Men Have Exchanged Truth for "What Works"

Another hard-hitting article to consider:
http://kimolsen.wordpress.com/2014/11/30/men-who-have-exchanged-truth-for-what-works/

No One Is Righteous (Not Even Mr. Osteen)

"The Gilbert and Sullivan Mass" Truth through Humor!

"It's All About Me"

Feel free to copy and share this!

"That's Be Great"

12/18/2014 Rick Warren’s Capitulation to the Claims of Rome, Plus a Deep...

Benny Hinn - Skywalker

Smooth Talk and Flattery (White Horse Inn)

This is SO GOOD!! I just listened to it twice! The White Horse Inn is always a great listen, but this particular show packs in an amazing amount of enlightening truth (and a little humor) in just 36 minutes:

Dallas Willard and John Ortberg-Very Confused Men...

I tried reading an "important" book by Dallas Willard once; all I remember about it is that it was very hard to understand (and I never bothered to finish it). As I listened to this interview with John Ortberg I realized that he is very confused himself. These two confused "Evangelical experts" are schooled by video teacher Bezel333:

The Kenneth Copeland Heresy Rap-(A Little Holiday Fun)

Self Piety and Easy Pickings in the Church

This is a quote from the book "No Place for Truth" by David F. Wells:
     "The sort of Christian faith that is conceived in the womb of the self is quite different from the historic Christian faith. It is a smaller thing, shrunken in its ability to understand the world and to stand up in it. The self is a canvas too narrow, too cramped, to contain the largeness of Christian truth. Where the self circumscribes the significance of Christian faith, good and evil are reduced to a sense of well-being or its absence, God's place in the world is reduced to the domain of private consciousness, his external acts of redemption are trimmed to fit the experience of personal salvation, his providence in the world diminishes to whatever is necessary to ensure one's having a good day, his Word becomes intuition, and conviction fades into evanescent opinion. Theology becomes therapy, and all the telltale symptoms of the therapeutic model of faith begin to surface. The biblical interest in righteousness is replaced by a search for happiness, holiness by wholeness, truth by feelings, ethics by feeling good about one's self. The world shrinks to the range of personal circumstances; the community of faith shrinks to a circle of personal friends. The past recedes. The Church recedes. The world recedes. All that remains is the self.
     What remains is, in fact, a paltry thing. But what is being destroyed is not paltry and insignificant at all. Simply put, the psychologizing of faith is destroying the Christian mind. It is destroying Christian habits of thought because it is destroying the capacity to think about life in a Christian fashion. It is as if the topsoil were being washed away, leaving the land barren and incapable of being cultivated. It can no longer sustain the bountiful harvest of being able to discern between good and evil, to think about all of life in terms of God and his purposes, to construct a way of being that accords with his Word, and to contest the norms of cultural plausibility. All is lost. And when people are no longer compelled by God's truth, they can be compelled by anything, the more so if it has the sheen of excitement or the lure of the novel or the illicit about it. The heretics of old, one suspects, would be sick with envy if they knew of the easy pickings that can now be had in the Church."  (This amazing book was written in 1993)

"The Beast Gets Healed-And So Can You!" Jentezen Franklin

This is, perhaps, the most blatant and blasphemous thing I've ever heard from a false teacher. How bad does it have to get before people wake up?? Just watch the first five minutes-I dare you:

"Let’s talk about Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"

This funny and disconcerting "comic" says a LOT:

Adam4d.com - Let’s talk about Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

"Silencing God's Word" (Worse Than Home Movies of that Drunk Uncle at New Years...)

      The idiotic "preacher" (who can't preach) in this excruciatingly painful video is Kenneth Hagin.
Kenneth Hagin (aka: "Larry the Cable Guy") is the Father of the Word of Faith movement. He lived from 1917 to 2003. "Who cares about this old guy that isn't even alive anymore," you say? Well, if you like Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, Bill Johnson, Mike Bickle, Benny Hinn, Rick Joyner, Rod Parsley, T. D. Jakes, Mark Chironna, Heidi Baker, Randy Clark, etc. etc. etc., you have to also like this man-because that's where they all got their new and better version of Christianity (they've all added their own spin to it, of course). When Bill Johnson says "Did you know Jesus was the first person to be born again?" he is teaching a Hagin heresy. When Joel Osteen tells you to "speak prosperity into existence" he is teaching a Hagin heresy. When Kenneth Copeland says that "he's a little god, too" he is teaching a Hagin heresy. When T. D. Jakes tells you to "sow a seed of faith" ("give me your money") he is teaching a Hagin heresy. When Joyce Meyer tells you that "you're already healed-you just need to claim it!" she is teaching a Hagin heresy. When Mike Bickle shares the latest extra-biblical "prophecy" about what God is doing now (as opposed to last year...) he is teaching a Hagin heresy.
      Do you know where Hagin received his new and improved version of Christianity? He spoke directly to God so he could receive these new teachings (that's why you should never question him or anyone like him who also hears directly from God). Oh, and he also plagiarized many ideas directly from E. W. Kenyon. Kenyon (1867-1948) took pagan ideas from the same people that created Christian Science and tried to merge them with Christianity, to make it "better." This was thoroughly documented in the 1988 book: "A Different Gospel-A Historical and Biblical Analysis of the Modern Faith Movement" by D. R. McConnell. It's a great book that should have altered the course of modern evangelical Christianity. But it didn't. It was totally and utterly ignored.
      Now we Christians are not supposed to mention any of this-we're supposed to just go along with any teacher who happens to mention the name of Jesus in the midst of false teachings.
      Not me. Not ever.

Non Sola Scriptura: the Blackaby view of God's will

I tried reading the Blackaby book "Experiencing God" myself a long time ago; I never finished it because it seemed "off" to me, and I was uncomfortable going on the wild goose chase it recommended. So I was fascinated to read this powerful refutation (with about 90 million interesting comments following):

Pyromaniacs: Non Sola Scriptura: the Blackaby view of God's will

Should I chase dreams, visions, experiences and miracles to know more about God? | Watch Your Life and Doctrine Closely…

Should I chase dreams, visions, experiences and miracles to know more about God? | Watch Your Life and Doctrine Closely…

Beth Moore Wants Scripture + Experience

Very interesting article on a very touchy subject in the church today:

Do Not Be Surprised...: Beth Moore Wants Scripture + Experience

Changing “Jesus Calling”—Damage Control for a False Christ

The book "Jesus Calling" has been modified to hide it's original content (although millions of Christians didn't seem to even notice it's ridiculous New Age teachings). Christian book publishing has sunk to a new low.
From the Lighthouse Blog NEW BOOKLET TRACT: Changing “Jesus Calling”—Damage Control for a False Christ

Is the "Third Way" coming to your church? - Stand Up For The Truth

Is the "Third Way" coming to your church? - Stand Up For The Truth

Is Your Church Raising an Army of Skeptics?

Ever wonder if there was something wrong with you because you didn't feel what everyone else at church was (supposedly) feeling? Read on..

Is Your Church Raising an Army of Skeptics? 

"Charismatic Bullying from the Pulpit" by Steven Kozar

    The following is a real devotional email sent by the pastor of a large charismatic church to his congregation. This pastor had recently been confronted by a few of his church members who didn't like his "Signs and Wonders/Rick Joyner/Bill Johnson/IHOP" teachings and asked that he only use the Bible and stop referencing those other teachers and teachings. He was never asked to adopt a cessationist position; just to hold more closely to Scripture alone. Several weeks after he had the meeting with those people, he wrote this devotional message and then preached a sermon based on it. I think this is a good example of what happens when a pastor wants to divert attention away from a valid theological discussion and continue teaching his version of "Signs and Wonders" Christianity. The original article is in bold; I will make comments in parenthesis throughout the article. -S. Kozar 

                       A Personal Relationship

          "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life." John 5: 39 
(This verse is the "set-up" for the rest of the article; it's supposed to make Christians who demand adherence to the Bible look like Pharisees, but it's taken completely out of context. These Pharisees were unwilling to recognize that the Messiah had come-it was Jesus! The Scriptures pointed directly to Jesus and they were guilty of not going to Him. Jesus was not saying that you should come to Him instead of the Scriptures, He was saying that they should have found him in the Scriptures.)

       I believe many things about my wife, Jane (not real name). Some are just facts, like her birthday, her place of birth, her parents' names, and her general history which anyone who is interested could easily learn.  Other things require more personal involvement like knowing her character and her heart's desires.  My current beliefs about her are numerous, but my relationship isn't with my beliefs about Jane, it's with her.  She's a person.  Because of this reality, my beliefs are always growing and deepening as we walk together. (This line of thinking utilizes the Bill Johnson method of telling stories instead of teaching from the Bible; this way you can make any point about anything. The implication here seems to be that the Bible is not enough-it's just a bunch of facts and figures about God. We can't really know God through the Bible-we need a "relationship" with Him; which appears to be shorthand for "a subjective experience of God.")

          But what if I no longer lived with my wife?  Wouldn't my belief system become static?  I would still believe things, but they wouldn't deepen or grow because of a lack of present experience with her.  In the text above, Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees because their relationship isn't with God Himself; it's only with their beliefs about Him. (God was rebuking the Pharisees because their relationship was only with their beliefs about God? What?? No, that's totally wrong! Their beliefs were wrong-they didn't believe in Jesus! This is not hard to understand. This is totally mishandling God's Word.)

          There Is a great danger in evangelical Christianity today of making our beliefs about God an idol that takes the place of an actual relationship with Christ. (Where do we hear about this idol in the Bible?) How can I tell if I'm in danger of this idol? Here are five symptoms:

1.     We become unteachable. We no longer believe what we read in the Bible; we only read what we already believe. (Yes, we should want people to accurately and faithfully understand God's word-not read into it whatever they want-this is very true. But how does this pastor define "unteachable?" It could be referring to anyone that disagrees with him; hmmm...)

2.     We become divisive with Christians that don't believe exactly what we believe about God and Christ.  We're experts and everyone else needs to listen to us to get it right. (This point is very important for what it doesn't say; it fails to mention that some people want a teaching to line up with Scripture. These people aren't commended for being good Bereans, they're condemned for being "experts" who want everyone to listen to them. Maybe they really just want everyone to listen to the Bible?)

3.    We become suspicious of any fresh moving of the Holy Spirit that doesn't fit into our box of who we think God is and how He should act. (Just as in the previous point, this fails to mention that people might be suspicious of a "fresh move of the Holy Spirit" not because it doesn't "fit into our box," but because it appears false and/or doesn't line up with Scripture. This pastor believes that subjective experiences are good and acceptable, but an objective evaluation of an experience compared against Scripture is to be avoided. No wonder so many people leave Charismatic churches confused and hurt.)

4.     We find ourselves bored with worship because our hearts actually love what we believe about God more than we love God Himself. (This point is just too weird to analyse very much. Somehow, this pastor can see into the hearts and minds of people and discover that they love their beliefs so much that they become bored with worship... insert creepy 50's Sci-fi music here.)

5.     We realize we're no longer growing. We're no longer amazed by God or ever surprised by anything He does. We're sure we're doctrinally "right", but if we're dead, we can't be right because Jesus came to give life. (Let me see if I understand this; I need to be surprised or amazed by something God does in the present tense to prove that I'm growing? And if I'm sure I'm doctrinally "right" that proves that I'm dead. I would think that Jesus coming to earth as a virgin-born baby, living an amazing life full of teachings and miracles, giving His life on the cross as a penalty for our sins, rising from the dead on the third day, etc. etc. are all good enough things to embrace, celebrate and remember for all of our days, aren't they? Is it not enough to be surprised and amazed by what He's already done? Do we really need something "new" to validate our faith?  Does "growing" mean that we should adopt new and different beliefs every time the latest "prophet" has a "word for us?" The clear implication here is that just studying God's Word isn't enough to get "God's Word;"  we need extra-biblical revelation through some kind of subjective experience. Is it any wonder that Christians are biblically and theologically ignorant? If you put Post-Modern Subjectivity and Hyper-Charismatic Anti-Theology into a blender this kind of nonsense is what comes out...)

The Scriptures are not an end in themselves, they direct us into a personal relationship with the God who loves us and died for us.  We all know "in part" and the even the part we think we know is only a seed of all that is true about the transcendent, majestic, unchanging, and uncreated God of the universe.  I think we would all do well to examine our hearts and humble ourselves before Him every day acknowledging that the mystery of who He is in Himself goes far beyond our present beliefs about Him. (But does it go beyond God's Word??)  Getting to know Him is the greatest adventure of our lives and will last for all eternity! 
(After His resurrection, Jesus met two of His followers on the road to Emmaus and didn't reveal himself; He first asked them a series of questions to see what they knew and believed about Himself. When they said that they basically didn't know what was going on even though the empty tomb had been discovered and angels had said He was risen, Jesus said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself." Luke 24: 25-26. Why did Jesus do this? Didn't He know that "the Scriptures are not an end in themselves, they direct us into a personal relationship with God..." like this pastor claims? Jesus wasted all that time explaining the Scriptures when He should have been developing His personal relationship with them. They could have, I don't know, exchanged recipes or sung show tunes together-that would have been more personal.) 

     Here's what God's Word says: "Now He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.' Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them 'Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sin would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:44-48  "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

Is There a Baby in the Charismatic Bathwater?

"New Thing" Theology by Todd Wilken

New Thing Theology

by Todd Wilken

One of the strongest feelings you can get in life, one of the most rewarding feelings is the feeling of an “Aha! I finally understand.” —Penn Jillette

     I have listened to my pastor preach for over seven years. I can count on one hand the times he has given me one of those “aha!” moments. He is a great, faithful preacher. But he is mostly unoriginal. And, that’s just fine. He seldom delivers that new insight, that fresh understanding, that “aha!” moment. And, that’s just the way it should be. 

     There are few things more dangerous in the Church than a bored theologian. I call them New Thing Theologians. Be it a pastor, Bible teacher, seminary professor, author —bored theologians have the potential to do as much damage as bad theologians. I know. I have been one for the better part of 25 years. 

     My pastor’s preaching has cured me. For most of my pastoral career, I have lived for that “aha!” moment. The old, run-of-the-mill theology was fine, but it didn’t give me the theological buzz that I craved. I lived on the edge of boredom, always looking for something to stave it off. I tended toward the pastors, professors and authors who I thought could help me do so. 

     As a New Thing Theologian, I read the Bible always on the lookout for something I had never seen before. I preached, always trying to find the new spin on the old text. I taught Bible class, always exploring some new angle on an old passage. 

     Now, not every new thing I came up with was a bad idea. Some of them were good ideas. None of them were truly original. I eventually realized that most my new ideas were really the old ideas of better theologians than me. Some of these new insights and ideas were just interesting for the sake of being interesting, and new for the sake of being new. Looking back, I realize that I was aiming for freshness, not faithfulness. 

     Then, I started listening to my pastor preach. It was great preaching. It was consistently textual, consistently clear Law and Gospel, consistently centered on the death and resurrection of Jesus for sinners. I wasn’t bored with his preaching, but I was a little conflicted. Where were my precious “aha!” moments? One, maybe two times a year, he would give me one. But most of the time, there were no surprises to speak of. 

      What are the dangers of New Thing Theology? Where does boredom with old theology, old doctrines, old theological categories and expressions lead? 

Heresy 

"I always wanted to become famous. And, then it occurred to me that to become famous in theology means to present something new and different. But, if I present something new and different, after 2,000 years of Christian theology, it is bound to be heresy. And therefore, I have decided not to become famous." —T. A. Kantonen

     The most obvious form of New Thing Theology is, of course, heresy. “New and different” may be good thing when it comes to technology, business and advertising, but “new and different” can be a very bad thing when it comes to Christian teaching and practice. The heretic is all about the new and the different. 

     But, the heretic rarely presents his false teachings as new or different. The heretic almost always presents his new and different teachings straight from the Bible. “All heretics quote the Bible” is the old saying. And, that is usually true. But, already in the second century, the church father Irenaeus observed the heretic’s trick: The heretic presents his teaching “under a pretense of superior knowledge, … as if, forsooth, they had something more excellent and sublime to reveal than God.” 

     Of course, some heretics don’t even bother to cite the Bible, claiming new revelation altogether. Islam started this way, even though we consider it an old religion. Muhammed may have lived 1,400 years ago, but at the time his revelations were new, fresh and different. Islam, Mormonism, The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society —these heresies are easy to spot today, but in their day, they were the newest thing around. And, the claim to new revelation continues today.

God Is Doing a New Thing 

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I 

am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? —Isaiah 43:19-19

“God is doing a new thing” has become the Creed of many New Thing Theologians, from the charismatic televangelist to the liberal mainline protestant. This is another form of New Thing Theology. You name it, God is doing it. On the one hand God is bringing about new revivals, signs, miracles, anointings, moves-of-the-spirit. On the other hand, God is affirming new alternative lifestyles, sexual orientations, genders, and definitions of marriage. Depending on whom you ask, God is doing all these new things. 

      These New Thing Theologians have a “Bible plus” theology. The Bible is great, as far as it goes, but now God is doing something new. This is a very convenient claim. If God is doing something new, something not found in the Bible, something even contrary to what is in the Bible, then anything goes. Who is to say what God can do? Who is to say what God will do next? The New Thing Theologian, that’s who. 

       This kind of New Thing Theology, like heresy, is the enemy of Christian theology. But in a way, this version of New Thing Theology is even more dangerous than heresy. The heretic introduces a new teaching and usually stops there. The “God is doing a new thing” theologian doesn’t. He can’t, really. God’s ongoing revelation is never the final word on any doctrine or subject. It is always a rough draft, never the final version. It is always open to future changes and revisions. The most this kind of theologian can say is, “This is what God is saying to us today; this is what God is doing today; tomorrow it may change.” The heretic misinterprets the Bible; the “God is doing a new thing” theologian is rewriting it. 

Jeremiah 29:11, a Plan to Prosper You?

"Death, Distraction and Pixie Dust" by Steven Kozar

     As I look back on my 35 or so years of being a Christian, I'm very thankful for the foundation that was laid in my teenage years. I read books by C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Josh McDowell, Phillip Yancey and Francis Schaeffer; and I was encouraged by several godly men to build my faith on the reality of God's Word-not just my feelings. Jesus was a real historical person who really said and really did the things the Bible describes. I don't believe one can hold the position that the Bible is "just a bunch of stories that people made up" without being intellectually lazy-or worse (but that is a gigantic topic for another day).
     Today, I look around and see that the Bible describes the world we live in as it really is. The Bible describes man as constantly veering towards selfishness and it describes man as always wanting to rebel against God. We've got a million different ways to disobey our Creator and take control. The Bible does not portray man as basically good, and history bears this out with painful and horrendous emphasis (which is not to say that some people haven't done some very good things, some of the time). The Bible also describes man as all too willing to buy into Satan's original lie that we "surely will not die" and that if we disobey God we will "be like God." In other words, the Bible does not give us a fantasy land of unicorns and pixie dust, where "all of our dreams can come true"-no matter what false teachers (like Joel Olsteen, just to name one) would have us believe. We should be glad that the messy, sinful world we live in is very much like the messy, sinful world that the Bible describes. Why? Because Christianity is about God redeeming mankind-not creating religious fantasies to cover up the often nightmarish existence that we all share.
     This nightmarish existence that we all share is most difficult to grapple with in America; this is the Land of Distraction and the Home of the Shallow. It seems we will go to any length in order to prolong our delusions.
     Here's the greatest truth that we deny: We will all die.
     I don't even know the names of my great grandparents, let alone have any pictures of them. Each of us, with our thousands of personal photographs, mementos, and belongings will also be forgotten within a few generations (some of us will have our precious belongings liquidated while we're still drooling in a nursery home). Think about it: Completely Forgotten. I'm an artist, so there's a chance that my name will be remembered a little bit longer than most people, but still, I know that my earthly life will soon be over and forgotten.
     What's truly shameful, in my way of thinking, is how this sobering reality should lead us to God, but even in many churches this reality is avoided. We should be asking ourselves: How and why did I get here? What will happen when I die? What is the meaning of my life? Instead of confronting us (lovingly confronting us) with these difficult and sobering questions, many pastors are telling us how to "reach our destiny" and "find the hidden keys to our purpose" and so on. They tell us that "we are meant for greatness" and that God has "planted a dream inside us" yet, all the while they never allow us to contemplate the reality of our impending fate-death itself.
      The Christianity of the Bible confronts us with our sin, and reminds us of our death; it also confronts the sinful, deceptive and violent world we live in, and offers us redemption. Ephesians 1: 7-8 "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." -Steven Kozar

A Pentecostal in (General) Support of the Strange Fire Conference

VERY powerful article!! If only more Pentecostal/Charismatic pastors would face reality like this one:

A Pentecostal in (General) Support of the Strange Fire Conference | Question Tradition

Here's the five points of this article:
1. Any error John MacArthur espoused at the conference, and any recklessness he demonstrated, is far less than the errors and recklessness we see in much of the modern Charismatic movement.
2. Pentecostals and Charismatics are allergic to doctrinal distinction and discernment.
3. The false teachers have more influence than we think or admit.
4. We routinely ignore the regulative principle of worship.
5. We functionally ignore Sola Scriptura.

"False Teaching About False Teaching from Rick Joyner" by Steven Kozar

The New and Improved Christianity: Subjective Personal Experience Leads Us to Truth! Or: The "Make It Up As You Go" Christianity!

The following is an exact quote of three paragraphs from page 232 of "A Prophetic Vision for the 21st Century" by Rick Joyner (with my comments in parenthesis):
   
     False prophets and false prophecies are founded on deception. The most effective guise of the enemy is to come as "an angel of light" or "a messenger of truth." Just because a prophecy has some truth in it does not make it genuine. Unfortunately, Satan knows the Bible better than most Christians. He is so clever at perverting its message, he even tried it on Jesus, who is the Word Himself. Just knowing Scripture, and being able to bludgeon others into submission with it, does not make one a true messenger. We must ask if someone is "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV). (Outside of his bizarre "bludgeoning" reference, this is a very straight-forward and orthodox Christian paragraph.)
     Who will know if the Word is being rightly divided? The One who wrote the Book. (Only God knows? Notice what Joyner leaves out? The ability of believers to rightly divide the Word based on the Word itself!) Doesn't that leave a lot of room for subjectivity? Yes, it does, and that is dangerous, but it is far more dangerous not to allow for subjectivity in the discernment of truth. Subjectivity is essential. (This is not a parody piece-he actually wrote this, and it gets worse...) The Lord must become our personal Savior, our personal Lord, and truth must be personal if we are really going to know it. (Notice that no Bible references are given to back up these claims about needing a personal Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus IS Lord. Period... regardless of my personal feelings or experience. And exactly when do we know for sure that truth has become personal? Isn't truth, by it's very definition, self-existing?) For this reason the Bible was meant to be relatively subjective in its interpretation. This was not to promote private interpretations, but to require each of us to be seekers of the Lord and His truth ourselves. (This is "double speak" of the most extreme order.) We will not keep from being deceived just because we know someone who knows the Bible. Every one of us must know the Spirit of Truth. (Again, what is he leaving out? Knowing the Bible in order to avoid deception!) 
     Scholars have devised many systems of hermeneutics to remove subjectivity from biblical interpretation. (Joyner knows the motives behind every Bible scholar who has ever lived?) Many of these are excellent guidelines, but regardless of how good our hermeneutics, we will be subject increasingly to deception in the coming times if we do not know and follow the Spirit of Truth. We must recognize that some hermeneutic principles are an attempt to remove our need for the Holy Spirit, regardless of how much the developers give lip service to needing Him. (It's amazing how Joyner knows when theologians are merely giving lip service!) Many of those who react the most to what they perceive to be people's tendency toward "private interpretations" are really reacting to the ability of people to see things differently from the way they do. (Notice how Joyner can't come right out and call private interpretations what they really are: private interpretations. This is why there is so much chaos, confusion and defection in the "hyper-charismatic" church: everyone is just making it up as they go. Folks, PLEASE stay away from this man's teaching-and all the other "Super Apostles" like him! -Steven Kozar)
   

I am an Angry Pastor (A Statement of Purpose)

This short article confirms what I just wrote recently on my page "Why This Blog?"...

I am an Angry Pastor (A Statement of Purpose) | The Angry Pastor Blog

"The New Apostolic Reformation End Times Scripture" by Steven Kozar

New and Improved Scripture (that fits the New Apostolic Reformation)

His disciples asked Him, "Tell us, what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" And Jesus answered them and said, "See to it that no one deceives you with Bible verses about this, that and the other thing-who can understand all that doctrine, anyway? Just buy all the books, CDs and DVDs from the Apostles, Prophets and Pastors. You will know them by their catch phrases, advertising campaigns and highly publicized conferences. Do they have gigantic churches, TV shows and best-selling books? Then you can trust them. Do they live in ostentatious mansions and fly in private jets, having derived all of their riches from the sheep they pretend to help? Then do whatever they say and continue giving them your money. Remember that time I went into the temple and drove out the money changers with a whip? Well, in the last days that gets reversed; you will pay the new money changers to tickle your ears, whilst ignoring the preaching of the Gospel. I know I originally said, 'It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves;' but in the last days I will raise up a group of new and better apostles who will get filthy rich even as they proclaim false teachings. They will make many errors with their "fortune-telling" style of prophesying, and their lives will often be a moral train wreck, but as long as they do it in my name, it's all good!" His disciples then asked Him, "what if they talk about doing many great miracles, but produce very few results? And what if they talk more about themselves than about You? And what if they mishandle the Holy Scriptures by constantly taking verses out of context? And what if..." Jesus interrupted them and said, "Hello? Didn't you hear Me the first time?? As long as they do these things in My name it's all good! Let's just be positive; remember, your words have creative power, so try and speak good things into existence. In fact, I think I felt a shift in the atmosphere as I said that. Did you guys feel that?!" At this the disciples marveled, because it didn't sound like any of His other teachings.

"The Ordinary Church" Very Refreshing Message!

Tired of the need for hyped-up, multimedia, louder, faster and cooler church services? Exhausted by the failed promises of "the next big thing?" Listen to (or read) this sermon:

The Ordinary Church

We Will Do Greater Works Than Jesus Did? Another great WWUTT video!

What a deal-Bill Johnson's $400 thumb drive!!

Yeah, this is just the kind of thing the (real, Biblical) Apostles would've done-sell their sermons for outrageous profit:

2 Corinthians 2:17 "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God."
2 Peter 2:3 "and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep."

Amazing Video about the Dangerous Book: "Jesus Calling!"

Warren Smith speaking at a recent conference:
http://new.livestream.com/bereancallconference/events/3276850/videos/60649283

Remember boys and girls, don't blindly trust all the "Christian" books being sold at "Christian" bookstores! (And shame on you, Thomas Nelson Publishing!)

Did God Promise Health and Wealth?

This is a GREAT sermon-especially about the Biblical demand for discernment and how to recognize false teachers in the church!! You can listen to it or read it:

http://www.thegracelifepulpit.com/Sermons.aspx?code=2014-08-10-PJ

"Candy Christianity: America's Counterfeit Gospel"

I just found this article from a great new blogger (who makes my writing look mild by comparison!)...
http://www.firebreathingchristian.com/archives/3163

The (False) Teaching of Joyce Meyer

"The Great Set-Up" Steve's Full Article

                                                                   "The Great Set-Up"

These ideas and concepts have infiltrated the church and have replaced a careful adherence to the Christianity of the Bible. With these beliefs undergirding and infiltrating the thought patterns of most Christians today, false teachings are slipping into the Church from many different angles. Yes, there might be some truth in some of these ideas, but taken as a whole, they have replaced orthodox Bible teaching and are allowing "Another Gospel" to be taught. Understand that many  false teachings are being taught in the worst possible way: by people who don’t even realize what they’re doing; so their sincerity makes critical analysis and discernment unlikely.

1. "God Offends the Mind to Reveal the Heart" This catch phrase isn't in the Bible, and it makes Biblical confusion highly probable; it can be a foundation for manipulation through false doctrine. If anybody promotes discernment (which involves using the mind) they can be dismissed when this catch phrase is used against them. God didn't give us a mind and then expect us to stop using it. Ironically, when a false teacher says things like this, he is using a type of thinking to convince others to think a certain way.

2. "Don't Have a Religious Spirit" This is a vague concept that can allow deceit to stay in place. Want to refute someone who demands doctrinal integrity? Accuse them of having a religious spirit. It's much easier than searching the scriptures and seeking the truth.  After all, "God doesn't care about our doctrine, He cares about our heart." That sounds really good, but it's not in the Bible-it’s just another catch phrase. Doctrine is important! Doctrine tells us who God really is, and who we really are.

3. "Don't Touch God's Anointed!" When false teachers can't defend their beliefs in the clear teachings of the Bible, they use this partial verse as a rebuke. It's taken completely out of context from the Old Testament; and it refers to physically harming the Israelite king or prophet. This has nothing to do with questioning bad leadership or wrong teachings.  It’s interesting to note that cult leaders usually use some type of threat; it's the lowest form of leadership.

4. "Get ready for a new and different thing-it won't be like the old things!" "This is probably gonna make you uncomfortable!" "Don't put God in a box-as soon as you think you've got Him figured out He will do something unexpected!" This can be a way of spiritualizing false teaching, demonizing discernment, and getting people off their guard. The Bible makes it very clear that we are too hold fast to correct (and "old") doctrine. But in the effort to gain followers, a false teacher can always tickle the ears of those who get excited about being part of "something new;" after all, most people don't want to be part of something old.  Instead of new versus old, we should be teaching what is true versus what is false. Is it really true that God is always changing His methods and His ways so He can keep surprising us? Yes, there will always be mystery involved in our understanding of exactly who God is (on this side of heaven), but God isn't like a magician or a leprechaun who constantly throws us for a loop to keep us guessing; the Bible describes Him as wanting to be known and understood (and obeyed). Being uncomfortable about a teaching doesn't indicate anything for sure, it's just a feeling that is being caused by something; it might be something good or it might be something bad.

5. "We only teach the Bible!" This is, perhaps, the easiest way to teach a false doctrine. For most Christians, they will shut off all discernment once they hear that sentence as a prelude to false doctrine. Plus, a false teacher can just throw in some Bible verses wherever he wants-whether they apply or not-and continue to promote all kinds of weird teaching. If a pastor actually explains that we "should never proof text!" he might be actually making it easier to continue proof texting; the key is to keep his congregation comfortable and trusting.

 6. "But he's really famous (he/she has written books, has a huge church, has a TV show, etc.), he must know what he's talking about." This exposes the painfully common belief that "CONSENSUS EQUALS TRUTH." Few people would ever admit to this ridiculous belief, but their behavior (and thinking) says otherwise. Christians say that they believe the Bible, but what they really believe is whatever their "guy" (local pastor, TV preacher, popular author, etc.) says about the Bible. On top of that, many Christians don't even believe what their local pastor teaches because he is constantly being over-ridden by the surrounding culture. So we have millions of Christians watching 10, 20 or even 30 hours of television per week, yet they just don't have time to read and study the Bible. But when the latest Christian guru comes along with a new method of "hearing from God" they drop everything to "learn the secret;" all the while they've neglected God's Word-the actual words from God. The situation should be seen as utterly absurd, yet since almost everyone behaves and believes this way, it’s been normalized. As a result, false teachers have free reign and an almost limitless customer base to promote heresy and to enrich themselves.

7. "We should never live out of fear-fear only comes from the Devil!" “He’s got a lot of anger-you can tell he’s not of God!” Of course it's true that we are not supposed to live in fear and anger; but when a discerning Christian tries to warn the church about a dangerous deception, a false teacher can easily shut him down by saying something like: "he's promoting fear-don't listen to him!" If a sheep discovers that his shepherd is actually a wolf, a (temporary) sense of fear and/or anger would be an appropriate response in order for him to leave and warn others. In actuality, it is the cult member that goes through life like a zombie, constantly thinking "positive thoughts" and refusing to wake up to the deception that surrounds him. Warning a fellow Christian about false teaching is not promoting fear-but, ironically, a false teacher has no problem scaring his followers into compliance and threatening them if they question his authority.

8. "Judge not, lest you be judged..." Whenever a false teacher/prophet is exposed (because of heretical teaching, blatant sin, corruption, prophesies that prove to be utterly false, etc.) they can usual get their "ministry" up and running again with the misapplication of this verse. Christians have been systematically programmed to ignore all scripture about the accountability of leaders... because their leaders said so. So the false teacher ends up judging his theological critic who is supposedly guilty of judging.

9. Infrequent and obscure passages of scripture take precedence over the clear and frequent passages.  Spiritualized and overly allegorized Old Testament passages are emphasized, while the clearly applicable teachings of the New Testament are ignored. Examples: “The Latter Rain,” “The Elijah Generation,” “The Bridal Paradigm,” “The Anointed Manifestation of the Tabernacle of David with the Oil of Joel’s Army Beneath the Eagles Wings of the Coming Presence…” This is a topic for another paper…

10. Man's thoughts, ideas and visions (“revelations”) are equated with scripture. This is the Charismatic church’s gigantic and obvious problem; the over-emphasis of new revelations. "God's Word is really good, but we need to add something new to make it even better!"-Really? Again, this is a topic for a whole other paper…

11. "We only want to be positive!" The stereotypical Bible-thumping, angry fundamentalist is the one thing nobody wants to be. In response, the average Christian will go along with anything as long as it's seen as "positive." However, in the Bible, we see "negative" things all over the place: it is not always a "positive" book because it contains the truth that we need-not just "feel good" sayings to placate our sin. We humans are often like disobedient children who need correction from our Heavenly Father, who loves us enough to tell us the truth.

12. "We're getting lots of resistance-we must be doing something right! Satan wants to stop us, that's why people are so critical..." This line of thinking is, at best, a 50/50 proposition; maybe it's true, but it's just as possible that you're getting resistance because you're wrong and some people are trying to correct you and stop the false teaching.

13. "Well, he just read some negative stuff on the Internet-they can say anything on the Internet!" Like the previous point, this is, at best, a 50/50 proposition. It could just as easily be said, “he just read that stuff in a book-they can say anything in a book.” Do so few people realize that there are no rules for what can be published in a book? Also, there’s a lot of information that is only available online; that's the nature of the world we live in. This goes back to #6, too, because what people are really saying is: "it might be proven by lots of information online (blogs, interviews with actual witnesses, doctrinal papers, personal testimony, etc.) but it's not the consensus view (isn't supported by large book publishers, Christian media companies, mega-churches, etc.), so I don't believe it." We should be testing everything against the Word of God-no matter what anyone else says (or doesn't say). It is also very important to understand that giant "Christian" media companies are mostly owned by even larger non-Christian media companies that only care about making lots of money. It is very foolish to think that those companies are carefully checking the content of what they sell.

14. “Look at all the fruit on his/her tree-they must be blessed by God!” “With all the new people going to that church, you just know it’s of God!” Fruit on the tree does not mean “people coming to church.” Here’s the only thing that can be said for sure about a church with thousands of people showing up on Sunday morning: the pastor is being paid a large salary. Seriously, that’s it. Oh, and they also have a good “worship team” (soft rock band). When Jesus told us to look at the fruit of a teacher, He’s saying: compare the teaching and life of the teacher to Jesus-it should “look” the same. Any pastor teaching things that are contrary to Jesus is a false teacher-no matter how many followers he has.

15. “But he does everything in the name of Jesus-he must be okay!” Think about it; if Satan wanted to operate in the church, would he do it in his own name? Does Satan show up at church in his bright red jumpsuit and give himself away? Does any deception announce itself ahead of time?  Matthew 7:22 says: “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And I will declare to them; I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” It should be assumed that a false teacher will use the name of Jesus. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves” is what Jesus says in Matthew 7:15.

16. "It can't be true, because I would've know about it already" (or "somebody would have said something by now")-a knee jerk reaction when first hearing about false doctrine. This is really saying "I already know everything that needs to be known; if I get new and different information that doesn't correspond to my currently held beliefs, than it must be wrong. I refuse look into anything that threatens my views." Jesus said to "watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing"-He didn't say "Don't watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing, because someone's already doing that for you, besides, you don't want to be too critical..."

17. "He's making the Bible his idol!" I suppose it's possible that someone could do that, but that would certainly be the exception. There are no warnings in scripture about “getting into God’s Word too much.” The Bible points us to Jesus, so we shouldn't fear becoming a "Bible nut." Luke 24: 47 "then He said to them, 'these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.' And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them,'Thus it is written, and this it is necessary for the 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 to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

18. Lastly, I want to point out the importance of correctly thinking for yourself. Start with a question (or “hypothesis”), then diligently search the scriptures, get the facts of the matter, and then reach a conclusion. Most people start with their conclusion, sift the facts around, take a few Bible verses out-of-context and arrive exactly where they started. This is the recipe for ignorance disguised as wisdom. There is freedom in letting God’s Word teach you and guide you! When Jesus addressed the large crowd and said “watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing,” He was giving every person permission to check any teaching against the Word of God. On the contrary, if we blindly follow after the teachings of man (no matter how nice and sincere they might be) we are getting set up for deception.  

"A Tale of Two Mars Hills"

Excellent blog post about the dangers of celebrity pastors, contrasted against "normal" pastors.
 "Watch your life and doctrine closely" indeed!

A Tale of Two Mars Hills

"Casting a vision or commandeering control?" Shocking radio interview!

This is a great interview with Chris Rosebrough about "vision-casting" in the church. PLEASE listen!! It is fascinating, revealing and quite shocking:

Casting a vision or commandeering control?

Acts 20:29-31 says: "Savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples after them. So be on your guard!"

Kenneth Copeland - A False Gospel, A False Hope (WoF Series Part 3)

"Larry the Cable Guy" Kenneth Hagin (Word of Faith "founder") and his wacky cohort, Kenneth Copeland demonstrating idiocy

The False Teaching of Rick Joyner

Another important article-here's an excerpt: "We are witnessing in this man's writings some of the most blatant "false teachings" ever to invade the church to my knowledge.  He is preparing the way for any person who clings to the doctrines of the Bible to be identified as the real enemy." 
In other words, we who still believe that the Bible is God's (only) Word are the bad guys in Joyner's very twisted and bizarre "visions."  Please please please don't follow these corrupt ideas-just follow God's Word! -Steve Kozar
Here's a link to the article:
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/joyner.html

What part of this is hard to understand??...
 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" Galatians 1: 8-9 NASB

Here's a very detailed outline of ALL the error in "The Final Quest" (the book that made Joyner a millionaire):
http://www.letusreason.org/BookR4.htm

In case you think I'm being too harsh, I dare anyone to watch all 7 minutes of the voodoo-I mean, church service at Joyner's "church:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgdcdjtlGfo

"Do good for yourself-not for God!..."

"Follow the Elite Heretic Rick Joyner-(or God Might Kill You)"

You can't make this stuff up... If you've been deceived by the writings of Rick Joyner, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this article (and then read it again), and then start reading your Bible! Another GREAT article from Bob Dewaay:

Critical Issues Commentary: Colossian Heresy, Part 3

Ten Distinguishing Marks of a False Prophet

Here's a whole series of articles well worth reading:

Ten Distinguishing Marks of a False Prophet

Healing place or total disgrace? Great teaching video from "Bezel 333!"

A New 95 Theses: Challenging the Excesses of American Evangelicalism

This comes from one of my very favorite teachers/pastors, Chris Rosebrough:

http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/a-new-95-theses-challenging-the-excesses-of-american-evangelicalism.html

Just a sample:
11. In the name of relevance, our Lord Jesus Christ is demoted to a cheesy third rate life-coach whose “gospel” motivates people to focus even more on themselves by believing that Jesus exists to assist them in achieving the objectives of their narcissistic delusions of grandeur. 

Only 1 in 3 Young Born-Again Evangelicals Believe Jesus Is Only Way to Heaven, Apologist Says

Holding to two (or more) opposing beliefs at the same time-it has become "the American way"...

Only 1 in 3 Young Born-Again Evangelicals Believe Jesus Is Only Way to Heaven, Apologist Says

Following Judah's Lion: The Kidnapping of the Bride

Following Judah's Lion: The Kidnapping of the Bride: THE KIDNAPPING OF THE BRIDE II Tim.3:13 - But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. O n ...

"Greater works?" Another great article!

This is what it looks like when a Bible passage is carefully explained in context, without all the confusing fluff and emotionalism. No, we are not supposed to be doing, literally, greater things than Jesus did-and that's good, because we haven't been anyway. You can stop feeling guilty because you haven't raised people from the dead recently. (However, if you've already been doing greater signs and wonders than Jesus you can skip this article...)

http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/greater-works-shall-you-do/

Good division or evil division? Is ALL division bad?

Bethel Sozo - Research Group: Good division or evil division? Division in the c...: For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (1 Corinthians 11:19) This scriptu...

The Real Bill O'Reilly-BAD language alert! (Why do Christians trust him??)

Wretched: O'Reilly biffs it.

Wretched: Bill O'Reilly biffs again.

Wretched: Bill O'Reilly learns a lesson from Robert Jeffres.

Barna survey: pastors avoid "controversy" (unlike Jesus...)

Barna: Many pastors wary of raising 'controversy'

The measures of success for (most) churches is: "attendance, giving ($$$), number of programs, number of staff and square footage." Really??

"The Great Set-Up" part One

This is an article I've been working on for a while now; it's about the core concepts and ideas that are creating a set-up for deception in the Church. Yes, there might be some truth in some of these ideas, but taken as a whole, they have replaced orthodox, Christian Bible teaching and are allowing "another gospel" to be taught. -Steven kozar

1. "God Offends the Mind to Reveal the Heart" This catch phrase isn't in the Bible, and it makes Biblical confusion highly probable; it can be a foundation for manipulation through false doctrine. If anybody promotes discernment (which involves using the mind) they can be dismissed when this catch phrase is used against them. God didn't give us a mind and then expect us to stop using it. Ironically, when a false teacher says things like this, he is using a type of thinking to convince others to think a certain way.

2. "Don't Have a Religious Spirit" This is a vague concept that can allow deceit to stay in place. Want to refute someone who demands doctrinal integrity? Accuse them of having a religious spirit. It's much easier than searching the scriptures and seeking the truth. After all, "God doesn't care about our doctrine, He cares about our heart." That sounds really good but it's not in the Bible. Doctrine IS important! Doctrine tells us who God really is, and who we really are.

3. "Don't Touch God's Anointed!" When false teachers can't defend their beliefs in the clear teachings of the Bible, they use this phrase as a catch all. It's taken COMPLETELY out of context from the Old Testament. Cult leaders always use threats; it's the lowest form of leadership.

4. "Get ready for a new and different thing-it won't be like the old things!" "This is probably gonna make you uncomfortable!" "Don't put God in a box-as soon as you think you've got Him figured out He will do something unexpected!" This can be a way of spiritualizing false teaching, demonizing discernment, and getting people off their guard. The Bible makes it very clear that we are too hold fast to correct (and "old") doctrine. But in the effort to gain followers, a false teacher can always tickle the ears of those who get excited about being part of "something new;" after all, most people don't want to be part of something old. Instead of new versus old, we should be teaching what is true versus what is false. Is it really true that God is always changing His methods and His ways so He can keep surprising us? Well, there will always be some mystery involved in our understanding of exactly who God is (on this side of heaven), but God isn't like a magician or a leprechaun who constantly throws us for a loop to keep us guessing; the Bible describes Him as wanting to be known and understood. Also, being uncomfortable about a teaching doesn't indicate anything for sure, it's just a feeling that is being caused by something; it might be something good or it might be something bad.

5. "We only teach the Bible!" This is, perhaps, the easiest way to teach a false doctrine. For most Christians, they will shut off all discernment once they hear that sentence as a prelude to false doctrine. Plus, a false teacher can just throw in some Bible verses wherever he wants-whether they apply or not-and continue to promote all kinds of weird teaching. If a pastor actually explains that we "should never proof-text!" he's often made it easier for himself to continue proof-texting; the key is to keep his congregation comfortable and trusting. By the way, proof-texting is when a passage of Scripture is taken out of it's original context to make whatever point the pastor wants to make. Frankly, many of the popular Bibles verses people throw around today are taken out of context (see the "WWUTT" videos for examples). Too often, the congregation learns it from their pastor!

6. "But he's really famous (he/she has written books, has a huge church, has a TV show, etc.), he must know what he's talking about." This exposes the painfully common belief that "CONSENSUS EQUALS TRUTH." Few people would ever admit to this ridiculous belief, but their behavior (and thinking) says otherwise. Christians say that they believe the Bible, but what they really believe is whatever their "guy" (local pastor, TV preacher, popular author, etc.) says about the Bible. On top of that, many Christians don't even believe what their local pastor teaches because he is constantly being over-ridden by the surrounding culture. So we have millions of Christians watching 10, 20 or even 30 hours of television per week, yet they just don't have time to read and study the Bible. But when the latest Christian guru comes along with a new method of "hearing from God" they drop everything to "learn the secret;" all the while they've neglected God's Word-the actual words from God. The situation should be seen as utterly absurd, yet since almost everyone behaves and believes this way, it has been normalized. As a result, false teachers have free reign and an almost limitless customer base to promote heresy and to enrich themselves.
     To be continued...

Emergent / Emerging Church Documentary (Amazing!)

Three Questions for Bill Johnson

Great little article on the false teachings of "super-star" pastor, Bill Johnson:
http://www.holybibleprophecy.org/2014/08/03/3-questions-for-bill-johnson/

Parody Of Our Modern Church Service

The Consensus "Peer-Driven" Church

What's the best way to get people to believe they're following the Bible while actually doing the opposite? Get them to go along with the group, because "they" know what they're talking about ("they" told me so).
Excellent article with funny video!
http://www.herescope.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-peer-driven-church.html

Social Psychology - 4 Most Important Studies (Conformity to Authority)

Bob DeWaay: The Works of the Holy Spirit

Bob DeWaay: The Works of the Holy Spirit

SHOCKING DOCUMENTARY 2- False spirits invade the church - KUNDALINI WARN...

Where There's No Vision, the People Perish?

Preach the Gospel, If Necessary Use Words?

The Occult in the Church (discernment video)

Todd Bentley and his DARK ANGELS

Beth Moore's Future Outpouring "Prophecy" (VERY Creepy)

As a Man Thinketh In His Heart, So Is He?

Thou Shalt Not Judge?

False teacher Paula White: "..act like God, create like God". Joins the ...

The New Age Propensities of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson

NEW BOOKLET TRACT: The New Age Propensities of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson

New Apostolic Reformation: It's Influence and Teachings

Here's a very informative article that summarizes this movement:
New Apostolic Reformation: influence and teachings

What's amazing is that most people don't even know what it is...
                         but it's taking over the church like a steamroller!

Spirituality and Your Mind - Voddie Baucham

"The Presence" that Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, etc. failed to mention

Recently, I did a word study of the entire New Testament and there is NOT one verse about "seeking God's Presence" or "feeling God's Presence" or "carrying God's Presence..." (and the word isn't capitalized either, that's a New Age innovation, as Warren Smith explains in the video I posted earlier about the book "Jesus Calling"). 

NOT EVEN ONE VERSE! 

So where is this teaching coming from and why is the church all worked up over this mystical and elusive "pixie dust?" This extensive and scholarly series of articles helps explain:

Part One: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-passion-of-presence.html 
Here are the other pages: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2014_04_01_archive.html

"The Second Pentecost" (otherwise known as: "A Way to Sell More Conference Tickets and Books")

You couldn't make a spoof of this-it already looks like one:

http://apprising.org/2014/05/19/a-second-pentecost-is-there-the-hope-of-an-end-time-repeat-of-pentecost/

An Invasion of Error, A Review of Bill Johnson's "When Heaven Invades Earth"

This is one of the many great articles from Critical Issues Commentary:

http://www.cicministry.org/commentary/issue124.htm

(You can also print out the PDF and pass it along to friends)

Great article about "Cognitive Dissonance" that explains a LOT! Read it more than once, until you really understand it:

http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/creating-straw-men-from-cognitive-dissonance/

New Apostolic Reformation Heresy

Beware Of False Prophets by Sandeep Poonen

ANOTHER JESUS CALLING - Guest: Warren Smith

False prophets of GodTV and DayStar Part1

Let's get started...

I decided to start this blog after taking more and more notes, and bookmarking more and more websites. This is my effort to share these things with others, in the hope that a return to Biblical Christianity will overtake the shallow, manipulative and embarrassing spectacle the church has become. I've had a theory, of sorts, for the past decade or so; it goes like this: "The purpose of life in America today is this: Consume things and Entertain yourself" There are way too many church leaders afraid to address this fundamental problem-which is just mankind's sinful nature, stretched out over an entire culture and made to look normal. Instead of preaching the need for redemption through the shed blood of Jesus, today's "feel good" church continuously tells people that they are not so bad-they just need to be more "positive." It's a vague and dishonest message. I've found that I'm not the only one concerned about the Messed Up Church. In fact, others were way ahead of me in pointing out false teachers, heresies and such. I've compiled many of their websites here; please check them out and take the time to do your own research. Why are there dozens of multimillionaire celebrity preachers teaching apostasy? Because we the church are not reading our Bibles for ourselves and recognizing charlatans in the pulpit. 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." My life was radically transformed as a young teenager in the 1970s. I knew I was a sinner. I knew I was in need of a Savior. I knew it was necessary to make Jesus my Lord. I have no regrets, almost 40 years later. To God be the Glory.