The Magic Bullet to Destroy False Teachings

                                                 

LEARN TO DISCERN by Daniel Plunkett

I've been rather frustrated  for some time now trying to persuade people that some of their favorite teachers are not ones they should be listening to.  Of course, when dealing with issues of discernment, one is usually preaching to the choir. Those who need to know don't want to, and those willing to listen already agree. If only there were a "magic bullet" that could blow most  false teachers out of the water once and for all, especially regarding the Word of Faith, New Apostolic Reformation and the totality of what Costi Hinn has termed The Mystical Miracle Movement. 

At the risk of offending quite a few people, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the the magic bullet does exist, and it's called cessationism. Cessationism is  the view that the Apostolic  gifts of healings, tongues and prophecy (new extra-biblical revelations) ceased with the deaths of the Apostles.  Up until  recently, I was not willing to be dogmatic about this but now I am - with the disclaimer that I know God can do anything but I've seen no convincing evidence that He is distributing the miraculous gifts in our present day.  I've been in the process of writing a book on discernment and my interactions with the publisher have challenged my thinking.   I wrote that I leaned towards cessationism but wouldn't go to the wall for it. My publisher didn't like that wording and gave me some arguments from scripture that I had to admit made sense.

If cessationism is true, then there are a lot of teachers and doctrines that can be instantly  refuted.  Let's sketch some out.

New Revelations - Cessationism states that God ceased giving new revelations (on a par with scripture) with the completion of the canon.  If such new revelations are still happening, then they should be taken just as seriously as Scripture, which opens a huge can of worms. If prophecy has ceased, all those claiming to have gotten various doctrines via  new revelations are automatically shown to be fraudulent.  This would quickly  disqualify the likes of the late Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and too many others to list.

Healings - If healings have ceased, then we can clearly expose the likes of Benny Hinn, Todd White, and their forerunners like Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman and Aimee Semple Macpherson as frauds and charlatans.

Tongues - If tongues have ceased then we have a problem with a huge contingent of folks who identify as charismatics.

However, I expect no one to blindly accept cessationism without providing a bit more evidence. Naturally, the charismatic world will cry foul, and even a significant number of conservative believers will also be averse to putting God in a box, so to speak. As with any doctrine, we must go to Scripture to support this idea of the miraculous gifts having ceased. 

One of the most telling supports is found where Paul felt compelled to defend his Apostolic authority. His reading audience was generally  aware that the original eleven disciples, plus Mattias (who replaced Judas) were close associates of Jesus, and could testify as eyewitnesses that they saw Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.  

Some folks felt Paul did not meet these qualifications, yet he clearly does.  He definitely had an encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and was commissioned by Him. Furthermore, Paul was given the gifts of performing miraculous healings, feats which he specified as being "the signs of an Apostle."

This is merely an introduction to the topic, something to provoke some thoughts. Future posts will deal with the specific Scriptural supports for  this topic. We will also address why the Apostles were given the miraculous gifts.

What's On TV? Sex, Violence or Bad Theology?

What's On TV?  Sex, Violence or Bad Theology?

What's worse, worldly filth or false teachings about Christ? At least if you tune into most TV shows, you know that what you're going to see is not coming from a Christian worldview. The morals are bad, the language is bad, but at least you know what you're getting. But the trouble with so-called Christian TV is that a lot of people really don't know what they're getting. They see a preacher, maybe even holding a Bible, maybe standing in front of a cross, and they think they've found something that's safe to watch. But most of the time they're getting something that's absolute spiritual poison, and they have no idea what they're consuming.

Just for an example, I just went to the website of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and pulled up their program schedule, arbitrarily starting at 3:00 AM.  So, who's on first? None other than Word of Faith uber-star Joyce Meyer. First of all, I always feel compelled to explain Word of Faith, as many people who watch Joyce don't even know the term. To be extremely brief, Word of Faith is a belief system that promotes a whole host of unbiblical doctrines, like that we are little gods, that we can speak our desires into existence, that the hand of God is moved by our spoken words, (something like a genie in a bottle) and then the worst of it is their notion that Jesus had to go to hell and be born again, the first human to do so.  I'm not going to go into much more detail, as I did that in depth in my blog, Learn To Discern. You can read a much more detailed discussion on Word of Faith doctrines here:

LEARN TO DISCERN

Then of course, she's known for promoting the unbiblical fantasy that God wants us all perfectly healthy and wealthy, and if we're not, it's because we must have said negative things and brought it upon ourselves. None of this is biblically true, so let's see who's on next...

3:30 AM; Andrew Wommack. Oh no. Everything I said about Joyce Meyer can be said of Wommack. More Word of Faith nonsense, and if he's got a specialty, it's his insistence that God is not sovereign; we are by the words we speak. You see, in Wommack's world, God is ready and willing to do great things for us, but his hands are tied until we say the magic words and permit Him to act. Totally unbiblical, so let's move on and see if it gets any better..

4:00 AM; Joel Osteen.  Great. More health and wealth nonsense, no better or worse than the previous two. More insistence that our words will become our destiny and we can have whatever destiny we speak out. It's also worth noting that Joel never does the main thing a preacher is supposed to do; preach the gospel. Biblically illiterate folks will leave his broadcasts happy that God's not mad at them and wants them to have a great destiny. The sad part is that a lot of folks will go on believing all that, as well as believing they're saved while skipping right down that broad road to hell. Next.

4:30 AM; Joseph Prince.  Ugh. More health and wealth, more prosperity along with Prince's specialty - hyper-grace. In his world, we get a Holy Spirit that never wants to be bothered with unpleasant things like convicting us of sin. Apparently, Prince uses a Bible that omits some well known verses the rest of us have. Next.

5:30 AM. Joyce Meyer again. Lord help us...

6:00 AM. Creflo Dollar. More Word of Faith with a special emphasis that relates to Creflo's name - Dollars! Creflo's all about the money; send him your tithes and offerings and God will make you rich. Not biblical, not the gospel; this is getting painful.

6:30 AM. John Hagee.  At first glance, Hagee might sound like a breath of fresh air. He often comes across as an old-fashioned fundamentalist, properly exalting our Lord. But pay close attention and you'll discover he's also neck deep in Word of Faith heresies, health and wealth, name it and claim it, God wants you rich, etc. And most disturbing is when you discover his belief that Jesus never claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and that the Hebrew people will be saved by the law, so don't waste time witnessing to them. No thanks, John, I'll stick with preachers who teach what scripture actually says rather than butcher it like you are doing. Is there any chance of finding a solid Bible teacher on TBN? Who's next...

7:00 AM. Joel Osteen. Again? This is just getting too painful. We need to stop.

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Besides, I don't know if I could stomach discussing any more uber-heretics like Benny Hinn, Mike Murdock, Rod Parsley, etc.  Networks like TBN are usually a hotbed of heresy, with no redeeming spiritual value. Yes, you might hear some encouraging words that  lift you up, but often times those words are based on, and laced with lies. Yes, God wants to save your eternal soul and offer you an eternity of blessings, but there's no guarantee of rainbows and unicorns all throughout this life.  If you really scout around Christian TV, you may find an occasional preacher who offers the true gospel. Most likely, such folks will be given the least desirable time slots, where few people will see them. For the most part, I'd say that Christian TV is a vast spiritual wasteland that one should generally stay away from....as far as possible. 

Once again, you can read up on a much more detailed discussion on such issues here...

LEARN TO DISCERN

DELIVERED FROM BENNY HINN; AN ACTUAL MIRACLE!

DELIVERED FROM BENNY HINN 

AN ACTUAL MIRACLE!

by Daniel Plunkett

Benny Hinn slaying a victim

Fans of faith healing evangelist Benny Hinn claim to have seen all kinds of miracles; the miraculous remission of cluster headaches, lower back pain, depression, and even the lengthening of half-inch shorter legs.  Benny Hinn allegedly operates in the same healing gifts as Jesus and the Apostles, so none of this should come as a huge surprise. What is surprising - at least to me, is the noticeable absence of miracles that actually resemble those recorded in scripture.  There is a very good reason for that, and that reason is that Benny Hinn is a fraud, false teacher, and charlatan.

I'm not going to spend time here documenting the fact that Hinn is a fraud. All of that information is out there in the public record. Even a lot of charismatics will admit that Hinn is a high profile con man.  Besides his faux healings, (which generally only work on conditions susceptible to suggestion and / or hypnosis) there is his unbiblical prosperity gospel, which no serious student of scripture can ever find credible.  In a 2016 video  on YouTube entitled, Your Financial Miracle Is At The Door, he tells his faithful that the money they need is already there. It's waiting to be claimed in the name of Jesus, but there's a little ritual one must perform in order to take hold of the cash. And of course, that ritual would be to send a seed gift of money to him, a pretty good amount of it.  If you're looking to live in abundance, you need to send $1000. If you're merely looking for a new season, that'll just be $120.  And the truly miraculous, transcend-your senses fact is that people buy it - literally. What I can't buy is how the man sleeps at night.

But I digress. What I'd like to talk about is a confirmed report of an actual bona fide miracle; the deliverance of Benny's nephew, Costi Hinn from this cesspool of deceit, fraud and lavish living at the expense of the gullible. Yes, Costi Hinn was a part of his uncle's con game for years until he actually put his faith in Christ and came out of that mess to proclaim the real gospel!

I'm not going to rehash Costis's entire story as it's already all over the internet, but I'd just like to bring attention to it, because if any member of the Benny Hinn circus can come to the truth, there's hope for anyone.

Prior to his college years, Costi worked as a catcher for his uncle, catching those who had been slain in the spirit (read that as succumbed to hypnosis) lest they become injured crashing to the floor. He recounts the lavish lifestyle he enjoyed, sleeping in $25,000 per night hotels in Dubai as well as other luxurious stops around the world. No expensive was too high, no accomodations too lavish.

As time went on, Costi recounts becoming dismayed at the fact that he didn't speak in tongues. The people surrounding him made him feel as thought there was something wrong with his faith if he couldn't speak in tongues. But praise God, he soon met the woman who would become his wife, and God used her to turn his life completely around by simply pointing out in scripture where Paul wrote, do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak in tongues?  That simple verse led him to rethink everything he had been told about the Christian life.  And one by one, the idols began to fall harder and faster than the faithful victims of his uncle's magic powers.  His eyes were opened to the fact that being a Christian actually had nothing to do with being guaranteed health, wealth and material happiness; it was about the gospel, something you'll never hear an accurate version of from Benny Hinn.

Soon, Costi stepped into his own ministry, where one of his first assignments was to preach on the passage in John where Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Siloam. This further opened his eyes to the fact that Jesus healed actual crippling ailments in an instant, and the results were visible and verifiable. Jesus did not need for that man to have any faith, either. The man didn't even know who Jesus was! And so more and more elements of truth became crystal clear to Costi. Jesus went to where the sick were. He didn't need to have two hours of repetitive songs and testimonies to create an "atmosphere for faith."

And this, my friends is an actual miracle. A lost and regenerate soul who was being groomed to fleece the flock in the same way as his uncle Benny, was truly born again, repented of his chicanery and is now growing in his own desire to spread the real gospel to a lost and dying world.  Costi claims to have attempted reaching out to Uncle Benny. As of this writing, Benny has not responded. Why am I not surprised?

For a more detailed discussion on the errors of the Health and Wealth gospel and more, click below:

LEARN TO DISCERN

Costi Hinn

AN OPEN LETTER TO FANS OF JOYCE AND JOEL

AN OPEN LETTER TO FANS OF JOYCE AND JOEL

by Daniel Plunkett

If you've read my previous blog series, LEARN TO DISCERN,(click link to view) you may have been offended by some of what was said, and reasonably so. I wish there were a way to relate what's on my heart without offending anyone, but sometimes the truth hurts.   I've found that fans of people like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer are extremely fond of them, and I understand why.  They both offer very positive messages and much of what they say is encouraging. And yes, they do talk about God and Jesus but, as I said in my previous articles, it must be stressed that what you think they are saying is not what they are really saying.

Confusing? I know it is, so please bear with me. Most people who listen to Osteen and Meyer have no idea about the theology and doctrines upon which their messages are based.  Many people who have been listening to them for years have never heard the term Word of Faith, yet that is the belief system they believe and promote.  In Learn To Discern, I go into much greater detail about Word of Faith, so here I'll just summarize.

Did you know that like all Word of Faith teachers, Osteen and Meyer both believe and teach the following doctrines:

- God created man out of a desire to reproduce Himself, therefore we are little gods?

- God lost control of our world when man sinned and therefore can't do anything for us unless one of us speaks it into existence?

- God sent Jesus to redeem mankind, but Jesus left His divinity (His Godhood) in heaven and lived His life doing miracles and raising the dead as just an ordinary man? (In other words, He was not God incarnate!?)

- Jesus actually became a satanic being on the cross, and therefore had to be tormented in hell?

- Jesus was the first man to get born again in hell and regain His divinity, therefore when we get born again we become just as divine as Jesus?

Friends, this isn't just doctrinal confusion; it is blasphemy. Worse yet, to uphold such beliefs, these people have to add to scripture, which is a serious sin. They claim these beliefs come from divine revelation, either to them or to their forerunners like Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland.  But please remember that no true revelation of God will contradict what's already been revealed in His Word.

Scripture has stern warnings about anyone who would preach "another Jesus;" "a different gospel."  And there is the problem. The God of scripture is not dependent on our words to act. Just ask Paul or Jonah.  The God of scripture did not reproduce little gods.  The Jesus of scripture never at any time ceased to be both fully God and fully man. Jesus never ceased to be divine, never had to go to hell and never had need to become born again.  Therefore, the God, Jesus and gospel of Word of Faith teachers are not the same as those of scripture. They truly are guilty of preaching another Jesus and another gospel.

Those are some main points. Secondarily, both Joel and Joyce tell us that scripture instructs us to "call those things that be not as though they are," to speak our desires into existence. Scripture actually tells us no such thing.  They are referring to Romans 4:17, which merely describes God as the only One who can do that!

I'm sure some of you will doubt that Osteen and Meyer actually teach all the things I've said they do. However, you can learn the truth the same way I did, by researching them. Their statements regarding all the doctrines listed above are not the product of word of mouth. Everything is in the public record. Their books and CD's, etc. contain all the teachings I listed.

Furthermore, their teachings on the Christian life blatantly contradict scripture. It is not always God's will for all of us to be perfectly healthy and wealthy. God is not pacing around in heaven hoping you'll say the right words to permit Him to bless you. Jesus guaranteed His followers that they would have trials, hardships, and persecutions in this life, but that He would be with them. 

Can you see now why the preaching of Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen is a different gospel from that of scripture? I hope so. I am truly sorry if I offended anyone but how cold hearted would I have to be to know that these people are lying to you, and not give you a warning? Stick with the Bible. The gospel within it is the truth.

As I've said, you can learn a lot more about these topics in my previous blog series, LEARN TO DISCERN.  It is the product of over three years of intense research, prayer and Bible study, triggered by my own encounter with another Word of Faith teacher. The Bible tells us to test the spirits. I did, and what I learned was shocking. If you read what I learned, I think you'll agree.

ANATOMY OF A WEBSITE; CHARLATAN SPOTTING MADE EASY!

ANATOMY OF A WEBSITE 

CHARLATAN SPOTTING MADE EASY!

In previous blogs, I drew some much needed attention to rising star - and charlatan - faith healer, Billy Burke. I had also mentioned that taking a look at someone's website could reveal a lot of red flags for heresy. In this article, we're going to look at Billy Burke's website, as it is a perfect example of how to spot a charlatan heretic. You may reasonably ask why I'm picking so much on Burke; do I have some sort of axe to grind? Well, yes, and I'll tell you why. I have seen firsthand how this man deludes and deceives his followers, and I consider him rather dangerous.  His star is rapidly rising among charismatics, and it should be thoroughly doused before he damages any more vulnerable souls.

His website is practically a textbook guide to heresy, so let's see what we can learn from it. First of all, it looks like a virtual shrine to himself. I don't see much that glorifies God, but I do see a lot of glorification of self, with pictures like those here:

Like I've said, in other posts, who's getting the glory?  At any rate, his self-aggrandizement is the least of the disturbing elements of his page. The next thing one might notice is the ads for where he'll be "ministering."  One large banner enthuses about his upcoming return to the Hawaiian Islands!  How nice. You might think someone with the gift of healing would visit places like Haiti, where there is no shortage of impoverished and diseased folk, but Billy Burke prefers to offer his miraculous gifts in much more luxurious settings. 

The next banner you see let's you know who he associates with. If you can judge a man by the company he keeps - and you can, this speaks volumes.

Just look at who he's partnering with here; Bill Winston and Jesse DuPlantis, both Word of Faith and Prosperity heretics, and none other than then virtual "Pope" of Word of Faith deceivers, Kenneth Copeland!  In my previous blog, Learn To Discern, I go into much greater detail about the Word of Faith movement, and the many heresies these people teach. You can read some of that here

WORD OF FAITH

The next thing you might notice is his itinerary. He has a pretty routine schedule of flying back and forth between posh hotel banquet rooms in Toronto and Tampa...and of course, that impoverished, disease ridden place known as Maui.

BILLY BURKE'S SCHEDULE

Strange how his busy traveling schedule never seems to find time for visits to hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, etc. But it's not that strange after all, because he has no ability to actually heal anyone, unless you consider relieving backaches, headaches and other discomforts highly susceptible to hypnosis to be miracles of apostolic import.

Next, you might notice his ad for "healing music," with the following claim: "The healing power of anointed music is irrefutable. 

Some songs release the presence of God, while some songs release 
the presence and the power of God."

Hmmm.....I won't deny that music can have power to soothe and comfort but I would say that it's power to heal is not an irrefutable fact. But of course, you can buy the anointed music in his merchandise section.

Next, you might notice his prayer and ministry section, where one link is entitled, Five Hindrances To Answered Prayer. Items two through four are not too troubling, but item one is a huge red flag for Word of Faith heresy, "The prayer is not spoken."  So, if there were any truth to that - and there's not, a mute person would have a very big problem communicating with God. This idea is so offensive, it actually makes me angry. It reflects the typical Word of Faith blasphemies that our God is limited, that He can't act unless someone down here speaks something out loud, which both commands and permits God to act. I'm sorry, Word of Faithers, but God is not limited by anything. He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.  He knows the prayers of a mute person just as well as those that might be shouted through a bullhorn.

Next item of interest is his section on communion, where he has a few interesting things to say. He says Jesus knew that people would need something tangible to connect them to physical, emotional and mental healing. Okay, Jesus can do all of those things but the disturbing part is that Burke is saying that taking communion is some sort of ritual that "opens a door to your miracle." I've heard him teach that in person many times.  And of course, he sells communion sets on his site. Such a surprise.

The next item is where he offers anointed prayer clothes, as many charlatan faith healers are prone to do. But let's look at the claims he makes regarding them, and consider them in the light of scripture:

The anointing of the Holy Spirit can be transferred to a piece of cloth or any tangible object.

Okay, I do know where he's getting this idea from in scripture, but it bears some examination. Yes, there is an account in the book of Acts where items belonging to Peter were brought to the sick and they were healed, but nothing in scripture indicates that this is something that would always happen. Also, this brings up the fact that Peter was an Apostle, and the Apostles were given specific gifts that set them apart as Apostles. No one today meets the biblical requirements for Apostleship and therefore, we can reasonably question the notion that anyone today carries that kind of anointing. You can read an in-depth discussion of these topics, plus my personal encounters with Billy Burke here:

LEARN TO DISCERN, PART 4

The next item we'll look at is his Statement of Faith. Anyone interested in discernment needs to know right up front that virtually anyone can make their statement of faith look legit. No one wants to advertise the fact that they are heretics, so we have to look for red flags, and Burke's definitely has a few.  The first big one would be his implication about divine healing being provided in the atonement. It's not. The Hebrew word that often gets translated as healed, more accurately refers to being made whole spiritually, and thus, by His stripes we are healed does not mean what the faith healers want you to think it means.  He also covers the fact that most of his own so-called healings look like non-events by stating that sometimes healing is gradual, or sometimes God heals through doctors and medications. There is some truth in those statements, but when Jesus and the Apostles healed, the healings were instantaneous, obvious, and required no graduality or medication.

Next, he claims that the Bible endorses prosperity for believers; another red flag for health and wealth nonsense. The Bible teaches no such thing. God may bless some folks materially but His Word has more warnings against seeking wealth than it has positive statements about it.

The next major problem on his website is his Mission Statement and it's disconnect with his actual practice. He claims it is his mission to bring the message of salvation to the world, but in actual fact, he definitely does not do this. I've done the research on this one, been to many of his services and watched many online; never heard the gospel preached, not even once! His services are all about his own self-glorification and his alleged ability to perform miracles, which I saw no evidence of being real.

Also telling is what he calls his so-called church; The Miracle Center World Outreach.  I know I may be biased, but if I were starting a church, I would make sure it's name had at least something to do with God, Jesus, the Gospel. Miracles in scripture served to point people to the gospel, but Burke has it the other way around.  Also disturbing is his tagline, Bringing Healing To The Nations...Again, a real church would emphasise bringing the gospel to the nations. Healing may or may not be a by-product of that, but it should never be the main focus.

There's a very real reason why the gospel is not the focus with people like Burke.  The gospel he promotes is secondary to self-promotion and phony signs and wonders. His is the Word of Faith gospel, where Christ is not preeminent, but rather a genie in a bottle waiting to serve us at our command.  In my previous blog, Learn To Discern, I go into great detail about why Word of Faith is a false gospel and the specifics of what they believe. You can read the whole series here:

LEARN TO DISCERN, PARTS 1-6   

If I were to cover every reason why Billy Burke's website demonstrates his status as a bona-fide heretic, this article could go on forever.  This has just been an overview of things to look for when checking a person out.  From his shameless self-promotion to his sale of anointed merchandise, his site exposes him as someone who cares little for the gospel, and is more concerned with making people think he's something special. As I like to say, when checking out anyone, try to get a feel for where their focus is. If it's anything other than Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation, be afraid. Be very afraid.

False Teachers; The Victims Are The Cause?

False Teachers; The Victims Are The Cause?

Today I'd just like to share some random thoughts about false teachers, why they are so popular and why does God allow them? Granted, these are loaded questions but I'd like to start with a quote from Paul Washer that's going viral on the internet:

"False teachers are God’s judgment on people who don’t want God, but in the name of religion plan on getting everything their carnal heart desires. That’s why a Joel Osteen is raised up! Those people who sit under him are not victims of him, he is the JUDGMENT OF GOD UPON THEM BECAUSE THEY WANT EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS AND IT’S NOT GOD!"

Wow, that's pretty harsh, you might think! (Although there are supporting scriptures.) So let's look to the scriptures and proceed from there....In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes - 

"9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Most commentaries would say that this passage is referring to the coming of the Anti-Christ, so why would Washer apply it to a theological lightweight like Joel Osteen? Osteen is certainly not the Anti-Christ but there is some logic to consider here.  One thing the Anti-Christ will definitely do is deceive.  Scripture also tells us  that in the last days many will fall away from the truth, not endure sound doctrine and accumulate for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. 

Now, do we see some connecting of the  dots?  As false teachers go, Osteen may not be the worst of the worst but like it or not he is a false teacher. He does not preach the gospel and he tells people exactly what they want to hear. For some people, liking Joel Osteen is understandable, especially if they are not well grounded in the scriptures or perhaps have not even heard the gospel.  I would propose that the people God gets most upset with are the ones who know the gospel, they've heard the truth and yet they choose to listen to feel-good  speakers like Osteen who tell them how God wants to grant them "favor, promotion and increase," so they can have their best lives now.

These people should know better. The message of Osteen - as well as that of Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, Andrew Wommack, Creflo Dollar and so many others - does not line up with scripture and  is definitely not the biblical gospel.  Yet it appeals to their desires; they want to have their blessings in heaven and in this life too, and scripture does not promise that. You will never hear a Joel Osteen preach on how we must carry our cross and die to self, as Jesus taught. In fact, that is the polar opposite of Osteen's standard thrust. Therefore, God - knowing these people have heard the truth, yet would rather hear the opposite - sends them a strong delusion; Christian-sounding preachers who will tell them they can have it all, when God's Word paints a very different picture of what the Christian life should look like.

Now, lest anyone accuses me of giving way too much attention to Osteen, he is by far just the tip of the iceberg.  He is one representative of the Word of Faith camp, but there are other "camps," deceiving the flock. The scripture we looked at earlier warns of deceptive signs and wonders, and we see an explosion of that today. I'm saving my  examination of that for some future articles but we can briefly point to the obvious; people like Benny Hinn who make extravagant shows of purported healings that are more mind control and parlour tricks than anything verifiable .  You've got the New Apostolic Reformation - which likes to change it's name frequently so it's adherents can deny belonging to it - claiming to be Apostles and Prophets - such as Bill Johnson, Todd Bentley, Heidi Baker, Todd White, etc. - on a par with the Biblical ones and asserting that all Christians should be subject to them in order to establish God's Kingdom prior to Christ's return.(Which is totally unbiblical.) They, too are responsible for a plethora of fake signs and wonders. 

My intention here is not to bash or denigrate you if you are listening to people like Joel Osteen. I get it; I used to listen to him as well. But I would gently encourage you to prayerfully consider what your favorite teachers are saying as compared to the plain doctrines of scripture - and if there's a discrepancy, you know what you need to do; stop listening to them! Sometimes that's a painful decision for folks, but remember this - the delusion is strong, but the truth is stronger! Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Whatever Happened To The Church And The Gospel?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CHURCH AND THE GOSPEL?

Has anyone noticed that the modern church bears little to no resemblance to the one established by Christ and the apostles?  What we see in today's church has been going on for so long that most people just take it for granted. However, it's worth noting that a whole lot has changed. As we look into this and discuss why it's a problem, we need to go back and see what the church is supposed to be about in the first place....the gospel.

There are many good Christian churches today that definitely do proclaim the gospel, but there are too many churches that have changed the message so smoothly that  people believe they're hearing the gospel when they're really hearing something else.  So for the sake of clarity, let's look at what the Bible has to say about the gospel.  Scripture tells us that God created our world and mankind. Satan tempted man to sin in the Garden of Eden and man succumbed to that temptation. God, who is holy and righteous cannot be in the presence of sin, and so the relationship between Creator and His creation was severed. Mankind was now lost and stood no chance of being forever with God as God desired, so God unfolded a plan of redemption. God would take on human form in the person of Jesus, live a sinless life, minister on this earth for three years, be put to death to atone for our sins, be buried and raised from the dead on the third day.  All those who would believe in Him and repent of their sins would be saved and thus spend eternity in His glorious presence. And there, I've attempted in my own feeble way to summarize the message of the entire Bible in a nutshell; the gospel is God's message of salvation through Christ. 

What follows the gospel message in scripture is a series of writings that help us understand what life should look like for the believer; how to live as a child of God and spread the message of salvation to others.  The church was established to both spread the gospel as well as provide a fellowship for believers who could support and encourage each other as they strived to  grow in the faith.

Life was not easy for the early Christians, nor is it easy for many believers around the world today. Jesus promised a glorious future for us in eternity but He also warned that following Him would come at a price. He cautioned his disciples that they would be persecuted, mocked and made to endure hardships on His behalf. The reason is simple. The system that governs this world is under the influence of Satan and Satan hates the gospel. He will do all he can to discourage believers from spreading the truth and he has done his best towards that end since the beginning of time.

Thus the early church was not always a very comfortable thing to be a part of. Believers no doubt had the joy of knowing they would spend eternity with their Lord, but at the same time they were indeed persecuted. The original apostles suffered beatings, stonings, imprisonment, all - except for John - died martyr's deaths.
The lives of many early Christians followed a similar pattern. The gospel message was never a popular one. 

What is the point, you may ask? Where are we going with all this? The point is we need to look at what has changed in Christianity over time and has it changed in a good way? Is the message being proclaimed by today's celebrity pastors the same gospel that  was proclaimed by the apostles or is it a different message all together?

Once again, there are good churches today, proclaiming the truth. But there is a large movement within modern evangelicalism that bears little or no resemblance to biblical Christianity.  Imagine if you will, some representatives of modern Christianity interacting with the first century saints and how such meetings might go down...*What follows is fictitious*...

The Apostle Paul was confined to chains in a harsh Roman prison. The Roman authorities were not fond of Christians to say the least. Paul took his sufferings in stride, knowing full well that Jesus had said those who wished to follow Him would have to take up their cross; carry their own burdens and sufferings. Paul used his time in prison to write letters to fellow believers and encourage them in the faith. 
One day as he was studiously composing a letter to the Corinthian believers, describing all that he had suffered for the cause of Christ, suddenly he was startled by a loud banging on the door to his cell.

"You have a visitor!" shouted the Roman guard.

"Who is it?" asked Paul.

"Hi!" said the smiling visitor, flashing a bright, white smile and extending a hand. "I'm Joelius Osteenius and I've heard about you, so I thought it might be nice to come visit!"

"Oh," said Paul. "I've not heard of you. Are you likewise part of a persecuted fellowship?"

"Oh, no," said Joelius. "We've moved past all that and I thought you could use some encouragement!"

"I am quite encouraged in the Lord already. I know I will be with Him forever in eternity. Has the Lord given you some special word for me?"

"Yes, indeed Paul! I see you're writing there and I like to write, too. I've written some things you should find encouraging and it looks like you really need it! Can I see what you're writing, Paul? Hmmm....

 "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep....,"

" Wow, Paul - you really are missing out on God's best! You've been stuck in all sorts of trials, troubles and mediocrity when you could be stepping into your destiny and having your best life now!"

"Joelius - I consider these present sufferings as nothing compared with the glory that is to be!"

"But you're missing the point, Paul. God has not appointed you to be miserable. You're a child of the King! Now is your time to step into what God has for you; favor, promotion and increase! You just need to declare it! C'mon, say it with me...declare - I AM not a prisoner! I AM blessed! I AM gonna ride out of here in a royal chariot I didn't even pay for!"

Paul shot Joelius a withering look, "Do you even know Jesus?"

"C'mon Paul! Hold up your Torah! Say it like you mean it...."

....Ok, I could have fun creating such fictional scenarios all day but I hope you get the point. Do you see how popular Christianity has changed and how the message has changed? Not every church or pastor is guilty but there's enough of them that we must address it. I'm mostly talking about what you'll see if you turn to Christian TV networks like TBN  and Daystar. The message of the church was once the gospel of salvation through Christ. Now it's how to have your best, most comfortable life right now while enjoying every day life.

I'm not saying Christians should be miserable; not by a long shot. Especially here in America, we have not endured anything close to the persecution experienced by other believers around the globe. Thank God horrors like imprisonment are not the norm for us as they were for the first century church.  But the message of the church has changed from the gospel of Jesus to a gospel of self and material comforts, and we need to recognize that as a huge problem.

Thousands of people flock to their mega churches each week and millions more watch on TV as smiling preachers tell them that God wants them happy, healthy and prosperous.  There is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things but that is not the gospel.
I started by picking on Joel Osteen so I might as well continue. His messages - like those of many other televangelists -  are extremely popular, uplifting and encouraging but they are not the gospel.  He is sending the unsaved in his audience home happy, thinking they are entitled to all the material blessings they desire, but he is doing them a great disservice by sending them home with virtually no knowledge of how to be saved! What good is it to have all these things and lose your soul when it's all over?  

I am planning to write some blogs and articles that will address these issues in greater detail but for now let's just look at some of the beliefs that I see creeping into today's church and why they are erroneous.

1: Living the Christian life is all about the blessings He wants to blow your socks off with!.....Um, no, yes and maybe but not really....Confused? Look at it this way. There is no reason to think that God does not want to bless you, but there is also no reason to think you're entitled to it!  God can and sometimes does choose to bless people with health and material goods, but that is never what the Christian life is all about. The Christian life is to be about holy living and spreading the gospel to others.

2: We can declare blessings over our lives.  There is much to be said for thinking and speaking positively, but no -  we can't just make things happen by declaring our wishes to be so. This falsehood stems from the increasing popularity and growth of the Word of Faith movement, a belief system that people like Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland and many others promote. I plan to explore Word of Faith in depth in some future articles, but to summarize, one major tenet is the belief that our spoken words have supernatural power to create our reality, thus we hear terms like "name it and claim it!"  This belief actually stems from some New Age and occult beliefs that early proponents of WOF thought they could adapt to Christianity. There is nothing in scripture that supports such a notion. Joyce Meyer, in particular likes to quote Romans 4:17 as proof that we can speak things into existence so let's take a look at it: 

17 (as it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.  

The verse is simply talking about Abraham and his faith in God, who can "calleth those things which be not as though they were."  Nothing in the verse - or anywhere else is scripture - implies that we can do the same thing! It's a twisting and misuse of the verse to imply that we can.

3: Jesus paid for our physical healing  in the atonement.  I'm tempted to just say, no - He didn't, but actually He did. However, we have no assurance or entitlement to physical healing this side of eternity. We will have our perfect, healthy bodies in heaven but not necessarily before.  Too many people are being told that Jesus purchased our physical healing for the here and now, and we just have to claim it by faith. They usually quote Isaiah 53:5 as a proof text; 

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.  

Most scholars I've researched say that the Hebrew word being translated as healed more accurately refers to being made whole spiritually. This error leads to an awful lot of people with damaged faith, thinking they're not getting healed because there's something wrong with their faith. There's not; there's something wrong with the falsehoods being promoted within the so-called Health and Wealth Gospel.

4: Experiences, signs and wonders over scripture. This is a big one. Too many people are believing false doctrines just because they were introduced to them in the presence of alleged miracles or they had a "powerful experience."  This topic will definitely be addressed in future articles, but suffice it to say that scripture is to be our final authority and arbiter of truth. Period. And we must remember that feelings can be subjective and misleading. 

Signs and wonders prove God's involvement.   No, they don't; at least not always. Scripture say that Satan will deceive many with signs and wonders.  (And remember that if the message being preached is false, the appearance of miracles does not make it true!) That means exactly what it says. It doesn't say he will deceive a lot of people except for - insert your name here. Too many people think they are above deception. None of us are. Satan will not come to you looking like the infernal embodiment of evil that he is. He may just appear as everything you've ever longed for....and quite possibly in a church service! The best way to watch out for fraud is by becoming intimately familiar with the real. That can only happen by immersing yourself in the scriptures and holding them to be infinitely more authoritative than any other source.



There are a boatload of other heresies being propagated within the modern Church and I plan on dissecting these in greater detail going forward, but I pray that for now I've at least given  some food for thought regarding the true gospel vs. what's being taught by so many so-called pastors today. Thanks for reading and God bless!