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Archive for the ‘Church in Crisis’ Category

Counterfeiting the Holy Spirit

Posted in Church in Crisis, False Prophets, Prophetic Mixture, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , on July 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

By T Austin Sparks

Then, as to the third Person in the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, so much should be said here. He (the devil) is out along this line to counterfeit the Holy Spirit, there is no doubt about it. If this is the dispensation of the Spirit, this is the dispensation of the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. What is the work of the Holy Spirit? Well, it is many-sided, but, beloved, the enemy can give false signs, which are an imitation of the signs of the Holy Spirit. The enemy can give false guidance which is an imitation of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Experiences? Yes, you can have experiences, supernatural experiences, which are a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Teaching? Yes, teaching as from the Bible: doctrines of demons, false doctrine. But they would not be deceptions, delusions if they were not based upon Biblical content. Yes, imitating the Holy Spirit. Miracles, working great signs and wonders, calling down a fire from heaven to deceive them that are on the earth. Miracles, signs, wonders, power, yes, and even life, to give life unto the image, power to give life unto the image, and – now listen – conversions: apparent new birth, changing lives; and here we are on perhaps the most terrific ground when we say that. The question would at once arise: “Does the devil make men pure and turn men from godlessness to a life of God-interest?” “Does he really change men for the better?” Is that true? He will stand at nothing if he can get his ultimate end. If he can give you a false baptism of the Holy Spirit so that you have a wonderful experience, full of wonderful sensations, sublime sensations, and accompanied by remarkable gifts, powers, supernatural abilities; if he can give you that and let you glory in that for a time and then withdraw it, and with the withdrawal suggest to your mind at once “you have sinned against the Holy Ghost,” “you have committed the unpardonable sin.” Thus he has cut from under your feet the ground of any hope whatever. The power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ is no longer of any value to you because there is no more pardon. What is the good of the blood if there is no more pardon? All the atoning work of Christ is slain for you if once you take that suggestion on. Christ and His Cross have lost their value for you.

Yes, Satan will stand at nothing if only he can really strike a vital blow at faith in Christ, and he has done that with many, and he is doing it. There are many dear children of God who, if only they knew, if only they had light and the knowledge, would be saved from the most awful state of mental hell today under that pressure of accusation from the enemy that they have sinned beyond forgiveness, they have grieved the Holy Spirit from them. There are many dear children of God like that today. I say we need help in these days for the people of God to be made secure, to be saved from these awful deceptions. And in many other ways the Deceiver is imitating. He can use Scripture as much as anybody. He can provoke worship, he will set up his own church, “the synagogue of Satan”, imitating; he will teach wonderful teachings, Biblical truth, to get people in a corner and bewildered and eventually get them into such a mess that they do not know where they are, they get into a place of fatal inertia – can they ever believe anything again? You see, delusions!

Excerpt from “Christ the Power of God” Chapter 3 by T. Austin Sparks

https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/002158.html

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The Heart of Worship

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , on July 8, 2023| 2 Comments »

Matt Redman’s Heart of Worship song really hits the nail on the head. Worship is so much more than just a song or music.

“When the music fades,all is stripped away, and I simply come

Longing just to bring something that’s of worth, that will bless Your heart

I’ll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself, is not what You have required

You search much deeper within, through the way things appear, You’re looking into my heart

I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, it’s all about You Jesus

I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about You, it’s all about You Jesus” by Matt Redman

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What Is Worship In The Bible

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , on June 13, 2023| 1 Comment »

We are in an age where the Biblical meaning of worship is fading quickly. It is being replaced by something that is less reverent, and more pleasing to our souls. It is less serious and will result in us losing the real meaning. I have put two verses from the Old Testament and two verses from the New Testament below, they will give us insight into the things we may have forgotten.  

Ex 34:8 And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.

2 Chron 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.

Matt 4:8-9 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.”

Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.

Biblical worship is bowing in reverence. There are many places in the Bible where these types of verses appear. Those verses support each other and give us a clear understanding of what worship is. Worshiping God has to do with bowing in honor to Him, and in many cases, it meant bowing down, or falling down before Him. It is the realization of the greatness of God, and the littleness of man.

Most of the cases of worship in the Bible really have no music or musicians during those acts of worship. Yet our modern culture has made the music the main element of our worship. That makes it enjoyable for us, yet in Biblical worship there is an element of fear and reverence in many cases.

It is important that we distinguish between praise and worship. As a worship leader I recognize that what I do is lead people in praise to the Lord. While there can be times of “bowing in reverence” during a service, it is mostly praise. Praise in the congregation is a very important aspect, and leading people in praise is of great importance. We are commanded throughout the Bible to do so. We are commanded to praise Him and we are commanded to worship Him, let us not lose the distinction between those two great words.

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What is Worship? 3

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , on November 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

As I was driving down the road the other day, I went past a church that had the following “advertisement” on their billboard.

“Three styles of worship, one just right for you”.

I tried to call them to see what they were, but there was no answer. My guess would be that the three styles were traditional, contemporary and blended. If you do a search online, you will find more than three, here are some of the others I have found, Taize style, coffeehouse style, liturgical, etc. The list goes on. Here is a brief list of how I interpret the styles-

Contemporary means more upbeat, similar to what I call soft rock, with a full band,

Traditional means hymns and chorus’, usually with a piano,

I would guess that coffeehouse style would be an acoustic sound, with acoustic guitars, and less amplification,

Progressive style leans more toward rock and roll, full band, with lots of bass, drums and heavy amplification.

Taize style- look it up online yourself.

Again, I will emphasize that we have lost the original meaning of the great Biblical word “worship”.

A person can worship God without any of the mentioned styles, or without any instruments or music at all. I used to think about people that are deaf and dumb and think that they were missing out because they couldn’t worship God, I know that sounds absurd, but sometimes it takes the absurd to bring a point across. From what little research I have done, it appears that musical instruments really weren’t used in the church until about 200 years ago. It wasn’t allowed.

For most of us, we understand what that billboard means, and we ourselves are governed by some of those styles. Most of us, when we are looking for a church, take their style of worship as one of the most important factors in whether or not we will attend there. We equate certain styles of music as more spiritual than others. And unfortunately, it is governed by our likes and specific tastes in music.

To me it would be wise to call our music and singing something other than “worship”, we can certainly call it praise or celebration, which would be more appropriate. Why diminish our understanding of what true “worship” is?

When Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” was he making any reference whatsoever to music and singing? Absolutely not, yet that is how we think of it.

In the Old Testament, God Himself laid out all the laws and requirements governing their “worship”, down to the smallest details. If we make “worship” into something that is governed by our likes and tastes, or our dislikes, we are in great peril. Worship is God’s requirements placed on us, not our preference in what feels good to our liking. What other Biblical word will replace the true meaning of “worship” if we lose it? What are we teaching the next generation?

Some of the most difficult times of worship in my life were not accompanied by any music or anything that felt good. Much like when Abraham went to offer Isaac, it was a time of very severe inner turmoil, as was the case in the life of Joseph. If you read that story, there were several instances where Joseph wept bitterly before he told his brothers who he was. What was he going thru? Was he tempted to get revenge? Could he get past that, as he thought of what they did to him? Giving forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it, even though they in fact are guilty, is an act of obedience and worship to God. What manner of dealing with God brought Joseph to the point where he recognized in Genesis 45:7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance? 8“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God;”  In the same manner Jesus prayed to the Father, “Forgive them, they know not what they do”. These are examples of true worship, obedience to God; even though it might be at great peril to ones self.

So what is the end result? Well, we are certainly still able to enjoy the music and singing as much as we ever did. It can still be an expression of praise and adoration to Him. But, we have to understand that our music and singing is not really a necessity in worshiping God. It is a blessing that we have and maybe we put too much emphasis on it. Remember the saints in China, when they gather, cannot sing or have music, because they are in hiding. And, the deaf and dumb are not able to enjoy what we enjoy. But they can still be true worshipers of God, and even be more committed to God than we who sing. Sela!

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What is Worship? 2

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , on October 28, 2021| 1 Comment »

In the December 1999 issue of Charisma Magazine, is an article on the Christian band Delirious and the future of worship in the church. Everything in the article is about how worship is changing in the church, and how it is being taken to the streets, and to venues not normally associated with Christianity.  These are all good things, because music is such a good tool to use to present the Gospel.

I remember all thru the 1970’s, I played in a Christian band that traveled regionally thru the various coffee houses in the Chicago and Milwaukee and all around the Midwest. In 1977 we did a trip to Sweden and Denmark that lasted about 6 weeks. There we were able to play in the public schools and various other venues. In a 5 week period, we played 42 times, sometimes 3 different places in a day. The thing is, we never called it “worship”. It was an expression of worship, at times, other times it was a tool for evangelism. Music is a universal language, but I fear we have become confused about what “worship” is.

Today, when someone talks about “worship”, they usually mean the music and singing. You hear phases like, “a powerful time of worship” or “I can’t wait for the worship to start” or “I love to worship”.  A lot of times, powerful worship means ear deafening music that you literally feel the vibes from. These are things I enjoy, it makes me feel good and it is fun. In a lot of ways very similar to be in a rock concert, that was fun too. Don’t get me wrong, nobody likes music better than I do. You can ask my wife! I usually go to sleep with a headset on. I have been a musician for over 50 years, and have been involved with Christian music since 1971.

What really concerns me here is this. We are losing the true meaning of one of the great biblical words, and that word is “worship”. It has been redefined to mean less than what God intended for it to mean, and if we continue on this course, it will weaken the church and the body of Christ.

In Genesis 22, it says the following.   1And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

This verse in Genesis is the first mention of the word “worship” in the Bible. Usually that means that it sets a precedent or understanding of what that word ultimately means. Here it is easy to see a few things clearly. God was testing Abraham, and in that test, Abraham would obey and give sacrificially.

In Genesis 18 1And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground…

The word “worship” in Genesis 22 is the same Hebrew word “bowed” in Genesis 18. So we have a basic understanding of “worship” from just these few verses. A bowing prostrate, in obedience and sacrifice unto the Lord, in all things. Even in tests and trials as great as those of Abraham.

The New Testament says the following In Matthew 2   7Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” 9After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.

One thing is very clear in all of these verses, there wasn’t any music being played or songs being sung, it was more solemn and more reverent. Has the modern church lost those things? If we lose the original meaning of “worship” and the importance of that word in our modern church, we are at great peril. Worship involves humble obedience and sacrifice in our lives in all circumstances, in times of wealth and in times of poverty, when we have plenty or when we have little. When we have trials and are tested of the Lord, that is when our worship is shown. It is how we live when no one sees us, day to day, walking with him.

Now out of that walk with the Lord, music can be used as a great way of expressing our joy and adoration for Him. Worship can be expressed thru music and thru praise, but we must never confuse worship, with music and praise. They are two different things. True worship is of the utmost importance, outward expression thru music is a privilege. I know missionaries in China, when they meet together with believers, they can’t sing or have music because they are in hiding, but they still worship the Lord. When you speak of “worship” with them, they don’t think of music and singing.

The future of “worship” in the church is in the past, in the foundational teaching and understanding of a great biblical word.

Jeremiah 6   16 Thus says the LORD,

“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,

Where the good way is, and walk in it;

And you will find rest for your souls.

Blessings,

Niels Prip

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The Restrainer

Posted in Church in Crisis, tagged , , , on October 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »

2 Thessalonians 2:6 “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end, by the appearance of His coming”.

There are a lot of different thoughts on who the “restrainer” is. For me, the bottom line is that whoever he is, God controls him, God controls the restraining. We can see examples of this in the Bible.

In the case of Job, God restrained the devil by putting a hedge of protection around Job. When God and the devil discussed Job, God told the devil that you may touch all that he has, but you cannot touch Job, again God restrained the devil. The next discussion they had, God told the devil you can touch his body, but he had to “spare his life”. Again, restraint.

In the case of Jesus, there was a time when the crowd was going to throw Jesus off a cliff, but he miraculously passed thru the crowd, it was not his time yet. God restrained the evil. Yet when he was standing before Pontius Pilate, Pilate told him, ““Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above”. As in the case of Job, God restrained the evil crowd but did not restrain the evil of Pilate. God is in control of all things. He “sets the boundaries for the seas”.

In Romans 1, God them over to a depraved mind, and they became filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them. The restraining hand of God was removed, and God gave them over to a depraved mind.

I see this happening in our nation, God’s hand of restraint is being removed in all areas of our society. All you have to do is read the news, whether a newspaper or the internet. The morals in our nation are fading fast. The church itself is becoming powerless and becoming more conformed to this world. May we seek God for guidance, that we may be able to stand in these evil days, and be separate from this world, holy unto Him. Lord help us, we ask for Your mercy.

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What Is Worship?

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , on October 4, 2021| 2 Comments »

Today, when people say worship, they usually mean music and songs. But if you read the first Biblical account of the worship, it is in Genesis 22:5, “Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” The story is quite frightening, and there was no music or songs associated with the event. There is a thing called the Law of First Mention. The “law of first-mention” is the principle in the interpretation of Scripture which states that the first mention or occurrence of a subject in Scripture establishes an unchangeable pattern, with that subject remaining unchanged in the mind of God throughout Scripture.

In Abraham’s case, obedience and sacrifice, and love of God were the main elements of his worship. May we never lose that true meaning. I have friends who are missionaries in China, in the underground church where they can’t worship the way we worship, with loud music and singing. Because if they were heard, they would be exposed and possibly go to jail. Their worship is true worship, in spirit and in truth, not dependent on music. We are blessed in America because we don’t have those limitations. We can use music as a form of praise and worship, but it must never replace true worship, worship that is in spirit and in truth.

Hebrews 12:28 -29-“Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.”

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Is This The Time To Be Taking Money?

Posted in Church in Crisis, False Prophets, Prophetic Mixture, tagged , , on October 23, 2011| 1 Comment »

It is an interesting story, the story of Elisha and Naaman the leper. Naaman reluctantly went and dipped seven times in the Jordan River and was healed because there was a prophet in Israel. He also realized that there was only one God, the God of Israel.

When Naaman offered Elisha a gift, Elisha told him “As sure as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing”. After Naaman had left, Elisha’s servant Gehazi went after Naaman and lied to him in order to get a gift of silver and clothes. When Gehazi returned, Elisha confronted him because in his spirit he knew what Gehazi had done. It did not fare well for Gehazi when Elisha asked him in 2 Kings 5:26-27 “Is it a time to take money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow”.

The story speaks for it self, Carl Keil, a German theologian in the 1800’s says this in his commentary on II Kings-

“Was this the time, when so many hypocrites pretend to be prophets from selfishness and avarice, and bring the prophetic office into contempt with unbelievers, for a servant of the Lord to take money and goods …that he might acquire luxury and goods for himself.

What a rebuke! A rebuke our so-called modern prophets should heed with all their marketing strategies, their endless books, DVD’s, expensive conferences and material. Well did Micah tell of their error! Micah 3:11 “Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price. And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.” It is a stark realization that today’s so-called prophets have many followers, and there is pride in the fact that they claim that the Lord is in their meetings and in their “words”. Micah clearly rebukes them and exposes their error. In like manner, our modern prophetic movement needs rebuking!

The world is in dire times, economic collapses, rising unemployment and homelessness, more and more people are hurting. We live in a world where people need Jesus, the need the true Gospel. Where will they hear it? Will we bring them into a church that is wrought with error and mixture? Where are the true prophets of God? Is this the time to for making money? There are several instances in the Bible where some of the greatest prophets rejected money. Where are they now? These days it’s almost always all about the money.

My encouragement is this, hold those accountable who claim to speak for God.  If their “words” do not come to pass, confront them! If they do not line up with scripture, confront them. Speak to your leaders about this. We only do a disservice to God and the body of Christ if we do not do so! Discernment is a gift of the Spirit; and we are encouraged to seek greater gifts. If you only speak in tongues, seek interpretation that all may benefit, if you have interpretation, seek discernment, if you have discernment, use that gift; if you have discernment, continue to desire the greater gifts.

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Modern Day Money Changers by David Ravenhill

Posted in Church in Crisis, tagged , , on September 21, 2011| 1 Comment »

Modern Day Money Changers

I’m convinced that the carnal, cunning, conniving, crooked crooks that Jesus drove out of the Temple are still among us today. These modern day moneychangers are forever devising new and deceptive doctrines to defraud God’s people out of His/their money. These masters of deceit have now set up their changing tables throughout the Christian television industry.

I’m absolutely certain that if Jesus returned today He would walk into the vast majority of these television studios and overthrow the cameras, lights, monitors, and soundboards. He would unplug the microphones and scatter the makeup colors around as He went about destroying the stages and backdrops.

Several years ago now, a nationally know prophetic voice was told by the Lord, “I’m sick and tired of the prosperity message”. If that was true then, how much more today. As far back as 1986, the top seven media evangelists took in over 750 million dollars. Now with the increased manipulation of ‘seed faith teaching’ that amount has no doubt been dwarfed by comparison.

Only a few days ago I was appalled as I watched and listened as Pastor Steve__________ zealously twisted and distorted the Scriptures to his own advantage. This ‘brother’ dared to distort the most sacred truth of all Scripture. He used The Day Of Atonement, that day when Jesus Christ the Lamb of God shed His blood for the sins of the world, to teach that how we give financially determines how God will respond to us throughout the coming year. My blood boiled as I listened. This ‘brother’ had finally crossed the line and was now on the verge of blaspheming the atoning work of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not to mention lining his own pockets with the proceeds. He might as well have been selling indulgences by inferring that God’s favor toward us was based on our giving rather than God’s unmerited grace and forgiveness through the gift of His Son. What made matters worse was that this same ‘charlatan’ was the guest of one of the nation’s best known charismatic personalities. Within a day or so he was teaching the same message on a local Christian telethon. Neither the evangelist nor the network sought to correct his aberrant teaching – after all, the show must go on and that takes money, so how you raise it doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Why does almost every single Christian program have to end with some type of ‘seed faith teaching’? If these men and women of faith really believed what they taught, they would practice what they preach and teach; after all what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Imagine how shocked you would be if your favorite televangelist and covenant partner were to send you a check in their next mailing for the amount of $1,000.00 with a personal note telling you he/she just wanted to sow into your life. Perhaps then I could believe that these men/women really believe and practice what they teach. Not only that, but they would never have to appeal for money again as God’s return to them would result in a hundredfold increase. At least that’s what they would have us to believe.

On a recent ministry trip to the Northwest, I was told by a pastor friend that his church had received a call from a well known and anointed teacher in the Body of Christ. The caller was asking them for a contribution towards the purchase of a jet for their ministry. What a far cry from what the Apostle Paul taught when he prefaced his teaching on ‘sowing and reaping’ with these words; “For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality.” (II Cor. 8:13-14) Many pastors measure their success in terms of numbers –the larger the church the more successful their ministry. Itinerant ministries, not being able to brag about size, seem to fall for the notion that having one’s own jet is how success is determined. (Once it was the Rolex watch) By the way, if you love and appreciate this fine teacher, pray that he won’t get the desires of his heart – it will only lead to the leanness of his soul.

This is one man’s attempt to appeal to the Body of Christ. Stop pandering to these moneychangers. These men and women live like kings while spending your money to buy mansions and jets for themselves. They dine in the finest restaurants, wear the latest designer fashions and then have the audacity to tell you that you can live the same way as long as you give to their ministry.

I opened my Bible the other day to Zechariah’s wonderful prophecy concerning the first coming of Jesus, our great and glorious King. Listen to his words; ‘Behold your King is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt the foal of a donkey.’( Zechariah 9:9 ) What a far cry from the televangelist who comes high and mighty and traveling on his own jet!

If you are as sick and tired as I am about this waste of God’s money, then for heaven’s sake STOP SUPPORTING THESE PEOPLE. Give your money to your local church. There are tens of thousands of needy missionaries who barely have enough support to keep themselves alive. They are laboring long and hard under some of the most difficult and trying conditions. They would rejoice at the thought of an extra $10-30 dollars a month support. These are the real heroes of whom the world is not worthy. Help put these MONEY LOVING TELEVANGELISTS OUT OF BUSINESS and SAVE ANOTHER MISSIONARY FROM EXTINCTION.

Together we can make it happen. Please forward this to as many people as you know.
Thanks.

David Ravenhill

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The Peril of Prophetic Mixture

Posted in Church in Crisis, False Prophets, Prophetic Mixture, tagged , , , on March 19, 2011| 1 Comment »

A look at 1 Kings 13 gives us very disturbing look at the way prophetic mixture can function. It is interesting to note, that it is those who listen to and take heed to prophetic people who function this way, are the ones who will suffer the most harm. The young prophet certainly erred in listening to the old prophet and sinned by not obeying what God had told him to do, it cost him his life. But what was it about the old prophet that convinced the younger to err?

 

Well, it says that the old prophet lied to the young prophet. He was also empathetic to the younger because he recognized the prophetic calling, since he too was a prophet. Not only that, but we see from the story that the old prophet did hear from God as well, pronouncing God’s judgment on the younger for his disobedience. This is a classic example of “mixture”. Mixture is functioning by your own spirit, soul or desires, and being able at times to also function by the Holy Spirit. Prophets who function this way have a divided heart towards the Lord. There is usually a mixture of motives as well, a pure motive toward God and His word would not allow for this “mixture”.

We now live in a day where prophetic mixture is heartily embraced, where the making of money is now the central part of most prophetic ministries. We see men forsaking their wives and children for other women, and then with their new wives, continuing on in the ministry like nothing happened. Some of these ministers have even been caught in sexual and  even in homosexual sin. Most of these men are still in the ministry, and are widely accepted.

The most disturbing thing of all is that many people still heartily continue to embrace them. Why? Well there are many reasons, to name a few; there is a lack of discernment and a lack of common sense. In many circles there is a lack of leadership, a lack of Biblical instruction. There is new emphasis being put on the prophetic, and on signs and wonders. There is a new emphasis on having a “desperation” for God; and a “desperation” for God is a good thing, as long as we are also “desperate” for truth, purity, virtue and holiness. Unfortunately, “desperation” can cause us to give up on discernment and common sense, and lead us to error.

There are many today, who would gladly follow the old prophet from our story, claiming all the way that “He heard from God”, not caring that he was a liar.  We can be so “desperate” for God that we don’t care about a person’s character or personal life, as long as he gives us a word. A recent case is the minister who had an affair with a staff member. He divorced his wife and abandoned his responsibility to his children. He has supposedly repented, and been restored to the ministry, with his new wife at his side, all because everyone thinks that he has some special anointing from God. If you choose to follow such a man, you will open yourself up to the same lack of character. One day, when life is hard, as you try to be a good husband and father, some pretty little girl will come along and temp you, and you also will be able to justify leaving your wife and family too. Because you will have learned that from someone operating in prophetic mixture.

Maybe God’s slaying of the young prophet was a mercy. If God did nothing, the younger prophet would have learned that character didn’t really matter, that obedience didn’t matter. That is was OK to lie occasionally like the old prophet. That it was OK to function apart from the Spirit, to function out of one’s soul or desire.

There has been much grace given to the prophetic movement over the years, all in the name of allowing men and women to learn to function in the gift. But because of the lack of discernment, we have embraced mediocrity. We have embraced prophetic mixture!

to be continued…

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