Posted on 04/09/2018 8:39:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Charismatic-Pentecostal movement finds itself at a critical juncture. On the one hand, our movement is arguably responsible for the greatest ingathering souls in Church history, with well over 500 million new converts in the last 50 years. On the other hand, abuses abound in our midst, from sexual scandals to financial impropriety and from unaccountable prophecies to doctrinal deviances.
It is high time that we do some self-policing. Better that we judge ourselves than be judged by the Lord (see 1 Peter 4:17; 1 Corinthians 11:31-32).
I recently signed up to receive emails from a well-known "prophet," curious to see if he had changed his ways. (In the past, his fundraising methods were infamous.) Immediately, I received this appeal:
_____________________________________________
CLICK HERE TO SOW THE $80.18 for DEUTERONOMY 8:18
(Your urgent response is required)
MIRACLE MONEY is coming, discover WHEN now! PROFITABLE CONNECTIONS are yours, discover WHO now! GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES will be found, discover WHERE now!
_____________________________________________
And it got much worse after this, including stories of people who had suffered serious losses because they failed to respond to the prophet's word. What a horror. More horrible still, I'm sure hundreds or thousands of sincere but gullible believers wrote out checks for $80.18, even if they barely had a dollar to their name.
A critic of the Charismatic-Pentecostal movement, of which I am a joyful, committed part, emailed me a couple of years back. He pleaded with me to watch a segment from a recent broadcast of a famous TV preacher. I watched, and I was shocked. The critic was not exaggerating.
This prominent TV preacher brought a "prophet" onto his program and asked him to receive the offering. The prophet claimed to have received a direct, clear word from the Lord, warning of a major disaster coming that September, which was then just a few weeks off.
The good news was that if you gave an offering of $500, you, your children, and your grandchildren would be protected from this disaster, plus your debts would be cancelled and your body healed. And this was on national (and probably international) Christian TV.
How in the world did the stations allow this to air? And how could this prominent TV preacher allow this to happen on his watch? This is absolutely corrupt in every way.
Aside from the fact that no major disaster happened that September, it is complete manipulation to claim people must give a sacrificial gift to a particular ministry to be protected from a disaster.
What if they simply trusted God to protect them from this impending doom? And what if they could only afford to give $250? Does that mean only half of their family would be protected? Yet people wrote out their checks and donated their hard-earned money, believing the smooth talk of this slick prophet. I'd be surprised if he didn't receive a nice cut of the offering too.
But it's not only prophetic abuses we've had in our midst. One megachurch pastor slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Years later, that child, who thought he was the megachurch pastor's nephew, took his place as the new pastor of the church, only to find out that his "uncle" was his father. So, the leadership succession in this congregation went from the father to the son born out of adultery and incest.
Another megachurch pastor said that God told him he married the wrong woman. Seven days after his divorce went through, he married his new wife, continuing to minister without interruption. Ironically, it was the pastor who slept with his brother's wife who performed the wedding. May God help us to repent.
I absolutely believe in showing mercy, and I live by the kindness of God 24/7. I'm all for restoration, knowing that our God is a redeemer. And I'm the last one to throw stones at my fallen brothers and sisters, knowing full well that "there go I but for the grace of God."
But will we really see change if we don't preach the cross, don't preach repentance, don't call out sin, and don't call out disobedience? We will really see change if we major on the minors and minor on the majors? If we put personal revelation ahead of the Word of God? If we preach a gospel of financial gain? If we substitute flakiness for fullness? As Derek Prince wisely said, "Do not expect New Testament results without New Testament methods."
I personally believe that the best is yet to come and that what we have seen so far is nothing compared to what is coming in the days ahead – the greatest outpouring of the Spirit in the history of the planet. All the more, then, it is urgent that we get our house in order, that we quit celebrating doctrinal silliness, that we hold our leaders accountable, that we quit manipulating people out of their money, and that we show our Lord that we are ready to go to the next level in Him.
A dying world is watching and waiting. Heaven is looking down with interest. How will we respond? May we no longer play with holy fire. The flames of God are too sacred for silly games.
(Some of the material in this article has been adapted from my new book, Playing with Holy Fire: A Wake-up Call to the Charismatic-Pentecostal Church, just released this week.)
Televangelism has been a double-edged sword. It preaches the Gospel worldwide, but often in distorted forms, as in the “prosperity” gospel (Osteen, et al). Also, there is too much emphasis on end-times speculation and the rapture.
Make Jesus Christ your center. Study his word, follow current events, pray for discernment through the Holy Spirit. You will experience a revelation from God. Love one another.
Genesis: Jesus, he knows me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-rfCnW5VlE
Never seen the tongues signs and healing people follow the rules laid out in the Bible
The #1 problem with the charismatic movement is that everything falls on the believer. If you are not wealthy or healthy it is because you lack faith. God wants to bless you but your doubt is what prevents him from doing so.
Typically, when Christianity has periods of growth, the opposition is usually in direct proportion. Unfortunately, that also includes the money grubbers who take advantage of the gullible.
Amen!
That’s true...Jesus makes things right through our repenting of our sins.. Then we realize the Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. Wisdom comes from knowledge and knowledge comes from God’s Word. That’s how we get right with Christ and He is the only way to the Father.God’s judgement will happen to all of us and yes, there is eternal Hell. I really don’t want to go there. Love one another.
Also I know God is not confined to rules and I want to meet Him personally.
It is my belief that when the Church fathers decided to include the Revelations chapter in the Bible (and it apparently was a toss-up) it was a major mistake. I would ask with respect to divine revelation, what difference is there between the dreams of Mohammed and the Dreams of John?
And, frankly, we really try to over-complicate it. His message is so simple, as is his promise. Accept his free gift and you live. Refuse it and you die. And this not based on what you do. Rather, what you do is based on your belief. And regarding Christianity, everything is about WHY you do what you do.
As I was mentioning to a friend in Church yesterday: If you reflect on the last week and you feel you were not obeying enough and you had better clean up your act if you want to make it to heaven, you’re doing it wrong.
Only the inspiration from the Holy Spirit, if that makes any difference to you.
I have.
One of the problems of mega ministry is that its focus drifts from the "lowliness, meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace", into self-aggrandizement and TV-ish production. But blaming that on the recrudescences of Pentecost and charismata would be like blaming gaudy, ostentatious, semi-truck-sized motor homes and automobile wrecks on gasoline.
Instead, I tend to blame it all on good, old-fashioned hubris and concupiscence.
Oh, yeah, people have so much control over God.
The visions of John come from God. Those of mohammed come from somewhere else.
W/o John's visions, we would have very little idea of what Heaven is like; nor would we know what is coming to planet earth in what the old prophets called the time of Jacob's trouble, and what Jesus Himself called "Great Tribulation, such as the world has never seen, nor will ever see again."
Add to that, John was right, mohammed was wrong.
You are expressing an opinion.
We have, for example, according to Wikipedia:
Revelation was the last book to be accepted into the Christian biblical canon, and even at the present day some Nestorian churches reject it. It was tainted because the heretical sect of the Montanists relied on it and doubts were raised over its Jewishness and authorship, and it was not until 419 that it was included in the canon.
“I would ask with respect to divine revelation, what difference is there between the dreams of Mohammed and the Dreams of John?”
First, Revelation is not about John’s dreams. It contains visions received directly from Christ.
Christ commanded John to write these things and send the message to the churches.
Christ Himself repeatedly commands us to listen.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
He pronounced a special blessing on those who read, hear, and keep the prophecies of the book of Revelation.
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation closes the canon of scripture. This is how we know that the Bible has been completed:
Revelation 22:18-19
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Revelation contains instructions, worship, and prophecies of future, end-times events.
And, like all other scriptures, it reveals the person of Christ, which the point of the Bible.
John 5:39
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
The Revelation is a revealing of Jesus Christ.
To compare this majestic book to the ravings of a madman is contemptible. How could that even enter your mind?
Your opinion?
Yes, the “Prosperity Gospel” is one of the errors among some “evangelicals”, but I have news for those reporting this. It occurs in other denominations, and independent churches as well as even among some “new age” churches. Its a “universal” false spiritual “sales tactic” and anyone wanting the label of “preacher” and wanting to themselves prosper from that label, is capable of selling the “prosperity ‘gospel’ “ to their sheeple.
It is based on first, and continually, TELLING (not “showing” just telling) the sheeple that the particular ministry is absolutely doing “G-d’s work”, and that “G-d wants you to help “HIS ministry”, and if you do “You will be rewarded”. It’s what I call religious snake oil and no more authentically about “G-d” than chain letters are about your “good fate” if you keep the chain alive.
And this is what Paul has to say about preaching any other gospel but the one he did.
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
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