Doctrines of Demons (Part 2)

 

Please read Part I to get our whole theme.  This is on Ron Matsen’s sermon “Doctrines of Demons.”  We are focusing on Satan’s desire to deceive us from seeing Jesus as God.  Now let’s look at specific antichrist cults, whose gospel was perfected by Satan.

Let’s look at the Gnostics first, since that deviation from orthodoxy happened first. Interestingly, the cult was birthed in a seminary In Alexandria, Egypt, during the days of the apostles. So Satan wasted no time introducing the first heresy.  They believed in another Jesus because their theology taught that material things must have been created by an inferior god, since they believed that no physical thing, no physical body, can be pure and holy.  Those two qualities belong to the spirit realm, which were created by a higher god. (They believed in multiple gods.) Therefore, Jesus, as a higher god, could not have physically visited the earth, because He was holy. So His “appearance” on earth had to be in a ghost form only. He was an aura. This took away the humanity of Jesus, which was important, as we saw in Hebrews in Part I. II John 7 also says:

For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

An antichrist, as the term “anti,” says, is one who believes a false Jesus—and also teaches it. Gnosticism was on Satan’s side, because it was against the real, physical Jesus in His incarnation.

Now let’s bring up the Muslim Jesus.  Keep in mind, if you will, that I am not writing arguments against every one of these “facts” they assert.  I assume that you know enough of the Scripture to know that there is no one named Issa in the Bible, that Jesus’s mother is Mary, etc.  The false stuff that these cults believe is usually because they have an alternative book to the Bible.  It might be the book of Mormon, the Quran, the Watchtower, etc.  Their books they consider higher than the Bible.  In the U.S., there was superb Bible training in the past.  How could anyone in this country believe these books were superior to the Bible?  Total disrespect for God’s Word will not do people well on Judgment Day.  We must read it to our kids, tell them that we love God’s Word, that He gave it to us, and it is the only Truth we can be sure of.  Sunday School doesn’t cut it.

Anyway, here are religious Muslim beliefs surrounding Jesus:  His true name, according to the Quran, is “Issa,” or “Isa.” They did not believe Jesus, or “Issa,” was God.  He was only a prophet, and his main two messages in coming to earth were: Surrender to Allah; and Muhammad is Coming.  His original disciples, they say, were Muslims.  Issa’s mother was Miriam, who was sister to Aaron and Moses. (They have a problem with time scale, since those Biblical characters lived over a thousand years earlier.)  Despite the clarity of Scripture and other writings and events as proof, Issa was not crucified and did not die. Those who say otherwise “lied.”  Instead of dying, he ascended to Allah. This bypasses His death on the cross; thus, it tries to wipe away His redemptive payment for our sin—but that was His main purpose in coming to earth. This idea was a serious heresy in doctrine.  At Resurrection, they say, Allah will be a witness against Jews and Christians, for believing that Issa died. Muhammad was God’s gift to Christians because he corrected their misunderstanding by writing the Quran.

This hyper-distortion guarantees that religious Muslims are unsaved, and almost all bound for hell if they die believing it.  But some Muslims are additionally a danger to Christians and Jews, because the Quran is extremely antisemitic, and their teaching on End Times is apocalyptic destruction.  We do not have the space to deal with it here; just be warned. These people have nothing to tell you.  Turn away from those who preach it.

Next, the Mormon Jesus.  Jesus was conceived, they say, through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary—yet they believe Mary was still a virgin at Jesus’ birth. They believe that Jesus was the literal brother of Lucifer (or Satan). How could anybody believe this?  Their leaders must never speak of this ‘brother of Satan’ openly in their weekly meetings, it is so audacious. Yet they have 6.5 million Mormons in the U.S., whose eternal destiny is on the edge of a cliff; if they accept it, and do not think of fighting against this..this chunder, their destiny is hell.  They have a mind; we all have a responsibility to know our church’s doctrine.  If God gives these people the light to see this as insolence against Him, and they are willing to walk away from it, they have a chance for heaven.  Ignorance doesn’t save you from hell’s grasp.  

Even worse, if possible, is their statement that Jesus earned His salvation while on earth—and offers His grace only to those who work hard enough. This is salvation through works, which is against Scripture. Also, it again takes away His sinless divinity (since He “had to earn His salvation”).  But the Bible clearly teaches that through His grace, our trust in Him and why He died on the cross is the key on the way to our salvation. 

They further claim that Jesus is finite, not infinite, saying He began His existence when He was born on earth. This denies an essential quality of God, that He is Eternal.  They have made Him immortal, as a higher angel. But Jesus is God; He is infinitely higher than the angels; He created them! And, they say, He had to submit to a moral law that “began before He did.” But Jesus gave a New Covenant, and was not under the Moses law, as they are implying.  He sets the laws; He is sovereign to it.  The purpose of that Law, for us, was to teach us that we, who have the nature of sin, can never be perfect enough to obtain heaven.  We were not created so we could brag that our obedience to law brought us to heaven. Note Hebrews 7:18—19:

For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

The “better hope” is Jesus, through whom we have a shot at heaven, by true faith. We must admit that we are sinners; trusting that His redemption on the cross initially saves us.  After that, loving and obeying Him, our Savior, is possible with the Holy Spirit helping. If it doesn’t make us a radically different person, we missed what it is to be truly ‘saved.’

To continue Mormon dogma:  They say, beyond death, we will be just like Him. So we will be little gods?  Here is what the sources say: 

Mortals themselves may become gods and goddesses in the afterlife, be rulers of their own heavenly kingdoms, have spirit children, and increase in power and glory forever.

Jesus plainly taught that there will be no marriage in heaven. Matthew 22:30:

At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven

(Final note:  Mr. Matsen questions Christian acceptance of Mormons such as Glenn Beck and Mitt Romney, since they, as Mormons, believe in “another Jesus.” Do you want unsaved people, whose spiritual father (John 8:44) is still Satan (whether they know it or not), directing our thoughts, or our legislation? Take that time instead to read the Scripture. No lies, just the truth.

Next, the Jehovah Witness Jesus.  He was Michael the archangel before He came to earth. After resurrection, He was again Michael, leading angels in fighting with the dragon (Satan).  Again, we have the lack of faith of Jesus being an angel.  See prior paragraph.  They changed John 1:1; their Bible says “the Word (or Jesus) was a god.” The Bible actually reads “the Word was God.”)  By adding that little word, they are vague about Jesus being uniquely God.  That’s because they do not believe in the trinity.  Hard as that concept is to understand, there is no way we can understand everything about an infinite God. Scripture teaches it, so we believe it.  We trust God to tell the truth.  Here’s additional proof that they are lowering Jesus. From my source:   

They affirm that God—Jehovah—is the most high. Jesus Christ is God's agent, 

But an agent is not God. In explaining Jesus as “a god,” they say, “the Word was a powerful godlike one. Clearly Jesus is not Almighty God.” Unfortunately, this quote was another step backward—godlike isn’t God. The term Almighty God may suggest the Father’s unique trait to some people, but there is no question that Jesus has infinite power as well, so He deserves the title Almighty as well. 

Side note:  their fixation on a date for Christ’s return.  Charles Taze Russell, their founder, began this sect in the 1880’s.  He originally taught that Jesus would return to earth invisibly in 1914. They played this up, and got a huge boost in their membership. They shouldn’t have, since the Bible says that when He makes His Second Coming, we will all see Him. The sky will be dark, then suddenly a bright lightning, then He appears on a horse in the sky with His angels (Matthew 24:27ff).  As Judge of all the earth. What is “invisible” about that?  When the anticipated 1914 passed, they were forced to change that doctrine later.  They really, really wanted to set a date for Christ’s return to earth, so they kept setting dates, and when the date passed, they changed the doctrine yet again.  Here again, the Bible teaches that’s wrong. In Matthew 24:36, Jesus says:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 

BUT He tells us that there are signs so we will know that we are close, Matthew 24:32-33:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!

The point being, no matter how bad it gets in those last days, there is comfort for a believer if the signs in the world match up, and we can say the rapture is near.  But we cannot fix a date, and then just exist, making no plans for the future, thinking about that so much.  We should not be so enslaved by the future that we forget to live in the present so we, as Christians, can do some good for the Lord.

When a Mormon or a JW comes to your door, and says “I believe in Jesus, you shouldn’t fall for the deception and ignorantly say, “Well, I do too.” You have nothing in common, knowing their doctrine was fostered by Satan. They believe in another pseudo-Jesus.  Both cults deny some necessary attribute of divinity, so both cripple the story of His Redemption—because He was God and Human while on earth, and He was sinless and His death could redeem us if we have trusting faith.  Those who believe these  are anti-Christ, and are bound for hell until they see the Gospel. They have nothing to teach you.

 I don’t think most of us could successfully teach such visitors to our door the Truth—they almost always have a second person around to keep you from saying much.  Nothing wrong in you learning how to present the Gospel, but I wouldn’t suggest you engage them if you’re a young one in the Lord.

There are other denominations who have “another Jesus,” but I only had room for the main ones.  Millions of people have been deceived, not only in these groups, but Jesus has been distorted by groups even calling themselves “evangelical.”  Many of my other blogs can tell you about that.  I just hope you will study His Truth before looking for a church that betrays what a church is for. God go with you.

      

 

Doctrines of Demons

 

I’ve just heard an excellent speech by Ron Matsen called “Doctrines of Demons.”  He has been a pastor of Calvary Chapel Portsmouth for 30 years, and loves Expository (verse-by-verse) preaching.  This sermon, made three years ago, is very relevant today.

He begins by telling us Jesus’ opening remarks about the End Times. Our Lord is making us aware, in Matthew 24, that many of us will be deceived by false prophets, so we need to “take heed” to Satan’s cunning ways that he operates through his human servants:

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you….Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many…

What does deception do? Deception is a powerful weapon in helping to defeat your enemy’s goals.  Think of the great efforts the Allies did pretending to land the D-Day troops at Calais in France.  Nazis were deceived, and put many troops there, so they were not available to hold off the Allies at the actual landing strip, Normandy.  Deception throws your sight off the real truth, and exchanges it for pseudo (partial) truth. 

Satan used deception to throw off Eve from truth in Genesis 3. God said not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, or else they would die. Satan, who appeared to her as an attractive figure (God reduced him to a serpent on his stomach after this), blatantly accused God of lying. Satan told her “You will not surely die”, but then he focused her attention on a “lust of the flesh” deception (you will be like God, knowing good and evil).  That deception caused her to ignore the issue of whether it was possible for God to lie, or whether this creature was more credible than God—and transferred her attention to what could feel good (“knowing things like good and evil is desirable to me”). So he got her to sin based on pseudo-truth. He told her a truth—she did obtain knowledge of good and evil, by experiencing the evil guilt of disobedience; and he told her a lie, since her body immediately began to reproduce cells in accordance with mortality, and she experienced spiritual death—separation from God--with full death later (she and Adam were probably initially intended to be with God forever, as immortals). 

I have to take a rabbit trail and give you a current batch of deceptions. Wikipedia is not a believer in the inspiration of Scripture.  So in our question about Scripture, they divert us with “facts”—but those facts are chosen by “scholars’ theories” instead of Scripture. Those theories sound good, but they steer us away from considering God’s Word as final truth. Nor do they tell us where these “facts” come from.  Check out what they say about Eve’s sin:

Genesis 2 narrates that God places the man, Adam, in a garden with trees of whose fruits he may eat, but forbids him to eat from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." God forms woman, Eve, after this command is given (underline is mine).

What are they saying?  They are implying that Eve was possibly not responsible for sin—since she did not receive the command from the lips of God as Adam did. She got it from her husband, who was not a perfectly reliable source for accuracy—since he was human.  Since we have opened the door for his possible mistake in relaying that information, perhaps she did not sin in her act. Well, I have a number of complaints about that—but let’s just go with the obvious:  God believed she sinned.  She was cursed (Genesis 3:16) right along with Adam, which effectively said that that was her punishment for her sin. 

Wikipedia, in giving their “alternative” explanation, wants women to feel oppressed by the masculine characters around her, who seem ever willing to blame her, when (they say), possibly she doesn’t deserve any of that blame.

Wikipedia is good at this cleverness.  From a previous blog I did, check out when they think the Book of Daniel was written:

The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BCE biblical apocalypse with a 6th century BCE setting. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel.

(P.S: The abbreviation “BCE” (Before the Common Era) is a favorite term they like to use to substitute for BC, Before Christ. That way they can avoid glorifying the importance of Christ in human history.)

The problem for Wiki is that the Book of Daniel names an upcoming king, Cyrus, who will rule Israel in the future—which was a miraculous prophecy, since the Book was written even before Cyrus was an adult.  So Wiki has to discount this prophecy somehow, since prophecies being that specific are supernatural, and that means God inspired the Bible authors. So they cooked up the “alternative explanation” for events that eliminates the supernatural. They are saying, in their first sentence above, it was written in the 2^nd century BC, by an author who was pretending (“ostensibly”) that he was Daniel, writing 400 years previously.  So since the “prophesied” events had already happened when the imposter wrote, the “prophecy” wasn’t a prophecy at all. They’re also saying, by the way, that the writer of Daniel was a liar, and by today’s standards, a felon as well.

Well, archeology and the Book of II Chronicles agrees with Scripture—the Book of Daniel was written before Cyrus, and written by Daniel, and since it mentioned Cyrus as a future ruler, it was indeed a supernatural prophecy. What is also noteworthy is, Cyrus is also mentioned in Isaiah 44 and 45.  But the Book of Isaiah, written by Isaiah, had to be written before Isaiah’s death, estimated by archaeologists to be close to 686 BC. Thus, his mention of Cyrus was also a miraculous prophecy too—since Isaiah had to write it before he died, which was at least a full 146 years before Cyrus came along as ruler of Israel in 539 BC.  Of course, “scholars” covered their butts on this one by saying, conveniently, Isaiah wasn’t written by Isaiah; that we don’t know who wrote it, or when. Likewise the Book of Deuteronomy wasn’t written by Moses, they say (heck, let’s clear out the whole crew). Check this Wiki quote about what they call the author of Isaiah: 

The unknown second prophet (See Deutero-Isaiah) 

We conclude that Wikipedia allowed writers who were agnostic to challenge Biblical inerrancy without telling us; so Wiki is using deception, and is not to be trusted for research on fundamental (i.e., miraculous) Christianity. 

Well, that was enlightening; that’s our current lesson in deceptive pseudo-truths. Let’s get back to our main theme, the problem of deception pulling us away from God in the End Times. Paul said that some people will be deceived, like Eve was; then he calls the authors of deception “spirits;” and further, “Doctrines of Demons.” This is based on I Timothy 4:1:

Now the (Holy) Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

What are “doctrines of demons?”  Dr. Matsen calls them very good at “deception through disinformation.”  That word is not the same as misinformation, which leaves an opening that it was accidental.  Disinformation is bad information that follows an agenda.  (Ed. Note: If you are familiar with the term as applied currently, the Deep State will tell us lies that sound good, but they are just “gaslighting” us as they await their chance for a crisis to make us fearful enough, by their disinformation, to abandon important portions of the Constitution in the name of “protecting our security.” That’s their agenda).

 Without a doubt, the agenda that Satan would like to fulfill most, of course, would be to spread deceptions on Jesus Himself, to tear down His Godhood. The truth part of his pseudo-truth is the hook, to lead weak Christians in. Then he spreads his lies.  

Let me first speak briefly to those who say that Jesus “never claimed to be God.”

In John 8:58, Jesus claims a name that is reserved for God:

 'I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

This was the name God gave Himself when he first communicated with Moses.  In Exodus 3:14 “God replied, 'I am who am. ' 'This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.”

In John 14:9 Jesus says:

 “Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 4:25-26:

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” ²⁶ Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

These are but a few of many. Jesus also calls Himself Son of Man.  That title, in the Old Testament, means Deity.  The Pharisees and scribes knew what He was claiming. They accused Him of blasphemy.  But they couldn’t get around His healing, His raising people from the dead (including Himself).

Let’s get back to our main theme.  Satan’s followers, in tearing down Jesus, may dream up an “alternative creed” to “correct the errors of the past,” for instance.  Everybody likes modern things; they’re assumed to be improvements, right?  Here’s one such example:  Joseph Smith, the Mormon founder, declared that Christianity became corrupt and apostate over the centuries—it was, he said, an abomination to God. Smith was there to save us with his alternative version, the Book of Mormon. He wrote it around 1835, and since the Bible was finished nearly 2000  years ago, his book can be considered a modern arrival. They say it corrects the past.

The mixture of truth and deception will appear truthful to those who do not know their Scripture well, or have let their worldly feelings and lusts rule their decisions. With this tactic, unless we know our Bible, we become easier marks for Satan. 

I have an important sad fact to mention:  Our ignorance of Biblical doctrines may have a disastrous result when we die. Denying Jesus as God is a damnable event (I John 2:23).  Belonging to a false church which preaches that, and if we ignorantly or willfully don’t challenge it, that means we accept it and are thus guilty of it, and we find ourselves in hell after the Judgment at the resurrection. God says some have believed in “another gospel” (II Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:7), and thus we could be on Satan’s side, not Christ’s side, when Judgment Day comes. Jesus did say that a lot of people would be totally shocked when Jesus rejects them from heaven. See Matthew 7:22-23:

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

I cannot but stress it enough the importance of Bible reading to learn correct doctrine. Paul told Timothy, a young pastor, that he must preach  good doctrine; that’s an important reason for teaching, or studying, the Bible. II Timothy 3:16 says:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

Here’s the truth:  Christian orthodox doctrine (formalized expressions of a foundational belief, from the context of Scripture) maintains that Jesus was both Man and God while on earth. He experienced pain and hunger, but He also knew exactly what people were thinking, knew exact things ahead of time; and could walk on water or through walls, could miraculously heal at will, and could appear and disappear at will. (I haven’t the space to list even a part of all the precise events—guess you’ll have to read the Gospels.)  

You may not be desirous of raising the banner to His human side, and declare that the only thing important is that He was God.  I disagree. First of all, God is a spirit, and is not visible with human flesh. Jesus could not have His influence as an invisible spirit. Further,  Hebrews tells us He was made “perfect through suffering,” and, as Hebrews 2:9 says:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone

Jesus had to be a Man, “a little lower than the angels,” for a time; He had to taste death and torture to pay for our sin. We are unable to pay for our sin. He had to be tempted through trials of hunger and pain, to show that we can also defeat sin and temptation no matter the circumstances.  All that made perfect His appearance on earth.   And we can identify with Him when we suffer persecution. So let us thank God for His Incarnation.  We cannot identify with a non-feeling spirit-ghost-person, or even worse as a mysterious, uninterpretable aura of Christ-likeness, whatever that is. 

Satan is satisfied with tearing down either side of that Human/God concept.  You’ll see details of what I mean next week, as we delve into the deceptions that might take us into perdition, if we are not aware of Satan’s craftiness. We will take a close look at various “doctrines of demons.”   

There are three deceptions Satan uses, outlined in II Corinthians 11:4:

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted…

 

You’ll recognize “another Jesus” in the spurious doctrines below and next week. I John 2:22-23 tells us how important it is not to reinterpret Jesus:

 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ (ie, Anointed One)? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Reading that, you first of all see how the Son (Jesus) is equated to the Father.  Also, you get the idea that how people interpret Jesus is serious enough for God to consider it a litmus test, a line in the sand. Believe in Jesus as God, and act accordingly; then you’ve got an important doctrine on the path that leads to heaven. Don’t believe that; that path is on the way to hell.

More detail on the “Christian” cults next week.   

Church of Tares (Part 2 of 2)

 

Two weeks ago we began studying the flaws in the New Reformation and the many Megachurches that have adopted it.  We began our third objection, namely their message is not the Gospel as presented in Scripture. (It might be a good idea to read last week’s blog, Part I.) Let’s continue our study of that objection in Part II. 

A classic example of their feel-good doctrine, and the message it contains, came from Bill Hybels.  He did a survey of his vast church. But it found that a lamentably large percentage of his congregants were recently engaging in illicit sex (example:  41% of divorced people, 38% of single parents).  Did he call the congregation to repent for some of their rebellion against a holy God? No; he immediately exuded compassion, lest anyone feel guilty.  He said “We are a love-starved people, with broken hearts that need the kind of repair that only He can give.” Thus, he provided a great rationale for the fornicators to go on as before; now he can also think that he’s been victimized, not having an outlet for his love-starved need (ie, sex). Can you see a lack of exhortation there?  Any conviction?  God wants us to confess our sin (I John 1:9), not to find ways to continue in it. So these popular pastors treat gross sinners with a light touch, and condemn the Bible-reading devout by calling him a “jackass” or a “Pharisee” (Steven Furtick, another pastor among their movement leaders).

Yes, Jesus was kind to particular sinners.  Thinking of the adulteress, Jesus did not want her killed.  When He got the Pharisees to go away, He told her to “sin no more.” In His work of evangelism, He opened Himself up to anybody who had experienced lives of rejection and were hungry for meaning to life.  They knew they needed help.  The Pharisees’ problem was ignoring their sin. The “treatment” of immorality among these pastors needs to apply the Word; let it do its proper use as a sword, helping them to see their sin, exhorting people to stop, and pruning their lives (John 15:1-6).  Our depraved society calls us hypocrites for making this “tough love” part of our counseling, but Jesus’ mission is to save us for heaven and save us from sin.  He gives us the Holy Spirit for real help.  Sin is pleasurable; you have to reminded people of its consequences (yes, you can lose your salvation) before you want to let it go.  Also, imperfect people should exhort other imperfect people without being called a legalist, a judgmentalist, a  hypocrite, as if none of us has the truth or the right to coax our brothers to turn to the right way—because we love them. 

The proof of them being “vehemently anti-doctrinal” is on the surface; their movement’s church names are always non-denominational.  You could also dig into their introduction materials online, and generally fail to find much about their creed.  Those pastors I spoke to were unwilling to get beyond vagueness on important matters (at least, to me). But they know they generally don’t have to worry about it--people I talk to in intro groups don’t care about doctrine.  What does it say about today’s culture that doctrines that people died to maintain 500 years ago are irrelevant today?

These pastors steer away from any controversy, skipping verses, even books, to prevent argument.  Many of them never deal with prophecy, even though whole books of Scripture are devoted to it; many avoid discussing things like gay people, or the role of men or women. It would be nice to learn from our pastor something to say to witness to people what God’s Word says about a current cultural obsession.  People might even get the idea that the Bible is actually relevant, and isn’t just loving speeches on being kind, and humble, or giving them moralistic goals that are “impossible” to meet.  Many pastors would never preach on what Jesus said in John 6, or would call Paul a “sexist” (despite his words being God’s inspired Words), because of what he said about women’s role in church.  May I say, ignoring large portions of God’s Word is just deception.  As if Jesus were a kind soul all the time, and hated arguing.  That’s the view these pastors give us, but it is wrong; and they are, whether they know it or not, giving a distorted view of Our Lord.  Jesus expected radical, sometimes pushy behavior from His followers.  Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-37:

 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me

Always remember, the Cross, and all that implies, is an offense to people.  Look at I Corinthians 1:18:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

So the real Gospel, which really begins with our sin and guilt, is an offense to people.  You must be ready to dispense that extensively about our sin making us unworthy of heaven in speaking to a prospect.  Then you tell the good news—if they’re still around. Getting their agreement isn’t your goal; truth is.   Skip neither the bad nor the good.  Let the Holy Spirit shift their minds from feeling offended to feeling guilt, and then, if so moved, they grasp for relief in faith. ReaI salvation may then result.  In this country, ”bad-news-first” evangelism is getting to be a dead end, since America has had money for so long that people think they are self-sufficient. They have savings, and don’t need God.  But God will do us a favor and not let us live under that delusion. We will be put to the test, not because God desires evil for us, but to show us if we depend on Him for rescue.

Also on the subject of changing the message, Robert Schuller (the founder of the “New Reformation”) had this to say: “The new reformation will return our focus to the sacred right of every person to self-esteem. The church will never succeed until it satisfies the human being’s hunger for self-value.“ They assume we can think our way to it.  My response to this is, OK, you want to put a bubble of victimization on him, since working with people will, in most cases, knock around your self-esteem.  The sins of the world attack our soul.  It begins when we were children; wearing glasses gets your new name, “four eyes” or “Froggie.” Bullying is common, especially to the “nerds.”  Let’s not forget the words of Candace Owens:  “Life’s hard; get a helmet.”

Scripture has a way of dealing with our needs here. John 6 tells that the day after Jesus fed the five thousand, the people clamored to get more of Him.  But He exposed their motive, and also gave them a long, blunt doctrinal speech, which seemed designed to confuse and offend them away.  But His real purpose was, He wanted to be followed by real believers; only a person with faith in Him as God could accept that all the words He said were from a divine source, whether they could understand them or not—and they would still accept them in faith because  they knew that He was the Son of God..  His words were not pleasant for them.  See John 6:24-27 and verse 66, which showed that they were, indeed, followers of their bellies:

²⁴ when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. ²⁵ And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?” ²⁶ Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. ²⁷ Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…⁶⁶ From that time many of His disciples (ie, in this definition, casual followers) went back and walked with Him no more.

Bill Hybels has his own twist on changing the message.  He likewise avoids things like the blood of Christ covering our depths of sin that we deserve hell. He also has a “sin-light” definition of sin—he calls sin a “flawed strategy to gain fulfillment.”  So his motivation for the Gospel is to make people experience fulfillment. The problem is, Jesus does not guarantee fulfillment from following Him.  In fact, He expressed the opposite; see John 15:19-20, 16:33):

 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also….These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

These new, sin-light definitions of Schuller and Hybels often lead to easy converts, then easy-believism, a death-knell for our real goal—which should be avoiding hell, and obtaining heaven.  Easy-believism means we don’t have to change our lives, just accept Christ.  But not changing our lives means we don’t put away the sins of the world.  No problem, they say; I was told that all my sins are forgiven.  Well, limit that too; all our sins up to the date of real conversion is true; confession, like washing the feet, is still a necessity.  God is not interested in our focus on self—self-esteem or self-fulfillment.  We already love ourselves too much as it is. See Romans 12;3 and Ephesians 5:29:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned…For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it

Writing articles like “Learn to Love Yourself” (Rick Warren, 2005) are unnecessary.  In fact, increasing self-love may bring problems like those outlined in II Timothy 3:1-5:

in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

When Jesus told us in Mark 12:31 to love your neighbor as yourself, he’s saying “try loving your neighbor as much as you already do for yourselves.” He wants us to practice self-denial, thinking of others first.  See I John 3:16-17:

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Like the felt need for self, another “felt need” people feel is entertainment.  Music moves people like nothing else. Taylor Swift will herself make over $4 billion from this Era tour (I’m writing in 10/2023). Dance and drama performances in megachurches do a good job of copying methods used by popular entertainers today. The church music is high-decibel and fast—not exactly worshipful.  Older folks know especially well what I’m talking about. The Saddleback Church youth ministry were teaching their young people a dance the Harlem Shake, where the body jerks lasciviously or demonically, take your pick. 

Mark Driscoll had an answer for a felt need—discussing sexual matters in church.  His preaching through Song of Solomon was explained because “I assumed the students and singles were all pretty horny.”  In the Song, he discussed, as he quotes, “marriage, foreplay, oral sex, sacred stripping, and sex outdoors, just as the Book teaches.”  (I’m thinking, “wait a minute:  I’ve read it, and don’t recall those acts.”) I listened, in enraptured disgust, as he “preached” on masturbation. (Matthew 5:28 was not part of that discussion—so, masturbation is not sin, so we can do as much as we want--whee). He has also claimed to have the gift of discernment, which allows him to see the sexual sins of his congregation.  His book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, is available on Amazon, in case you forget these quotes. Oh, and “reformission” means a call to reform a flawed view of missions.  Evidently a confession. But he probably made money on the royalties.

Just to give you further proof that despite all these worldly efforts, all is not well in megachurches, let me give you a few quotes from Wikipedia:

To continue on Mark Driscoll: He led the Mars Hill megachurch in Seattle until 2014, when he was forced out.  His teachings on masculinity were toxic for women. He would go into graphic detail about sexual submission, they said. He left the church after the viral effects of his plagiarism, and his using $250,000 of church funds to pay a source off who knew how to game the New York Times Best-seller list, so his book could hit the list and he’d make more money—and add it to his resume.

The global megachurch Hillsong (New York City) was known for its hipster trappings, celebrity congregants and wildly popular worship music in the 2010s, but in recent years it has been more closely tied to a series of scandals, including the firing of its charismatic celebrity pastor, Carl Lentz, for “moral failures.” May 19, 2023

This next one is from a school founded by Bethel Church in Redding CA and headed by pastor Bill Johnson (its schools have had over 13,000 students):

The school garnered criticism for a practice among some students termed "grave soaking" or "grave sucking", where they would lie on the graves of deceased revivalists in the belief that they would absorb the deceased's anointing from God.

You should know that this is not some prank among immature experimental students:  It is actually within the church’s beliefs. (They are Word of Faith, uh, Part 2).  I can’t avoid mentioning this one:

Bethel Redding has also become associated with certain phenomena that are interpreted by the leadership and the congregation as manifesting the presence and glory of God. The phenomena include the appearance of “glory clouds” and gold dust and “angel feathers” falling from the ceiling (or perhaps from the ventilation system)

With non-denominal churches, it is not easy for a prospect to find their real vision. The church’s “intro” to the public sounds glowing:

Bethel is a congregation rooted in the love of God and dedicated to worldwide transformation through revival. The Lord has given us a mandate to be a resource center to impact cities and nations. We believe we're on the edge of the greatest revival of all time.

But you have to dig hard on the internet to find these other, wild beliefs.  Let’s give one other item:

The bigger problem stems from the theology of the Bethel Church and Bill Johnson, who was influenced by the likes of John Wimber and the false teachers of the Toronto Blessing. Consistent with others in the New Apostolic Reformation, Johnson teaches that people today are receiving direct words from God and that the offices of apostle and prophet have been restored to the church. In this way, Johnson presents a low view of Scripture (ed: and a high view of himself): the Bible must be either incomplete or insufficient, if we must keep adding to it with the words of modern-day prophets.

Note how “direct words from God” (like vision casting) led him to wild beliefs. (Hearing from the wrong god?) What are his congregants’ reaction (especially to the angel dust routine)?  Are they aghast as the distortion of the Bible or their manipulation of people?  I mean, he has to assume people are really naïve, right? I assume they take offense at that.  Well, you won’t believe it:

The response of those in the Bethel movement is usually wonder mixed with excitement, dancing, and recording it with cell phone cameras. 

So, it was great entertainment.  We can’t believe these people will do much for God’s Church in the near future. He is another celebrity pastor who has ridden off the rails, for sure.

Ending this with Rick Warren, where we began, what is he doing lately?  He unveiled a P.E.A.C.E. plan in Los Angeles Angel stadium in 2005.  P=Promote reconciliation (he is speaking to Muslims, for instance); E=Equip Leaders; A=Assist the Poor; C=Care for the Sick; and E=Educate the Next Generation.  But he unfolded this, oddly, to the music of Purple Haze.  That song, by Jimi Hendrix, was surely about the effects of drugs like LSD.  As one source said, the song is so widely assumed to be about drugs that there is entire strain of marijuana named after it, and there are many head shops that have opened under the name Purple Haze all over the country.  Why would he launch a plan—if not religious, at least humanitarian—to a pagan song? 

That plan is his latest “hope for a New Reformation.”  His intent is to help wipe out the global problems and show that the church is again relevant to unbelievers. It grew slowly while he was still pastor at Saddleback for 17 more years.  When he retired, he nominated a woman as co-senior pastor.  The Southern Baptist Convention ex-communicated Saddleback in early 2023 for that, despite Warren’s appeal for them to not do that.

But he again introduces controversial ideas.  In speaking to international local workers, he is always willing to work with Muslims, or whoever has influence in the local area.  Since, he says, he’s trying to lower poverty, for instance, he will accept anyone who wants to work, Christian or not—gays, atheists, etc.  He has also told corporation leaders that they must be ready for “religious pluralism.”  But I disagree with his quoted assumption that “we’re building a bridge” thereby.  Neither humanitarian aid nor social justice done through a non-believer in any way puts anybody closer to Christ. His mention of Pluralism puts many gods on the table, not the truth of Jesus as God.  Many of these people are not grateful for the grace offered to them; they are simply glad the rich USA thought of them to throw some money at.  You can see how their money is misapplied. Best to spend money on a local on-fire preacher, let him convert a bunch in the village, then watch as the caste system and the genocide start to disappear.  Warren is offering a social ‘reformation,’ not a spiritual one. He quotes that “the first reformation (Luther) was about doctrine; this one is about deeds.”  Great—let’s spread a works-gospel. He flits about, visiting the World Economic Forum (a socialist group which disavows religion), and other world groups that would definitely like a world religion, a world monetary system.  But aren’t those bad news in Revelation?  Only if their pastors will ever preach on it. 

Well, I’ve given you, in this short script, the story of the “Church of Tares” video.  Let me say this in my summary:  Ephesians 2:20 says that the church, which could always need improvement, MUST be…

…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

But men can follow God’s Way, or man’s way.  I choose God, since He is the best organizer in all history. His way is revealed in Scripture, and was at one time highly successful (see Acts).  But, I hope you have been convinced that man’s way is where the next Reformation is going.  The consequences will be severe and fatal.  There will be a ton of people who will be denied heaven, and totally shocked, because their pastor told them they were locked in.  Just as in traffic citations, not knowing the rules doesn’t save you from the ticket.  You should have read the manual.  Well, we have a Manuel, but few people read it either.  This one is different—it is eternal in its grace or judgment.      

 

 

For Halloween--A True Story

 I would like to tell you a story, non-fiction, proven to be true.  This is word-for-word from Tom and Nita Horn’s great book, Forbidden Gates. 

As a young preacher, Dr. David Yonggi Cho (who died in 2021, until 2008, senior pastor of the largest church in the world) had gone into a small Korean community to pioneer a church--early in his ministry.  Soon he discovered, as is common throughout much of Korea, a temple dedicated to the city’s “guardian god” atop the highest local mountain.  When the priests of the shrine learned that he was planning to start a missions outreach, they came to him infuriated, demanding that he leave the village.  When he refused, they vowed to return and put to death him and any converts he won in the meantime.

A few days later, the priests were back—this time with a mob.  The head priest, making sure the crowd was watching, called out, “Cho!  Do you really believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that He can still work miracles?” 

Cho replied, “Yes, I do.” 

“Then we have a challenge,” the priest yelled.  “Down in the village is a woman who has been bedridden for seven years.  She and her child are dying now of disease.  If Jesus can heal this woman in the next thirty days, we will go away and you can have your church.  But if she is not healed, you must abandon your work or we will return and kill you and your followers.” 

Cho explained how in the United States, most Americans would never respond to such a date, but that in those days and in that culture, his failure to do so would have been (in his thinking) to imply that his God was inferior to the temple deity, and would have closed the community’s willingness to consider the gospel message.

As a result, Cho accepted the contest, and the following day he traveled with his mother-in-law to the village where he found the dying woman.  He suggested to the infirmed lady that if she would pray the sinner’s prayer and accept Jesus as her Savior, the Lord might choose to heal her.  Instead, he found the woman to be very angry with any god (including Cho’s God) who would allow her to suffer the way that she had.  After several unsuccessful visits to convince her otherwise, Cho decided prayer alone would be his best alternative for her and her child. 

Over the next few weeks, he prayed earnestly for a miracle.  He made regular visits to the village and sent messengers to report back any change.  To his disappointment, the woman’s condition only seemed to worsen. 

 

As the weeks passed and the deadline loomed, Cho grew very concerned.  Finally, on the evening of the thirtieth day, he entered his prayer room and reminded God that unless a miracle occurred, people from the temple of the guardian deity would arrive within hours to kill him and his followers.  Cho said he prayed throughout that night and into the next morning “with the most passion ever.”

Then, at 2 AM, he experienced a powerful vision. He thought he saw a shadow by the front door, and a strange sound spread along the wall. Fixing his gaze on the opening, he felt primal fear, black and mindless, roll over him. 

His intuition screamed.  Something dreadful was coming his way.

Another thump, and the front door to his home began slowly opening. 

Gooseflesh crawled over his arms as “eerie Oriental music” swept in through the entrance, barely discernable at first, then growing in intensity. 

Against his better judgment, he turned his body toward the door. 

He held his breath, looked harder, squinted. The shadow slowed, became defined, an enormous silhouette of something alive creeping stealthily toward him. 

Remaining very still, a moment passed, then it emerged from the darkness: huge, snakelike, an agathodemon from ancient times bearing the body of a serpent and the head of a man.  Swaying to the melodious rhythm, the horrendous archfiend appeared wicked and menacing as it slunk along the opening into the room where Cho was.  It made eye contact with him, and in heavy modulation that sounded as if each gurgling syllable started somewhere deep underground, passed through boiling magma on its way to his mouth, and said, “Cho, if you don’t leave this town, you are a dead man.  I have been ruling this area all of these years, and who are you to come here and disturb my nest?”

With that, the being lunged across the room lightning fast, landing on top of Cho and wrapping its body around him like prey, contracting its muscles to quickly constrict the air from his lungs.  A baleful laughter, malignant and terrible, tittered, from the monster’s lips as from pebbled sockets its zenithal eyes glared mockingly down at him. 

Grotesque and engaged, the thing opened its mouth wider, exposing a hideous, forked tongue inside a nightmarish cavity lined with jagged molars and angled razor fangs.  A phlegmy gurgle more dragonlike than reptilian disgorged a sulfurous stench that distilled through the room, filling the air all around them.   

A chill radiated through Cho as seconds passed and the undulating fiend’s hide, crusty and wart-covered, tightened around him like a garrote.  He could feel his ribs bending toward the breaking point as the sheer force of the brutal creature’s strength sent his own tongue curling to the roof of his mouth in pain.  His body began reacting to the lack of blood flow, his hands and feet started going numb, and his thoughts raced:  Jesus!  I’m dying!

But at that, something caught his attention.  The creature’s eyes had seemed to dart wildly about the very moment the name of Jesus passed through his mind.  He thought it again—Jesus—and this time he was sure.  The serpent had cringed, and its grip had weakened at the very moment he  had imagined that name. 

With all the strength he could muster, Cho gasped for a breath of air and opened his mouth in a whisper:  “Jesus.”  The effect was immediate and dramatic.  The sound of the name of Jesus discharged from his lips as tangibly as if a two-edged sword had been thrown into the heart of the being. 

He spoke the name again, louder this time, and the demon jerked back, its expression filling with terror, its grip unwinding from his waist. Slipping from the coil, Cho quickly jumped to his feet and shouted “JESUS…JESUS….JESUS!”

Now the creature reeled, first one way then the other, flailing about as if punch drunk, wailing an otherworldly moan; then abruptly it fell to the floor.  Before it could gather its strength and raise up to attack him again, Cho lifted his leg and crushed the humanlike head beneath his foot.  Studying it to make sure it wasn’t moving, he picked up the front part of the carcass and dragged it toward the entry to toss it outside.  As he moved to the opening and pushed the seasoned door fully out of the way, he noticed a large crowd of villagers gathering in front of his home.  Cautiously, he surveyed his surroundings, then lifted the agathodemon’s face above him and exclaimed, “This is the god you have been serving all of these years, but now you must turn and serve the true and living God!”

With that, Cho awoke to find the serpent-man visitation had been a compelling vision or dream.  It was 4 AM, time for early morning  prayer at his tent church.  With the memory of the threats made against him thirty days earlier still fresh in his mind, he rushed out the door and up the path to meet his tiny congregation.  He knew the priests from the guardian temple would not be long in coming, and no sooner had he arrived than a Korean layman started shouting, “Pastor!  Come quickly!”  Glancing out the tent door, he saw over the hill in the rising dawn what appeared to be the entire city marching up the valley walls.     

Cho’s palms were sweating and his heart was racing as he stepped outside and watched the throng approach.  Jesus, he thought, What should we do?  Run?  Hide?  Then he noticed something curious.  The people looked happy, as if they were rejoicing about something.  A moment of silence passed as he considered them, and he thought, It can’t be!  But it was.  Leading the crowd, baby in arms, was the dying woman from the village.  She ran up to him and said, “Oh, Brother Cho, thank you so much for coming, and praying for me last night. The Lord heard your prayer and I am healed!”

Cho stared at her in amazement.  “I did not come to your house and pray for you last night,” he replied. “Oh, yes,” the woman insisted, “You came at two o’clock this morning and stood outside my window.  You said loudly, ‘Woman!  Be healed in the name of Jesus Christ!’  And I arose and found that I was healed, and my baby is healed!”  Then Cho remembered that it had been 2 AM when he had seen the vision and the agathodemon had been destroyed. 

With very few exceptions, the entire community converted to Christianity within 48 hours. 

To misquote many ads, Do Not Try This At Home without being saved and Holy Spirit-prepared. 

Acknowledgement:  Forbidden Gates, Tom and Nita Horn, 2010.