Throughout almost two thousand years of her turbulent history, the Christian church has been set upon by many adversaries. The Apostle Paul, in his great charge to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20, anticipated the threat of heresy, and schism in his own lifetime:
... Savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them...
[This is exactly what happened in the formation of Barrie Victory Centre -- talk to the people at Mapleview Community Church and they will confirm that this is how Barrie Victory Centre had its beginnings. I wonder who the "savage wolves" are in this case?]
It should be observed that Paul mentions two specific categories for the attacks being made upon the Church. The first category includes overt enemies of the faith; atheists, agnostics, sceptics, secularists, and scoffers. It also includes non-Christian religions, the cults, and the occult. But the "savage wolves" are even more dangerous when they are part of the second category: "Even from your own number," says Paul, "men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." [The twenty or so couples who were drawn away from Mapleview Pentecostal Church in the beginning will remember exactly how this happened.] Today the words of Paul are fulfilled in plain sight as the church is divided by schismatic sheep who mix cultic and occultic doctrine with biblical truth, perverting the Gospel of Christ.
Some, for example, teach that Christians are actually gods. The Mormons teach that men may become gods by accepting their revelations and by submitting to their authority. However, this is something that takes place in the future and is designated as exaltation. Since the Mormons are genuine polytheists (i.e., believing in "many gods") as opposed to monotheists (accepting only one God), they maintain that faithful Mormons can eventually become gods in the same manner and of the same nature as Jesus Christ and His Father. Mormonism has never been recognized by the Christian church as a bonified Christian faith since its inception in 1830 through the work of Joseph Smith, Jr.
We should not fail to note that Mormons affirm that the divinity of man is to be accomplished after the death of the body, a bad enough departure from the Christian faith but, sadly, there are those who function within the Christian church who do not hesitate to make the claim now!
The "Little Gods" Doctrine
Earl Paulk, Charles Capps, Robert Tilton, Kenneth Copeland, and Kenneth E. Hagen are among the leading proponents of the "little gods" teaching.
Earl Paulk writes "Adam and Eve were placed in the world as the seed and expression of God. Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods." But, he says, "we have trouble comprehending this truth." He adds, "Until we comprehend that we are little gods, and we begin to act like little gods, we cannot manifest the Kingdom of God."
Robert Tilton asserts, "You are . . . a god-kind of creature. Originally you were designed to be as a god in this world. Man was designed or created by God to be the god of this world . . .. Of course, man forfeited his dominion to Satan who became the god of this world."
Kenneth Copeland insists that "man had total authority to rule as a god over every living creature on earth, and he was to rule by speaking words. His words would carry the power and annointing of God that was in him from the time he was first created."
Casey Treat, Pastor of Seattle's Christian Faith Centre, tells us in his taped series "Believing in Yourself" to come to the point where we feel comfortable claiming our godhood:
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost had a conference and they said, 'let us make man an exact duplicate of us' . . .
When God looks in the mirror, He sees me! When I look in the mirror, I see God! Oh, hallelujah! . . .
Kenneth Copeland informs us, "You don't have a god in you. You are one!" Others in the worlds of the cults teach variations on the above themes of human divinity. Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God, for instance, teaches that there is a "god family" in which all Armstrongists will eventually share. They will become just as much deity as the Father and Son. (Armstrong denies the personality of the Holy Spirit, as do Jehovah Witnesses.)
Christian Science, the Unity School of Christianity, the Science of Mind or Religious Science, New Thought Metaphysics, and so on, believe that all humans have within themselves the "Christ-consciousness," or "Christ idea," which is allegedly the true divinity of all men. They maintain that Jesus Christ had possessed this divinity to a greater degree than others which is what sets Him apart, but none of those groups confess the eternal deity of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, and His unique relationship to the Father as the only "Begotten Son." (see John 1:18; 3:16).
In the mind science cults man is already divine -- in the Hindu - New Age sense of shared deity, or, as Mary Baker Eddy once wrote, "Man as God's idea is already saved with an everlasting salvation." "God, Spirit, being all, nothing is matter," said the founder of Christian Science. The Unity School of Christianity confirms that thesis: "God is not a person . . . but very real, something we call life." "The Christ, or perfect man . . . is the true spiritual higher self of every individual."
As we have previously noted, these cultic views are expressed by organizations that are recognized as outside the pale of the Christian church. Nevertheless, the "little gods" doctrine taught by the leaders of the "Faith Movement" is firmly situated within groups generally -- but falsely -- regarded as evangelical. It is circulated in Christian bookstores all over the United States [and Canada] and is widely disseminated via Christian radio and television. The president of Trinity Broadcasting Network, Paul Crouch, has taught this doctrine openly and once spent almost two hours attempting to convince me and three other ministers that we were "little gods." Many evangelical organizations, consciously or not, are helping "savage wolves" spread such diabolical errors.
[If your church denies being part of the Faith Movement, but at the same time, recognizes the likes of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, or Kenneth E. Hagen as spiritual leaders in any way, shape, or form, rest assured that you are part of the Faith Movement because your leaders are identifying and connecting with the leaders of the Faith Movement. There's no denying it. If Kenneth and Gloria Copeland or any of the leaders of the Faith Movement names appear in your weekly church bulletin for either conferences or reading materials, you are definitely involved in the Faith Movement and consequently, you believe the "little gods" doctrine which is a cultic belief.]
For more information on Victory Churches and the Faith Movement, go to the Reference Library. Click on any book title to get a brief overview of the book. All books on the list are available through www.amazon.com.
Showing posts with label occult. Show all posts
Showing posts with label occult. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, October 25, 2010
Regular Fellowship With Demons (7 of 8)
SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT
The more spiritually discerning readers should be able to see that in order to gain acceptance with the masses, the World Church must of necessity have a supernatural element. Since the God of Heaven would never give His blessing to such a "witch-doctor's brew" as this, then the supernatural element will have to be supplied by Satan -- and it has been.
The supernatural element in this poisonous mixture is Spiritism. Yes! The once despised but now respectable cult of Spiritism will, I believe, be the deadliest element in Satan's brew of abominations to seduce Evangelical Christians.
Those of us who have been counselling in the area of the Occult have observed that evil spirits have been progressively extending their influence in the sphere of professing Christianity. The extension of influence on the part of evil spirits is in exact proportion to the diminishing emphasis on the absolute Authority of the Bible.
THE SNARE
Most tongues speaking people will of course readily agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, yet many claim to have new and more timely revelations direct from the Spirit of God. But I would like to point out here, that it has been our experience that any revelations apart from the written Word can very easily be given by evil spirits, and herein lies the snare, because once we depart from the written Word, we are immediately launched on to the sea of uncertainty and are open to the influence of "deceiving spirits."
A SOLEMN WARNING
Now all thoughtful readers are going to realize that the material that has been set forth here has extremely serious ramifications. Because of this and knowing what I have observed through counselling tongues-speaking people, I urge all people now in churches where "speaking in tongues" is practiced, to GET OUT, because you are in DANGER! Find another fellowship somewhere that is free of spiritualistic phenomena. Even if you have to travel a long distance to attend, it will be well worth both the effort and expense.
To those NOT in tongues-speaking churches, I issue this word of warning. Because of the rapid spread of this phenomenon, there will eventually come a time when you will be confronted with this matter. [see previous blog comments.] You will be urged to seek this supposed "gift of tongues." Well-meaning but deceived people will pressure you to "let your mind go blank" so the Holy Spirit can speak through you. If you yield to this impulse and relinquish control of your mind, you will eventually discover as thousands are now finding, that it will not be the Holy Spirit that you come in contact with, but an evil spirit, impersonating Him and the end results can be devastating. It is my prayer that the Lord will give you much wisdom and enable you to avoid the deception that I have outlined here.
THE END RESULTS
After many years of counselling people who have been "slain in the spirit" or "spoken in tongues" or who have been "prayed over in tongues" or "laid hands upon," we have been forced to the conclusion that almost all have problems. These problems vary greatly. They include emotional, physical, mental, psychological, moral, social and of course spiritual problems. These problems have been directly caused by the people concerned coming into contact with demons. In a large proportion of cases, they have actually come under demonic control. What begins as a casual contact with demons through speaking in tongues, often progresses to "regular fellowship with demons."
The end result is, as could be expected, most of these people are, in the long term, devastated. They are lured into a supernatural bondage that can only be broken by supernatural means. A very high percentage want nothing more to do with Christianity or the Bible. The human wreckage resulting from this diabolical deception can now be found scattered all across the gray landscape of our society. Some, after having been hurt so badly, try to pick up the pieces and immerse themselves in worldly pleasure. Others crack under the pressure and are institutionalized. Many who come to us seeking help are so tormented by demons that they openly declare that if release cannot be found, then suicide is the only course of action left to them.
My prayer is that godly Pastors and Bible Teachers everywhere will not only "feed the flock of God" but faithfully warn the sheep not to go seeking ecstatic experiences outside what is clearly taught in Scripture.
If we wander from the path of clearly revealed truth, God will not save us from delusion.
The more spiritually discerning readers should be able to see that in order to gain acceptance with the masses, the World Church must of necessity have a supernatural element. Since the God of Heaven would never give His blessing to such a "witch-doctor's brew" as this, then the supernatural element will have to be supplied by Satan -- and it has been.
The supernatural element in this poisonous mixture is Spiritism. Yes! The once despised but now respectable cult of Spiritism will, I believe, be the deadliest element in Satan's brew of abominations to seduce Evangelical Christians.
Those of us who have been counselling in the area of the Occult have observed that evil spirits have been progressively extending their influence in the sphere of professing Christianity. The extension of influence on the part of evil spirits is in exact proportion to the diminishing emphasis on the absolute Authority of the Bible.
THE SNARE
Most tongues speaking people will of course readily agree that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God, yet many claim to have new and more timely revelations direct from the Spirit of God. But I would like to point out here, that it has been our experience that any revelations apart from the written Word can very easily be given by evil spirits, and herein lies the snare, because once we depart from the written Word, we are immediately launched on to the sea of uncertainty and are open to the influence of "deceiving spirits."
A SOLEMN WARNING
Now all thoughtful readers are going to realize that the material that has been set forth here has extremely serious ramifications. Because of this and knowing what I have observed through counselling tongues-speaking people, I urge all people now in churches where "speaking in tongues" is practiced, to GET OUT, because you are in DANGER! Find another fellowship somewhere that is free of spiritualistic phenomena. Even if you have to travel a long distance to attend, it will be well worth both the effort and expense.
To those NOT in tongues-speaking churches, I issue this word of warning. Because of the rapid spread of this phenomenon, there will eventually come a time when you will be confronted with this matter. [see previous blog comments.] You will be urged to seek this supposed "gift of tongues." Well-meaning but deceived people will pressure you to "let your mind go blank" so the Holy Spirit can speak through you. If you yield to this impulse and relinquish control of your mind, you will eventually discover as thousands are now finding, that it will not be the Holy Spirit that you come in contact with, but an evil spirit, impersonating Him and the end results can be devastating. It is my prayer that the Lord will give you much wisdom and enable you to avoid the deception that I have outlined here.
THE END RESULTS
After many years of counselling people who have been "slain in the spirit" or "spoken in tongues" or who have been "prayed over in tongues" or "laid hands upon," we have been forced to the conclusion that almost all have problems. These problems vary greatly. They include emotional, physical, mental, psychological, moral, social and of course spiritual problems. These problems have been directly caused by the people concerned coming into contact with demons. In a large proportion of cases, they have actually come under demonic control. What begins as a casual contact with demons through speaking in tongues, often progresses to "regular fellowship with demons."
The end result is, as could be expected, most of these people are, in the long term, devastated. They are lured into a supernatural bondage that can only be broken by supernatural means. A very high percentage want nothing more to do with Christianity or the Bible. The human wreckage resulting from this diabolical deception can now be found scattered all across the gray landscape of our society. Some, after having been hurt so badly, try to pick up the pieces and immerse themselves in worldly pleasure. Others crack under the pressure and are institutionalized. Many who come to us seeking help are so tormented by demons that they openly declare that if release cannot be found, then suicide is the only course of action left to them.
My prayer is that godly Pastors and Bible Teachers everywhere will not only "feed the flock of God" but faithfully warn the sheep not to go seeking ecstatic experiences outside what is clearly taught in Scripture.
If we wander from the path of clearly revealed truth, God will not save us from delusion.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Claim of Special Discoveries (Mark #6)
"I have found the secret!"
Few people are more fascinating then those who claim to have inside information on a given subject. Who of us as a child has not listened with breathless anticipation to stories told by older people of their experiences? Stories of talking animals or mysterious haunted houses were a part of our youthful pursuit of fantasy.
Children's stories which are known to be fantasy are one thing; fantasies purveyed as religious truth are quite another. There is nothing wrong with listening to a storyteller; the wrong, indeed the insane course, is to fall down at his feet and worship him. Fables that are known to be such are enjoyable little diversions in life. Religious fantasies that are presented as special spiritual discoveries are dangerous.
In the world of religion, many have been conned out of their money, their eternal souls, or both by those who claim special knowledge from sources of information not commonly available. It is illegal for any person to purchase securities on the basis of "inside information" not generally available to the average investor on the street. We could wish that in the world of religion there were such a law. Unfortunately, such a law would be impossible to pass. Even if it were enacted, it would be ignored by millions of people in pursuit of religious fascinations rather than common truth.
The careful teacher of sound doctrine is rarely as electrifying as the mysterious religious promoter who, usually for a price, will let us in on his "secret." Under the spells he casts, we are often tempted to forget that the best things in life are not only free, but they are usually obvious. It is very clear that the humble Christian who will pursue the teaching of the Bible with simplicity and godly sincerity becomes the glad recipient of the abundant provision of God for every need for time and eternity. There can be no greater promise than that we are blessed "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
In the face of this open provision of all things freely given from God, one is amazed to see the large and loyal following that comes to people who report some vision, presence, revelation, or special discovery which has come to them and which they claim to be divine. It would be impossible to have a cult without mysterious, otherwise unavailable inside information.
The Christian must remember that there is no discovery in the entire universe that anyone could possibly have that is superior to his discovery of salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no higher information, no better revelation, no deeper truth -- nothing is greater than the knowledge of Christ. The person who turns from this greatest discovery, this ultimate revelation, to pursue the delusions of a cult leader is a fool. Despite this obvious truth, the cults continue to beguile unstable souls with their false claims to special discoveries. No discovery is more special than Jesus Christ.
The claim to special discoveries and "repeatable-on-demand" revelations from God is the point where the cults tend to move off into the occult. Witchcraft, spiritism, and Satan worship are nothing more than religions that claim to be able to call for the incursion of the metaphysical in the realm of the physical. This is surely one of the reasons why the cults are often but a stopping place where a disturbed soul lingers briefly before dropping totally into the pit of the occult.
Nevertheless, the almost universal base of each cult religion is the purported revelation that one person received. These persons claimed divine authority for a private, unauthenticated religious event. They claim to have seen a vision of a woman on a mountain, heard a voice in a prayer tower, or been visited by an angel who came with golden tablets and giant spectacles. The unsubstantiated and largely preposterous stories are endless. The discovery may have been a hallucination, an outright lie, or even the result of indigestion or a sleepless night. We cannot know, we are without corroborative evidence.
How different is the truth of Christianity? It is not dependent upon claims by private individuals to special discoveries. The fundamental characteristic of the faith of Christ is that it is based on historical fact. Talking of all of the events that centered around the life, work, death, and resurrection of Christ, Luke states that Christ declared Himself to be alive after His passion "by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3). There were hundreds and in some cases thousands of witnesses to the open and public facts of the Gospel.
The witnesses to the facts of the Gospel were declared as being alive and responsible to testify of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:6). Nothing is more obvious in the Old and New Testaments than the fact of the public revelation and working of God in the presence of proofs and competent witnesses. The truth of Christianity does not depend on private knowledge or secret, unconfirmable relationships on the part of individuals.
But the growing activity of religious promoters with concocted stories should not come as a surprise to us. The Scripture predicts, "There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of..." (2 Peter 2:1-3).
We notice that the heresies being brought in by false teachers are secret and destructive. It would never be possible for these purveyors of their own imaginings to be successful were it not for the foolish inattention on the part of many to the laws of evidence. Again and again Jesus paid respect to the divine laws of evidence by naming those other sources of data that would bear witness to the truth of His Word (John 5:31; John 10:25).
Because of these abundant sources of evidence the Apostle Peter was able to say, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).
Nevertheless, the deceitful infection of the cultic promoters continues as they beguile unstable souls away from the clear and obvious truth into unprovable mysteries that they themselves cannot explain. It is a fair generalization to say that it is the duty of the true minister of the Gospel to take the mysteries of God and make them plain. The normal direction of the cultic promoter is to take the plain truth of the Word and turn it into as mysterious a message as possible. Many deadly pitfalls lie along the path of the dark and the mysterious.
No Christian is required to believe that Jesus Christ has appeared to anyone since the day of the completion of Holy Scripture. God rests His case on the Bible. This Book should be plainly preached by those who stand in pulpits. It should be clearly taught by those who would expound truth. It should be carefully read by all who would discover the nature of reality. Then there will be no need for special discoveries on the part of anyone. The greatest discovery an individual can make is to experience the joy of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which comes by faith in His person and His work as revealed in Holy Scripture.
The secret is out! The Gospel is available to all. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Faith in Him brings a discovery that is special indeed and available to all.
(from Know the Marks of Cults - The 12 Basic Errors of False Religion by Dave Breese)
Few people are more fascinating then those who claim to have inside information on a given subject. Who of us as a child has not listened with breathless anticipation to stories told by older people of their experiences? Stories of talking animals or mysterious haunted houses were a part of our youthful pursuit of fantasy.
Children's stories which are known to be fantasy are one thing; fantasies purveyed as religious truth are quite another. There is nothing wrong with listening to a storyteller; the wrong, indeed the insane course, is to fall down at his feet and worship him. Fables that are known to be such are enjoyable little diversions in life. Religious fantasies that are presented as special spiritual discoveries are dangerous.
In the world of religion, many have been conned out of their money, their eternal souls, or both by those who claim special knowledge from sources of information not commonly available. It is illegal for any person to purchase securities on the basis of "inside information" not generally available to the average investor on the street. We could wish that in the world of religion there were such a law. Unfortunately, such a law would be impossible to pass. Even if it were enacted, it would be ignored by millions of people in pursuit of religious fascinations rather than common truth.
The careful teacher of sound doctrine is rarely as electrifying as the mysterious religious promoter who, usually for a price, will let us in on his "secret." Under the spells he casts, we are often tempted to forget that the best things in life are not only free, but they are usually obvious. It is very clear that the humble Christian who will pursue the teaching of the Bible with simplicity and godly sincerity becomes the glad recipient of the abundant provision of God for every need for time and eternity. There can be no greater promise than that we are blessed "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
In the face of this open provision of all things freely given from God, one is amazed to see the large and loyal following that comes to people who report some vision, presence, revelation, or special discovery which has come to them and which they claim to be divine. It would be impossible to have a cult without mysterious, otherwise unavailable inside information.
The Christian must remember that there is no discovery in the entire universe that anyone could possibly have that is superior to his discovery of salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no higher information, no better revelation, no deeper truth -- nothing is greater than the knowledge of Christ. The person who turns from this greatest discovery, this ultimate revelation, to pursue the delusions of a cult leader is a fool. Despite this obvious truth, the cults continue to beguile unstable souls with their false claims to special discoveries. No discovery is more special than Jesus Christ.
The claim to special discoveries and "repeatable-on-demand" revelations from God is the point where the cults tend to move off into the occult. Witchcraft, spiritism, and Satan worship are nothing more than religions that claim to be able to call for the incursion of the metaphysical in the realm of the physical. This is surely one of the reasons why the cults are often but a stopping place where a disturbed soul lingers briefly before dropping totally into the pit of the occult.
Nevertheless, the almost universal base of each cult religion is the purported revelation that one person received. These persons claimed divine authority for a private, unauthenticated religious event. They claim to have seen a vision of a woman on a mountain, heard a voice in a prayer tower, or been visited by an angel who came with golden tablets and giant spectacles. The unsubstantiated and largely preposterous stories are endless. The discovery may have been a hallucination, an outright lie, or even the result of indigestion or a sleepless night. We cannot know, we are without corroborative evidence.
How different is the truth of Christianity? It is not dependent upon claims by private individuals to special discoveries. The fundamental characteristic of the faith of Christ is that it is based on historical fact. Talking of all of the events that centered around the life, work, death, and resurrection of Christ, Luke states that Christ declared Himself to be alive after His passion "by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3). There were hundreds and in some cases thousands of witnesses to the open and public facts of the Gospel.
The witnesses to the facts of the Gospel were declared as being alive and responsible to testify of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:6). Nothing is more obvious in the Old and New Testaments than the fact of the public revelation and working of God in the presence of proofs and competent witnesses. The truth of Christianity does not depend on private knowledge or secret, unconfirmable relationships on the part of individuals.
But the growing activity of religious promoters with concocted stories should not come as a surprise to us. The Scripture predicts, "There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of..." (2 Peter 2:1-3).
We notice that the heresies being brought in by false teachers are secret and destructive. It would never be possible for these purveyors of their own imaginings to be successful were it not for the foolish inattention on the part of many to the laws of evidence. Again and again Jesus paid respect to the divine laws of evidence by naming those other sources of data that would bear witness to the truth of His Word (John 5:31; John 10:25).
Because of these abundant sources of evidence the Apostle Peter was able to say, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).
Nevertheless, the deceitful infection of the cultic promoters continues as they beguile unstable souls away from the clear and obvious truth into unprovable mysteries that they themselves cannot explain. It is a fair generalization to say that it is the duty of the true minister of the Gospel to take the mysteries of God and make them plain. The normal direction of the cultic promoter is to take the plain truth of the Word and turn it into as mysterious a message as possible. Many deadly pitfalls lie along the path of the dark and the mysterious.
No Christian is required to believe that Jesus Christ has appeared to anyone since the day of the completion of Holy Scripture. God rests His case on the Bible. This Book should be plainly preached by those who stand in pulpits. It should be clearly taught by those who would expound truth. It should be carefully read by all who would discover the nature of reality. Then there will be no need for special discoveries on the part of anyone. The greatest discovery an individual can make is to experience the joy of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, which comes by faith in His person and His work as revealed in Holy Scripture.
The secret is out! The Gospel is available to all. Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Faith in Him brings a discovery that is special indeed and available to all.
(from Know the Marks of Cults - The 12 Basic Errors of False Religion by Dave Breese)
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