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For those who've grown up in Pentecostalism,

such deplorable, hideous errors, nonsense etc. are sadly not all that new. We've seen it all--often too much for too long.

I think pride, arrogance etc. are key sins that easily result in such a slippery slope. That and needs to control; insecurities; greed etc.

The flesh is prone to all kinds of nonsense.

And in Christianity as well as other orientations THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT is always eager to sweep such along with demonic ferver into an increasingly pharisee approach and stance.

The non-Charismatic groups--the cessationists are just as guilty of such phariseeism. They take smug comfort in being less dramatically off the wall etc. But the sins are largely the same in a bit more polite wrapper. The folks in such groups are NOT INHERENTLY NOR INATELY THAT MUCH MORE IMMUNE to the RELIGIOUS SPIRIT, pride etc. NOR is their doctrine THAT much more HOLY, PERFECT etc. There particular expressions of error are mostly just different. NO doubt their sins are more comfortable TO THEM than are the sins of the more obviously off the wall groups. Usually our own sins are more comfortable and 'righteous' to US!

I met John Wimber in Taipei where I helped guard the room where he waited and prayed before speaking to the arena. I had listened to a lot of his teaching tapes and his testimony many times. I found him very authentic and anointed--as well as authentically humble. I have always thought it was God's humbling joke to the movement and Christendom that he died falling in the shower.

I, of course, think it's essential to stay close to and IN THE SCRIPTURES for any and all believers. All the more so as dramatic end time events and forces become that much more common-place and obvious.

But I've seen whole groups go off the deep end a number of times. I think the leadership in any congregation or group needs to work earnestly and vulnerably before God and the members to BECOME HUMBLE AND STAY HUMBLE. I think it's Rick Joyner that had the vision of the great man of God cloaked in a coat of humility. And that whenever the cloak was taken off or developed great holes in it--there was real trouble to pay.

I think in part, it's wise to have folks from outside the group who have a reputation for being humble but discerning and maybe who don't always agree with the leadership--to come in periodically and give a check-up to the group.

Certainly the group leaders would do well to cultivate prophetic gifts and accurate Spirit-led, Biblical discernment within the group. I think that happens most effectively when the LEAST AMONG THEM is treated at least as honorable and respected at least as much as the greatest. Also--it is more the case when the 'greatest' literally serves the least routinely with a delight and a love of Jesus that's tangible as well as spiritually felt.

I believe that increasingly God Almighty will be cleansing and protecting the purity of all individuals and groups which earnestly seek to follow God regardless of their backgrounds and theology. But everything that can be shaken will be shaken.

There's a lot of prissy, preachy, pharisaical smugness by a lot of cessationists as being 'above all that off the wall herasy.' I consider that rank hypocrisy as well as hideously spiritually dangerous. God is likely to rub their noses in their own junk worse than they ever imagined. And they will discover that their junk is not a microgram better than the junk of the most off the wall 'hanging from the chandilier's' folks.

It's also wise to keep in mind that God has a habit of using the foolish off the wall stuff throughout SCRIPTURE to confound the wise. It's not so much what's being done or even what's being said as long as it's Biblical. It's the SOURCE, THE MOTIVATION, THE EMPOWERMENT involved.

There is no safety in denomination. There is no safety in a particular set of doctrinal precepts (all are collected and listed with their own emphases and omissions by men). There is no safety in a particular list of "we don't DOOOOO THAT!!!!!'S."

There is ONLY SAFETY IN JESUS.

Satan knows Scripture better than most Christians.

Memorizing Scriputre is good but not fool proof safety.

Doing The Word; Living out the Fruits of The Spirit; Living and walking IN JESUS; being sensitive to HIS VOICE will become increasingly crucial for survival and certainly for doing the works He calls us to do.

Humans have trouble--seemingly especially RELIGIOUS SPIRIT BOUND humans--but most of us have trouble dealing with complexity, ambiguity, tension between opposites, contradiction etc. In fact, facility in following Holy Spirit amidst such things is a very real measure of maturity in a lot of respects.

But because it's such a CHALLENGE to navigate such things, humans have almost a knee-jerk, inherent, compulsive habit of rushing to one end of a continuum or the other and declaring that end as the total absolute truth of an issue or situation.

Sometimes, that's right. It's hideously wrong to murder, rape, etc. Period.

But sometimes, that's not right. A lot of times when believers get into p*ssing contests, declaring that those on the opposite end of the continuum are absolutely and abjectly wrong--it's a GOD BOTH/AND thing that they are yelling at each other over. God is on both ends as HIS SPIRIT LEADS IN THE SITUATION and those wanting to truly go on with God will tune into that and flow WITH GOD accordingly.

But that's not human. We have to have OUR TURF. WE HAVE TO BE RIGHT. THEY HAVE TO BE WRONG or we won't sleep well at night. God is going to require all of us to increasingly grow up about such pettiness.

I'm NOT talking about ecumunicasim sp. which I think in normal terms is evil.

But there is a flowing IN GOD'S SPIRIT which erases all manner of petty distinctive battle lines that we ALL MIGHT BECOME FITTLY AND FUNCTIONALLY, EFFECTIVELY JOINED TOGETHER AS HIS BODY.

I'm reminded of a group of children playing together. And another mother brings her youngster to play with the group. And the resident mother introduces the youngster that's already known to the group and instructs her little Susy to scoot over and make room for Mary to join into the circle.

Susy dutifully scoots over evidently obediently. Mary sets down. Susy seems quite obedient and complient. But she's like the little boy still standing up inside. As soon as mother walks out of the room Susy sort of pushes Mary out of the circle and moves the circle away from Susy.

God's increasingly getting more than disgusted with such behavior between authentic believers. At some point, those insisting on being exclusionary toward those *GOD* HAS CALLED US TO BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS WITH--may well find themselves outside God's circle.

Christ did not die that we could have classic McCoy/Hatfield centuries long feuds with.

HE SAID--BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES--THAT YOU HAVE LOVE ONE FOR ANOTHER.

That will mean that none of us will get away with trying to throw the baby out with the bath and rationalizing that it's because the OTHERS were UNScriptural but WE were pure as the driven snow.