As a follow-up to Unworthy 1’s post on the International House of Prayer (found here) I’ve decided to post the following eye-opening video I just discovered. The video is a news piece from CBN and is done in a favorable light (imagine that coming from false prophet Pat Robertson’s broadcasting network).
Not only does IHOP’s Mike Binkle have ties to Bob Jones, but in the beginning of the video the commentator claims that Binkle says that Christ’s return is dependent upon man.
If I had a nickle for every time one of these Charismatic Charlatans claimed that God was powerless or helpless to do what He wants, and He must rely on us for His will to be accomplished, I’d be a rich man.
Christ Alone Wyoming 
In one way or another, most people professing Christ think the Lord depends on man for one thing or another. I am having a conservation with a man who moved to our area from California and he honestly doesn’t understand why reformers consider Roman Catholicism as apostate nor the lie of Wesleyism free will. To his credit he is asking questions, seeking to understand, rather than resting in his presuppositions. He has agreed to read this book, which should help him understand some basics.
http://shop.churchandfamilyreformation.org/Doctrines-of-Grace-Rediscovering-the-Evangelical-Gospel-BKDOGJBPR.htm
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Not surprising. Within the last few weeks I’ve started studying more about this stuff, which is nothing but an offshoot of the Manifest Sons of God/Latter Rain/Third Wave nonsense that has been spewed by the other Kansas City False Prophets–basically a mixture of Dominionism, Mormonism, and Word-Faith teachings. One teaching they have at their core is that Jesus cannot return until the church takes over the rule of all government on earth. From Apologetics Index:
One of the first spreaders of this spiritual manure was Peter Wagner. His goal is, in short, Dominionism. Wagner used to teach at Fuller Theological Seminary. And, lo and behold, guess who was one of Peter Wagner’s prize pupils at Fuller Seminary?
You guessed it: Rick Warren.
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One of the first spreaders of this spiritual manure was Peter Wagner. His goal is, in short, Dominionism. Wagner used to teach at Fuller Theological Seminary. And, lo and behold, guess who was one of Peter Wagner’s prize pupils at Fuller Seminary?
You guessed it: Rick Warren. ~ fourpointer
& the plot thickens.
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From my experiences with pent/charismatics they preach a Jesus that is so weak that He can’t hold on to those that are His. A Jesus that is so weak that He has to have our permission to work in our lives. (Or a God that can’t take our lives unless we let Him or even know what the animals were during the creation. a little shot at J.D.)
I don’t see how that they can expect the same God to rule over the entire earth and make His enemies a footstool. Or make every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. My opinion is that it would be violating some peoples free will if they are bowing to Jesus when they don’t want to.
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I guess “like a thief in the night” is no longer
relevant, according to Bickle they’re going to
“pray” the Lord to come!
What arrogancy!
I cannot understand why God allows us to even breathe!
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“Berean Gal
I cannot understand why God allows us to even breathe!”
He would have been just to let the human race become extinct after the fall of Adam and Eve.
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I find it alarming, so alarming that people who “travel” in these circles pay any attention to Bickle, Jones, Joyner and the rest of Wagner’s NAR gang. All of this revelation, power, signs, prophecies…and yet they could neither discern or discipline a wayward reprobate and wanton adulterer like Bentley. As I have done research I see that he Vineyard Movement, has along with the Toronto “blessing”, and now the alleged revival at IHOP, that not only is Wagner the chief proponent of this filth, but John Wimber gave Bickle, Jones and others carte blanche reign over the movement. The tentacles of their heresies even as Wimber attempted to discipline and correct these frauds, is still being manifested, we are truly reaping what we sowed and permitted amonsgst us.
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The thing that I don’t think a lot of people understand is that when in the early ’80’s Bickle said, “I will change the understanding and expression of Christianity in this generation”…he meant it. I’ve personally heard him say it many times. One of the many dangers is that many of Vineyard teachings are in MANY of the churches on the corner via songs being sung (Oh!, what a nice song!!!), children’s programs and on it goes. Course they have morphed so many times through the years- same deadly stuff- being passed off in another mask (according to whatever demonimation is targeted) I know so many people who are aware of the visible face of Vineyard and wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole, but in reality are little Mike Bickles- with no recognition of it at all. The many shades of Bickle/cronies. So what else is new.
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While most of us know that God does not need our prayer to do anything, there is an interesting aspect of prayer causing God to move and act in Matthew 9, where Jesus beholds the fields white for harvest, acknowledges the laborers are few, and asks us to “pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his vineyard.”
Does God need us to pray in order to send laborers? No. But laboring in prayer and God moving go hand in hand.
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Questions…GRACE: Is there a perfect church currently operating on the earth? No, but there will be. TRUTH: Is this an excuse to not adhere to sound doctrine, & discern “the tree by its fruits”? No, it is not.
I live in Kansas City, & have been to IHOP on a few occassions. Here are my impressions. I really enjoy the worship music, & do believe it, through the Holy Spirit, touches & refreshes many hearts. The emphasis on the Spirit’s manifestations is overdone (ala the church in Corinth 2 millenia ago). Also, there seems to me a spirit of arrogancy & lovelessness upon that “church” (strange, too, because so many of the songs speak of the deep love of God toward us). Possibly contributing to that is the lack of tried & true biblical teaching (Jesus’ gospel, belief & repentance) & a lack of discipline toward the congregation on the part of the church leadership.
That said, let me make this endnote. I am relatively young in my faith (6 yrs), & I am learning to take the matter of criticizing spiritual leaders very seriously. On the flip side, when I see basic bible teachings being shunned for experiments in the supernatural, I can’t help but feel outrage.
If we would but love Jesus, believe in His work, repent of our sins, & live lives rooted in love, truth, & grace, I believe the vast majority of our problems would be rectified. We needn’t major in minor things, as someone once said. Or, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12 & 13, that love is the highest way, above giftings of the Spirit. Let’s pray for an ‘outpouring’ of that!
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I knew Mike when he was at Center High School and he was one of my best friends. He invited me to one of the revivals he went to, and I wasn’t too impressed. I knew that he already had some unbiblical beliefs and I did not return to the revival. Over the years, he claims to have had a few visions, but I have a problem with that. In 1 John 4:1-3, the Bible tells us to test the spirits to see if they are of God. He has made no indication that he has ever tested these spirits, so it could be likely that he was conversing with demons.
Whenever you come into contact with the spirit world, you should always ask them if they believe that God came in the flesh. If they say “no” then they are demons and if they give no answer, they are either demons or just a bad dream to be ignored.
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Terr said,
Amen to that!
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Is Mike Bickle a prophet? In I corinthians 13: 8-10 it talks about prophecies ceasing when that which is perfect is come. The Bible, the Word of God, is perfect so when the Bible came to us complete (the adding of the New Testament) prophecies ceased. If you say that it refers to the return of Christ, then you are admitting that the Bible is not perfect. When the Bible says “that which is perfect,” it is refering to a thing and not a person. Based on this scripture, Mike Bickle is a false prophet.
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Based on Scripture, a prophet – speaking for God – is PERFECT when he does so. Another strike against false prophets such as Bickle and his his bunch.
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In this comment, I would like to say something nice about Mike. I disagree with some of his doctrinal beliefs, but I knew him as a very moral person and perhaps this helps to make him appear rather charismatic. I went to high school with him and he was one of my best friends for two years. He wasn’t allowed to date girls, so he hung around with us guys. He never talked dirty about women, in fact, never talked bad about anyone, and encouraged us to do the same. We went ice skating a few times together and he appreciated the fact that we didn’t bring any girl friends with us. He was a good football player and helped to win a few games as a receiver, and he also could outrun me in the mile run in track. He never got into any trouble of any kind that I know of, and he reminded us that he would become a preacher someday.
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Terry,
Morality means nothing in the grand scheme of things. His desire to be a preacher means nothing. What he believes and what he preaches and teaches – these are what are important. What is inside a man comes out of his mouth. Bickle is a false prophet who teaches lies. Lots of wicked people are nice folk.
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Manfred,
We teach others by our examples how to live a Godly life, like our children. Telling the truth is a moral issue and what I have seen of Mike is that he preaches and teaches the truth most of the time. When one mixes several truths with just one lie, this is deception, and therefore, the total becomes a lie.
I often wonder about a person who sees that their doctrines are noticeably different than others, if they even bother to check out their own beliefs to see if they are correct? It appears that Mike uses experiences to verify the truth instead of God’s Word. It is through experiences that many cults have started. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive!” It becomes important to study the Bible to see through all the deception.
It’s my hope that the “Bickle followers” read the Bible for themselves (Bible followers) to see if he is truthful, and that he doesn’t end up like Jim Jones. Jim started out at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO, and he was a self-proclaimed prophet who based things on experience. (We know how he ended up!)
Ron,
Too many people are “sign seekers” instead of “faith seekers.” This may be the case for many of the Bickle followers. We need to be careful about “signs” because the devil can make signs, too! If it contradicts the Bible then it is of the devil (period.)
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Terry,
Good response. I agree that we who claim Christ must live in such a way as to not profane the name of the Lord among the nations, but that such a life is a result of having been redeemed and not a substitute.
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“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matt. 24:14
This verse is one that can be emphasized either way.
-For those who emphasize our responsibility before God and God’s work being conditional upon certain human activities, they would say, “see, Christ’s return will only happen when we preach the gospel to all nations! So, we can bring Christ’s return more quickly by reaching the unreached with the gospel.”
-For those who emphasize the sovereignty of God over all things, they would say, “this is less a statement of conditionality than a statement of chronology. We are simply being told that Christ’s return won’t happen until the gospel has been preached to all nations. As God sovereignly moves in people to accomplish that task, he is bringing the end nearer in his own perfect timing.”
*** PERSPECTIVE CHECK ***
Notice we don’t take the following similar passage in the same way
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” (Rev. 6:9-11)
We don’t see people grabbing onto this passage and saying, “look, we can hasten the coming of the Lord by fulfilling the number of the martyrs!”
Rather, the point of application in both passages should be: Preach the gospel. Live the gospel. In so doing the gospel will spread, people will be saved, and the end will come.
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Thank you Andrew for such a good reply. You mentioned Rev. 6:9-11, which also contradicts Bickle’s teachings. These verses show Believers in Heaven before the 7 year Tribulation Period. (Mike only believes in 3 1/2 years of tribulation. There are a lot of bad things that happen 3 1/2 years before that. The last 3 1/2 years is called the “Great Tribulation” which indicates a period of tribulation (3 1/2 years) before it. The first half of the Tribulation Period has a great deal of catastrophes that happen, such as the seven seals and the seven trumpets, and during this time, more than 1/3 of all mankind will die, so how can this be ignored as not being a part of the Tribulation? Anyone who studies their Bible will find that Bickle doesn’t study his!!!!
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@ Andrew LeCleir: Matthew 24: 14 refers to events of the tribulation whereby the gospel is preached by the 144,000 faithful witnesses to the whole earth. The Church will have already been raptured to heaven at that time.
@Andrew Dreiling: when people proclaim ‘there is no perfect church’, it is a straw man argument used to denigrate those who object to false doctrine. It is actually very easy to have a church with sound reformed teaching by applying a grammatical historical interpretation of the Bible.
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@ Andrew Dreiling – please refer the Rules of Engagement before posting your comments. Any further personal attacks will result in your being banned from this site. Thank you.
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