Thursday, December 29, 2011

YOGA UNCOILED: From East to West (1 of 2)



Click on the red titles of the following links if you are interested in reading the rest of the article.


"Christian" yoga? ~ Sola Sisters from solasisters.blogspot.com - "Yoga is the salvific practice of Hinduism; in other words, it is the Hindu form of "salvation." But Hindus have no concept of sin against a holy God....instead, it teaches that man's greatest problem is his ignorance that he is "God" (or Brahman). Obviously, this is very different from the Christian understanding of what salvation is: Jesus's atoning death for the forgiveness of sins, and being made right with a holy God."


Yoga Today's Lifestyle For Health   from letusreason.org - "As Christians who are in relationship with the God who created the universe, we should not be among those who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). While many Christians rationalize the exercises as neutral they only need to ask a professional Yoga instructor what it is really about to find that it is in fact religious. As a Christian we need to ask ourselves would Jesus or the apostles be doing yoga? If not why not. Would they promote another religions way to be united with a different gods? According to the BibleYoga is an idolatrous practice which leads one away from the one true God and into the spiritual realm of false gods and demonic spirits, and there are consequences? If we sin ignorantly God understands, He is merciful, giving us grace on the one hand, but not to continue after we receive knowledge of the truth. On the other He cares of our sin, not willing to leave us to our deception. “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” In Hosea’s time people had a lack of knowledge concerning God. As a result, they turned to other gods, and their idolatrous practices became a snare to them and a delusion. They became the prey of false gods-even while thinking that their lifestyle was pleasing to the true God."

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

"Why we don't need women's ministry" or do we? by Dr. Georgia Purdom

A friend sent me an article entitled, “Why We Don’t Need ‘Women’s’ Ministry.” Of course the title intrigued me since I direct the Answers for Women ministry at AiG! As I read the article, I realized the point the author was trying to make was not that we don’t need women’s ministry but that we don’t need the type of women’s ministry that is common in our churches and larger Christian community today. Read these excerpts from her article:
We’re choking on cutesy things and crafty bits, safe lady topics, . . . . We are hungry for authenticity and vulnerability, not churchified life hacks from lady magazines. Some of us are drowning, suffocating, dying of thirst for want of the cold water of real community. We’re trying really hard–after all, we keep showing up to your lady events, and we leave feeling just a bit empty. It’s just more of the same every time.
I would love to wrestle with some questions that don’t have a one-paragraph answer in your study guide. I would like to do a Bible study that does not have pink or flowers on the cover.
So here is my suggestion: Please stop treating women’s ministry like a Safe Club for the Little Ladies to Play Church.
We are smart. We are brave. We want to change the world.
We want to give and serve and make a difference. We want to be challenged. We want to read books and talk politics, theology, and current events. We want to wrestle through our theology. 

Read the rest at the link: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/georgia-purdom/2011/12/27/why-we-dont-need-womens-ministry-or-do-we/

Thursday, December 15, 2011

An obituary for the Emerging Church?

An obituary for the Emerging Church?

Reposted from Stand Up For the Truth


Maze Presbyterian Church and Hall. The Church ...
Is the shelf life of the Emergent Church past the date?  Not by any means! In fact, we’re going to make the case today that it is morphing into something very dangerous.
Today many Christian leaders are trying to convince us that the Emerging Church movement is dead–and that we should simply stop talking about it. But when you hear our special guest today, Mary Danielsen, you’ll understand why some leaders want you to believe that there is nothing to worry about–nothing to see here.
You’ll want to make sure you pay particular attention to the name Philip Clayton, one of the top post-modern intellectuals today and a driving force behind Big Tent Christianity. He is also the chief guru of Emergence Theology, part of a new field of emergent sciences, and the underlying force of the ever-evolving Emergent Church.
Mary is a teacher and writer who has studied prophesy for 3 decades. Check out her site,thethings2com.org, and read her “Contender’s Series.”

Monday, November 7, 2011

"Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. Buyer Beware!



I began to read this book myself after seeing it advertised so much on a popular Christian bookstore website.   I believe my hair literally stood on end when I realized that this work was the result of occult divination practices; visualization and automatic writing.   Buyer beware!
Lisa Schwartzbeck

Do Not Be Surprised...: The "Jesus Calling" Devotional Bible: This past summer, I briefly reviewed the devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. In that post, it was demonstrated that Young claims...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

"Inward Journey" Taught by Mystics like Richard Foster is Divination

http://apprising.org/2011/11/05/%E2%80%9Cinward-journey%E2%80%9D-taught-by-mystics-like-richard-foster-is-divination/


In earlier Apprising Ministries articles like and Christian Soldiers Standing Up For Jesus? and the semi-satirical Recipe For Spiritual Disaster I’ve been trying to bring to your attention how a Rodney King theology of, “Can’t we all just get along” is serving to cripple the witness of the church visible.
A major factor contributing to this is the spread of Counter Reformation spirituality and Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) ala gurusDallas Willard and his spiritual twin Living Spiritual Teacher and Quakermystic Richard Foster.
You need to realize that it’s even slithered deeply into the mainstream of evangelicalism as you can see e.g. in Gospel Coalition Contributor Mike Cosper Defends Retreat With Roman Catholics. CSM is not a neutral practice; know this, my research shows that once someone begins dabbling in this they almost immediately begin to drift away from proper Biblical doctrine.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Joyce Meyer



Joyce refers to the text John 10:34 "Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, I have said you are gods'?"    The verse that Jesus is talking about here is found in Psalm 82:6 ""I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'"   The word translated as "gods" here is the Hebrew word "lohim" which means 'any person characterized by greatness or power, mighty one, great one, judge'.    Don't be fooled by her twisting of the Scripture on this.   
Lisa




Joyce Meyers Shocking Doctrines ~24 minute audio~ - Click this link to be taken to the audio file.




Joyce Meyer - Are You Paying Attention?
From Let Us Reason Ministries
Since I have been asked about Joyce Meyer so often I find it necessary to comment on her teaching. She is known as being one of the top women speakers, one who tells it like it is with a frank but challenging way of putting things. She is an enigma, in that she has some very good practical information from experience and the Scripture. So there are good portions in her teaching and there are also some bad interpretations and experiences from her teachings; that are to be avoided. Meyer may not be completely engulfed in word faith teaching but she is yoked with many word faith teachers (in fellowship with Creflo Dollar, and Kenneth CopelandCopeland’s magazine, The Believer’s Voice of Victory, has carried some of her articles) and her writings and teachings have certainly been influenced by their word faith prosperity theology.  In her broadcast the first week of January 2005 she interviewed a man giving testimony to Kenneth Hagin who is known for spreading the word/faith heresy to his disciples.
Joyce has been honest about her struggle with health and about her fight with breast cancer and getting surgery. Over the years since her popularity has grown her appearance has also changed through cosmetic surgery.  She disdains any criticism of her wearing jewelry, having a large and expensive wardrobe and even her teaching men. These are off limits. The rationale is that money spent on her appearance, changing her hair color, etc. is acceptable for her being in the public and should not to be confused with vanity. Neither does she does not see any problem of her exercising authority over men (see1 Timothy 2:12). 
At 60 years of age she has become a very popular speaker. She certainly is one of the well-known and best-paid TV preachers (especially for women). Her ministry revenues have steadily increased from 1998 where they took in 40 million, to 1999 they brought in 55 million, to 2000 70 million, to 2001 near 80 million, to 2002 near 90 million. Today her Life in the Word organization estimates to take in $95 million this year. The ministry says it spends about 10 percent - $880,000 a month - on charitable works around the globe.
Her ministry is now a multimillion-dollar organization with 500 employees with offices in Europe and South Africa. "The ministry's headquarters, built a year and a half ago by Wichita-based R. Messner Construction Co. Inc. for $19 million." Meyer's ministry reaches out to the world Charisma article a number of years ago pointed out she is on 600 radio and television stations -selling nearly three million tapes and close to a million books last year (Charisma magazine)  Four million cassettes are produced annually and at the cost of $6 each, according to a Joyce Meyer Ministries pamphlet, which accounts for $24 million in revenues, her Web site bring an average $8 million a month to her ministry. (Reference-Joyce Meyer's message: Give to me and God gives to you By Carolyn Tuft and Bill Smith St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Meyer's house, the largest of the five, is a 10,000-square-foot Cape Cod style estate home with a guest house and a garage that can be independently heated and cooled and can hold up to eight cars. The three-acre property has a large fountain, a gazebo, a private putting green, a pool and a poolhouse where the ministry recently added a $10,000 bathroom."
continue reading here...

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Joyce Meyer


joyce meyerJoyce Meyer was born on June 4, 1943.  She is married, has four children, and lives outside of St. Louis, Missouri.  She runs the Joyce Meyer Ministries organization (joycemeyer.org).  When examining the site's statement of faith we are glad to see an affirmation of the Trinity, that man is a sinner, that without Jesus we can have no relationship with God, that salvation is a free gift, and eternal hell of conscious damnation.  There is a concern with the statement on "divine healing," since there are so many aberrant groups that also affirm divine healing but say Christians must claim it and people who are sick are in sin.  However, I am not aware of what Meyer's position is on this.
The Joyce Meyer Ministry takes in a great deal of money.  She travels in a private jet and has several multimillion dollar homes. 
"While Meyer's previous salary is unknown, a recent series of investigative articles in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed Meyer's ministry purchased for Joyce and Dave a $2 million home, a $10 million private jet, and houses worth another $2 million for the couple's children, who also work for the ministry. The articles also outlined Meyer's recent personal purchases, including a $500,000 vacation home. Meyer, 60, lives in Fenton, Missouri, near St. Louis." (1/1/2004, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/januaryweb-only/1-19-13.0.html)
Having a lot or a little money is neither good nor bad.  If she has earned it all fairly through her work, fine.  Nevertheless, this article will focus on her teaching, not on her finances.  Let's take a look at scripture, then Joyce Meyer's teachings. 

First, what does the Bible say?

It is absolutely necessary that we Christians use biblical discernment when supporting any preacher and/or teacher of the gospel.  It is irrelevant whether or not we like the person, think the person is a good speaker, or if the person says things that are uplifting.  Instead, we must be as noble as the Bereans.
  • "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so," (Acts 17:11).
  • "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other," (1 Cor. 4:6).
If the Bible says that even Paul was checked by scripture, and that we are not to exceed scripture's teaching, then aren't we obligated to judge what Mrs. Meyer says against the word of God?  Of course we are.  It is not enough to just believe what she says, no matter how good the words are or how well she presents them.  Let's not be taken in by a public figure who is confident, assertive, and appears to be biblical.  Our duties as Christians include biblical discernment - which can only be done by examining what she says and comparing it with scripture.

What does Joyce Meyer teach?

For the most part Joyce Meyer preaches a positive, biblical message that is of great value to many people.  We applaud her desire to be biblical, to point women to godly submission and humility, to trusting God, being loving, to have value based in what Christ has done for us, etc.  These are all good.  However, there are some very significant errors that need to be addressed.  Some of them are so bad that she is outside of biblical orthodoxy and must be considered a false teacher.  Let's take a look at what Joyce Meyer has said.
Following is a list of quotes from Joyce Meyer, along with responses.
  1. Jesus stopped being the Son of God:  "He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin."(http://storage.carm.org/joycemeyer/joyce-meyer-Jesus-became-sin-stopped-being-son-of-God.mp3)
    1. Response:  This is heresy.  Jesus did not ever stop becoming the son of God.  Essentially what she is saying is that Jesus stopped being divine, the eternal son, second person of the Trinity. This is an attack on the very nature of Christ and it is a dangerous false teaching.  Joyce Meyer needs to repent and retract this statement.  There is no place in Scripture that says Jesus stopped being the son of God.  She's adding to the word of God and placing in the hearts and minds of listeners false doctrine.
To continue reading the article follow the link: http://carm.org/joyce-meyer



Christian Apologetics Ministry  http://carm.org/joyce-meyer

Joyce Meyer

joyce meyerJoyce Meyer was born on June 4, 1943.  She is married, has four children, and lives outside of St. Louis, Missouri.  She runs the Joyce Meyer Ministries organization (joycemeyer.org).  When examining the site's statement of faith we are glad to see an affirmation of the Trinity, that man is a sinner, that without Jesus we can have no relationship with God, that salvation is a free gift, and eternal hell of conscious damnation.  There is a concern with the statement on "divine healing," since there are so many aberrant groups that also affirm divine healing but say Christians must claim it and people who are sick are in sin.  However, I am not aware of what Meyer's position is on this.
The Joyce Meyer Ministry takes in a great deal of money.  She travels in a private jet and has several multimillion dollar homes. 
"While Meyer's previous salary is unknown, a recent series of investigative articles in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed Meyer's ministry purchased for Joyce and Dave a $2 million home, a $10 million private jet, and houses worth another $2 million for the couple's children, who also work for the ministry. The articles also outlined Meyer's recent personal purchases, including a $500,000 vacation home. Meyer, 60, lives in Fenton, Missouri, near St. Louis." (1/1/2004, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/januaryweb-only/1-19-13.0.html)
Having a lot or a little money is neither good nor bad.  If she has earned it all fairly through her work, fine.  Nevertheless, this article will focus on her teaching, not on her finances.  Let's take a look at scripture, then Joyce Meyer's teachings. 

First, what does the Bible say?

It is absolutely necessary that we Christians use biblical discernment when supporting any preacher and/or teacher of the gospel.  It is irrelevant whether or not we like the person, think the person is a good speaker, or if the person says things that are uplifting.  Instead, we must be as noble as the Bereans.
  • "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so," (Acts 17:11).
  • "Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other," (1 Cor. 4:6).
If the Bible says that even Paul was checked by scripture, and that we are not to exceed scripture's teaching, then aren't we obligated to judge what Mrs. Meyer says against the word of God?  Of course we are.  It is not enough to just believe what she says, no matter how good the words are or how well she presents them.  Let's not be taken in by a public figure who is confident, assertive, and appears to be biblical.  Our duties as Christians include biblical discernment - which can only be done by examining what she says and comparing it with scripture.

What does Joyce Meyer teach?

For the most part Joyce Meyer preaches a positive, biblical message that is of great value to many people.  We applaud her desire to be biblical, to point women to godly submission and humility, to trusting God, being loving, to have value based in what Christ has done for us, etc.  These are all good.  However, there are some very significant errors that need to be addressed.  Some of them are so bad that she is outside of biblical orthodoxy and must be considered a false teacher.  Let's take a look at what Joyce Meyer has said.
Following is a list of quotes from Joyce Meyer, along with responses.
  1. Jesus stopped being the Son of God:  "He could have helped himself up until the point where he said I commend my spirit into your hands, at that point he couldn’t do nothing for himself anymore. He had become sin, he was no longer the Son of God. He was sin."(http://storage.carm.org/joycemeyer/joyce-meyer-Jesus-became-sin-stopped-being-son-of-God.mp3)
    1. Response:  This is heresy.  Jesus did not ever stop becoming the son of God.  Essentially what she is saying is that Jesus stopped being divine, the eternal son, second person of the Trinity. This is an attack on the very nature of Christ and it is a dangerous false teaching.  Joyce Meyer needs to repent and retract this statement.  There is no place in Scripture that says Jesus stopped being the son of God.  She's adding to the word of God and placing in the hearts and minds of listeners false doctrine.
  2. Jesus was born again:  "The minute that blood sacrifice was accepted Jesus was the first human being that was ever born again," (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neKsa_74w7k&feature=related)
    1. Response:  This is just plain wrong.  Being born again means to be saved from the wrath of God for a person's sins (Eph. 2:1-3), to have a new birth (John 3:3), and to be regenerated (2 Cor. 5:17).  Mrs. Meyer is simply wrong biblically.  Why does she teach this?  It can only be because she has bought into many of the errors of the Positive Confession movement where it is sometimes said that Jesus lost his divine nature, went to hell, finished the atonement in hell, and was born again!  This is a serious error since it implies that Jesus needed to be changed...
  3. Jesus paid for our sins in hell:  "He became our sacrifice and died on the cross. He did not stay dead. He was in the grave three days. During that time he entered hell, where you and I deserve to go (legally) because of our sin. He paid the price there.” (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 35)
    • Response:  This is blatantly wrong.  Jesus did not pay the price of our redemption in hell.  He paid the price on the cross.  It was finished on the cross when he said, "It is finished" (John 19:30).  Also, consider the following verses:
    • Col. 1:20, "and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."
    • Col. 2:14, "having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."
    • 1 Pet. 2:24, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
  4. Jesus went to hell in our place and was tormented:  "Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place. Then as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. The scene in the spirit realm went something like this: God rose up from his throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless son of God, 'let him go.' Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. On earth his grave where they had buried him was filled with light as the power of God filled his body. He was resurrected from the dead -- the first born again man." (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 36)
    • Response:  Where does she get this completely fictitious dialogue between God and the demon powers?  It is made up, not founded in scripture, and mistakenly assumes that Jesus went to hell, the place of torment and suffering after he died on the cross.  The Bible does not teach any such thing.  However, it does say that Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9).  This can mean that Jesus was physically buried, or that Jesus went to Hades to inform those who had already died about who he was and what he did on the cross, or it can be referring to his incarnation as is contrasted with his ascending into heaven (Eph. 4:10).  But there is simply no reason to believe that Jesus suffered in hell and finished the atonement there.  See response to Quote 1.
  5. If you don't believe Jesus went to hell, you cannot be saved:   "His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserve to go… There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth." (The most important decision you'll ever make, by Joyce Meyer, second printing, may 1993, page 37)
    1. Response:  This is an amazingly bad statement on her part.  She is saying that you cannot be saved from your sins unless you believe that Jesus went to the hell where we deserve to go.  This is a modification of the gospel message that saves, as is found in 1 Cor. 15:1-4 that states it is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Nowhere in scripture are we told to believe that Jesus suffered for us in hell or that he went there, where we deserve to go.  This is very wrong and is heretical.
  6. We are called little gods:  "I was listening to a set of tapes by one man and he explained it like this..this kind of gets the point across...he said why do people have such a fit about God calling his creation, his creation, his man not his whole creation, but his man, little gods? If he's God what's he going to call them but the God kind? I mean if you as a human being have a baby you call it a human kind. If if [sic] cattle has another cattle they call it cattle kind. I mean what is God supposed to call 'em? Doesn't the Bible say we are created in his image? Now you understand I am not saying you are god with a capital G. That is not the issue here so don't go trying to stone me or yell blasphemy at me." "The Bible says right here John 10:34...'and Jesus answered is it not written in your law I say we are gods.' So men are called God's by the law..."(Joyce Meyer). (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrP3OLCH9GI&feature=related)
    1. Response:  In this clip she goes on to quote John 10:34 where Jesus says to the Pharisees "you are gods," which is a quote from Psalm 82:6, which is an imprecatory Psalm of condemnation for the unrighteous judges.  Psalm 82:7 says, nevertheless you will die like men.  She then turned to Psalm 82 and went through it.  The video stopped so I do not know what she would have said about the next, all important verse.
  7. Joyce Meyer said she is not a sinner:  "I am not poor. I am not miserable and I am not a sinner. That is a lie from the pit of hell. That is what I were and if I still was then Jesus died in vain. I'm going to tell you something folks. I didn't stop sinning until I finally got it through my thick head I wasn't a sinner anymore. And the religious world thinks that's heresy and they want to hang you for it. But the Bible says that I am righteous and I can't be righteous and be a sinner at the same time." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmHJdM63hk)
    1. Response:  Mrs. Meyer needs a lesson in basic Bible.  1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."  Notice that John the apostle says "we."  He is including himself with sinners.  Also, Paul said in Rom. 7:19-20,24, "For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me...24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"  Is Joyce Meyer better in Christian character than John and Paul?  I think not.  Mrs. Meyer fails to recognize her own sinfulness, and so mistakenly denies her own sinfulness.  I can only conclude that this false teaching comes from pride because it certainly isn't biblical.
  8. The host of hell were literally on Jesus and were laughing:  "They were having the biggest party that had ever been had. They had my Jesus in the floor and they were standing on his back jumping up and down laughing. And he had become sin. Don't you think that God was pacing, wanting to put a stop to what was going on? All the host of hell were upon him. Upon him. Up on him. The angels were in agony.  All the creation is groaning. All the host of hell was upon him. Up on him. They got on him. They got him down in the floor and got on him and they were laughing and mocking. Ha ha ha ha. You trusted God and look where you ended up. You thought he'd save you and get you off that cross. He didn't, ha ha ha." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNfOaxIcOM)
    1. Response:  Where did she get this - in the sacred Book of Joycemeyeronomy?  It is certainly not in the Bible, and yet she has no problem teaching it as an authoritative truth.  Does she not know that the Bible says not to exceed what is written (1 Cor. 4:6)?  Yet, she has done exactly this.  She is in grave error and has violated God's word that says that Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) and finished the atonement on the cross (John 19:30) - not in hell at the hands of demons!  There is no way demons were literally standing 'on' Jesus.  Meyer is in gross error!
  9. Joyce Meyer gets revelation knowledge:  “The Bible can’t even find any way to explain this. Not really that is why you have got to get it by revelation. There are no words to explain what I am telling you. I have got to just trust God that he is putting it into your spirit like he put it into mine.” (http://storage.carm.org/joycemeyer/joyce-meyer-revelation-knowledge.mp3)
    1. Response:  Revelation knowledge?  Is she on par with the apostles who received revelation knowledge from God himself?  Or how about the Old Testament prophets?  Does she, like them, also receive revelation knowledge from God?  If so, how would we know if it were true or not? The answer is simple:  we test what she says against Scripture, and it is obvious that she is getting a lot of things from somewhere else that contradict the word of God.

Joyce Meyer is a preacher

As unpopular as it might be to say, Joyce Meyer is wrong for occupying the position of a preacher of God's word.  Not only does she preach false doctrines, but she also functions as a preacher by teaching God's word, exegeting it, applying it, and telling people what to believe...in public.  She is out of place for doing this.  She speaks as a minister of the gospel teaching with authority.  She needs to stop. if you doubt this, and if you also believe the word of God, then please see the article Should women be pastors and elders?

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The "Missional" Church

The following are a few articles with different views on the "Missional" church.
Lisa




What Does It Mean To Be Missional?  Should Christians Be Missional?
Answer: “Missional” or “missional living” is a Christian term that in essence describes a missionary lifestyle. Being missional includes embracing the posture, the thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to reach others with the message of the gospel. The term “missional” gained its popularity towards the end of the 20th century with the influence of Tim Keller, Alan Hirsch, and others, as well as the Gospel and Our Culture Network. Their basic premise is that all Christians should be involved in the Great Commission of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).

Essentially, the idea of being missional teaches that the church has a mission because Jesus had a mission. There is one mission which says that the “missional church is a community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world. In other words, the church’s true and authentic organizing principle is mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church.” Yet there has been some confusion regarding the term “missional.”
follow this link to read the rest of the article:  http://www.gotquestions.org/missional.html






What is a Missional Church?

We hear others talk about what they are “doing” at their church. And we tell people what we are “doing” at our church. But what Christians in all denominations are asking themselves and others is, are “doing” and “being” a Christian the same thing?
Something new is being discussed and embraced by Christians around the world. Many Christian writers are saying that the rise of the missional church is the single biggest development in Christianity since the Reformation.
Just as the medieval church was different from the church we see in the Book of Acts, the church after the Reformation looks totally different from its medieval predecessor. And the emerging missional church will just as dramatically distinguish itself from what we now call “church.”






The Missional Church: An Attempt to Combine the Great Commission with Unbiblical Ideas
By Joel Taylor, Pastor-Teacher
There are very disturbing ideas being promulgated in these modern times regarding the Church of Jesus Christ. It is being done not only by those on the proverbial religious fringe, but within mainstream protestant denominations; and not only that but by highly popular, and very public, so-called ‘new calvinists’ preachers and conference speakers.
I say disturbing, because those who are making such ideas popular seem to have a faulty understanding of the nature of the Church itself. That is not only disturbing – given their influence on the young, reformed and restless – but also dangerous. Dangerous because false. When it comes to Biblical truth and the proclamation thereof, false is bad.
Missional Falsehood
Missional. It is quite the buzzword these days. It is popular among ‘the reformed’. In fact, it is beyond popular, it is almost considered biblically necessary. From Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll and a hosts of SBC wanna-be’s to the Gospel Coalition, being missional is all the rage. It is also unbiblical, as presented, and I have no hesitation in saying so. In fact, I must say so, because those with whom influence rests are silent or participatory in it. They dare not risk their glorious theological careers.
read the rest of the article here...

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Prophetic Update: Scoffers Will Come

http://harvestreno.org/messageVideo.asp?id=335&quality=high

Date Setters (Harold Camping)

Matthew 24:36"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." NASB


Please click on the following links to be redirected to the story.

The Rapture is near, billboard says

Rapture Predictor Harold Camping Suffers Stroke
It's interesting to note that it was his speech that was affected.   The very thing he used to spread his false teaching.

Prophetic Update: Scoffers Will Come

Harold Camping Admits Sin, Announces End to Doomsday Predictions

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Should We Name Names?

      by Lisa Schwartzbeck

            I have wondered many times if we should be outspoken when it comes to naming names of apostate preachers, teachers and authors.    It is not a light thing to call someone out as a false teacher.      Isn't it enough to just show people what the latest apostasy is?  Do we really need to go so far as to tell them who is teaching what?  


        I look around myself in frustration and see so many brothers and sisters in Christ trotting off after this or that teaching without cracking open their Bibles and seeing if what they are being told lines up with Scripture.   I mean, after all, "this" teacher is very popular in Christian bookstores or "that" one is being heralded by another famous preacher or teacher.   Surely they have done their homework and checked it out with Scripture.   Right?    I mean, isn't it their job to screen these people for me?


       After much prayer and, following the instructions of Acts 17:11, I have seen that there is Scriptural precedence for naming names.   False teachers must be named publicly since their ministries are public.   Many baby Christians (and for that matter some mature Christians) simply cannot spot the more sly false teachers.   Satan is so very slick today.   He knows he cannot make a full frontal attack.   He must hide his pint of poison within the barrel of Truth. Otherwise even the the most immature of Christians could spot it.   Thankfully Christ has called us to different parts within the body of Christ.   It is a relief to me to know that when I miss something there is another brother or sister there to point me in the right direction.   What a gift to each other we are!   It grieves me to know that many let their pride get in the way of the leading of the Holy Spirit.   They often, sadly,  insist on following false teaching even when it is pointed out to them clearly in Scripture that they are following the wrong path.   They are caught up in cults of personality.   Emotions trump Truth.
 1 Timothy 1:18-20 NIV
 18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. (emphasis added)
 
      Paul had sent Timothy to the church in Ephesus to combat heresy there.   As you can see in these verses Paul very clearly names the names of two people causing problems within the church.

        In Galations 2 we see Paul calling out Cephas publicly:

Galatians 2:11-14 NIV


 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (emphasis added)
       In 2 Timothy 4:1-4 and Titus 1:9 we are told to rebuke and oppose those that don't teach sound doctrine.

       The spiritual gift of discernment can sometimes seem like a curse.   No one wants to be told that they are wrong.   Even when this is done in a loving but firm way people are offended and embarrassed.  They are more worried about their own selfish pride than they are of being humble and obedient to the Lord.   Often the one that is defending Scriptural Truth is labeled as the divisive one, instead of the false teacher whom they are rebuking.   It is no fun at all to be the one that the Lord calls to this portion of the church body.   However, for those that are called to it take heart!   The Lord knows when you are obedient to His calling.  He sees when you defend His Word.  

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Rapture: The New Age Perspective

http://www.redmoonrising.com/21Defense/contrapture.htm


The Rapture: The New Age Perspective
According to the Bible there will be a future time when all of the believers in Jesus Christ are taken off of the earth to heaven to be protected from the time of terrible tribulation known as the Day of the Lord. This miraculous rescue is described in a number of Biblical passages such as Matthew 24:36-42,
   "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming."
And also 
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17,
     "For the Lord himself  will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air..."   

The secular media approaches this far-out belief with much patronizing glee, seeming to ask, "What person in his right mind would actually believe such ridiculous nonsense!?" The truth is that there are many people other than just bible-thumping Christians who believe in a very similar future event:
New Age guru David Spangler writes that "those attuned to the old world" will be "transported through the [cosmic] law of attraction" to "another planet, plane of existence or level of earth's consciousness where they can be contained... the main point is that they will lose, for the time being, their access to the etheric planes of power and the ability to control or influence the developments upon earth." (Revelation, Birth of a New Age, pp.163-4) 
Best-selling New Age author, intellectual and promoter John Randolph Price was told by his spirit guide Asher, that in the near future two billion people who could not cope with the reality of the New Age would be wiped off the face of the earth during the future "cleansing" period. (1)

New Age channelers and gurus around the world predict an event very similar to the biblical rapture, yet from their point of view the rapture will not be an event which rescues God's faithful from His impending wrath on a wicked world, it will instead be an event that removes those who lack the proper spiritual vibration. It is said that those taken are those whose beliefs are characterized as "intolerant," "fearful" and "of the past." From the New Age perspective the rapture is seen as a global "cleansing action" that will remove "dark thought forces" to allow the earth to ascend to a higher plane of existence.  

Barbara Marciniak is another well-known New Age channeler who predicts this event. This woman claims to have been telepathically contacted by aliens who come from the star-system of the Pleiades, and she has written numerous books on the messages that she has channeled from them. These spirit beings tell her a number of things regarding the future "shift in consciousness,"
"If human beings do not change -- if they do not make the shift in values and realize that without Earth they could not be here -- then Earth, in its love for its own initiation, is reaching for a higher frequency, will bring about a cleansing that will balance it once again. There is the potential for many people to leave the planet in an afternoon." (2)

"The people who leave the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and they are stopping the harmony of Earth. When the time comes that perhaps 20 million people leave the planet at one time there will be a tremendous shift in consciousness for those who are remaining." 
(3)

"Some of you want to pretend that the earth changes are not occurring. However, they are occurring, and there is nothing to fear, for they are part of the process of the great shift... Whether you stay on the planet and alter your vibration, or you check out and sit in the bleachers to watch the show, doesn't really matter. On some level, in some avenue of existence, you will participate and you will learn." 
(4)

Thelma Terrell is yet another New Age author and trance-channeler. Also known by her spiritual name of "Tuella," she wrote a book entitled Project World Evacuation. They are messages channeled from a being who calls himself Ashtar, the leader of an alien confederation, and throughout it are documented the predictions that this spirit being has made regarding the future "evacuation" of a significant number of human beings from off of the surface of the earth. (5)
As New Age spirituality becomes more widespread the practice of channeling inter-dimensional beings increases as well. The internet is full of countless websites dedicated to this anti-biblical practice of contacting the spirit world. These sites document even more channelings which predict a future "cleansing action," "evacuation," or "transference" of a segment of humanity to another location.

Sheldan Nidle operates "The Planetary Activation Organization," based in Maui, Hawaii, which is dedicated to preparing the world for extra-terrestrial contact. His website contains articles which refer to an evacuation of certain people to special mother ships of the inter-galactic fleet. He writes that these people will then go through a special "orientation training" before being released. In another section one of Nidle's "lightworkers" asks him if New Age meditations and rituals might make an evacuation unnecessary. Nidle responds that although the rituals are essential the evacuation must still take place. (6)
The Ashtar Command is another internet-based organization that claims ET connections. They make mention of an "ascension" process that goes through several phases. The second wave of Ascension is described as "the beginning of the evacuation," but the timing of this event is not given because the announcement of dates "is not permitted." This group also recognizes the Lord Maitreya as the "current planetary Christ." The Ashtar Command has branches all over the world including Norway, Brazil, the Netherlands, Germany and the United States. (7)
Soleira and Santari Green are two channelers from England who communicate with a being who likes to call himself "Metatron." In one of their articles Metatron offers a warning to those who resist "unity" in the New Age,

"It is the time of the joining. It is the time of the choosing. And those who wish not to walk upon this path will be transitioned, transferred to a different reality. The time is upon us. The enemy is at hand and is about to become one with us and will be the enemy no longer. No longer will be there dark or light, good or bad. Only will there be unity and those who wish not to operate in unity, will operate elsewhere in another universe." 
(8)
Cristah is a Florida based "lightworker" who operates a website titled "Gateway to Oneness." Within her site are channeled messages which predict that the earth will soon be ascending into the fourth dimension, but that individuals who lack the proper vibration will be left behind. Apparently from the earth's point of view these individuals will simply appear to blink out of existence. (9)

These are just a few of the many channeled predictions regarding the future disappearance of millions of people that can be found within New Age literature and on the internet. This information is strong evidence in support of the Christian expectation of a miraculous Rapture of every Saved individual from the earth to heaven. The only difference is that the Bible predicts that the good people will be taken while New Age trance-channelers are being told that the bad people will be taken.

Sources
1. Johanna Michaelson, Like Lambs to the Slaughter: Your Child and the Occult, Harvest House, Eugene, OR, 1989, p.309

2. Barbara Marciniak, Bringers of the Dawn: Teachings from the Pleiadians, Bear and Co., 1992, p.162

3. ibid., p.167

4. Barbara Marciniak, Earth: Pleiadian Keys to the Living Library, Bear & Company, 1995, pp.220-221
5. Tuella, Project World Evacuation, Inner Light Publications, 1993

6. The Planetary Activation Organization- http://www.paoweb.com/index.html 
Evacuation to motherships- http://www.paoweb.com/sn112597.htm 
Will New Age rituals make an evacuation unneccessary (Question 6)?- http://www.paoweb.com/quesans1.htm 

7. The Ashtar Command- http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/ashtar-command.html 
The Ascension process- http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/ascension-plan-sananda.html 
Lord Maitreya is current planetary Christ- http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/our-mission-athena.html 

8. Metatron- http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~davidp/chan/uk-ch-2.htm 

9. Gateway To Oneness- http://gator.naples.net/~nfn02191/main.htm 
The earth's ascension and some held back- http://gator.naples.net/~nfn02191/10.28.96ch.htm

For more information on this subject and to see these quotes as well as many more go to- http://www.redmoonrising.com/newage.htm