So Many Charismatic Casualties (False Prophecies, Promised Healings That Never Came, etc.)

Christian Post ^ | 04/16/2018 | Michael Brown

[SeekAndFind]

Have you been burned by a false prophecy? Did you lose your faith when a promised healing never came? Have you had it with flaky teaching in the name of "new revelation"? If so, you are not alone. There are more Charismatic casualties than many of us would care to admit.

But let me start here with an honest confession. My own experience in Pentecostal-Charismatic circles has been far more positive than negative. I have worked with the same leadership team for more than 20 years. I have had the privilege of serving with men and women of integrity all around the world – I'm talking about Pentecostal-Charismatic leaders around the globe.

I was saved in a Pentecostal church in 1971 and transformed by an outpouring of the Spirit in 1982. I was on the front lines of the Brownsville Revival from 1996-2000, and grads from our ministry school are bearing amazing fruit around the world. And while I have seen my share of scandals and false prophecies and leadership abuses and weirdness, it has been the exception far more than the rule.

Sadly, for many others, the opposite has proved true. For them, there is little or nothing good in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement. They have been hurt or confused or abused, causing some to reject the move of the Spirit today and causing others to lose their faith entirely. My heart breaks over all these Charismatic casualties, and it is high time that we set our house in order.

I recently read a book critiquing the movement, and in my opinion, it was totally over the top in its criticisms.

Putting aside the scriptural errors I found in the book, it painted a terribly caricatured picture, one that was so exaggerated it was hardly recognizable to me. Yet as I read reviews to the book posted by readers, I saw that many of them were adding their hearty Amen. The picture it painted was all too familiar to them.

I'm aware, of course, that every church (or ministry or denomination or leader) has its critics. You can find horror stories everywhere, and if a church or ministry is big enough, you can find lots of negative reports from those who were allegedly burned by that church or ministry. But when you hear the same story over and over again from people from varied backgrounds, you know that something, somewhere is wrong.

When it comes to the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, there is no shortage of amazing stories of what the Lord is doing in virtually every nation on the planet. This is truly a stunning, Jesus-exalting, multi-generational work of the Holy Spirit. I see no way to deny that for a split second.

Even more importantly, based on Scripture, I find it indisputable that the gifts and power of the Spirit are to continue in operation until Jesus returns.

But that doesn't minimize the damage that has been done in the name of the Spirit, and there are all too many casualties because of unchecked abuses. Out of love for the Lord and love for His people, we need to step higher.

Although my new book, "Playing with Holy Fire", just came out a few days ago, I'm already seeing a pattern in the reviews being posted by readers.

One reader wrote, "Dr. Michael Brown's very timely and balanced work really addressed where I am right now: disillusioned and heartbroken over the abuses of the contemporary church (this goes beyond the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, though it is centered there). Furthermore, he encouraged my heart, showing me that I am not alone, and providing a Biblical way forward."

Another commented on Facebook that reading the book was bringing them healing from the negative experiences they had in our circles. Still another wrote, "As a former cessationist who was a cessationist BECAUSE of the abuse I saw happening in exercising the Holy Spirit's gifts, it concerns me too. Both because these abuses keep a very large section of the church away from desiring and pursuing something God wants them to have, but also because it harms our testimonies among unbelievers. This book will definitely be going to the top of my reading list!"

Other pastors and leaders are saying, "At last! These abuses needed to be addressed."

So, while I rejoice in what the Spirit is doing around the world, I grieve over the many who have been hurt and disillusioned because of human error and human sin and human carelessness. Truly, we have been given much by the Lord. And that means that much will be required of us.

May we walk worthy of the Holy Spirit's high calling. And may the name of Jesus be exalted, not tarnished, by our lives and ministries as Pentecostal and Charismatic believers.

The stakes are way too high to play games.

[imardmd1]

. . . and in privates meditation.

You mean, like having a mantra? Maybe Paul was referring to indulging in a taste of Hinduism?

[MHGinTN]

Your false prophet/false teacher, Michael Rood, has you twisted into his works based religion. Be cause you are convinced you can earn salvation, you swallow the Florian lies. They may seem sweet to you now, but they will be the basis of bitter gall in you.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: I suppose that is a rhetorical question?

Not strictly. If we accept the Markian passage as inspired, the question then becomes how do we UNDERSTAND the phrase, “These signs shall accompany those who believe” seeing that we don’t see these signs Jesus enumerated accompanying those who believe today.

Skeptics will say that unless we see these signs accompanying ANYONE who say they believe, then their profession of belief contradicts what Jesus said.

(NOTE: I am not agreeing with this, just presenting what I have heard from some people ).

[editor-surveyor]

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Always look out when you see the word ‘new’ in the name of anything.

1John 1:

[7] Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

[metmom]

That’s very interesting.

Thanks for posting that.

An awful lot of religions hang a lot of doctrine on that passage.

The RC’s use it to justify their doctrine of baptism, and yet ignore the rest of what’s there, the speaking in tongues, drinking poison, snake handling, etc.

The Pentecostals use it to support the doctrine of the evidence, but choose to ignore the part about baptism and salvation.

IOW, anyone who uses that passage, picks from it what they want to support their doctrine and ignores the rest.

[MHGinTN]

I dunno, but there were seventy nations at Babel. You could trace the speakers of those two dialects as see if they have origins in one of those seventy. ; )

[editor-surveyor]

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Spring water would be the best thing to drink.

Then you might not post such nonsense.

Here we are talking about spiritual gifts, and you attack one of the servants of Yehova about whom great spiritual events keep on happening.

Everything he touches is surrounded by the power of the spirit revealing things that have been lost since Yeshua walked the Earth.
.

[MHGinTN]

John was writing many years AFTER these Jews had become Christians and in the New Covenant which Jesus established through the Cross. John referred to the commandment to love one another as commanded by Jesus.

Your false teacher, Rood, has you twisting John to support the Covenant which was done away. But your blindness in Rood is so deep that you are here unable to see your lostness.

[Mark17]

My wife speaks both languages, and English, and can seemlessly switcb back and forth, between all three. It’s funny to listen to them carry on a conversation in three languages at the same time, with the same person, and the other person understands the entire conversation. 😂🤔

[metmom]

Well, I’ve sure run into enough people who are into prophesying over others.

There are times I’ve been prayed for in church and those praying were shaking and said they felt God moving through them and warmth in their hands where they were touching me.

I could feel the one woman shaking and I peeked at her and it was weird. Nor did I feel any warmth form their hands, although other people claim to feel that when God heals them..

I think the Holy Spirit has been protecting me from these spirits that someone is trying to impart on me. Cause I totally feel nothing for all their reports of feeling something.

Which is very interesting because God knows how much I want to be healed but if the healing is not coming because it’s through an ungodly source, then I get that. I would not want healing through anything that does not give God the glory, or is not of God.

[MHGinTN]

As a blind man you post 1John1 and fail to see 2John 7 Brethren, a new command I write not to you, but an old command, that ye had from the beginning — the old command is the word that ye heard from the beginning; 8 again, a new command I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness doth pass away, and the true light doth now shine; 9 he who is saying, in the light he is, and his brother is hating, in the darkness he is till now; 10 he who is loving his brother, in the light he doth remain, and a stumbling-block in him there is not; 11 and he who is hating his brother, in the darkness he is, and in the darkness he doth walk, and he hath not known whither he doth go, because the darkness did blind his eyes.

Jesus IS The Word made flesh. John writes to these earliest CHRISTIANS, to refer them nack to what they received from the beginning. But your Roodian blindness sees the old covenant and blurs the New Covenant in His Blood. As they say around this neck of the Appalachians, 'keep working for it son, Hell ain't half full.'

[Sontagged]

The shaking stuff is worrisome, and, I believe, supernatural in origin.

Satan desires that we disobey God and the Word at all times.

The Word tells us not to “tolerate” that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.

So what this means is, we are not to come into agreement with anyone in the NAR, because toleration means a passive agreement.

And that is the point of prayer... you are “agreeing” with the people you are praying with.

I’d advise that you not tolerate those whom you know are under a false teaching or false system of prophesy; nonetheless it is the Lord who does the healing. He just does not want any other satanic entity to get the glory; He is a jealous God and will have no other gods before Him.

So do not allow people whom you do not know to lay hands on you, or to pray with you, or to pray for you. You have no idea the cunning I’ve seen in this arena.

Ask the Lord for discernment, and discernment of spirits. He will give it to you. GBU.

[editor-surveyor]

.
The new covenant is the old covenant sealed in sinless blood.

As Jeremiah made plain, the covenant remains with the two houses of Israel, not some imaginary ‘church.’

[editor-surveyor]

.
>> “ the Covenant which was done away.” <<

Satanic blasphemy.
.

[imardmd1]

You are right in setting out the issue. I don't think the matter is a paradox or insoluble. As it is clear, the Scripture says that the signs will follow the believer, or accompany him/her/them.

Regarding this passage that certain theorists disclaim, largely it is because of shortsightedness in declaring some language to be plain-literal rather than figurative-literal. I have no problem with a figurative-literal interpretation of verses 17 and 18, but it may take a little knowledge of the hermeneutics--science of interpretation--to appreciate the difference. What confuses one is that there are Biblical instances where the passage is about a literal incident, such as Paul being bitten by an asp, as well as the many cases throughout the OT and the NT where the Holy Spirit has come upon a person or upon a group, with external visible manifestation of uttering languages a person was not previously familiar with, and/or magnifying The God (prophesying); the occasion given as the sign of an authentic operation of the Spirit to be noted and studied for doctrine. The Jews must have a sign, but the Greek verification demands a logical clear explanation (examples: Acts 19:6,11+;1 Cor. 1:22). This is well-covered in the doctrinal epistle to the dispersed Jews:

Hebrews 2:3-4 AV (compare Mk. 16:20):

³ "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
⁴God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles,
and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?"

This passage only refers to times previous to the moment in which it was written.

Do not be alarmed about the Markian passage. Some merely want to make it questionable as an inverted way to gain acceptance of the theory that the autographs were conflated by subsequent generation of copiers, thus casting doubt upon the Byzantine/Majority Textform to seduce supposed (prideful) "scholars" for the "older-is-better" but corrupted Alexandrian tradition.

I have no confidence in the opinions of those who would eliminate Mark 16:9-20, and am very suspicious about anything else they touch (which includes most of the "modern" versions and their proponents).

[boatbums]

>>I know what chrstians believe (having once been one).<<

One of the saddest things I've ever read...

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. (I John 2:18-20)

Going to a "Christian" church, calling oneself a Christian, checking a box on a form that asks "Religion?" with Christian, doesn't make one a Christian.

[boatbums]

Well, all men spoke the same language before the Tower of Babel, and Pentecost just reversed things in a show of God’s power. The Lord can do whatever He wants with our speech.

I've often thought about what language we will speak in heaven. Maybe we won't need words, our voice, our languages? Whatever this "heavenly" language is, I don't think it is whatever "tongues" language is being done in Charismatic circles. THAT kind, Scripture tells us WILL cease.

[boatbums]

I've been on this forum for almost nineteen years and I have never seen a chrstian give a legitimate, logical response as to why he believes chrstianity supersedes/"fulfills" Judaism, other than that's what the "new testament" says.

I've been on for over ten years and I HAVE seen many times where people give you legitimate and logical reasons for what you say you are looking for. Perhaps the real issue is you don't WANT to accept what has been proven? Jesus IS the promised Messiah. We would not have been able to recognize him without Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.

Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled” that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. (Luke 24:43,44)

[boatbums]

Henry Gruber (December 14, 1863 – September 26, 1932) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played from 1885 through 1895.

Did you mean Henry Gruver?

[MHGinTN]

The wall writer in Daniel 5 used language, written language, to convey a message, a judgment. An interesting aside is, UFO crashes reveal hieroglyphs on and in the crafts.