Category Archives: False Teachers

“ALL” Scripture

Posted by Dan C. on

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Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul to young Pastor Timothy, written from a dark and damp Roman prison cell, just before his death in AD 67.

“12Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15 And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim:3:13-17 (ESV)

From his own prison cell in Rome, Paul reminds that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Not might, but will. And why did Paul break this wonderful news to Timothy? It was because “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” It looks like error feeds on itself, then and now.

Paul then counsels Timothy to continue in the things he had learned and been assured, in light of from whom he had learned them, beginning in his childhood. It’s time for a bit about Timothy and his childhood.

Timothy was the son of a Greek father and Jewish mother and had joined Paul during one of his missionary journeys and was considered by Paul as a “true son of the faith” (1 Tim 1:2). From his Roman prison cell, Paul told Timothy that he even remembered his genuine faith and from whom he had learned it; from his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Two godly women had nurtured young Timothy from his youth and had taught him from the Jewish Scriptures, preparing him to be able to recognize the Messiah when Paul came preaching Jesus Christ.

As mentioned before, Paul reminded Timothy “to continue in the things he had learned” from his mother and grandmother “and been assured of” from the Jewish scriptures.

On to the title and major point of this blog post:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (v.16-17)

Paul states unequivocally that ALL Scripture is inspired (breathed out) by God and is profitable for anything that a man of God might need for every work he might perform in the service of his Lord and Master. Paul is referring first and foremost to the Jewish Scriptures – to the Old Testament, as well as the portions of the New Testament that had already been written and might yet be written. Paul is basically saying that “If it’s Scripture it applies to His children. If it’s in the Old Testament or the New Testament it’s “profitable” (helpful, advantageous) for us in our Christian lives.

Well, now that I have just told you what you probably already know, let me tell you why wrote this article. There is what seems to be a growing movement these days that will tell you differently than what Paul told young Timothy. It’s not a new movement, as it dates back to the late 19th century, but nevertheless it is growing today. Trust me, I’ve been to their Web site and Facebook pages. I’ve done extensive research to make sure that their outlandish claims were not fabrications. They will tell you exactly how God has dealt with both Jews and Gentiles throughout history, from creation, until now and through the end of time.

They have so separated the nation of Israel from the church that much of the Bible (Authorized KJB only, the rest are garbage) pertains only to Jews and the nation of Israel, and that only a portion of the New Testament is meant for Christians and the church!

The entire Old Testament, through the four Gospels and into the book of Acts, when Paul began his ministry (either in the middle of Acts or at the end of Acts) pertains to Jews and is about Israel. They will tell you that the books of Hebrews through Revelation also pertain only to and are about Israel. What’s left, from when Paul began his ministry to the Gentiles through his letter to Philemon pertains to the Christian church. Drum roll please. . . . .

We don’t need to be concerned with anything outside of Paul’s letters! Here’s the problem with that, and something I would love to share with my new ‘friends’, but I have either been banned from discussion these things with them, or I must pass through site admins to have anything posted.

1. Paul’s letters to Timothy are in ‘in bounds’, and important for Christians and the church.

2. Paul specifically told Timothy that ALL scripture was important and profitable for his life and the life of any child of God.

3. Therefore, the stark separation of Scripture into portions for only Jews and the rest only for the church, which the aforementioned movement calls “rightly dividing”, is utter nonsense!

I’ve made my point here. I’ve also tried to appeal directly to members of what’s been called hyper, or Mid-Acts Dispensationalism (Rightly Divided) to no avail. Perhaps the argument in this blog post will be helpful to you, should you encounter anyone in the movement I described.

Be Blessed!

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Posted by Dan C. on
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As you know, if you are one of the tens of readers who stop by The Battle Cry, I’ve been having a few interesting conversations of late with a few folks who preach and teach a theological system called “Mid-Acts Dispensationalism”. Sometimes that title is appended with “Rightly Divided” or “Rightly Dividing”. Such great emphasis is placed on “rightly dividing” the word of truth, I decided to study 2 Timothy 2:15 for myself. Here is the passage again, emphasizing two words in the verse, “study” and “rightly dividing”.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV,)

It’s presented in the KJV, or KJB (as MAD folks are fond of calling it) because according to MAD, the 1611 King James Bible is the ONLY translation of the Bible we English speaking folks should be using (And that’s another topic altogether!).

First I consulted both Strong’s and Thayer definitions for both words, in multiple translations, as shown below:

Study (KJV, NKJV)

The Battle Cry

Strong’s G3718

ὀρθοτομέω

orthotomeō

From a compound of G3717 and the base of G5114; to make a straight cut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message): – rightly divide.

Thayer G3718

ὀρθοτομέω

orthotomeō

Thayer Definition:

1) to cut straight, to cut straight ways

    1a) to proceed on straight paths, hold a straight course, equiv. to doing right

2) to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly

Part of Speech: verb

Other Translations: Be diligent (NKJV, NASB, HCSB), Do your Best (ESV, RSV)

Part of Speech: verb

Other Translations: Be diligent (NKJV, NASB, HCSB), Do your Best (ESV, RSV)

As you can see from the Strong’s and Thayer listings, the word “study” includes the attitude with which we should be “hitting the books”; as if we are presenting ourselves to God as laborers worthy of our hiring. Also, as noted above, the word “study” has been translated using other words in other translations that are completely in line with Strong’s and Thayer Greek definitions.

Rightly Divide (KJV, NKJV)

Strong’s G3718

ὀρθοτομέω

orthotomeō

From a compound of G3717 and the base of G5114; to make a straight cut, that is, (figuratively) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message): – rightly divide.

Thayer G3718

ὀρθοτομέω

orthotomeō

Thayer Definition:

1) to cut straight, to cut straight ways

1a) to proceed on straight paths, hold a straight course, equiv. to doing right

2) to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly

Part of Speech: verb

Other Translations: rightly handling (ESV, RSV), accurately handling (NASB), rightly handling (RSV), correctly handling (NIV)

The same goes for “rightly divide”, which literally means “to cut straight” (not like the pizza place), along with “rightly/accurate/correctly handling” God’s word, as well as teach it. All of the terms shown for “rightly dividing” are completely in line with Strong’s and Thayer Greek definitions.

The MAD folks I referred to earlier have verse-by-verse studies available online, complete with detailed outline for their teachings. I won’t provide the entire outline for our Timothy passage, but I will mention a couple of things.

For the word “study” they tell us that in newer translations “study” has been “Replaced with “do your best” “be diligent to present yourself” “make an effort” “work hard” “do all you can” which puts focus on deeds w/o word (any emphasis on words – I listened to the MP3).”

For the term “rightly dividing” they tell us that it’s been used as “A catchword for too many – Baptists, evangelicals, reformed, Catholic, JWs, heretics.); that “Rightly” is better than correctly/skillfully because it turns upright what was subverted in v. 2:14); and that “dividing” speaks to “dissecting parts & purpose”, or HOW to cut, or dividing/cutting up the text of the Bible itself into the proper dispensations.

Just a note here. I learned from another MAD lesson that although Paul didn’t specifically divide/cut the text of Scripture, other men, beginning in the 19th century, who studied the Bible actually “drew the dispensational lines” where Paul meant them to be. They make that claim while also claiming that they use ONLY the KJB as their authority, and that they do NOT follow the teachings of anyone other than Paul.

So What?!!!!

WHY did I just tell you all of that? I wrote this blog post (over the last day and a half) for two reasons:

1. To try and understand why Mid-Acts Dispensationalists believe what they believe and fiercely teach. Writing things down helps me with that.

2. More importantly, to suggest to you that the modus operandi of the MAD folks is strikingly similar to just about every other unorthodox/aberrant teaching or false teacher in the Christian church. They take whatever teaching or doctrine they want you to believe and force it into the text of Scripture. Sadly, there are those who swallow the poison hook, line and sinker!

So how do you NOT take the bait? Read and study the Bible for yourself. When you really know your Bible, when you come across something that seems off, investigate.

Above all, Be Blessed!

“In Vain do They Worship Me”

Posted by Dan C. on

Jesus, referencing Isaiah 29:13 and speaking to Jewish Pharisees, said:

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mat 15:7-9 (KJV)

One notable theologian and Bible scholar said the following of Isa 29:13.

“By the traditions of the elders, not only the word of God was perverted, but his worship also was greatly corrupted. But the Jews were not the only people who have acted thus: whole Christian Churches, as well as sects and parties, have acted in the same way. Men must not mould the worship of God according to their fancy – it is not what they think will do – is proper, innocent, etc., but what God himself has prescribed, that he will acknowledge as his worship. “However sincere a man may be in a worship of his own invention, or of man’s commandment, yet it profits him nothing.” Christ himself says it is in vain. To condemn such, may appear to some illiberal; but whatever may be said in behalf of sincere heathens, and others who have not had the advantages of Divine Revelation, there is no excuse for the man who has the Bible before him.” – Adam Clarke[i]

The following graphic was posted on a Facebook page, along with a lengthy ‘teaching’, presented as ‘fact’ that is largely based on a form of dispensationalism called ‘ultra’, or ‘hyper’ dispensationalism that was developed by Anglican clergyman E.W. Bullinger (1837 – 1913).

This Gospel won't SAVE

The rest of this post is taken directly from the same FB post as the graphic and contains elements of ultra/hyper-dispensationalism, what has been called hyper-grace, and the author’s own thoughts. I’ve made some minor editing corrections (spelling/grammar, etc.) so you won’t be distracted and can remain focused on the content. (All emphases are mine.)

“Every book in the entire bible outside of Acts 9-28 and Romans- Philemon (dispensation of Grace) is directly speaking to the Nation of Israel. It is Israel’s covenant/religious doctrine. The religious program God HAD/WILL HAVE with Israel BEFOFE the cross (Genesis-Acts 7 (times past) and during the tribulation (Hebrews-Revelation) AFTER the dispensation of grace ends when the catching away takes place (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) in the ages to come is not to be mistaken with what is going on today. We are currently living in the dispensation of the Grace of God (Ephesians 3:2) which started the moment Christ revealed the revelation of the mystery (Romans 16:25) to Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road in Acts 9 which is the Gospel 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV. How Christ died for our sins, he was buried and rose again the third day (Gospel).”

“Paul was chosen by Christ to be the apostle of the gentiles (Romans 1:13) in order to preach a different Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) than that preached by Christ’s 12 original Jewish disciples (Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, James Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas) which was faith plus works-based Gospels (Mathew 19:16-26, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19). These 12 Apostles ONLY preached to the nation of Israel because salvation WAS ONLY of the Jews (John 4:22, Mathew 15:24, Luke 1:16) during this time (before the cross) and WILL BE of the Jews during the tribulation in the ages to come. This means you had to/will have to convert to Judaism to be saved during this time.”

“The nation of Israel fell in Acts 7 due to unbelief, because of this the nation of Israel does not currently exist and Gods works based program with Israel was put on pause. Blinded until God fulfills his plan of grace with the gentiles (Romans 11:8, Romans 11:25) and then will unblind Israel and carry out his new covenant with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31) during the tribulation time period (Hebrews-Revelation) in the ages to come. Today the WHOLE world is comprised of gentiles (Israelites Jews do not currently exist in Gods eyes today. Because of Israel’s failure in the Old Testament (Genesis-Acts) salvation today is of the gentiles (Romans 11:11). Israel was supposed to believe Christ was the Messiah and do the works of the law to prove it but the majority did not and rejected him. Only the “little flock” (saved Israelite Jews during the Old Testament before the cross) did so. Israel (Gods chosen people) was to be saved first and then they were supposed to preach to the gentiles but this did not work out accordingly. Because of this God ended his Earthly Ministry to Israel and carried out his plan of Grace (Finished cross work) which was kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25). “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).”

“This was the Gospel of grace how that Christ died for the entire WORLDS sins paying for ALL (past, present, & future) of our sins the moment he DIED on the cross (Romans 6:23). He was buried and rose again the third day so that we can be justified (Romans 4:25). It’s through our faith and faith ALONE that we are made righteous (Romans 4:5) which makes us justified (not guilty/saved, Acts 13:39).”

“Through Christs shed blood (his death) ALL (past, present, future) of our sins were COMPLETELY forgiven on the cross (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14). Christ made the one and done perfect sacrificial atonement (necessary payment for sin) the moment he died on the cross and because of this ALL (past, present, future) of our sins were paid in FULL (forgiven). The WORLD was reconciled to God by the death of Christ (Romans 5:10). All because of God’s grace our sins were put on Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) never to be remembered again. Completely moving sin out the way no longer making it an obstacle between mankind and salvation. Making it so that our faith and faith ALONE in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for your salvation is the ONLY justifiable action to be saved today NOT following the works of the law (Galatians 2:16). The law was blotted out and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14) when our sins were forgiven. Nobody is justified by the law today (Romans 3:20) ONLY through faith (Galatians 2:16). Today our faith and faith ALONE is counted as righteousness (Romans 4:5). We are ONLY Saved by “GRACE” “through FAITH” and NOT of our works, It’s the free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). You simply trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for your salvation and you are saved & sealed with the holy spirit (Ephesians 1:13). It really is that simple despite what these countless Christian denominations will teach you who have all made the cross of none effect (1 Corinthians 1:17). It was ALL finished at the cross. Just simply believe it and accept Gods free gift of salvation.”

The element of the above paragraph that takes it into the “hyper” grace arena is the teaching that since ALL sin (past, present, & future) was forgiven at the cross, it is no longer necessary to continually repent, confess our sins and ask for forgiveness as part of our Christian walk, not even to maintain a healthy relationship with our Lord. 1 John 1:9 doesn’t apply since John was speaking only to Jews, which is nonsensical on its face.

It gets worse. While we were at the UCHealth central hospital for Dee’s final chemo session, I found yet another detailed critique of Dr. Bullinger’s abysmal and self-contradictory (not to mention contra-Scripture theology. It can be found and read online and downloaded as a PDF at: Algernon James Pollock – An Examination of Dr. E.W. Bullinger’s Bible Teaching Articles (#15073) – BTP (bibletruthpublishers.com). There are multiple articles and each one can be downloaded as a PDF. I plan to download and combine them into a single file.

All that being said, I tried one more time to reason with my friends at The Gospel of Grace Facebook page, appealing to their sense of intellectual honesty. I have only received derision for being totally ignorant of anything Biblical with every appeal. Rather than.

Links to other research sites that I visited can be found on an earlier post found here: “An Interesting Conversation” Afterthoughts | The Battle Cry (thebattlecry49.com)

Be Blessed!

[i] Adam Clarke (1762 – 26 August 1832) was a British Methodist theologian who served three times as President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (1806–07, 1814–15 and 1822–23). A biblical scholar, he published an influential Bible commentary among other works.

8 Symptoms of False Doctrine

Posted by Dan C. on

Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly dangerous.

1. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error: their “earnestness” makes many think they must be right.

2. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge: many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides.

3. There is a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days: many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties.

4. There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded: many seem half ashamed of saying that anybody can be in the wrong.

5. There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers: they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense.

6. There is a morbid craving in the public mind for a more sensuous, ceremonial, sensational, showy worship: men are impatient of inward, invisible heart-work.

7. There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself “as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

8. There is a wide-spread “gullibility” among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man.

All these things are peculiar symptoms of our times. I defy any observing person to deny them. They tend to make the assaults of false doctrine in our day peculiarly dangerous. They make it more than ever needful to cry aloud, “Do not be carried away!”

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~ J.C. Ryle~

May 10, 1816 — June 10, 1900

Warnings to the Churches, “Divers and Strange Doctrines”, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1967], 76, 77.

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J. C. Ryle Author Biography – Banner of Truth USA

“Supernatural Sid” Cartoon Review – Heresy “Grooming?”

Posted by Dan C. on

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Thanks to the “Digging Deeper” FB page I had the opportunity to watch Supernatural Sid: The First 11 Minutes, a sneak preview of an upcoming cartoon based on TV personality Sid Roth’s show It’s Supernatural!, beloved by many ‘itchy eared’ believers and renowned for a wide variety of false teaching mixed with some truth in order to sound legit.

In the first few minutes, Supernatural Sid introduces his new venture describing how children will be able to see cartoon depictions of actual events in the Bible, from Adam and Eve in the Garden to Moses delivering the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, which was a foreshadowing of Jesus the Messiah. Sid will even lead your children in a prayer to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior!.

The sneak preview of Episode 1 is next at the 4:34 mark and is called The Miracle Birth of Jesus.

It begins with a family of four driving through city streets singing Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. The kids in the back seat start talking about visiting New York City with Supernatural Sid (SS) during the previous year’s Christmas season, with all of the exciting Christmas season activity, including the Rockefeller Center tree. They ask if they can go see the tree again and are told that things are different this year.

The city is a mess, largely because of COVID. Stores and shops are shuttered and the streets are filled with the homeless. The streets are also filled with rioting protesters and police. There are many more homes for sale in the suburbs due to job losses and foreclosures. The family finally arrives safely back at their home and settle down in front of the television screen with a huge bowl of popcorn to watch the It’s Supernatural! with a younger looking Sid Roth (SS) as the host.

SS focuses on the difference between the previous and current year Christmas activity in the city, due to COVID. SS is ready for a Christmas miracle because God is ready to send down His “golden globe of glory”, just as He sent Jesus. Cartoon SS asks viewers to send in their prayer requests so they can be prayed over and agreed upon their upcoming Christmas special show.

The kids, Saul and Miriam, with Nosey the pet dog, then go to New York City to visit SS to find out more. SS gives them special glasses so they can go back in time and see that the same sorts of things they saw in New York City (homelessness, lack of jobs, poverty, protesting and riots, plagues, sick and crippled people) were all present in biblical times.

SS explains how the sick and oppressed cried out to God and prayed for a deliverer, a healer, a Messiah. He then quoted John 3:16 to the kids – sort of. Instead of “…whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life”, SS quoted it as “…whosoever would believe in Him would be saved”. The kids and SS then are transported back to the present and are again with SS in his home.

Saul then asks SS about all of the bad things in the world and asks why God doesn’t stop it all. SS tells them to put the special glasses back on. The sneak preview ends at that point (the 16:30 mark).

Sid Roth in the flesh comes back on to tell us how to pre-order our own DVD of Episode 1, as well as a special streaming link to the entire episode so we can watch it with our children and grandchildren. For a gift of $50.00 you can receive the DVD/BluRay and streaming link. If you send the $50.00 you can also receive additional copies for $25.00 each (allow 6-8 weeks for delivery).

The Senior Producer for another animated Bible series for CBN, as well as Supernatural Sid then comes on and talks about how great his animated Blble stories are, especially how the new series is even so much better than the first one because it includes real life issues and teaches us that the same supernatural events that happened in Jesus’ day are also for us to experience (stock Sid Roth).

“Don’t miss out!” Your kids and grandkids can learn how to live and walk in the supernatural! “The Miracle Birth of Jesus is not just a Christmas story, it gives the foundation of why God sent His only begotten Son.” Lastly, it presents testimonials with adults and children telling us how great the first episode is.

__________________________

So there you have it. While it was certainly entertaining, and kids might love it, the glaring error, from my point of view, is that it’s an “adventure in missing the gospel”. It teaches (rather subtly) that Jesus came so that we can live supernatural lives filled with miraculous healings, prosperity, and deliverances from the bad things in life (Sid Roth’s stock in trade).

We are told quite clearly in Scripture exactly why Jesus came into our world. Even before Jesus’ birth, an Angel spoke to a troubled Joseph:

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mat 1:20-21)

The Apostle Paul also tells us exactly why Jesus came:

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. “ (1 Tim 1:15)

Sid Roth, in the name of $ most likely, is now taking the false teaching he sends all over the globe and specifically targeting (grooming?) our children and grandchildren. Don’t fall for it.

Heresy always rides in on the horseback of truth.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

“Christians need to be on the cutting edge of creativity!”–Kevin Dedmon

Posted by Dan C. on

This morning I was treated to a screenshot of a post from Kevin Dedmon Ministries. The highlighted portions seemed to be the main point of the post – if the church is on the cutting edge of cultural creativity, outsiders (the Queen of Shebas) will covet our (the church’s) wisdom. So says Kevin Dedmon.

Dedmon

Kevin Dedmon is a player at Bethel Redding, a graduate of Vanguard University (Pentecostal with roots going back to Azuza Street and false prophetess Heidi Baker one of the ‘distinguished’ alumni), and the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM).

While cutting edge entertainment might draw in outsiders to a ‘church’ (but not necessarily Christ), Bethel is a hotbed of heretical teaching and not a genuine church. That makes Mr. Dedmon’s post irrelevant on its face.

Having said that, I found some of the 18 comments interesting, if not illustrative.

A couple of those comments recognized the veiled references to the 7-Mountain Mandate that teaches the erroneous notion that Christians are to ‘take over’ the major areas of culture. Some others were justifiably critical of the need to be creative geniuses for anyone to listen to the church. And as is quite usual on social media, a few very little sense at all.

And while the comments were correct in criticizing Mr. Dedmon (and by extension, Bethel, Redding) I couldn’t help but notice the claim that for us Christians to be invited to speak on news programs (have a voice in secular culture) we need to be as admired by the world as the most popular “musicians, scientists, business leaders and star athletes”. That seems to say that we need to be liked by the world to be listened to by the world.

It was then that I had what I called a ‘Johnny Cash moment’. If you ever listened to the song “Jesus Said”, you might know what I mean. Two passages of scripture flashed in my aging mind:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:18 – 19)

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy.” (James 4:4)

The world might be drawn to our cutting-edge creativity but will it be drawn to Christ? Not according to Jesus:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)

“But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:44 & 65)

Genuine drawing to Christ for salvation is God’s work. Our part as believers is merely to lovingly share the gospel message that Christ died for the sins of men. God will open hearts to listen and pay attention (See Acts 16 and the story of Lydia). We need to follow the example of the Apostle Paul and “keep it simple”.

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

We share the good news and God saves His people from their sins.

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I did visit Kevin Dedmon’s FB page. I don’t recommend it. Just more similar posts, all of which were followed by lots of “Amens” from his deceived followers. It was also painful for this old guy because I was reminded of a decades old close friend who I believed to be a genuine Christian (we would pray together over the soldiers of our unit in Massachusetts). He has very close ties to Bethel and Bill Johnson, believing him to be a great man of God..

Coronavirus “Spiritual/Prophetic” Garbage Summary

Posted by Dan C. on

This is comparable to a cat’s litter box. Lots of waste matter in one place……….

So far we have, ……..

None of these things are true. May the Lord rebuke them.

_________

Online Source

“Restoring your Spiritual Alertness“–by Kris Vallotton

Posted by Dan C. on

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A friend of mine messaged me with  the link to a Kris Vallotton sermon from 2018 called “Restoring your Spiritual Alertness “–by Kris Vallotton of Bethe, Redding.. I had previously seen it talked about on Facebook but had not listened to it, not being a big KV fan. My friend actually Neither is my friend, but his messaging me actually encouraged me to go ahead and listen to it.; that and the KV quote accompanying the Facebook ad that said “Sickness is part of the law of the first heavens.”

What follows are parts of the sermon I thought significant tin demonstrated KV’s (and Bethel/Bill Johnson) theology.  If really bad eisegesis (reading into scripture) and scripture twisting offend you, read no further.

At the very beginning KV begins scripture twisting. He reads Ephesians 3 , where Paul is talking about God revealing truth to him (Paul) by revelation and then, out of the blue, starts talking about slavery and how God wants us to move out of slavery and into a relationship of friendship. A mark of friendship, of course, is God giving revelation. So early on, KV starts, making a case for ongoing extra-biblical revelation. His reasoning:

“We are in a season transition from slavery to sonship and the manifestation of that is that we are beginning to get revelation of things never before seen or heard, or even thought of.”

Sorry, Kria, but we transitioned into sonship the moment we believed in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.

He goes on to explain his overarching theology of ‘3  heavens’.

He begins his teaching by saying that we do not ‘inhabit’ this planet, we ‘cohabit’ the earth. Furthermore, he tells us that the Bible teaches that there are three dimensions to spiritual entities that live among us. We all 9believers and non-believers) live in the first heaven. The principalities and powers spoken of in Ephesians 6 live in the second heaven. God of course lives in the third heaven.

Note also, that  there are levels of authority in the first and second heavens.

As ‘believers’ , as opposed to non-believers, we live in the first AND third heavens.  This is based on a misinterpretation of Ephesians 1:3,  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” If Christ has authority in/over all three heavens,so do we. According to KV,we just need to take our ‘rightful’ place in the third heaven.

Also, according to KV, while there are five natural senses, there are many spiritual dimensions/senses  (supernatural spiritual intelligence) that  “enable us to make decisions based on what happens in the second and third heaven. “

A month before this sermon he knew about five levels of spiritual intelligence, but because of receiving more revelation,by the time this sermon rolled around, he knew about  five more. . He said “It’s up to us to police the cosmos.”  He also said the wisdom of man is not evil, it’s just natural, which contradicts what the Bible tells us about human wisdom, being “foolishness to God”.

He then repeated some previous teaching he had given about a month earlier, telling us about spiritual gifts that he has that we can ALL have!

  • Gift of discernment concerning what entity (good or bad) is influencing a city, store, person.
  • Gift of knowledge. (Word of knowledge). He knew a lady sitting next to him on an airplane by name and what her husband was doing that day(having an affair?).We should only use ‘positive’ prophecy.
  • Gift of prophecy. Access to history before it happens – about nations, cities, people. God has a special purpose for EVERYTHING, and we can know it ALL! Using our gifts we can counsel others who come to us regarding their futures. After all, we have access to all of it!

This quite was rather ‘interesting’:

“If you are a believer, you are a mobile home for the Holy Spirit. Everywhere you go, He goes. These gifts are resident in him (the Holy Spirit) so they are resident in you. You just have to believe it and you can operate in it. You just need to move your faith into the right kingdom.”

He goes on, presenting as logical:

  • God does not live in time and space,
  • We have the  mind of God.
  • God thinks outside of time and space, therefore,
  • We can think outside of time and space.

“The way a person gets healed is that a superior ecosystem superimposes itself over an inferior ecosystem.”

He goes on to say that  “God is moving us back into his divine design – to rule the earth”,  referring back to Genesis..

“Bethel uses words of knowledge to heal people. “Vallotton used to use words of knowledge to fix cars, after he heard Bill Johnson’s teaching on it.  He actually said that.

He talked about spiritual gifts & effects. As an example he described hot to do really well in the stock market using the gift of prophecy and the gift of knowledge (we all have them,  remember).  Call it supernatural ‘insider trading’?  The key is having intimacy with God. When you get close with God (intercourse-yada) he will tell you everything!

As believers, we are new creatures (true), both human and totally like Jesus. And according to Bill Johnson’s  kenotic’  view of Jesus, Jesus put his Godhood completely aside and performed all of his miracles, signs and wonders as nothing more than a man in right relationship with God.

Nearing the end of his teaching, he dissed denominational thinking, opinions, thoughts, and divisions. as all BAD. The most brilliant people on the planet keep their minds turned off. Denominationalism doesn’t want you to think for yourself (A common Bill Johnson teaching). He left us with the following, making sure to let us know that HE wrote it (he did that a lot – patted himself on the back.

“The wisdom of God is imprisoned in believers, guarded by the spirit of religion, shackled for generations by the fear of man, and locked away by mediocrity that undermines excellence and kills inspiration. The political spirit has robbed people of the mind of Christ by disarming creativity and marching Christian soldiers to the concentration camp of black and white thinking, This accumulated climax has reduced the most brilliant people on the,planet to echoes of worldly thinking and has undermined the triumph and call of ageless wisdom.”

“Thinking people destroy churches.”. By that he was not speaking of ‘churches’ in a good way, but as representative of ‘stinkin’ thinkin’.

After listening to all of that, I can see why so many young are drawn to Bethel (besides the music). They are taught that they can be just like Jesus!

Those who have left Bethel have something in common. They all seem to have read some of the Bible for themselves!  Yet Bethel continues to attract thousands of young people, first through their music., followed by a gradual diet of false teaching. the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM) has a few thousand continuously enrolled. If you want to know what is taught at BSSM, you can start here.

So there it is……..Dan’s take on an entire Kris Valloton sermon. I did listen to the entire thing and took a lot of notes, all of which are not in this short post. Do with it what you will.

Turning Romans 8:28 into a Ball of Spaghetti

Posted by Dan C. on

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I saw a Facebook post this morning that contained a short video clip, apparently taken from a Joel Osteen sermon, advertising Joel’s Podcast (available from iTunes). The above quotation is what he told anyone listening to the clip.

“On the other side of the difficulty is a new level of your destiny. If you keep the right attitude, all things will work for your good. Not some things, the good breaks, the promotion, but even the loss, the disappointment. The person that walked away, it wasn’t random, it was ordained by God.” – Joel Osteen

Although he didn’t quote any actual scripture passage, the obvious reference is to Romans 8:28, which claim that “all things work together for good.” Joel would have you believe that “If you keep the right attitude, all things will work for your good.”  Now that’s a nice thought, and a positive attitude (what Joel is teaching) helps, but is that what is actually taught in the Roman text? Let’s take a look, shall we?

 “28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:28 – 30, ESV)

Joel maintains that:

1.  ALL things will work for your good and “the next level of your destiny” is the “good” (goal) for which all things work.

2.  All things are ordained by God, even the bad things.

What is true in the above? That all things work together for good and that God ordains all things.

What is NOT true? Well, just a couple of things.

1.  Joel is speaking to a very large audience, to every individual sitting in the former basketball arena turned into a ‘church’ (I use the term loosely), outlying ‘campuses’, as well as television/digital media viewers. The author of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul, was speaking to a particular group of people, the Christians in Rome. He also spoke about a specific group of people, those who “love God and are the called according to His purpose.”  2. Joel defined the “good” in the “all things that work together for good”, as the next level of your destiny, even implying that since God ordains all things, He has ordained for you some sort of divine destiny, a concept NOWHERE taught in scripture.

He has a lot of company in that regard. There are countless faux preachers and teachers who make the Christian life all about us, and our personal aspirations and dreams for life in the here and now.

Scripture, however, tells us it is those who would give up their lives for His sake would find eternal life (Matthew 16:24–25; Mark 8:34–35), that the whole life of the Christian as a dying to self and living for and in Him who died for us (Galatians 2:20), and that if we want to be Jesus’ disciples we must DIE to self (Luke 14:27). Dear friends, these passages teach the exact opposite of searching for some personal ‘divine destiny’!

Sadly, the ‘divine destiny’ lie might be the most dangerous cancer eating away at today’s church. And it’s really not a new teaching at all. I think the journey to where we are now on began over 15 years ago with a book by a portly West Coast Pastor that was about finding your unique purpose in the world. That book began by saying “It’s not all about you,” but then talked ALL about you for the rest of the book! The mantra for much of American evangelicalism.

So what’s Romans 8:28-30 really about? I’m so glad you asked! Let’s look at it again.

“28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Rom 8:28 – 30, ESV)

These passages are about God’s eternal purpose, NOT our temporal destinies! And anyone who teaches or preaches this dream destiny lie turns God’s eternal purpose on its head and has tricked thousands, if not millions of professing believers into dedicating their lives as Christians to pursuing their earthly ‘destinies’, and remaining trapped in this world, even as they are already citizens of a heavenly Kingdom and recipients of countless heavenly blessings!

Pray for all those who have been deceived. Prey also for Joel Osteen and all prosperity gospel preachers. They WILL be held accountable.