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; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. – 2 Thes 2:8-10

Deceiving charlatan, Todd Bentley, of Fresh FIre USA, based out of Pineville, NC, has claimed to raise a 10 year old boy from the dead while on mission in Pakistan. He says,

The emotional moment as this 10 years old boy was raised from the dead! He stopped breathing and was declared dead after 20 minutes. They carried him to the stage lifeless and after 5 minutes of prayer was instantly raised from the dead in front of 250,000 people!

Below are the pictures he posted on his facebook page of the alleged resurrection.

At the time of this article posting, he already had 323 shares, and over 2000 comments. People are being deceived by this man by the multitudes. Now, this is the same Todd Bentley that cheated on his wife while he was away on “mission” back in 2009. Yet, he claims to be a man of God, with the power of the Holy Spirit, able to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

Further, he claims that nearly 300 thousand people gave their life to Christ at this alleged resurrection event.

Folks, avoid this charlatan at all costs, for he is mocking God, blaspheming the Holy Spirit, and he will reap what he sows, lest he repent.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:7-8

Lord Jesus, return soon!

Recently, I wrote an article addressing serious theological issues that the CEO of Saddleback Church, Rick Warren, preached at the Hillsong 2015 Conference. Apparently this article ruffled quite a few feathers, since it has almost five-thousand Facebook shares, and Hillsong even contacted me requesting that I remove the video of Rick Warren’s sermon from Youtube (even though it’s protected under the fair use act). Now it appears that Justin Holcomb at Christianity Astray Today has taken an opportunity to lash out at Pulpit & Pen, though without any substance. Though he didn’t mention our blog or my name, my article would seem to fit the description, along with his passive aggressive, stereotypical depiction of Pulpit & Pen. He writes:

A group of bloggers seeking reform in Southern Baptist circles recently decried pastor Rick Warren for teaching that God communicates to believers via dreams. The bloggers named Warren and other speakers at a 2015 Hillsong conference “heretical preachers that claim extra-biblical revelation from God.” To be sure, the nature of God’s revelation has been debated throughout church history, and overemphasis on dream interpretation can be theologically dangerous.

He then goes on into a rant about some British guy, of which I know nothing about, and will not comment on. However, his beef with us seems to be more about semantics than anything else. His approximately 3600-word article is dedicated to attacking Pulpit & Pen (and this other guy) about the use of the word “heresy.”

The article I penned at P&P in which appears to be the focus of Holcomb’s harangue is titled “Rick Warren Preaching Heresy at Hillsong 2015 Conference.” He then spends the rest of the article attempting to define the word, “heresy,” as well as trying to prove that what Rick Warren was teaching is, in fact, not heresy. He says:

But are these problems of heresy? Both complementarian and egalitarian leaders have taken to the Internet to call each other’s views on gender and leadership heresy. That, though their respective movements have officially existed for about 30 years.

If we stopped reading his article here, one might conclude that in order for a theological teaching to be considered heresy, it must be relatively new. However, we will see by continuing that that isn’t what he thinks. So my question would be, why mention it? If the length of existence of a given theological teaching had anything to do with it’s being considered heresy, then that would have made all of Jesus’ teachings “heresy,” in which we know is not the case–at least not from a Biblical believer’s point of view.

However, Mr. Holcomb later asserts his definition of the word as follows:

Heresy, as historian David Christie-Murray explains, is a belief that denies a doctrine “officially defined” as orthodoxy…For example, according to Protestants, the Catholic teaching that Mary was born without original sin and remained a virgin for life is heterodox. It’s not heresy, because Catholics affirm orthodox Christology…However, Oneness Pentecostalism is an example of heresy, because it rejects historic orthodox Trinitarian theology.

And then goes on to conclude,

If a believer genuinely accepts the Nicene Creed, they should not be dubbed a heretic.

Okay, there are a number of problems with this. First, I would ask him that since the pope of the Catholic Church affirms the Nicene Creed, should he not then be labeled a heretic? This is assuming, of course, that he believes the Catholic Church to be a false church that teaches a false gospel. However, according to his definition, the pope affirms the trinity and other “orthodox” teachings set out at the council of Nicea, and, therefore, should not be labeled a heretic.

But is this the proper, biblical use of the word heresy?

First of all, let’s be clear, there was no Nicene Creed while the New Testament was being written. It did not exist. The Nicene Creed was established about 300 years later after the New Testament Canon was closed. So when Paul referred to heretics in his epistles, he wasn’t referring to people who didn’t affirm the Nicene Creed. Paul says in Titus 3:10m

As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, (ESV)

and the KVJ translates it as,

A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

The Greek word translated here as one who stirs up division, or “heretick,” (as the KJV translates it), is “αἱρετικός,” or “hairetikos.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the word as:

1. fitted or able to take or choose a thing
2. schismatic, factious, a follower of a false doctrine
3. heretic

So what is “false doctrine?” Obviously Paul isn’t referring to simple disagreements over non-essentials in Titus 3:10. But Holcomb is attempting to make a biblical definition of the word “heresy” that equates to a more distinguished use of the word than that of the standard definition, which is basically, “a choice.” This is fine, as I am attempting to do the same thing, however, Holcomb’s “biblical” definition fails, as it is not consistent with biblical usage. He has narrowed the term down too far in order to avoid usage on those whom it should apply biblically.

Peter actually gives us a better picture of the biblical usage of the word in 2 Peter 2:1,

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

So basically, a heresy, according to Peter, is a “destructive doctrine,” or a doctrine that will lead someone to “destruction.” Again, there was no Nicene Creed during this time, and I simply don’t see any biblical support for limiting Paul and Peter’s usage of the word to those who would only deny certain declarations of it. For example, the Nicene Creed doesn’t even touch upon soteriology, yet the doctrine of salvation is by far the most important doctrine of the Christian faith. While all aspects of the Nicene Creed are important and essential, it is rather limited in its scope. The Roman Catholic Church, as well as any other sect that asserts a false gospel, or a false way of salvation, or any other teaching that could lead one down the wrong road to destruction, would clearly be considered heretical by biblical standards.

So back to Rick Warren, in whom Mr. Holcomb believes should not be referred to as a heretic. I would then ask, why not? Is not what he teaches dangerous? Is not teaching that the Bible is insufficient for hearing from God a destructive doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17)? Is not contemplative prayer, and other practices of mysticism and divination strictly forbidden in Scripture? Are these practices not linked with idolatry and rejection of God (1 Samuel 15:23)?

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. – Matthew 7:13

Perhaps Mr. Holcomb doesn’t see Rick Warren’s teachings as dangerous. To his credit, he does say “Traditionally a heretic is someone who has compromised an essential doctrine, usually by oversimplification, and has thus lost sight of who God truly is or what he has done for us.” I would agree with him on that statement, however, it appears he doesn’t see mysticism, contemplative/centering prayer or denying the sufficiency of Scripture as an essential doctrine.

Or does he?

It’s unclear because he goes through a number of false teachings that, although he refuses to call them “heresy,” he refers to them as “heterodox.” Is there practically any distinction between the two words? Traditionally, historically, maybe–slightly. But Holcomb, again, writes a 3600-word article refuting my use of the word “heresy” in favor of the word “heterodox,” in which there is no practical argument to be made. It’s clear that the biblical definition of the word fits much more than he is willing to acknowledge and is a proper term to fit Rick Warren’s practices. But even if it weren’t, what is the point of his article? What purpose did it serve? It seems to be just another attempt by the Evangelical Intelligentsia to distract from the real issues–issues that are bringing destruction in the church, further leading Christianity astray. It’s their typical game strategy.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. – Proverbs 14:12

On Wednesday, October 7, 2015, megacult pastor, charlatan, and false prophet, Creflo Dollar, posted the following statement on Twitter:

Jesus bled and died for us so that we can lay claim to the promise of financial prosperity.
#ProsperityInChrist #WealthyLiving #AbundantLife

It goes without saying that this is one of the most blasphemous, outrageous claims by someone who names the name of Christ. But we also know that this isn’t his first rodeo. A few months ago, Dollar solicited money from his congregation to purchase a $70 million jet, stating that it was required for his ministry.

However, after receiving much backlash over his tweet, he has since Canerized it. In other words, in the tradition of Ergun Caner, he has removed the evidence of his statement and is no longer available for viewing on Twitter.

Did he realize his error and repent of it? Doubtful.

We shall see.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.magnified

21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Shepherds attending to their flocks witnessed an amazing exaltation of Jesus at his birth. While Jesus was humbled in the flesh, being wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid down in a manger, he was still worshipped by angels who sang praises to God in expectation of his promise of bringing ultimate peace to earth through his sacrificial death on the cross, and subsequent resurrection.

The angel that approached these shepherds further magnified Jesus by demonstrating God’s glory, and calming their fears by proclaiming the newborn child as the savior of the world. In effect, the angel was bringing a word from God himself–to proclaim Christ. Scripture, in many places defines God’s word as light (ex, Psalm 119:105) and also, John chapter one describes Jesus himself as being the Word of God made flesh. This glory of God that shone all around the men was quite likely the word from God the angel was speaking to the men.

The appearance of the angel to the men, and the scene of the angels praising and worshipping Jesus certainly aroused the men’s interest, as they decided to go see for themselves what was going on. They acknowledged that it was the Lord that had made known to them who the child was. This demonstrates early on an act of God’s grace, by reavealing to them who Christ is. We know that Jesus was rejected by many, Jesus himself later tells Peter (Simon, son of Jonah) that this knowledge only comes by revelation of God the Father (Matthew 16:17). It is an act of grace that God draws anyone to Christ (John 6:44).

The shepherds certainly believed what they had been told, and demonstrated their belief by proclaiming it to the crowd at the manger scene. Many from the crowd were likely skeptical at what they heard the shepherds tell them, but Mary believed and took heed.

To demonstrate the legitimacy of the prophecy of Christ’s birth, as with the usual Jewish tradition, he was circumcised on the eighth day, and was named Jesus, as was told by the angel to Mary before his birth (Luke 1:31).

³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, ¹² in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. – (2 Thessalonians 2:3-12)

Take heed, this is Paul’s warning to the Thessalonians, who were in serious error concerning the imminent return of our Lord Jesus. Many had either misunderstood him or purposely misrepresented his teachings on this. Paul admonishes the church to not be deceived by those spreading untruths, as there were many things that must happen before Christ’s return. But in his exhortation also comes a great prophetic warning–the coming of the lawless one, and what he will bring.

What we see in Paul’s warning is exactly what we see unfolding in front of our eyes in the Church today. During the Protestant Reformation, Christianity was salvaged by God after centuries of suppression by the hands of Rome. There were great men of faith that have been persecuted and even martyred countless times for defending what they so strongly believed in. In an extravagant display of hatred, John Wycliffe’s bones were dug up forty years after he died and burned for translating the Bible into English and speaking out against the Papacy. Martin Luther, a monk who nailed the 95 Theses to a church door in Wittenberg, was excommunicated from the church. William Tyndale, who also famously translated Bibles into English though it were illegal, remained faithful until his strangling death, and body burned by the King of England. Thousands upon thousands of Protestants gave their lives during the Reformation era, and against all odds, through all of the persecution, and against the evils of the Roman Catholic Church, Christianity prevailed.

For several centuries, Biblical Christianity’s influence grew enormously, while the influence of the Papacy dwindled. Though still a forceful presence throughout the world, Roman Catholicism stood in stark contrast to Protestantism, and the differences between them were clear. The reformation produced some of the greatest theologians and preachers of all time. John Calvin, best known for his theological works regarding the doctrines of grace, was very outspoken against the works-based doctrines of Rome. There was the Puritan, Thomas Watson and later there was George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, and so on. There was no confusing Catholicism with Protestant Biblical Christianity–the doctrinal divide was clear. The Roman Catholic Church, especially the Papacy, is anti-Christ–this is what the reformers believed.

We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist…personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist.  – Martin Luther ¹

When the western church was divided for about 40 years between two rival popes, one in Rome and the other in Avigon, France, each pope called the other pope antichrist – and John Wycliffe is reputed to have regarded them as both being right – Wycliffe ² [The pope] is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers… He it is…that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped…claiming the highest power, and highest honour…claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone. – John Wesley ³

But what we see unfolding today is an unraveling of all the work the protest stood for, and a merging of ecumenical partnerships between the false church, and bible-believing evangelicalism. The flagship denomination of evangelicalism, the Southern Baptist Convention, is not only now succumbing to these antichrist forces, but leading the way. The Church that once stood strong and hard against the influences of the world and its false religion has now been diminished to another propaganda machine for the works of darkness. And sadly, there are those who will do anything–anything to defend it.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; – Revelation 18:4

The Roman Catholic church is not the only false church we battle though it is the mother. Evangelicalism is loaded with its apostate ministers and business organizations masquerading as houses of God. No matter what your lifestyle is, homosexual, drug users, fornicators, idolators, “personally included and accepted in our community,” they say. Our preachers MUST preach in a manner that “leaves people feeling better about themselves than when they came in,” they write. Affirmation of sin is the new gospel. They water down the bible and hand people a Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free card with their easy altar-calls and sinner’s prayers, followed by baptisms and affirmations of being members of the body of Christ while practicing unrepentant sin.

But our leadership has long abandoned the defense of sound doctrine and have taken many aboard the anti-Christ train with them. Our influential evangelical organizations water down the lines between truth and apostasy and join hands with them any chance they get to promote a political agenda. The average evangelical, even a born-again bible-believing evangelical has no idea that the Roman Catholic church teaches a false Gospel, and that the pope, leading millions to hell, is anything but a good man. “If we are going to form opinions about important global leaders like Francis (and many of us will) we should do so based on factual information. It’s not enough to say Pope = Bad,” proclaims one influential Southern Baptist leader. In fact, promotion of the Papacy and Popery has become the norm at these so-called evangelical organizations. What do bible-believing Christians need to learn from a pope?

Doesn’t the pope need the Gospel? Shouldn’t the pope be called to repentance? Do we simply have “minor disagreements” with the pope? Of the 9 things an evangelical leader say we as Christians need to know about the pope, the most important thing about him wasn’t even mentioned–the fact that he is lost, and on his way to Hell.

How can a once-claimed born-again evangelical forsake her Protestant roots, and become a Roman Catholic while under the church leadership of one of the most widely promoted pastors in the evangelical church? Is it because this ecumenical promoter of Roman Catholicism has forsaken God’s Word himself? Is it because he allegorizes Scripture rather than stand on it and proclaim it as truth? This should be an embarrassment to the evangelical leadership, but there hasn’t been one word mentioned of it from him. How can pastors like this become so widely promoted by bible-believers? Isn’t this the deception of the elect? Isn’t this the forsaking of truth for unity?

But those who have boarded the train have lost all sight of this. The church, to them, is no longer about proclaiming God’s word boldly, risking your reputations, friendships, and even your life to speak truth and to do God’s will. No, the false gospel of prominence now is niceness, unity, and love. Men who once stood strong against the apostasy have now left and are full-steam ahead. People who once defended the faith mercilessly have now taken it upon themselves to join forces with the anti-Christ to oppose sound rebuke, and will grasp at every straw possible to discredit anyone who speaks against the agenda. Even the elect have been deceived to a certain level, and their pure, vile hatred of the few men who are left to stand against the invasion from Hell, has completely overcome them (Mark 13:22, Matthew 24:24).

Hell is real. The anti-Christ is real, and you are either with him, or against him, but “all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8) And the train is leaving the station.

All Aboard!

Not.

A recent phenomenon plaguing the seeker-friendly “church” crowd is the annual performance of Michael Jackson’s Thriller as part of a worship service. Passion Church out of Maple Grove, MN held their Thriller performance on Oct 18, and Oct 25, followed byJonathan Brozozog’s “sermon” titled “Haunted House.” No, I’m not kidding. As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s true. And to make matters worse, they actually believe that this performance leads people to Christ.

Now, some of you might be asking, “what’s the big deal?” Shouldn’t we be glad that they’re reaching people for Christ?

No. Because they’re not. In fact, what’s going on here is that they’re filling their church with graven images, playing songs that glorify Satan, and then having an altar call claiming that all these people are “making decisions for Christ.”

Besides the fact that one doesn’t “make a decision for Christ,” (that’s a topic for another day) Scripture is clear that faith come from hearing the Word of God preached.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. – Romans 10:14-17

Further, children were involved in this idolatrous pagan worship event that drew thousands of people. The Bible teaches that the church is supposed to be set apart from the world (Psalm 4:3). He has called us out of the darkness of this world into his marvelous light so that we can proclaim Him (1 Peter 2:9). We are commanded explicitly in Ephesians 5:11, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” And 2 Corinthians 6:14 asks, “what fellowship has light with darkness?”

And I would ask, what fellowship does Passion Church have with darkness? Apparently quite a bit. Colossians 1:13 says “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,” yet, Passion Church is choosing to remain in the domain of darkness.

The Lord will purify his Church, and the sheep will be separated from the goats.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. – John 3:19-21

“Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.” – Revelation 18:4

In the seeker-sensitive church movement, one of the prevailing streams of thought are the idea that doubt is a good thing. In other words, doubt is viewed as a positive that can be used to develop one’s faith in Jesus. In the video below, Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC, quotes “the opposite of faith is not doubt, the opposite of faith is certainty.”

… for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-7)

So what is doubt? Let’s be clear, doubt is not misunderstanding a theological concept. Doubt is not not knowing the answer to a question you may have about God. Doubt is sin–and it’s deadly.

The very first sin we see in Scripture was doubt. God gave Adam and Eve one command to obey, not to eat of the fruit of the tree, or they shall surely die. But Satan deceived Eve and caused her and Adam to question God’s word. They didn’t see anything apparent in the fruit that would cause them to die, so they doubted and ate, and it brought death.

Doubt is nothing more than unbelief. And there is nothing in Scripture that speaks of a “believing doubt.” This is a man centered concept. Jude 22 speaks of those who doubt as people who need mercy. It’s not the righteous that need mercy, but sinners. This isn’t to say that believers won’t experience doubt, for we’re all sinners (Romans 3:23), but doubt is a sin that needs to be repented of, just like any other sin. But many pastors today talk up doubt as though it’s simply a benign process of sanctification–it’s not. As we see in Matthew 14:31, Jesus speaks of a doubting Peter as a man of “little faith.”

So how can seeker-sensitive pastors like Steven Furtick rationalize doubt, affirming that doubt “builds faith,” or that doubt and faith can coexist? This is no different than saying “homosexuality builds faith,” or “drinking in excess builds faith.” It’s nonsense. But the simple truth is, their congregations are filled with unrepentant sinners and doubters. In order for Furtick to maintain the growth of his church, (in which he claims his goal to be 100,000), and keep the money rolling in, he must affirm his lost customers in their sin. If he were to preach the truth, that those who continuously doubt God and don’t repent of it, are not Christians, most would likely leave. But instead, he preaches that this is normal, good, and healthy, so stay and be entertained while I twist Scripture to build ourselves up, and keep giving me your money.

As we saw in Hebrews 11:1, faith, as claimed by Furtick, is not the opposite of certainty. This is a blatant contradiction of Scripture, and purely a false teaching. Scripture teaches that our faith is confidence and assurance, certainty, and that Jesus himself is the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus never doubted. All throughout Scripture (John 20:27, Matthew 14:31, James 1:6-7, Matthew 28:17, Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, 1 Timothy 2:8, etc.) we see doubt being portrayed as sin that erodes faith. Faith and doubt cannot coexist in the Kingdom of God. So while we may have moments of unbelief or doubt, this is a sin that should be repented of, and it’s the repentance of doubt, not the doubt itself, that will draw you closer to God.

“Stop doubting and believe!” (John 20:27)

As recently posted, Southern Baptist president, Ronnie Floyd, will be speaking at an IHOP event in Kansas City in December 2015. While some of you may be picking your jaw up off the floor, or shaking your heads in disbelief, I stated that I simply wasn’t all that surprised about the partnership. After all, the blooming Arminian, Ronnie Floyd, shares much in common both theologically, and eschatologically with Bickle and IHOP.

Ronnie Floyd’s 2015 Southern Baptist Convention was themed “The Great Awakening,” which carries with it the connotations of his prophecy of revival. In his manifesto, he exhorts Southern Baptists to “Humbly Come Together Before God in Clear Agreement, Visible Union, and in Extraordinary Prayer for the Next Great Awakening and for the World to Be Reached for Christ.” As I’ve reported before, Ronnie Floyd already has very close ties with a “revival” ministry known as Life Action Ministries. At one point, Life Action urges leaders and pastors of all denominations to coalesce around Floyd’s edict.

Ronnie Floyd’s “plea” to Christians is as follows:

There is no great movement of God that has ever occurred that does not begin with the extraordinary prayer of God’s people. The time is now for us to come together before God in clear agreement, visible union, and in extraordinary prayer for the next Great Awakening and for the world to be reached for Christ.

For the sake of our nation and the spiritually lost around the world, it is time to humble ourselves before God. For this, I plead with all Southern Baptist pastors, missionaries, laypersons, denominational leaders, churches, denominational entities, conventions, colleges and universities; from student to adult, regardless of age, vocation, or status.

As we come to God in humility and repentance, entering into this special season of extraordinary prayer, we plead with God for spiritual revival personally, revival in the church, and the next Great Awakening in the United States.

…

I am pleading with each of you to join in this spiritual movement to pray for the next Great Awakening so the Great Commission will escalate to its rightful priority and accelerate to its completion in our generation.

So it’s clear his purpose is to cross denominational lines and unite with other professing Christians at all costs. But just how far across those lines does he intend to take the Southern Baptist Convention?

Apparently all the way to IHOP.

A “revivalist” by the name of Malachi O’Brien, who pastors Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, also has close ties to Life Action Ministries, regularly speaks positively of IHOP. Malachi O’Brien was chosen by Ronnie Floyd to lead the 2015 Southern Baptist Committee on Committees for 2015 in the state of Missouri.

So what does IHOP have in common with Ronnie Floyd? Or a better question, what does Ronnie Floyd have in common with IHOP?

Mike Bickle, a former Kansas City pastor, founded the organization after he claimed a man named Augustine approached him, and “prophesied” to his congregation with astonishing accuracy about the state of his church. Bickle later claimed to receive an audible revelation from God that told him “I am inviting you to raise up a work that will touch the ends of the earth. I have invited many people to do this thing and many people have said yes, but very few have done my will.”

In 1990, Ronnie Floyd preached a sermon titled “When Revival Comes.” In this sermon, he claimed a direct revelation from God, and “prophesied” saying,

I believe God is bringing and will bring our church into a state of spiritual revival. Ninetyfive percent of us are afraid to go into it because we do not know what is there or what may happen. God told me this week the following nine characteristics will be experienced by our fellowship. I do not share expositionally today, but practically. I want to encourage you to step on over into revival.

• Outpouring of God’s Spirit on you
• Open confession of sinAn unbelievable transparency of God’s people
• Opinions of man will fade to the awesomeness of God’s Word
• Obsessive desire to pray
• Observe a radical obedience to God
• Overflowing well of praise to the Lord
• Overt Reaction of Satan
• Ordinary people will experience extraordinary events
• Overwhelming response to the Gospel of Jesus.

So as you can see, Floyd’s obsession with prophesying a charismatic revival spans multiple decades, and is eerily similar to the Mike Bickle’s claimed prophecy. Further, IHOP’s website states that it “was founded by Mike Bickle and twenty full-time “intercessory missionaries,” who cried out to God in prayer with worship for thirteen hours each day.” Today, IHOP’s “intercessory missionaries” are required to commit themselves to at least 50 hours a week of intercessory prayer, including at least 4 hours a day, 6 days a week in the intercessory prayer room. (Source)

Similarly, Floyd is exhorting Southern Baptists to a nearly identical mission. Floyd says,

The church must rise up in extraordinary prayer and urgent action. We must take desperate steps forward spiritually during these desperate times in which we live. With urgency in this hour, knowing the Lord could return at anytime, it is incumbent on us to rise up together now as His Church. Therefore, I am pleading with our Southern Baptist Family to come together in clear agreement, visible union, and extraordinary prayer for the next Great Awakening and for the world to be reached for Christ.
…
Surely we can embrace with clear agreement that spiritual revival personally, spiritual revival in the church, and spiritual awakening in the nation are all needed so we can accelerate our pace in reaching the world for Christ. Certainly we can deny ourselves, defer our own preferences, and visibly unite in extraordinary prayer…

Further, he asks Southern Baptist pastors to:

Challenge your church to pause at either sunset on Saturday evening or sunrise on Sunday morning, to pray for three minutes for the anointing of God to come on their pastor as he preaches God’s Word and the anointing of God’s power to come upon the worship services of their church. Prayerfully, these 180 seconds of focused prayer will soon begin a true 180-degree change in our churches.

With the similar focus on compulsory prayer with mystical undertones, it’s no wonder Floyd and Bickle are so attractive to eachother. They practically claim the same, unbiblical theology. Further, both Bickle and Floyd teach the same unbiblical concept of first fruits (storehouse) tithing, misapplying Malachi 3:10 to back up their claims. The desperate dependence on and call for money by both Floyd, and Bickle, seems to be the driving force behind their ministries. (See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10). But this love of money, and call to embrace a mystical, charismatic, entertaining form of “worship” in the church to bring about a supposed and similar prophecy of revival between these two men seems to be the common ground between them. Since Floyd’s prophecy has taken precedence over expository preaching and proclamation of the Word of God, similar to IHOP, and with Floyd’s betrayal of the church by partnering with them at their event, one can only ascertain that Floyd genuinely believes in the mission of IHOP, and intends to unite the Southern Baptist Convention with them.

Yesterday, Dave Miller of SBC Voices posted a video of former Mormon turned Catholic, Marco Rubio’s supposed testimony of faith, in which Miller presumes to be genuine. Miller had this to say regarding Rubio’s testimony,

…I believe I’d get excited to hear any presidential candidate give as cogent a testimony of his or her faith as he gave here. I could micro-critique a few things, I suppose, but this sounded like it could come from the local First Baptist Church pulpit.

Below is an exchange that took place in the comments section between Miller, and Pastor Tedd Mathis of Pueblo West Baptist Church, along with my commentary.

Tedd Mathis Says,

Mr. Miller: I’m curious as to what is the Gospel being taught at First Baptist Church if what Mr. Rubio said receives from you only some micro-critiques. Mr. Rubio makes explicitly clear he is doctrinally and theologically aligned with the Roman Catholicism. So if his testimony of faith could be heard from the pulpit of First Baptist Church does that mean FBC teaches the following?

That at baptism a person is infused with righteousness and thus begins a process of justification that, hopefully, will be finished in purgatory — a process that can be aided by others than Christ. That’s what Mr. Rubio has embraced.

That “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.” That’s where Mr. Rubio’s personal relationship via the RCC ends up.

That the mass is a true and real sacrifice offered to God and is nothing less than, in the bread, Christ is given to us to eat. And, that anyone who does not believe this let him be anathema. Is that what happens when First Baptist observes the Lord’s Supper?

That “If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema.”

+++
Mr. Rubio may make a good president, but having been baptized into Roman Catholicism and actively, willfully participating in it, his is a different Gospel (Galatians 1:6-10). His is a salvation by faith PLUS meritorious works. And if your First Baptist Church has no capacity or willingness to point that out why shouldn’t it be regarded as a synagogue of Satan?

To which Dave Miller responded,

I do not pastor “First Baptist.” I pastor Southern Hills Baptist in Sioux City, IA (southernhillsbc.com). You are welcome to bring your judgmental attitude to our website and check out a sermon. I try to make the gospel clear and do not think that anyone would conflate my teachings with Catholicism.

Okay, so notice the first thing Miller does is pull the “judgmental” card on someone who is genuinely concerned over the lost state of someone’s soul, and a supposedly solid, gospel preaching pastor’s endorsement of it.

Please understand, this is not a debate on the Roman Catholic church.

NOTHING you said is in the video, is it? (I suspect you would not be able to answer that, because I would wager my spleen that your judgments were leveled without taking the time to watch the video).

One of my observations is that Rubio’s comments sound like they came from a GENERIC “First Baptist Church” than from a Catholic parish. I’d encourage you to actually WATCH the video. It might surprise you that he gives a much more Protestant gospel than Catholic.

But see, what Dave Miller doesn’t understand is that the Roman Catholic church, through the ecumenical movement, has become very good at disguising their doctrines and beliefs. Often times the things they say and the words they use will sound evangelical in nature, however, the terms have been redefined to mean something else. One example is that they say they believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus for their atonement. But what most people don’t know is that the sacrificial death of Jesus that they are referring to is the Mass, in which a priest summons their Jesus out of Heaven to become transubstantiated into a wafer, which is believed to be the true embodiment of Christ, in which they then proceed to ingest.

If you want to debate Catholicism or bash it – take it somewhere else. I said this above: “I am one whose view of Catholicism is not as charitable as many. I think it is a false religion with a false gospel which has just enough truth that a few find real faith in it.” But it’s not germane here or something I’m interested in hosting at this point. Let’s discuss THIS video and what is said on it, not use it to debate the faults of modern Catholic doctrine.

If you want to discuss Marco Rubio’s comments, please watch them and discussion.

If you simply wish to pick a fight, no thank you.

If you want to bash Catholicism or make this a general debate on Catholicism – not interested.

If you’d like to discuss THIS VIDEO, please watch it and let me know what you think.

Of course, Miller isn’t interested in having the debate, because politics is more important than the lost state of Marco Rubio’s soul, and all those Roman Catholics who are seeing a Southern Baptist pastor promote him as a true believer. This sort of ecumenical drivel is running rampant throughout evangelicalism, but as Miller demonstrates, the tides are turning from doctrinal purity to social and political unity.

Pastor Tedd Mathis responds again,

Mr. Miller:
Thanks for your response.
Yes, I did understand you do not pastor First Baptist Church; I too was using it generically. However, I could have been more clear in what I wrote and I apologize for that.

Regarding the wagering of your spleen as to whether or not I listened to the video….

At 3:20 Mr. Rubio states he is “fully theologically and doctrinally aligned with the Roman Catholic Church.’ That’s the testimony you say could be heard from “the local First Baptist Church pulpit.” All I did was reference the key doctrines of Roman Catholicism with which Mr. Rubio is fully aligned. At 4:00 Mr. Rubio says he is “very proud and fully understands” his Roman Catholic faith.

Again, I did actually understand you’re not the pastor of First Baptist Church. But by using it generically are you not implying most Baptist church pulpits endorse the kind of faith to which Mr. Rubio bears witness? Correct me if I’m wrong but I never once heard Mr. Rubio clearly state his faith is in the person and work of Christ alone and his good works are not meritorious. Yet he fully aligns himself with Roman Catholicism that teaches that very thing. Is that the kind of faith you say can be heard from your generic First Baptist Churches? If so, then I stand by my conclusion; whoever they are, it is another Gospel they preach.

Mathis is absolutely correct. Mr. Rubio did not give a sound presentation of the Gospel. What Dave Miller heard was what he wanted to hear–a Republican presidential candidate that sounds like a Christian. And Mr. Miller is willing to bypass the truth in order to promote his forgone conclusion that Rubio is a Christian.

However, Miller did reply once again, saying,

Did you not hear his explain the sacrificial system and how Christ became his sacrifice?

Again, I would ask, do you not know which Jesus the Roman Catholic Church worships? It’s not the Jesus of the Bible. It’s a Jesus who is worshiped in wafer form, whose sacrifice wasn’t finished at the cross, but is perpetual in every Mass, and isn’t sufficient for salvation but only opens the door for meritorious works to earn your salvation. A belief in a false Jesus is by default a denial of the true Jesus.

Miller continues,

No, he did not hum Just As I Am or lead anyone in the Sinner’s Prayer (which I’m sure would have offended you as well) but he did present a solid explanation of atonement. I’m not having him come preach, but I was amazed at his explanation of the atonement – which fits far better into our gospel system than the Catholic one.

Again, Rubio said he “fully understands,” and is “doctrinally and theologically aligned with” the Roman Catholic Church. If you took only a moment to understand what this means, you would understand that Rubio’s explanation of atonement is way off. Roman Catholics don’t deny the atonement. What they deny is the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement (I prefer the word propitiation), therefore, rely on the sacramental system administered by the Church for salvation with completion in an unbiblical purgatory. Let me be clear; if you die, and wake up and find yourself in purgatory, I have bad news for you, you are in Hell.

No, he has not rejected Catholicism, and nothing short of that will, I assume, please you. I would prefer it as well. I would not ask him to speak at my church, but as a presidential candidate, I thought his testimony was pretty amazing.

A denial of Catholicism would be the only thing acceptable. Repentance is a requirement of salvation, and repentance involves a rejection of your sinful ways, including, but not limited to, the idolatry of the Roman Catholic Church.

When you require theological precision as a requisite to salvation, are not YOU adding works to salvation? No, Marco Rubio does not share your theological framework. No, he has not rejected Catholicism.

No, Dave, and that’s plain dumb. Theological precision is not a work, and Paul clearly teaches that theological precision is a requirement for salvation. Read Galatians (among others). God does not save people through a false Gospel, or a false Jesus.

But does his testimony not show a simple faith in the sacrifice of Christ? Can you not suspend your judgmentalism, your harshness and sense of theological superiority for a second, and realize that it is simple faith in Christ that saves, not a completely formulated theological system.

Miller once again displays his ignorance of Roman Catholicism here, and his neglect of Biblical truth. It must be the true Jesus that you have a simple faith in. Simple faith doesn’t mean you can be simple-mindedly ignorant of Gospel essentials. It means that you “simply” trust in the person and work of the true Jesus as your savior. Yes, theological precision is necessary. If it weren’t, there would be no need to teach, preach and evangelize the world.

Mathis then replies,

No, I didn’t miss what Mr. Rubio said about the atonement. But by his own admission, Mr. Rubio stated he has much interest in theology for many years. We’re not talking about a man who has religious ignorance; we’re talking about someone who, after sitting under the teaching of the written Word in an SBC church, now fully aligns himself theologically and doctrinally with Roman Catholicism.

And YOU said, that kind of faith could come from the pulpit of the local First Baptist Church. Would not the clear teaching of the Word help and assist believers to recognize the different Gospel of the RCC and that the Spirit of Truth would have them understand salvation really is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?

Granted, a person new to the Bible and the faith may not fully understand or be able to verbalize that. But Lord help us if your generic Baptist church doesn’t preach and teach such that they grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

To which Miller concludes,

I love the fact that the SBC has seen a renaissance in theology in my lifetime. But this is the downside of that – this kind of judgmentalism, petty-ism, etc. When we look at a man’s simple confession of faith in Christ and nit-pick it because it doesn’t tick every box of our particular theological framework – we are in trouble.

I believe discernment is a great gift and one of the pastor’s greatest ministries in the church, but when it becomes THIS, it is a poison in the church.

The real poison in the church is the false doctrines, and the unwillingness of true believers to address it and combat it. It is true that the typical “generic first baptist” church really has no idea about the differences between Roman Catholicism and biblical Christianity, and neither does Dave Miller. To Dave’s credit, he does admit that Roman Catholicism is a false religion, but his lack of understanding of the severity of it’s falseness, and it’s deceitfulness is most telling. Most SBC churches do not see Roman Catholics as a mission field–in fact, they see them as partners. Would we endorse Islam, or Buddhism, or any other false religion? I agree with Tedd Mathis. Marco Rubio, based upon his testimony, is not a true believer, and should not be promoted or endorsed as such by any true believer in Christ.

You cannot be doctrinally and theologically aligned with the Roman Catholic Church, and be a Christian.

I recently wrote an article at Pulpit & Pen that addressed the issue of the evangelical push for celibacy as the best and only option for Christians struggling with same-sex attraction (SSA). Upon publishing the article, I received quite a bit of backlash and hate mail. However, I stand upon the position that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms has the power to transform our hearts, as well as change the desires of our flesh through sanctification.

The misunderstanding of my article appears to be the straw-man argument that I somehow believe celibacy for homosexuals to be sinful or that unless SSA Christians pursue marriage, they are sinning. That’s not the argument I’m making. I’m simply saying that, in opposition to what people like Russell Moore (source link), Denny Burk (source link), The Gospel Coalition (source link) and other evangelical leaders are pushing as the easy answer is that writing off the possibility of a healthy, monogamous, heterosexual marriage simply because of your sinful, sexual desires, is unbiblical. These “leaders” would deny that the Gospel has the power to change our desires. I would argue that our desires, as a born-again believer, should be for Christ, and what God has prescribed as Good, Holy, and righteous–and for most, that could be a marriage.

Below are links to my article, as well as a follow-up article written by Jordan Hall to further expound on this issue in which we fully agree. I have also linked to an article by Joe Bayly that also speaks clearly and biblically on the subject. All are worth a read.

Heterosexuality is Godliness, Jeff Maples, Pulpit & Pen

Why Gay-Celibacy is Not the Gospel-Centered Answer, JD Hall, Pulpit & Pen

Gospel Coalition Joins the Gay-Celibate Movement, Joe Bayly, BaylyBlog

A local CBS News channel in Marietta, GA has reported that the local congregants of Transfiguration Catholic Church have witnessed what appears to be an image of Mary, mother of Jesus, appear on a foggy window of the church.

CBS46 News
Now, I’m not expert, but being that this is a Catholic Church, whose members are known to idolize their patron saints and Mary, it’s probable that at some point in the past an actual image of Mary was hanging there in the windows, and the residue from the adhesive could cause the image to appear when the glass fogs up under certain conditions.

That being said, again, I’m no expert on the physics of glass, but you can rest assured that the Lord has not caused an image of an idol to appear in the window of a church. There is no “miracle” at play here. God hates idolatry (Exodus 20:3-6).

The ridiculous level of veneration that Catholics hold their version of Mary to is astonishing. Mary is to be honored as the earthly mother of Jesus, of course, but to venerate her to a level of worship, as the Catholics do, is beyond sickening. To hold raise Mary to a level of coredemptrix is a pure denial of Christ’s saving power and finished work on the cross. Not only is it completely unnecessary to “pray to” Mary, it’s sinful. To act as though a dead person has any power to “intercede” on our behalf before God is to deny that the Holy Spirit is sufficient for our intercession (Romans 8:26-27). And to insinuate that Mary is needed to mediate between man and God is to deny Christ’s power as sole mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5).

Yet, this is only typical of a religion that denies the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and turns to man-centered works and sacraments and a dependency on an institution for God’s grace and salvation.

…Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues. – Revelation 18:4

Touchstone, A Journal of Mere Christianity, is an ecumenical publication put out by the Fellowship of St. James. According to Wikipedia, the subtitle, A Journal of Mere Christianity replaced the older subtitle, A Journal of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. According to the FSJ website,

The Fellowship of St. James was founded in 1976 to promote fidelity to Jesus Christ, encourage greater Christian unity, and defend traditional Christian doctrines and moral teachings. The Fellowship and its publications serve Protestant, Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians who come together on the basis of shared belief in the fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in the ancient creeds of the Church.

and similarly, Touchstone Magazine’s page says:

Touchstone is a Christian journal, conservative in doctrine and eclectic in content, with editors and readers from each of the three great divisions of Christendom —Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.

The mission of the journal and its publisher, The Fellowship of St. James, is to provide a place where Christians of various backgrounds can speak with one another on the basis of shared belief in the fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in the ancient creeds of the Church.

Any true Bible-believing Christian who knows anything at all about the doctrines of Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodox “christianity” knows that Biblical Christianity shares absolutely nothing with these two counterfeit religions in the most fundamental doctrine of the faith–salvation. In fact, these two religions consistently deny many of the “fundamental doctrines of the faith as revealed in Holy Scripture” in preference of their traditions. Many of their doctrines, such as sacramental, or works-based salvation, idolatrous forms of Mary and Saint veneration, Purgatory, Papal infallibility, and transubstantiation of the Eucharist, just to name a few, are extremely dangerous doctrines that turn people away from the truth of the Scriptures. The Scriptures clearly and consistently tell us to have nothing at all to do with these false doctrines, rather expose them (Eph 5:11). These false religions are the works of darkness. They are designed by the ultimate deceiver to counterfeit the true Christian faith, and they lead people to Hell. True Christians are to have no fellowship with darkness, as it is written:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? – 2 Cor 6:14-15

Yet once again, who do we find meddling around in these dark corners, not as salt and light, calling unbelievers to repentance, but as a messenger of unity, watering down the divisions between the truth and error? You may have guessed, none other than the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission President, Russell Moore. Russell Moore is a Senior Editor of the ecumenical magazine, Touchstone, and his writing fit right in with his agenda.

Dr. Moore has written many articles over the years for Touchstone, and most of them are cultural in nature, and focus upon what he believes to be a “shared interest” between Evangelicals, and apostate forms of Christianity. But why is he so caught up in Ecumenism? Clearly he can articulate the Biblical Gospel as well as any believer can, but how seriously does he take it?  One can only speculate as to why he doesn’t see the importance of drawing clear, distinct doctrinal boundaries between Biblical Christianity and apostate forms. Yet he continues to cross these lines in the name of culture building. I do, however, wish he would just answer these questions, and face his criticism, yet, he just decides to block me instead, and only engage with those who are on board with him.

Other articles concerning Russell Moore and his ecumenical agenda that may be of interest.

• Russell Moore’s ERLC: Change Agents of the United Nations February 20, 2015

• Russell Moore: Advancing Socialism ”starts with the Church.” February 16, 2015

• Why ‘Racial Justice’ is NOT a Gospel Demand January 30, 2015

• Russell Moore ”Doesn’t Want to See Any Fewer Rosary Beads” at the March For Life. January 24, 2015

• The Problem With the ERLC and Interfaith Coalitions June 1, 2015

• Russell Moore signs Ecumenical Defense of Marriage Statement April 27, 2015

 
pingomatic

***Editor’s Note, this story was broken by Pulpit & Pen, to see original, go here.

And Pope Francis is absolutely right. Scripture proclaims there is no other Lord but God,

I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me – Isaiah 45:5

And that all other religions are false, and those who teach them are accursed.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. – 1 Peter 4:12-14

The following is a satirical video, but representative of the systemic ecumenical problem of “mere Christianity” that has taken over the evangelical church, especially the Southern Baptist Convention.

Narcigesis (narcissistic eisegesis) – A biblical hermeneutic where one reads themselves into the bible and writes God out of it.  (source)

Southern Baptist darling, Beth Moore, is well known for her direct revelations from God. She has been exposed for her false prophecies in which she claimed that God told her that he would very soon be uniting every single “sector” and denomination of Christendom to do his work. It has also been shown that most of Beth Moore’s followers have a very shallow, if any, understanding of the Gospel.

Now that Beth Moore has taken on a brand new show on the heretical television network, TBN, she has been given a platform to spout more of her unbiblical garbage to anyone who is willing to listen…and in one particular case, recently, eleven thousand.

In a recent episode of her new show, she narcigetes Acts 16:14, the passage about a woman named Lydia, and reads herself into the text.

Listen, if you believe in what the Word of God says about you, and what God speaks over you, if you believe, you cannot help but be blessed.

While this statement itself isn’t problematic, the problem arises when she makes this passage of Scripture that isn’t about you, about you. She asks the audience to look at the Scripture and says,

You and I are about to personalize it, and adapt it to ourself. We’re about to put ourselves in the storyline because that’s what Jesus is after today.

In a fascinating display of self-idolatry, she then steps into a hula-hoop, and tells her audience to draw a circle in their notes, and put their names in it, and then passionately proclaims, “You are the woman in the story today! You put yourself in it…You are Lydia today.”

While certain truths can be extracted from this passage that can certainly be applied to our lives, making the Scriptures about you is a very dangerous practice. Let’s get this clear, the Bible is NOT about you, it’s about Jesus, and this fine line of eisegetical narcissism that Beth Moore is walking should be avoided.

See video:

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. – Psalm 145:8

God is often questioned as to if he is really as merciful as we believe he is. Those outside the Christian faith point to Old Testament passages that speak of God wiping entire peoples off the face of the earth, sending armies to slay other nations, and even kicking angels out of Heaven.

Forgetting, or perhaps never even realizing, that God, though loving and merciful, is also righteous and just. In all of his divine glory, how can he be called loving and merciful while displaying his attributes of justice and wrath? Is He really so ready to forgive?

Psalm 86:5 says,

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Yet, after Adam and Eve’s very first sin, he kicked them from the Garden of Eden, and cursed the ground they walked on.

Listen to the following video of Dr. R.C. Sproul answer this question, sincerely, truthfully, and biblically.

Watch as a man who calls himself a pastor drops his daughter off to work at an abortion clinic, and then proceeds to make excuses for his actions. He claims that his daughter is grown, and he has no control over her actions, yet he participates in her evil deeds by bringing her there to work. Scriptures say to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, rather expose them,” (Eph 5:11). Yet, he is partaking in the plagues of his daughter and trying to rationalize his appalling behavior.

There is no excuse for this.

Matt Tringali, an abolitionist in Raleigh, NC, gave a powerful and convicting message on the silence of churches regarding the abortion controversy. Thousands of children are being murdered every single day, and the professing church is largely complicit. Tringali, in reference to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3, says,

You cannot hold hands with the God and the Devil. You are either for him, or against him. If he finds you lukewarm, he will vomit you from his presence. That’s how disgusting a lukewarm position is to him.

See the video: