ORAL ROBERTS DEAD & DAMAGE DONE

Truth Matters Newsletters – January 2010 – Vol. 15 Issue 1 – Oral Roberts Dead & Damage Done – By Rev. Robert Liichow

Discernment Ministries International

ORAL ROBERTS DEAD & DAMAGE DONE

By Rev. Robert Liichow

Another giant has fallen. One of the veritable “Generals” of Pentecostalism has assumed room temperature and now faces the judgment of the Just Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ (read Hebrews 9:27).

We all have heard the old adage “don’t speak ill of the dead” but as a good liturgical. Confessional, evangelical Lutheran I must ask “what does this adage mean?” We speak ill of the dead all the time. Seen any positive documentaries on Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, or Joe Stalin lately?

DMI rebuked Oral Roberts and exposed him as a fraud during his life and we surely do not want to see Pentecostal myths gain a foothold now that Oral is dead. Certainly DMI prayed for the family asking God to comfort them in their loss but that does not change the facts regarding Mr. Roberts SINistry of over fifty years.

Let’s begin with a statement made by Richard Roberts, Oral surviving son, I say “surviving” son because Oral’s other boy committed suicide (something few people even know.)

Richard Roberts called his father “the greatest man of God I’ve ever known.” A modern-day apostle of the healing ministry, an author, educator, evangelist, prophet, and innovator,” he said in a statement Tuesday. “He was the only man of his generation to build a worldwide ministry, an accredited university, and a medical school.”

Admittedly, most men think the world of their fathers, I know I do. It is human nature to want to make them larger-then-life especially in a memorial statement. Unfortunately Richard uttered some outright whoppers (lies, prevarications, story’s deceptions, and myths) in his comments.

The first lie about Oral (let’s not start myth making before he is even in the ground Richard!) is that he was the only man in his generation (1918-2009) to build a worldwide ministry. Oh really? Oral did not even begin to broadcast until 1954.

If Richard is correct about Oral having the only worldwide ministry in his generation how does he explain?

Dr. Daisy Washburn Osborn, they established their headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1949. Together they proclaimed the Gospel to millions of unreached people in over 80 nations for well over half a century of world-changing missionary-evangelism, preaching daily to multitudes from 20,000 to 300,000 people with God confirming his word by many astounding miracles.

Roberts without a doubt cashed in BIG TIME on the post World War II so called “healing revival.” Although Oral was to become the biggest and one of the longest surviving members of those halcyon days of casting demons into jars, putting up huge tents and raking in the millions he still was not the first nor the innovator that Richard wants people to believe.

William Branham is usually cited as the founder of the post WWII healing revival. Branham, a man whose life I have studied in-depth began his healing revivals as early as 1941 was well known for his international ministry. Sadly Branham was a heretic and false prophet and today there are over 123,000 web sites DEVOTED to this man’s false teachings, false prophecies and failed visions. Branham is vastly more popular today, over thirty (30) years after his death in 1965 when he was killed by a drunk driver. What’s my point? My point is, just because a false leader dies does not mean that their influence is over at the time of their transition from time to eternity. Branham’s errors continue to mislead multitudes and Robert’s errors and legacy may also mushroom and mislead even more people after his death than he influenced in his lifetime here on earth.

Roberts Was No “Saint”

Please allow me to clarify the above comment; DMI is not stating that Mr. Roberts did not go to heaven or that he was not a saint in the generally understood use of the term by evangelical Christians. What is meant ins that Oral Roberts was no genuine super-saint or highly anointed healer according to charismatic lingo and his own press. Although Oral is known for his alleged healing ministry his main emphasis was financial prosperity:

But Oral Roberts, who has died aged 91 of complications from pneumonia, always devoted himself to money – and, occasionally, God. He even justified his love of wealth with a biblical source. At the age of 29, he was a struggling part-time preacher with church pastorates in Oklahoma, and his college studies had not brought him a degree. He told the story of how he picked up his bible and it fell open at the Third Epistle of John. His eye caught verse two, which read: “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as they soul prospereth.” He had not heard this verse before and neither had his schoolteacher wife Evelyn, though both were the offspring of preachers. Roberts decided immediately that it was all right to be rich. The next day he brought a Buick and God appeared, he said, telling him to heal people. Roberts then added this aspect to his tent revival meetings and a month later in Enid, Oklahoma, he cured, he said, a woman the use of whose hand had been impaired for 38 years.

The above reporter used an interesting phrase when he said Oral “devoted himself to money.” Dr. H. Wayne House, a personal friend and mentor told my wife and I that he personally heard Oral Roberts telling the teachers of ORU in a meeting that He, Oral, and I quote, “I love money, money, money, money.”

That comment also mirrors Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street when he shouted “greed is good.” Oral is reported to have said that God told him to avoid three things if he wanted his healing ministry to succeed. Oral was supposedly commanded to — (1) touch not the gold; (2) touch not the glory and (3) touch not the girls.

Now one would imagine that if Almighty God, the Ancient of Days, Might Jah who rides on the clouds — audibly spoke to you, and you knew it was indeed God, then one would imagine obedience would follow His directives, right?

Obviously, Oral failed the Lord’s test, this we know from the observable facts of his life. Oral failed regarding the “gold.” If anyone hammered the false doctrine that God wants all of His children RICH it was initially Mr. Roberts. He died a multi-millionaire in his own right with a ministry machine worth tens of millions, to own a copy of his mailing list alone is the stuff lesser televangelists and Gospel pimps dream about. No Oral died stinking filthy rich and he did so at the expense of the poor, widows, and people on fixed incomes (plus one very wealthy dog track owner—The 79-year-old entrepreneur wrote a $1.3 million check to get Roberts down from his prayer tower and finance Roberts’ medical scholarships. He’ll deliver the check today at a country club luncheon with Richard Roberts, whose father appears to be saved by the sizable donation).”

Oral equally failed when it came to touching the “glory.” In Pentecostal thought touching the glory of God is to take credit for something that God did. Everything Oral touched he named after himself! [As an aside beware anyone who names the ministry after themselves]. God’s direction for a school became “Oral Roberts University.” Even his overall outreach was called “Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association.” It might have been acceptable to name something after Oral once he was dead, but he had the audacity to name things after himself while he was still in our midst. Talk about touching the glory…tisk, tisk, tisk, Oral!!

As far as we know Oral was faithful to his wife of many years and I do not doubt this. However two misses out of three is abysmal! Perhaps this explains why Oral Roberts could never prove to everyone’s satisfaction that God had used him to heal anyone at all. Roberts, like all the fake-healers would simply point to the individual claiming healing and say “ask them.”

I don’t try to prove [that] multiplied thousands [are being healed]. I just say, “There’s the person. Let him tell you” [This is enough] to me and the person…I can’t prove that any person who ever came to me was healed, that is I can’t prove it to the satisfaction of everyone.

Just because a person feels good after the “anointed” evangelist prays over them does not mean they have been healed. My mother-in-law was prayed for by Benny Hinn personally. Immediately after prayer she declared she was healed, based on how she felt. Within 12 hours her “healed” condition had returned. To her dying day she believed she was really healed by Benny, but lost her healing due to her own lack of spiritual fortitude! What a shame and what a burden to live under. How many multitudes also “lost” their healing shortly after Oral Roberts left town with their best seed-faith offering.

Rest assured, not many if any people “lost” any healing they received at the hands of Oral. Let’s do the math: Oral was laying hands on the sick from say approximately 1948 thru 2008 about sixty (60) years. Out of all those multitudes of people over the years statistically one would imagine that there would be quite a catalog of independently verified physical healings and miracles….but there are not. Just a 5% success rate would have given Roberts 50,000 verified miraculous testimonies; a mere 2.5? Would be 25,000 stories to use to bilk the non-healed seekers! The truth of the matter is that Oral Roberts was a fake-healer. People simply did not get healed at his crusades as he said they did. He lied, either intentionally or unintentionally, he did not speak truthfully about miracles and healings regarding his own work.

Oral a Grandiose Failure

Virtually everything Oral did regarding his ministry machine was done under the egis of the “Lord” telling him to bring to pass whatever his vision was. The “Lord” told him to build a university and so Oral made it so (with the help of millions of donated dollars). Unlike other Christian colleges Oral Roberts University (ORU) and campus was going to be a paradise on earth of holy living college kids. From there the Lord directed Roberts to build a law school and later on most spectacular of all is when God announced that Oral was to build for Him a hospital!

“He said to me: ‘Son, you cannot put the vision I have given you into a place where My full healing power is not freely accepted. It must be in a place defeated by lack of faith in My miraculous power. You must build a new and different medical center for Me. The healing steams of prayer and medicine must merge through what I will have you build…”There rising before me were the details of the buildings. Immediately I was led to read the two chapters in the Bible, Revelation 21,22. There I saw the City of God, the New Jerusalem, with its River of Life and its broad avenues. ….”I saw the City of god as a reflection of God himself bringing healing and health to those who entered there. Suddenly God gave me a new name for the Health Care and Research Center I am to build in His name. “You shall call it the City of Faith.’ I thought my heart would burst with joy. The City of Faith. What a name! I knew God could give a name like that to the Health Care and Research Center He wanted to build.” (p.333) By late 1984 Oral’s City of Faith projected figure of 777 operational beds seemed a remote goal (p.391). “In a dramatic announcement in July 1984, he reported that Jesus had once again visited him and an ‘angel of the Lord’ had been placed at his disposal. Oral ‘dispatched’ the angel to bring the ‘poor, needy and the sick’ to the City of Faith, opening the hospital to indigent patients. In the fall of 1984, the occupancy rate at the hospital seemed to be rising” (p.391). [The rise in the rate of occupancy at the City of Faith was only temporary.]

Before taking one step further does it strike anyone as strange that The Ancient of Days would first give a man a divine capacity to heal the sick and then after praying for a few million folks tell the man that now He wants him to build a hospital for Him? Isn’t it easier and cheaper to have Oral continue to heal folks as opposed to them having to go to a doctor, spend serious money and time getting medically treated? With Oral, no matter what your problem is, blammo a healing hand on you and *PRESTO* away goes your problem, easy-peasy and all for the cost of a donation in to the KFC bucket!!

The fact that Roberts could raise the millions to build the “City of Faith” is testimony to the man’s shear charisma (and I ain’t speaking of the Holy Spirit here) and ability to talk people out of their money.

Most people know the story of how God appeared to Oral in the form of a 900 foot Jesus. This apparition told Oral to build the City of Faith and He, God, would reveal to Oral the medical cure for cancer. “In the letter, Roberts told his partners, ‘I felt an overwhelming holy presence all around me. When I opened my eyes, there He stood…some 900 feet tall, looking at me; His eyes…Oh! His eyes! He stood a full 300 feet taller than the 600 foot tall City of Faith.’ Well that appeal letter tugged at the heart and purse strings of the devoted and the City of Faith Hospital and Doctor’s College came into being.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain — In 1989, only eight years after it opened, the City of Faith was $25 million in debt and Roberts closed the hospital (the last patient left on 16 October). No medical cure for cancer and now no school. Did Oral Roberts ever admit that he was wrong? NO. Did anyone charismatic leader call Oral to account for his statements and actions? NO. The City of faith is bankrupt today and the Law School is also closed, along with the medical school. The undergraduate and graduate school of ORU are still limping along but the university has been undergoing severe financial problems over the last several years. Without Oral to pull in the serious money the school will eventually close.

Oral’s Legacy

What can be said about his legacy? Sadly, I cannot find too many good things to say regarding Mr. Robert’s SINistry. He popularized the false concept of “seed-faith.” An entire edition could be devoted to this CONcept which due to Roberts, has inundated almost every corner of the Church. It is the false teaching of giving to get which Roberts tries to valiantly defend in several of his books.

Remember the “Holy Laughter” revival brought to us by Rodney Howard Brown, the Holy Ghost bartender? Due to Richard and Oral bring Rodney from a low wattage church to Tulsa from there this latest non-charismatic gift went global. From Tulsa RHB took off and the rest is Pentecostal history, again due much in part to Roberts.

Lastly, Oral is known by many as this generation’s pioneer of so-called televised “healing evangelism.” Even though the bible denotes no such ministry Pentecostals have created a specific breed of evangelist, the healing type. Again, the problem here is that he cannot demonstrate, nor are multitudes lining up to verify they have received healing via Mr. Roberts. Because of his television success Roberts breed another generation of hucksters to follow in his wake. We can thank Oral Roberts for helping promote the SINistries of people like Kenneth (Oral’s former pilot) & Gloria Copeland, Fred Price, Carleton Pierson (now a universalist heretic) and many others.

So he has a legacy of twisting the Scriptures and thus biblically deceiving multitudes especially in the area of financial prosperity and physical healing. He has a legacy of empty buildings in Tulsa, all of which scream out in derision “another religious flake” to the Church’s shame. Oral leaves a legacy of helping to spread a mass delusion flowing under the guise of holy laughter and spiritual drunkenness which has globally infected multitudes who’ve been led into deeper delusions.

Did Roberts do any good? DMI would not say that some people probably did come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ at some of his meetings and possibly even via the television. God uses the foolishness of preaching (see 1 Cor. 1:21) to draw those who will believe. Without doubt God certainly uses preachers who from time to time act foolishly; He certainly still uses me in spite of myself. Many students have graduated from ORU with a fairly good Bible-based undergraduate education. While the Medical & Law schools were functioning they both managed to matriculate some fine students. Dr. Wayne House earned his Law degree at ORU’s Law School; he reported having very fine teachers.

While the above works are certainly laudable they do not exculpate Roberts regarding the spiritual damage that he is responsible for. What can be done? To begin with his son, Richard, could pull all of the books, tapes, videos and dvd’s by his father on divine healing, financial prosperity, seed-faith, etc. and apologize to the Body of Christ for his father’s error’s. Obviously, this will never happen in our lives.

What you and I can do is not allow our Pentecostal and sign-gift friends and family to believe that Mr. Roberts was a great healer and prophet to his generation when the facts prove he was anything but those things.  ♦

Copyright © 2010 Robert S. Liichow

END NOTES

1. Obtained from http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/December/Oral-Roberts-Hospitialized-After-Fall/ underlining added for emphasis.

2. Schneider, Keith (December 15,2009). “Oral Roberts, Fiery Preacher, Dies at 91”. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/us/16roberts.html

3. Obtained from http://www.osborn.org/site/sections/12   on 01-08-10. Bold type added for emphasis.

4. Anderson, A., An Introduction to Pentecostalism (Cambridge University Press, 2004) p. 58

5. Obtained from At Totten’s Ford, Believers News, April 1998 this is a PDF article.

6. Head-On Collision Kills 1, Injures 6, Friona Stare, December 1965

7. Obtained from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2w009/dec/15/oral-roberts-obituary on 01-08-10.

8. Obtained from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/P2-3816636.html on 01-08-10

9. Randi, James. The Faith Healers, Prometheus Books, 1987, p. 193, underlining added.

10. Obtained from http://en.allexperts.com/q/Tulsa-3039/Oral-Roberts-University.htm on 01-08-10

11. Obtained from http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=20080326_222_67873 on -1-08-10

12. Just because the Law and Medical School went defunct is not to imply that the teachers or professors were substandard. The faculty from all I have learned were (and are) fine, godly men and women.

13. http://en.wkipedia.org/wiki/CityPlex_Towers

You Can’t Lose With the Stuff I Use…Mind Science (Rev. IKE)

Truth Matters Newsletters – Aug 2009 – Vol. 14 Issue 8 – You Can’t Lose With the Stuff I Use…Mind Science – Rev. Ike – by Rev. Bob Liichow

Discernment Ministries International

You Can’t Lose With the Stuff I Use…Mind Science

(Rev. Ike)

By Rev. Robert S. Liichow

Before there was Robert Tilton, Benny Hinn, Kenny Copeland or Paul and Jan Crouch, there was Rev. Ike. Like the aforementioned flimflam artists Ike was a tongue-talking prophesying and preaching Pentecostal. Like many charismatic luminaries he too was excommunicated (kicked out of) his Pentecostal denomination. (1) The following is a statement from Ike’s own website:

Rev. Frederick Eikerenkoetter, better known to millions as REV. IKE, “The Success and Prosperity Preacher,” has been Minister, Teacher, Motivator, Evangelist, Counselor, and Pastor to millions of people for over 40 years. Rev. Ike dared to go where most theologians, Bible teachers, and preachers would not. As an evangelist, on TV, radio, and at mass meetings, he had the ‘nerve’ to PREACH “Prosperity NOW!” — long before it became popular to do so. He was dismissed by some “mainstream” and “fundamentalist” people, but now many famous preachers, teachers, and authors sound just like Rev. Ike—teaching prosperity! Rev. Ike’s Science of Living Ministry began with only a handful of faithful supporters. He taught these people how to get turned on to life. He showed them how to BE, to DO, and to HAVE all the good that they desire through the Presence and Power of God, infinite Good, within everyone. Since then, Rev. Ike has become a Spiritual advisor to millions of people of all races and religions—and even to those with NO religion. He teaches that the Presence of God in you is your Unlimited Resource of Good. Rev. Ike attracts people from all walks of life: ordinary people, the rich, the poor, the famous, movie stars, political figures, sports champions—even priests and rabbis! The growth of Rev. Ike’s Ministry is realized daily, as thousands of testimonies and letters pour in from people all over the world. These people have received Good Health, Healing, Joy, Love, Success, Prosperity, Good Fortune, and More Money through applying his teachings in their lives. (2)

Some, our older readers may remember seeing this good looking black “preacher” on television (he was one of the original televangelists) who often told those gathered to hear him “I don’t want to hear any change in the offering plates, change makes me nervous.” The message he preached never varied and could be easily boiled into another one of his aphorisms “the lack of money is the root of all evil.” He used all of the commonly used biblical texts trotted out by today’s shameless shams to bilk, God’s gullible sheep out of their hard earned ducats. In fact, there is little reason at all to believe that today’s crop of shysters were not shaped and formed by his example and proclamations regarding God’s alleged desire for His children to be filthy rich.

Rev. Ike embodied his message at one point owing sixteen (16) Rolls Royce’s, custom made suits, shoes and multiple homes. Ike was “praising God” in the backseat of his Rolls long before Gospel pimp Fred. Price made the statement that “there was nothing like praising God in the backseat of his Rolls Royce.” Ike purchased one of seven famed movie theaters in New York City and had a congregation of over 5,000 people making him one of the early mega-church pastors even before the term was coined. (3)

Even though Ike began his life as a Christian, attended a Pentecostal seminary and was an ordained Pentecostal pastor for a short while somewhere he veered off course. His messages went from sin and salvation to prosperity through the power of the mind or what he called “mind science.” The following citation will give you an idea of what Ike taught:

Some ‘religious’ people are going to be shocked by what I have to say next…You see, Rev. Ike’s teachings are based on the bible,—but not the literal translation of the fundamentalists…Rev. Ike interprets the Bible SYMBOLICALLY, not literally. He considers the Bible the greatest book of Mind Science—the greatest book of spiritual psychology—ever written! When he gets through with you, the Bible will never be the same…You will INDERSTAND it for the first time in your life! And you will love God more than ever, but it won’t be the God you learned about in Sunday School. It won’t be that stingy, hard-hearted, hard-of-hearing God-in the Sky you’ve been praying to…because, you’ll learn to stop looking for help from a God OUTSIDE of you. You will know the truth of yourself—that you are a Child of God and God is WITHIN YOU. (4)

When symbolism or allegory is used as the standard method of interpreting the Scriptures then God’s Word ceases to have any objective meaning. Objective truth did not matter to Ike, what did matter was convincing his followers that if they could imagine what they wanted from God, confess what they wanted and not be swayed by circumstances they could have whatever they wanted! The only difference between what Ike taught and what the Word of Faith (WOF) cult teaches today is simply the false distinction between mind and spirit.

Ike’s system was a mental system, conceiving what you want in your mind then proclaiming it into existence. WOF teaches one must incubate what is desired in the spirit and then confessed via faith-filled words until the desire manifests. The question that plagues many in the WOF cult is simply how does one know if they have planted their desire in the soul (mind/will/emotion) or their spirit?  The cult’s answer this way —if you got what you desired then it was birthed in the spirit, created by faith and brought to pass by the correct use of spiritual law (vs. mental laws). If one fails to receive their desire then obviously it was because they only had a soul or mental assert versus a true heart/faith conviction.

This minor distinction of mind and spirit is really all that differentiates in practice, Theosophy, New thought, Mind Science, Christian Science from the Word of Faith cult. Norman Vincent Peale, widely accepted today by many Christians taught “mind science” without calling it such:

Peale taught “Your unconscious mind….[has a] power that turns wishes into realities when the wishes are strong enough.” He also stated “God is energy. As you breathe God in, as you visualize His energy, you will be reenergized. (5).

Another wolf in sheep’s clothing, Robert Schuller is another purveyor of mind science but naturally he calls it something different:

Robert Schuller attributed to Peale to be the man who had the greatest influence upon his theology and ministry, (He even claimed Peale starting the positive thinking movement). Schuller changed the term positive thinking to Possibility thinking and continued to contain the principles of these same ideas. (6)

Ike’s system was far simpler to put into action than the WOF’s, for Ike all one had to do was think on what he or she wanted, visualize it, speak positive words about it and don’t doubt. There was no confusion over mind versus spirit, the devil coming to steal your seed, digging up your seed through negative confessions. His system was purely mind science or what we could call old fashioned occultism. In the occult: the “law of manifestation,” declares that thoughts held firmly in the mind, spoken aloud, or visualized will “manifest” in the physical world.

We will see the concepts and idea of visualization is carried into the word faith teaching of speaking and confessing.

To see the obvious connection between what Kenneth Copeland/Hagin/ Meyer/Dollar/Duplantis/Cho et all teach and New Thought or Mind Science; one only has to read a few books by New Thought authors. Compare Dr. Paul Cho’s (pastor of the world’s largest church in Korea) book “The Fourth Dimension” and that of Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich.”

Ernest Holmes, Founder of Religious Science teaches that mankind creates his own reality through what he visualizes and confesses…brothers and sisters that is exactly what I was taught while bewitched by the WOF cult!

The recent best-selling book “The Secret” was really nothing more than a rehashing of what Rev. Ike and other mind science occultists had been teaching since the fall of Adam.  “The Secret” is a simple restatement of what occultists call “the law of attraction.” This so-called law states that people’s conscious and unconscious thoughts dictate the reality in their lives. This is no different than saying ‘you can have whatsoever you say” or you may hear televangelists say “you are living the life of all your prior confessions today. If you want to change your life, then change your confession.”

There is nothing wrong with having a positive attitude and that will often spill over into positive statements (out of the abundance of the heart the mouth does speak (see Matt. 12:34). However, that is a long way from creating our own realities by what we say. Ike and the WOF make the mistake of creating God in their own image. Ike says God dwells within all people and WOF says that we are all little gods. Both statements are patently false. When Jesus said that the Kingdom of God was within He was speaking to those who had faith in Him (see Luke 17:21). Nowhere, apart from the fevered minds of the deluders, does the bible ever teach that we are little gods and are to be doing god-like things such as daily miracles, creating reality, changing reality, etc.

We used to say in the traditional Pentecostal church —”God is God all by Himself!” which was our statement of His sovereignty. Jesus did not come to make us feel better about ourselves. He came to expose our sinfulness to us and through faith in Him and His work on the cross alone. We enter into a new reality of being a child of God, one who has been translated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son (see Col. 1:13). Jesus did not come to make us all filthy rich in this life. He came to set us free from ourselves through the discipleship of the cross (see Luke 14:27) and once being free from our needs we can see the needs of others and help meet them.

As enticing as the promises of the televangelists (past and present) are, do not be deceived by them. These liars with seared consciences have no real regard for you and your family. All they care about (as was abundantly proven with Robert Tilton) (8)  is whether or not your check will clear.

 

If you have loved ones, family or friends who slavishly follow people like: Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Fred Price, Joyce Meyer, Jesse Duplantis, Mark Barclay, Keith Butler, T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, etc…Please feel free to ask them to contact DMI and we will be more than glad to answer any and all of their questions abut these SINistries. If we cannot answer their specific questions, we are united with those who can. Rev. Ike is gone to his just reward. I have no heaven or hell to put him in, there are no holes in my hands…however, I am sure that He has learned this OBJECTIVE TRUTH now: Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15). At the end of our lives, Jesus will not be concerned with how well you or I did with the Stock Market, or how big our 401(k) plan was, nor with what type of automobile we drove. All that will matter on that Day is what we did for His Kingdom. What did we do with the truth He gave us? Did we act on the Word, did we bury it, or teat it as unimportant? Did we trust in His work or our work(s)? Only time will tell and that time is growing short my friends. Our advice is simple —live for Christ as if it were your last day….t may be Selah. ♦

Copyright 2009 Robert S. Liichow

End Notes

1. Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch, Ken Hagin Sr., John Osteen all “left” i.e. got the boot from their former Pentecostal associates.

2. Obtained from http://www.scienceoflivingonline.com/ on 8-6-09. Underlining added for emphasis.

3. Rev. Ike said it first, but then years later Fred Price made the same statement when he got his first Rolls Royce.

4. The Science of Living website

5. Norman Vincent Peale, Positive Imaging (Fawcett Crest, 1982), p. 77

6. Norman Vincent Peale, PLUS: the Magazine of Positive Thinking, 37:4, May 1986, Part II, 23.

7. Obtained from http://www.letusreason.org/WF48.htm on 08-08-09

8. Ibid

9. Robert Tilton in the late 1980’s was proven to have simply opened his mail and automatically removed the checks and thrown away the prayer requests. Similar facts have been demonstrated about Oral Roberts. The Trinity Foundation has about a 9 hour video/dvd regarding the rise and fall of Mr. Tilton, who is still on television in a somewhat diminished capacity (he still rakes in a few million dollars a year, down from the 80 to 90 million).

 

The Liichow’s Need Your Prayers

Truth Maters Newsletters – October 2007 – Vol. 12 Issue 10 – The Liichow’s Need Your Prayers

Discernment Ministries International

The Liichow’s Need Your Prayers

As you know from last month’s issue I have stated back to seminary leaving my wife and our daughter in Detroit. Going back to school is an extremely expensive venture for us, but the sacrifice is worth it for the sake of the body of Christ. I’ve been at school for 3 weeks and Satan has unleashed a tremendous wave of spiritual attack against my family. We ask for your prayers in 2 specific areas:

1). Our daughter who has gone to Christian schools for 10 years, been active in church and our ministry since she could talk has “suddenly” come to question the validity of Christianity! Naturally we are devastated by her current stance (a 17 year old she feels she must find her own way). Please pray for Dominique that she will come back to faith in Christ and pray for us that we will minister in wisdom to her.

2). Last Monday September 24th, my wife called me in the evening from Detroit and informed me that she and several others had been laid off from the Real Estate firm she was working for This means that two thirds of our financial base including health insurance vanished in an instant. Please pray that my wife will find a job and that in the mean time our families needs will continue to be met. We deeply appreciate your love, prayers and support. God bless and keep you all.

Rev. Robert S. Liichow

Truth Matters August 2014

Perilous Times Have Come

By Rev. Robert Liichow

Truth Matters August 2014 pdf

One thing sign-gift devotees have been saying from their inception is that there is to be a huge worldwide earth shaking revival right before the return of Jesus Christ in the secret rapture of the Church.

Originally, the nascent Pentecostal sects in America believed that the restoration of the gift of tongues was actually for the purpose of worldwide evangelization. They were convinced that Jesus was coming so soon for the Church but before He could return “the Gospel must be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10) and then the end will come, so they thought they’d better get busy preaching the Gospel supernaturally.

One theological problem the Pentecostals faced was they thought the gift of other tongues was for the purpose of evangelism due to the initial example of tongues in Acts 2. In that instance, it was somewhat “evangelical” if you consider praising God and magnifying Him evangelizing. However, it was not until Peter stood up and preached in his native tongue that the hearts of the men were cut by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:15) and they are baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:41). We are never told that this supernatural gift was for the purpose of “winning the lost.”

Nonetheless, they thought there was not enough time to learn languages in the normal manner and this alleged restored gift to grant one the correct, divinely chosen language and thus people to evangelize was there for the taking. The result in the 1900’s was that many people went out from the Azusa revival with Pentecostal fire only to go down in flames on the mission field. None of the people who sold all and went to foreign nations on the basis that had been told that they had received the gift to speak a Chinese dialect, Hindi or some other language —- could actually do so. They end result was the death of many missionaries, failure to reach the people they were sent to reach, spiritual shipwreck, spiritual abuse, despair and the realization that they did not actually possess the gift of tongues.

The other glaring theological problem was the premise that drove them to the mission field, that of a worldwide revival preceding the rapture of the Church. Their belief in such a revival is based loosely on two proof texts (there are others):

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.Acts 3:19-21

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. James 5:7-8

DMI has written about quite a bit about The New Order of the Latter Rain in the past and won’t revisit it here. Suffice it to say that these people believe that Jesus cannot return until “all” things are restored to the Church. This is a driving force behind their staunch belief in restored apostles, prophets, signs, wonders and miracles. Through these “restored” ascension gifts (Eph. 4:8) and supernatural powers much of the world will be converted through what have become known as “Power Evangelism.” For all of their great talk and exalted anecdotal “stories” (which seem to always transpire somewhere else) they have yet to manifest any genuine biblical supernatural divine power in converting the nations, let alone cities! A great deal of talk, a lot of hype and unfulfilled promises are mainly what the power evangelists have delivered. Their greatest miracle is getting God’s people to willingly hand over great sums of money to these liars and frauds.

What does the Bible say about the last days? Are we to expect a huge worldwide revival and a world turning to Jesus Christ and then He comes and catches us away to heaven for seven years (or three and a half depending on whose “camp” you are in)? Are we to expect to see a restoration of all the forms of biblical miracles and signs as done since the beginning flowing through the anointed hands of restored apostles and prophets as has been promised since the late 1940’s? Are massive conversions to Christianity at hand as the restored prophets are proclaiming?

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

The original recipients of Paul’s letter believed they were living in the last days and in a sense they were. Now almost two thousand years later things have spiraled downwards on everything that can be measured with the exception of sin. The Holy Spirit through Paul cites nineteen (19) moral characteristics that prove the last days have come upon us. If you simply consider each one of these expressions you will quickly see that they are all on grand display in our culture. It is not difficult to watch any of the latest movies and find all 19 in one film! The list rightly begins with the love of self, never forget this factoid: “ALL SIN IS SELFISH” a person can only “sin” for themselves ultimately. When anyone loves themselves supremely then that individual will lie, steal, cheat, break covenants in order to serve the one they love. Of the nineteen cited one in particular demands a bit of parsing to get a fuller understanding. When Paul uses the phrase “without natural affection” which has great significance today more so than in any other period of time.

Without Natural Affection — The word(“natural affection”) is one of four Greek words for “love,” but it is never used at all in the New Testament. It refers to the natural love that members of the same family have for each other. It is such a common characteristic of all peoples that there was apparently no occasion to refer to it at all –exceptit ispresent, when people lose their instinctive love for their own parents and children, and thus are “withoutaffection.” One thinks of the widespread abortionism of these last days, as well as the modern breakdown of the family in general. (Obtained from http://www.icr.org/article/without-natural-affection).

The author mentioned abortion. Never in human history have people been so hell-bent to destroy their own seed through abortion as those alive today. In America alone more black babies are aborted than are born in many cities. China is responsible for the slaughter of millions as well, along with most countries in Europe. Several Scandinavian countries are “progressive” enough to encourage their terminally ill and aged to kill themselves through euthanasia. Many family members push their aging parents to go ahead and “make room” (give us our inheritance now) for the next generation. How sick and sad is that? Oh, in America we are coming around to this view also. Currently we just shuffle our parents off to the “old folk’s home” and visit when it suits them, etc. It was not that long ago when families took care of their grandparents and parents. But on a whole we live in a time where there is little “natural affection” evidenced on a large scale. Nothing in this text points to a global revival or Christianizing of the world as the Kingdom Now dominionists proclaim.

Our Lord Himself does not paint a rosy picture of life prior to His return as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5) and Judge of all.

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Matthew 24:3–5

His disciples ask our Lord a direct question and He gave them a direct answer. Throughout the history of the Church a crackpot here or there has arisen to claim he was Jesus. This number has multiplied and DMI has exposed many of these false Christ’s. José Luis de Jesús Miranda, originally from Puerto Rico claimed to be Jesus Christ, gained a following of several thousand, he died last August 8, 2013 when he met the genuine Article. Right now as you read this there is a man in Siberia, Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, he too claims to be Jesus Christ and yes, people are following him. Alan John Miller of Australia is also claiming to be Jesus the Christ as well. It would be interesting to see what transpires if these two frauds were ever to cross paths. Philippine “Jesus,” Apollo Carreon Quiboloy have something to say to the other two. All of these liars draw away people from following the Christ of the Bible. The Greek word used for “many” refers to a very large number of people. This too does not sound like “revival,” but He continues to make the future clearer:

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:9–12

Jesus cites wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, famines and all of these horrors are just the beginning of sorrows — then — the end really begins to “kick in” with the last huge full out onslaught against the Church.

From Without

Who is the “they” that shall deliver us up? Back in the day of the apostles it was the religious leaders of the Jews and later the Roman emperor(s). Nothing has changed, last month we saw another historic denomination fall to depravity and they attack those of us who stand on God’s Word. The governments of the world are not upholding the cause of the Church. For the first time in 2,000 years there are NO Christians in Mosul, Iraq due to being slaughtered by Islamic forces. Over 200,000+ Christians have been slaughtered over the last two years in Syria, Iraq, China, North Korea, etc. In America our own current regime stands against the Church and Christian religious rights. The world hates the Church and it is expressing this hatred like never before.

From Within

These attacks are fairly obvious; someone lopping off your head does not require much discernment. The other realm our Lord warns of us is far more difficult to discern is that of those who stand up in our pulpits and claim to speak for God but do not. Today there are literally thousands of men and women who are claiming to be restored prophets of Jesus Christ. Every “Christian” television network regularly hosts several globally recognized prophets and prophetesses. Here is a SHORT list of living liars:

Cindy Jacobs, Generals of Intercession (received vision for her SINistry from an angel)
Kenneth Copeland, Head of Kenneth Copeland SINistry, new buddy with the Pope
Paul Cain, “greatest living prophet” once, known homosexual, alcoholic (gifts and callings without repentance).
Kim Clement, a darling of Janny Crouch and TBN regular.
Pat Robertson, founder of the 700 Club can be seen profalying on virtually every show.
Bill Hamon, Leader of the restored prophetic movement. “Trained 1,000’s to become profits.
E. Bernard Jordan, replacing Rev. Ike, calls himself a Christian; he is a mind-science fraud.
Dutch Sheets, a Vineyard devotee.
Bill Johnson, leader of Bethel SINistries, huge false prophet and false teacher.
Patricia King, founder of Extreme Prophetic, huge wacko and liar.
Stacy & Wes Campbell, husband & wife tag team liars.

The twelve people I have listed have impacted to one degree or another the spiritual lives of several million Christians and they are expanding their reach as you read this. Hamon has “released” into Pathetic SINistry thousands of excited men and women who believe they are now God’s seers. These tares (see Matt. 13:25) use the Bible, couch their statements in Christian lingo and prey upon the innate trust we have for our leaders in the Church. The twelve wolves I have cited apart from calling disciples after themselves (Acts 20:30); they have syphoned off an estimated BILLION dollars over the years from legitimate Christian ministry work.

During the 1980’s the Church was rocked by the necessary exposure of several well-known televangelists including Robert Tilton, Jim and Tammy Bakker, W. V. Grant, and a few other smaller fish. Due to the many moral scandals revealed both nationally and locally the love of many people has grown cold. When Jimmy Bakker slept with Jessica Hahn the faith of many was shipwrecked (they were not built on Christ but sinful man). The same happened to many who followed Jimmy Swaggart until his fall(s) with prostitutes and their underage children. No one will deny that the massive pedophile revelations within the priesthood of the Church of Rome has caused a large departure of many from their local parishes. Is it just me, or does this not sound like “revival” to you as well? I think not. Our Lord ends His comment by cryptically stating “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” In another place He says of the end times:

For then there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Matthew 24:21–22

The end of time, which I sincerely believe we are entering into right now, is going to be a period that is so horrific that no one in history has ever or WILL EVER experience! I fear most Christians do not take this seriously. If not for the mercy of God no one on earth would be left alive due to the massive multi-fronted judgment that God is releasing. He shortens His wrath for the sake of His people the “elect” (He does not have two elect peoples) this tells me we are still on earth folks.

Here is a snapshot of a FEW examples of the multi-facetted sorrows beginning to impact all humanity:

The entire Middle East is on fire and it is only getting worse.
Virtually every nation has turned against Israel in It’s battle with Hamas.
The area of Ukraine, this too is growing “hotter” by the week.
Christians are being slaughtered by the tens of thousands in Syria and Iraq this year.
Virtually every historic denomination has capitulated to the spirit of this age.
Our southern border has been purposefully collapsed; millions of illegals now soak up dwindling resources in our indebted nation. We are seeing the actual start of the new North American treaty signed by Bush, Mexico/America/Canada – all open.
More people in America are on the gov’t dole than pay taxes (we’ve passed the “tipping point”).
Ebola is spreading, pneumonic and bubonic plague is spreading.
Millions die every year from the flu.
America can expect a huge increase in utility rates & more brown outs & black outs due to the closure of many coal mines & power plants. Our power grid is highly vulnerable.
Diseases unseen in America are back, leprosy, scabies, measles, H1N1, foot and mouth disease, etc.
The U.S. dollar is about to lose its status as the World Reserve Currency and is worth less than half its face value today. The fiat backed dollar is set to collapse in the near future.
Our gov’t spies and manipulates its citizens, our leaders violate the law and their oaths (re-read Timothy)
Abortion, infanticide, euthanasia is widespread.
Transhuman gene splicing experiments.
Vaccines that harm and do not heal.
Societal approval of homosexuality
Rampant immorality, fornication, redefining marriage.
GMO laden franken-food, fluoride in the public water systems, pesticides.
Purposeful dumbing down of the populace via the educational system.
Fukashima meltdown, still leaking radiation into the ocean. Virtually every reactor in the world is leaking to some degree (do the research if you doubt me).

I ask our sign-gift enthusiast brethren AGAIN where they see a world-wide earth shaking revival and a nation-wide turning to Christ in the Bible or in our world? Yet the biblical facts and observable facts do not deter these people from teaching Christian dominionism.

The Kingdom Now folks are wrong in thinking they are somehow going to convert the world to Christianity and then hand it over to Jesus when He returns. Jesus describes a time so dark and punitive that few will survive it which gives no place for their doctrinal drivel.

Those who believe they will be raptured away (as the pre-tribulation Dispensationalists teach) before things really begin to go downhill are equally wrong (this was my previous stance as a charismatic). The danger of holding this belief is that when the storm starts to intensify they will not be prepared, thinking they are getting air-lifted not to mention the other harm that come from clinging to a false doctrine.

Lastly, I am not that impressed with those who rightly believe, teach and confess that the Church will indeed suffer and suffer horribly (such as my beloved LCMS). Unfortunately there will be a people who are the “last” and thus receive the worst. Yet those who believe we shall go through the tribulation are doing little to nothing to prepare to be light houses in practical ways for their communities as things continue to fail.

There is simply no way to sugarcoat what is beginning to befall the world and America personally. The horrors coming upon the earth are unimaginable because there has never been nor ever again will be a time this horrific. To ignore what is taking place all around us is unwise. Our Lord and His apostles have given us more than enough information about what to expect and the common sense to take appropriate steps.

The good news is manifold. First, having read the end of the “Book” I can assure you we have won in Christ Jesus! Secondly, as sin abounds so does the grace of our God (Rom. 5:20) and the darkness of this age only makes His Gospel light shine even brighter. Third, as always we are called to keep our eyes focused upon Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) regardless of our temporal situation.

 

“Bishop” Tony Palmer Dead

by Rev. Bob Liichow

In January this year Pope Francis sent Bishop Palmer to a charismatic conference hosted by television evangelist Kenneth Copeland, where he unveiled a video message of unity and love that the Pope had suggested he do.¹

The man who served as the bridge between head of the Church of Rome, the Pope and the titular head of Charismatic extremism, Kenneth Copeland has died in a motorcycle accident. The meeting of these two movers-and-shakers of the spiritual world was facilitated by a friend of both Bishop Tony Palmer.

Tony Palmer, the charismatic young preacher who enjoyed a friendship with Pope Francis, has apparently died in a motorcycle accident,” Kathy Schiffer reported on her Seasons of Grace blog. “Not a Catholic, Palmer was bishop in the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, a group that broke away from the Anglican Church and considered itself part of the Convergence Movement.”²

The Convergence Movement

Standing within the Celtic and Anglican traditions, the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches was created by a convergence of the great historical expressions of faith and practice: the Evangelical, Charismatic, liturgical, and sacramental traditions. The fundamental principles defining inclusion in the Communion are detailed in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886.³

The House of Bishops of the American Episcopal Church met in Chicago in 1886. During their meeting they discussed how they might open themselves up to all other Christian communions who would agree to 4 basic position statements:

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God.

The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.

The two Sacraments — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.

The Historic Episcopate locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church.⁴

The goal of these Episcopalians was laudable; they wanted to see the visible Church united as one Body with a common confession and witness to the world. This is a longing in the heart of every Christian but it will never exist until our Lord returns for us.

Paul told us that there MUST be schisms among us (see 1 Cor. 11:18) and the very nature of truth is that it is in opposition to everything that stands in contradiction to it. Truth is black and white, no shades of grey or as the philosophers like to say “A is A and cannot be non-A.” While their quest was noble, it was and is unattainable. Bishop Palmer was simply one of many who have tried to bridge the “doctrinal gap” that truth so unavoidably creates between us.

Their Four Points

First, The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revealed Word of God. Sounds good, but what does it say? Is the Bible the only revealed Word of God or can we also use the Book of Mormon, the Divine Principle or the Keys to Science and Health along with the Bible? Is the Bible a totally sufficient revelation from God? Does God still speak through His restored prophets to the Church as the sign-gift enthusiasts proclaim? What of the role of Church tradition in understanding the Bible as the Roman Catholics assert? Episcopalians are not Dispensationalists as are most American evangelicals, how do these vastly differing traditions unite in Bible study?

Secondly, The Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith. All genuine Christians can and do confess that these two creeds are sufficient statements of our faith as Christians. Interestingly enough the American evangelicals and charismatics will initially be unfamiliar with these two confessions in that they never confess them as part of their worship.

Thirdly, The two Sacraments — Baptism and the Supper of the Lord — ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him. So much for unity! Wisely they say “the two sacraments” thus leaving wide open the door for others to add additional sacraments, after all the Church of Rome has 7 of them. However, the visible Church does agree with both of these sacraments inasmuch as they are found within the pages of the New Testament. Apart from that there is absolutely no agreement between the Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, American Evangelicals, Sign-gift independent folks and the remaining liturgical devotees as to what is happens in/with/through/under these two specific sacraments.

Holy Communion

There is no scriptural agreement between any of these divergent traditions as to what is being: (1) given and (2) received at communion. What elements to use – wine or grape juice? Is it bread or wafers, gluten free or wheat? Do we use shot glasses or a common chalice? How often, once a week, every service, quarterly? Can children participate? Alter fellowship, closed or open to any and all? There is no agreement between these groups as to the most salient issue — is this bread indeed the Body of Christ and this cup His blood or not? Yes or no, again no “grey” areas here folks!

Baptism

Baptism, simple enough right? Hold your horses` holy one! What is baptism first of all? Whom do we baptize? Infants, children at the mystical age of “accountability,” adults after strict examination? Do we sprinkle or immerse? Do we believe in re-baptizing people who join us? Into what name do we baptize, that of Jesus only as in Acts 2:38 or in the triune Name as given in Matthew 28:19? Episcopalians and Roman Catholics embrace infant baptism, while American Evangelicals and sign-gift enthusiasts endorse a believers baptism of children of a certain age (it varies) and adults. The first two confessions sprinkle and the last two practice full immersion. So does Bishop Tony’s organization have a hot tub that their priest stands up in to sprinkle the babies and yet is deep enough to drown the kids and adults?

Lastly, The Historic Episcopate locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the unity of His Church. This last point simply says that each “district” can run itself locally, there is no prescribed liturgical format for each Episcopates expression of their faith. This means you never know what you will get when you enter any one of these member congregations. One place may be very high church Episcopalian and another may be happy-clappy tongue-talking rock-band vested prophets.

The following is a chart of what they call their “Paradigm of Ministry” showing a huge mixed-bag of doctrine and practice:

Liturgical Sacramental	Evangelical	Charismatic
Theology	Biblical Foundation	Five-fold Ministry and Government –[aka restored apostles/prophets]
Orthodoxy	Personal Conversion	Power of the Spirit [signs and wonders]
Universality	Evangelism & Mission	Spiritual Gifts [restored 9 sign gifts]
Liturgical Worship	Pulpit-Centered Worship	Charismatic Worship [non-liturgical]
Social Action [aka social Gospel/liberation theology?]	Personal Holiness [aka Methodism/works]	Kingdom
Incarnational understanding of the Church (based on theology, history, and sacramental elements of thought) [aka mystical]	Biblical and Reformational understanding of the Church (pragmatic and rational) [aka rationalistic]	Spiritual, Organic, and functional understanding of the Church (dynamic and informal) [aka impractical] *the ‘aka’s’ were added by this author to clarify what they really mean

These things look “good” on a chart but if you prick any of these columns with the sword of the Spirit there will be problems.

It makes sense to me that the Pope, a fellow sign-gift enthusiast would embrace a man like Palmer, Palmer had already proven his willingness to compromise God’s truth for human cohesion and feigned pseudo “unity.” To the Pope every professing Christian and denomination are merely lapsed Roman Catholics who simply need some guidance. So this unionistic group was and is an open door to the Vatican. Through Palmer the Pope has now received a hearty welcome by Mr. Copeland and the (hopefully to the Pope) the millions who follow Copeland’s lies.

People ask “was he a Christian?” The answer to that is beyond my pay grade and I can state without equivocation that if he died and went to hell I am not increased one bit. I hope he had a genuine faith in Jesus Christ and was trusting in His work alone on the cross for his sins. One thing is certain Palmer has played a short but vital role in the formation of the coming one world religious body by bringing the Pope and Copeland together and for that he will give an account.

End Notes

1. http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.mourn.death.of.bishop.who.was.friend.of.pope.francis/38973.htm

2. http://www.charismanews.com/us/44726-bishop-tony-palmer-champion-of-unity-dies-in-motorcycle-accident

3. http://www.theceec.org/WhoWeAre.html
4. Ibid.

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago-Lambeth_Quadrilateral

Truth Matters July 2014

The “Up” Side of Heresy

by Rev. Robert S. Liichow

July 2014 Newsletter pdf

Presbyterian Church Leaders Declare Gay Marriage Is Christian

DETROIT — The top legislative body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted by large margins Thursday to recognize same-sex marriage as Christian in the church constitution, adding language that marriage can be the union of “two people,” not just “a man and a woman.”
The amendment approved by the Presbyterian General Assembly requires approval from a majority of the 172 regional presbyteries, which will vote on the change over the next year. But in a separate policy change that takes effect at the end of this week’s meeting, delegates voted to allow ministers to preside at gay weddings in states where the unions are legal and local congregational leaders approve. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage.

This News is GREAT News for Christians!

An obvious and correct response is that the Presbyterian Church USA has departed from the clear teaching of scripture regarding what marriage is before our holy God as well as His universal condemnation of homosexuality. This departure is both shameful as well as sinful. The Presbyterians are not the only mainline denomination to compromise their biblical stance for the culture of our time. In the spirit of full-disclosure I must add that the United Methodists, Episcopalians and ELCA Lutherans and others have embraced the spirit of the age as the chart on the following page indicates:

We are living in the midst of history in the making and we are seeing the mass defection of historic denominations from many orthodox Christian doctrines and practices (The Church of Rome is no better off, but that is for another article). As grieving as this is, there is a positive and exciting side to what is taking place also that we would do well to consider.

Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For
there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. I Cor. 11:17-19

The Apostle Paul’s context is concerning the abuses around Holy Communion and that instead of the blessedness that comes from Christian unity when the Corinthians gathered it was a cause for strife and division. However, I see a principle in what Paul is writing as well —- that of the beneficial nature of heresies.

The Church has witnessed over the last few years a huge falling away from the orthodox teaching regarding marriage and sexuality (a very “bad” thing) however, by taking such an obvious and egregious anti-scriptural position these denominations have given their members a very clear and unmistakable sign as to the LACK of fidelity their group has to the Word of the God they proclaim to love and obey.

The public declaration of support (as voiced by the majority of voters in each denomination) for sodomy by these religious organizations is tantamount to joyfully shouting aloud “Ichabod” (“the glory has departed,” see 1 Samuel 3:1) in their voter’s assemblies and in that shout there is an UNMISTAKBLE clarion call from the Lord of Sabaoth crying out “FLEE“ these apostate assemblies.

Now allow me to give a very brief biblical overview regarding homosexuality. From Genesis to the Revelation of Jesus Christ homosexuality and all sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage is sinful, end of story. In Genesis 19:1-11 we read of the denizens of Sodom demanding to have homosexual sex with the “visitors.” We all know the end result of Sodom and her sister city Gomorrah. This catastrophic event should be sufficient proof of our Lord’s hatred of their sin. Not convinced yet? How about Leviticus 18:22 which says: “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” A bit later on in this same book we have — Leviticus 20:13 “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.” A tad bit too “O.T” for some? Then, perhaps consider meditating long and hard concerning what the Apostle Paul says in Romans:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness…. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:18-32

In these words I see a pattern of regression from knowing God, to willfully casting aside what was truly known of Him for their own fallen beliefs about Him. In other words these people have gone from what is sure and certain about God (His Word) into speculation about Him based on their fallen reason (the cultural zeitgeist) and the current societal mores.

The end result of such folly according to Romans is that God ABANDONS them (Ichabod) to their basest desires. Folks, nothing has changed since the Holy Spirit led Paul to pen these eternal words. Homosexuality seems to be about the last stage of a society filling up the cup of the wrath of God which is coming upon all the disobedient:

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Col. 3:5-6

Historically when any civilization/culture embraces and normalizes homosexuality it is slated for destruction and soon falls.

Those who have been partners with DMI from its beginning over 17 years ago know that we have never supported the belief in a huge end-time world-wide soul winning revival prior to the return of Jesus Christ. In fact, from our research of the Bible we have come to the opposite opinion, as the next article will demonstrate.

From the very beginning of our history as a people our God has always chosen the “least” and never the most obvious. Israel was the least of all peoples and God chose them. He chose Jacob over Esau, Joseph the youngest over his brothers, even as He chose David (a shepherd) over Saul (a keeper of asses) and many other examples could be cited (Gideon, etc). Thus, when I read about these huge shakings taking place in the midst of the major denominations (I am not forgetting the Church of Rome or other organizations, they too are being shaken by other compromises) I see the “hidden hand of God” moving just like the eagle stirring her nest (see Deut. 32:11).

God uses the social pressures, stresses and forces swirling around us to purify His people even as silver is melted and heated to a high degree to remove the dross (see Prov. 25:4). The cauldron of culture is burbling away and the true foundations of many denominations are being exposed for what they are —– built on shifting sand:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be likewise man who built his house on the rock.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be likefoolish man who built his house on the sand.And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27

Every denomination and congregation faces the SAME cultural storms of life. The only determining factor as to who remains standing when the storm passes is whether or not they heard the Word of God and acted upon what they have heard.

The Presbyterians, United Methodists, Anglicans, the ELCA, Quakers and Church of Christ ALL know what God has said, they have willfully chosen to do the opposite. Apart from repentance (which currently does not seem likely) nothing remains for them but the sure judgment of God.

Flee From the Wrath to Come

My best counsel on this matter is that any congregation who names the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord is they depart their apostate denomination. Not every congregation in the Presbytery supported this ungodly measure. Those that did not support the sodomite agenda should leave because if they stay then they are tacitly agreeing with the decision. Those who say “God wants us to stay and change things” are deluded. What if Noah had taken that “pious” stance? Sweet mother-of-pearl people! Martin Luther tried to stay and change the Church of Rome, he had no success. Are these pseudo-reformers going to be more effective than a Luther? I think not.

If I were a member of a congregation which voted in favor of this sin I would leave immediately and never darken their door again. Naturally, I would write a nice letter to all the members I knew telling them exactly why our family left. The time of separation is upon us brothers and sisters and it will become even more evident in the days ahead as to who loves Jesus Christ “more than” (see Matthew 10:37) all else, possibly at the cost of even our very lives.

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 2 Co 6:15–18

Dear friends by the time an entire denomination is brought to endorse homosexuality by a “large majority” of their voters one can rest assured that many other orthodox doctrinal “mooring stones” have been hacked away and their denominational ship is adrift from the secure anchor of their souls, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:19) and are being tossed by every wave of human and demonic doctrine (Eph. 4:14).

The endorsing of homosexuality is simply the last of the poison vomited out by an already moribund patient. Many other errors preceded this latest abomination. Long before this decision, all of these denominations had embraced women as pastors, changed their stances on Holy Communion, altar fellowship and most assuredly the inerrancy of the Bible.

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much moreshall notwe escape, if we turn away from him thatspeakethheaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.And thisword, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:For our Godisconsuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29

The author of Hebrews is writing to believers. He begs them to LISTEN to God and to remember what happened to those that REFUSED to listen (hear and obey His Word). The writer says “hey Christians don’t think you will escape” His judgment if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven.

There is a tremendous spiritual “shaking” going on throughout the world directed specifically at the Church. I believe that this shaking is revealing what we really believe. The call is going out “who is on the Lord’s side?” (Exodus 32:26). Those who compromise with this wicked and fallen world are not, they have chosen to become His enemies (Phil. 3:19). Those who stay the course, regardless of the human consequences are those who are on His side.

We are living in very perilous (and somewhat exhilarating) times my brothers and sisters. It behooves each one of us not think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3) and to take heed lest ye fall (1 Cor. 10:12). We must strive to be sure we are building our spiritual lives on the solid rock of Gospel of Jesus Christ and His work and not the sand of human wisdom and our works.

In the days ahead we will be reading about more examples of defection from the true Christian faith and when we do remember that Paul warned us that there must be these divisions to prove what is genuine. God always preserves for Himself a remnant of believers whom He uses to banish the gathering darkness. Pray for those who must make very difficult decisions and ask that our Lord grant them the courage to trust Him and His Word. May they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and allow Him to lead them out of religious “Babylon” to green pastures and still fresh waters that will nourish their souls.

Before going further let me state that Dispensational theology is not deemed as necessarily heretical in that it does not deny the Person of Christ, the Trinity, inerrancy of Scriptures, etc. Nonetheless, it is a false teaching and as such should be scrupulously avoided because of its horrendous fruit.

 

D.M.I. has not written specifically about homosexuality, the sanctity of marriage or abortion/pro-life issues for two reasons: (1) DMI sees these issues as self-evident, one does not even have to be a Christian to know that homosexuality and abortion are wrong, but all Christians should know simply by virtue of being a child of God that these things are evil. If readers do not know that sodomy and abortion are great evils, then Truth Matters is simply too advanced for them. (2) There are tons of other groups that deal in nothing but “hot button” social issues, so the information is out there if people are interested in those specific topics.

Presbyterian Church (USA) voted down measure to condemn ‘abortion’ of babies born alive
By Rev. Robert Liichow

DETROIT, MI – The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) overwhelmingly rejected motion suggesting the church publicly condemn the killing of babies born alive after botched abortions. The proposal, offered by the Presbytery of South Alabama at the denomination’s 221st General Assembly in Detroit last week, also suggested the PCUSA take two years to reconsider its support for abortion-on-demand. Fully 78 percent of delegates of the 1.8 million–member PCUSA voted against a “two year season of reflection on the plight of unwanted children,” which called on church leaders to “issue statements that denounce the practice of killing babies born live following an abortion procedure, such as was revealed in the Dr. Kermit Gosnell clinic in Philadelphia.” Obtained from http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/presbyterian-church-usa-voted-down-measure-to-condemn-abortion-of-babies-bo.

In the first article we learned of the Presbyterian Church (USA aka PCUSA) endorsing homosexuality. This stance alone is anti-life in that homosexual unions do not produce any children. Now we also see that this same apostate denomination, and make no mistake about it they are apostates, that they are willing to support the murder of children already living outside of the womb! On the on hand they endorse those who cannot produce any seed and on the other hand they accept the killing of the living seed from male/female relationships. Both are completely anti-life stances. It stands to reason that if someone put forth the measure to approve suicide (which is all they have left) it too would be heartily approved.

We have before us a cautionary tale of what happens when a people abandon the Word of God to become “culturally” relevant. The little leaven of compromise enters in and is left unchecked and the end result is that you will murder your own children and I believe eventually yourself. Satan comes with a singular purpose as our Master taught us when He said:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

These sad souls have been taken captive by our enemy and through them he is destroying life behind signs that read “Welcome.” If their agreement with the sodomites was not enough to convince people to leave, then perhaps their willingness to allow living babies to be murdered outside of the womb (murdering them
inside the womb is horrid enough) should be enough to get multitudes to leave in abject disgust. One will have to work very hard to convince me that those who remain are genuine Christians. I cannot see how anyone who bears the name of Jesus can side with death. Selah.

Copeland Rolls the “Dice” With Rome
by Rev. Bob Liichow

I am so Blessed! What Jesus asked the Father for in John 17:21, “that we may all be one in Him”, is finally coming to pass.Pope Francis is a man filled with the love of Jesus. All eight of us in our meeting together with him were moved by the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, and our love for one another was strengthened beyond measure. Like I said, I am so BLESSED!What a time to be a believer! -Kenneth Copeland—- http://kennethcopelandministries.org/2014/06/kenneth-copeland-reports-in-about-his-meeting-with-pope-francis/#.U7CFR_ldV8F

There are two major forces within the Church today; that of the Roman Catholic Church (1.2 billion members) and the Sign-gift/charismatic movement (584+ million members). The Pope himself is a sign-gift enthusiast as well as being a member of the Jesuit order. These two groups comprise the majority of the visible Church.

Discernment Ministries International covered the original outreach that KCM and the Vatican had and the video they shared with one another. Remember Mr. Copeland leading the 1,000’s gathered at his meeting to “pray” in other tongues for El Pappa? That initial overture sent a few nervous ripples through the ranks of the sign-seekers because of the obvious rapprochement between these two men and the organizations they represent.

Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM ask Kenneth Copeland SINistries) is comprised basically of millions of people who have no “love” for the Roman Catholic “church.” A major people “block” are his classic Pentecostal support base. These folks have always taught that Rome and its Pope(s) are a cult and are not Christians. Pentecostals, like Lutherans in this respect, have always viewed the office of the Pope as the seat of the “antichrist.”

It was around 1978 when I was “filled” with the Spirit and spoke in tongues via the Word of God Community in Ann Arbor. This community was started directly due to the Roman Catholic charismatic renewal which spread around many college campuses. However, the community demanded that all their members be a part of various local congregations (spread the fire that way). I happened to join a Pentecostal Church of God. Upon hearing I was associating with the community aka tongue-talking Roman Catholics in their minds, they urged me quite strongly to leave them folk alone! Which I did and instead of ending up on the “discipleship” end of the sign-gift spectrum, due to my association with the pastor’s son I ended up in the Word of Faith camp. All of the various types of Pentecostals I associated with were united in their abhorrence of the Church of Rome.

Another large support based for KCM is comprised of ex-Roman Catholics. If anyone has encountered an ex-Roman Catholic then you know how uniformly bitter they seem to be towards the Roman system, and rightly so.

Suddenly, Mr. Copeland is making “nice” with the system that is globally known for its child molestation scandals! Now we see Kenny meeting personally with the Pope and taking photos with him, what gives? Has the Pope stopped praying to Mary? Has he declared there is no purgatory? Has he stopped offering indulgences? Has Poppa stopped proclaiming the sinless birth of Mary and her ascent bodily into heaven? NO, he has not and nor shall he. The Pentecostal devotees and ex-Rome devotees of Mr. Copeland have a legitimate concern over Rome’s doctrines (and they should be equally outraged over Copeland’s false CONcepts) and Copeland has gambled big time in drawing near to Rome.

There is no “shock-and-awe” that this Pope is a tongue-talker; after all in 1967 the Holy Spirit “fell” on the priests and students at Notre Dame, IN. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) played a major role in the spreading of the ecumenical charismatic renewal in the 1960’s. The RCC has a long history of recording stories of flying monks, weeping statues, visionaries and all manner of mystical flakes. To them they view Mr. Copeland and his several million enthusiastic devotees merely as “lapsed” Roman Catholics who need to be brought back into the fold. It makes sense on the Pope’s part to accept Mr. Copeland’s overture, he has nothing to lose and his overt support shows his followers that he/The Church support “charismatic” ministry.

Some may ask themselves “why Kenneth Copeland ministries” and not someone else? The best I can offer is my opinion here. Copeland is heard or viewed by someone globally 24 hours per day 7 days per week, in short 24/7. I suppose if the Pope had something he really wanted a lot of charismatically inclined people to hear he might use Copeland. It could be that the Pope actually “likes” Copeland’s preaching, being a sign-gifter himself. Perhaps the old Jesuit has some intricate Machiavellian plan and Copeland is just a pawn (maybe the boy from Texas has similar thoughts)?

Personally, I believe Copeland “zigged” when he should have “zagged” meaning he has miscalculated in uniting with the RCC. Initially he stands to lose a large portion of his financial donor base as well as viewership due to his rank-n-file members stance towards the RCC. Here are just a few comments from KCM’s FB page as of 06-29-14 (these are unedited):

Brother Copeland, take time and commune with God on this…I know He will show you the truth about Pope Francis and his desired “One World Religion”…which is a lie of Satan. There can be NO One World Religion, not without compromising the truths that we know to be evident as Christians.

Brother Copeland, I have watched your program for years and I believe that you have explicit knowledge of the bible. I am devastated that you would actually fall for the deception of the false prophet, Pope Francis. He is truly a wolf in sheeps clothing. Please, take time to pray and seek the face of the Lord about this, before you are led down the garden path…….This Pope is not of God.

I
have listened to you for a long time Brother Copeland; and I’m having trouble believing you could be so easily deceived. Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Pope Francis is a FALSE PROPHET. Matthew 24: 4-5, 24 “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive man.” “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch, that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

I CAME OUT OF ROMAN CATHOLIC 25YEARS AGO, after l gave my life to Christ, because their doctorines does not agree with the word of God. their believe of Mary as the mediator contradicts the bible declaration of Jesus as the only mediator between God and man…..their praying through the dead saints….l can go on and on to mention what made me renounce my membership of that sect 25years ago…..Brother Copeland, i have been in partnership with your ministry for years……BUT IF JOINING WITH THE POPE AND CATHOLICS IS THE INTERPRETATION OF JOHN 17:21……I really dont agree to this….

I believe we are living in the times where we are clearly seeing the final forming of a one world religion before our very eyes. Positions once considered unthinkable (sodomy, abortion, infanticide) are widely embraced. Doctrines saints have fought and died for lie trampled in the dung while FALSE doctrine and practices are embraced by the multitudes of professing Christians.

In keeping with the philosophy of the first article the “up side” of this sad morass of spiritual darkness and death is that now perhaps both Roman Catholics and followers of the cultic Kenny can see that they have been following Blind Guides (the Pope & Copeland) and will leave both cults and be brought to repentance and faith in the biblical Jesus Christ and become a part of His genuine Body. One can only hope and pray — which I strongly advise. Let us pray that our merciful Lord opens the eyes of all people entangled in deception, blinded by lies and wandering far from secure anchor of their souls.

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Truth Matters June 2014

Dispensational Delusions

By Rev. Robert Liichow

This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Galatians 5:8–9

Last month Truth Matters dealt with Mr. Hagee’s excitement over the most recent series of lunar eclipses.  What we were not able to cover was the philosophy underpinning Hagee and many other Christians` understanding of the times in which we live.  Most of Hagee’s prognostications regarding Israel and the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church are solidly grounded on the errant views of John Nelson Darby, Cyrus Scofield, Clarence Larkin and Charles Ryrie.

By all accounts Darby was a brilliant scholar, well-spoken and persuasive in his delivery.  He began his career as a lawyer, jettisoned that and became a priest in the Anglican Church.  Darby was very concerned about what he saw as a “lax” condition of the Church and her need to get back to the scriptures.  Darby was also consumed with the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming back for the Church very soon and that the Church must get ready for His return.

Darby’s beliefs are a perfect example of the apostle Paul‘s warning to the Galatians coming to pass.  How so?  For 1,800 years the Church NEVER taught the false doctrines that Darby/Scofield/Larkin have espoused (the ‘little’ leaven) and yet his CONcepts have become widely dispersed and accepted by Evangelicals globally today!  Our Lord warned of the danger of false doctrine (the leaven of the Pharisees), if left unchallenged that it will spread.

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matthew 16:11–12

Darby began to study the Bible using a rigid dogmatic of applying literalism to the interpretation of the Scriptures.  This is fine as long as one recognizes the different genres of writing within the Bible Itself, which Darby did not.  The Bible contains historical/narrative accounts; Law; Wisdom literature; Poetry; Prophetic writings; Apocalyptic; Parables; Epistles and Romance.  To properly understand the Scriptures one must first recognize the type of literature they are encountering, this is the first step in hermeneutical discovery.  Darby’s theological arrangement became known as Dispensationalism.

As a budding young Pentecostal I worked at a 24/7 gas station and I had an extremely fundamentalist brother as my co-worker.  The only real “difference” between us doctrinally was that I spoke in other tongues and he did not.  I learned that we Pentecostals shared the same understanding of God’s dispensations.  A little later on I came to learn that virtually everyone on television and/or on the revival circuit held to these same basic views regarding Israel, the Church and the end of days.  Just so you know how prevalent this belief system is in America, here are a few of the Bible Colleges and seminaries matriculating pastors upholding this position:

Baptist Bible College, Chafer Theological Seminary, Dallas Theological Seminary, Grace Theological Seminary, Masters Seminary, Moody Bible Institute, Multnomah School of the Bible, Philadelphia College of the Bible, Talbot Theological Seminary, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary

I was fed a steady diet of dispensational dogma for at least twenty plus (20+) years, many people have only been exposed to this view and they know nothing or almost nothing about the position of the Church prior to Darby.  Many of you reading this newsletter currently are probably holding on to some of Darby’s CONcepts.  PLEASE read this article with an open mind and PLEASE do your own RESEARCH, these few pages are meant to inform and educate but also to hopefully serve as a catalyst for further study into the topic presented.

What Is Dispensationalism?

Dispensationalism is an approach to biblical interpretation, which states that God uses different means of administering his will to people during different periods of history, usually seven chronologically successive periods.  It attempts a literal interpretation of scripture with a premillennial and pre-tribulation rapture view.  It sees Israel and the church as distinct bodies. (Thanks to our fellow truth-tellers and friends at CARM for the definition, obtained from http://carm.org/dictionary-dispensationalism.)

Dispensationalists make very graphic charts of their system.  The chart above shows the seven dispensations of our existence as people starting with “Innocence” and ending in the “Kingdom Age,” which is yet to come.  Currently, we are living in the age of “The Church,” sometimes designated the “Age of Grace.” Darby’s seven dispensations boil down to the following:

1. Innocence – Adam
2. Conscience – After man sinned, up to the flood
3. Government – After the flood, man allowed to eat meat, death penalty instituted
4. Promise – Abraham up to Moses and the giving of the Law
5. Law – Moses to the cross
6. Grace – The cross to the Millennial Kingdom
7. Millennial Kingdom – A 1000 year reign of Christ on earth centered in Jerusalem

These seven dispensations begin and end with an exactness that is forced upon the texts by using arcane dating systems.  In other words when God created Adam a “cosmic stopwatch” was started. As soon as he ate the forbidden fruit, that watch stopped and God began another one, this time “conscience” a very neat and tidy way to conceptualize biblical history, but it lacks chronological support (we are not given biblically the specific dates and times for any of these seven dispensations).  The following ten bullet points summarize the Dispensationalists beliefs:

1. Literal interpretation of the Bible
2. God works via different arrangements in distinct periods of history
3. Israel is the literal descendants of Abraham, not spiritual ones
4. Israel is the heir to the promises made to Abraham about the seed being blessed
5. Participation in the Abrahamic Covenant is “mainly” by physical birth in Jewish lineage
6. Two distinct people groups:  Israel and the Church
7. Church began at Pentecost
8. Salvation is by faith in accordance to the revelation given in a particular dispensation
9. The Holy Spirit did not indwell people in all dispensations, only during the dispensation of the Church age
10. Christ will reign in the future 1000 year period which occurs after the rapture

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with the term dispensation when considering God’s work with man, it comes to us from the Greek word oikonomia, which refers to the house law/stewardship/administration.  The Church universal has always held to only two dispensations (until Darby), that of works (Genesis 1:1-3:14) and that of grace (Genesis 3:15-Rev. 22:21).  Christ Himself instituted the covenant of grace in Gen 3:15. The Lord Himself was the first Preacher of the Gospel when He declared, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The Lord Himself promised a Saviour from the seed of a woman—the virgin-born Son of God—who will save His people from sin (Isa 7:14, Matt 1:21-23). The covenant of grace is seen throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. They differ in how God administrates, but not in the substance of what He does. The Mediator of both Testaments is the same, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). The means of salvation is also the same—by grace through faith (Hab 2:4, Rom 4:9-25, Gal 3:7-9, Heb 11:6).  Last month, DMI shared how Mr. Hagee teaches today that the Jews can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ, this false teaching comes from Darby’s belief system.

Staunch dispensationalists strongly teach that Law and Grace, like oil and water do not mix.  Ergo, since we are living in the Age of Grace, the Law of Moses given in a previous dispensation does not apply to our lives as Christians today.  For many believers the Law has been abrogated, and is therefore not binding on them living in this age of grace leading to an incipient antinomianism (lawlessness) in their lives.  These believers are extremely confused when it comes to making a proper distinction between the Law and Gospel.  Until a person has a basic understanding of “God’s Yes and God’s No” their Christian life will lack stability.

A litmus test for whether a person harbors dispensational beliefs is simply to ask the individual “are the Jews the chosen people of God today?”  If the individual responds with a resounding “yes” then you are encountering someone who has been unduly influenced by the teachings of Darby and others.

Dispensationalism has two major facets, the first concerns the literal physical descendants of Abraham (on Isaac’s side of the family) and the physical land.  The second is their belief in a pre-millennial pre-tribulation secret rapturing away of all Christians, which could occur at any moment.  This month’s article will consider some facets regarding Israel and the Church.

Israel and the Church

Darby and his followers see the Church as a mere parenthesis in the plan of God brought about by ethnic Israel’s rejection of Christ. For dispensationalists (think of Mr. Hagee), the authentic people of God are the physical descendants of Abraham and obviously their “physical” land is the exact geography given to Abraham.

Often Luther and the other Reformers are wrongly accused of teaching what is called “Replacement Theology” which is defined as the belief that the Church has replaced Israel in the grand economy of salvific history some proponents say that God has exchanged the Gentile world for the Jews.

Dispensationalists and those espousing the “replacement” view affirm the necessity of Christ for salvation; neither is the biblical position regarding the people of God. In both of these cases, the fundamental unity of the people of God across the ages is denied. Both of these views affirm that there are two different ways of salvation, one for the Jews and one for the.

The Bible teaches that there is but one people of God and only one way of salvation. In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter calls his mostly Gentile audience “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession.” These are all terms used for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (Ex. 19:5–6; Isa. 43:20–21), and Peter applies them to the church because the church is the true Israel of God. The biblical view (which is sometimes mistakenly called “replacement theology”) does not say that the church “replaces” Israel. Rather, it affirms that true Israel always was, always is, and always will be comprised of those who trust in Christ alone for salvation. This is plain from 1 Peter 2:10. The Gentiles, who were formerly not God’s people, are now God’s people because they have trusted in the Messiah and because they worship Israel’s true King. Old covenant believers were likewise able to be the people of God because they were in Christ. Though they lived before the Son became incarnate, they looked forward to the day in which He would come, and they trusted in Him (John 8:56). Their example likewise shows us that the true Israel of God has always been comprised of those who love and serve the Messiah. ^{(Obtained from DMI’s compatriot in truth-telling R.C. Sproul via his page at http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/people-god/)}

According to dispensational theology the Church is “plan B” of the Lord.  God has only dealt with two groups of His people throughout history, (1) Israel as a nation and (2) the Church as Christ’s body. “The core belief of dispensationalism is to distinguish ‘two purposes of God.’The pre-tribulation rapture is argued on the basis of ‘two purposes of God. ’One purpose is said to be ‘heavenly’ and the other ‘earthly.’ Generally speaking, the heavenly purpose is the Church, and the earthly purpose is Israel. Only the dispensation of the Church Age is involved in the heavenly purpose.”

In their scheme of thinking when Jesus came in His first Advent He offered the Kingdom to the Jews, He came as their Messiah.  The Jewish nation rejected Jesus and His offer and instead had Him crucified.  This is a lie.  Anyone who holds this belief is guilty of calling Jesus a liar.  Furthermore, based on the belief that Jesus came to give Israel a kingdom they teach that Jesus DID NOT COME TO DIE ON THE CROSS, they agree this certainly did happen, but it was not God’s original plan or desire for Him to die!  What does our Lord and His written Word say?

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. John 6:13-15

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”  Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:36-37

Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Acts 2:22-24

Ignoring the scriptures cited they say that due to God’s plan being set back owing to Israel’s unbelief He had to bring in the Church Age, an age of grace to evangelize the world.  Once the Church has done her job on earth, we get “raptured” up to heaven and then God starts up His cosmic stopwatch regarding Israel —- and the Jews go back to temple worship, their human priesthood animal sacrifices, keeping the Sabbath for seven (7) years.  At the end of these seven years Jesus returns with His saints.  We will reside in the New Jerusalem hovering above national Israel’s earthly Jerusalem.  The Jews will rule on earth from Jerusalem and we will rule with God from the heavenly Jerusalem.  Dispensationalism is the well from which Hagee and others have drawn their “duel covenant” heresy (this is a heresy in that it attacks the work of Jesus Christ). This is the CONcept in a nutshell.

Darby et al. seemed to have forgotten that our Lord always chooses and uses the least among us (read Deut. 7:7, Judges 7:7, 1 Cor. 1:28). He uses the remnant and not the multitude.  The Jews/Israel did reject Jesus as their Messiah —- but not all of them, God spared a remnant of believing Jews to birth His Church.  All those involved at Pentecost were Jews who had been brought to faith.  The Apostle Paul even with his vocation to present the Gospel to the gentile world said that the Gospel was given to “the Jew first” (Romans 2:9).

Darbyites seem to be also somewhat ignorant of the sovereignty of God.  God has no “plan B” for anything He does.  He does all His work perfectly, in Him there is not even a ‘shadow’ of change (James 1:17).  How is it that Israel rejected Jesus when 3,000 Jewish men (later on many in their households probably came to faith as well) were cut to their hearts by the Holy Spirit (He had not rejected the Israelites it seems) at the preaching of Peter (Acts 2:14).  How is it that the Lord told them to begin preaching in Jerusalem, Judea and in Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:8) immediately before His ascension if Israel had no place in His ongoing original plan of redemption?  In fact, the disciples were somewhat disobedient to our Lord by staying within Israel until persecution began to hit the nascent Church and then like hot embers the Word began to reach the gentiles as well.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 6

When our Lord said this the Pharisees knew exactly what He was referring to.  Jesus told them in no uncertain terms that He was and is the source of Israel and thus is “Israel” in the flesh.  The O.T. uses the olive tree, fig tree and grape vine as symbolic of Israel (read Judges 9:7-15, Habakkuk 3:17, Haggai 2:18-19).

Christ is the root or head of Israel.  If one is in Christ then one is in the Israel of God.  The Apostle Paul uses the same type of language regarding the symbolism of the vine in Romans 11:13-24.  Those in the vine are in Israel even as those in the vine are in Christ.  As to the charge of adhering to “replacement” theology let me simply say that there is a BIG distinction between the Church replacing Israel and the Church being the same as Israel all along.

As I have been hammering home, Dispensationalism is based on the idea that Jews after the rapture (end of the Church Age), the physical descendants of Abraham, and who also receive Christ (due to the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish men), will be sole literal heirs of all the Old Testament covenants.  Is this what the Bible teaches?  According to Paul, being a physical descendent of Abraham is not significant with regard to the “promise,” which is in the covenant(s):

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”  This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. Romans 9:6-8

If people would simply read deeply Romans 9 a great of confusion can be cleared up regarding who is Israel and to whom do the promises belong.  Being a physical Jewish descendant of Abraham means nothing more to God today than being born an Ishmaelite —- both need faith alone in the work of Christ Jesus alone in order to be part of God’s family.  The Jews looked to their physical descent as proof of their divine election.  The Apostle Paul corrects this damning belief by stating that Abraham’s true descendants are only those who have faith in Christ.

Our Lord rebuked some religious leaders and told them to their face that they were NOT children of Abraham (see John 8:39-44) and in fact they were exposed for who they really were, children of the devil.  The covenant made with Abraham was only for his “true” children/Israel (those born of faith).  Ergo the covenants that followed Abraham’s through Moses and later David — both of whom were true children of Abraham by faith only apply to God’s children.

Because of this false assertion regarding the physical descendants of Abraham (on the ‘Jewish’ side) much of the Gospel material is not for the Christian or the Church Age per se.  Classically Dispensationalists hold that there is a difference between the kingdom of God (KOG) and the kingdom of heaven (KOH).  Any reading of the N.T. shows that the use of these terms should be considered interchangeable.  For example, take the account shown in Matthew 13:11 and Mark 4:11, Matthew uses KOH and Mark used KOG — both citing the same example.  However, when one sees Israel and the Church as one people this becomes a non-issue.

Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount is another area of misunderstanding on the part of Darbyites.  According to them this teaching is not directed towards Christians (how can it be, Christians/Church are a parenthesis!) but to the Jews only and the future Jews living in the future theocratic kingdom during the coming millennium.  A staunch dispensationalist will not recite/pray “The Lord’s Prayer.”  It too is not for the Church Age, but the Jews.  Why?  Because they view the phrase “forgive us our debts” as being legal terminology which has not place in the life of one under “grace.” I like the way Oswalt. Allis in his, Prophecy and the Church, page 46 explains this:

The meaning is not that if we forgive others we may expect, as a kind of quid pro quo, that God will forgive us. But rather the emphasis is on the fact, brought out so impressively in the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Mt..23f.) that those who have been forgiven much must themselves be ready to forgive. Those who harbor an unforgiving spirit toward their fellowmen show plainly that they do not realize that they themselves owe everything to the infinite compassion and forgiving mercy of God.” Obviously, forgiving repentant brothers their sins is a fruit of saving faith and not a co-instrument or ground of justification before God. Further, virtually all the ethical teachings of the Sermon on the Mount are found or supported by other portions of the New Testament.

I trust you are beginning to see the tremendous errors that abound within this system of thought.  Due to this false division between Jews and the Church, a great deal of the Gospels and Epistles teachings cannot be applied to the Church.

This view, prevalent as it is, ignores the reality of the continuity of the “Church” from Genesis to Revelation.  They refuse to acknowledge that God has indeed united us into One Body:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. Eph. 2:13-17

The middle wall of partition has been broken down and now both Jews and Gentiles are one holy temple together in the Lord.  The entire belief that physical Jews are somehow “special” and “chosen” by God to this day and thus must be supported by the Church’s total support is not a biblical position.

In closing let me reiterate that there are not two of God’s people today, Jews and the Church.  Nor are there two covenants, one for the Jews to be fulfilled at the Second Advent and one for the Church under grace.  There is but one people, the people of God’s own choosing (read Ps 33:22) and there is but one covenant today and forever, the new and better covenant:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:31–33.

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the New testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Hebrews 8:6-8, 14-15

I realize that some of you reading this article may disagree with it at first, I know I did UNTIL I began to process of researching and studying out that which I had formerly had inculcated into my melon. The manner in which we relate to dispensational theology will be reflected in the way we relate to both God and our neighbors. 

Media televangelists such as: Jerry Fallwell, Dave Hunt, Howard Conder, Charles Capps, Pat Robertson, Jack Van Impe, Hal Lindsey continue to popularize dispensational eschatology. Dispensational Theology has deceived vast multitudes of people.  It is a false doctrine which must not only be exposed but understood by God’s truth-tellers so they can warn others of this pervasive and persuasive doctrine of men and demons.

Truth Matters May 2014

There Are Blood Moons Arising

By Rev. Robert S. Liichow

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. Jeremiah 10:2

 

The leader of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, TX Mr. Hagee has been very concerned about an astrological event, which recently began the appearing of four (4) “Blood Moons” manifesting above our earth until around October of 2015!  Hagee has been spewing forth various warnings about the appearing of these moons on his television program and naturally followed this series up with a new “book.”

Many people within modern evangelicalism are all atwitter over the four lunar eclipses; the first eclipse has already passed us.  It seems we Christians are “primed” to fall for this trick every time it is presented to us.  This reminds me of how many people got carried away with the end-time delusion spun by Edgar C. Whisenant the author of “88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988.”  Over 4.5 million copies of his book were sold; many stories appeared of people who quit their jobs, etc. based on his convoluted theories.  When the date came and went Whisenant followed up with three more books predicting the rapture on 1989, 1993, and 1994, none of which sold nearly as well.

Who can forget Y2K?  That too was predicted to be the “end” or beginning of the tribulation etc.  Nor let us not too soon forget our departed friend Harold Camping who predicted the rapture on May 21, 2011.  When that date failed, he said a “spiritual judgment” occurred then but the rapture would be October 21, 2011.  Again, as with Whisenant, people quit their jobs, sold their belongings and waited to be zapped up to heaven.   Every time preachers have predicted the “rapture” or the “return of Christ” throughout Church history they have been wrong and those who followed their false teachings were spiritually hurt.  Hagee’s most recent end-time novelty is going to be another “failed attempt” to reveal that which is not for us to know.

Before we delve, briefly into Mr. Hagee’s theories of the future, let’s take a stroll through his past.

Who is “Pastor” Hagee?

John Hagee carries a large televised “footprint” in that his broadcasts are seemingly on every available Christian television network (he is seen by approximately 99 million homes).  He can be seen using elaborate stage props, huge big screens and loud lively music and musicians.  In other words, Hagee uses virtually every technique covered in last month’s issue manipulating those doctrinally unwary souls who attend his cavernous building.

Hagee holds a somewhat unique position among his fellow SINisters and HELLavangelists (albeit, my sophomoric attempt at humor) in that he actually received some form of theological education.  Virtually every other charismatic luminary on television has no formal education and at best honorary degrees bestowed upon them by Oral Roberts, who handed degrees out like a doting uncle on Halloween.

Pastor John Hagee received his theological training from Southwestern Assemblies of God University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and earned his Masters Degree from North Texas University.  Pastor Hagee has received Honorary Doctorates from Oral Roberts University, Canada Christian College, and Netanya Academic College in Israel. He is the author of 35 major books including several on the New York Times Best Seller’s List. Among his works are commentary study Bibles, novels and numerous devotionals. His latest book is titled Four Blood Moons.¹

On the surface it would seem that Mr. Hagee should be theologically astute and a man of letters.  Upon closer inspection what do we really read? First, he attended an Assemblies of God University in Texas.  Thus, any theological underpinning he did receive was most assuredly the mainline Pentecostal positions regarding the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit, gifts of the Spirit, Church history from a dispensational point of view, and a belief in the position of natural Israel in God’s future plans.  His biography does not state whether he matriculated from here or not, i.e. it does not state he graduated with any degree from there.  He may have attended one semester for all we know.  Next, his web site cites he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) from Trinity University in his now home town of San Antonio.  Hagee does not mention what field he obtained his B.A. in, but let us assume he received one from their religious department.  The Master’s he cites is also from a legitimate school, but again he omits the field of study.  He may have a degree in Business Administration, etc.  At this time DMI does not know.  This much is certain Mr. Hagee does have three (3) “honorary” doctorates.  He and anyone else with an “honorary” degree should have the self-respect not to call themselves “doctor” when they have not earned that title.  Oh all these charlatans enjoy the additional layer of respectability and the alleged expertise that goes along with being called “Dr. Hagee.”

For all of this education one might think that Hagee would come out possibly as a mainline Pentecostal pastor and yet he did not.  John Hagee is seated near the head of the Word of Faith cult table.  Hagee is nothing more than another reincarnation of deceased “Dad” Hagin’s dismal doctrines, but with his own special twist to things —- Israel, which we will consider shortly.

Hagee’s Fall “Up”        

Sadly, Hagee fell into the same sad satanic trap that seems to ensnare virtually ALL of these HELLavengelists, that of adultery.  Hagee was married, had two children by his wife and was pastoring a charismatic congregation within the Assembly of God denomination.  He ends up committing adultery against his wife with a much younger woman in the congregation:

John Hagee was the leader of the charismatic Trinity Church in 1975 and was the father of two children. John Hagee had an adulterous affair with a woman and admitted to immorality in front of his church. Pastor John Hagee then divorced the mother of his two children and married a younger woman (Diana Castro, now Diana Hagee) from that same congregation. Pastor John Hagee willfully abused his position of trust and power to take advantage of a younger gullible woman and cheat on his wife.  So what happened after John Hagee admitted to cheating and abusing his power? Did he repent and pursue becoming a better person and living a life based on Biblical principles? Did people stop following his ministry? The answers are very obvious. John Hagee married the woman he cheated on his wife with and immediately became the pastor of another congregation-the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio Texas.³

Hagee, instead of fighting for his marriage, receiving counseling and going through the process of restoration and seek to serve his neighbors in some other capacity; he does the wrong thing and jettisons his wife and family to take up with the other woman.

On Sunday May 11th, 1975 on Mother’s Day, after Hagee earlier left his first wife and church he began another church which he called “Castle Hills Assembly” (later calledCastle Hills). was dropped from the name because he was kicked out as a minister with the Assembly of God organization for his admitted adultery.⁴

Strangely enough, when his adulterous affair was exposed and he divorced his wife rather than repent openly of his sin his sinistry began to grow in their new location (about 2 miles from his first congregation)!  Hagee went independent, leaving or being asked to leave the Assembly of God denomination.  The crowds of thousands of people and the millions of dollars no doubt have demonstrated that “God” has blessed pastor Hagee’s actions and approves of his latest wife, at least in his own view.

Hagee Lives “Large” off the Largess                                                                                                                      

Hagee, like all the rest of the mega-church SINisters believes in living your best life now at the expense of his sheeple.  Ken and Gloria Copeland, T.D. Jakes, Joel and Victoria Osteen among other cathode-ray creations ALL live large off their followers in Texas, so why should Hagee be any different?  In truth, he is not:

Using his lies and deceit, Pastor John Hagee has grown into an enormously wealthy man. In the year 2001, his organization filed revenues of $18.3 million dollars with the IRS. What was John Hagee’s personal compensation package worth? More than $1.25 million dollars. His nonprofit organization, GETV, has a mission statement reading “Spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ”. Somehow I think his nearly 8,000 acre Texas ranch does not help that mission. Not only does Pastor John and his wife Diana Hagee own that sprawling ranch, but they also have a 5,275 foot, 6 bedroom mansion in one of San Antonio’s most exclusive gated communities (The Dominion). The house is appraised at $700,000. . . 3 of the 4 Directors who monitor the board of his nonprofit GETV foundation are his direct family members- his wife, Diana; his son, Matthew; and himself.⁵

Hagee, like all the others (Copeland, Meyer, Crouch, etc.) stacks his Board of Directors with family members who are no doubt well compensated (although board members of non-profits are supposed to be only reimbursed for their direct personal expenses).

His present church, Cornerstone Church started with 15 people and dedicated in 1987. To increase his political power Hagee formed Christians United For Israel (CUFI) on February 7, 2006. has now obtained over 75,000 members to this new Christ denying cult. How could anyone who confesses Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God belong to this Messiah rejecting organization? It is a contradiction! CUFI along with Hagee work hand in hand with American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a large Jewish organization that lobbies US Congress on behalf of Israel. one AIPAC member comes into a congressman’s office he/she represents 6 million Jews. When Hagee comes into a congressman’s office he claims he represents 40 million Americans. . .⁶

 

Hagee and Marching to Zion

As I wrote earlier one of the distinctions that sets Hagee apart from all the rest of the HELLavengelists is his support of the nation of Israel, whom he still views as God’s chosen people.  In his eyes, the Israelis can do no evil, are never to blame for any problems in the middle east and they are to be the future recipients of God’s great plan for them as a “holy nation.”  Thus far those beliefs are held by approximately one in four American evangelicals according to a Christianity Today article.

Hagee takes his support of Israel and the Jews much further than the majority of Christians in that he teaches a false doctrine called a “dual covenant” regarding Israel.  Hagee is shutting the door of redemption in the face of the Jews he says he deeply loves.  According to Hagee the Jews do not need to believe in Jesus as their Messiah to be saved because they have an “eternal” covenant with God through Abraham:

“I’m not trying to convert the Jewish people to the Christian faith… In fact, trying to convert Jews is a waste of time. Jews already have a covenant with God and that has never been replaced by Christianity.” (Houston Chronicle, April 30, 1988, sec, 6, pg. 1).

I will not begin to explore his heretical concepts regarding the salvation of the Jews and their need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as anyone else due to the topic at hand —- the Four Blood moons.

 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” Genesis 1:14

 

The four “blood moons” are total lunar eclipses that occur in intervals of about six months, an event known as a tetrad, according to NASA. A total eclipse is a result of a perfect alignment of the sun, the moon and the Earth and causes the moon to glow dark red.  Each eclipse in the upcoming tetrad will occur on a significant religious date, Hagee points out, citing NASA.  “The first of the four blood moons will come on April 15 this year, during Passover. The second will be on October 8, at the time of the Feast of the Tabernacles,” Hagee said, according to the Daily Express London. “On April 4, 2015, during Passover, we will have another blood moon. Then finally, on September 28, during next year’s Feast of the Tabernacles, the fourth blood and final moon will dawn.” Hagee said to “have them fall on these exact dates is something that has to be beyond coincidental,” according to the Daily Express.7

There is no doubt that God has set the stars in the heavens for signs of His majesty and glory and for measuring time.  However, we are not told to look to the stars, moons, asteroids and comets for direction in this life.  If the alignment of the moon sun and earth point to some significant event, then why isn’t it presented to us in the scriptures?  Also, God’s timing is exact and as we shall see Mr. Hagee’s dating is not that “exact.”

According to Hagee’s research he says that God seems to never do anything major with the nation of Israel apart from “Blood moons” appearing.  He cites that in 1492, the year the Jews were expelled from Spain (his dates are off by a year but who’s counting?); 1948, Israel’s war for independence and statehood; and then in 1967 during the Six-Day war.  What Mr. Hagee does not mention are the many “blood moons” which have occurred in which nothing of particular interest happened to the Jews or their country. “The others were in 162/163 A.D., 795/796 A.D., 842/843 A.D. and 860/861 A.D. We don’t have any historical connections for these years at this time...”⁸  Something else he does not dwell on is the FACT that no one in Israel can even see this series of “Blood Moons” from Israel or most of the Middle East!  If these moons are such an end-time declaration to the people of Israel one would imagine that they would be able to look up, point at the moon and wonder.  Just a word on his use of “Blood Moons” —- well it does sound much more “sexy” than saying the coming “Four Lunar Eclipses” (a little NASA lingo).

What Texts Does Hagee Cite?

I listened to all three of his video teachings on these moons and 95% of what he shares is from the Old Testament and deals primarily with how great the Jewish people are and the coming judgment upon all the nations that hate the Jews (Germany, Iran, Russia and Turkey in particular).  He does not preach about needing to have faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of the Jews and the world.

Hagee boldly states that what he is presenting is a “new revelation from God.”⁹  To begin with what he is sharing is not “new” there are many other dispensationalists who’ve been studying this event out prior to Mr. Hagee.  One such bizarre person is known as the “Third Eagle of the Apocalypse” William Tapley!  Hagee admits that pastor Mark Blitz is the one who got him into this topic.  Also, he states in his opening teaching that he owes much to the scholarly research by two Jewish rabbis.  Hagee seems to believe that Jewish rabbis have a solid understanding of the O.T.!

And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:  But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 2 Cor. 3:13-16

Being a rabbi is proof enough that they have no more “God-given” insight into the Holy Scriptures due to the veil which is upon their hearts.  Going to a rabbi to gain understanding of the O.T. is foolish when many solid evangelical O.T. scholars abound.  Hagee should know better.  He should know that the New Testament reveals the Old and not vice versa and he should know that the Bible is only understood by those in Christ (1 Cor. 2:14) and not the natural man, the person outside of Christ.  Hagee attempts to make the following verses fit his current moneymaking CONcept of these lunar eclipses.

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.sun shall be turned into darkness,the moon into blood,the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. Joel 2:30-31

And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: Acts 2:19-20

Hagee emphasizes that God “speaks” to us by the stars, but are we “listening”?  God is NOT speaking to us by the moon or stars this is called astrology and it is strictly forbidden by God:

You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.  Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: There shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. Isa. 47:13-14

The heavens “declare” the glory of God and leave man without excuse regarding the existence of God, i.e. natural revelation.  However, the moon and stars do not “speak” to us in any fashion nor do they control our lives or destinies.

Hagee would make much of the Joel & Acts texts (Peter is simply citing Joel) and the lunar four eclipses. The apostle Peter said of Joel’s prophecy “this is that” (Acts 2:16) — Joel was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.  Peter spoke to a large gathering of men, many of whom lived in and around Jerusalem and others were there for the Passover.  Peter cites Joel being inspired by the Holy Spirit and I believe he is referring back to the event recorded in Mark 15:33 “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”  It is beyond me why sign-gift enthusiasts will simply not accept that this prophecy of Joel was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost period, end of story.

When Jesus was born there were not any tetrads of blood moons.  When He was baptized there is no mention of any moon activity.  On the cross all light was extinguished (there cannot be a simultaneous solar and lunar eclipse) and at His resurrection there is no mention of a moon nor at His ascension back to heaven.  The most momentous events in all of human history and yet no lunar reports are associated with them.

Allow me to sum up this latest end-time hype (yes, DMI most certainly believes that our Lord is returning, as to when we have no idea) with the following bulletpoints you can use to answer your family & friends caught up in this CONcept:

1. Israel, being on a LUNAR CALENDAR will commonly have Tetrad eclipse moon sequences.
2. If four lunar eclipses are a sign to Israel, then many very important past events like the birth of Christ, Destruction of Jerusalem, Hadrian’s and Hitler’s Holocaust were not marked by God with Tetrads!
3. Lunar eclipses are common on Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.
4. Without fail, solar eclipses always occur just before the start of a new month. There is a one in six chance that a solar eclipse will happen on the Jewish New year around Nisan 1. Nothing special about the solar eclipse on Adar 29 2015 Hagee makes so much about!
5. Of the 8 lunar and solar eclipses, Hagee ignores three.
6. In 2014/15 there are 4 solar eclipses but Hagee highlights only one eclipse and ignores the other four.
7. Few of the eclipses start at the beginning of the Feast days only within the 7 day range for each.
8. Hagee says Lunar eclipses are a sign to Israel, yet none of the Lunar eclipses are visible in Jerusalem, except 1 which is only partially visible. The Bible never says solar eclipses are for the “world” and lunar eclipses are for Israel —- that is pure Hagee.
9. Hagee says Solar eclipses are a sign to the rest of the world, yet the one he says is a sign (after ignoring three others) is not visible by anyone on earth since it is centered entirely over the ocean near Greenland, except for the small population of people living on the Faroe and Spitzburgn Islands. Something like less than 4,000 people can actually see these events.  No one in the Middle East can see any of this, some “sign.”
10. There were four Tetrads where the four sequential eclipses coincided with Passover and Feast of Tabernacles that Hagee totally ignored because nothing significant occurred in that year!

Hagee and others are simply milking the latest end-time gimmick for all they can get from it.  Hagee twists most of the biblical texts he cites, redefines terms (like “sign”), ignores other historical facts that do not support his views and frankly LIES about specific dates trying to make them fit his neat little scheme.

Sadly, we have another year until October 2015 to put up with this nonsense.  Keep a sharp eye out for any possible “event” that Hagee can try to pound into his schema.  Russia started to get feisty with Ukraine during the first “blood moon” and we all know what that means, sigh.

 

End Notes

 

1. http://www.jhm.org/Home/About/PastorJohnHagee
2. Robert Tilton, Jim Bakker, Kenneth Copeland, Marcus Lamb, Jan Crouch, Paula White, Benny Hinn, and many other charismatic luminaries have been exposed as adulterers.
3. http://www.nairaland.com/227572/pastor-john-hagee-cornerstone-church
4. http://www.blog.joelx.com/pastor-john-hagee-cornerstone-church-ministry-heresy-divorce-dirty-deeds/910
5. http://www.blog.joelx.com/pastor-john-hagee-cornerstone-church-ministry-heresy-divorce-dirty-deeds/910/
6. http://jesus-messiah.com/hagee/john-hagee.html
7. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Pastor-Hagee-Blood-moons-point-to-world-shaking-5391880.php
8. Obtained from http://watch.org/showart.php3?idx=104119
9. First YouTube video on The Four Blood Moons, by John Hagee – he states this early on.

 

 

“Christian” Movies Effective or Fallacious?

by Rev. Robert Liichow

Recently there seems to have been a whole spate of moving pictures produced by various SINisters in conjunction with Hollywood and none of these recent attempts are biblically sound.  First, we had to suffer through “The Bible” on television and after each episode Facebook and other sites would fill up with citations of all the erroneous non-biblical tidbits thrown in.  Roma Downey one of the people behind the series is at best a “New Age” Christian.  Then we had the epic “Noah” foisted upon the unsuspecting flock.  This “adaptation” of the biblical account turned out to be a call for climate change and was filled with incidents (the attack of the “rock” people?) that never occurred. Now, the heretic T.D. Jakes is financially backing a film version of Todd Burpo’s mythical visit to heaven.  What is more it seems that Jakes worked out a deal with Sony Pictures to produce this epic tale.  Here is their official statement on the movie:

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son’s extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. The film stars Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® award winning actor Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth … things he couldn’t possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this remarkable event.

DMI debunked this latest trip to heaven several months ago in a previous issue of “Truth Matters.” As always, the problems with these kinds of accounts is that they ALL undermine the sufficiency and supremacy of Scripture, and add to the Bible (extra-biblical) new information while also being contrary to Scripture. I am not going to re-hash what was written about 4 year old Burpo’s account suffice it to say that it does not agree with the teachings in the Bible regarding heaven.

What I find frustrating is that multitudes of people who probably do not regularly attend church will attend one of these movies and assume it is fairly accurate (we’ve been well programmed to accept what we see on a big screen) having no solid biblical foundation to even make that judgment call.  I do not like hearing false teaching or simply “ignorant” preaching nor do I enjoy visually seeing that which is false and misleading. . . and I REALLY RESENT paying $7.50 a ticket and then $5.00 for small popcorn!

Brothers and sisters I know we are bombarded daily with anti-Christian messages and we live in a time when the Church is suffering great persecution globally and now even in our own country the heat of ungodly hatred is beginning to be felt by many of us.  Because of this pressure it is easy to want support and get “excited” about something even just a little bit Christian.  Yet I warn that we should not get excited about something that is merely positive versus being true.

Can God use motion pictures?  Yes, He can, after all He even uses the devil (what you don’t think Satan is autonomous do you?) but that does not mean that He is using these movies.  Anything that speaks against the clear writings in the Bible is something that our Lord is not involved in.  If we would learn about our Lord and His Word, then let us assembly where He promised to be —- in His Church.  He has placed pastors and teachers in our midst to be His vessels of instruction.  Live face-to-face one-on-one human interaction is the general manner in which our Lord shapes and forms us into His people.

Some will argue that God can use these movies to engender conversation between Christians and non-believing attendees.  Again, He can, but in order to do so the Christian has to correct all the unbiblical information “included” as well as rectify any heretical concepts presented in the film(s).

In closing, let me state for the record that certainly God should be glorified through all the arts, in music, literature, dance, video, etc.  However, when the Word He has given as the revelation of Himself to humanity is marred by error and nonsense then it ceases to bring Him glory and thus should not be supported by His children with their time (non-renewable) or their treasure (better spent).

Meet Brothers Paul and Kenneth Makete

Brother Paul Makete is on the left and his 10 year old brother, Kenneth, seated is on the right.

DMI met Paul Makete on Facebook.  Many people from India, Pakistan, and Africa seek support on FB, many of them are sincere, but some are not.  Paul and his brother are orphans, Paul looks after his younger brother.  They are Christians, Lutherans in particular.  The reason DMI prayerfully decided to begin to support these two brothers is because Paul NEVER asked DMI for money, he simply wanted to become friends.

Since meeting Paul and learning about him, his pastor, their schooling DMI has decided to support Paul & Kenneth as best we can.  To date: DMI has sent Paul & Kenneth some school supplies, Bible study materials and some other items.  Their lives in Uganda are very difficult and even what little we can provide means a great deal to them.

Those of you who finically support DMI please know that a portion of your gift will go to help Paul & Kenneth.

Discernment Ministries International

“Teaching Truth & Exposing Error”

NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Everything DMI does is based upon the financial support we receive.  Those who do give are subsidizing EVERY READER who does not give.  Ironic how many conservative “Christians” bark about how those who work are “PAYING” for all the others on welfare ——- while never applying that SAME STANDARD to themselves as they feed off that which cost them nothing and is paid for by others.  Please pray about your stewardship towards DMI.

People can make donations by simply going directly to PayPal using tracy.liichow@gmail.com.

Truth Matters March 2014

Speaking In Other Tongues
Blessing or Babble? (Conclusion)
By Rev. Robert S. Liichow

 

    Several months ago I embarked in attempting to answer a seemingly simple question regarding whether or not mainline Pentecostal congregations were not speaking in tongues as much as they did years ago in their services. In order to arrive at a simple “yes” or “no” answer it was necessary, and hopefully somewhat profitable to you as the reader, to explain how all nine of these supernatural gifts worked in the life of the nascent Church. This has been in keeping with Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Cor. 12:1).

 

to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 1 Cor. 12:10-11

 

This is the only spiritual gift that requires another gift to be in operation to be rationally understood. Giving a verbal message in other tongues must be interpreted by someone who has been gifted with the gift of interpretation.

The Gift of Other Tongues defined

Divers kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance by the Holy Spirit in languages never learned by the speaker, nor understood by the speaker, nor necessarily always understood by the hearer. Speaking with tongues has nothing whatsoever to do with linguistic ability; it has nothing to do with the mind or the intellect of man. It is a vocal miracle of the Holy Spirit.

Supernatural utterance in languages not known to the speaker; these languages may be existent in the world, revived from some past culture, or “unknown” in the sense that they are a means of communication inspired by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 28:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4, 10:44-48, 19:1-7; I Corinthians 12:10, 13:1-3, 14:2, 4-22, 26-32).The spiritual gift involving ability to speak in foreign language(s) not previously studied or to respond to experience of the Holy Spirit by uttering sounds which those without the gift of interpretation could not understand. At Pentecost the church [Apostles initially] received the gift to communicate the gospel in foreign languages (Acts 2).

The enthusiasts have their definition mostly correct. In the Greek texts the word “divers” is not there, the text actually reads “to another kinds of tongues” (αλλω δε ερμηνεια γλωσσων). Tongues are translated from the Greek word “glossa” from which we get our words glossolalia and glossary. The word glossa (γλωσσῶν)
simply means languages.

    This gift, as with all the others is a supernatural endowment by the Holy Spirit which enabled the individual to speak languages that were completely “unknown” to the speaker.

    These were real languages being supernaturally spoken we know this from the written testimony in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost the men gathered outside the upper room heard the apostles declaring the works of God and giving Him glory in known languages to those assembled:

They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? “And how is it that we each
hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts 2:7-12

Note that the apostles were given the ability to communicate in languages
known to the hearers, not ecstatic gibberish that made the hearers scratch their heads in wonder. What made them wonder was how these (later to be noted as “ignorant and unlearned” see Acts 4:13) Galileans were able to speak any language but their local dialect and/or Aramaic. Why make note of this event? Simply because there is no biblical reason to believe that this gift changed over time. The apostles were gifted to speak real languages that were known to the hearers or could have been translated/interpreted by someone of their time.

 

 

The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues

Divers kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue. The interpretation of tongues is the supernatural showing forth by the Spirit the meaning of an utterance in other tongues. Also, it is not translation of tongues; it is the interpretation of tongues.

By definition the Interpretation of Tongues is a supernatural utterance inspired by the Holy Spirit, which interprets an unknown Tongue.

This is where Pentecostal equivocation begins. Hagin, and most sign-gift enthusiasts teach that this gift is not the supernatural ability to translate what is said in an unknown tongue into the vernacular of the locals. Hagin is guilty of simply taking the KJV translated word “interpretation” and redefining it to mean something it does not. The Greek for interpretation is as follow:

1448 διερμηνεία (diermēneia), ας (as), (hē): —interpretation, translation, explanation (1Co 12:10) not in
1449 διερμηνευτής (diermēneutēs), οῦ (ou), ὁ (ho): — interpreter, translator (1Co14:28)
2058. ἑρμηνεία hermēneia, her-may-ni´-ah; from the same as 2059;translation:—interpretation.
2059.    ἑρμηνεύω
hermēneuō; from 2060; to interpret:—translated(2), translation(1).

    Interpretation and translation are synonymous terms. When you go to a foreign country to speak you use an “interpreter” a person who understands and reveals your “foreign” tongue being spoken to the listeners.

    Modern practitioners of speaking in tongues believe that the gift of interpretation is akin to “interpretative dancing.” The message is spoken by one person with the gift of other tongues. Someone else, hearing the message is quickened by the Holy Spirit with the interpretation of the message. The interpretation will be based on “where” that individual is “at” in the Lord, i.e. their maturity, their experience in the gift, etc. Charismatics view translation as sort of a hard-and-fast precise scribal activity whereas interpretation does not necessarily have just one exact meaning.

    Making this false distinction in terminology allows the sign-gifter to try to explain away the problem of various completely different interpretations. Messages in other tongues and their interpretation have been recorded and played back to others without the interpretation and those claiming the “gift of interpretation” gave completely different interpretations of the message in tongues! My dear friends, our God is not a God of confusion (see 1 Cor. 14:33). Our God does not say one thing to this group and then through the same message something completely different to another. This makes God out to be a liar (see Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 6:18). Our God is not a liar, He does not mislead His people, nor does He deceive them or send them false shepherds. He means what He says and He says what He means —- and He does not leave it up to “interpretation.”

Both Gifts Operate Together

    Things get a lot murkier and confusing from here on out (or in). Somehow these gifts become bifurcated into (1) public and (2) private ministry. Sign-gifters divide the use of tongues into corporate use (public) and private prayer times (private). Is this a sound biblically based understanding of these two gifts?

One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. 1 Cor. 14:4-5

NEVER FORGET THIS — the gifts are for the profit of others, not the individual gifted by God.

The main purpose of tongues, as already pointed out, was to give a sign to unbelievers. Self-edification was a side effect that the believer enjoyed for merely exercising his gift of tongues (true of every believer who exercises his gift). The modern day Pentecostal movement, on the other hand, stresses edification for the individual believer and the Church never as a sign to unbelievers.

Most people who are advocating tongues for today have quoted 1 Corinthians 14:2: “For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.” There are some problems here. In chapter 12, the purpose of the gifts in general is edification of other believers. God does not need to be edified (built up to further maturity).

First Corinthians 14:2 is not encouragement to speak to God in tongues (a different language), for He will understand whatever language I use, including English. The advantage of my using English is that you and other believers will understand and that is the purpose of spiritual gifts — to communicate, to serve and to build up other believers.

    God’s gives us each gifts to bless and benefit the household of faith first (see Gal. 6:10) then our neighbors. Paul entire emphasis is on building up the church not the individual whom God has given a gift of grace to.

Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue. 1 Cor. 14:13-19

It seems that one who does possess the gift of other languages ought to pray for the accompanying gift of translation. Both gifts must be in operation or the Church will not be built-up. Every commentator I have researched on the above pericope agree that when Paul is speaking of spirit he is not referring to the Holy Spirit.

Paul first applied the principle of understanding to the speaker himself (1 Cor. 14:12–15). Again, he reminded the Corinthians that it is better to be a blessing to the church than to experience some kind of personal “spiritual excitement.” If the believer speaks in a tongue, his spirit (inner person) may share in the experience, but his mind is not a part of the experience. It is not wrong to pray or sing “in the spirit,” but it is better to include the mind and understand what you are praying or singing. (Note that the word spirit in 1 Cor. 14:14–15 does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the inner person, as in 1 Cor. 2:11.) If the speaker is to be edified, he must understand what he is saying.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. 1 Cor. 14:20-22

The apostle tells the Corinthians basically to “grow up!” “In selfishly exalting unintelligible tongues assign for believers, they were babes in understanding, babbling like selfish infants. The unbelievers were not being convicted, and the believers were not being edified–the Corinthians had only been “mature malice”–albeit unwittingly.”

The Corinthian believers were formerly pagans and thus unfamiliar with the prophetic text that Paul is citing and possibly do not get the connection that Paul is making. Isaiah 28:11 reads “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”

He is basically saying, “You are just like the rebellious drunkards from Isaiah’s time. You speak to each other in incoherent babbling, and none of you can understand it. Instead, you should listen to the clear message of Scripture.” God can speak through any tongue that he wants—either tongues in Corinth or foreign tongues in Isaiah’s day. But, God desires that we understand his clear message in our own tongue first. Like the Jews of Isaiah’s day, Paul is pointing out that the Corinthians are not listening to the clear teaching of Scripture. Instead, they want to hear an even more difficult message through strange tongues. Paul is rebuking this attitude.

Paul, by quoting Isaiah 28:11-12 in 1 Corinthians 14:20-22, rebukes the Corinthians for not understanding the Old Testament Scriptures in their use of “the gift of tongues.” Charismatic “Christians” today should tremble in fear of the Lord as they read the passage Paul used to instruct the first generation of Christians. It seems the worship services of the Corinthians were very “free” in that we get the idea that people were gathering together speaking out in tongues together, with no interpretation, women shouting questions across the aisle to their husbands, folks getting drunk at communion, etc. Paul brings correction in all of these areas in his letter.

If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 1 Corinthians 14:27–28

Paul sets the bounds for them, if some people have this gift let it be no more than 2 or 3 messages and someone must interpret what is spoken. If no one has the accompanying gift of interpretation/translation then, obviously, the foreign language speaker MUST remain silent, because both gifts must operate together or not at all in the church. What is more Paul sets the same limit on those gifted with the prophetic gift, 2 or 3 utterances and then these are to be JUDGED. Paul’s directives regarding the use of these 3 spiritual gifts in the church are very straight forward.

Two examples of the abuse and foolishness that masquerades as the gift of other tongues can be seen and heard via the lips of Mr. Kenneth Copeland on YouTube videos. The first case shows Mr. Copeland and Rodney Howard Browne (RHB) God’s Holy Ghost Bartender in a conference. Mr. Browne comes up to Mr. Copeland and begins to speak in gibberish to him. Copeland looks at him, then he begins to chuckle and speak in gibberish back to RHB. We see RHB sagely nod his head as if UNDERSTANDING exactly what Copeland is saying, he responds in gibberish, they both laugh and then Kenny lays hands on RHB (the greater laying hands on the lesser light) RHB falls down.

 

The whole episode was an INTENTIONAL fraud from start to finish and virtually NONE of the people there saw it for what it was. Tongues MUST be interpreted (1 Cor. 14:28) or KEEP SILENT. This never happened. There was no interpretation. No other person understands what is uttered apart from the subsequent gift of interpretation. NO MAN understands what is being said (1 Cor. 14:2). These two men, in front of 1,000’s of people perpetrated a fraud on those assembled in an attempt to make themselves appear to be on such a supernatural plane that even their communication was transcendent. Naturally, this act reached its zenith when Mr. Copeland laid his highly charged hands on RHB who swooned under the might deluge of demonic delusion into the waiting arms to the “catcher” behind him.

The next example is with Mr. Copeland again in February 2014 in a conference. He had received a video letter from the Pope of the Church of Rome. The Pope is also a sign-gift enthusiast along with being a member of the Jesuit order. The Pope actually reached out to Mr. Copeland and asked him to pray for Christian unity and his “eminence.” So what does Copeland do? He shows the video to the 1,000’s gathered and he leads them in prayer for their new buddy. How? He lifts his hands and begins to “pray” in tongues and he has all those gathered to join him. A cacophony of voices begins to shout out passionate drivel. Again, no interpretation was given or expected. This was public, but everyone was encouraged to use their personal prayer language together, ergo no one had the slightest idea of what was being said, to whom (other than a hopeful thought it was reaching God). Truly if an unbeliever had entered in at that part, as in Paul’s day with Corinthians —- they would have thought these people “mad” and rightly so for all their speaking was indeed only “into the air” (1 Cor. 14:9).

Linguists have studied recorded examples of glossolalia for years and they have yet to come across legitimate examples of languages being uttered. No examples of someone speaking perfect Urdu, Hittite, Hebrew, Croatian, etc. How do the enthusiasts respond to this? “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1). When challenged by the COMPLETE LACK of any legitimate languages being spoken they simply respond “it is an angelic tongue.” In EVERY biblical example of men encountering angels (even fallen angels) they angels ALWAYS converse in the known language of the person they are addressing. There is not one example anywhere of angels speaking anything but known languages. Paul was speaking hyperbolically in vv. 1-3, his point was that the love of God trumps all the gifts, because as we know folks, God is love and the gifts are not “God.” There is absolutely no biblical support whatsoever for any human being to claim they have an “angelic tongue.”

While exhorting these enthusiasts on the excellences of love the apostle goes on to tell these super-saints that “guess what, these gifts you exalt are passing away.”

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 1 Corinthians 13:8–10

I find it interesting that sign-gift teachers all agree that tongues + interpretation = prophecy and in this passage we are informed that both of these gifts are temporary; however the love of God (agape) never fails.

Prophecies they shall fail — 2673. καταργέω
katargeō; from 2596 and 691; to render inoperative, abolish:—abolished(4), abolishing(1), bring to an end(1), did away(1), do away(1), done away(4), fades away(1), fading(1), fading away(1), nullified(1), nullify(4), passing away(1), released(2), removed(1), render powerless(1), severed(1), use(1).

Tongues they shall
cease — 3973. παύω
pauō; a primitive word; to make to cease, hinder:—cease(4), ceased(4), finished(2), incessantly, keep, kept right, stopped(2).

Knowledge it shall vanish away
— 2673. καταργέω katargeo, kat-arg-eh´-o; from 2596 and 691; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally:—abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.

Love is eternal, the gifts are temporary and when their purpose has been fulfilled they will cease altogether. This fulfillment is achieved with the coming of the perfect.

13:9–10. As Paul explained it, the gift of knowledge (v. 8), and essential as it was, was not exhaustive. The ability to prophesy, however crucial for the church’s life, was of limited scope. The gifts were temporary blessings in an imperfect age. One day they would give way to perfection, toward which all the gifts pointed.

There is debate over what exactly was Paul referring to when he mentioned the perfect. Enthusiasts parse this to refer to the return of Jesus Christ, since He has not yet returned these gifts are still in operation. Others view this in the light of the completion of the revelation of God through His apostles.

I agree with the latter view because it makes sense and fits in with the history of the Church. Tongues+interpretation = prophecy. What was the purpose of prophecy? To reveal to His people His will for their lives. Once the last word was put to paper by the last apostle (or his scribe) the canon was closed and the revelation complete.

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2-5

My dear brothers and sisters we have no need of any man or woman standing up and declaring “thus saith the Lord” from their own impassioned darkened hearts. God gave us His Word in a written form so there would be no confusion as to exactly what He said. It is His record of objective truth versus what flows out of the hearts and minds of sinful people who presume to stand in an office where their words are actually God’s!

We do not need to run hither thither and yon to hear the “now” Word of the Lord. Those who do so PROVE by their very seeking after more than has been divinely revealed in the Bible their lack of faith in God. The Bible is NOT sufficient for such as these, no they need their ears tickled and they need to hear some great swelling words of glory proclaimed over their faltering lives.

From Montanus to this very day of your reading these words —- I can testify that nothing of theological consequence has come from those declaring themselves recipients of restored gifts and offices. In our time today in America and around the world the vast majority of heresy, shocking falls from grace, aberrant practices are the “fruit” from so called sign-gift enthusiasts. Let us remember them in our prayers this Lenten season and humbly thank our merciful Lord for opening up our eyes and granting us faith in Him through His Word alone.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Hebrews 1:1-2

 

Works Cited 1. Hagin, Kenneth. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Tulsa, OK. 1995, p. 129 2. Obtained from https://www.christcenteredmall.com/teachings/gifts/diverse-tongues.htm 3. Hagin, Kenneth. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. Kenneth Hagin Ministries, Tulsa, OK. 1995, p. 137 4. Obtained from http://www.johnhamelministries.org/gifts_of_the_holy_spirit_interp_tong.htm 5. James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). 6. James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 32. 7. Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998). 8. Obtained from http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/char/areview.htm 9. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 613–614. Underlining and bold type added for emphasis. 10. David E Lanier, With Stammering Lips and Another Tongue: 1 COR 14:20-22AND ISA 28:11-12, Criswell Theological Review 5.2 (1991) 11. Obtained from http://www.evidenceunseen.com/bible-difficulties-2/nt-difficulties/romans-2/1-cor-1421-why-does-paul-quote-isaiah-2811/ 12. Obtained from http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/char/biblical.htm 13. Mr. Browne is responsible for much of the sinful excess, fraud and abuse of the saints that transpired as a result of his “Holy Laughter” revival that he brought over to America from S. Africa, after he had received this “new gift” via the laying on of hands by Benny Hinn. 14. Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998). 15. Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998). David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 536. I created the word “gifter” okay, non-standard English, but Paul did it on occasion too.

 

A Refutation
of Kenneth E. Hagin
Ten Reason Why Every Believer Should Speak in Tongues
by Rev. Robert Liichow

The now deceased pseudo-founder of the Word of Faith¹ cult false prophet and false teacher Kenneth E. Hagin gave the Church ten reasons why we all should speak in tongues. Each numbered “point” is quoted from Mr. Hagin’s book “The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.”

#1 “Speaking in tongues is an initial evidence or sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).

Speaking in other tongues supernaturally by the Holy Spirit IS NOT evidence that one has received the Holy Spirit, a subsequent “baptism” after salvation. The verse Hagin abuses we covered in the first part of this series several months ago. The text is referring directly to the apostles NOT the 120 gathered. The apostles were the ones who initially received the Holy Spirit not anyone else. Through the apostles ministry, the gifts of the Spirit were administered and as the Spirit willed, distributed to other saints.

How does a Christian know they are filled with the Holy Spirit? Simply through the free exercise of their faith in God’s Word. The Word of God informs what we believe, teach and confess. James 4:5 says “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” Romans 8:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” At the moment of redemption the Christian receives the Holy Spirit and is sealed by Him unto the day of their full redemption (see Ephesians 4:30).

#2 “He also encouraged them to speak in tongues in their individual prayer lives as a means of spiritual edification or building up. The Bible says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongues edifieth himself . . .” (1 Cor. 14:4).
The primary use of this pseudo-gift today (I say pseudo, because what takes place today is simply not the biblical gift) is as a means of private devotion and prayer. We covered in this issue the fact that Paul was not encouraging private edification. This was an abuse. Every tongue uttered was to be interpreted by the individual or someone else who possessed that gift. The gifts are to profit others who are in need. The “edification” comes from simply being used by God to meet those needs —- it IS more blessed to give than to receive. I am not exaggerating when I write and tell you that I used to “pray” in other tongues for anywhere from 1.5 – 3 hours straight at times. Easily 95% of our prayer time privately or corporately was in other tongues. This was all wasted time. To begin with I now admit to not ever having any recognizable language nor did anyone else I have encountered, so I was at best gibbering away. Secondly, I and no one else had any idea what we were gibbering on about. Thus, thirdly, I had no way of knowing that whatever it was I was gibbering about was answered.

Lastly, the most harmful aspects of this practice were manifold. When you pray for a protracted period of time in such a manner, virtually shutting off your conscious mind you release endorphins (feel good chemicals in your brain) and you “feel” super great, i.e. proud. We were told when we prayed in tongues we were “speaking mysteries” to God that the devil could not understand; ergo he could not interfere with the tremendous inroads we were making in the heavenlies. People who speak in tongues all feel a secret degree of “pride” or being just a little cut above the non-spirit filled saint. No genuine fellowship with the Lord is developed through this type of prayer. Your conscious mind is disengaged, it is incapable of communicating fully with God, but our spirit with the Holy Spirit can . . . .or so they say. The reality is that it was not until seminary and going through 1 Corinthians line by line that I was delivered from this spurious practice. I went into a slight depression for a while upon learning that I had (1) wasted years of my life saying nothing to God, (2) if I did say anything I had no idea what it was, I was never given the gift of interpretation and I have met only 2 people who publically exercised this gift. (3) Thirdly, I realized I really did not “know” my Lord nearly as well as I thought I did. I mistook feelings for reality (always a DANGEROUS mistake). (4) I learned that it is much more difficult to pray to our Lord with my conscious mind, it is far more demanding of my concentration, focus and calls for discipline. Nowhere in the Bible are Christians encouraged to pray privately in other tongues to God.

#3 “The third reason people should speak with other tongues is that tongues keeps us continually aware of the Holy Spirit indwelling Presence.”

Early Pentecostals believed that once they “received” the Spirit, spoke in tongues once, that was enough. The emphasis on praying and singing congregationally in other tongues did not become popular until the charismatic renewal movement back in the late 1950’s. I know that my Lord is with me because HE SAID He would never leave or forsake me (see Hebrews 13:5). I am a Christian, I have been baptized in water (1 Peter 3:21), I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13), I am one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). I need no experience beyond God’s Word to assure me that I am His dear child and am filled with the Spirit.

#4 Hagin says that “speaking in tongues eliminates the possibility of selfishness entering our prayer life.”

It is the very height of self to “pray” on your own in gibberish, it is nothing but spiritual masturbation in that you have done nothing but excite your ignorance and feel good about it.

#5 “. . .believers should speak with tongues is that it helps them learn to trust God more fully. . .Speaking in tongues stimulates faith and helps us learn how to trust God more fully.”

Hagin’s fifth reason does not make any sense biblically. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith does not come or grow by speaking in other tongues. That was NEVER the biblical purpose of this gift. Again, this and all the gifts are for others — not the one possessing the gift. As one who prayed in tongues for several thousand hours, I can attest it does not build up your “faith” in God or His Word per se at all, since there was no direct communication with Him in tongues and He uses His Word as the instrument through which He imparts and grows our faith in Him!

#6 “. . .is that speaking in tongues is a means of keeping us free from the contamination of the ungodly and profane elements of the world.

Some of the most egregious and horrendous tragedies to impact the Church has come through the SINistries of so-called sign-gift restorationists. Here are just a few examples of tongue-talking cults: The Shakers; Father Divine, Daddy Grace, The Way International, Jim Jones, The Family of Love and all Oneness Pentecostals. The sad history of Pentecostal “super-stars” is that upon even a half-hearted glance at their lives indicate the grossest of sinful behaviors. Speaking in other tongues does not create some sort of “divine shield” of protection around the speaker. They believe that by speaking gibberish (turning off your active mind) you can keep yourself from being effected by sin around you. Their own lives prove this to be a false path to take when it comes to living the “sanctified life.”

#7 “In addition, the Holy Spirit, who knows everything, can pray through us for things about which our natural mind knows nothing.”

Yes, this much is true but what Hagin did not understand is that when the Bible speaks of the Spirit “groaning” in us it is not a reference to other tongues:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans 8:26.

Nothing is mentioned about praying in tongues here or in the entire chapter for that matter. We do not always know what we are to pray for as we should, we do not know the fullness of any given situation but our God does. Note that the Spirit makes intercession for us; He is called alongside to help us and He does so at times in a manner that cannot even be uttered (ἀλάλητος) in words — tongues are “words” of some variety. We can trust that even if our prayers seem weak and ineffectual we can rely on the fact that the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf —- based on our speaking in tongues? No. Based on the fact that God does not lie (Number 23:19).

#8 “And this passage in Isaiah gives us the eighth reason that every Christian should speak in tongues.”

Hagin again demonstrates his willful ignorance of the context of Isa. 28:11-12. Every accepted Bible commentator interprets the Isaiah 28 as evidence of God’s judgment on His backslidden children. Tongues were a sign of judgment, they were not a blessing.

#9 “The ninth reason we are to pray in tongues is to give thanks to God.”

The emphasis of the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 14:17 is that the other person
IS NOT EDIFIED (you are just playing with yourself). Hagin says praying in tongues is the “best way to give thanks” —- if this were true way doesn’t the Bible emphasize it as such?

#10 “The tenth reason why every believer should speak with tongues is found in James 3:8. . .Yielding your tongue is a big step toward being able to fully yield your members to God;”

Hagin thinks that if a believer can speak in tongues then he can control his whole body. James seems to be under the impression that “no man can tame” their tongue, yet Hagin believes yielding our tongue to the practice of gibberish will enable us to control our whole bodies. If this were the context of James 3:8 then why didn’t James follow through and tell us “control your flesh by speaking in tongues.” In fact, James never mentions these sign-gifts in his letter at all.

Hagin is desperately wrong in all of his ten reasons why every believer should speak in tongues. To begin with not every Christian in the early Church spoke with other tongues as the Bible clearly states. This gift was not common. It was approximately ten years after the Day of Pentecost until the event at home of Cornelius and when the Gentiles spoke in tongues it surprised the Jews in attendance. As far as the gifts went, Paul considered it the least, yet the Corinthians exalted it above the others. Paul said this gift would cease, it was temporary in nature. From the letters of the New Testament these specific gifts may have ceased very early on. THINK ABOUT THIS — only Paul deals with these sign-gifts no other writer mentions them. Why not? Did everyone except the Corinthians understand the proper use of the gifts, thus they needed no instruction? I think not.

Lastly, we have the written history of the Church. Tongues “shall” and did cease and logically so. We learned previously that it was through the hands of the apostles that these supernatural gifts were imparted. So if John the beloved, was the last apostle to die, say approx. 90 AD (give or take). On his deathbed John is laying his hands on disciples to the end. These would have probably been (1) males and (2) elders. So if these folks received the “gift” and spoke in tongues when they died that was it — zip, nada goodbye. With the death of the last apostle there was no one left who was divinely authorized to bestow these gifts and NONE PRESUMED to do so until the Church’s first restorer of the sign-gifts a monk named Montanus!    

For over fifty (50) years linguists have been tracking the phenomena of speaking in tongues. To date from my research I have yet to come across a scientist who has recorded someone speaking in a genuine language that they did not learn or have any exposure to. In all their studies they have yet to find a biblical example.

What they did discover was really nothing new, beyond some gleanings into some of the mechanics of the mind itself. What they discovered is the ability to utter gibberish or ecstatic speech is universal to all human beings who can vocalize. In this sense everyone can speak in ecstatic speech — BUT — this is not the biblical gift at all.

Ecstatic speech has been found in a wide variety of pagan religions and cultic groups. It was not even uncommon in the entire region of Phrygia where Montanus came from, and ecstatic speech was a long held practice by the Sibyls (female soothsayers).

The fact that these “unlearned” Jews were speaking fifteen different dialects was astounding to those gathered. Had the disciples gotten up and did what transpires in charismatic services today under the guise of “other tongues” it would not have impressed those gathered, the pagans did that stuff, big deal. Everybody knew something out of the ordinary and supernatural was taking place and in the end souls were added to the Church with Peter’s preaching (in a known and understandable tongue).

My brothers and sisters I openly acknowledge that there are many dear and devoted Christians who think they have the ability to communicate with God via a private, personal prayer language. For many years I thought I was one such saint. I’ve laid hands on around 1,000 people specifically to impart to them the “baptism in the Holy Ghost.” The majority left the prayer room smiling and uttering a smattering of syllabic nonsense. My advice was “keep praying in tongues, you’ll see as you use what God gives you He will give you more” (I meant in reference to an expanded prayer language). In this life, I will never “get over” the fact, well intentioned as I was; that I led people astray.

In dealing with people who are currently ensnared (look, the Lord delivered Bob Liichow, and I actually believed their lies and became more extreme than my ‘Rhema’ breed of teachers; I was of the Dr. Hobart Freeman and Elbert Willis sect of the Word of Faith cult, He can deliver anyone) go gently with them. As brothers and sisters let us present God’s Word in context and in love (Eph. 4:15) to those who have been misled.

In closing this series out please remember this — only the Word of God in its proper context has the power to set us free. Our Master said, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word,ye my disciples indeed;ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” John 8:31-32. Only The Word when properly delivered has truly supernatural power to redeem and liberate the soul of fallen man. This same Word when it is twisted and made to mean something unintended by the Author can place one into the deepest of bondages (because after all “it’s in the Bible”).

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God

peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; Andthatthey may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:25

End Note

1. E.W. Kenyon is the actual “father” of the Word of Faith cult, Hagin plagiarized extensively from Kenyon and other earlier writers. It is sad enough for a writer to steal from another without citing them; but when a “Christian” author steals heretical material and claims it as his own now that is really really sad.

Truth Matters January 2014

Part Four on Ecstatic Speech
by Rev. Robert Liichow

“To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles…”
The Apostle Paul

This has been somewhat of a longer rabbit trail than I usually take our readers down but it is important to have some working knowledge of the so-called “sign gifts” of the Holy Spirit, since so many people are claiming divine abilities on a global basis. As Christians we are called to give an answer (apology) for what we believe (see 1 Peter 3:15). I admit the context of Peter’s statement is directly pertaining to our hope within us, eternal life; however, we should be able to defend all of our beliefs regarding our faith. Last month we briefly considered the three gifts that supposedly “reveal” something, yet as we discovered two of these three gifts are never defined for the Church and thus no one can honestly claim to possess gifts which we cannot even define according to the Bible itself.

The Gifts that Do Something

    The next triumvirates of gifts are often referred to as the “power gifts” or supernatural abilities to perform various tasks.

The Gift of Faith

As with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, these are supernatural abilities and not mere human abilities on steroids or something. Thus the “gift of faith” is not the gift of believing the Gospel; although the ability to believe is not a human endeavor either (see Eph. 2:8) it too is a gift. Yet the gift of faith to receive Christ Jesus is not the same as the gift of faith spoken of here by Paul. All Christians are recipients of the gift of faith in Jesus Christ by God’s grace. This gift of “faith” is an additional gifting that enables the recipient to believe God with an unshakable resolve. The enthusiasts among us define this gift as follows:

The gift of faith is a gift of the Spirit to the believer in order that he might receive miracles . . . Those who operate in special faith, the gift of the Spirit, can believe God in such a way that God honors their word as His own, and miraculously brings to pass the desired result.

God gives a believer a gift of power because there is something that He wants to do. It is always to bless somebody or help somebody. Or, God can give a believer the gift of power to stop something that is evil . . . He will give you the gift of faith: the amount of power to get the job done. . .

The gift of faith may be defined as the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God’s promises, power, and presence so they can take heroic stands for the future of God’s work in the church. The spiritual gift of faith is exhibited by one with a strong and unshakeable confidence in God, His Word, and His promises.

Πίστις is the Greek word for faith in this text and it simply means to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance in God and His promises. The book of Hebrews the eleventh chapter gives us a plethora of examples of Old Covenant people who overcame through the gift of faith. In simplest terms the gift of faith would be the divinely granted ability to believe the unbelievable in the face of all adversity based upon nothing more than faith in God and His promise(s).

The Gifts of healing

    This gift, like all the others, is supernatural and has nothing to do with medical science or serving in the vocation of a doctor or nurse. The reason I stress the supernatural facet of these charismas is because there are those among us who would relegate these gifts and many supernatural biblical events to really “natural” occurrences, i.e. there is an anti-supernatural vein in our Body.

    The gifts of healing —

The gifts of healings are manifested for the supernatural healing of sickness and disease without any natural source or means.

It’s a plural gift because many things cause sickness. Some sicknesses are caused by accidents. Some are caused by personal neglect. Some sicknesses are caused by bodily abuse. Some sicknesses are caused by organic ailments. Some are caused by a spirit of infirmity or actual satanic oppression.

Tracy and I were taught by Mr. Hayes (above), Robert Tilton and many others that there was a specific “gift” of healing for every disease and ailment afflicting mankind. Robert Tilton claims to have a “gift” for healing people’s back problems. T.L. Osborn claimed to have a divine healing gift for people with deafness. He once claimed to have healed 99 deaf people in one village (naturally this occurred somewhere overseas). The gifts of healing is the second most abused of these nine gifts cited here by Paul, the first being speaking in other tongues (I promise we will get to this gift eventually). The following is a more theological consideration:

23.138
ἴαμα, τος: (derivative of ἰάομαι^a ‘to cause to be well again, to heal,’ 23.136) the capacity to cause someone to become healed or cured—’the power to heal, the capacity to heal.’ ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ πνεύματι ‘and to another man the same Spirit gives the power to heal’ 1 Cor 12:9. In some languages it may be difficult to speak of ‘giving the power to heal.’ A more natural form of expression is ’cause to be able to heal.’

The Bible is filled with examples of how our God healed people supernaturally. We naturally read of our Lord Jesus Christ HEALING ALL who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). Peter and John on their way to the temple to pray healed a lame man who was over 40 years old (Acts 4:22). In Acts 5:12-16 we read the account of the people in Jerusalem and surrounding towns bringing their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits — and ALL of them were healed. Acts 9:32-35 shares the account of the man with paralysis whom God healed via Peter. Paul healed the father of Publius of a fever and dysentery in Acts 28:7-9. We see in the founding of the Church a great display of the power of God and a careful examination of the healing accounts will demonstrate that many of them were part of the redemptive history of God towards a specific people group. For example the people of Lydda and Saron “turned to the Lord” through the signs confirming Peter’s preaching. Healing(s) as with everything our Lord does is not without a purpose, everything that happens is a part of the tapestry of our existence in this life, including sickness and healing.

Why This Gift Is Abused

Two forces work together to cause this gift to be abused by unscrupulous people. First, sickness and death are universal to us all. There is absolutely no one born of man that has not suffered the ravages of sickness and eventually succumbed to death itself. Secondly, the Bible seems to be replete with examples of God’s divine healing and miracle power setting people free from the ravages of sickness and death.

People who are very ill or have dying loved ones will virtually do almost anything, believe anything and give whatever is asked of them in order to receive their healing. What is it worth to see your wife healed from Lyme’s disease or your child delivered from leukemia? Is a donation of $50, $100, $5,000 enough to “prove God” of the sincerity of your faith when the healer asks for it?

    By taking biblical examples and inserting stories (lies) of the tremendous outpouring of healing in the last meeting in the other town the SINister works the people up into an altered state of consciousness rendering them devoid of critical thinking. Loud music, lighting, the psychological dynamics of masses of people in confined spaces, the subtle manipulation of wish fulfillment and the natural smarmy charisma of the SINister him or her all work together forming a synergy of deception on those in need and a huge payday for the fake healer.

    The question really is, does God still heal people today? My answer is, simply yes He does, but He does so according to the sovereign good pleasure of His will and not at the command of any man or woman. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

    Does God heal through healing evangelists? No. To begin with there is no such ministry in the Bible. There is the ministry of an evangelist (see 2 Tim. 4:5), but even Timothy, the evangelist, needed to take some wine for his stomach ailments (see 1 Tim. 5:23) but there is no such designation as “healing evangelist.” Aimee Semple MacPherson, Kathryn Khulman, A.A. Allen, William Branham, Oral Roberts, T. L. Osborn, Peter Popoff, W. WV. Grant, R.W. Schambach, Benny Hinn, etc. are ALL FRAUDS, LIARS and DECEIVERS. They possess no healing gifts at all.

    What is miraculous about the so-called “healing” evangelists is that NONE of them can offer any independent verifiable PROOF that people have been or are being healed under their SINistries and yet still have huge followings and reap millions of dollars each year they are in existence! One would think after a year or two of non-miracle crusades people would have quit listening to Mr. Hinn or others. Yet almost 20 years later, they still flock to his false promises and lies, leaving sick and much poorer spiritually and financially.

The Working of Miracles

One can “fake” healing by simply paying shills to claim they have been healed in the meeting. Miracles are a different manifestation altogether.

Although they are often lumped together healing and miracles are not the same. A healing is when someone is sick, say with cancer and after prayer it is totally gone, no trace, nothing on the X-ray. A miracle might be someone without an arm or a leg that suddenly has a new arm or leg appear on their body, they were not sick, merely missing a limb in this hypothetical case. A better example might be when the dead are raised. Paul raised a young man (Eutychus) from the dead who fell out of a third story window due to Paul’s long sermonizing (see Acts 20:7-12). Eutychus received a miracle, not a healing.

When the working of miracles is in manifestation, there is a divine intervention in the ordinary course of nature.

What is the working of miracles? Well, there are a lot of different kinds of miracles, but it’s a power gift, where power from God is sent from heaven down to earth to do something that’s beyond the natural, beyond the natural thinking of a man.

BUBBLE BURSTING ALERT!!

Very few people were ever used by our God to work miracles, the list is very short. Start at Genesis and go through to The Revelation and jot down: (1) who God used and (2) what was the miracle about, you end up with a pretty short list. What is more, when you consider the nature of the miraculous events in the Bible they are all of significance to the redemptive history of God’s people.

If you listen to any of the “purveyors of power” on the circuit today you will be given the false notion that miracles were occurring left and right in the daily lives of the believers. There are many books in circulation concerning miracles, let me cite just a few:

“I Believe in Miracles” – Kathryn Kuhlman
“Miracle Signs & Wonders” – Marilyn Hickey
“The Price of God’s Miracle Working Power” – A.A. Allen
“Chaos of Miracles” – LaDonna C. Osborn
“Miracles Just Don’t Happen” – Lester Sumrall

What the above books attempt to do is basically to reduce the definition of what is a miracle according to biblical standards, by watering down the definition the miraculous becomes commonplace. I have heard Marilyn Hickey say many times how she “prays” for a closer parking space at the mall and then when a space opens up close to the door she proclaims it a “miracle.”

Bible miracles include manifestations like parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22), walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33), turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), blindness coming on a blasphemer (Acts 13:11), etc. Can Mr. Hinn, Dollar, Copeland, Meyer, Price or anyone else point us to an actual miracle in their SINistries? NO, they cannot do so because despite all their testimonies of the great things “God” is doing through them, they can produce NO evidence of any divine healing or miracles.

In the New Testament miracles either validated the personal ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ or authenticated the ministry of the apostles:

I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in
all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. 2 Cor. 12:11-12

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4–5

But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.  For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:19–20

Only those divinely authorized by God can perform miracles. I agree with what fellow I.O.H.H. member, Dr. R.C. Sproul says on this topic:

If anybody can perform miracles, if a person who’s not an agent of divine revelation can perform a miracle, then obviously a miracle cannot certify an agent of revelation. Let me say it again. If a non-agent of revelation can perform a miracle, then a miracle cannot authenticate or certify a bona fide agent of revelation. Which would mean that the New Testament’s claim to be carrying the authority of God Himself, because God has certified Christ and the Apostles by miracles, would be a false claim and a false argument.
So what’s at stake here is the authority, the authenticity, and the truthfulness of the Bible itself. That’s why I have this tight definition, and why I don’t expect miracles, because I don’t expect to find Apostles running around today. So the narrow miracles, they stopped at the end of the Apostolic age.

This is why we are warned several times about the danger of being misled by those proclaiming the ability to work miracles which are really nothing but false signs and wonders:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:22–23

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:  For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Mark 13:21–22

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:  To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. Acts 8:9–10

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19:13–16

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12

What is truly amazing to me is how desperate the extremist “faith” people are in seeking to either feel or see something or be involved in doing something phenomenal and sadly, they often base their faith on these tangible experiences. Yet the Bible plainly teaches that our faith is based on what we have not
seen or felt. I agree with Sproul that the time of those performing biblical miracles ended with the death of the apostle John.

As was stated earlier miracles were performed to validate Jesus earthly ministry and those of His chosen apostles. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven; He sent the 12 and at the death of the last apostle there is nothing more to validate miraculously.

How can anyone hold a “miracle crusade” due to the divinely sovereign act in manifesting a miracle? It is the height of PRESUMPTION (not faith) to declare what the Holy Spirit is going to do on any evening or moment for that matter. The Spirit gives His gifts as HE WILLS (1 Cor. 12:11) not when Mr. Hinn or Copeland demand an appearance or manifestation of them.

I openly challenge any of the living self-proclaimed miracle workers to please provide DMI with just one independently verifiable example of a miraculous event tied directly to their organization. I know the atheist James Randi has a $1,000,000 prize for the first person who can perform a miracle in his laboratory, as of today (12-30-13) the money still sits in Randi’s account.

In closing this section out, please understand I am not saying that our Lord does not move supernaturally on our behalf or in our lives, He most certainly does. When my daughter and I were T-boned by a semi at about 60 mph, destroying our very small Saturn and we got out without a scratch that was the mercy of God. That was not a “miracle” it was an answer to prayer as I cried out to our Lord immediately and He spared our lives. If we loosen our definition, then we lose biblical authority. So yes, our Lord answers prayers, heals people, grants faith in the impossible at times, but there are no godly miracle workers roaming the land today, only wolves in sheep’s clothing. Selah.

Endnotes

Hagin, Kenneth. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. Faith Library Publications, Tulsa OK. 1991, p. 102 Hayes, Norvel. The Gift of Faith. Harrison House. Tulsa OK. 1980, p. 16 Obtained from http://www.gotquestions.org/gift-of-faith.html#ixzz2oyhSZ27l One of the almost impossible positions to attain in this life is that of BALANCE!  We tend to make everything supernatural (charismatic extremists) or we deny the power of God and make everything natural (some neo-evangelicals). Hagin, Kenneth. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. Faith Library Publication, Tulsa OK. 1991, p. 115 Hayes, Norvel. The Gifts of Healing. Harrison House. Tulsa OK. 1980, p. 5 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 268. Hagin, Kenneth. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts. Faith Library Publication, Tulsa OK. 1991, p. 108 Hayes, Norvel. The Gifts of Healing. Harrison House. Tulsa OK. 1980, p. 5 The International Order of Heresy Hunters, is a small elite by invitation only cadre of truth-tellers.  One can be invited by submitting a check for $25 to DMI and a certificate suitable for framing will come your way. Obtained from http://www.ligonier.org/blog/does-rcsproul-believe-miracles/. Bold type added for emphasis

Truth Matters December 2013

Part Three on Ecstatic Speech
by Rev. Robert Liichow

The apostle Paul continues bringing divine correction to the young church at Corinth. Last month we noted how Paul’s entire letter has been one of rebuke concerning many issues in their midst (see 1 Cor. 8:12; 10:6, 7:14; 11:17) and for some strange reason sign-gift enthusiasts want to take the church at Corinth as the example of how the sign gifts are to be used. As we shall see the Corinthians were as wrong about the spiritual gifts as they were concerning the Lord’s Supper, the role of women, their own carnality and divisiveness.

He begins his discourse by saying he does not want them to be ignorant (ἀγνοέω, to lack information) implying that they did not possess the correct information about the Holy Spirit and His gifts. In vs. 3 Paul lays out what I consider a governing principle regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts will always glorify Jesus Christ and not curse His holy name.

It may well seem amazing that the Corinthians should need instructing that such awful language could not be uttered by any one speaking “in the Spirit of God.” It is evident, however, that such expressions had been uttered by persons who were, or seemed to be, carried away by the impassioned impulse . . . So terrible an outrage on the conscience of Christians could never have passed unchecked and unpunished, except from the obvious inability of the young community to grapple with the new and perplexing phenomena of an “inspiration” which appeared to destroy the personal control of those possessed by it. . . They would not like to call any one to task for things spoken in a condition which they regarded as wholly supernatural.1

Obviously some of the Corinthians while in some state of ecstatic bliss were calling Jesus accursed. Such statements never came from the Holy Spirit and never will. Proclamations like these come from the demonic realm or from some fleshly pretender aping what they think is spiritual.

In vv. 4-8 Paul begins to give some clarity to the Corinthians concerning how the Holy Spirit operates and why the gifts exist and he does so in beautiful Trinitarian language. In verse 4 we see there are various (diversities) gifts but they all come from the one Spirit. There are various (differences) of serving others (administrations) but the same Lord. Lastly, verse 6 informs the reader that there are various ways God’s power operates, but it is always the same God who makes it possible.

Verse 7 is very important and is easily lost sight of — the purpose for any spiritual gift is right here: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal (the common good).” Before Paul even begins to list the gifts he has informed his readers that the gifts in all their variety come from God and anyone under the power of the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus Christ in what is said (I might add what is done as well). The reason God gives His children gifts is for the benefit of others! It is not to “bless” the one who has been entrusted with a gift, nor is said gift supposed to be used to “lift up” the gifted individual by that person or those who fawn over him or her.

Something to Think About The temptation for self-aggrandizement or hero worship is a genuine danger regarding the “sign-gifts.” Consider in our times people like Oral Roberts or Benny Hinn. These men profess to possess healing gifts and yet neither can independently verify any miraculous healing due to their SINinstry. They have gotten wealthy off the desperate needs of people seeking relief by a fraudulent claim of being gifted when they clearly are not. Imagine what manner of men they would be if they possessed the genuine gift of healing via the power of the Holy Spirit?

Before we consider the gifts themselves, let’s not ignore the underlying context in vv. 8-12 which points to the Person of the Holy Spirit as Initiator. Three times Paul uses the phrase “same spirit” (8, 9, and 11) to emphasize that the gifts and their manifestations are up to the Holy Spirit. It seems that Paul is emphasizing the centrality of the Holy Spirit’s role in disseminating the gifts and then their operation through those He has given them too possibly due to some people claiming that their gift(s) came from Jesus or maybe the Father. This is speculation on my part, but considering the Corinthians earlier claim to be of “Apollos” or of “Paul” (see 1 Cor. 1:12).

The Sign Gifts Themselves

I am willing to give our sign-gift enthusiastic brethren credit where it is due when considering these gifts specifically. They have spent one hundred (100) years trying to discern and define these gifts, more so than any other movement within the Church’s history. However, as an evangelical catholic (aka LCMS) I must confine my comments to the Bible Itself as the authority. Where I agree with the Pentecostals is in the following chart breakdown of the nine sign gifts. It would seem that these nine gifts do seem to fit into a pattern of 3 gifts X 3 categories per se. I love the symmetry, but the Pentecostals depart from the Scriptures in defining some of these gifts.

The Nine Sign-Gifts As Shown in 1 Corinthians 12
The Gifts that Reveal Things
V.8 The word of wisdom	Revelation	Bible is silent?
V.9 The word of knowledge		Bible is silent?
V. 10 The discerning of spirits		Reveals the inner spirit motivating a person. Or demonic activity
The Gifts that Say Things
V.10 Prophecy	Verbal	To reveal, inform, proclaim
V.10 Divers kinds of tongues		Speaks an unknown message
V.10 Interpretation of tongues		Reveals what was said in an unknown tongue
The Gifts that Do Things
V.9 Gift of Faith	Power	Ability to believe the unbelievable
V. 9 Gifts of Healing		Healing(s)
V. 10 Gift of Miracles		Miracles are not just healing

When considering ANY of the gifts of the Spirit we must first acknowledge that these gifts are divine in origin. These are not normal human abilities, nor are they nascent seed gifts which develop over time and use. When the genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit are in manifestation, “God” is working immediately in that context of ministry through His chosen vessel.

The Gifts That Reveal Something

The Word of Wisdom

In this listing of the gifts we read about the three gifts that would, logically, seem to reveal something. First we read of the word of wisdom and that is all he ever has to say about this gift! No one knows exactly (1) what this gift was or (2) how it was manifested at Corinth.

Fortunately, Pentecostalism has supplied some definitions to the Church that God seemed to have left out of the bible. These gifts, which have hitherto remained undefined and seldom referenced in two thousand years of recorded Church history . . . came back into the Church via Alfred Howard Carter. Carter was a Pentecostal minister who was in prison in Wormwood Scrubs England as a conscientious objector in 1917. While there he claimed the Holy Spirit revealed to him all nine gifts cited in 1 Cor. 12 and bestowed all nine of them on him. In his books, Questions and Answers Concerning Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Gifts and Their Operation he shares with his readers what each gift is and how is operates. This insight was supernaturally bestowed on him at a time when he admits to almost going insane in prison. Mr. Carter’s definitions were accepted by Pentecostals and to this day his definitions have been parroted by all the other sign-gift teachers:

“The gift of the word of wisdom is a word of God’s knowledge of what is going to take place in the future, a divine revelation of future events.”2

“On the other hand, the word of wisdom always speaks of the future.”3

“this is a direct supernatural act of the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom to a specific believer at a specific time to deal with a specific situation. So there is that kind of general wisdom that we all have, but there are times when God grants unusual wisdom, it’s a spiritual thing.”4

“The definition of The Word of Wisdom is: A Supernatural revelation of the plans & purposes in the mind of God that deal with the future. This is not a Gift of human wisdom or the “wise” kind of wisdom. With this Gift only part or a fragment of information is given. God is all knowing but he only gives us what we need to know at any given time.”5

Pentecostals seem to agree that the gift of the word of wisdom is a revelation by the Holy Spirit of some future event. This is pure speculation on their part. Honestly, we are not told what this specific gift was or what its purpose was. According to their definition this spiritual gift differs little from the gift of prophecy which can be either a (1) foretelling or a (2) forth telling or proclamation. Once Carter came up with a definition then some enthusiastic people began to claim they had this gift; again based on his novel classification.

The Word of Knowledge

Dovetailed with the word of wisdom is the word of knowledge. As with all the spiritual gifts, this gift is spiritual not a natural ability. It concerns itself with some form of supernatural knowing (γνῶσις/gnosis) that is not available under normal circumstances.

“The revelation of the word of knowledge brings is always present tense or concerning something that has happened in the past.”6

“It is part of God’s knowledge, a supernatural manifestation from heaven to a believer that comes into us. It lets us in on information and shows us things the way they are RIGHT NOW. It deals with facts.”7

“The definition of The Word of Knowledge is: A Supernatural revelation of certain facts in the mind of God that deal with the past or present. This is not a Gift of human knowledge or the “smarts” kind of knowledge.”8

This is the only time this phase is also used in the entire Bible. We are given no examples of its use or manifestation in or out of a worship service. Everything written since the death of John the Apostle about these two gifts is conjecture. There is no biblical proof that proves the word of wisdom is insight into the future nor is there anything indicating that the word of knowledge is a revelation of a past or current event.

Let’s confine ourselves to the FACTS. We know these gifts existed and were understood by the recipients of the letter from Paul. We know biblically that there is a distinction between wisdom, knowledge. Wisdom is basically the proper application of knowledge to bring about the best outcome. One cannot be “wise” without the information to discern and act upon. Knowledge is simply raw data, it is the facts. One can possess knowledge but not possess wisdom (i.e. the educated “fool”).

These two gifts of the Holy Spirit granted (as He willed) believers wisdom and/or knowledge for the “profiting” of the entire congregation. How these insights were given is not shared. We do not know if God revealed His wisdom/knowledge in a vision, like Peter or in a dream like Joseph or simply “dropped” the revelation into their minds immediately during the service. Since we do not know really what or how these gifts operated it seems to be the height of hubris to claim that one possesses such gifts! How do they know? What is the authority upon which they base their claims? This much is certain, it is not biblical authority.

The Discerning of Spirits

Many people err from the get-go with this gift. It is not the “gift of discernment,” there is no such “gift” it is called the discerning of spirits.

“The discerning of spirits gives supernatural insight into the spirit world. ‘To discern’ means to perceive by seeing or hearing. Therefore, discerning of spirits is the same as seeing or hearing in the realm of spirits.”9

“Sometimes the person actually physically sees the evil spirit at work in the person or situation.”10

I concur with the above definitions for the most part because they seem to fit the language Paul uses. This gift, when in operation, is the supernatural ability to correctly judge the spirit behind what is being done or said. Unlike the word of wisdom/word of knowledge we have some biblical examples of discerning of spirits:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? John 1:47

For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Acts 8:23

How did Jesus “know” the inner condition of Nathanael? Jesus discerned his spirit as did Peter with Simon the sorcerer. Another example is when Paul, after several days turns to a possessed woman and casts out the spirit of divination (Acts 16:18).

This gift when in operation enables the person to discern between what is of the Spirit of God, the human spirit or a demonic spirit. It is obvious that currently within the ranks of our sign-gift enthusiasts this gift is NOT in operation. If it were, then how do they explain Benny Hinn, the Crouch’s and all the nonsense that is believed and followed by the multitudes of sheeple?

End Notes 1. The Pulpit Commentary on First Corinthians 12:3. 2. Hayes, Norvel. The Word of Wisdom, Harrison House, Tulsa Ok. P. 3 1979. 3. Hagin, Kenneth E. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts, Faith Library Publication, p. 88, 1991 4. Hocutt, Brad. Obtained from http://seatedprophetic.wordpress.com/the-holy-spirit-his-gifts/gift-of-the-word-of-knowledge-the-word-of-wisdom-the-discerning-of-spirits/ 5. Hagin, Kenneth E. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts, Faith Library Publication, p. 88, 1991. 6. Hayes, Norvel. The Word of Knowledge, Harrison House, Tulsa Ok. P. 3, 1980. 7. Obtained from http://seatedprophetic.wordpress.com/the-holy-spirit-his-gifts/gift-of-the-word-of-knowledge-the-word-of-wisdom-the-discerning-of-spirits/ 8. Hagin, Kenneth E. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts, Faith Library Publication, p. 89, 1991. 9. Obtained from http://hannahscupboard.com/ST-discerning-spirits.html 10.

Truth Matters Dec. 2013 TBN

Wasted Opportunity?
The Death of Paul Crouch Sr., Founder of T.B.N.
By Rev. Robert Liichow

Crouch died Saturday November 30, 2013, he was 79 years old. Pastor Jack Hayford, whose services at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys were broadcast on TBN for more than 30 years, said: “It is no exaggeration of terms to describe Dr. Paul Crouch’s contribution to global Christianity as incalculably broad.” DMI disagrees strongly with Hayford’s assessment of Mr. Crouch’s influence for the good of the Church on a worldwide basis. There can be little doubt that Crouch was possessed by a business acumen that excelled many others when it came to television broadcasting.

At the time of his death, some estimate the value of all of TBN’s holding at close to a billion dollars and there is little doubt that over the forty (40) years of broadcasting the Crouch Empire syphoned off close to two billion dollars from legitimate Christian ministry. The last reported figure DMI has found states that TBN was bringing in over 100 million per year in donations currently. Pro-rate that over forty years, with even gradual growth over the years, plus interest, yeah it is 100’s of millions at least.

The massive holdings and opulent lifestyle of the Crouches has been well documented over the years. DMI has to our knowledge currently the only book in publication exposing TBN and the Crouch family. It is titled “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About TBN *(But Were Afraid to Ask)” is a full color, 8.5 X 12 inch spiral bound “coffee table” book available for $25.00 per signed copy (this publication is limited to 250 copies period). Each copy is compiled and signed by me the “heresy-hunter” himself. My honorary title “heresy-hunter” comes from a “curse” uttered on TBN by dead Paul Crouch against those who dared to speak out against Dad Hagin’s teachings on television in 1990.

TBN’s Televised “Footprint”

TBN owns 35 full-power television stations serving larger metropolitan areas, and, at its peak, 252 low-power television stations in the United States, which are mixed among stations serving medium-sized cities and rural translator stations in order to maximize the network’s reach as much as is permissible. TBN also has several hundred affiliate stations throughout the United States, although just 61 of these stations are full-power UHF or VHF stations. The rest are low-powered stations, requiring a viewer to be within several miles of the transmitter to receive the signal. According to TVNewsCheck, TBN was the third largest over-the-air television station group in the country as of 2010, besting the station groups of CBS, Fox, and NBC, but behind Ion and Univision.

Back in 1971 Mr. Crouch began with one weak station, by the end of his life he had purchased 35 full-power stations and 252 low-power stations. TBN owns them outright folks, they do not buy time for them, and this is a HUGE deal in broadcasting. What is more they are able to “buy time” on several hundred “affiliate stations” as well.

TBN is now the world’s largest Christian television network. Across America and around the world TBN is carried by TV stations and cable systems to millions of homes. As a matter of fact, TBN is featured on over 5,000 television stations, over 70 satellites, the Internet and thousands of cable systems around the world. And the number continues to grow! Programs are translated into numerous foreign languages at TBN’s state-of-the-art facilities at the International Production Center in Irving, Texas.

If you are virtually anywhere in the world and have access to a television signal or internet capability you can watch TBN! Twenty four (24) hours, seven (7) days a week you can see and/or listen to the stable of TBN shills exclaiming the glories of what TBN is doing and will be doing in the future . . . if only “God’s” people will support the vision!

Praise to Pry Partner Money Loose

Here is the dirty little secret concerning Mr. Crouch’s empire. Each station was simply a steppingstone to the acquisition of the next available station. With the very first station Crouch instituted the ubiquitous and infamous Praise-a-thon’s. These fund-raisers were supposed to mimic “revivals” of yesteryear. Filled with emotional music, sung and played by famous Christian artists, all of the stable of preachers would be brought forth to twist the Holy Word of God into nothing more than a “bless me” device for the SINisters and their deluded followers.

The secret is this —- these Praise-a-thons existed for one purpose only: to transfer money from the current viewing audience in order to buy more stations to get more viewers to get more money and buy more stations to get newer viewers (untapped) to get more money.

The purpose of this empire was NOT to lift up our Lord Jesus Christ and boldly and in an unfettered manner (which when one OWNS the stations one can do) proclaim the full fury of the Law and the sweetness of the Gospel in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. How do I know? Regardless of whatever TBN says about proclaiming the Gospel the FACT remains that for the last forty (40) years THEY HAVE NOT DONE SO.

What has the purpose been then? TBN existed for the self-aggrandizement and financial enrichment of Paul and Jan Crouch. How do I know? Again the FACTS are patently obvious. Here is just a small “peek” into their holdings (a wee bit dated):

Paul, 70, collects a $403,700 salary as TBN’s chairman and president. Jan, 67, is paid $361,000 as vice president and director of programming. Those are the highest salaries paid by any of the 12 major religious nonprofits whose finances are tracked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The Crouches travel the world in a $7.2-million, 19-seat Canadair Turbojet owned by TBN. They drive luxury cars. They have charged expensive dinners and furniture to TBN credit cards.

Thirty ministry-owned homes are at their disposal — including a pair of Newport Beach mansions, a mountain retreat near Lake Arrowhead and a ranch in Texas.

The Crouches’ family members share in the benefits. Their oldest son, Paul Jr., earns $90,800 a year as TBN’s vice president for administration. Another son, Matthew, has received $32 million from the network since 1999 to produce Christian-themed movies such as “The Omega Code.”

Overseeing these expenditures is a board of directors that consists of Paul Crouch, Jan Crouch and Paul’s 74-year-old sister, Ruth Brown. Control resides primarily with Paul. In a 2001 legal deposition, Jan said she did not know she was a corporate officer and could not recall the last board meeting she attended.

TBN’s declared mission as a tax-exempt Christian charity is to produce and broadcast television shows and movies “for the purpose of spreading the Gospel to the world.”

The biblical Gospel has not been preached by Crouch, or by those he had paraded before the world for forty (40) years. In fact, he is accountable before God for every person and what they said on his programs. Did Mr. Crouch every bring correction publically to anything that was taught from a TBN stage? NO! So, either he agreed with what was being taught or he was afraid of offending the speaker and possibly losing some potential income based on the current popularity of the speaker.

Keep in mind that Crouch had a regular “stable” of speakers and none of them is doctrinally sound. This stable includes Mr. T.D. Jakes, a Oneness Pentecostal heretic; Benny Hinn, a false prophet, false teacher and fake-healer; Joyce Meyer, false teacher; Kim Clement, another false prophet, Creflo Dollar, false teacher, child abuser and Jessie Duplantis, another documented liar and fraud just to name a few “stars.”

In every TBN production utilizing these SINisters, they always make sure and bring whatever the “message” is around to giving money to TBN. Although DMI has no proof yet, it seems that the speakers may possibly be given an “honorarium” based upon the take that evening. The triumvirate of money-makers for TBN over the years have consistently been Rev. R. W. Schambach, John “the bagman” Avanzini, and Benny Hinn. These three alone have brought in multiple millions to TBN and are in their own rights multi-millionaires.

Sadly, to date TBN has NOT been a godly influence. It has frankly been a canker on the Body of Christ due to its self-serving motivations, their ungodly lifestyle, their demonic doctrines and aberrant practices. Now that Paul has assumed room temperature and Jan is not getting any younger either; perhaps the next generation of Crouch’s may repent and actually use their capacity to proclaim God’s Truth. If they do, it will be a FIRST for TBN and actually something that will glorify the God they claim to serve.

References

Obtained from http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-paul-crouch-20131201,0,3333095.story?page=2#ixzz2mdWfznk6

Obtained from http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/41240/top-station-groups-stay-the-course

http://www.tbn.org/about-us/the-tbn-story. Underlining added by the author.

http://articles.latimes.com/2004/sep/19/local/me-tbn19. Underlining added for emphasis.

Audio clip of Jan Crouch during a Praise-A-Thon around 2009:

“Its always been the little women who caught the vision of giving, Some of you precious little ones have that little grocery money some of the little money set aside assure tonight the blessings of God on your family by giving it to God and speaking that say it ‘God this is for blessings on my family’ I love that.”

Jan actually asked for women to give TBN their little grocery money that they have saved for FOOD. Keep in mind, TBN has been sitting on interest bearing cash reserves in the millions of dollars for many years, yet they still wanted more.

Truth Matters October 2013

Supernatural Speech In Acts
Part One
By Rev. Robert Liichow 

The 40-member church is among many nationwide that are reducing or cutting out speaking in tongues as they become more popular and move to the mainstream. It’s a shift that has unsettled some more traditional Pentecostals who say the practice is at the heart of a movement that evolved out of an interracial revival and remains a spontaneous way for the poor and dispossessed to have a direct line to God.

Last month on Issues Etc. radio I was asked, along with our discussion of Mr. Copeland’s measles outbreak at his compound to share my insights regarding recent articles that had come out stating that the defining mark of Pentecostalism, ecstatic speech, was not being practiced openly in many Pentecostal denominations and in some cases was no longer being emphasized. Harvey Cox, a Harvard religion professor said “This is a long-developing phenomenon . . . they don’t want what appears to be objectionable to stick out or be viewed with suspicion.”

First of all, we must begin with the biblical
evidence. Once we know what this expression of speaking in other tongues was biblically, then and only then can we determine if any Christian body is following the biblical practice or not. If on the one hand their practice has indeed been biblically correct, then why are they compromising their stance? If however, their practice has not been in accord with the Bible, then it is a good development that it is decreasing. What doth the Bible saith regarding what actually happened on the Day of Pentecost and throughout the history of the Book of Acts?

Prior to that Day – – –

Although many times sign-gift enthusiast proclaimers will begin their message on the validity of speaking in other tongues with this passage of text (which is probably as well known by Pentecostals as John 3:16 is to Baptists) they are already building on a faulty biblical understanding.

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Luke 24:46-53

Only the 12 NOT the 120    
Our Lord Jesus was with the twelve. He is addressing His hand-picked witnesses moments before His ascension back to the Father and they are told that they, they who? The eleven disciples/apostles are the ones being addressed. This is a crucial point, do not forget it. They are the ones who will be initially clothed with power from on high and our Lord lifts up His hands, blesses them; they worship their Lord, and being filled with great joy return to Jerusalem.  Before the tongues as of fire rested upon the apostles they (the apostles) had to select another man to replace Judas. The qualifications are stated very clearly for all succeeding generations: First, Jesus said His men were witnesses of His ministry in Luke 24 and then again in Acts1:

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a
witness
with us of his resurrection. Acts 1:21-22

The eleven prayed and sought the will of the Lord and they chose by lots between Matthias and Justus, with the result being the selection of Matthias. Remember in Luke 24 our Lord said they (the apostles) would be “witnesses” this is the same masculine term used again here for “witness.” The witnesses were the 12 apostles according to the context of this thought. After the number of apostles was restored to twelve and the “day of Pentecost” had fully come:

Pentecost or Shavuot has many names in the Bible (the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Harvest, and the Latter Firstfruits). Celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, Shavuot is traditionally a joyous time of giving thanks and presenting offerings for the new grain of the summer wheat harvest in Israel. The name “Feast of Weeks” was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 23:15-16, to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance.

Keep in mind that during this celebration Jerusalem would have been packed with people from all over the known world. “The Law of Moses required that all men make a pilgrimage to the temple three times a year to celebrate the feasts or festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.” The city was already filled due to the major Passover and now 50 days later most people were still in the city and surrounds to fulfill their next obligation. This helps explain the wide divergence of languages in evidence during this observance.

When the Day of Pentecost Had Fully Come

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4

The “they” being spoken of are the same “they” Luke referred to in his Gospel account. There is nothing that indicates that the 120 other people gathered in that room were also recipients of that vocal gift. There is nothing stated anywhere in the Book of Acts that states or intimates anyone other than the apostles initially received this spiritual ability.

It is a question whether only the Twelve spoke in tongues or all 120. Several factors support the idea of only the Twelve being involved in this phenomenon: (1) They are referred to as Galileans (Acts 2:7; cf. 1:11–13). (2) Peter stood up with “the Eleven” (2:14). (3) The nearest antecedent of “they” in verse 1 is the “apostles” in 1:26.

We do read that it was the apostles who went outside and began to glorify God supernaturally in a genuine language unknown to them as the speakers, but known to the one being addressed hearer(s).

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Acts 2:4-8

    The ones filled were the same ones who went outside and began to speak intelligently and the ones speaking were Galilaeans (male verb, male adjective in the Greek), the apostles were all male. We know that there were women that comprised a good part of the 120 people with the apostles but none of them is mentioned as receiving this gift at this time.

Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. Acts 2:9-13

    The apostles amazed their hearers because they were extolling the “wonderful works of God” in their own native languages. Languages that “ignorant and unlearned men” (see Acts 4:13) would not have known how to speak. The purpose of this gift was evangelical in that it got the attention of the people by proclaiming the wonderful works of God, which is simply another way of telling people about what God has done for us all in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. From this account we know: (1) Jesus told them to go and wait, they did not know what to expect, i.e. they were not seeking the “gift of tongues.” (2) The apostles were the ones initially empowered with the Holy Spirit. (3) The gift was for the benefit of others not the personal edification of the speaker. (4) The messages were spoken to other people in their own language by a man who did not know the language he was speaking in, i.e. it was a genuine supernatural experience. (5) The content of the messages was clearly understood and glorified the works of God. (6) Lastly, this unusual manifestation was also a duel fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; And this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. Isa. 28:11-12

The context is God’s judgment against Judah and foretold their going into Assyrian captivity, a people whose language they did not understand. “Men who mock God’s servants and message will ultimately be mocked in turn: delivered into the captivity of people who speak with what seems to be a stammering or mocking tongue (Isa 33:10). This was fulfilled as Isaiah prophesied, yet the apostles seem to apply this past event to what was now taking place in the Church.

The extreme enthusiasts today claim that because some of the mockers (Judeans) said the apostles were acting like people totally out of control on alcohol that we should expect the same drunken manifestations today when we are “filled” with the Spirit. The entire “holy laughter” movement was buttressed on this faulty concept.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. Acts 2:14-14

Peter corrects the Judeans who were the ones casting aspersions. There is nothing in the text that indicates the apostles were “acting” drunk at all. The Judeans heard them, did not understand the languages, knew they were from Galilee (hicks) and thus mocked them. Peter says “these are not drunk” and dismisses the notion altogether and begins to explain what is transpiring.

Peter begins to preach what is taking place, in his own native tongue, and he tells them (and us) that what is taking place is THE fulfillment of the prophecy given by Joel [not “a” fulfillment]:

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: Acts 2:16-18

“This” is a demonstrable pronoun pointing to what was taking place right then and there. It was prophesied to come to pass and it CAME TO PASS on that Day. The grammar is always important in Bible study and many people have missed its importance here. Peter stated unambiguously that “this,” what is transpiring in their midst is the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Enthusiasts through the ages have tried to claim that their movements were birthed out of additional fulfillments of Joel’s prophecy.  Montanus claimed “Joel” as did the people at Azusa Street in 1906, later on the New Order of the Latter Rain declared their movement a fulfillment, as did the Roman Catholic Charismatic renewal movement in the mid 1960’s at the University of Notre Dame. All of them are wrong. That specific prophecy in Joel was fulfilled in the Church then, period.

Without going into the meat of Peter’s sermon we do learn one thing virtually all people fail to mention. When the 3,000 hearers are pricked to their hearts and are brought to faith in Christ Jesus and baptized —- NONE of these men began to speak in other tongues upon believing and baptism.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:38-41

The “promise” of the Holy Spirit is given to all (note also, Peter included children) who are brought to repentance and are baptized into Christ Jesus. Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit at their new birth, but not all Christians spoke with new tongues. Speaking in other tongues is not “proof” or evidence that an individual is “filled” with the Spirit per se. The “proof” of being indwelt by the Spirit is found in the waters of holy baptism. If you were baptized into Christ, then you are indwelt by the Spirit of Grace, like everything else in our walk, this is an article of faith and it is not based on whether we feel His presence or not.

What we should focus on in this event is that the Spirit had just been poured out on the apostles; they were not seeking this gift of other tongues, yet they received it — why didn’t these newly minted “Christians” also speak with new tongues as well? Peter just preached that the gift of the Holy Spirit was for all God’s children . . . so why are not all reported to be glorifying God wonderful works supernaturally? Obviously, this supernatural ability was not given to all believers, then or now. About five years after the Day of Pentecost (DOP) the Gospel message begins to make Its way outside of the converted Jews. In the following event we read of Phillip preaching Christ to the Samaritans. They received the Word of God and were converted (see Acts 8:11).

Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:14-17

 Phillip shared the Gospel with the Samaritans, yet he was not authorized to impart the gift of the Spirit, only the apostles had this ability. They had to send for the apostles Peter and John. The apostles prayed for them, laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. There is no mention of these believers speaking with other tongues when they received the Holy Spirit. We are not given many details of how the Spirit manifested Himself among them, but something was evident by reading the account of Simon the sorcerer:

Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Acts 8:13, 18-20

Simon became a believer, he was baptized into Christ and he continued with the evangelist Phillip. Simon saw that through the laying on the apostles‘ hands the Holy Ghost was imparted and he wanted to do the same thing as the apostles and even offered to pay for this ability, which probably made perfect sense to his yet carnal mind. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT! We read of a believer who tried to TRESPASS into a ministry arena that he was unauthorized to engage in and Peter rebukes Simon and calls him to repentance for his presumptuous sin, he repents (vs. 24). Here are the vital points; first of all, we read that the Holy Spirit was imparted/given via the ministry/authority of the apostles alone. Secondly, one cannot purchase the gift of God. Thirdly, it was (and is) God alone who determined who and what gift they shall receive. What we are reading about is not the unique gift of speaking in other tongues, instead we are privy to reading about the unconquerable spread of the Gospel, the gates of hell (Matt. 16:18) are indeed no match for the power of God (Romans 1:16) and now the Samaritans are united in one Body with the Jews.

From the DOP nothing is mentioned about speaking in other tongues until the event with the Centurion Cornelius in Acts 10. If the gift of other tongues was the be-all and end-all of Christian spirituality why isn’t it mentioned as taking place more often in the account? We know Peter goes with John and he preaches in the temple and this time 5,000 men are converted (see Acts 4:4). As with the earlier 3,000 converts, these 5,000 also did not speak in other tongues at their conversion either.

If one is honest with the Book of Acts then one MUST admit that speaking in other tongues was not a universal experience for Christians. As we shall read, it was in fact a unique and surprising infrequent occurrence. The next citation of this specific gift is almost ten years later after the DOP at home of Cornelius!

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Acts 10:44-48

    Years had passed since that DOP was initially celebrated. Many Jews have been converted, for even as Paul said later that the Gospel was to “the Jew first, then the Gentiles” (see Romans 1:16). The divine encounter between Cornelius and Peter was completely orchestrated by God. The Lord spoke to Cornelius by an angel (Acts 10:3) and gave hardheaded Peter a vision and brought them together defying tremendous racial animus between the Jews and Greeks.

    While Peter was still preaching to those gathered (Cornelius, his household and devout friends, v. 24) the hearers were brought to faith and the Spirit of Grace fell upon the Gentiles for the first time. How did Peter and those on his ministry “team” know they had received the Spirit? “For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God” (v. 44). There are several very salient facts in this account to keep in mind when it comes to the issue of ecstatic speech.

    First, Peter as apostle was present and conducting the service which was his calling as a “witness” (that word again from Luke 24, Acts 1, Acts 10) — apostolic presence and authority. No one in the book of Acts received the gifts of the Spirit apart from the presence/ministry of the apostles. Secondly, some years had passed since the birth of the Church and Peter, Cornelius nor anyone else gathered were expecting (seeking) this capability. At this point in the Acts account we have no proof that anyone spoke with other tongues again after the Day of Pentecost. There is nothing in the text to indicate that speaking in tongues was in evidence in the worship services in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria at this (or any other for that matter). Thirdly, this manifestation was the same as occurred on the Day of Pentecost. The Gentiles did not receive some other demonstration of this gift than the Jews. We know they received the same experience as the Jews by Peter’s own testimony:

And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? Acts 11:15-17

    Upon returning home Peter is questioned by the circumcised believers and he recounts to them the entire event. Peter clearly states that the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles as on us at the beginning (Pentecost). They received the same expression “as he did unto” the Jews. Peter and those with him at the home of Cornelius heard the Gentiles magnify God, and although the text does not state it, it is very safe to conclude that some people in attendance could interpret/translate what was being vocalized or else they would not have known they were “magnifying God.” Also, it makes perfect sense that since the Gentiles received the same manifestation of the Spirit as the Jews, then the gift would have been the same, i.e. in this case Gentiles speaking supernaturally and someone being able to understand that they were in fact glorifying God. In this case it seems that the manifestation of other tongues was to convince the Jewish believers of the validity of the salvation of the Gentiles, even as tongues were used to help convince the pious Jews and proselytes of the reality of Peter’s sermon. What we see on the Day of Pentecost is the outworking of “to the Jew first” and then a few years later the Gentiles are brought in – “then to the Greeks.”

    First we read of the dramatic birth of the Church, the Church being opened to the Samaritans (Acts 8) and now in Acts 10 we read of the Church doors being opened to the Gentiles and the beginning of global evangelism. On these occasions nobody was expecting and thus not seeking the gift of tongues. On these occasions the vocalization of this special gift was spoken in a known language by people who did not know that language but a language that could be understood. Initially the apostles were the recipients and from that point on the apostles were always present when spiritual gifts were imparted. In Acts we read of no accounting of the Church gathering together to speak in tongues as part of worship, nor of any lay people going about distributing the gifts of the Spirit.

    For almost another ten years the Book of Acts is silent about the use of this gift until we come across the apostle of untimely birth (1 Cor. 15:8) Paul in Acts 19:

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. Acts 19:1-7

    Paul and Apollos are on their way to Ephesus and they encounter a group of John’s disciples. Beyond them being disciples of John the Baptist we know very little about them. We know they were baptized with John’s baptism and they did not knowing that the Holy Spirit had been given by Jesus Christ who came baptizing with the Holy Ghost and fire (Matthew 3:11). The apostle Paul corrects their theological ignorance and they received the Word and were baptized into Christ Jesus. Then Paul the apostle laid his hands on these men and the Holy Spirit came upon them and these twelve men both spoke with tongues and also prophesied. Again, let us focus on what we do know, not what we speculate about! The Holy Spirit was given/imparted/bestowed through the ministry of an apostle to believers who had no idea of what to expect, they did not even know of the Spirit’s ministry through the Church at this point, again they were not “seeking” an experience or encounter with God. We read that the “gifts” given are according to the will of God, they spoke in tongues and also prophesied, two of the nine gifts Paul delineates in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. This encounter is the last mention of speaking in/with other “tongues” in the Book of Acts.

    The fact is there are only three actual texts that deal with speaking in other tongues —Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6—are the only instances regarding speaking in tongues in the book of Acts. Some Pentecostal and sign-gift enthusiasts assert that tongues also occurred in Acts 8:4 but, there is no textual support for their belief, it is pure speculation. All three events treat the gift of speaking in tongues as the public and intelligible (understandable) communication of truth about God. Each event also show the gift of speaking in tongues as a verifying sign of the unique coming of the Holy Spirit upon a new group of people, thereby incorporating that group into the church.

    In conclusion let us also remember the examples of when people were converted and filled with the Holy Spirit without any evidence of speaking in other tongues. In Acts 2:41-42 we read where the three thousand were converted and baptized. Phillip preached and men and women were converted and baptized in water and filled with the Spirit, no mention of other tongues however, Acts 8:12. When Phillip witnesses to the Ethiopian eunuch who converts and is baptized does not speak in other tongues, Acts 8:26-40. There is no evidence at his conversion and baptism that the apostle Paul spoke in tongues (Acts 9:17-19), although later he thanks God he speaks in tongues “more than ye all” in 1 Cor. 14:18. It is obvious that the gift of speaking in other tongues was not a universal experience or practice. When the Spirit manifested Himself in such a manner He did so through apostolic authority and not the laity. Lastly, it was not an experience to be sought, nor did it seem to be for personal edification. Then how did the sign-gift movement get to be the largest segment of the Church? Stay tuned as by the grace of God DMI will continue to endeavor to unscrew the inscrutable.

ENDNOTES & REFERENCES:

An important FACT to remember when you read the Book of Acts is that what we read in an hour covers many years of Church history.

This is one of several recent stories on this topic http://bigstory.ap.org/article/messages-tongues-down-among-pentecostals. The underlining and bold type were added by the author for emphasis.

Christian people need to regain their objectivity.  It matters not how long a group of Christians has done something nor does it matter how many millions embrace a practice or dogma that does not make it true.  Our first and foremost authority is the Bible itself.

Obtained from http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefeastsandholidays/p/pentecostfeast.htm on 9/24/13

http://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/Rel211/TEMPLE.html

Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 357–358.

Walter C. Kaiser, “1118 לָעַג,” ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 481.

When Pentecostal/sign gift folks teach the Book of Acts the people are given the impression that all of these “supernatural” events take place one after another quickly and that all the members of the early Church were all supernaturally empowered by the Spirit and that the rank-N-file believers were imparting gifts, working miracles, having a revival time in the Lord per se.  This is simply invisibly written into the account.  There is nothing that indicates this sort of hyper-Pentecostalism was transpiring at all in the lives of the people.

Truth Matters June 2013

Christ For Us
Part Two
By Rev. Robert Liichow

    Last month we began to consider how we as God’s children are to get to know and fellowship with our heavenly Father. There are really only two ways available to us, the first is through various subjective intuitive and mystical experiences. Secondly, we can relate to Him through simple faith in His objective written Word.

    In reflecting on many of the texts used to attempt to buttress the arguments for turning
within and communing with our Lord inside the inner
kingdom one thing becomes quite evident, our Lord never commanded us to seek Him in this manner. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”1 Yes we as His children2 are to seek after the Lord and we are promised to “find” Him when we search for Him WITH not IN all your heart, there is a huge difference between the two. In this article we shall consider the loftiest highway that leads directly to the very throne of The Ancient of Days.

For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17

The Bible begins by revealing to us that God created everything there is by the power of His Word (Genesis 1-2). Why did God who lacks nothing and needs nothing create our planet in one of the approximately 200 billion galaxies in our expanding universe? Part of the answer seems obvious, He created all of “this” for His own glory (Psl 19:1) and secondly for His creation, for man (Gen 1:26). We are familiar with the rest of the account in Genesis, man disobeyed the Word given by God and the deadly poison of sin was injected into the spirit of man and he became dead on the inside.

Humanity went from walking in the cool of the day with their Father Creator, to hiding in fear from the One (Gen. 3:10) who gave them life and everything good as a gift, to hating the One who in love created them.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. John 3:19-20

After their fall into sin, Adam and Eve attempted to rectify their mistake by their own means and tried to cover their sin by their own efforts and work, which failed miserably (Gen. 3:7). Little has changed over 6,000 years. People are still seeking their own remedies to the spiritual problem of sin and virtually all of these attempts are subjective in nature and are founded in pride.

In spite of our parents rebellion we see the Father’s love and care in His provision for their sin when we read “. . . the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Gen 3:21). We see God’s love by His shedding the blood of an innocent animal to cover the sin and shame of His fallen children. Without reviewing four thousand years of redemptive history suffice it to say that throughout the Bible we see that our God is indeed “for us.”

From Moses until the last writings of the Apostle John, God has had His Word recorded and collected by and for His people. Why? So there would be no mistake in understanding what God has said to us in succeeding generations. His Word is established forever —- “heaven and earth shall pass away but My Word will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Since the Word of the Lord is eternal, then a wise person would do well to build on such an unshakable foundation:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:24-27

The Holy Spirit through James says much the same thing when He says “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). Our lives as disciples of The Lamb are to be lives of inwardly digesting (meditating) God’s Word and then implementing its precepts in our daily vocation.

The Lord gave some very simple directions on how His people should go about building their lives on His Word:

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. Exodus 16:14-21

In Exodus we see the Lord’s marvelous provision for His people by supplying them with manna. In this account I see a principle that can help us in strengthening our foundation on His Word. God supplied the bread (His Word). It was up to the people to gather as MUCH or as LITTLE as they desired. They had to gather the bread DAILY before the sun got too hot (early) and melted it. The people could not “live” off of yesterday’s manna, they had to gather it day by day, accept for the Sabbath when the manna could be kept longer. By analogy the same is true for us and our intake of the Word of God. How much you and I inwardly digest is up to us. We can eat as much or as little, it just depends on our hunger I suppose. Selah.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deut 6:6-9)

Our Lord knew that He had several million people following His shepherd Moses, a people who did not know Him at all. Notice that God did not command each Israelite to go off into his own tent to have a personal encounter with God within the chambers of his soul. God’s Word was written down and disseminated verbally by Moses and the elders to the people.

The people were to keep God’s Word in their hearts and then they were to diligently teach God’s Word to their children (Lutherans did not start catechesis). What is more, God’s Word was to be the topic of discussion when they were sitting around their homes. When they walked to work, they were to be speaking of His Word. If you are not walking or sitting, guess what? You are probably lying down, and your last thoughts spoken of should be, again, the eternal Word of our God. What should be the first words out of our mouths when granted a news day? You guessed it, the Word of God. The result of such a life lived in this manner is one that is lived through the lens of the Scriptures. We hear the result of what we feed on by what we talk about; Jesus said quite tellingly “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34).

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it
to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8-9)

Moses had died and Joshua was now the leader. God’s advice to Joshua was to observe (look) at the Word given by Moses, do not turn from it (stick with it). Think about what has been written, keep the Word in the forefront of your mind DAY and NIGHT, and so you can follow what it teaches and in doing so the way will be prospered and successful. Sadly, many prosperity pimps have twisted this wonderful text (as they do with all their use of the Bible) into a “formula” for financial wealth. The message being given is a simple one —- immerse yourself in My Word, allow what I say to be your mirror, rule and guide in life and you will be blessed.3

In our culture today the way to implement the above precepts might include simply listening to the Bible in your car when driving (who walks?) or to a godly radio programs (like Issues Etc. or the White Horse Inn) or Christian music. Around the dinner table people can talk about the sermon preached Sunday or the Bible study that week, possibly some of the Scriptures read during the day (if one is using a through the Bible in a Year type of daily reading) or something from a daily devotional. Obviously if there are children in the family they no doubt are involved in daily prayers with the family, Bible reading or learning some texts by heart. They certainly observe everything their parents are doing —- they too will learn (by
observation) to speak about what fills their hearts from a young age, good or bad. When we lay down at night we should take time to reflect on our day, commune with our own hearts on our beds at night (Psl 4:4) and review our day in light of His Word. Personally some of my sweetest sleep comes quickly when I lie down and begin to ponder the goodness of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

When we focus on what God has done for us, as revealed in His Word, there is tremendous peace. There is no speculation regarding my relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit because my relationship is built upon His Word and not
my own fertile imagination. {Read the following verses out loud to yourself and think deeply about them for say, the next year solid, every day and see if your spiritual walk is not changed}.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is
God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:28-38

God is FOR US! This God who is for us has loved us so much that He did not spare His own Son (think of the importance of an only Son in Middle Eastern culture) BUT gave Him up FOR US ALL!

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:6-10

Everything our Lord Jesus Christ did in His earthly ministry and is now doing during His High Priestly ministry He is doing FOR US. We sinned, we were the feral rebel souls that hated God, we were DEAD in our trespasses and sins (see Col. 2:13) and yet Christ died FOR the ungodly. He did not wait until we cleaned ourselves up, an impossibility (see Jer. 13:23),4 while we were sinners Christ died FOR US. Now, during the remainder of this life let us live boldly. Knowing that since we have been justified (past tense) by His blood that we shall be (future tense) saved from the wrath of God through Him. How so? If the Father loved us so much to redeem us when we were His enemies by the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ —- now as His reconciled and adopted children we shall be saved by His (Jesus`) endless life!

Our faith is not conjecture; it is not based on a quiver of the liver, a dream voice or vision. We stand immovable on the eternal Word of God once delivered unto the saints (see Jude 3).

Satan continues to mislead people by tempting them to take their focus off of the unchanging truth that exists outside of themselves and turn within and concentrate on what is murky, unsubstantiated. Satan knows very well the power of God’s Word when spoken by one who trusts in the Author’s veracity (see Luke 4:1-13, our Lord’s desert temptation).

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith
he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:4-10

St. Paul clearly tells us that all of salvation is outside of us (extra nos), an accomplished fact, done, complete in Christ, finito. Since salvation is something that Christ accomplished FOR US and applies to us, all we have to do is believe it! Don’t let the word “do” trip you up —- the believing part, well that ability to believe, to have faith is given as a GIFT by our gracious God as well: {I’d read this one out loud too and add it to your previous pondering of Romans 8}.

Almost daily for twenty years I sat under various teachers and their doctrines. During those years I heard virtually nothing about what Christ Jesus has done FOR US. It was given lip service at best, and then it was on to what WE were now to do because of Jesus, such as doing the greater works (John 14:12) that even Jesus did not do in His earthly ministry.

The shift from truth outside of ourselves to looking within ourselves for God’s truth arrived with the fuller advent of Pentecostalism in the world. The focus went from seeing the earthly ministry of Jesus as what He did FOR US, to seeing His ministry as the pattern we are to follow to do works by His works by His Spirit which is IN US. Now for over 100 years the major focus in American Evangelicalism has been on the Holy Spirit, how to hear from Him, be led by Him, be used by Him, etc.

Yet the ministry of The Spirit of Reality (ἀλήθεια) is to testify about the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 15:26) and not speak of Himself. If these folks ever do encounter the Holy Spirit all He will do is what Jesus said He will do in John 16:13-15:

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. John 16:13-15

The problem is many Christians get side-tracked by the world, their flesh and the devil (1 John 2:16) into trying to uncover “hidden” things and keys to supernatural power and miracles by seeking to make a “power connection” with the God within!

Living a Christian life based on subjective experiences will at the end of life leave one in despair because all of the focus has been within oneself. On the deathbed you will be inundated by the enemy of your soul with all your failures in prayer, in giving, in healing the sick, did you have a genuine gift of tongues? What if it was really just your own fleshly mind gibbering away or worse yet the devil all these years?5
These are the thoughts that will be confronted by the enthusiast at death. On the “positive” side of the fleshly scale will come the rebuttal to these at times truthful and always accusatory accusations —- I built the church building, I gave to missions, I prayed every day, I never missed a Sunday, I read my Bible through each year for over ten years. I gave Mother Hubbard a ride to service each week! All of which inevitably lead to pride.

On the other hand the Christian whose life is built on Jesus Christ and His righteousness and nothing more and nothing less has only joy and peace at the end. He has lived his life trusting in the completed work Jesus Christ has done on the cross for him. Mr. Disciple knows it is not about his good works or lack thereof at all. It is not about him at all; his part is resting in the security and joy of being God’s own dear child, kept safe and secure by the eternal work of Jesus Christ, his Good Shepherd.

The Christian life is one of receiving the good gifts of God through His Son FOR US. Jesus has not only done the “heavy lifting” He has done everything that pertains to our redemption. There simply is NOTHING LEFT TO DO regarding our eternal state. There is no work you or I can do to add to the work of Jesus for us. Frankly, there is nothing I can take away from or diminish the work of our Savior either. His work is complete, immaculate and eternal.

What, no works on my part, nothing to contribute? Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Folks, if any part of our redemption was left up to us, none of us would be saved. Salvation is the work of God alone. What is our part? Since Jesus Christ has wrought salvation for us and we are receiving —

. . . a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

We now can serve God in an acceptable manner because of what Jesus has done for us. Now, as His dear children we no longer fear God as our Judge, but we love and reverence Him with godly fear (εὐλάβεια). Our part is now that we’ve been freed from the bondage and eternal penalty of sin to freely worship our Triune God and offer up a sacrifice —- the fruit of our lips, the sacrifice of our joyous praise!

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Hebrews 13:15-16

Since Jesus has done everything for us, we are freed from ourselves to now do good for others, our neighbor(s) and share what we have with those who do not possess what we have been given graciously.

Brothers and sisters I sincerely pray that this summer you will spend a great deal of your time considering what our Lord has done for us. Make sure you are building your life on the rock of God’s Word and not on the fleshly inner experiences which cannot be verified. It is not about us, it really is all about Christ for us.

1 The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Je 29:13. Bold type and underlining added for emphasis. The context of this passage deals with the promise given by יהוה regarding the future deliverance of His people from Babylon.
2 No one seeks after God UNTIL He has enabled them to do so – this text is speaking to covenant people.
3 Biblical Meditation is not emptying our minds but renewing them by God’s Word. הָגָה hagah (211c); a prim. root; to moan, growl, utter, speak, muse:—declare(1), devise(2), devising(1), growls(1), make a sound(1), meditate(5), meditates(1), moan(3), moan sadly(1), mutter(2), mutters(1), ponders(1), utter(2), uttering(1), utters(1).
4 This does not keep people from trying to clean themselves up, to reform their lives, etc. It is impossible for anyone to bring forth life from death, only God can do this work.
5 How do I “know” this will happen? My statements are based on several reasons, first my own personal encounters with near death. I have come exceedingly close to losing my life close to a dozen times and I have had to face those type of accusations from the enemy. The testimonies of others who have nearly died and have shared their experiences and lastly but most importantly my comments are based on the Holy Bible which reveals very plainly who Satan is and how he operates.

February 2013 Truth Matters Newsletter

What is Heresy?

By Rev. Robert Liichow

               It was Paul Crouch senior who spoke the term “heresy-hunter” in a fit of anger regarding those of us who dared to challenge the doctrines of the Word of Faith (WOF) cultists.

There’s a spiritual application here. … I want to say to all you scribes, pharisees, heresy-hunters, all of you that are around pickin’ little bits of doctrinal error out of everybody’s eyes and dividin’ the Body of Christ … get out of God’s way, stop blockin’ God’s bridges, or God’s goin’ to shoot you if I don’t … let Him sort out all this doctrinal doodoo![1]

               Crouch was (still is) irate over people who are equally concerned for the truth of God’s Word both great and small points of doctrinal importance.  It seems that Crouch has forgotten what our Lord and the Apostle Paul said to the disciples by way of warning when they stated:

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matt. 16:6 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Gal. 5:9

In vs. 12 of Matthew’s account Jesus goes on to explain that the ‘leaven” He was speaking of was the false doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Paul warns that such false doctrine(s) can spread like yeast and pollute the entire batch.

               What Crouch does not seem to understand is that there is no such thing as insignificant biblical error.  Admittedly, we all see through a mirror darkly (see 1 Cor. 13:12).  While no one individual or denomination has perfect understanding of all the truth about God and His Word we do have a body of truth handed down to us by God through the Apostles and Prophets that we are to guard and contend for (see Jude 3).

               Crouch was concerned over what people were saying about the teachings his megastars were spewing on his television network.  What he considers “little bits of doctrine” surrounded the teachings regarding the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, hardly a minor point of doctrinal disagreement! His response indicates that he has no real grasp of who Jesus was, what He came to do and the true meaning of what occurred on the cross.  I have said it before and restate it now —- “it does not matter what you are right about, if you are wrong about Jesus.”

Heresy Is

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 1 Cor. 11:19
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Gal. 5:20

               The word ‘heresy’ and its derivations are cited 4 times in the N.T. and in each example heresy is shown in a bad light, i.e. it is never treated as a minor issue, but as a real threat to the spiritual welfare of the saints.

63.27 αἵρεσις^c, εως: a division of people into different and opposing sets—‘division, separate group.’ δεῖ γὰρ καὶ αἱρέσεις ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι ‘for it is necessary that divisions exist among you’ or ‘the existence of divisions among you is inevitable’ 1 Cor. 11:19.^[2]

Against this background, it is impossible to solve the problem of the derivation of the special Christian sense of heresy. For the development of the Christian concept is not wholly analogous to that of the Rabbinic מִין, as though, in the process of the separation of non-orthodox groups, the heterodox parties came to be designated heresy. On the contrary, the word seems to have been suspect in Christianity from the very first, and when it is used as a Christian technical term in conscious or unconscious connection either with the Greek philosophical schools or the Jewish sects it denotes at once societies outside Christianity and the Christian Church. Hence it does not owe its meaning to the development of an orthodoxy. The basis of the Christian concept of αἵρεσις is to be found in the new situation created by the introduction of the Christian ἐκκλησία. ἐκκλησία and αἵρεσις are material opposites. The latter cannot accept the former; the former excludes the latter. This may be clearly seen in Gl. 5:20, where αἵρεσις is reckoned among the ἔργα τῆς σαρκός along with ἔρις, ἔχθραι, ζῆλος, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι and διχοστασίαι. Yet neither here nor elsewhere in the NT does αἵρεσις have a technical sense. In 1 C. 11:18 f. we see even more clearly the impossibility of αἵρεσις within Christianity^[3]

Initially when the leaders of the Church spoke of heresy they were speaking of anyone or any group of people who contradicted the teaching of the Apostles.  Heresy was any variant belief that denied who Jesus Christ was, what He taught, what He did before, during and after His crucifixion.

As the Church developed and the revelation of God was codified into what we call the “Bible” today the definition of heresy crystalized into meaning something more specific:

Material Heresy: Material heresy entails believing heretical doctrines through no fault of one’s own ‘in good faith.’ For example, if a Baptist grandmother in Arkansas denies infant baptism without having been a Catholic and without having investigated the doctrine, she subscribes to heresy materially and is without fault.[4]

Formal Heresy: Formal heresy is strictly defined as the obstinate denial or doubt, after Baptism, of a truth ‘which must be believed with divine and catholic faith.’ [5]

               Even though the above is the Roman Catholic definition, we as evangelical Catholics should not have too many problems with it.  Theologically heresy has been honed down to refer formally to any false teaching about the Person and/or work of Christ Jesus.  We might differ with Rome regarding the “without fault” clause in their definition of material heresy.  If one can (1) read his Bible and (2) inwardly digest what has been written then he bears some culpability for what is believed.  This is eminently proven in the following text:

 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2:9

               These are people who are hearing a false message and believing what they have heard to be true, they reject God’s truth and perish.  It matters eternally what one believes about Jesus Christ.  Both the preacher and the hearer are responsible before the Lord.  The preacher is responsible for what he proclaims (see James 3:1) and the listener to how he hears (see Mark 4:24).

Heretics & Their Heresies Past & Present

               Solomon informs us that there is “nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9).  With this in mind it behooves us to consider some of the past enemies of the Church and see how they have morphed over the centuries in a demonic attempt to infiltrate the ranks of the pure wheat of God.

The Gnostics —-

The main differences with Christianity and gnostic belief were that god, who was purely good, could not have created the world, as the world contained evil. Hence Gnosticism created a mythology much like Greek mythology in which numerous other forces were the children of god. These children in turn created our world. One such child was Christ who descended to earth to share his knowledge, some secret knowledge of which the Gnostics claimed to be only part of their religion (the unwritten, verbal knowledge passed on by Christ). Also associated with Gnosticism are the beliefs that all matter was evil, including the human body and that Christ’s divine spirit only descended into the man Jesus with his baptism and left him before his crucifixion, leaving the man, not the Messiah to suffer on the cross.               [6]

               Gnostic schools were also called mystery schools in that what they taught was hidden from everyone accept those admitted into the cult.  As stated above, they denied the reality of the material world and saw it as evil.  Gnostic schools could go one of two directions, either they were licentious giving themselves over to the debauchery or they were extreme ascetics, denying their flesh as much as possible.  The Gnostics were the mystics of their day and as D.M.I. has covered over the years, these mystics are still with us today in the form of Crowder, Rick Joyner, Hinn, Arnott and others preaching mystical insights.

The Docetists —

               The Docetists were among some of the first heretics that the Church dealt with.  A good working definition of Docetism is:

Docetism was an error with several variations concerning the nature of Christ.  Generally, it taught that Jesus only appeared to have a body, that he was not really incarnate, (Greek, “dokeo” = “to seem”).  This error developed out of the dualistic philosophy which viewed matter as inherently evil,  that God could not be associated with matter, and that God, being perfect and infinite, could not suffer.  Therefore, God as the word, could not have become flesh per John 1:1,14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.. ”  This denial of a true incarnation meant that Jesus did not truly suffer on the cross and that He did not rise from the dead.[7]

               The Holy Spirit through the Apostle John rebukes this error when he writes “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world” (see 1 John 4:2-3) and again in 2 John 7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

Sabellianism —

Sabellius, a third-century theologian and priest, was a proponent of modalism. Modalism is a non-Trinitarian heresy claiming that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are simply different modes of God and not distinct persons within the Godhead. Little is known about Sabellius, who was excommunicated in 220 AD, but the teaching attached to his name became infamous and is still with us today.[8]

His error has been one of the more persistent heretical weeds attacking the garden of God.  The modalism of Sabbellius is with us today in various forms, probably the best known is that of the Oneness Pentecostals, the largest cult within the sect of Pentecostalism.[9]

As with all heresies, Sabbellius forced the Church to formally address an area of doctrine hitherto not yet solidly defined the doctrine of the trinity of the Godhead.  To answer Sabbellius our Lord brought forth a champion of Truth by the name of Tertullian:

In Against Praxeas, Tertullian argued that Scripture reveals that the Godhead is three who are at the same time one. He rightly considered this an essential doctrine of Christianity. In the Sabellian modalist view, the three are not anything real, but rather just different manifestations of the one. Therefore, Tertullian proposed that we speak of the Godhead as “one substance (substantia) consisting in three persons (persona).” This terminology would serve as the basis for future Latin theology, and it is from Tertullian’s pen that the important Christian word “Trinity” (trinitas) was first inked.[10]

The damnable nature of modalism is that it undermines the atonement of Christ.  If God is only One and He works in history by appearing in different modes than obviously it calls into question the reality of the humanity of Christ as Docetism would have us accept.  If Christ is not both fully God and fully man then he cannot be the one mediator between God and man.  This reason is more than enough to deny the heresy of Sabellian modalism, and affirm the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

Monophysitism —

Monophysitism is an error concerning the nature of Christ that asserts Jesus had only one nature, not two as is taught in the correct doctrine of the hypostatic union:  Jesus  is both God and man in one person.  In monophysitism, the single nature was divine, not human. The denial of the human nature of Christ is a denial of the true incarnation of the Word as a man.  Without a true incarnation there can be no atonement of sin for mankind since it was not then a true man who died for our sins.^[11]

This is another subtle twist on the Person of Christ.  In this errant view people taught that Jesus had only one nature a divine one and not a human nature.  The physical body of Jesus was just a vehicle for the divine to inhabit.  Formally Monophycitism was condemned as a heresy by the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680-681.  This view was held by some in the East and in Egypt, but it is not as widely held today.

Adoptionism —

Adoptionism says that Jesus was a human being who was “adopted” by God at his conception, at which point he developed a divine nature.  Later versions sometimes suggest that he was adopted later, such as when he was baptized by John the Baptist.[12]

               This view holds that Jesus became the Christ when He was adopted by the heavenly Father. Prior to His adoption as Son, he was just a mere man such as us ourselves.  This view flew in the face of so many biblical problems that it did not last too long.

Adoptionism was declared heresy at the end of the 2nd century and was rejected by the First Council of Nicaea, which defined the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity and identified the man Jesus with the eternally begotten Son or Word of God.[13]

Nestorianism —

               Some could not see Jesus as God, others could not see a God becoming truly man.  Nestorius tried to bridge this gap by proposing that Jesus was indeed both God and man, but not united as such:

 Nestorius (c. 381-451) was a monk from Antioch before he became the bishop of Constantinople in 428. He so emphasized the two natures that Nestorius basically turned Jesus Christ into two persons. Wanting to avoid any “mixing” of the divine and human natures of Christ (as Eutyches did), Nestorius over-emphasized their distinctness.[14]

Nestorius ended up with really two Christ’s one divine and one human.  This aberrant view was struck down as heretical and condemned by the councils of Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon(451).  There are some today who still hold to this view, but they are largely confined to Iran.

Apollinarianism —

Apollinarius taught that Jesus Christ had a human body but a divine mind (soul).  He is remembered as a noted opponent of Arianism, Apollinarius eagerly emphasized the deity of Jesus and the unity of his person led him so far as to deny the existence of a rational human soul (νους, nous) in Christ’s human nature, this being replaced in him by the logos, so that his body was a glorified and spiritualized form of humanity.  In his defense of the deity of Christ Apollinarius lost His humanity which proved to be biblically indefensible. 

The teaching of Apollinarius was condemned at Antioch in 378 and 379 and by the Council of Constantinople in 381. The primary defender of theological orthodoxy was Gregory of Nazianzus, a 4th century Eastern theologian and the Archbishop of Constantinople.[15]

The Scriptures prove that Jesus was fully man as well as being fully God.  As a man we know He grew in statue and wisdom (see Luke 2:52), He grew hungry (see Luke 4:2), He was and is easily touched with the feelings of our infirmities (see Hebrews 4:15).  According to Church history Apollinarius did add one part to our confession today:

Apollinarius did make a lasting contribution to orthodox theology in declaring that Christ was consubstantial (of one substance) with the Father as regarding his divinity and consubstantial with us as regarding his humanity. This formula, which originated with Apollinarius, later became official orthodox doctrine. Apollinaris was also one of the first to claim that God suffered and died on the cross, a claim which received immediate condemnation but later became acceptable in orthodox theology.[16]

Arianism —

The danger with doctrinal error is that it can be very difficult to eradicate once it has taken root in people’s minds to any great degree.  Such is the sad fact regarding the heresy of Arius, an Alexandrian priest in Egypt (± 250-336 AD).  “Arius taught that it was impossible for God in any true sense could have a Son; as Mohammed tersely said afterwards, “God neither begets, nor is He begotten” (Koran, 112).[17] Today we call that denial Unitarianism. Arius denied that the Son is of one essence, nature, or substance with God; He is not consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, and therefore not like Him, or equal in dignity, or co-eternal, or within the real sphere of Deity. Obviously such teachings about Jesus Christ caused confusion in the Church and the issue had to be settled at Nicaea.

On August 25, 312 A.D. Constantine convened a Church Council to hopefully settle some of the issues troubling the fledgling Church.  Arius was withstood by the Bishop Alexander of Alexandria and his deacon, Athanasius, who later went on the pen the “Athanasian Creed” and who wrote four works against Arius.  Long story short —- Arius and his followers were defeated and the doctrine of the Trinity was strengthened and has remained with us to this day.  Unfortunately, some devotees of Arius are still plaguing people today.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses fall under the Arian category, as do the Mormons, Moonies, Unitarians, Church of Christ Science and some lessor known cult groups.

Pelagianism —

The error given voice to by an Irish monk named Pelagius has proven to be among the more long-lived errors to plague the people of God for centuries.  Pelagius taught that the original sin of Adam and Eve was not passed down to and through their offspring.  After the Fall of Adam mankind was left with a “spark” of the divine within them and if so disposed they could seek after God in and of themselves.  Since lost mankind could make a “decision” to either receive or reject God and His Word the emphasis was placed on human effort and not the grace of God.  In fact, for Pelagius and his followers taught that baptism was not considered necessary, in that people could be “saved” by their own efforts, that is, they did not necessarily require the grace of God.  Among other cardinal doctrines of the Church Pelagius rejected the need for the substitutionary atonement and justification by faith through grace.  He believed that mankind could reform itself spiritually apart from the grace of God.

Such a stance brought him into direct conflict with many other theologians of the Church and the man who went toe-to-toe with Pelagius was Augustine of Hippo. 

Pelagius’ error was deemed heretical in 416 by the Council of Carthage. Originally Adam, Augustine said, possessed freedom—the ability not to sin. After the Fall, all human beings participate in Adam’s sin, which renders them not able not to sin. After the mediation of divine grace in Jesus Christ humans are once again given the ability not to sin. Augustine replied to Pelagius’ views in two treatises: On the Grace of Christ and On Original Sin. Augustine writes: “We must realize that Pelagius believes that neither our will nor our action is helped by divine aid…he believes that God does not help us to will, that he does not help us to act, that he helps us only to be able to will and to act.”[18]

The errors of Pelagius remain with the Church today and are most often expressed in today’s revivalism and the ‘decision’ theology of Billy Graham.  Some within the eastern branches of the Church still cling to some of his errors regarding the fall of Adam.  Any system that promotes works and self-effort alone as a means of spiritual advancement fall into the same pit as this Irish monk.

The battle for the truth of God’s Word has been waged since the beginning.  The Bible warns from the old covenant to the new of the danger of being led astray from a pure faith in God through the deceptions of false prophets, false teachers and false apostles.  Eternal destinies hinge upon having faith in the Biblical Jesus and thus Satan and his minions work tirelessly to lead people astray by presenting a false Christ who is in reality no ‘Christ’ at all.

Historically people have erred regarding the Person of Jesus.  Some have wanted to make Him pure deity at the expense of His humanity; some teach of Him as only a man ‘anointed’ by the Spirit at His baptism thus denying His eternality as God.  Satan well knows that —-

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

If Satan can get people to follow any of the ψευδόχριστος (pseudochristos) false Christ’s he presents then he has achieved his goal, the damnation of the lost.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret  chambers; believe it not.  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ^[19] Matthew  24:23-27

We are living in the last days, Jesus has warned His flock that people will be declaring that “Christ is here” (say, at our revival) believe it not.  No “ifs ands or buts” about it, for two thousand years men (and some women) have stood up and declared themselves to be the Christ of God.  Church history is filled with wonder-workers and those who seek signs and today’s Church is rife with such deceived deceivers (see 2 Timothy 2:25; 3:13) who oppose themselves, the Church and ultimately the Lord of glory Himself.

REJOICE my brothers and sisters because like Peter we have been granted revelation of who Jesus is, truly God and truly man, the Savior of the world as proved by His sinless life, His substitutionary death on the cross for the sins of the world and His glorious physical resurrection from the grave three days later!  Flesh and blood did not and cannot reveal Christ Jesus; this is the work of the Spirit of Grace whom the Father (see John 6: 37) uses to bring us to faith through the preached Word of God.  Our Lord has claimed us for His own, what a humbling and glorious truth!                          

---

[1] Obtained from http://www.iamforsure.com/False%20Teachers/Crouch/CrouchMain.html

^[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, vol. 1, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 615.

NT New Testament.

^[3] Vol. 1, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley and Gerhard Friedrich, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-), 182-83.

[4] Obtained from http://cantuar.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-is-definition-of-heresy.html

[5] Ibid.

[6] Obtained from http://www.roman-empire.net/religion/heresy.html

[7] Obtained from http://carm.org/docetism bold type added for emphasis.

[8] Obtained from http://theresurgence.com/2010/06/22/sabellius-know-your-heretics

[9] Please understand that not all Pentecostal believers are cultists.  Many Pentecostal’s are indeed Christians yet within their ranks are various sub-groups that are distinctly NOT Christian including The Way International, the Moonies, the Shakers, The United Pentecostal Church, The Pentecostal World Assemblies {PAW}, etc.

[10]http://theresurgence.com/2010/06/22/sabellius-know-your-heretics underlining added for emphasis.

[11] Obtained from http://carm.org/monophysitism bold type and underlining added for emphasis.

[12] Obtained from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/heresies.html

[13] Obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoptionism

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.

[16] Obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollinaris_of_Laodicea

 [17]http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htm

[18] Obtained from http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/15/pelagius-know-your-heretics

 ^[19] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Mt 24:23–27.

Jim Bakker is Back At It Again

Truth Matters, December 2012, Volume 16 Issue 12

Jim Bakker is Back At It Again By Rev. Robert Liichow

            Baby-face Bakker was the former reigning king of charismatic television superstardom.  For many years no one could touch him in ratings and raising millions of dollars from his viewers.  Bakker even began to build his own city/amusement park known as “Heritage USA.”  Jim and Tammy-Faye Bakker were the darlings of Christian television and Paul and Jan Crouch, Pat Roberson, Jerry Falwell and Robert Tilton all stood in the shadow PTL cast. 

Naturally, when it was divulged that Jim had a one-night sexual liaison with Jessica Hawn (who had been being sexually abused by her pastor, who passed her on to Jim) all of the other ‘Christian’ televised charismatic luminaries lined up to take the soon to be vacated throne of beaucoup broadcast bucks.  This was easily seen in the behaviors of the Crouch’s, who to this day do not ever mention the Bakker’s and Mr. Falwell who tried to wrest control of the PTL holdings (remember the infamous waterslide photo of Falwell in his suit going down it out of modesty).  Jim loses control of PTL and eventually goes to trial and is given a very harsh and unreasonable sentence from the judge.  Most sign-gift folks, while mourning the loss of PTL switched over to viewing the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN aka “The Total Blasphemy Network) or The 700 Club hosted by Pat Robertson.

In 1997 Jim Bakker released a book entitled “I Was Wrong.”    He published this fascinating book after serving several years of a forty year prison sentence.  I remember buying the book in Grand Rapids, MI.  at Bakers Bookstore and reading its 480 pages in one sitting (it was sort of long, but I found it a page-turner).

One aspect of the entire Jim & Tammy debacle that was quite telling to me was how quickly ALL the people the Bakker’s had made “stars” due to PTL totally abandoned them in their hour of need.  The Crouches, who owe much of their existence on television to Jim Bakker totally distanced themselves from any Bakker association.  I wondered “where is the love?”

            This book chronicles Bakker’s rise and fall in a fairly honest fashion.  Jim acknowledged that the “prosperity” message was unbalanced and confessed to his sexual sin and other failings.  At the end one is left to believe that five years in the Federal prison changed Jim Bakker.  From a multi-millionaire, to basically a homeless guy when he emerged from jail sans Tammy Faye, who divorced Jim and married Jim’s best friend Roe Messner in 1993 (the same year Roe divorced his wife & married Tammy).  Bakker seemed totally humbled by his “fall” from super stardom.

            Frankly, one would imagine that after what he experienced and learned in prison he would know how to avoid many of the snares set by Satan to entrap him (2 Tim. 2:26).  Sadly, the lessons he may have begun to learn in prison were fleeting at best and the ‘birds of wisdom’ have flown the coup in Bakker’s case.

            Some of our readers may be a bit unfamiliar with PTL (the forerunner to TBN) and the earthly kingdom Jim tried to build called “Heritage USA,” which was a Christian based theme park, schmaltzy shops that sold precious moments idols, and ice cream parlors.  The vision was to have a place where Christians could come with their families for a fun time with a little evangelicalism-lite thrown in.  Before some readers “poo-poo” Heritage USA they might know that by 1986 (it was begun in 1978) it was one of the top entertainment venues in America:

For those who are not familar with it’s story, this place was created by the PTL Ministry which was ran by Jim and Tammy Bakker. Heritage USA started out as a camp ground but quickly grew to be the 3rd most visited theme park in the world attracting over 6 MILLION visitors! Walt Disney World and Disneyland were the only 2 other parks ahead of Heritage USA during one point in the 80’s.[i]

Bakker got into legal trouble it was mainly about allegedly overselling the units in a high-rise hotel he started to build on the grounds, the hotel was never completed and Heritage Village went defunct shortly after Bakker went to the Federal penitentiary.

There have been several attempts in America to establish godly earthly kingdoms, all started by ‘charismatic’ sign-seekers.  The Shiloh Community led by Frank Sanford; Zion, Ill. Founded by John A. Dowie, Miracle Valley AZ started by A.A. Allen, The City of Faith started by Oral Roberts and of course, Heritage Village.

When Jim got out of prison, Dr. Billy Graham (a former frequent guest on PTL) took him in for a bit (none of the Word of Faith crowd he helped make rich, although the Copeland’s did give Tammy some money when she was financially hurting, helped him at all).  Jim returned to South Carolina where he was formerly established.  Earlier in this decade Jim met up with Rick Joyner, head of Morningstar Ministries in Fort Mill, S.C. — the location of the former “Heritage USA.”  Before you could say “divine appointment” Jim joined up with Joyner who was willing to back Jimmy financially to get him back on television.

Who Is Rick Joyner & What is Morningstar Ministries?

Unlike Jerry Collins, a Dog Track owner and gambler who bailed out Oral Roberts back in January of 1987. Remember when Oral said “God” was going to take him home unless he raised several million?  Jerry Collins gave Oral 1.3 million; Rick Joyner is a SINistry whose devotees comprise the very farthest fringe elements of the so-called Prophetic & Apostolic movements.   I believe Mr. Joyner saw an opening to broadcast his specific[ii] perversion of the Gospel.[iii]

Rick Joyner is one of the most egregious of the false-prophets on the scene today.   Joyner sits very high-up on the dais of the ranking (and boy they are rank) prophets today.  In short, Joyner is a huge player in the so-called Prophetic Movement.  In fact, Mr. Joyner was one of the people responsible for the ‘spiritual restoration’ of ex-child molester and false-apostle, Todd Bentley.[iv]

When one goes through the kind of restoration Todd has been through over the last year and a half you usually come out stronger in basic Christian disciplines and character than ever. I feel that is certainly the case with Todd. However, I was surprised by the depth, power, and the impartation of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit that was immediately present when we released Todd into limited local ministry…”   Rick Joyner – The ElijahList Email”  ”Check Out These Todd Bentley Events” May 15, 2010

Joyner seems to think Todd is a genuine apostle and is now restored from the ravages of his lust for another woman and the divorce of his wife, along with various lies, false prophetic words, etc.  However, it seems the nation of Great Britain does not view Bentley as a penitent whose been restored, they will not allow Bentley to set foot on their shores![v]

Mr.  Joyner gained a wider audience through the release of his book entitled “The Final Quest” aka online under the title “The Hordes of Hell Are Marching” and it is listed as one of the top one hundred Christian books (depending on which web site you visit).  He reveals in a more recent nighttime phantasy of Joyner we are told that God has given Rick power over all natural laws and that the super-saints will move literal mountains (see Matt. 21:21) before the return of Jesus Christ.[vi]

Joyner is an integral part of the Prophetic movement and as such he believes: (1) in the need for the restoration of apostles and prophets in order for Christ to return; (2) the re-establishment of The Tabernacle of David (see Acts 15:16-17); (3) the validity of the so-called new wine of the Spirit gifts; (4) strategic level spiritual warfare which includes warfare praise, warfare intercession, etc.; (5) the global dominion of the earth by the Church prior to the return of Christ; (6) ultimate victory over death prior to the return of Christ; (7) new revelations from The Holy Spirit via dreams, visions, and trances; and (8) unity in the Church based on experience and not doctrinal confessions.  You can even see Mr. Joyner on video declaring that God was going to send the fire of the Spirit through their cell phones (I kid you not) if the assembled would pull them out and make the call (the crowd did so and went into a frenzy).[vii]

Joyner is associated with every major charismaniac SINister infecting the Body of Christ today.  Now through Bakker’s return to television another wave of spiritual counterfeits are released within the Church and upon the unwary saints due to his association with Rick Joyner.

The Jim & Lori Show

Here is a nasty dirty little secret — the world of ‘Christian’ broadcasting is a cesspool of greed, intimidation, false and/or compromised doctrine, immorality and more.  Jan Crouch pretty much hated the Bakker’s who were the front people for Paul Crouch’s initial foray into television.  Bakker was the reason Crouch had any success, and Jan knew this.  Janny wanted to push her hubby out front of the cameras, so Paul fired the Bakkers.  Jim was very depressed but eventually rebounded.   All of this history is well detailed in Tammy Faye’s book “Telling It My Way” (another page-turner if you are into reading about these folks). 

Jim went home to S.C. and started the PTL Club, and outdid Paul and Jan “in spades” for many years.  The Crouch’s shed few tears when Jimmy was hauled off to prison and his network shut down.  Those blinded by the cathode-ray tube had nowhere else to turn but to TBN, which blew-up huge (a little music industry lingo) in the vacuum created by the absence of PTL.

Understand this fact, TBN (the Crouch juggernaut) is soundly in the Word of Faith (WOF) camp.  The resurrected Heritage International Ministries (HIM) is solidly in the Prophetic camp.  WOF is of the pre-tribulation rapture belief and the Prophetic folk are overwhelmingly dominionists and deny any rapture of the Church.  Now we have two sign-gift networks, which is watched in the same day will no doubt produce a TREMENDOUS amount of doctrinal confusion among the swallow-and-follow crowd.  The following chart is a simple thumbnail sketch of a few of the positions held by the two counterfeits and the historic Church.

Doctrine	WOF Cult	Classic Pentecostalism	Prophetic/Apostolic	Historic Christianity
Restored sign gifts	YES	YES	YES	NO
Restored apostles & prophets	YES	NO	YES	NO
Pre-Tribulation Rapture	YES	YES	NO	NO
Baptism as a means of grace	NO	NO	NO	YES
Bible Translation preferred	KJV/Amplified	KJV Dakes translation	Whatever	Differs widely over denominational lines.
Lord’s Supper as a means of grace	NO	NO	NO	YES
Prayer as a means of grace	YES	YES	YES	NO
Financial Prosperity	YES	NO	YES/NO	NO
Current & new ‘revelations’	YES	NO	YES	NO (the canon is closed)
Divine healing	YES	YES	YES	YES
Being Slain in the spirit	YES	YES	YES	NO
Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare	NO (although WOF believes in a form of spiritual warfare)	NO	YES	NO
Infant Baptism	NO	NO	NO	YES
Discipleship	NO	NO	YES	NO (not as practiced by the sign-gift folks). We Catechize.
Trinity of God	YES	YES/NO Modalists are the largest in number.	Primarily YES, some leaders are Modalists	YES

 

The divergence on the cited doctrinal issues is not sufficient to keep both groups from mingling together at times in conferences or at big revival meetings.  Remember the charismaniac war cry “doctrine divides.”   It is not uncommon in large meetings to find a Roman Catholic nun ‘worshipping’ next to a Jesus-only Pentecostal who is standing in front of a “Spirit-filled” Baptist whose is adjacent to a tongue-talking Episcopalian.  Isn’t unity a wonderful thing?  The fact is, none of the aforementioned groups agree with each other on any of the cardinal doctrines of the one holy and Christian apostolic Church.

 Please realize how serious a door Bakker has opened for the enemy of our souls.  Prior to the return of his television show the majority of these so-called restored apostles and prophets did not receive much air time (due to the Crouches opposition to many of their beliefs). Now because of Bakker and his association with a chief false-prophet Rick Joyner another stream of extremism has been released on a viewing world.  Now this specific steam of flakes has access to millions instead of a few thousand in conferences.  Now they can proclaim their spurious twist of the Gospel on a global level as Bakker’s empire continues to gather steam.  Now those who were previously unaware of the claims of the prophetic movement now have the opportunity to become beguiled by their lies.

One thing is for certain Jim Bakker has a gift or innate ability for making his televisions programs succeed financially by taking a voracious bite out of the Christian television market share; at least he had such ability prior to prison.   Assuming the Lord tarries, if I was a gambling man, I would put my money on Jim Bakker ending up on top of the charismatic cathode-ray crowd again.  Paul Crouch senior was/is in failing health and there is a huge power-struggle over who will take over at Paul Sr.’s death.

The latest in the nuclear family warfare surrounding the Trinity Broadcasting Network:  A photograph entered into the court record of what appears to be Jan Crouch, her head tossed back in ecstasy, showing off a letter that is alleged to have been written by her husband, Paul, on what was assumed to be his deathbed.[viii]

 Their close to a billion dollar empire is in huge disarray due to the many law suits that have been brought against TBN and Paul and Jan Crouch.  These law suits come from their own immediate family members (truth is stranger than fiction).

Bakker is moving with a much younger pool of sign-seekers than the Crouches.  Paul and Jan seem to appeal to the older middle and ‘blue-haired’ aging crowd.  Perhaps I’d compare Paul and Jan to Paul Harvey and Jim Bakker to Dennis Miller, one of the far more trendy and hip radio talking heads.

Even though Bakker has shifted camps doctrinally he has not changed his time-tested format on raising money.  The television programs seem to run along the lines of promoting a little bit of heresy in short teachings interspersed with a lot of selling products to garner funds for the various “projects” that need the viewers support.  What Bakker is now hawking to his viewers is indicative of his most recent evolution regarding the end times.  Jim begins this catalog off with the following statement:

Many, many Christians believe that the Church will escape the perils detailed in the book of Revelation.  I’d like to believe they are right – but I can’t.  And because I believe that the Church – including here in America – will go through a time on earth of suffering, hunger, violence and persecution, we must be ready.  More than that, we must help prepare our loved ones.[ix]

This statement is a HUGE dividing line among not only American evangelicals but also among the various derivations of sign-seeking groups.  Bakker is no longer among the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture of the Church crowd.[x]  Now Bakker subscribes to a certain aspect of the Kingdom Now or dominionists belief system.[xi]  Bakker believes the Church must go through a literal coming tribulation period of seven years (see Daniel 9:24; Rev. 4) and he is building his empire on people’s fear of an uncertain future.  Let me prove this by giving you some examples from his “Christmas 2012” catalog:

“But if I’m right, that nonperishable food may save your life someday. ..Prepare now.  In the days ahead, food will be more valuable than gold.  I totally believe one day that food will be the main tool of bartering for all of our financial and material needs.” Jim Bakker p.4

1. 1.     TIME OF TROUBLE PLUS Food Buckets                                              $3,000
2. 2.     YEAR FOR TWO PLUS                                                                          $1,000
3. 3.     YEAR FOR YOU PLUS                                                                           $500
4. 4.     TIME OF TROUBLE Dessert Buckets                                                   $1,200
5. 5.     VEGAN FOOD BUCKET                                                                                    $150
6. 6.     Morningside Fire NOW Emergency Fuel                                           $100 (“Imagine yourself on a cruise ship, a naval vessel, or a cargo ship, and suddenly the sea turns blood red. . .”)
7. 7.     29 Blocks of Life Water Storage Containers                                     $580
8. 8.     Super Silver Starter Kit                                                                       $100
9. 9.     Fuel-Less Generator (solar kit)                                                          $1,900
10. 10.  Radiation Water Pitcher & Ultimate Survival Squeeze Btl              $100

Yet Another  DIRTY SECRET REVEALED! Raising money within Christian circles is often based on either blatant or subtle manipulation.  Within televangelism funds are obtained through the use of two psychological ploys: 1) People will “give” to purchase something, i.e. they are receiving something they want (or think they want/need depending on the giftedness of the salesman to manipulate the audience).  The donor receives some value for their dollar, along with the feeling they are helping support a cause they deem worthy. 2) People will “give” to build something, a cause to propose to build something or go somewhere and people will buy into the vision presented.  This makes the giver feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.  Manipulation can be brought to bear here through showing images of starving children (if a mission work), the homeless vs. an average home (like the viewers), etc.      Certainly sending out trinkets as point-of-contact fetish items along with an appeal letter is another way of subtly telling the recipient “see we spent money to reach out to you, at least send in something,” and playing on their guilt.  Naturally in both cases the Word of God is horribly abused and twisted by these Gospel pimps to work the miracle of transferring the sheeple’s dollars into their bank accounts (some people think that God’s ‘address’ really is P.O. Box A, Santa Anna, CA).

At the top of each page of this catalog is either an excerpt from Bakker’s latest book “The Time Has Come,” or apocalyptic biblical passage wrest from its context with the intent of driving home the critical need the reader has to order these products.  In a simple 14 page catalog 17 photographic iterations of the Bakker clan are shown.[xii]

Jim uses both time tested techniques on his programs to raise his money.  Money to what end?  To buy more television time, to get more viewers, to get more money, to buy more time, to. . .and so it goes.

I imagine Bakker makes most of his money from selling his End-Time Pepper (perhaps next month we will consider this recent phenomenon from a biblical perspective) supplies because this is the current fear among many Americans due to the current political and economic conditions. 

No SINister worth his or her salt leaves a revenue source untapped; ergo the viewers can support the “Lori’s House” project for unwed teenage girls.  A “project” they can give to and watch being built and for a mere $1,000 gift one can become “A Lori’s House Builder Club” member.  This project is probably perking along pretty well considering it is: (1) pro-life, who isn’t, right?), (2) deals with pregnant teens, who does not want to see them nurtured? (3) Lori herself had several abortions in the past so she can tearfully persuade (sell) the viewers on the need to give.  I can assure you once this project is completed there will be another one to take its place or then the push will/can become to (1) maintain Lori’s House or (2) replicate it elsewhere, etc.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

The more things change, the more they stay the same (a little French lingo) is most certainly true of Mr. Bakker.  He has exchanged his WOF affiliation for acceptance by the so-called Prophetic and New Apostolic Reformation heretics.  Now because of his doctrinal shift there are two MAJOR venues to promulgate WOF heretics (TBN) and Prophetic heresy (Bakker) to an undiscerning audience.

Bakker is using the same technique’s that grew his former SINistry machine and it will probably work again for him in this latest venture.  When I first read his book, written before his association with Joyner and Morningstar, I thought to myself “praise God, Bakker has finally gotten it.”  It is evident that my excitement was ill-timed.  Bakker has yet to produce the fruits of genuine repentance (see Matthew 3:8).  I urge that we pray for Jim and Lori (Tammy-Sue, little Jimmy too) and their viewers.  May our gracious Lord, the One who opened our eyes and has shown us the glorious liberty that is ours in the Christ of the Gospels open the Bakkers and their viewer’s eyes as well.  Selah.

---

[i] Obtained from http://www.tommyandjames.net/heritageusa.html. Still online as of 12-2-2012

[ii] All tongue-talkers are NOT created “equally.”  They all agree on speaking in tongues and divine healing after that they share few similarities.  Classic Pentecostals and WOF are pre-mill, most Prophetic/Apostolic cults are post-mill.  There is some mutual recognition of self-proclaimed prophets/apostles by both WOF and Prophetic, but much doctrinally divides them.

[iii]  Am not saying that Joyner did not or does not feel sympathy or something for Bakker in his decision to initially bank-roll Bakker, but trust me when I say there is a lot more going on than mere brotherly “love.”

[iv] For more insight’s into this stellar restoration go to: http://www.morningstarministries.org/resources/videos/todd-bentleys-restoration-update

[v] Obtained from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9491508/Canadian-punching-preacher-banned-from-UK.html.

[vi] Obtained from a video of Joyner speaking at a Morningstar Conference at http://www.morningstartv.com/featured-video-week/greater-works.

[vii] See the video at: http://slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/the-cell-phone-anointing/

[viii] Obtained from http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2012/09/14/deathbed-power-struggle-at-trinity-broadcasting/162002/.

 

[ix] Obtained from page 2 of the 2012 Jim and Lori Bakker Christmas Catalog, available online at http://www.jimbakkershow.com/lovegifts/christmas as of 12/01/2012.

 

[x] Even among the pre-tribulation rapture folks there is disagreement.  Some teach all the faithful shall be raptured at that point in time.  Others teach only the overcomers, as delineated by their own set of requirements, will be initially taken up and the others will have to go through either (1) 3.5 years of the tribulation or (2) 7 years of the tribulation.

[xi] Please understand that even among the dominionists they have differing views on the Church during the actual last days.  Some view the Church as rising up and becoming these miracle-wielding super-saints who begin to systematically Christianize the world.  This view sees the Church as overcomers, as Joel’s Army, as conquerors even conquering the last enemy, Death itself!  Others view the Church as being persecuted, decimated, yet being highly empowered in the sign-gifts and out of the rubble of society the Church rises like the Phoenix with healing in Her wings and solutions to the world’s problems.  Then the Church Christianizes the world and hands it to Jesus.  This later view seems to be the one held by Bakker, or at least the view he offers because it is the more lucrative position, only God knows his motives.

[xii] There are reasons why all of these people plaster their faces on virtually every page of their magazines.  It too is done for psychological impact.  The goal is hopefully for the reader to unconsciously relate to the images shown repeatedly.  Also, there is the reality of the pride of life (see 1 John 2:16) that we are all prone to.  These people are very proud, boastful and arrogant and take every opportunity to promote themselves.

Charismatic Confusion Over Knowing The Will of God – Part One

Truth Matters Newsletters – December  2011  – Vol. 16  Issue  2 -Charismatic Confusion Over Knowing The Will of God Part One  – Rev. Robert Liichow

Discernment Ministries International

Charismatic Confusion Over Knowing The Will of God

Part One

It is good to be free!  Free from the tyranny of trying to discern exactly what the will of the Lord was in just about every decision, major and minor, in life.  As a former charismatic extremist pastor I know firsthand the pressure and guilt that untold thousands of sign-gift believers and also thousands of “evangelicals” Christians have been placed under through false teaching regarding an important issue.

 Naturally Christians want to do the will of God in their daily lives.  In our home congregation we pray (versus recite) the Lord’s Prayer at Mass, Matins, Vespers, just about anytime we Lutherans gather ecclesiastically and we join our voices with that of the historic Church of two thousand years by crying out “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Furthermore as people born from above, we now know (or should) that there can be a HUGE chasm between our will and God’s will.  We now as His dear children desire to do what is pleasing to our Lord Jesus and it is this sincere desire that Satan takes advantage of to mislead the unwary.

 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:1-2

From this verse multitudes of people believe that God has three levels of His “will.”  They understand the text as follows: It is possible to be in the good will of God: one can come closer to the mark by entering into the acceptable “will” of God.  The method by which the believer begins the journey towards entering into the perfect will of God is through renewing their minds which occurs through a steady infusion of the Word of God.  Through the faithful hearing and doing (James 1:25) of what was heard the individual’s thinking is transformed.  This process eventually ends up with some faithful Christians entering into the perfect will of God.

 I do agree with the belief that if one feeds on the sincere milk of the Word of God they will grow spiritually (1 Peter 2:2).  This benefit of growth is predicated upon feeding on God’s Word in context.  Feeding on passages out of their context will not produce good fruit.  For example, the average Jehovah’s Witness cult member probably can recite from memory or look-up hundreds of more Bible texts than the average Christian (they know what they believe) — yet they are lost.  Our Lord said:

 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

Abiding in His Word results in intelligent comprehension of the truth and the knowledge of this truth (which is summed up in Christ Jesus) will set one free.”

 I believe the opposite is equally valid, abiding in doctrinal error and false teaching will darken the mind and place the person in spiritual bondage and most certainly mental confusion.  The Word of God when proclaimed in its purity and received by faithful hearers then hearts and minds are enlightened and GREAT liberty occurs!  Yet through the fallen mind of man and activity of Satan and his demons the word of blessing becomes a “curse.”  This bondage is no fault of God’s Word, the bondage results from demonic teachings (1 Timothy 4:1) or fleshly wresting of the Scripture.

 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (1)  2 Peter 3:16

With the above text in mind we must ask is this a correct understanding of the Romans 12:2? Does God in fact have three separate “wills” when it comes to making the right decisions in our lives?  If He does then we had better get busy and begin the process of learning how to prove what His will(s) are in any given situation.

Where does such a belief come from?  First of all it is a jump in the logical process.  It takes a biblical fact and attempts to apply that truth to other areas where it does not fit.  Salvation is particular in nature. God saves us as individuals, He sovereignty draws each one of us specifically to faith in Christ.  This is plainly taught throughout the Bible (see Acts 20:28; 2 Thess 2:13; Eph. 1:3-4).  I believe that people take the facts of “particular” redemption and wrongly believe that since God saved them as unique individuals that God must have an equally unique plan or “will” for that person’s life in Christ.  On the surface it seems to make sense, logically but not biblically.  Another factor which causes many evangelicals torment regarding whether or not they are in the will of God is a simple misreading/interpreting of certain texts.  Here are a few examples: Jeremiah’s call “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations, (Jeremiah 1:10).  See Bob, he was called before he was born; God had a plan for his life and thus He must have one for mine!  Jeremiah was an Old Covenant prophet, are you or I?  No.  Forget Jeremiah’s call.  Equally Paul’s conversion to Christ was a one time non-repeated occurrence; sorry we are not Apostles either.  Christians may harbor such beliefs, that God has something specific for each of us to do, but the problem is trying to discern  exactly what His specific will for each of our individual lives is.

Are you beginning to see the problems that can arise from such a belief?  If one believes they are in the “good” will of God, is that “good” enough?  Is that just for the slacker-Christian whereas the “perfect” will is for the overcomer? How can a person know if they have transcended from level one (good) to level two (acceptable) and finally achieving the zenith of ascertaining the perfect will of God?  Are there any objective proofs as to knowing  what these “wills” are, or is this knowing to be based on inner-leadings (mysticism) or are we to look at results in life (materialistic pragmatism)?  What is the gauge used to determine our personal placement in regards to the will(s) of God?  Are we in His will or not?  If so, how do we know, if not, again how do we know?

Fortuitously we have not been left to flounder on our own.  There are a whole plethora of individuals who through their spirituality (refer to 2 Peter 3:16) have graciously revealed to us what they have received regarding knowing and walking in the will of God!

Virtually all the major (and minor) televangelists and SINisters proclaim unequivocally that “God’s Will is Prosperity.” a favorite title of many a false teacher. God’s will is to establish His covenant of prosperity in your life and to do it today.”  (2) God wants to make all of His children wealthy. The reason most of us are not financially flush is because we are either unaware of God’s will for our lives and/or we are not yet established in this great truth (we lack sufficient faith in His promise to manifest it in our lives. . .yet).  Jesse Duplantis is on record as saying that Jesus is more concerned with our financial prosperity than He is about healing the sick.  Need proof?  In His first sermon did not Jesse begin by saying

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, (3) Luke 4:18

The first thing on Jesus’ mind was preaching good news to the poor.  According to Duplantis what is good news if you are poor? Obviously, that it is God’s will that you be financially prosperous.  By the time of the first advent of Christ the Jews had lost just about everything spiritually, just having the form of their religion, but no power.  We know this because sister Copeland lets us know:

 Abraham’s descendants who kept God’s commandments were not just prosperous — they were exceedingly prosperous. . . Just think how much easier the laws of prosperity will work for us under the New Covenant.  We have all the blessings of the Old, plus the power of the New! (4)

The Jews of Jesus’ day were not waling in God’s laws of prosperity which He has revealed to Joshua in Joshua 1:7 “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

 However, according to Copeland, Duplantis and the other prosperity pimps, just because it is God’s will to prosper His children, it is up to us as individuals to allow His will to be done in our lives.  Copeland teaches that God’s will does not simply come to pass, it is not automatic.  Nebuchadnezzar learned firsthand about God’s will:

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing:  and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his had, or say unto him, What doest thou? (5) Daniel 4:34-35

God does whatever He wants, He does not need our permission or our cooperation in the accomplishing of His will.  Psalms 115:3 says “But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” How about Psalms 135:6 “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth,  In the seas, and all deep places.  As we used to say frequently in the Pentecostal church “God is god all by Himself,” meaning He requires no assistance from mankind, either fallen or redeemed.

 Not so according to the Word of Faith (WOF) cultists and other false prosperity pimps.  God operates according to so-called spiritual laws.  These laws, which are in the Bible but must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, govern every aspect of life and it is through our use of these laws that allow God to manifest His will in our lives and this world.  Copeland makes this very clear:

 We had taken the step of faith and God saw to it that we had the revelation knowledge of His Word to put us over. . . God gave me what I would call a revelation of divine prosperity.  (6)

Every true spiritual insight comes to the believer via divine revelation. Although this is a true statement on its surface, the cultists, as they do with most things, take a truth and twist it so out of context that it in essence becomes false by misapplication.  The natural unregenerate man does not understand the things of the Spirit (1 Cor. 1:27) because they are discerned by the spirits of men made alive by the Spirit of Grace (Zac. 12:10).  True enough.  However, taking the concept of levels of insight Copeland and others err when they teach that within the Bible there are hidden truths which can only be understood by direct mystical encounter with God aka “revelation knowledge.”

 Fear not! Since Copeland has told us that she knows by revelation directly from God that it is His will to prosper us we can have faith that He is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11) and ergo will also share with us this divine revelation of His will!

 The first step is to read Gloria Copeland’s book on the topic.  We all begin with a “head knowledge” understanding, i.e.  the grunt mental work or actually reading, studying, meditation on, confessing, visualizing, researching, etc.  The sincere believer starts on the path to getting into the will of God by reading her book.  In WOF parlance, this is the process of renewing your mind.  It is the first vital step in “proving” what God’s will is.  (7)

 In reading the book the believer receives secondhand revelation from God via Gloria, but knows that if they are faithful and DO what Gloria did and tells the reader to do…that they will begin to enter into God’s will for prosperity.

 You cannot receive these things just because I tell you about them. You have to take the Scriptures on prosperity and mediate on them until they become a reality in your heart, until you know that prosperity belongs to you.  Once you have a revelation of divine prosperity in your spirit, you won’t allow Satan to take it from you.  (9)

One thing the Copeland’s and all WOF heretics are adamant about is this: if you work spiritual laws properly they will always produce the promised results.

 How do we enter into God’s will for prosperity?  Did not Isaiah tell us in Isa. 1:19 “If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land?  First, we must e willing.

 If you make up your mind —make a quality decision—that you are not willing to live in lack, but that you are willing to live in divine prosperity and abundance, Satan cannot stop the flow of God’s inancial blessings.  (9)

So be “willing” to become rich and then be obedient to God’s laws regarding financial prosperity as revealed to us by Copeland and others are the keys to unlock the door to heavenly riches.  It is the obedience aspect that is stressed, the keeping of the law.

These folks plainly teach that it is through the keeping of God’s various spiritual laws that the believer is in fact justified before God. Even though the Bible plainly teaches us that “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20).  They ignore the dire warning that if we are to keep any of the law, then we’d better keep all of it as says the Apostle James “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10)

So one reads Gloria’s book and learns God’s will be for the reader to be financial wealthy.  To enter into God’s will requires the working of His laws that govern prosperity.  These laws He has graciously revealed through Gloria and others, but it is up to the reader to work these laws in order to receive the promise of prosperity.  The requirements (laws within laws) to fulfill God’s will in this area include: (1) the “law” of tithing, which when faithfully enacted will open up the windows of heaven  (MalachI 3:10).  Does one give on the net or gross?  Does this tithe go to my local church or SINistry that “feeds” me?  Is my tithe ten percent of my income or does it also include ten percent of my tite ten percent of my income or does it also include ten percent of my time each day?  There were several tithes under the Old Testament;  does it only refer to money thee days?  Ask Copeland, she is the one who believes in a law of tithing, not me.  (2) Giving in faith, not merely putting a check in the bucket.  You must really really believe that God is going to give back to you at least 30 fold and when your faith grows to mature sonship (10) status then you will receive 11-fold on whatever you give to the Lord! Remember Mark 4:8 speaks about our 30, 60, and 100 fold return on our giving (could this be akin to God’s good [30], acceptable [60] and perfect [100-fold]  will?).  Naturally Copeland touts only the hundredfold as a divine promise! (11)   (3) Confess God’s will as you act on it.  If they agree about one thing as a cult it is this “confession brings possession” of everything we have, good or bad.

Stand your ground on the Word of God simply because it is yours. Believe it and the things you need will come into yhour life.  Take authority over them and command them to come to you in the Name of Jesus.  Command money you need to come to you.  The authority is yours.  Have dominion and subdue the earth and it’s vast resources.  (12)

Once a person becomes convinced, which really does not take a lot of convincing, that God wants them to be financially wealthy {naturally for the sake of the Kingdom of God} then the individual steps onto a treadmill of works that never ceases until they draw their law breath. Every penny given is viewed as a deposit on ones “heavenly bank account.”  I have heard Mr. Copeland teach that we are to hold up our cancelled check and or checkbook to heaven and “decree” a release of money based directly upon our giving.  Decree you might ask?  That’s right, decree abundance with complete confidence, after all Job 22:28 says “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: And the light shall shine upon thy ways” So in Copeland’s words “make a demand” on the banking systems of heaven.

 How long does one have to work these laws in order to begin to walk in God’s will?  It all depends on the results one receives. Since these are “laws” and when they are enacted they produce the promises results every time.  Thus if one is not yet financially prosperous it indicates that person is out of the will of God.  All of the poor Christians throughout the world are obviously out of God’s will.  All those who’ve lost their houses were out of God’s will.  Those who invested in Kodak obviously were not “hearing” from the Lord.

 If brother “John” were to have sat down with me when I was a WOF heretical pastor and told me of his financial problems my counsel would have gone probably somewhere along these lines:

 (1) John are you a tither? (Yes).  (2) How long have you been tithing? (several years now).  (3) Do you also give offerings as well as the tithe? (Er, uh sometimes, when I can).  You see MalachI tells us that people often rob God of His tithes AND offerings.  Many just tithe and give no faithful offerings and thus FAIL to receive the windows of heaven blessing.  (4) Have you decreed release of your monies?  (No, I just put the money in the KFC bucket when it comes by). Well, that is no doubt a good part of your problem.  You seem to understand some of the Kingdom Principles regarding giving, but it seems you are getting “hung by your tongue.”  confession brings possession.  My counsel as your pastor is this: (1) continue to give your tithes faithfully as you have been doing.  Possibly make some changes in your lifestyle so that you can give more in offerings (you know many of us are at a giving level approaching 19% glory to God)!  Most importantly I want you to begin to confess God’s will in this area of your life.  Hold your checkbook up to heaven and decree and release based on your current level of giving.  Exercise “faith” in your confession, REFUSE to “dig”  your seed up when circumstances seem contrary.  Also, remember what Jesus showed Dad Hagin, when He introduced Dad’s “angel” to him?  Jesus told Dad Hagin to command his angel to go out and gather up his money!  After all, the Bible teaches us that they are ministering spirits sent to help us (Hebrews 1:14), so speak to your angels! [End of counseling session, when a drain on my anointing to have to discuss this law-level truth].

 It seems that once Hagin had received his revelation from Jesus (he claimed to have met with our risen Lord on no less than eight face-to-face meetings) about angels, all his clones (13) got on that band wagon and added the “angelic” component to working God’s laws and thus entering into His will.

 Kenneth Copeland teaches, “. . .when you use the Word in the name of Jesus [that is, in positive confession] they (angels)  are obligated to follow your command.” (14) Gloria Copeland suggests there may be at least 40,000  angels assigned to each believer, thus, “there is no shortage of angel power,”  (15) and, “how long do you think it would take them to make you wealthy?” (16)  Unfortunately, “for the most part,  the heirs of the promises have not been using the angel power available to them.”  (17) Thus, “Your words put the angels to work on your behalf to bring to pass whatever you say. . .the words of your mouth bind them or loose them to work for you.” (18) Charles Capps says God supernaturally revealed the same truths to him.  In Angels he says, “You need the supernatural beings of God working for you here on earth.” (19)  In Releasing the Ability of God, he states, “The Spirit of God spoke this into my spirit just as plainly as if I heard it with my ears. . . He said: “The Word says the angels are ministering spirits.  These ministering spirits stand beside you daily and listen to the words that you speak….but you are the one who tells them what to do.” (20) Thus, “Angels will work for you. They will become involved in every area of your life–your home, your business, everything–but only to the extent that you allow them to operate.”  (21)

 I hope you see the biblical problems as they rapidly multiply.  According to the heretics God’s will is great financial prosperity for all His children.  However, in order to fulfill God’s will (and isn’t that the desire of all believers, to please God?)  we must do the work.  God is totally impotent regarding His will for our lives; He cannot bring His will to pass in our lives apart from our working His laws.  Like the famous illustration, Jesus is literally knocking on the door of our lives asking to please let Him make us wealthy.  We must first desire it, give  towards it,  confess, decree and command our angels to go out and get our money.  How they accomplish this goal is never spelled out.  Do they bring back stacks of cash?  Do they appear to rich folks and tell them to donate to the ministry?  Do they work through dreams and visions?  I guess this is unimportant, what matters according to Copeland et al is that they work for us and that is all we need know.

 In closing who is it that determines God’s Will?  It is not God, His will is thwarted on a regular basis because of our ignorance of His spiritual law, unbelief that He is willing to make us rich, wrong confessions stopping the “sowing” principle. You and I are the ones who determine  whether or not we fulfill the will of God for our lives.

 The next article will be a continuation of the confusion surrounding the will of God for the life of the Christian and rest assured that in the end of the articles the reader shall be at peace regarding the will of God for their lives.

 Copyright © 2012 Robert S. Liichow

 

End Notes

1. This is one reason I stress all men who believe they are called into public ministry to attend a solid, accredited theological seminary (I can suggest a few good ones) and be trained and educated theologically.

2. Copeland, Gloria God’s Will is Prosperity,  Harrison House, Tulsa, OK 1978, p. 17

3. The Holy Bible English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society. 2001), Lk 4:18.

4. Copeland, Gloria God’s Will is Prosperity  Harrison House, Tulsa, Ok. 1878, p. 17

5. The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 2009), Daniel 4:34-35 Underlining added for emphasis.

6. Copeland, Gloria  God’s Will is Prosperity Harrison House, Tulsa, Ok 1978, p. 41

7. They got this part right. We DO look to God’s Word IN CONTEXT to understand what He has done for us and what He might require of us.

8. Ibid. p. 50

9. Copeland, Gloria God’s Will is Prosperity, Harrison House, Tulsa, Ok 1978, p. 43

10. I have already discussed in previous issues the charismatic doctrine of sonship.  The enthusiasts believe the Bible places people at 1 of 3 levels of spiritual development,  from being a little child to a mature child of God, a mature son God.  These are the manifested sons of God, Joel’s Army, the overcomers, those who will even overcome physical death prior to Christ’s return.

11. Copeland, Gloria, God’s Will is Prosperity, Harrison House, Tulsa, Ok. 1978 p. 49

12. Ibid. p. 49 Underlining added for emphasis.

13. The Word of Faith major teaching heretics are (1) E.W. Kenyon,  (2) Kenneth E. Hagin  (3) Kenneth & Gloria Copeland,  (4) Charles Capps,  (5) Jesse Duplantis (6) Jerry Savelle,  (7) oyce Meyer, (8) Creflo dollar, (9) Fred Price,  (10) Joel Osteen and others.

14. Kenneth Copeland The Laws of Prosperity (fort Worth, TX Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1974) p. 104

15 Gloria Copeland God’s Will in Prosperity (fort Worth, TX Kenneth Copeland Publication, 1978) pp. 84-85

16. Ibid, p. 86

17. Ibid . 65

18. Ibid p. 88

19. Charles Capps, Angels (England, AZ Charles Capps Publishing 1984) pp.80

20. Charles Capps Releasing the Ability of God (England, AZ Charles Capps Publishers 1978), pp. 100-101, 105

21. Capps, p.173 Bold type added for emphasis

Discernment Ministries International Has Moved!

Truth Matters Newsletters – December 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue 2 Discernment Ministries International Has Moved! – Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

1704 Gordon Avenue

Lansing, Michigan 48910

After 28 years of living in Detroit, the Lord has delivered us and we are so very thankful to Him for His great deliverance. While in Detroit we experienced the death of 3 of Tracy’s closest family members, the murder of two more relatives, and we endured the vandalizing of five cars, three vehicle thefts. . . We “paid” our dues.

Tracy and I were able to purchase a small home in Lansing, MI. where Tracy is working. Two rooms are dedicated to the work of DMI. I am in the process of building a “scriptorium” in the basement with all DMI’s research materials. All our books, cassettes, VHS and DVD’s and CD’s are being organized with a small section dedicated to the various multi-media formats. Upstairs in the DMI office is all the computer equipment, printers, and yeah more books. By summer I hope to be able to open up our small (but growing) library to our supporters who want to research some specific ministry o its teachings. Maybe in the next issue I will add some pictures of the “work in progress.”

It has cost DMI quite a bit to get moved in. A 20 amp line had to be added, various small office furnishings purchased, we need a complete new set of laser toner(s) for our Konica Minolta color laser. Please remember DMI this month in your prayers and giving. As always, we thank God for your faithfulness!!

 

Copyright© 2012 Robert S. Liichow

 

 

Happy New Year 2012

Truth Matters Newsletters – January 2012  – Vol. 17  Issue 1  – Happy New Year!  – By Rev. Robert Liichow

Discernment Ministries International

 Happy New Year

Rev. Bob Liichow

The year is shaping up to be an exciting year on many levels.  On a personal level my wife and I are purchasing our first home after about 30 years of marriage. The home itself is a very modest Cape Cod that is less than 10 minutes from Tracy’s job in Lansing.  It is in “turnkey” condition and the monthly mortgage payment is a little less than we are currently paying in rent! Needless to say, Tracy and I are both very excited and busy.

 On the ministry level it is also an exciting time.  In our new home I will be able to fully set up our home office which we currently have lacked space for.  This means we can set up the color laser printer, commercial sized laminator, duplication area, etc…. This will enable DMI to get back into doing more in-home printing.  I hope to also be able to begin to create some curriculum’s on dvd’s that self-running and come with leader guide, workbook. Etc. which has been a long hitherto unfulfilled part of our overall vision.  I am asked monthly  to travel overseas and teach pastors and congregations.  Right now I cannot afford a passport, let alone a round trip ticket!  It is a better use of time and resources to send materials that can be used over and over and cost next to nothing (well less than traveling overseas) to produce.

 Once we get moved-in and sorted out I plan to begin my Ph.D program.  Tracy has almost completed hers, so I can begin mine now.  Lord willing, one day I may be “The Rev. Dr. Robert “Heresy-Hunter” Liichow.

 Please know that you are all in our prayers and I know how grateful DMI is for your very kind support on so many levels.  May our merciful Lord guard, guide and keep us all in His grace and truth!

Copyright© 2012 Robert S. Liichow

THE CALL DETROIT 11.11.11

Truth Matters Newsletters – December 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue 12 – THE CALL DETROIT 11.11.11 – Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

 THE CALL DETROIT 11.11.11

 After writing for the last several months about the heretical teachings, foolish concepts and spiritual excess being wrought by the so-called New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and their followers I was able to personally attend their awesome heaven & earth shaking meeting in Motown. It is no secret that D.M.I. is of the belief that this movement is not of or from God and that its leaders are desperately deceived and are deceiving others (Eph. 5:6). I am not saying these folks are not well intentioned, but then aren’t good intentions the paving stones of hell? (1)

 11.11.11 was the date chosen to hold this colossal game-changing (spiritually speaking) event where thousands of God’s prayer warriors drawn from all over the nation would gather and tear down demonic strongholds and further establish the Kingdom of God!

 I was disturbed by the date our sign-gift enthusiasts selected because it was the same date chosen by occultists all around the world as the date that would be the opening of spiritual portals and global spiritual transformation. Anyone can simply go to YouTube and watch 40+ videos on the occult significance of 11.11.11. Practicing Satanists, New Agers, occultists gathered on that day to do whatever they could to summon their gods, spirit guides, avatars, ascended masters or whomever. Many of these folks had been focusing on this specific date for many years (the next big one they are looking forward too is 12.12.12). These people actively cried out seeking to be deceived and I am sure their gods were more than glad to help them out. Before considering this aspect any further let’s begin with a brief history of “The Call” which is seen as pivotal by the NAR crowd.

 A Little History

According to the founder’s website there nationwide gatherings were started by a man by the name of Lou Engle:

 Lou Engle is the visionary and co-founder of TheCall solemn assemblies (www.TheCall.com), a movement of prayer gathering young adults to pray and fast for breakthrough and revival. TheCall began in Washington DC in 2000 gathering over 400,000 people to pray and fast for the United States. Since 2000, The Call has gathered hundreds of thousands of people to pray both national and internationally. After a few years of dormancy, TheCall was revived on 07.07.07 with over 70,000 people gathering for TheCall Nashville. (2)

 The unvarnished truth is that Mr. Engle is a full-tilt charismatic-extremist whom some readers might remember seeing in the documentary film “Jesus Camp.” He is shown preaching to the little children about abortion, ok I guess, better to have taught them really about the Biblical Jesus an thus the children would have learned through knowing Jesus that abortion is a sin against Him. He is the man putting up the life-size poster of George Bush and having the children extend their hands towards the effigy and pray for the President in other tongues, etc. . .

 Engle started in 2000 holding these “solemn assemblies” based on the concept touted by Bickle and other dominionists. It is no surprise that Engle lives in Kansas City and he and his wife are very involved in the original IHOP SINistry. In fact in 2008 at the Kansas City IHOP, Engle (who is one of many local/global prophets at IHOP) prophesied the following:

 I believe we’re headed to an Elijah/Jezebel showdown on the Earth, not just in America but all over the globe, and the main warriors will be the prophets of Baal versus the prophets of God, and there will be no middle ground,”….’There’s an Elijah generation that’s going to be the forerunners for the coming of Jesus, a generation marked not by their niceness but by the intensity of their passion,’ . . . .”The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Such force demands an equal response, and Jesus is going to make war on everything that hinders love, with his eyes blazing fire.” (3)

 Let’s look at what Lou Engle actually said at the Passion for Jesus conference that night. He referred to the new Elijahs rising up, preparing the way as forerunners. (James Goll linked to Lou Engle on the Call’s board), wrote in Charisma Magazine that The Call would result in a new breed of radical, fierce, yet humble intercessors. . . .emerging on the scene”. He points out that “in every generation God raises up forerunners. . . . Like John the Baptist. . .to prepare the way.’. . . .Lou Engle spoke on civil war in the church, and he was talking about it [whether people recognize it or not] literally, not just spiritually or metaphorically. This is the new apostolic takeover, or as Bob Jones prophesied, the civil war with the blues and greys (the people basically who have the new revelation and those in the church who oppose it). (4)

 Mr. Engle is a seemingly innocuous man, a genuine pied-piper who believes it is part of his destiny to establish racial reconciliation in the Church (among other things) through using every tool in the ever-growing toolbox of charismatic excess. He has been somewhat in the background until around 2000 when he went national with the Bickle message and concept of continual prayer. What differentiates Engle from Bickle is Engle focuses on our young . He is sadly a heretic, who is misleading hundreds of thousands of our young people by introducing many of them to the concepts of the NAR, concepts that include the overthrow of their traditional churches. (4) Everything I have written about the false doctrines and practices of people like ‘Todd Bentley, Mike Bickle, Rick Joyner, Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs, et al. Mr. Engle says gives them all a hearty “amen” and actively spreads their error. There is not “ten cents of difference” between Mr. Engle’s beliefs and those D.M.I has already exposed.

 The Meeting Itself

 On their standard boilerplate advertisement used for these meetings states that it is a “solemn assembly” after the spirit of Joel 2. Really? Joel 2 in context is backslidden Israel crying out to God to take away their reproach. What is a solemn assembly anyway?

 Solemn assembly, the translation generally used for the Hebrew terms atzeret and atzarah. These terms refer to gatherings of the people, in a state of ritual purity, for sacred, religious purposes. These purposes include set festivals, such as the seventh day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Deut. 16:8) or the eighth day of the Festival of Booths (Lev. 23:36; Num. 29:35; 2 Chron. 7:9; Neh. 8:18). They might also include special assemblies such as that called by Jehu for Baal (2 Kings 10:20) or for times of emergency (Joel 1:14; 2:15-16). Such assemblies were sometimes criticized by prophets when the people acted unjustly in their everyday lives (Isa. 1:13; Amos 5:21). (6)

 Engle likes to cite the various solemn assembly’s in the O.T. and how God responded to the cry of His people. All well and good. That was then, this is now. For starters, when the spiritual leaders of Israel called for such an assembly all the nation participated. There was also spiritual union/agreement among the Jews, there was some factionalism but not like today’s hundreds of denominational divergences.

 Nowhere in the New Testament do we read of any such gatherings. Even in the writings of the early church fathers we read of no doctrine or practice of calling “solemn assemblies” for the Church to cry out to God. We do read of people being gathered to fast and pray in the Book of Acts (Acts 13:2) and as we’ve covered in past issues fasting and prayer are legitimate spiritual “tools” we can use to draw closer to our Lord. However the extremists have turned what God has given the Church as gifts (prayer, fasting, praise) into works that man does to move the hand of our gracious Lord.

 A week before the momentous gathering of the tribes into one cohesive spiritual voice to shake the pillars of heaven and burst asunder hell’s gates and take a plunder of lost souls for Jesus on 11.11.11 there were radio interviews given by Mr. Engle in which he stressed the absolute pivotal role Detroit holds in national and church-wide racial reconciliation. He went on to share how Detroit was a “prodigal” city and was now retuning to the Father and thus great revival would spring forth from Detroit due to this 24 period of prayer and praise under girded by fasting and passion. On the Detroit Call website they made the following statement regarding the future “fruit” of the coming 11.11.11 meeting.

 STATEWIDE GOALS THAT WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED –

TheCall hardhat will become a reality and MI will be a model to the nation.

Day and Night 24/7/365 Prayer connecting 83 Michigan counties impacting the 7 Mountains.

MICHOP/Oak Initiative – The Governmental Mountain will be covered in our state and nation.

The Tenacious 10K will be fulfilled – 10,000 intercessors in MI – U.S. Initiative by Cindy Jacobs

Unity of the Races, churches, ministries working together “as one” occur.

University students and young adults across Michigan and the nation will be part of TheCall. (6)

 Space does not permit me to unpack all the extremist “God-talk” (keep in mind every cultic group has its own language) but Herrnhutt comes from the pietistic Count Zinzendorf and is in reference to a hill where they “watched for the Lord.” NONE of what they prophesied has taken place and I would know living right in the middle of Detroit!

 Allow me to give you a glimpse behind the curtain — what happens is they spew forth many prophetic “words” shotgun style. Then if anything remotely can be sort of imagined to fit the previous prophetic declaration then the extremists get all excited and dance about proclaiming a true prophet is in their midst. On the other hand when the prophetic declaration does not come to pass it does not matter. Why not? First of all, most of the people have already forgotten the word having heard probably 15 more since then (I am not exaggerating). Secondly, if someone should remember the word given and mention to the leaders that it has not come to pass they will simply say that either the conditions of the prophecy were not met by us, ergo God was not obligated to do what He said He would do or that the Lord has abrogated that prophecy with a more recent statement. Lastly, there is always the possible response of “who are you to question the prophet?”

 There is no racial unity, in fact after the meeting things have taken an uglier racial turn in our City Council. There is no unity of doctrine within our churches nor any moves towards bridging the divide in any meaningful way that I am aware of. Detroit is not the prosperous city it once was probably will never be what it was any time soon. I suppose the extremists would rebuke me and say that all of the above prophesied things have taken place in the “spiritual” realm and will be made manifest soon in this “physical” realm. This what Harold Camping said regarding his latest false prophecy about the return of our Lord. Camping wa not wrong Jesus did return “spiritually.” Right. . . . .

 How Did They Accomplish These Spiritual Goals in Just 24 Hours?

The meeting began at 6:00 P.M. in Ford Field. My wife, Tracy, drove me to the entrance of the arena at 6:45 P.m. Crowds of people were flooding into the stadium, mostly white young folks. I garnered many starts and a few smirks wearing my clerical collar, pectoral cross, Greek orthodox prayer beads wrapped around my right wrist and the blood of the Lamb applied to my soul as I strode into the “Lions den.” (8)

 What’s this I hear as I am handed a pamphlet and a wristband at the front gate? It sounds like a celebration not a “solemn assemblage” at all. Before I could even get a view of the people down on the field I heard the wail of a screaming guitar (I must admit the cat could shred) and the pulsating drone of several drummers beating their skins in a hypnotic rhythm. Then I caught my first glimpse of the field and platform. There were probably around ten thousand (10,000) people there already and on the platform wa a band of Indians, uh Native Americans or in charismatic-speak “First Nations brethren,” in full native regalia on the platform dancing and leading the people in a chant/song which consisted of 2 sentences something like this: “Send the Spirit. The Spirit is here.” This was chanted/sung nonstop for about 45 minutes, I an not exaggerating. At the time I honestly thought to myself “at least the Indians had enough sense to ‘vest’ for the meeting.” (9)

 I cautiously made my way down onto the field itself, being careful not to step on any of the prone bodies which were scattered hither and thither among those standing. After softening the wills of the crowd had been softened up via this mind-numbing extremely loud, totally repetitive “song” the speakers began their part.

 With music being played more softly in the background various flakes got up and took the microphone. Then came the litany of white repentance. Lou Engle started it out only to be followed by I believe Cindy Jacobs (well known false prophetess) who stood up and “repented” to Canada on the behalf of the United States for attacking it in 1775! Thousands in the audience moaned in assent. Then one of the First nations men got up and forgave the white man for his sins against the Indians and asked the white interlopers to forgive the Indians too. Next a Mexican guy took the microphone and prayed in Spanish and English I suppose he was forgiving the gringo’s for stealing California and Texas, I am not sure because I do not speak Spanish. Interspersed between these racial declarations of repentance were calls for the audience to “pray in the spirit” (other tongues) while these racial representatives dredging up two to three hundred year old sins. It was at this point I simply had to leave, I could not stand any more nonsense.

 Their web site and literature declared it to be “a fast not a festival,” yet everyone was festive, laughing, pogo dancing up and down, gathered in small groups of people talking while all else was going on. I did not see too many serious or solemn faces in the crowd. People were supposed to be fasting and yet the concession stands were open selling food. People were walking around the field eating openly. (10) The handout given to me advised I fast and drink plenty of water. Thanks be to God there was plenty of water to be drunk, at a cost of over $2.00 per bottle and there were plenty of places selling water (none was given away that I noted). Naturally t-shirts were and are being hawked to help “defray the expenses.”

 Nothing was accomplished of any lasting benefit to the church or our city. It was supposed to be a huge gathering of all races and denominations. It was not either. At best it was a false show of Church unity, a unity that does not exist nor ever will again exist in this life. How was Jesus glorified when His Word was not proclaimed? How was the Holy Spirit honored, when it is He who only illuminates our Lord and He was given nothing (the Word) to work with? I as a Christian could not utter the “amen” to much of what was said from the platform because it was spoken in other languages than English. The Indians sang for a bit in their native tongue. I could not sing nor agree, how could I? The same was true with the prayers in Spanish, Arabic and other ecstatic tongues. Paul said:

 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. (11) 1 Cor. 14:10-11

 This was an exercise in futility or to be more charitable it was an expression of the term a “zeal without knowledge” (Romans 10:2), i.e. excited ignorance but a large group of people following the lies of a sincere sounding Pied Piper who is leading these willing masses into further deception. Everything I have studied and written about the IHOP meetings were in evidence in this 24 hour “micro-shot” gathering. What happened at Ford Field is supposed to begin taking place all over the world 24/7. Part of the purpose of these gatherings is to draw more people into localized 24/7 IHOP, to rally the troops and exhort them to get in line with the directions of the New Apostolic Reformation!

 TheCall and Acquire the Fire (Ron Luce) are geared towards the youth, they want young people and have no problem using any methods they can to lure them away from your congregation. Everything in these meetings is focused on the youth and youth culture, from the music, the verbiage, the graphics and dress style. These people are not stupid who run these meetings. They know that after just 24 uninterrupted hours they can make sure your child will never be satisfied with your hum-drum worship service. Can your organist compete with a host of professionally trained musicians using the latest instruments and technology? Do they dance, clap, wave banners at your church? Why not mom and dad? What about having “power encounters” where lives are magically transformed by a touch from the anointed, do you hold these services? Why these young people are about something, they have a big vision (to take over the world), they have a mandate from God and He has promised to give them all the power they need to bring it to pass! Where is your power pastor? See what I mean, and do not think this does not happen. Churches have been split by people who attended these type of meetings and tried the experience back to their local church (as they were charged to do at the meeting) ending in disruption and loss. That is my report and I testify to what I have written concerning IHOP and the NAR is the truth.     Selah.

 

Copyright © 2011 Robert S. Liichow

 

End Notes

1. I am referring to the old adage “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

2. Obtained from http://www.louengle.com/ on 12-2-11

3. Obtained from http://endtimepropheticwords.wordpress.com/category/lou-engle/ on 12-2-11

4. Ibid

5. I realize that “overthrow” sounds harsh but this is exactly what Bickle, Joyner, Wagner, Engle are seeking, prophesying and writing about plainly in books. Read Joyner’s “The Hordes of Hell Are Marching” and see where the traditional evangelical orthodox Church is placed in his vision. Make no mistake about it, many of these leaders are out to take over your church, make no mistake about it.

6. Paul J. Achtemeier, Publishers Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, 1st ed. (San Francisco Harper & Row, 1985) 975

7. You might check out TheCall Detroit on Google, but it seems that this statement was taken down after the meeting (not sure why). I copied it from a post of mine I made on Facebook on Nov. 8th where it still resides.

9. The Detroit Lions play at/on Ford Field, but it can be a play on Daniel’s too. Hehe

10. Lutherans will get the ‘vest’ comment.

11. This must have bothered some other extremists. I mean after all, if I was a good doobie and fasted for 24 hours and you come prancing by eating a corn-dog, well it might cause me to stumble, but after the corn dog, fall out of unity with everyone else and thus halt whatever God was going to do! Guess they were too spiritually minded to think of this.

The Holy Bible English standard Version (Wheaton, Standard Bible Society, 2001) 1 Co. 14:10-11

 

 

 

Faithful or Faulty Preaching?

Truth Matters Newsletters – December 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue 12 – Faithful or Faulty Preaching? – Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

 Faithful or Faulty Preaching?

 It is my prayer that this particular article makes our entire readership pause and take a hard look at what passes for preaching in today’s pulpits, especially our own pastors. I am not referring to the style in which the message is delivered. Every pastor has a unique God-given personality, thus the “aroma of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:15) given off varies from person to person. Delivery style is pretty much a synthesis of personality, observed behavior, training and culture. Some preachers are animated, jovial and demonstrative; others are more somber and stately. Preaching style is never an issue biblically speaking. One may or may not be appreciative of the manner in which the news is delivered, but to the mature (2) ultimately it comes down to the message itself and not the messenger.

 One thing that separates truly confessional Lutheranism (3) from every other denomination is the focus of every sermon preached from a pulpit. This is quite a statement to make I know, but allow me to buttress my comments upon the following foundation. As many of our readers know this author has been around the block spiritually speaking: (1) I was raised a child in the United Presbyterian Church, 2) joined The Word of God charismatic community {shepherding/discipleship movement} in Ann Arbor, 3) was a member of the Pentecostal Church of God, 4) preached for the Church of the Brethren, 5) did pulpit supply at Calvin East Presbyterian Church, 6) was a staff minister at Grace Community Church (church growth Baptists), 7) Associate pastor at Greater Faith Christian Center (Word of Faith church), 8) helped found Eastside Community Church (Southern Baptist), 9) pastor of Word of Life Fellowship (charismatic), 10) joined St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 11) Teaching/Preaching Elder at Jubilee Christian Church {apostolic movement}, 12) currently members of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, English District. (4) These are only the groups I have worked for and with, the list of places we’ve visited would fill the page. I share this to prove “I’ve been around” and while I have obviously not been everywhere nor have I heard every pastor, however I have taken a pretty large sampling over the years and things have not gotten better in pulpits over the years, in fact, I suspect even worse than when I began my search for the purity of the gospel over twenty years ago.

 The manner in which one approaches Holy Scripture will shape and form the content of the sermon preached. Modern American evangelicals view the Bible as a divine book of instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God. I grew up with this acronym for “Bible” — Believers Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I grew up reading the Bible as the inerrant user’s manual for Christian living. Is this wrong? No, not really, the Bible is filled with God’s law, what He demands of people, and His wisdom for daily life. The central focus of all Scripture however is Jesus Christ and nothing else.

 Sadly the vast majority of sermons preached on Sunday fail to pass the litmus test given in the very Bible these people claim to faithfully proclaim. Due to the abovementioned errant approach to the Bible God’s people end up being fed a consistent diet of what can only be called “preaching the Christian and not the Christ.” Sermons are all about Christian living, how to have a successful marriage, stewardship series, spiritual gifts and human potential. For example, America’s most famous and favorite preacher, Joel Osteen can be seen daily on television. Mr. Osteen preaches to a mob of over forty thousand (40,000) each week in his stadium. One can listen to Joel’s sermons and not hear anything about the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes Osteen does not even mention His name let alone proclaim His virtues. He preaches how to be a successful upwardly mobile self-actualized individual of incalculable value. Joel is an easy target. How about your church? What is preached from your pulpit as the sermon? Is it some topical message taken from the Bible? Is the message geared on giving you something to “do,” to work on, steps to better yourself, a principle to enact, a habit to break or start? All these types of messages are derived from reading the Bible as a rule or guidebook.

 There is another way in which to approach the bible, it is the manner which Luther brought back to its rightful place in the Church. Luther saw Christ in the Scriptures from beginning to end and that is what shaped what he believed confessed and taught. This does not sound all that revolutionary to our ears today, but this is precisely because of Luther! In Luther’s day the sermon to God’s people was rife with superstition, nonsense, error, heresy and in many cases was presented to God’s people by an uneducated and untrained clergy (sounds exactly like our situation today). There was plenty of “law” directives in what to do, when and for how long being proclaimed but where was the Gospel? Where was Jesus Christ in this proclamation?

 Upon a closer inspection of the scriptures Luther began to see what we take for granted today and all willingly pay lip service regarding its validity, by this I mean the Christocentric nature of the scriptures.

 Luther saw:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 1

 Eternal life is not in knowing the scriptures, it comes from knowing the Subject of the scriptures, the Lord Jesus Christ, He Himself is eternal life. All of the Bible points to Christ either in His forthcoming, His incarnation, death burial and physical resurrection — they testify of Christ!

 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 2

 As a former charismatic extremist I got an “A” in Pneumatology and folks the bottom line is very simple; the Spirit of Grace always and only glories Jesus Christ. Anything that points anywhere other than the Person and work of Jesus Christ is simply not the Holy Spirit in operation. Simply listen to a “sermon” by Benny Hinn or Joel Osteen. Listen to how much of the focus is upon themselves, what happened to them, virtually nothing about Jesus Christ.

 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 3

 Jesus Himself instructs these disciples to open their eyes to see that the scriptures concerned Himself! The Bible really is, as silly as it sounds, “His-story” from Genesis to the book of The Revelation of (who?) Jesus Christ!

 What do we read in the Book of Acts concerning the message declared? Did Peter get up and preach “three steps to a better Sabbath rest” or “five keys to answering Pontius Pilate?” No he preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Acts 3:35-37). Before being stoned Stephen boldly declared Christ to his executioners (Acts 7). The original message was revolutionary then and it still is where it is faithfully proclaimed. “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scriptures, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? 4

 Philip did not proclaim the joys of celibacy to the eunuch but was able but was able to preach Christ from the text the man was studying. Philip could not have preached Christ if he had not seen Him there, after all the Jews read the same text for centuries and never got who it was referring to.

 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 5

 The Apostle Paul said that all he focused on instilling in these disciples was Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He did not try to persuade his hearers by enticing words or with a strikingly handsome physique. He did not preach his experience in heaven, he allowed the Gospel, the power of God (Romans 1:16) to be the anchor of men’s faith. We know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), tell me then what kind of faith is being developed that is not taught about Jesus Christ?

 Some spiritual adepts might say “well preaching about Jesus and Him crucified is fine for babes, but I understand that truth and now I am ready to go onto deeper truths.” The thinking of such people indicates that Jesus is nothing more than a piece of their inner greater cosmic puzzle.

 Those who think they no longer need to hear about their desperate condition before a holy God (Law) and the gracious provision given by the father in His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of their souls (Gospel) are people who do not recognize the seriousness of their sin and the glory of our redemption from it.

 If you stop to think about it all the people running around with “WWJD” bracelets are often functionally illiterate regarding exactly what Jesus did do and does for them right now. The vast majority of the sermons they have heard all their lives surround various aspects of Christian living and not the Christ who supplies the grace to enable all of us to live for Him.

 As one hears about Jesus in the Gospel’s preaching faith in Him is birthed. Through this knowledge, which has become a living faith and koinonia with the risen Lord now forms and directs our reactions to life. Issues cease to be a speculative pondering about what would/might Jesus do but the believer knows what Jesus did on the cross for us because he has been fed a diet consisting of Christ Jesus.

 The truly productive Christian life has to be nourished on Christ Jesus, in fact He and Him alone is to be the foundation of our existence:

 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” 7 Matthew 7:23-27

 Jesus is the “Rock” (Matt. 16:18, 1 Cor. 10:4) that if we are established on Him then when the storms of life strike us (and they will) we will survive them due to our foundation. How are we established on the Rock? Through the foolishness of preaching (1Cor. 1:21) Christ . . . . Nourished on knowing Him, who He is, what He has done, and what is He currently doing for His Church.

 Read what our Lord says concerning the content and topic of the Scriptures on the following page:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. (13) Luke 4:18-21

 The text was and is about Jesus, it is not about financial prosperity, physical healing or lifting oppression as separate categories of truth. All these blessings are ancillary to the One producing them, the Lord Himself.

 In closing ponder this additional fact when considering what passes for preaching today; biblical prophecy. Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies, meaning HE, Jesus, is the specific focus of these prophecies. Any prophetic words yet to be fulfilled refer to His return, His Second Coming. Biblical prophecy is concerned with our Lord. Ergo any preaching about prophetic events must logically find their loci in Christ Jesus.

 Is what is being proclaimed from the pulpit focused on Jesus Christ or is the message or the “series” being preached about anything else but Jesus? D.M.I prays that you are being fed a solid diet of God’s Word, our Lord Jesus when you gather together for worship.

 

Copyright © 2011 Robert S. Liichow

 

End Notes

 

1. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS: Discernment Ministries International uses the SAME “scale of judgment” FIRST on ourselves; next on our own local communion & denomination and LASTLY others. I say this lest anyone think I am writing about “other pastors.” No my friends, I am writing this for you to examine your own house FIRST then apply it to those we wage war with. Judgment begins in the House of the Lord (1 Peter 4:17) and we are not hypocrites and hold ourselves and brothers to the same standard we hold the heretics to.

 2. The spiritually immature often get “caught” as in enamored by the personality/charisma of the preacher and really never hear what he is proclaiming. Others are turned off by a speakers manner and fail to receive whatever was to be their portion of that service’s “manna” from them.

 3. I am a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod and as an ordained minister I feel free to speak of what I know. Sadly, within our own ranks there are many congregations being led by pastors who are not genuinely faithful to their confession and vows as Lutheran pastors. My wife and I have the distinct good pleasure to sit under an excellent pastor who is faithful to our Lord and the call on his life and through him we have met many other great men of God, all is not lost, but it is getting very dark outside.

 4. These are not in amy chronological order.

 5. If history describes Paul correctly he and I share what is nown as “faces best seen on radio.”

 6. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), Jn 5-39-40

 7. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), Jn 15:26-27.

 8. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), Lk 24:25-27

 9. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), Ac 5:41-42

 10. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), Ac 8:34-36

 11. The Holy Bible King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 2009), 1 Co. 2:2-5

 12. The Holy Bible English Standard Version, (Wheaton Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt. 7:23-27

 13. The Holy Bible English Standard Version, (Wheaton Standard Bible Society, 2001), Lk 4:18-21.

 

 

The Founder’s Annual Letter

Truth Matters Newsletters – December 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue 12 -The Founder’s Annual Letter – Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

 The Founder’s Annual Letter

 A truly heartfelt blessed Christmas season to you all. What can I say but how grateful I am to our Lord? He has shown Himself to me as the merciful High Priest He is and allowed me to continue to serve a portion of His flock through this mission of “Teaching Truth and Exposing Error.”

 This year,  due to the labors of our dear sister Sherry DuBois past issues of Truth Matters has been viewed by over one hundred thousand people (100,000).  Sister DuBois has done this work without any financial compensation from DMI (yet),  and she has never asked for any.  I am humbled that God would allow that many people to peruse my scribblings.

 I am also a bit fearful, because I too see though a mirror darkly and even my very best is still tainted by my fallenness. I know that as an ordained Teacher of God’s Word I will be judged with a stricter judgment (James 3:1). Upon my recently learning of those many “hits” on the Blog it has straightened my focus when I now write.

 None of these people would have been exposed to what I have been permitted to share without you, our readers. Due to your faithful support Discernment Ministries International has endeavored to Teach Truth and Expose Error for over sixteen years using a wide array of means.

My sincerest THANKS to each and every one of you who have prayed for us, given financially and shared what you’ve learned with others! May our Lord’s deep and abiding peace be yours in the year ahead.

His servant and yours,

 Rev. Robert S. Liichow

A Blessed Christmas Season to All

Truth Matters Newsletters – December  2011  – Vol. 16  Issue 12  – A Blessed Christmas Season to All  – Rev. Robert Liichow

Discernment Ministries International

A Blessed Christmas Season to All

By the Master Sniper Himself

 In the past D.M.I. has run an article I wrote about how Word of Faith (WOF) cultists view the miracle of the incarnation.  Without revisiting the article suffice it to say that according to WOF Mary received the Word of God into her heart and confessed Jesus into existence.  What Mary did is nothing special or miraculous, she simply operated the law of faith and manifested what was in her heart.  Any woman could have done what Mary did, what is more according to Kenneth Copeland we could have done what Jesus did on the cross if we knew what He knew, hear the words of the false prophet himself:

 The Spirit of God spoke to me and He said, ‘Son, realize this, Now follow me in this and don’t let your tradition trip you up, “He said, “Think this way — a twice-born man whipped Satan in his own domain.”  And I threw my Bible down….like that I said, “What?” He said, “A born-again man defeated Satan, the firstborn of many brethren defeated him,”  He said “You are the very image the very copy of that one,”  I said,  “Goodness, gracious sakes alive!”  And I began to see what had gone on in there, and I said, “Well now you don’t mean, you couldn’t dare mean, that I could have done the same thing?”  He said, “Oh yeah,  if you’d had the knowledge of the Word of God that He did, you could have done the same thing, ‘cause you’re a reborn man too.  (1)

I suppose in light of this revelation Christmas time becomes less awe inspiring. While we’re at it, also jettison your ideas about “poor Joseph and Mary.” (1) Joe was a carpenter, a skilled tradesman if you will. (2) He and his wife wanted to PAY for a room, they had money, but there were none available at any price. Those wise men? There were more than “three,” there was a whole caravan of them and they gave baby Jesus BIG CHESTS filled with gold and incense which paid for their trip to and from Egypt! Not three guys with itty bitty burger box sized boxes of gold and incense. There you have it, the makings of a Word of Faith Xmas!  To which I utter a seasonal

BAH-HUMBUG!

Copyright © 2011 Robert S. Liichow

“Scope” Them Out!

Truth Matters Newsletters – November 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue11 – “Scope” them out! – By Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

 “Scope” Them Out!

Rev. Bob Liichow

 I cannot put my finger on the exact moment in time, but at some point church “culture” changed from being more direct and confrontational when dealing with sin and error to growing more silent, complacent and accepting of doctrines and practices that formerly (in my fairly short life time) would had gotten one publically rebuked or possibly excommunicated.

 One of the reason’s the Church is in the pretty sad and confused condition it is today is because a generation of leaders have fostered a non-Christian practice of “see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, and speak no-evil.” this is great advice if you are a monkey, but it is hardly biblical or practical counsel for Christians.

 We’ve been wrongly counseled to “not judge” others, when the Bible plainly tells us to do exactly this. Most certainly, you and I do not know the spiritual state of those professing belief around us; however we are called to examine their fruit. We can surely see their lifestyles and we can easily determine whether or not some one is living a godly life according to the scriptures. Obviously the doctrine they proclaim is open to scrutiny, after all were not the Bereans declared nobler by Paul than the Thessalonians in Acts 17:11 for scoping out what Paul was declaring as truth?

 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf; but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and innocent concerning evil. (1) Romans 16:17-19

 In the Apologetic and Polemic arena of ministry one is often wrongly rebuked for having the audacity to name names when exposing the sources of doctrinal error. Some think it is uncharitable and a form of sinful judgment to be too specific in warning the church of the dangers facing her from within and without. Others accuse us of “casting stones” (John 8:7) and even serving Satan by being his mouthpieces “accusing the brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Virtually all sign-gift aka charismatic devotees continually warn us to “touch not God’s anointed and to do His prophets no harm” (Psalms 105:15). On the surface it would seem in the light of these and some other texts often cited that perhaps our critics are correct and that we have been behaving in an ungodly manner. Let us not be guilty of being superficial people and dig beneath the surface and uncover the truth of this matter; after all we are told in Proverbs 25:2 “that it is the honour of kings to search out a matter.”

 The Apostle Paul in ending his letter to the Roman Christians beseechs (begs) the brethren to “mark” (transliterated as skopeo) them that cause divisions: 5023 (skopeo): vb; = Str 4648; TDNT 7.414—1. LN 2432 notice carefully (Ro. 16:17; Php 3:17+), for another interp, see next; 2 LN 27.58 watch out for, implying a response to the danger (Ro. 16:17, Gal 6:1+), for another interp, see prior; 3. LN 27.36 be concerned about (Php 2.4+); 4 LN 30.20 keep thinking about, ponder fix attention toward (Lk 11:35; 2 Co. 4:18) (2)

 Let me ask you a question —- who is it that causes divisions in the Church? Is it the one who spreads false doctrines and spurious practices within the Church or is it the ones who contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3)? I can assure you it is the former and not the latter.

 How important is this as an issue in our lives as believers? The Holy Spirit through Paul seems to think it necessary enough to be placed in God’s written Word. Here is Paul, having not even visited Rome, yet he begs these young Christians to notice carefully and to keep thinking about with a fixed attention on those who cause divisions and offences of a specific type. What type? We are told to carefully watch out for and take note of (what discovered) anyone who causes divisions and offenses regarding the true apostolic doctrine which has been learned.

 Once we discern such tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:25) what are we to do? We are to avoid them which in the Greek carries the meaning to turn away from to no longer trust and avoid associating with. Why? Because these people do not serve Jesus Christ, they serve instead their own appetites. These false brethren couch their message in “good words and fair speeches” and by their use of “God talk” deceive and ensnare the hearts of the simple (unsuspecting). Iraneaus, the “patron saint” of all heresy-hunters stated it in the following manner as he dealt with the heretics of his time:

 “Error, indeed is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced more true than truth itself.” (3)

 Paul knew well the reality of the danger of false doctrines spread via false apostles, prophets and teachers and he unfailingly fought them by exposing them and their errors as well as proclaiming God’s truth.

 It is not enough to say there are “some” among us who do not teach the truth. Everyone hearing such a statement will automatically think their own school of teachers are doctrinally sound, until and unless named by name which normally evokes a response on the part of the hearer. (4)

 To merely declare that there are some people on television preaching lies in Jesus name is insufficient unless one clearly states who it is teaching error and where they have in fact erred. Paul had no problem naming names:

 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Php 3:17-20

 In this case Paul tells the Philippians to “mark” them that walk properly following the apostolic example set before them by Paul and the genuine leaders. “Many” in the Greek is denoting a large amount of people are in fact enemies of the cross whose end is nothing less than eternal destruction. Paul did not rejoice over their impending judgment, he wept for them, which must be our attitude as well in this field of Christian servant hood. Note that Paul says that he has told them OFTEN about these people, he did not keep silent regarding them and the eternal danger they pose.

 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:20

 If Paul wrote such things today he would receive emails after the manner of those sent to DMI, something along the lines of: “Get over it Paul, forgive and forget.” Or maybe, “How unloving of you Paul, I rebuke your unloving attitude it sickens me and god.” I doubt these missives would affect his actions any more than they do ours, for we are truly of the same like precious faith (2 Peter 1:1) as the blessed apostle. Paul named the source of the problem “Alexander the Coppersmith,” someone who was still alive and causing divisions in the church. Ultimately the Lord will repay him according to his works, but until that time the Church needs to be warned regarding the existing threat flowing through Alexander (Ephesians 6:12). (5)

 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 timothy 1:19-20

 WOW! Not only did Paul name Alexander, he cited him twice in his letters to Timothy. Paul saw their error so damaging that he turned them over to Satan, i.e. excommunicated them from the church and handed them over to be tormented by demons for the purpose of instruction and possible reconciliation.

 This is the same Paul who rebuked Peter openly in front of everyone (not quietly in a corner with a quick hug and back slap). What is more he even told those who were not in attendance, the Galatians, what he did and to whom he did it!

 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Galatians 2:11-14

 Paul did this because Peter was wrong and his actions caused others (other Jews, Barnabas) to enter into his hypocrisy and sin. Rebuking Peter openly was not only the right thing to do but it was the loving thing for Paul to do. Paul loved his Lord and this love demanded he take a stand for God’s truth regardless of the personal consequences. What is more, Paul loved Peter and this agape, this divine love shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) compelled Paul to rebuke Peter first for Peter’s own sake and then for the sake of those following Peter’s errant behavior. One of D.M.I.’s goals is to see these people come to repentance, recant their errors and teach the truth —if I can do it, and by God’s grace I did, so can anyone.

 Jesus in His earthly ministry openly rebuked the religious SINisters of His time:

 Wow unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our father, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Matthew 23:29-33

 Can you hear these words coming out of the mouth of Joel Osteen or Robert Schuller? Jesus did not pull any punches, yet who among us would dare call Him “unloving” or being an accuser of the brethren?

 Woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Luke 11:43-46

 Speaking “truth to power” is not without its risks. Jesus was crucified at the hands of wicked men (Acts 3:15). Historically we believe that all the Apostles but John the Beloved died martyrs deaths, Stephen was stoned to death (Acts 7:59) and Hebrews chapter eleven speaks at length about those of whom the world was not worthy (Hebrews 11:38). The world loves its own (John 15:19) and anyone who dares to stand up and denounce it and expose it for what it is makes them an enemy of all that the lost and deceived count as of great worth. Paul no doubt felt the sting of being misunderstood when he rhetorically asked “have I become your enemy by telling you the truth” (Gal.4:15)?

 Speaking the truth in any generation has never been easy, and yes those who tread this path are indeed on the road less traveled; but then our Lord said Himself that the way was narrow and few were on it (Matthew 7:14). In all of the above examples we’ve been considering the godly exposure of those proclaiming false doctrines and misleading God’s people or misrepresenting Himself to the lost world. Yet Paul urging us to scope out some other indicators which denote people to “mark” and “avoid” Paul says:

 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought, but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you; Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

 Not only are we to mark and rebuke openly those in doctrinal error (1 Timothy 5:20), we are ALSO to mark and avoid those who walk (live) contrary to the apostolic traditions given to the Church. Paul as an apostle, was responsible for helping establish religious traditions in the young Church. Some people within the young Church were already casting aside the genuine apostolic traditions for their own novel ideas while the Apostles themselves were still alive!

 “Tradition” is a dirty word to most American evangelical Protestants, (6) after all we are a people who loudly confess “I’ll do it my way” throughout our days. Anything old is quaint at best and outdated at worst. It is the “new” we adore; new is fresh; new bespeaks innovation; new is good and old is bad. Sadly, this culturally driven point of view has been carried into the Church.

 The New Apostolic Reformation SINisters not only are guilty of propagating a wide variety of doctrinal error they are also guilty of subverting the genuine apostolic traditions handed down through the ages with their own non-biblical traditions. Here is a short list of practices now accepted and traditional in and among these brethren (let them be ashamed) which include: (1) altar calls to receive salvation & impartation of spiritual gifts, (2) being slain in the spirit, (3) all Christians can/should speak in tongues, (4) demonic deliverance of believers, (5) 24/7 praise/prayer/fasting centers as the means God is using to glorify the Church. These novel-praxi have replaced the orthodox practice of baptism, the Lord’s Supper, supremacy of the Word in preaching, etc.

 Over the last several months DMI has been exposing specific individuals such as C. Peter Wagner, Mike Bickle, Francis Frangipagne, Paul Cain, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland and others as false ministers. Some of them may be genuine Christians, but they and all that follow their doctrines & practices are to be avoided by the Church so that they may be restored to genuine Christian fellowship.

 Do not allow any misled devotee of whoever browbeats you into being silent about the danger these people pose to the spiritual welfare of those who listen to them. There is no deeper nor more painful wound than that caused by spiritual abuse. Truth Matters, it really does.

 We are commanded to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and by doing so we grow in Christ. My love for God and the integrity of His Word impel me to action, even so my love for all the Church. If I love someone and I know of something that will seriously harm them I will tell them. Obviously, if I know someone is peddling poison then I will warn them and then others (Matthew 18). Why should I care, if I am not drinking their poison? Love can do no less than all it can for the sake of others, and it is that love motivates what we do and those who support us.

Copyright 2011 Robert S. Liichow

 

Abbreviated End Notes

1. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 2009). Bold type, italics and underlining added for emphasis.

2. James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc, 1997). Bold type added for emphasis.

3. Obtained from http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1579882.Irenaeus_of_Lyons on 10/20/2011 , taken from Against Heries. Underlining added for emphasis.

4. For example if someone said to me, “Bob, your Pastor Braden is teaching heresy regarding….” At first I would probably be angry at the messenger in that I respect and love my pastor, however, as a thinking person, I would also examine the changes being brought against my pastor and determine whether they are in fact true—-then I will respond appropriately.

5. The problem was coming from/through Alexander. The originator of the error is Satan and his hosts, with whom we do wrestle with, but not flesh and blood per se. Satan uses people and our battles are ultimately spiritual, but that does not give a “mulligan” to those used by Satan, Alexander is still culpable before God as is Hinn, Copeland, etc. . . . .

6. I am an American, but not a “protestant” per se. I am a true “evangelical” a term coined by Dr. Martin Luther to describe what was taking place in what became known as the Reformation. I am an “Evangelical Catholic” I guess if one must call names and label.

 

 

For Whom Do We Do Good Works?

Truth Matters Newsletters – November 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue11 – For Whom Do We Do Good Works? – By Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

 For Whom Do We Do Good Works?

Rev. Bob Liichow

 The writing of this article coincides with the celebration of the Reformation led by Dr. Martin Luther. The one aspect of the “Lutheran” Reformation that separates it from all other reformation is the focus of Luther on the eternal question “how can a sinful man become righteous in the eyes of a holy God?”

 By the time of Luther the Gospel message of salvation based only on the sovereign grace of God as testified by and in the life, death, and bodily resurrection of His Son, one Lord Jesus Christ was all but totally obscured by the teachings and practice of the Church of that day, i.e. The Roman Catholic Church.

 Rome had over time denigrated the doctrine of salvation from God’s completely free work of redemption by grace through faith in Jesus Christ to a complex system of human effort working in cooperation with some sort of infused grace. In Luther’s time the message being taught was that of salvation by human works and effort which did nothing but torment Luther and bring him to the verge of despair. The best Luther and virtually all other Christians could hope for was a short stay in purgatory. At this point in Church history the purpose of good works was to merit salvation.

 In his despair Luther began to study the scriptures with I believe a desperate spiritual hunger. Luther had been as faithful as he could be to the practices (works) of his church and found no spiritual peace in them (I dare say because spiritual peace was not there to be “found”). All Luther had left was the Word of God and as history tells us he came to know the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and as His Lord promised, that truth of the Gospel see Luther free from the deadly treadmill of trying to obtain a righteousness based on his works.

 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of god without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. (1)

 Luther clearly saw the Gospel in its purity. He saw that Jesus Christ did all the work on our behalf. He came to rightly understand that when Jesus said “it is finished” He meant just that, the work of salvation is now complete in His sacrifice on the cross. Naturally, Luther did not arrive at all of his conclusions in an evening, but as he studied God’s Word and compare it to his Church’s practices and dogma he realized that reform was necessary and he sought about to bring reform to the Church. We all know basically what happened, Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic confession and he went on to form gatherings of what were called “evangelicals.” After his death these “Evangelicals” began to be called “Lutherans” congregations. (2) We can all give thanks to God for raising up a man like Martin Luther through whom (and others) God brought back the correct understanding that justification comes solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and in Him alone.

 This brings us to the topic, since we know (or should know) that salvation/redemption/justification (fairly synonymous terms) is effected by God’s grace and not our works, then where is the place of works in the life of the disciple of Jesus?

What Luther and those who followed him saw was the distinct demarcation between God’s grace and human works. Salvation was either: (1) by grace alone without any human merit or works. (2) by works that merited the favor and mercy of God or (3) a combination of divine grace and human merit working in cooperation. The biblical position is obviously number “1.” The Lutheran Reformation was the vehicle God used to spread the good news of salvation as a gift not as a reward for our efforts.

This aspect of Luther’s teachings was more or less accepted by what has become known as the Protestant Church i.e. the various Reformed denominations that also rebelled against The Church of Rome. However, I know from experience with several “baptistic” congregations, including some mainline Pentecostal denominations, that the biblical teaching of salvation by the grace of God through and in Christ alone has been twisted. How so? Many groups teach that we are saved by the grace of God as shown to us in Christ, so far so good. BUT (and it is a big “but”) we are kept in the state of salvation by our works. These people readily admit that works do not save, however our works post regeneration keep us saved.

Today hundreds of years after the Lutheran Reformation the Church is still filled with millions of people who do not understand the biblical place of good works in the life of the disciple. Multitudes within Roman Catholicism are still taught that their works are meritorious not only in reducing the time they will spend in purgatory but that their works are also efficacious in the ultimate obtaining of eternal life. Untold numbers of so-called evangelicals are running around doing various “good” works in order to gain higher rewards and status in heaven. In this “evangelical” system believers’ works do not save but are meritorious for future eternal status.

 Jesse Duplantis, a televised Word of Faith heretic and false teacher revealed in his best-selling novel (that masquerades as “truth” in Christian bookstores) “Heaven Close Encounters of the God Kind” that in heaven the saints either wear “gowns” or “robes” depending on their works. Better and more numerous good works obviously equal better vestments in heaven according to Duplantis. Pentecostalism teaches that there is a unique soul-winners crown laid up for those in heaven who have faithfully witnessed to others about Jesus led people in repeating the sinner’s prayer, or maybe just stood on a corner passing out religious tracts to passer byes. These type of believers carry with them the American view that working harder equals more reward, which is usually true in this fallen world, but not so in the Kingdom of God:

So, when ever was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the Goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and iheat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do these no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen (3) Matthew 20:8-16

 We are familiar with the above parable. On one level we read of some people working harder and longer than others and yet all received equal pay. Strange? Only to the minds of those bound by this world. The Kingdom of god does not operate by our principles.

 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (4) Romans 4: 5-6

 The righteousness of God is given by God without the aid or assistance of human works. Resting in this reality is indeed a state of blessedness which is how Paul describes the man who accepts God’s mind-blowing humanly incomprehensible GIFT of righteousness based on what HE did in Christ—the forgiveness of our sins.

 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (5) Ephesians 2:8-9

 Paul well understood that righteousness was the gracious gift of God and thus an alien righteousness (righteousness distinct from humanity in and of itself) imputed (not imparted) to the disciple by faith in Jesus Christ. Knowing this Paul could well say that there was a “crown of righteousness” waiting for him in heaven (2 Timothy 4:8) Why, because of his good works on behalf of the Church? NO! Given bestowed by God and based on the alien righteousness of Christ that Paul trusted in.

 The Revelation of Jesus Christ reveals a marvelous truth regarding our “crowns” or rewards if you will:

 The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (6) Revelation 4:10-11

 In heaven before the throne of the Lamb of God these elders representing the completed Church cast their crowns on the ground before their Christ. Why? I believe it is because they fully realize in heaven that anything they did for Christ on earth was due to His power working with and through them. Seeing that their deeds were wrought in and by God (John 3:21) cast their crowns down rightly at His feet thus acknowledging that the glory was all Jesus’ from start to finish. This seems to be the response of the servant to His master in the following text:

 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (7)

 Since we are not saved by our works, nor are we kept saved by our works (1 Peter 1:5) and no, our works do not earn us a better mansion in heaven (John 14:3) what place do they have in our spiritual life as followers of the Lamb?

The best way to approach this issue I believe is to exchange the word “work” for the term “fruit.” Our Lord speaks often about fruitfulness in the life of His disciples:

 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (8) John 15:4-5

 Fruitfulness is the natural outcome of being engrafted (see Romans 11:15-25) into Christ at conversion. As we abide in Christ Jesus [how that is done is the topic for another article] we will bring forth much fruit. Note: however the caveat given by Christ “without Me you can do nothing.” The fruit of eternal value and significance is that which is borne by Christ through us to others.

 “Others” is exactly whom we are producing good fruit for as an extension of God’s love and care for all creation. Jesus summed it up for all eternity when He responds:

 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (9) Matthew 22:37-40

 God does not need your love, compassion, help or anything else because He lacks nothing. He does desire to use us to bless others. He calls us to be a city set on a hill, a bright beacon of hope to a world wandering in abject darkness (Matthew 5:14). We are called to shine as light amidst a crooked and perverse generation (Philippians 2:15).

 As we mature in Christ our spiritual fruit (see Galatians 5:22-23) blossoms and our good deeds are cast abroad as we live out our daily lives surrounded by people with various needs. God does not need our peace, patience, longsuffering, etc. Our neighbor does, the brother or sister next to us in the pew does, the orphan and widow does (James 1:27) The fruit produced may not even seem that earthshaking to us; “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:24).

 In closing this meditation, consider the response of the following disciples:

 Then they also will answer saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. (11) Matthew 25:44-45

 In this scene we see the judgment of the sheep and the goats. Note that the sheep were unconscious of their good deeds done towards others, but ultimately accepted by Christ as done unto Him! “Unconscious” in that they simply lived Christ-centered Word-focused lives walking in the good works the Father had prepared for them to walk in (Ephesians 2:10)

 What is the “work” that we must do, from which all other acceptable works flow? Jesus Himself tells us in John 6:29 “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ ” Our “job” is to believe in Jesus Christ, whom the Father has sent. . .yet in demonstration of His great mercy the Father Himself gives us the faith to believe in His Son (Ephesians 2:8). Christ’s sacrifice for us was totally sufficient for our salvation. His work cannot be added to nor detracted from by our actions or inactions. All that we can do is to humbly bow at His pierced feet and receive His completed work and then in great joy go out and serve others for His glory.

 “Anything that God could ever want form you now or forever is there in the sufficiency of the work that Christ has already done for you. God will never demand anything more from you and for that matter you don’t have anything He needs. But Christ has been privileged to give you the opportunity to do something that is significant in life and that is to be instrument’s through which God distributes His blessings to others here in this world.” Dr. Hine, LCMS pastor on Issues Etc. speaking about The Reformation and Vocation, October 2011

 Copyright © 2011 Robert S. Liichow

End Notes

1. The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009) Romans 3:19

 2. It grates me now when I hear other non-evangelical groups being called “evangelical” Christians, but then I hate the fact that “charismatic” has come to refer to a specific type of Christian, whereas biblically ALL Christians have been gifted by the Holy Spirit and thus we ALL are “charismatic” Christians, geesh! Lastly, Luther DID NOT want anything named after him. So naturally, when he died folks disobeyed their leader and put his name on it, something he would not approve of. The best name for we who are as Lutherans would have been and really is “Evangelical Catholics.”

 3. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Mt. 20:8-16

 4. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Ro. 4:5-6 Bold type added for emphasis.

 5. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Eph 2:7-10

 6. The Holy Bible English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard bible Society, 2001) Re 4:1–11

 7. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Lk 17:9-10

 8. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Jn 15:4-5

 9. The Holy Bible King James Version Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version (Bellingham, WA Logos Research Systems Inc, 2009 Mt. 22:37-40

DMI NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Truth Matters Newsletters – September 2011 – Vol. 16 Issue 9 – DMI Needs Your Financial Support – Rev. Robert Liichow

 Discernment Ministries International

DMI NEEDS YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

By Rev. Robert S. Liichow

 

Last month I mentioned that Discernment Ministries International needs financial support. I hate to ask, knowing many of you suffered financial abuse at the hands of SINisters in the past. However, less than 25% of our readers give anything to help defray the costs. Unlike the workers at IHOP I believe the Scriptures:

 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the oz that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. 1 Ti. 5:17-18

 No one is supposed to wage war at their own expense, and DMI is certainly involved in legitimate spiritual warfare. DMI can only go as far as our financial support will take us.

 There are many areas that we would like to develop, such as our printing capabilities and publications. Rev. Liichow is regularly invited to speak at conferences and churches overseas, which he regretfully turns down. This holds true to the stateside meetings that DMI does not participate in due to a lack of funds.

 It seems the lairs, fakes and frauds always have an abundance to propagate their heresies. We do not know of one apologetic ministry that has nearly enough to feel financially “secure.” Every leader we know (and we know almost all of them) live from month to month and DMI is no exception. We would not ask if we did not need your help. As always our deepest thanks for those of you who have and do give and pray for our efforts in Teaching Truth & Exposing Error.