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Childish behavior |
Posted on 02/14/2012 4:00:49 PM PST by pastorbillrandles
Bttt.
Great piece Bill. I was a child back in those days of the 70’s and my parents came to know Christ personally through that renewal while in the Catholic church (among a group who were relegated to meeting in the basement of the church). (I was raised well by them and later in life came to receive Christ as well.) They left the Catholic church right after then as did most of their friends.
I think this is a familiar situation that happens throughout church history. Martin Luther and other Protestants had the same type of conversions as they through off the shackles of the old church that became more about money and religion and wanted little to do with Christ.
Look at the status of all those reformers churches -now. They became the thing that their founders despised an now reject truth.
The same thing happened with the churches in the “charismatic movement”. It became about money, power, influence and compromise. These clowns with all their books and mega-churches won’t stand up against anything as sin.
The one thing that remains constant is Christ and his truth. America itself can be lumped in with those churches heading to apostasy. Like Israel - we will probably be handed over to our enemies. But at least Israel has an eternal covenant with God and can count on being restored at some point.
God bless,
Scott
Thanks Scott
Uhhhhhhhh . . .
there was in the Old Testament . . . some folks who tossed a dead man’s body into a grave of a prophet.
When the new dead body touched the prophet’s bones, the newly dead came back to life.
Nonsense is nonsense.
However, none of us have it all figured out.
The errors and assists to hell in the non-charismatic, non-Pentecostal churches may be less obvious, less flashy, less garish . . .
However, they are AT LEAST
AS DEADLY.
And, as varied and plentiful.
Ping to OP and my response at
#5
Your piece is interesting regarding the Charismatic movement. I was very young when it took root. But, I remember how easy it was to call yourself a charismatic because it didn’t threaten anyone! You could call yourself a Christian and it didn’t come with the stigma of judgement. Yet, as much as Jesus loved, forgave, and blessed others; He never backed away from telling the truth about sin and the Father’s punishment. Many Christian churches have run from preaching fire and brimstone and yet isn’t that the very reason why Jesus allowed himself to be hung on a cross?
Quix you are right, there are many things we don’t understand, and e don’t have it all figured out. However please consider;
* The men who threw the body into Elisha’s tomb, weren’t seeking God or His anointing. It was a miracle!
* We are not told that pilgrims went to Elisha’s tomb or any other of the known burial sites of God’s servants, after the miracle in 2 Kings. People then would have understood such as an idolatrous practice.
* True also that the “non charismatic” world equally has errors. I think the whole subject of the apostasy is worth discussing, to “snatch some from the fire” and that we might be prepared for Jesus
‘ coming.
* I believe in the baptism of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. I believe Satan has raised up Hinn, Crowder and Bentley to discredit the Spiritual gifts, The problem is that too much of the Charismatic World accepts or at least refuses to discern these charlatons and buffoons.
I am flattered that you think I wrote this, but it was pastorbillrandles in post one. :)
It’s (Past) Time for a Charismatic Reformation
1. Let’s reform our theology. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and He is holy. He is not an “it.” He is not a blob, a force, or an innate power. We must stop manipulating Him, commanding Him and throwing Him around.
2. Let’s return to the Bible. The Word of God is the foundation for the Christian experience. Any dramatic experience, no matter how spiritual it seems, must be tested by the Word and the Holy Spirit’s discernment. Visions, dreams, prophecies and encounters with angels must be in line with Scripture. If we don’t test them we could end up spreading deception.
3. It’s time for personal responsibility. We charismatics must stop blaming everything on demons. People are usually the problem.
4. Stop playing games. Spiritual warfare is a reality, but we are not going to win the world to Jesus just by shouting at demonic principalities. We must pray, preach and persevere to see ultimate victory.
5. Stop the foolishness. People who hit, slap or push others during prayer should be asked to sit down until they learn gentleness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
6. End all spiritual extortion now. Christian television ministries must cease and desist from all manipulative fundraising tactics. We must stop giving platforms to ministers who make outlandish claims of supernatural financial returns, especially when Scripture is twisted, deadlines are imposed and the poor are exploited.
7. No more Lone Rangers. Those who claim to be ministers of God—whether they are traveling evangelists, local pastors or heads of ministries—must be accountable to other leaders. Any who refuse to submit their lives to godly discipline should be corrected.
8. Expose the creeps. Churches should start doing background checks on traveling ministers. Preachers who have been hiding criminal records, lying about their past marriages, preying on women or refusing to pay child support should be exposed as charlatans and shunned if they do not repent.
9. Stop faking the anointing. God is God, and He does not need our “help” to manifest Himself. That means we don’t sprinkle glitter on ourselves to suggest God’s glory is with us, hide fake jewels on the floor to prove we are anointed or pull chicken feathers out of our sleeves to pretend angels are in the room. This is lying to the Holy Spirit.
10. Let’s return to purity. We’ve had enough scandals. The charismatic church must develop a system for the restoration of fallen ministers. Those who fall morally can be restored, but they must be willing to submit to a process of healing rather than rushing immediately back into the pulpit.
11. We need humility. Ministers who demand celebrity treatment, require lavish salaries, insist on titles or exhibit aloofness from others are guilty of spiritual pride.
12. No more big shots. Apostles are the bondslaves of Christ, and should be the most impeccable models of humility. True apostles do not wield top-down, hierarchical authority over the church. They serve the church from the bottom up as true servants.
13. Never promote gifts at the expense of character. Those who operate in prophecy, healing and miracles must also exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. And while we continue to encourage the gift of tongues, let’s make sure we don’t treat it like some kind of badge of superiority. The world needs to see our love, not our glossolalia.
14. Hold the prophets accountable. Those who refuse to take responsibility for inaccurate statements should not be given platforms. And “prophets” who live immoral lives don’t deserve a public voice.
15. Let’s make the main thing the main thing. The purpose of the Holy Spirit’s anointing is to empower us to reach others. We are at a crossroads today: Either we continue off-course, entertained by our charismatic sideshows, or we throw ourselves into evangelism, church planting, missions, discipleship, and compassionate ministry that helps the poor and fights injustice. Churches that embrace this New Reformation will focus on God’s priorities.
In due time--when the group of KC prophets (...and again the Toronto airport renewal...) --began exalting spiritual experience over sound doctrine and refused the correction gently offered by the recognized elders & leaders, there were (Biblical) partings of the ways.
God blessed John's devotion to ministry and faithfulness to His Word with many verified healings and powerful works of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, John Wimber personally led many people to personal salvation in Christ -- usually one at a time-- before any of his detractors even knew his name.
I recommend the pastor/author check his church and movement history carefully before painting the memory of Godly men with such a broad brush.
Romans 14:4 might contain a word of wisdom.
Good.
Thanks.
There are lots of people I put on a high shelf and wait and see what God does with or about them.
Off the wall charismatics are easier to throw rocks at.
I don’t know if UNFITTING judgment of others is worse than the gross junk of such folks . . . or not.
It is a hazard.
We reap what we sow.
And haughty judgment has a very ugly harvest.
And that's REGARDLESS of how kosher or off the wall the one being judged is.
The Lord Jesus said: “It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63)
In another place Jesus said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words that I speak shall never pass away.”
Again, Jesus said: “I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
“....He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2;8b-9)
ABSOLUTELY INDEED.
I met Wimber personally 1:1 in Taipei.
He’s the real deal.
He’s one of the most humble, most authentic, most balanced, most practical most Biblically accurate Bible teachers and Pastors I’ve ever known or known of.
I’ve heard that Billy Graham speaks in tongues privately. If so, his theology may be in the ball park of the standard I observed in John Wimber. Otherwise, John is head and shoulders above Billy Graham, in my book.
There are a couple of books out now by his wife and his daughter. They are well worth reading.
EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY
By John Wimber author and Christy Wimber ed
THE WAY IN IS THE WAY ON by John Wimber:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-John-Wimber/dp/0974882577/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329270286&sr=1-5
THE WAY IT WAS by Carol Wimber:
And Kris Vallotton of Bethel’s HEAVY RAIN: RENEW THE CHURCH—Transform The World
& his: DEVELOPING A SUPERNATURAL LIFESTYLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO A LIFE OF SIGNS, WONDERS AND MIRACLES
are GREAT, Biblical, edifying, practical
& his SPIRIT WARS looks good but I haven’t read it yet.
If folks followed any of us around 24/7 and published even 20% of what we said every day . . . we’d all be in trouble with big groups of people, detractors, professional rock throwers.
Thanks for your kind & respectful words about the man whom God used to ruin me for the cause of Christ.
God bless...
His video series are very edifying and greatly humorous.
And virtually all his staff I’ve ever met with or talked to on the phone have been top flight in fruits of The Spirit, too.
“ruined me for . . . “ . . . is that now a well known term? LOL.
The anointing for ministry comes from the Holy Spirit.
Anything anyone contracts or inherits from a dead person is not Him.
I don’t think there’s any comparison between Elijah or Elisha and those high profile charasmatic leaders of today who don’t have half the integrity of those OT prophets.
I’m with pbr on this one. I believe in the baptism of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. I also believe that a lot of error and deception has crept into the Pentecostal movement with it’s emphasis on the gifts, flashy, showy, name it and claim it theology.
People are too busy seeking the Spirit, the power, the healing, tongues, whatever manifestation du jour they hear about and not seeking Christ alone, the author and finisher of our faith.
The Holy Spirit’s job is to point to Christ and lift Him up. People are no longer looking to Jesus but the Spirit.
When I was in church Sunday, the pastor was praying that the Holy Spirit would come and be with us, that He was *invited* etc. No mention of Jesus, who said, where two of three are gathered together, there I am in the midst.
The gifts and manifestations can be faked or counterfeited.
The fruit of the Spirit and Christlikeness can’t.
I graduated from an Assembly of God college in 1992. I left the Pentecostal / Charismatic movement 12 years ago and have never looked back. I am an ordained Southern Baptist pastor today. I have never once regretted my decision and departure from the movement. I am spiritually stronger today than ever. I have a much greater insight into spiritual truth, with a much greater illumination and understanding into the things of God.
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