Apostasy/Lukewarm

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Bezel333 on Kim Clement, TBN’s “prophet for profit”

Bezel333 takes on TBN’s favorite false prophet, Kim Clement. Clement puts on one heck of a show, very entertaining, very ear-tickling. Not a lick of the presence of God, and nothing is done for the glory of Christ. But very entertaining, in a heretical, blaspheming kind of way.

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“Slain in the Spirit”–almost literally!!

Two of our favorite subjects lately have been:

(1) Charismatic chicanery, and
(2) lawsuits

Well, like the old Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cup commercials used to say, “Two great tatstes that taste great together.” How ’bout we roll both subjects into one post? Here’s a lawsuit, brought on by Charismatic chicanery, right here in good, old K-Town (via Charisma Magazine):

A man is suing his former Knoxville, Tenn., church and its pastors for negligence, claiming he was severely and permanently injured when church “catchers” failed to assist him during a prayer service last year.

In a $2.5 million civil action filed last week, Matthew Lincoln, a 58-year-old recording engineer, accused Lakewind Church pastors Michael and Monique Sexton of not properly “supervising the catchers.” Both the church and the pastors are named in the lawsuit.

Lincoln, who had been a member of Lakewind since 1995, claims in the suit that in his many years attending the nondenominational church, he was always “caught” if he “fell out in the spirit” because altar workers were customarily in place during prayer ministry. According to the complaint, Lakewind Church typically positions altar workers behind parishioners who receive prayer to catch them in the event that they experience “dizzying, fainting or falling in the spirit.”

But during a service on June 6, 2007, Lincoln said visiting minister Robert Lavala slightly touched his forehead, and he “received the spirit,” fell backward and struck the carpet-covered cement floor with the back of his head and back. The lawsuit claims the fall aggravated a degenerative disc disease in Lincoln’s neck and back that he had “reasonably recovered” from before the incident.

“To me this is not a complicated matter,” said Lincoln’s attorney, J.D. Lee. “The [church] had a set duty that they recognized, that the [church] board recognized … and they didn’t catch him. The poor guy fell out, and they breached the duty that they had.”
But David Long, an attorney representing the church and the Sextons, disagrees with Lee’s premise and does not believe his clients should be held liable. “The church has not done anything wrong and was not negligent,” he told Charisma.

In addition to losing income due to his alleged injuries, Lincoln claims he can no longer care for his disabled 25-year-old daughter. His wife, Shirley, is suing Lakewind for $75,000 as a “derivative action” that resulted from the “loss of consortium, loss of services and companionship of her husband.”

Oh….

My….

Gosh………..

Is there anything to add? Or does this story just kinda speak for itself?

OK, so let me get this straight. The guy “receives the Spirit,” which causes him to fall backwards. And it’s the church’s fault? Shouldn’t this guy join that Nebraska congressman who sued God over natural disasters, and the gay guy that’s suing Thomas Nelson and Zondervan over what God wrote in His word and sue God? Think about it folks: if it was the Holy Spirit that caused Lincoln to fall backwards–I mean, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit be able to know that there wasn’t going to be somebody to catch him? Or was the Holy Spirit too busy giving out tongues and interpretation and making people bark like dogs? And shouldn’t the Holy Spirit have told the evangelist to hold up a minute until He could get somebody to catch him?

See, this is the kind of thing that makes me shake my head over how people can believe this kind of stuff is of God. If these people would actually pick up a Bible and read what it actually says, rather than basing their doctrine on a bunch of “feelings” and experiences, perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

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Tullian on Todd.

on

Way to go Pastor Tchividjian! I’ve always liked Tullian’s preaching and his stance on this controversial issue (in spite of an inevitable backlash) shows that there are still some willing to take a stand.

“We increase our scrutiny of people like Hugh Hefner, and we decrease our evaluation of people like Todd Bentley just because he comes in the name of Jesus,” Tullian Tchividjian told The Good News. “Hugh Hefner is not nearly as dangerous to the church as someone like this.”

Source: Between Two Worlds

“I have no problem going on record and saying this guy is a false prophet … with a capital ‘F,’” says Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy and Ruth Graham and pastor of New City Church in Margate, Fla. “And it shouldn’t surprise any of us because the Bible warns us about this from cover to cover. John Piper once said that Satan does not tempt us with poison, but with apple pie.”

Source: The Good News

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Laodicean-style church marketing: Manipulating the unregenerate with free gas.

In this day and age of “anything goes” church marketing (like these church advertisements), offering free gas to get people into church no longer surprises me . . .

. . . because for some reason hirelings think that they can somehow manipulate conversions . . .

. . . even if they have to use potty humor to advertise . . .

. . . because after all, the end [false conversions] now justify the means [anything that appeals to the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh]. Welcome to Laodicea!

If it’s true that what you draw them with is what you keep them with, it looks like things could get pretty expensive at over 4 dollars a gallon.

“If you’re preaching to consumers rather than disciples you got to keep their attention and that requires constant innovation. They have to have something new and different every time you get together or you’re going to lose them.”  – Kim Riddlebarger

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These Are ‘Want’ Ads For Pastors?!

Is it any surprise that we have need for such open letters for pastoral repentance and bad, bad, bad church signs when churches are actually listing mostly worldly requirements for pastors?

These actual ‘want’ ads are taken off a good sister’s blog:

Executive Pastor
MCC is looking for an Executive Pastor (i.e. acting as the Chief Operating Officer) who will manage the operations of the church and will report to the Senior Pastor. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of effective staff leadership and development and will be a person of integrity committed to the mission and vision of the church. The individual will possess exceptional organizational skills and excellent oral and written communications skills. He/she will be able to manage multiple priorities. The Executive Pastor will supervise all senior staff at MCC and will lead the development of integrated plans across ministries/staff to deliver the church vision. This candidate will have a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ. MCC is a 2300 member church that is mission oriented and has a passion to reach the community and the world with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Executive Pastor will embrace this mission and share this passion. This is a full time position with a full benefit package. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelors degree and a strong background in business and organization management. A minimum of 10 years experience in a leadership capacity with responsibility for delivering a vision is required. Executive Pastor Experience desirable (but not required).

Just one Biblical requirement — a close relationship with Jesus Christ?!

Worship Pastor
Emmanuel Baptist Church is seeking a man to serve as full-time Worship Pastor. Candidates must be comfortable leading a “blended” style service. EBC leans toward the contemporary side of “blended,” but we need someone who truly loves and uses both traditional and contemporary music to unite people of all age categories in worship. A little history of our church may help… EBC has more than doubled in worship attendance over the past 5 years to a weekly attendance of 600+. Last year, we saw 251 salvations, 50 baptisms, and 136 new members added to our church family. EBC has grown at an average of 100 people per year in a small town setting. In addition, Emmanuel Christian School has 450+/- students enrolled in grades PreK-12. We also opened a School of Fine Arts teaching music, voice and drama. Emmanuel Baptist Church is balanced, growing, financially sound, and known as “A Place of Grace” in our community. Emmanuel is truly experiencing a modern-day miracle! Candidates for this position should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Music, a minimum of 3 years experience, and be proficient in piano.

Wow, no mention of any spiritual status at all! One just has to know how to lead a “blended” style service. What that is can be very open to interpretation, especially if we see the word “contemporary”, no?

Senior Pastor – Life Groups
PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
This purpose of this position is to create “Raving Fan” small groups where people can learn, change, grow, connect, support and experience God together.

PRIMARY STRENGTHS/GIFTS/TALENTS REQUIRED

  • Vision Caster – Able to communicate the LG vision effectively so that people buy in and embrace it.
  • Strategic & Systems Thinking – Able to develop effective systems (both administrative & leadership) to make sure the LG’s are on track and achieving their goals.
  • Up Front Teaching Gifts – Able to design and deliver effective leadership training in a way that creates Raving Fans.

Are raving fans an euphemism for raving lunatics? Oh, and by the way, no mention of Biblical requirements for shepherds either.

I rest my case.

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Who said this?

See if you can guess who said this:

This is the God of the gospel of grace. A God who, out of love for us, sent the only Son He ever had wrapped in our skin. He learned how to walk, stumbled and fell, cried for His milk, sweated blood in the night, was lashed with a whip and showered with spit, was fixed to a cross, and died whispering forgiveness on us all.

The God of the legalistic Christian, on the other hand is often unpredictable, erratic, and capable of all manner of prejudices. When we view God this way, we feel compelled to engage in some sort of magic to appease Him. Sunday worship becomes a superstitious insurance policy against His whims. This God expects people to be perfect and to be in perpetual control of their feelings and thoughts. When broken people with this concept of God fail, as inevitably as they must, they usually expect punishment. So they persevere in religious practices as they struggle to maintain a hollow image of a perfect self. The struggle itself is exhausting. The legalists can never live up to the expectations they project on God.

Did you guess Brennan Manning, in all of his Emergent, Postmodern, ooey-gooey theologically syrupy wishy-washiness? Yep, Brennan Manning, High Priest in The Church of You Can Claim Christ Without Repenting From Sin. I remember trying to read “Ragamuffin Gospel.” What a wretched piece of writing.

But see, the above quote is how the Purpose-Driven/Emergent/Postmoderns view those of us who hold to the truth of Scripture. They call us “legalists” for daring to say that in order to be saved a person must repent of their sins. Manning and Bell and McLaren would rather spend their time telling people that “God loves them just the way they are, sins and all” without ever once warning them to repent. So they wind up loving these people right into Hell. They would rather worship a God of their own making than the one whose perfect righteousness requires Him to send unrepentant sinners to their eternal justice.

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When the church stops being the church.

What would happen if you went into your local Carvel, Baskin Robbins, or Dairy Queen and were told that they no longer serve ice cream?

What would happen if you went to your local quickie lube-change location and they advised you that they no longer do oil changes.

What if you went to your local library and the librarian informed you that they no longer lend out books?

Would you not likely wonder why these places remain open if their main staple and reason for existence is no longer offered?

Well, would you believe me if I told you that this is exactly what’s happening in some Western churches? Although these churches left their primary purpose for existence (to glorify God) long ago, they are now ceasing to provide their other main purpose for existence: The preaching of the Gospel.

Welcome to the new age of pseudo-Christianity in which the “church” is no longer in the business of preaching the Gospel or converting souls!

Don’t believe it’s possible? Think it would be like Starbucks refusing to sell coffee? Well, check out the following three examples.

EXHIBIT A:

At St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in California, their page on What is Our Mission? boldly declares:

Our emphasis is not on converting souls to Jesus so that individuals will be rescued from hell. Our emphasis is on partnership with Jesus Christ, and our challenge as followers of Jesus is to live our lives his way—believing in what he believed in, loving what he loved, opposing what he opposed.

This is what you get when a heretical, apostate, liberal church is too busy caring for the environment and boasting about being “an inclusive community with open arms and open minds” (code for we ignore God’s clear teachings against homosexuality), instead of following the commands of Jesus and seeking the salvation of men. Hmmm, kind of reminds me of Romans 1:18-32.


EXHIBIT B:

At a Calvary Chapel in Nevada, their “motorcycle ministry” has a page with the following:

Are You thinking? “Hey I like to ride [motorcycles] but that Jesus stuff is not for me”. No worries, we offer a safe group riding environment free of alcohol and drugs. We promise not to “preach” to you but please know if you need prayer we can pray with you and if you have any questions we will gladly answer them.

That “Jesus stuff“??? We expect the world to speak in such a flippant manner about the sacred and holy things of God, but a church? Seriously, is this any way for a church to be speaking about our Lord and Savior? Could a truly regenerated believer refer to their Savior and the one true Faith with such disrespect? And bear in mind that this is coming from an extension of Calvary Chapel that’s identified as a “ministry.”

Sadly, it doesn’t surprise me the least bit that a “church ministry” that refers to the precious Lamb that was slain (and His Bride) as “that Jesus Stuff” would then have to post the following disclaimer for participants in their church “motorcycle ministry” rides:

* Requirements to join us in an open ride: Maintain Current motorcycle endorsement (not permit), registration and insurance as required by law. PLEASE NO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS. Thank You!

Shouldn’t no alcohol and drugs be a foregone conclusion for a “church ministry”? I wonder if Chuck Smith knows about this.

***** UPDATE *****

Since the publishing of this post, Calvary Chapel has changed their candid “Jesus stuff” remark so as to not be so revealing. But being unequally yoked for the sake of hanging out to ride bikes together is apparently still acceptable.

EXHIBIT C:

According to The Christian Post, the recent Episcopal gathering in Baltimore, Maryland for the Everyone, Everywhere World Mission Conference had the following startling revelation on evangelism:

On day two of the conference, the Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler, an Episcopal missionary and author, spoke about working with Muslims. He urged participants to “bridge this chasm of misunderstanding” between Christianity and Islam by not focusing on converting the Muslim, but rather to form an interfaith friendship that explores the commonality between the two faiths.

Chandler said Muslims who are pressured into converting to Christianity suffer what he calls a “total break with society.” He gave as example real stories of Christian converts from Islam in Senegal who were exiled from their community when they followed Christ.

“They ended up getting Jesus, but the rest of their life was hell,” said Chandler, who had lived in Senegal with his parents who were Christian missionaries.

The Episcopal missionary recommended Christians to use the Five Pillars of Islam to introduce the common religious heritage between Christianity and Islam when approaching Muslims. The central common factor is that Jesus was a Middle Eastern man whom Islam reveres.

So what you’re saying “Reverend” Chandler is that the best way to love a Muslim is to let him die in his sins and burn in Hell forever? Wow, what a noble thing to do.

Ichabod!

Ichabod!

Ichabod!

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First Wesley, now Knox

**UPDATE**: Now the Politically Correct, UnScriptural Apostates have announced they are standing with the PLO in their opposition to the very existence of Israel (via Christian Worldview Network):

As I write truthful but unpleasant comments about the Presbyterian Church, I know many Presbyterian readers of this do not agree with their church leadership. But at the recent Presbyterian Church USA annual meeting a number of Presbyterian leaders pled passionately for a declaration of solidarity with the Palestinian Arabs. The appeal included a recommendation to adopt a series of anti-Israel measures, including proposals for divestment and for backing a suspension of American military aid to the Jewish state. In essence they called for Presbyterians to side with the Palestinians and take serious shots at the Israelis.

“The situation in Palestine is dire. The call from our Palestinian brothers and sisters has fallen on deaf ears,” a Presbyterian minister, Reverend William McGarvey of San Francisco, said. “The American Christian church has largely watched this catastrophe continue as if we did not care.”

There is also an article at the New York Sun.

——————————–

If you have noticed the increase in earthquakes over the last few years, it may be due to the number of great saints rolling over in their graves. The Wesleys and Francis Asbury have been flipping for years over the direction of the United Methodist Church. Now comes this news (although not really news, as it has been coming for a while now) that has been making John Knox do somersaults in his grave (via Al Mohler):

Meeting in San Jose, California, the Presbyterian Church USA, the liberal branch of American Presbyterianism, moved to approve homosexual clergy on June 27, 2008 — a date that may well mark a final blow against biblical orthodoxy in that denomination.

The PCUSA has debated sexuality issues for decades now, with activists for homosexual ordination pressing their case until they finally got their way at the denomination’s General Assembly. In that historic meeting, the General Assembly actually approved several proposals.

Even before dealing directly with the question of ordination standards, the General Assembly approved a first step toward revising the denomination’s official translation of the historic Heidelberg Catechism. Once again, the crucial issue was homosexuality. The question was “complex and multi-layered,” as the proposing group admitted.

And the apostasy continues…

Flip a word here, leave out a sentence there, twist the Scripture (or even leave it out) here and there, and now the PCUSA has a Bible that suits their purpose.

OneNewsNow has a fuller article.

PCUSA–Politcally Correct. UnScriptural. Apostate!

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Street preachers boldly go into the wanna-be anti-Christ’s church and engage the deceived.

For those who watched the videos in this post on the false prophet who claims to be Christ and wondered to yourself how could anyone believe that stuff, here’s your chance to see how this anti-Christ’s followers justify their belief. I haven’t seen this much Scripture twisting since the last time I talked to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Same lies, different cult.

Although there seems to be a lot of disorder, and Scripture is simply thrown back and forth, I do commend these guys for their valiant effort to confront the error of this cult (I wish there were those willing to confront Joseph Smith and Charles Taze Russel when they began their cults).

Parts one and two of the video take place inside the cult’s church building. Parts three and four take place outside. All in all it is a very interesting debate (and I sure do miss that south Florida rain).

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four:

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Exposing Kenneth Copeland’s doctrines of demons.

This is a fantastic video comparing the truth of Scripture with that of Kenneth Copeland’s false teachings spawned from the abyss of Satan. If you want to view the complete video (about 7 minutes longer than the one below) you can find it here.

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Captured on video: Todd Bentley knees a man in the stomach with stage 4 colon cancer to facilitate a “healing.”

Todd Bentley bragged (in the video on this previous post) about kicking a lady in the face with his biker boot to heal her. In that same video he also boasted about tackling, leg-dropping, punching, and choking people to generate “healings.” Well, now he’s battered someone for real and it’s been caught on video.

And why did Todd Bentley unexpectedly and without warning run up to this dying man with colon cancer and knee him in the stomach? Because, as he says, “I had to be obedient to the Lord, sir.”

No, Mr. Bentley, if you were obeying the Lord you wouldn’t be doing this stuff.

Source: Slice of Laodicea

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Dan Kimball’s “They Like Jesus but not the Church.”

Emergent pastor Dan Kimball makes some good points in this 7 minute video, as do other Emergent leaders from time to time (like leaving the “bubble” and reaching out to those on the outside). But as usual it doesn’t take long for Emergents to quickly make a hard left-turn and nosedive into a downward spiral of tolerance of sin and the advancement of heretical false teachings which ultimately leave the hurting (like the man in this video for example) still lost and seeking truth in the end.

I wish people like Dan Kimball would just remove “Christian” from their title and replace it with “Universalist.” There would be a much greater clarity and truth in advertising.

Jesus hung out with thieves, prostitutes, and murderers, but he called them to repentance not–as Emergents suggest–to leave them feeling good about their sin. God calls us to come as we are, but He doesn’t expect us to stay that way!

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Choose this day whom you will serve!

I was speaking with The Desert Pastor the other day and we were discussing the amount of attention Todd Bentley was getting on DefCon. We were apparently both thinking the same thing: this false prophet was beginning to get too much coverage on this blog.

I expressed to him that I think we’ve posted more than enough information on this false prophet that those who are discerning (and truly seeking after truth) will benefit from what we’ve made available. On the flip side, however, that same information has been seen by those who still defend and follow him and their continued allegiance to this man will only add to their condemnation. They will not be able to proclaim “ignorance” on the Day of Judgment.

So with that said, barring some periodical event that requires commentary, this will probably be one of my last posts on this pied-piper who draws the selfish after him as they chase signs and wonders and the next big thing/experience/spectacle.

This video is one of the best examinations of Bentley that I’ve seen so far. I can only hope and pray that those who haven’t drank the Kool-Aid can watch this and come to understand that not everything that glitters is gold, and even Satan himself can disguise himself as an angel of light.