is simply not yours, and God is in the process of
taking you ‘apostles’ down – and all your “networks” with you.
Dutch Sheets – can I ask you please, what gives you the right to
carve up the Body of Christ in North America and parcel it out like
McDonalds franchises to all your buddies so they can be ‘apostles’
over their own “territory”? Do you have any idea what you are
playing with? Don’t you know that if your buddies are not real New
Testament Apostles then all they are doing is painting huge
targets on themselves and begging for the judgment of God?
How dare you treat the Body of Christ like a piece of Real Estate
that you can carve up for your own aggrandizement?
Because of men like you, God is about to judge the leadership
of the church. Do they call themselves an “apostle”? Well, God
is going to put them to the test. If they are not the real thing, they
make themselves His ‘enemy’ because they are blocking His
real Reformation. Every self-proclaimed “apostle and prophet” is
about to be put to the test. Oh, you call your group an “Apostolic
Council of Elders” or something similar? Expect God to come
calling, and if you are not the real thing, expect Him to take you
down. The Lord God is coming to take back His church with great
violence. And you guys are standing directly in His way.
I’ve heard that one of these big “apostles” in Canada once told his
network that their “apostle-ness” would be judged by the ‘noses
and nickels’ that they represented. (In other words, their “numbers”
and their reaping of money). Hmmmm. If I didn’t know better, I
would call those the words of a hireling and a wolf.
As Lee Grady wrote about this ‘Apostle-Mania’:
“In some circles apostles demanded total allegiance from the
leaders who were “under” them. Some required a policy of “tithing
up,” creating a monstrous organizational structure similar to a
spiritual Amway. So-called apostles with huge “downlines” made
exorbitant amounts of money. One leader even offered pastors the
opportunity to become “spiritual sons” by contributing $1,000 a
month to his ministry.”
And yet here is what the TRUE apostle Paul wrote: “I think that
God has set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to
death… we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are
buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace… we are made as the
filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things…” (1 Cor 4:9-13).
Now THAT is true apostleship. Tell me, Mr. Modern Apostle, do
you match up to the New Testament apostles? If not, what on
earth do you think God is going to do to you if you claim that title falsely?
I believe that many true Apostles, when they do arise, will simply
REFUSE to carry such titles in any way. They will “minimize”
themselves, not exalt themselves. That is the heart of a true leader of God.
In closing, let me again warn those who have titled themselves
“apostle” or ‘prophet’ in the modern church. God is coming to
“clean house” and if you are not the real deal, expect Him to start
with you. It is as simple as that. You need to repent urgently of
your utter presumption. You have been warned.YES! – You have permission to post these emails to friends
or other groups, boards, etc – unless there is something
different written in the Copyright notice above.
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