Pastors: Stop Manipulating People to Follow Jesus

 Ray Comfort - Founder & CEO, Living Waters

Nathan’s heart went out to King David. The king had made some bad decisions. Even though he wasn’t actually aware of it, he had messed up, and God wanted to help him. David had had an affair, and then he tried to remedy the problem himself. What had happened was unfortunate, and the prophet saw his job as one who was there to help bring some sort of healing to the situation.

He began his message by gently explaining to the king the good news that there was something missing from his life. That missing piece was “real and lasting peace,” or, as someone once put it, there was a “God-shaped vacuum” in his heart. It was the good news that God had a wonderful plan for the king’s life and that He wanted him to experience that plan.

The prophet was steering toward a moment of decision. Would the king respond to this incredible offer that God had made him, or would he reject it?

To help the king, Nathan psychologically prepared him by telling him what he was going to do. He had said that in a few moments, he would want him to respond by coming forward. The prophet had learned that this would help the king move closer to the decision he needed to make.

To help further, Nathan had David and the guards who stood around his throne close their eyes. This would help to make sure that the king felt a little less self-conscious about his decision when he did come forward.

David, like King Saul, had a personal musician close by, so as Nathan continued to speak, he nodded to the musician to begin to play some appropriate music. Even though the song was very moving, there was no movement from David. Nathan nodded to the skilled performer to play the tune again and then again as he pleaded with David to respond.

To help him further, the prophet let him know that if he did come, he had prearranged with one of the king’s guards to come forward with him—to stand alongside him in support.

Still the king didn’t make a move. Nathan gently reminded him that no one was watching him and that every eye was closed. He again spoke of the incredible offer God had made to him.

Suddenly, it seemed that David was convinced about this new life that could be his if he would just respond. He began to move slowly forward, and as he did, one of the closest guards gently took him by the arm and walked with him.

It was a very emotional moment. It was so touching that the rest of the guards couldn’t contain themselves. They burst into joyful applause. David smiled slightly at their gesture of support. The guards smiled. So did Nathan. There was great joy. This was what it was all about….

Not quite. God hadn’t instructed Nathan to talk to the king about a “God-shaped vacuum in his heart” or to talk about real peace or of improving his life. He was there to reprove a devious murderer who had despised God’s Commandment and committed adultery with another man’s wife. As a married man, the king had burned in lust after another woman. Knowing that she herself was married, he had illicit sexual intercourse with her, which caused her to become pregnant with his child. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he had her loving and faithful husband murdered and married her himself. He had carefully covered his terrible sin, but as far as God was concerned, his wicked hands were dripping with innocent blood.

What an awful betrayal it would have been if the prophet had reduced the king’s horrible crimes against a holy God to insignificance by talking to him about a new and better life that could be his.

The Uncompromised Message

But Nathan didn’t pervert the message. He told the king about a man who stole another man’s pet lamb and slaughtered it, and when David became indignant, Nathan said, “You are that man!” Then he said, “Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord?” When David cried, “I have sinned,” Nathan then gave him the good news of God’s mercy and grace.

There was no mention of a vacuum in the heart, no music to stir the emotions, no deceptive psychological manipulation, no closing of the eyes to make things easier. David was a devious lawbreaker. He was a conniving criminal. He was a man who had deliberately violated the moral Law, but God was willing to show him mercy.

It was the king’s breach of God’s Law that shaped the prophet’s message, and it’s the sinner’s breach of that same Law that should shape our message. We too have the same commission—to reprove and rebuke those who have despised God. We are to preach the Word, in season and out of season, and to “convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). In the sight of God, every sinner is a devious criminal, but neither the Church nor the world will see that as being true without the Law to show sin as being “exceedingly sinful” (see Romans 7:7-13).

The sinner enthrones himself as a king, enrobed in the filthy garments of self-righteousness. He commits adultery in his lust-filled heart. His throat is an open sepulcher. His mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. There is no fear of God before his eyes. He lies, steals, blasphemes, and hides murder in his heart; and, in doing so, he sins against a holy God and stores up His wrath. He has a desperately wicked heart and a multitude of sins which he thinks his Creator doesn’t see. The Bible tells us that God is filled with indignation and wrath, and it promises that He will bring tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that does evil (see Romans 2:5-9).

The Law Trivialized

We have such a wicked heart. Without the light of the Law, we reduce sin to insignificance and trivialize the claims of the Divine Prosecution. The modern message is a betrayal of our commission and a victory for the enemy. Like the Pharisees, contemporary preachers prefer their traditions to the truth of God’s Word. They cling to the security blanket of closed eyes, emotional music, and psychological manipulation, misguidedly pleading with wicked criminals about the promise of a wonderful new life in Christ.

Such folly is perhaps the greatest deception of the last days. It is to do the work of the enemy, by planting tares alongside the wheat. An unbiblical, Lawless gospel will almost certainly produce lawless converts—workers of iniquity—who the Bible warns will be cast out of the gates of Heaven into the waiting jaws of Hell (see Matthew 7:21-24).

Stop the Insanity

A forsaking of biblical evangelism has left our churches looking and acting just like the world. This has happened because our pulpits have reduced the glorious gospel of God’s grace to a 30-minute, low-budget infomercial, peddling the Word of God as a competing product for life enhancement.

If you have been trusted with a pulpit, or if you are someone who cares about the lost, please stop this insanity. Don’t think of the use of the Law as a “method,” and don’t look for “results” as a legitimate criterion to measure its worth. Our churches are filled with misleading “results.” The impressive numbers are the product of unbiblical methods. The use of the Law brings the knowledge of sin. Jesus and Paul used it (see Luke 10:17; Romans 2:20-24). Ask the question: “Is this principle biblical?” If it is, then instigate it and leave the numbers game up to God.

Adapted from The Way of the Master 

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters and the bestselling author of more than 90 books, including God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life, How to Know God Exists, and The Evidence Bible. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, airing in every country in the world, and is an Executive Producer of “180,” “Evolution vs. God,” “Audacity,” and other films. He is married to Sue and has three grown children, and hasn’t left the house without gospel tracts for decades.

John Piper: Ravi Zacharias turned 'position of power' into 'neediness and woundedness'

 By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter

John Piper has weighed in on the misdeeds of late apologist Ravi Zacharias and identified the “lessons” Christians can learn from his posthumous fall from grace after he was accused of “sexting, unwanted touching, spiritual abuse, and rape.”

“There’s a lesson to be learned from Ravi’s manipulation of people — a lesson to be learned about the need for tethered sympathy,” Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, wrote on his Desiring God website.

Piper explained that every time sympathy is called for, it needs to be “tethered to the truth, so that it is given lavishly when the truth calls for it and is withheld when the truth clashes with it.”

“How did [Ravi] manipulate people into sinfully providing him with sexual stimulation? He did it by demanding untethered sympathy. He portrayed himself as an embattled, burdened, wounded warrior in the righteous cause of the gospel. And ironically, he turned his position of power into a form of neediness and woundedness. And then he tried to coerce untethered sympathy under the guise of calling for ‘kingdom therapy for the wounded warrior.’”

Piper said he had seen this kind of “demand and manipulation for untethered sympathy repeatedly among fallen Christian leaders.”

“[They say], ‘The burdens are so great. The wounds are so many. Those who understand me are so few. The weight of faithful ministry — oh, it is so great. I deserve some relief. Have some sympathy on this poor, wounded warrior. Empathize with your embattled hero. I need your body if I’m to carry on in the Lord’s work,’” Piper paraphrased. 

“To which the administrative assistant or the old college flame or the teenage boy in the locker room should say, ‘That’s disgusting. Don’t ever talk to me like that again. My sympathy is not for sale; it’s tethered to truth and righteousness.’”

To those who came to Christ under Zacharias’ ministry or who had their faith mightily strengthened by what he taught, Piper advised: “Don’t let the imperfections and failures of men turn you away from the perfections and the triumphs of Christ, who will never, never fail you.”

An investigation released earlier this year found credible evidence of a long pattern of abusive behavior by Zacharias, one of the most recognizable figures in American Christianity for decades.

The report found that the apologist, the founder of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, who died last May, coerced massage therapists at a spa he co-owned to perform sexual acts. It also uncovered a collection of explicit photos — many of them of much younger women — found in Zacharias’ possession. 

One woman told the investigators that “after he arranged for the ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her.” 

She told investigators Zacharias “made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received.” Zacharias reportedly warned her that if she ever spoke out against him, she would be responsible for millions of souls lost if his reputation was damaged.

Following the release of the report, numerous publishers pulled Zacharias’ books, while RZIM was forced to restructure and change its name.

In an interview with The Christian Post, bestselling author and pastor Michael Youssef said Zacharias’ downfall is a sobering reminder that “accountability” must be a significant pillar of ministry.

“Accountability is a word that's almost a dirty word among some of the celebrity preachers, and that's got to come back,” he said. “Whether a church has 10 members, 100 members or 10,000 members, he must have accountability. This is a word that is lost in today’s churches and must be returned to our vocabulary.”

New York-based pastor Tim Keller told CP earlier this month that when pastors get to be “well-known,” the praise can turn their heads, the criticism can prompt self-pity and the overwork can cause them to neglect their prayer life. 

“For all those reasons, very often, so-called ‘celebrity ministers and figures’ very often live lives less consistent with the Christian faith than Christians who are not so famous,” Keller said. 

“It's the job of the so-called ‘famous Christians’ to just live ordinary, good Christian lives, and not overwork and burn out and get filled with self-pity and anger over all the people that are criticizing them. That’s the thing that sets them up for these things where they embezzle money, they have affairs or they do things like that.”

While Christian leaders who have “not been faithful or responsible with the platform God has given them” must be held accountable, Keller stressed their moral failure “doesn't mean that the Christian faith doesn't work.”

“A quack doctor doesn't mean that medicine is illegitimate. A quack evangelist doesn't mean that the Gospel isn't true,” he said. “So, on one hand, don’t make excuses for your heroes. On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that everything they’ve ever said is illegitimate.”

Globalists Will Need Another Crisis In America As Their Reset Agenda Fails

 

By Brandon Smith

It might sound like “US exceptionalism” to point this out (…and how very dare I), but even if the globalist Reset is successful in every other nation on Earth, the globalists are still failures if they can’t secure and subjugate the American people. As I’ve noted many times in the past, most of the world has been sufficiently disarmed, and even though we are seeing resistance in multiple European nations against forced vaccination legislation and medical tyranny, it is unlikely that they will have the ability to actually repel a full-on march into totalitarianism. Most of Asia, India, and Australia are already well under control. Africa is almost an afterthought, considering Africa is where many suspect vaccines are tested.

America represents the only significant obstacle to the agenda.

Conservative Americans in particular have been a thorn in the side of the globalists for generations, and it really comes down to a simple matter of mutual exclusion: You cannot have an openly globalist society and conservative ideals at the same time in the same place. It is impossible.

Conservatives believe in limited government, true free markets, individual liberty, the value of life, freedom of speech, private property rights, the right to self-defense, the right to self-determination, freedom of religion, and the non-aggression principle (we won’t harm you unless you try to harm us). None of these ideas can exist in a globalist world because globalism is at its core the pursuit of fully centralized tyranny.

There are people on this planet that are not satisfied to merely live their lives, take care of their families and make their mark peacefully. They crave power over all else. They desperately want control over you, over me, over everything, and they will use any means at their disposal to get it. I would compare it to a kind of drug addiction; globalists are like crack addicts, they can never get enough power, there is always something more to take.

They tell themselves and others that they are “philanthropists”, that “they know what is best” for the rest of us. They believe themselves superior and therefore it is their “destiny” to dictate and micro-manage society for the “greater good” of us all. But really, when we witness their methods it becomes clear that they have no noble aspirations. They have no empathy or honor. They don’t care about the average human being, or the environment, or the economy or society in general. They only care about themselves and their delusions of grandeur. These people are cancer in the rest of civilization.

They seem to be particularly obsessed with deconstructing and sabotaging America in the pursuit of their global Reset. Real philanthropists would not have a problem if someone didn’t want to accept their “charity”, but psychopaths cannot abide a group of people rejecting them and their ideology. You are not allowed to walk away from them. You are not allowed to do things your own way. You must be forced to comply. The agenda only works if EVERYONE submits.

Unfortunately for the globalists, the Reset is not working out for them everywhere. In the US, the agenda is failing miserably compared to Asia and parts of Europe.

As the head of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, is so fond of reminding us, the Covid pandemic is the “perfect opportunity” to push forward the globalist plans for a total Reset of the human economy and society. To the globalists, the crisis is a panacea, a doorway to their version of a better world. They love the pandemic, they are not distressed by it.

The problem is, it’s not doing enough damage or terrifying enough people.

Consider the Event 201 coronavirus pandemic simulation – It was held by the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation only two months before the real thing “coincidentally” happened in early 2020. The pandemic war game was less about saving lives and more about how the elites planned to keep the public under control. The suppression of alternative media and censorship in social media was discussed at great length. Dissenting voices need to be silenced if the Reset is going to prevail.

One factor within the Event 201 simulation that never played out, though, was the WEF projections on deaths. The war game suggested at least 65 million initial deaths due to the pandemic. Early projections on the death rate suggested 2% to 3% of the population or more. The same projections were repeated by the UN’s World Health Organization when the real pandemic was first revealed to the public.

Instead, Covid-19 has been a letdown for the globalists, with a tiny death rate of around 0.26% outside of nursing homes. Meaning, 99.7% of the population has nothing to worry about from covid. Millions of Americans are becoming savvy to the situation and are refusing to comply with mandates over a virus that is a non-threat.

Instead of backing off of the Reset scheme, the globalists are continuing to double down. Why? Because they have no other choice. They let the cat out of the bag and bloviating big-mouths like Klaus Schwab told the world exactly what the plan is. If they retreat now, they might NEVER get another chance to implement a world centralization plan; a massive grift that requires medical tyranny in order to prevent rebellion.

You see, if the death rate had been dramatically higher than 0.26% and covid represented a legitimate threat, then maybe a larger portion of the US population would have been on board with longer term restrictions and medical passports. Maybe not. The fact remains that 40% of deaths have been in nursing homes among patients with preexisting illnesses, the death rate outside of these facilities is minimal, the mask mandates have been proven completely ineffective and the states that have remained open and removed mask mandates have FALLING death and infection rates when compared to states that are enforcing lockdowns.

The fear narrative is falling apart. States across the US are opening and are refusing to implement useless mandates. In my home state of Montana, legislators and the governor are passing laws that forbid the enforcement of medical passports. Even major corporations are not allowed to demand vaccine passports from customers or employees.

On top of that, 40% to 50% of the US population in polls are refusing to comply with the vaccine rollout or medical passports. Why take a vaccine for a virus that 99.7% of the population is unaffected by anyway?

The jig is up. The globalists are going to need another crisis if they hope to enforce further lockdowns in the US, along with medical passports and disarmament. Do not be surprised if there is more engineered chaos going into the summer months. But what will the next crisis look like? I think we are already seeing the signs…

Covid Mutations

The mainstream media is pushing a non-stop narrative of covid mutation hype. We hear about the UK and Brazilian variants on a weekly basis, and the assertion has been that surely, these variants will be more infectious and more deadly than the original virus. There is still no proof whatsoever to confirm this, but the globalists only care about planting the idea in people’s heads. They only care about reigniting the fear.

My feeling is that this strategy is going to fail, at least in the US. Too many Americans are aware of the con game, and a new virus threat is not going to have the same effect as Covid-19 did in the early months of the pandemic. None of us really knew what we were facing back then, and caution was a practical response. Today, we know for a fact that covid is not a concern for the vast majority of the public. Media attempts to amp up the threat will be ineffective, but they will of course still try.

Continue reading Alt-Market.us

New Mexico church responds to $10K fine for holding services amid COVID-19

By Brandon Showalter, Christian Post Reporter

A New Mexico evangelical church maintains that it took measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 after state authorities levied a substantial fine against it for allegedly violating the state’s coronavirus restrictions. 

After Calvary Church in Albuquerque hosted its Christmas Eve services it received a notice of contemplated action from the state's Department of Health stating that the church would be fined $10,000. The church's leadership, however, contend that they followed public health guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus even as it cannot be eliminated. 

"Vulnerable people were discouraged from attending, every other row was cordoned off in the church’s spacious sanctuaries, mask-wearing was encouraged, and family units that came together sat together. We are also confident that we maintained capacity levels in keeping with our state’s current public health order," said a Calvary Church spokesperson in a statement sent to The Christian Post on Friday. 

"In fact, Governor Lujan Grisham praised us earlier this year for our efforts, so we are especially shocked by the incendiary and politicized rhetoric from the governor’s office," the spokesperson added. 

The church was fined for allegedly violating restrictions on in-person worship services and mask mandates implemented by the New Mexico Department of Health. The restrictions, which went into effect on Dec. 15, require churches located in “red-level” counties to cap attendance at 25% of capacity.

Because Bernalillo County, home to Albuquerque and the largest county in the state, is a “red-level” county, the 25% capacity restrictions apply to Calvary Church. 

Gov. Lujan Grisham's Communications Director Tripp Stelnicki criticized the church in a terse statement this week, insisting that though everyone wishes the pandemic was over, "it’s not, and no pro-virus pastor may deem it so."

"So many New Mexicans have sacrificed — and lost — so much in this pandemic," he said. 

"These illegal and selfish gatherings will directly contribute to more suffering and illness in our state. These church leaders should reflect on the danger they’ve unleashed in their communities," Stelnicki said, referring to Calvary Church and Legacy Church in Albuquerque, where services streamed online showed many people gathered together with few wearing face masks, according to local news outlet KRQE.

The Calvary Church spokesperson went on to say that while they have always had a good relationship with their local and state government officials, they will be requesting an administrative hearing regarding the fines, arguing on First Amendment grounds that even during a pandemic they ought not to be penalized for holding services, particularly given recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings affirming Calvary's position on the matter. 

The Supreme Court recently vacated lower court decisions against churches suing Colorado and New Jersey over each state’s restrictions on worship gatherings. In a 5-4 ruling just before Thanksgiving, the high court held that the rights of a Catholic diocese and an Orthodox Jewish group were violated, saying New York state's COVID restrictions on houses of worship "strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty."

"Churches are not entertainment venues like theaters or stadiums. Our congregations provide essential services to our communities. Faith continues to play an indispensable role in helping individuals cope with the direct and indirect aspects of this public health crisis. For instance, Calvary alone has distributed over $1.5 million dollars of direct assistance to those in need in our community over the course of the pandemic," the New Mexico church explained Friday. 

"We will never waiver from our commitment to honor God in all that we do, serve our community according to our calling, and follow best practices as long as this crisis persists. We simply could not take away from healthy people the opportunity to choose to worship at Christmas.”

Legacy Church was also fined for holding services. Earlier this year, Legacy Church sued the state over its COVID orders but a judge denied their request that the restrictions be eased. 

 

Belief in God rising among Gen Z amid COVID-19 pandemic, survey finds

By Brandon Showalter, Christian Post Reporter

COVID-19 has led to a rise in the number of young people in the U.K. who are seeking and believing in God, according to a survey, challenging trends indicating that Gen Zers are the most irreligious generation.

A recent YouGov survey found that Gen Zers in their late teens and early 20s are more likely to believe in God than millennials who are in their late 20s and 30s.

Conducted in late November, researchers asked 2,169 people about their faith, inquiring if they believed in God, believed in some kind of spiritual higher power but not God, believed in neither, or did not know.

Though the poll unsurprisingly revealed that those older than 60 were the most religious age bracket, 23% of the youngest group, those ages 16 to 24, indicated that they believed in God, an increase from 21% when the question was asked of 18- to 24-year-olds in January.

Overall, across all age groups, belief in God decreased by 1 percentage point, from 28% to 27% from January to November. Based on responses to the questions, the percentage of what researchers designated as atheists and agnostics — those who said they did not believe in God or a higher power or were not sure — rose from 51% to 56% over the same span of time.

The study indicated that young people can easily access information about faith on the internet, the main reason for the shift toward belief in God among that age group in addition to less stigma about religious beliefs in their peer groups, yielding more open discussions.

Lois Lee, a fellow of the University of Kent’s Department of Religious Studies, said that it's still too early to determine whether COVID-19 has caused certain people to embrace faith in the long run.

“It is highly likely the pandemic has impacted on people’s existential beliefs and practices, but I’m not yet convinced it will have made any group more or less religious in the longer term, though time will tell,” she said, in comments to The Sunday Times.

"Possibly this year’s data indicate that young people are going through that kind of exploratory period more than others,” she added.

The data reveals a change in the longterm expectation that younger generations will become "progressively less religious," according to Stephen Bullivant, a professor of the sociology of religion at St. Mary's University in Twickenham, adding that it's likely that a larger share of Gen Zers is born into relatively religious homes from "Muslim, immigrant Catholic, or black Christian" families.

YouGov also found in another survey that 56% of Britons continue to regard the U.K. as a Christian country.

Hillsong admits it knew about 'serious allegations' against the megachurch in 2018 and 'found some were true' after ex members claim it is a 'cult' with 'slave labor' where pastors 'choose members' partners'

 By KAREN RUIZ FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 20:48 GMT, 23 December 2020 | UPDATED: 00:35 GMT, 24 December 2020

• Former Hillsong members have compared the megachurch to a 'cult'
• A spokesperson for the church said in February 2018 they received 'a letter with serious allegations' regarding 'specific members of the Hillsong NYC teams'
• 'Sadly, we learned that some of the allegations were true,' they added
• LA service pastor Nicole Herman said it was like working for a 'corporation'
• Another NJ staffer claims she spent five years babysitting for various pastors
• Allegations have emerged following the termination of Pastor Carl Lentz, who last month was revealed to have engaged in multiple affairs with women

Hillsong on Wednesday admitted it knew about 'serious allegations' against the church in 2018 and 'found some were true' after ex-members claimed it is a 'cult'. 

In a statement to The New York Post a spokesperson for the church said: 'In February of 2018, Hillsong Church received a letter with serious allegations regarding specific members of the Hillsong NYC volunteer and staff teams.'

Former Hillsong members continue to come forward with allegations against the church, with some comparing it to a 'cult' where volunteers are allegedly used to perform manual labor and fulfill the personal needs of its leadership. 

The spokesperson added Wednesday: 'We were very concerned to learn that any church member, volunteer or staff member would feel unsafe. Immediately, we launched a comprehensive three-month inquiry into the claims made in the letter.

'Sadly, we learned that some of the allegations were true.' 

Hillsong say they took 'immediate action' following the claims. Even those they later deemed 'inaccurate' were said to have 'required care and concern as well', the church said. DailyMail.com has contacted Hillsong for comment. 

The non-denominational Christian church, which was recently rocked by revelations that former celebrity pastor Carl Lentz cheated on his wife of 17 years, demanded 'industrial slave labor' from its volunteers, ex-members have claimed.    

Hillsong Church was founded in Sydney, Australia in 1983 and has since expanded into a global chain with locations across the US, UK, and other countries. 

But former members say the church's alleged 'toxic' work culture appears evident across the board with some sharing horror stories from their experiences as parishioners in Sydney, New Jersey and LA.  

Nicole Herman, who served as a service pastor for seven years after helping found Hillsong Los Angeles in 2013, said working for the church was more like working for a 'major company.'

'I was beneath [the senior pastors] but I did everything,' Herman told the New York Post this week.

During her time there, Herman claimed she witnessed 'volunteers and real, amazing people' be taken advantage of and used to fulfill the 'petty needs' of church leaders. 

Herman made the decision to publicly speak out against Hillsong in an Instagram post on Saturday, offering support to any former members 'with a broken heart as well as a million other amazing people who left this cult.'

Over on the east coast, one woman who attended Hillsong in Montclair, New Jersey, claimed she spent five years babysitting for various pastors for which she was sometimes underpaid.  

'It was the most toxic work environment I've ever been a part of,' the woman, who wished to stay anonymous, told the Post.   

'You get up there on a Sunday and talk about tithing and giving and you literally don't do that to your workers,' she added.

 The woman said she became involved with the church branch in 2013 and after one year, she was introduced to Josh and Leona Kimes, now lead pastors at Hillsong Boston, to babysit their children. 

Once she began taking babysitting jobs with the couple, she was then passed down 'the line of pastors,' she claimed.

Although the babysitting gig was paid work, the woman claimed she was rarely paid the $15 an hour she was promised and was instead given a lower rate of $8 or $10 an hour each shift.

In addition, she says she was often paid weeks late or sometimes not even at all.

'I would be working 10, 11 hour days. I would get paid and then I would go in my car and count my money and nine times out of 10 the amount wasn't correct,' she added.

The former member also described the bizarre culture within the church, where she claims high-ranking staff members are viewed as celebrities.

She alleged people would 'flock' to her when she took the children to church services because members were 'obsessed' with those who had some kind of connection with anyone on staff.

Eventually, other babysitters who were not associated with church stopped taking jobs and criticized Hillsong for operating like a 'cult', the Post reported.

The woman however said she defended the pastors, but now in retrospect admits: 'When you're in that deep, you can't see the red flags or warning signs.'

The former staffer said she ultimately stopped taking babysitting jobs last year after hearing similar stories of abuse among other sitters.

A former student at Hillsong College, the Sydney-based school where members go to become pastors and church leaders, said she believes Hillsong is only a place of worship in name and prioritizes fame instead.

'A church is supposed to stand for honor, grace, and love, to help the widow and the orphan. If you read the Bible it's clear what you need to do, but that's not the way they operate — they're all about the fame and how things look for them,' Yolandi Bosch told the paper.

 Bosch said she and former staffers plan to file a legal complaint against Hillsong in Australia over its alleged culture of 'slave labor', and are currently looking for representation.

She said she was made to work 20 consecutive hours at one stage.

A spokesperson for Hillsong said: 'Like all students and volunteers on the Refresh team, when Ms. [Bosch] was a student in 2012, she would have helped maintain the building during special events and conferences.

'Our guidelines would have prohibited any student or volunteer from performing a single task for 20 consecutive hours as part of this program.'

Ravi Zacharias ministry confirms apologist 'did indeed engage in sexual misconduct'

 By Sheryl Lynn, Christian Post Reporter

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries confirmed on Wednesday that its late founder “did indeed engage in sexual misconduct.”

Releasing an interim report by Miller & Martin PLLC, which the ministry hired to investigate allegations of misconduct that were made public months after Zacharias’ death, RZIM said, “Sadly, the interim investigation update indicates this assessment of Ravi’s behavior to be true.”

“This misconduct is deeply troubling and wholly inconsistent with the man Ravi Zacharias presented both publicly and privately to so many over more than four decades of public ministry,” it added, noting that it is devastated for those who “suffered from Ravi’s misconduct.”

Massage therapists at day spas co-owned by Zacharias, an influential apologist who died in May after a battle with cancer, alleged that he would come in regularly for back pain treatment.

Three women who spoke with Stephen Baughman, an attorney, and Christianity Today said during those treatments, he would expose himself, masturbate, and ask for explicit photos as well to have sex.

The Miller & Martin investigation team said it interviewed dozens of witnesses, including massage therapists who worked at the Touch of Eden and Jivan Wellness spas and reviewed numerous documents and electronic devices used by Zacharias.

“Combining those interviews with our review of documents and electronic data, we have found significant, credible evidence that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years. Some of that misconduct is consistent with and corroborative of that which is reported in the news recently, and some of the conduct we have uncovered is more serious,” it said.

The investigation is ongoing and is expected to conclude in January or February.

The team was given “broad discretion and authority to follow leads into other sexual misconduct that might arise” beyond the spa allegations.

“We are heartbroken at learning this but feel it necessary to be transparent and to inform our staff, donors, and supporters at this time, even while the investigation continues,” RZIM stated.

The interim report comes after an apologist with RZIM lamented how the ministry has handled allegations of sexual misconduct, including sexting allegations involving Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian woman, in 2017.

Max Baker-Hytch, a senior tutor with the ministry's Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, called on the leadership to make "meaningful reparations" to the alleged victims and radically change the culture of the ministry. 

RZIM has vowed to release the final report once the investigation is complete.

Martin Luther on How Not to Tempt God During a Plague by DAVID FINK

 VILLAGE CHURCH ANGLICAN

It so happened that in the month of October in the year of our Lord 1347, around the first of that month, twelve Genoese galleys, fleeing our Lord’s wrath which came down upon them for their misdeed, put in at the port in the city of Messina. They brought with them a plague that they carried down to the very marrow of their bones so that if anyone so much as spoke to them, he was infected with a mortal sickness which brought on an immediate death that he could in no way avoid.

So begins one of the first historical accounts of the “Black Death” in late medieval Europe, written by the Sicilian chronicler Michele da Piazza. The plague was a truly terrifying pandemic. Modern estimates suggest that the disease may have killed as many as half those who contracted it, and when death came it was swift, agonizing, and utterly undignified. Consider this description, by another Italian eyewitness:

There are no words to describe how horrible these events have been and, in fact, whoever can say that they have not lived in utterly horrid conditions can truly consider themselves lucky. The infected die almost immediately. They swell beneath the armpits and in the groin, and fall over while talking. Fathers abandon their sons, wives their husbands, and one brother the other. In the end, everyone escapes and abandons anyone who might be infected. . . . And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, have buried five of my sons with my own hands.

Given the horror of these events, it’s not surprising that we find writers from this period wrestling with all sorts of difficult questions: how to avoid getting sick? How to avoid getting other people sick? How to continue to maintain some semblance of normalcy when the world seems like’s been turned upside down? And above all: where is God amidst all this suffering and death? 

These questions were even more pressing for those whose vocation called them to the front lines in the battle against the plague: physicians, who cared for the bodies of the sick; priests, who cared for their souls; friars, monks, and nuns, whose religious vows often required them to seek out the sick and care for their bodies and souls. And despite the grim observations of Agnolo the Fat, they didn’t all run away.

In the summer of 1527, the plague swept through Europe once again. But this time, it fell upon a society deeply divided—“polarized,” we would say—by the events of the Protestant Reformation. On top of all the old fears of death and social breakdown, perceptions of the disease were filtered through new layers of mistrust rooted in religious difference. Protestants regarded the plague as God’s judgment on Catholic decadence and idolatry; Catholics accused Protestants of weakening the unity of Christendom in a time of crisis. Both sides gleefully seized on examples of cowardice and other missteps to paint their enemies in the worst possible light.

By August of that year, the first victims of the plague were dying in the city of Wittenberg, where Martin Luther and his colleagues were laboring to reform the German churches. Just like many recent governments have done, the Elector John “the Steadfast” ordered a series of dramatic measures to combat the plague, including ordering the faculty of the University of Wittenberg—Luther included—to relocate to another city. Luther refused to leave. Together with his friend and colleague Johannes Bugenhagen, Luther stayed put in Wittenberg to care for the sick and the dying: preaching the Gospel, administering the sacraments, visiting the sick in their homes to provide pastoral and practical care, and eventually converting his own house (a former monastery) into a makeshift hospital.

By the time the plague died down in Wittenberg in the fall of that year, Luther was being criticized on both sides. Friends in the church and government believed he had been too reckless, ignoring the prince’s command to leave the city. But Catholic opponents, pointing to the aggressive measures the city had taken to isolate the sick from the healthy, accused the Lutherans of abandoning their flock in its time of greatest need. 

Luther responded to these criticisms in an open letter titled, “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” a masterpiece of pastoral guidance to a community in crisis. Luther’s main point may be summed up as follows: those in vocations with responsibilities to serve the common good—this would include city officials, doctors, and pastors, among others—are bound to remain in place. Christians are people who have been called by God, and the model for faithfully living out one’s calling is nothing other than Christ himself: “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, but the hireling sees the wolf coming and flees” (John 10:11). 

For those whose duties do not require it, however, Luther counsels balanced judgment and pragmatic common sense. On the one hand, Luther argues that fleeing from danger is not inherently wrong, and he multiplies examples from scripture to support this: Jacob fled from Esau, David fled from Saul, Paul fled from Damascus, etc., etc. On the other hand, Luther argues that the law of love compels us to help our neighbor in times of need, even when that help comes at risk to ourselves. “A man who will not help or support others,” Luther observes, “unless he can do so without affecting his safety or his property will never help his neighbor.” These are the ones to whom Christ will say, “I was sick and you did not visit me” (Matt 25:43).

Now, at this point, one might object that times have changed since the sixteenth century. It’s not our job to care for the sick directly, especially not during a time of pandemic—that’s what the healthcare system is for. And Luther would actually agree. In point of fact, Luther’s Wittenberg was one of the first cities in Western Europe to appoint a full-time physician to care for the poor—at government expense! Luther saw this kind of arrangement as the ideal way of enacting the community’s obligation to care for the needy, but he also recognized that in extreme circumstances, other measures may be necessary:

It would be well, where there is an efficient government in cities and states, to maintain municipal homes and hospitals staffed with people to take care of the sick so that patients from private homes can be sent there. . . . That would indeed be a fine, commendable, and Christian arrangement to which everyone should offer generous help and contributions, particularly the government. Where there are no such institutions—and they exist only in a few places—we must give hospital care and be nurses for one another in any extremity or risk the loss of salvation and the grace of God.

Strong words, these! But they are a strong reminder that whatever the early Protestant reformers like Martin Luther may have meant by teaching that salvation comes “through faith alone,” it certainly didn’t drive a wedge between our faith in God and the love and care we owe to our neighbors—far from it! 

Most of Luther’s advice in this treatise is aimed at those fearful souls who were tempted to abandon their duties in a time of crisis. But he also acknowledges that there is another danger, what he calls “tempting God.” I will quote Luther at length here because it seems to me that his advice is particularly timely in our situation:

Others sin on the right hand. They are much too rash and reckless, tempting God and disregarding everything which might counteract death and the plague. They disdain the use of medicines; they do not avoid places and persons infected by the plague, but lightheartedly make sport of it and wish to prove how independent they are. They say that it is God’s punishment; if he wants to protect them he can do so without medicines or our carefulness. That is not trusting God but tempting him. . . .

No, my dear friends, that is no good. Use medicine; take potions which can help you; fumigate house, yard, and street; shun persons and places where your neighbor does not need your presence or has recovered, and act like a man who wants to help put out the burning city. What else is the epidemic but a fire which instead of consuming wood and straw devours life and body? You ought to think this way: “Very well, by God’s decree, the enemy has sent us poison and deadly offal. Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid persons and places where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me, and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God.” 

As our nation, our community, and our church continue to come to grips with the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hear a persistent drumbeat from all sides that we are in “uncharted waters.” In some ways, that may well be true. But Luther’s reflections on the plague are a good reminder that Christians have been dealing with deadly diseases for centuries, and we have a body of accumulated wisdom to draw upon as we navigate these troubled waters. So let’s keep taking our potions (kale smoothies for me!), fumigating our houses (or at least using hand sanitizer), and shunning places where we’re not needed (social distancing) with a sense of urgency, like people who want to help put out a city on fire. This isn’t just good medical advice—it’s a spiritual necessity. 

When Political Prophecies Don’t Come to Pass

The Bible includes false prophets and true prophets whose words turn out to be false.

CRAIG KEENER / NOVEMBER 11, 2020

Prophecy is saying what God says, which is more often about forth-telling than about foretelling.

Sometimes, however, prophecies do predict the future. In late October, Pat Robertson declared that he had heard from the Lord: “Without question, Trump is going to win the election.” To Robertson’s credit, Trump did far better than expected. With Donald Trump’s 70 million votes, reportedly the second-highest total in US history, we might think that Robertson indeed heard something. But did he get the whole story?

In some elections, prophecies are more than 50/50 guesses. In 2016, Jeremiah Johnson, a pastor, and prophet, accurately predicted Trump’s first term even before he emerged as a leader in the Republican primaries. Robertson was not alone in seeing another victory for the president in 2020. Most public prophecies, including those by Johnson, sided with Trump, sometimes mentioning a disputed election.

But even some who voted for Trump felt like God was saying that Biden would win this time. Ron Cantor, a Messianic leader based in Israel, said he twice heard from God that Biden would win because of the church’s idolization of Trump. He told followers, “Even if a miracle happened and [Trump] was, in fact, reelected, which seems less likely with each passing hour, proving the other prophets true, the warning here remains the same.”

If the election results hold despite recounts and court challenges, were all those others who predicted Trump’s victory false prophets?

Mistakes in prophecy do not make everyone who’s mistaken a false prophet, any more than mistakes in teaching make everyone who’s mistaken a false teacher. But false prophets exist—even cessationists, who do not believe that the genuine gift of prophecy is for today, agree that they do.

Whether from false prophets or not, very public mistaken prophecies risk great dishonor to God’s name and must be treated especially seriously. People already apt to mock Christians can find more grounds for ridicule. Deuteronomy 18 warns against mistaken prophecy, albeit prophesying “presumptuously”; the Hebrew word typically involves insolent rebellion (such as in Deuteronomy 1:43 and 17:13).

“If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken,” reads Deuteronomy 18:22. “That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.”

Hearing from God

Yet even true prophecy can be messier than many of us would like. In the Bible, true prophets often acted in ways that other people considered eccentric (Jer. 19:10; Acts 21:11), and their contemporaries sometimes deemed them mentally unstable (2 Kings 9:11; Jer. 29:26; John 10:20).

In contrast to prophecies about God’s long-range purposes, most prophecies in the Bible about his short-range purposes are conditional, whether stated as such or not. Thus Jonah’s “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4) was not fulfilled in Jonah’s generation because Nineveh repented.

Jeremiah explains this process plainly: “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it” (Jer. 18:7–10). Perspectives on how conditional prophecy works vary. My own opinion is that God foreknows human choices or final outcomes, but he also accommodates time-bound people within time.

Similarly, God sometimes deferred promised outcomes. Elijah prophesied the destruction of Ahab’s line (1 Kings 21:20–24). Yet after Ahab humbled himself, God told Elijah privately that because Ahab humbled himself. I won’t bring this disaster while he is alive. Instead, I’ll bring it on his household in the time of his son (21:29). Likewise, God commissioned Elijah with three tasks (1 Kings 19:15–16). Elijah fulfilled directly one of these—calling Elisha. The other two were fulfilled by Elisha and by a prophet whom he in turn commissioned. Most of the mission was fulfilled by somebody else.

Often, biblical prophecies indicate more about what than about when. For example, the first two chapters of Joel depict an imminent locust invasion in terms of the day of the Lord, God’s time for judging. The last chapter, however, seems to depict a real invasion in an ultimate day of God’s judgment (3:9–17, especially verse 14). That is, in prophecies, nearer events may foreshadow later ones, without bothering to specify the time in between. Christians see Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s coming this way: No one recognized in advance that Jesus would come twice.

But were most prophecies about the US election conditional? Or were they simply wrong? After all, anybody can say, “The outcome of the election will be such-and-such—provided enough people vote for so-and-so.” (Given the odds against Trump, though, prophecies of his election were rather daring.)

Hearing our own echoes

But even godly people can sometimes misinterpret what they hear. Not everyone always hears God as clearly as Moses did, face to face (Num. 12:6–8). Nathan had to correct the assurance he had given to David after the Lord spoke to him (2 Sam. 7:3–5). Even godly court prophets like Nathan can make wrong assumptions in times of favor.

This problem is not, however, limited to court prophets. When John the Baptist heard that Jesus was healing people, he questioned his identity (Matt. 11:2–3; Luke 7:18–20). Probably John did so because he earlier heard from God that the coming one would baptize in the Spirit and in fire (Matt. 3:11; Luke 3:16). So far as John could tell, Jesus was not baptizing anybody in fire. What John heard from God was right, but John’s inference was wrong because he, like all prophets, had only a piece of the larger picture.

Not only are all prophecies partial, but, more dangerously, sometimes we may confuse our wrong interpretation with God’s message. Some of us might remember times of praying for the right spouse or job; the more emotionally involved we are personally in a decision, the harder it often is to think and hear clearly.

That may be why Luke refrains from calling the Spirit-led speech in Acts 21:4 “prophecy.” Paul’s friends told him “through the Spirit” not to go to Jerusalem. Yet God had already told Paul himself to go to Jerusalem (the probable meaning of Acts 19:21). Paul’s friends rightly heard that he would suffer in Jerusalem (20:23; 21:11) but wrongly inferred from this information that he should not go there (21:12–14; see also 2 Kings 2:3–5, 16–18). Subjectivity is messy, but so long as we need wisdom from the Lord, we have to live with some subjectivity.

This is the case because all prophecy is “in part,” just as teachers “know in part” (1 Cor. 13:9). Until Jesus returns, our knowing is limited and partial (vv. 9–12). Saying that all the prophecies that made it into the Bible are perfect doesn’t mean that none of God’s servants ever uttered imperfect prophecies. That’s why Paul insists that each prophecy must be evaluated (1 Cor. 14:29). He warns us not to quench the Spirit or despise prophecies; instead, we are to test them, keeping what is good and rejecting what is evil (1 Thess. 5:19–22).

Certain popular teachings have made many contemporary prophecies even more problematic. I believe that excesses in “positive confession” teaching have introduced a major source of potential error into prophesying. Even many circles today that repudiate “name it and claim it” theology now engage in “prophetic declarations.” Some of these declarations are intended as affirmations of faith. Jesus, after all, does invite us to command even mountains by our faith (Mark 11:23). But faith is only as good as its object, which Jesus in the previous verse specifies as God (v. 22). Prophetic “declarations” are empty unless authorized and led by God. As Lamentations says, “Who can command and have it done, if the Lord has not ordained it?” (Lam. 3:37, NRSV).

Hearing different things

The most prominent people who claim to speak for God are not always right, but that does not mean that God does not speak. In 2008, an Ethiopian minister who did not know anything about me prophesied accurately about my son and that I was writing two big books. What confused me was that he said that my second book would be larger than the first. I expected my Acts commentary to come out first; it turned out to be over 4,000 pages. Though partly impressed, I thought Mesfin had to be wrong about a larger book. But my miracles book, which turned out to be just 1,100 pages, ended up coming out before my Acts commentary. Mesfin was right, and I was wrong.

This year, many Christians have listened to leaders prophesy that Trump would again win the election. Some, such as Jeremiah Johnson, has continued to affirm that their prophecy will turn out to be true in the end. Others, such as Kris Vallotton, have publicly apologized. For now, many will decide that the prophecy was contingent, mistimed, or, more likely, mistaken.

Although I have not been a Trump supporter, I’m someone who wants to see godly prophecies proven true and can understand the disappointment.

I am not a prophet, but my own dreams gave me misgivings. For example, in March 2016, eight months before the election, I dreamed that Trump could be like the biblical Jehu (2 Kings 10:28–31) and needed repentance. In May 2016 I dreamed that God was angry about Trump’s (future) mistreatment of refugee children. Later I dreamed about his words provoking race riots. After the 2016 election, I wrote in my journal, “I wonder why, when I have had this nightmare dreams about him, many others are not seeing the same thing.” The next year I dreamed that I was warning Trump supporters about a coming backlash: “You have sown the wind and you will reap the whirlwind” (from Hosea 8:7).

I was unable to shake those dreams, even though many people I respected supported the president, and for reasons that I understood. Sometimes my own perspective has vacillated since I am pro-life and appreciate the president’s respect for evangelicals. In August this year, I dreamed that Trump lost the 2020 election. It was just a dream. I have all sorts of dreams, and even when some seem significant, I am not always sure how to interpret them. Some are probably influenced by surveying BBC news before I go to bed. The dreams do motivate me, at least, to pray.

Perspectives differ, and we each have just a piece of the larger puzzle. We can be sure of one thing: The Lord remains in control of history, and we can live by his certain Word in Scripture no matter what else happens.

If against all odds, Trump suddenly does become president, the prophecies will draw public attention to God’s work. Otherwise, it may instead be that God is drawing attention to needed housecleaning in many charismatic circles. The Spirit’s encouragement does not always translate in the words we want to hear; “prophetic declarations” can dull us to what God is really saying; and depending on what others say God has said can be risky business (see 1 Kings 13:11–32).

As a charismatic Christian myself, I like to see prophecies come true. But prophecies need to be evaluated. Whenever possible, before they go public. And, when necessary, afterward.

Craig Keener is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of Christobiography: Memories, History, and the Reliability of the Gospels, which won a 2020 CT Book Award.

The Meaning of Biblical Exile

 

Revelation Through Removal

Throughout the Bible, the prophets of ancient Israel repeat the same message to the people: stop sinning, or God will punish you by allowing a foreign army to destroy the Land of Israel and exile you to a distant land. The original Hebrew word for “exile” is galut גלות, from the root GLH גלה, meaning “to remove”. The same root can also mean “to uncover the eyes or the ears” – in other words, “to reveal the truth.” 

The message of the prophets

The doomsday message of the prophets is thus more complex than what appears at first glance. The exile of the people will be painful, but it will also allow the truth to be laid bare for all to see. After the punishment of dispersion has ended, the people will be able to return to the Land of Israel with pure hearts. 

Hebrew is the Key to Unlocking the Scriptures

After 2000 years of exile, the people of Israel are back in the Land of Israel, speaking the language of Israel: Hebrew. The complex meaning of exile is only seen when you can read the Bible in the original Hebrew.

A mysterious Hebrew code

Prophetic Language?

Take for instance this verse from the story of the Flood, “the land was filled with violence.” The Hebrew word for “violence” here is Hamas (חמאס)! Today, Hamas is the name of a terrorist organization that indeed fills our land with violence. But who could have known it at that time? And yet, here it is, right before our eyes – the word that meant “violence” long before the violent Hamas came into existence.

Virus or Plague?

Another example is connected directly to today’s reality. Coronavirus in Hebrew is Negif Korona - negif (נגיף) meaning “virus”. The word negif is of course the main word we hear on the news these days. If you know Biblical Hebrew, however, you would recognize a very frightening root in this word: negef, or magefa (מגפה) – the Biblical words that mean “plague, pestilence”. Why do the words “virus” and “plague” have the same root in Hebrew?

Discover the Hebrew connection

In Modern Hebrew, many new words were derived from existing biblical roots. For some (prophetic?) reason, the word “virus” was derived from the word “plague” – although, at that time, nobody thought of a virus as a deadly plague. Today, the connection between these words is obvious.

10 Common Unbiblical Beliefs in the Contemporary Church

 by JOSEPH MATTERA

As an observer and participant in the broader body of Christ since 1978, I have heard many things communicated that I deem unbiblical. Many of these teachings are so commonly believed or assumed that the average Christian embraces them without examining the Scriptures.

The following are some of the more common erroneous beliefs:

1. Salvation and a decision for Christ at an altar are the same.

One of the most common misconceptions I have observed in the church today is the fact that folks think that if a person repeats "the sinner's prayer" or responds to an altar call, they are "saved." This is problematic, since we may be giving false hope to the respondent by reassuring them of their salvation, when in fact they may not really be saved.

Also, nowhere in the Bible does it say that merely saying words ensures salvation. Furthermore, the altar call is a modern development in the evangelical church that arose out of the methodology employed by evangelists who appealed to the masses to come to the altar to receive Christ (or to "walk up the sawdust trail). Though there is nothing wrong with this approach that identifies those who want to give their life to Christ (so people can get their names, pray with them and follow them up), it is not the same as salvation.

Scripture is clear that both the heart and the mouth have to confess Jesus is Lord (see Rom.10:9-10), and Paul the apostle regularly echoed the word of John the Baptist when he said to bring forth fruit proving your repentance (see Acts 26:20, Matt. 3:8). Hence, making an emotionally motivated "decision" to ask Jesus in your life is a good step, but a truly converted person will bear fruit, proving they really gave their life over to Jesus. (See also 1 John 3:9.) I used to say that "hundreds got saved tonight" when I was referring to an altar call response of masses of people; now I merely say, "hundreds made 'decisions for Christ,'" since, after all these years, I am now very careful to distinguish between a "decision" and a "conversion" experience.

2. Worship is just singing songs.

I have learned that the mere singing of words to a song doesn't amount to worship. Jesus also said that people can honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him (see Mark 7:6-8).

True worship includes blessing the Lord with all your soul (see Ps. 103) which implies that your whole heart, mind and soul—your whole being—is willingly bowing before the lordship of Christ while adoring and worshipping the Godhead. (See Rev. 4.)

True worship also implies obedience which is why Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey My commandments" (see John 14:15). Consequently, I have known many persons either on worship teams and or people in church who—during the worship segment of the church service—displayed exuberant praise and worship, yet their private life was anything but submitted to God.

3. Repentance is crying at the altar.

I have seen countless people making "altar calls" week after week, crying as they came up. The average believer thinks that this is a sign of repentance; however, the word "repentance" has to do with a mindset change, a change of thinking, more than an emotional experience. I have learned that unless a person changes the way they think about God, their hearts will never be transformed by His power. Even Esau could not find repentance, even though he sought it with crying and tears! (See Heb. 12:17.)

4. We should say prayers.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say to merely "say" prayers. But everywhere, in both testaments, is a command to "seek God". God discloses Himself to the seekers—not just to the casual inquirers. (See Ps. 42, 63; Matt. 6:7,33; Heb. 11:6.)

5. God only expects us to give a tenth of our finances.

Tithing is only a principle handed down from God to Adam and to his offspring, which is why Abel gave God a first-fruit offering (see Gen. 4) and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all gave God a tithe. This was reiterated again in the Law of Moses (Lev. 27) and in the prophets (Mal. 3) and taught in the New Testament (see Matt. 23, Heb. 7.)

That being said, when Jesus came He did not focus on a mere tithe—He commanded His disciples to surrender everything they had to Him (see Luke 14: 26-33.) This passage alone should dispel the notion that God only requires a tenth.

Nothing less than a total heart surrender of everything we are and have is expected by the Lord Jesus Christ (see Phil. 3, 2 Cor. 5:15). Consequently, although it is still important to set at least 10 percent aside to give to God, it doesn't mean you can do what you want with the other 90 percent. The earth is the Lord's, and He demands proper stewardship and obedience regarding what we do with 100 percent of our finances and possessions—not merely 10 percent.

6. The church is a meeting place.

Christians continually refer to buildings that house church services as "the church"—which is why when going to said building, they say, "We are going to church". This in spite of the fact that Scripture teaches that His people are the church and that each believer makes up the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor. 3:16,12.).

We need to change our language to agree with the reality that the building or cathedral we meet in is not the church but merely houses the body of Christ for corporate worship, biblical instruction and the Lord's Supper.

7. Ministers are only in the church place.

The word "minister" simply means servant. Since we are all called to be servants of God, we are all ministers of God—irrespective of whether or not we are in full-time church ministry. Whatever job you have, your employer is paying you (whether they know it or not) to be a minister of God, representing Him to the particular entity where you work.

8. Eternal life begins when we die physically.

While many believers talk about going to heaven to be with God for eternity the truth of the matter is: eternal life begins the moment somebody receives Christ here on earth (see John 3:16-19, 5:24). Consequently, we can begin to enjoy the abundant (eternal) life now while living on earth!

9. The larger the church, the more influence it has.

The fact of the matter is, our nation has never had more megachurches, while at the same time, Christianity has never had as little impact on culture as it does today. Hence, there is not necessarily a correlation between the size of a church and its impact on the surrounding community.

There are even small to mid-sized churches that have far more impact on a community than megachurches that are only concerned with attracting their neighbors for church growth and care not about the conditions of the communities of the unchurched.

10. There is no need for a true Christian to confess their sins.

There is an unbiblical teaching going around in some hyper-grace circles that, once a person is born again, they never need to confess another sin since Jesus paid the price for all sins, past, present and future. While it is true that Jesus paid for the sins of believers—past, present and future—we need to continually live a life of true repentance and apply the blood of Jesus to our life after we sin. Even as the apostle John told all believers "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

The apostle James also admonishes believers to "Confess your faults one to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (see James 5:16a). If anyone teaches that Christians can live the rest of their life with unconfessed, un-repented-of sin—after grieving the Holy Spirit of God (see Eph. 4:30), then I do not know what Bible they are reading, but it is not the same one as I!

HOW DO WE ‘MINISTER TO GOD’ ? by Susan Tang

If we have not ministered to God in our prayers and intercessions, then we have prayed amiss. In any prayer, God and His feelings should be our focus.

Prophecies Of Doom Because Of Compromised Gospel.

A Jewish prophetess uttered some very severe judgments of famine, persecutions and death over Malaysia and mentioned that God is deeply disappointed with the church in our nation because of her compromised gospel and also because He has so few friends here who can minister to Him and with whom He can share His heart with. The most frightening part of her prophecy was when she said that 97 percent of Christians in Malaysia will NOT make it into heaven. (In other words, only 3 percent of Christians are truly saved)

Because of pressing needs and increased fears many churches have learn to rise in prayers and intercession, of which we are truly thankful. Unfortunately, intercessors and watchmen can still pray amiss if we have not ministered to God by (i) making Him the FOCUS of all our prayers and (2) by sharing His pain and heart-brokenness over the conditions that are prevailing both in the church and in the world. How many of us are truly at that quiet place ‘within the veil'  where the resounding of God is undisturbed and is clearly heard and felt ? So often, because we cannot hear and feel what is in the heart of God, we allow self interest, people, etc to become the focus of our prayers instead of God.

God Must Find Expression In His People

Great intercessors like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, and Paul had their prayers focused on God because they could feel His pain, His yearnings and anguish. As a result they could successfully minister to Him by expressing back to Him what was in His heart. Mature intercessors do more than pray dutifully. Mature intercessors share God’s feelings. They could take His yoke, bear His burden and feel His ‘heart brokenness’ and they minister to Him by sharing His feelings and by expressing these feelings back to Him, because God does want us to express back to Him what is in His heart.

Yes, why couldn’t God hear His own pain and anguish uttered back to Him through us? . Isn’t it our privilege and honor to enter into such participation of pain and suffering with Him who had, Himself participated our human pains and sorrows too? Remember what Paul said about “knowing Him in the fellowship of His sufferings.” (Phllippines 3:10) As the Malaysian church matures, may God hear His own cries, desires, longings, anguish, yearnings and burdens expressed through us because in the final analysis, prayer is indeed God finding expression through human vessels. More over, we are His body, a part of Him.

Please continue: http://www.station-of-life.org/

LIVING THE ANTITHESIS

by Rev Susan Tang
(Sr. Pastor of Calvary Charismatic Centre, Lahat Datu, Sabah and the founder of Station of Life)

For the past few years the Lord has been speaking to me about living in a manner that is the 'antithesis' to all that is happening in the church and in the nation. Over the years, as I waited on Him, I heard Him say, " There is darkness in My House. I am now calling those who can hear My voice to live lives that will be the antithesis to all that is happening. Stop your activities; start to pray and to live out that 'antithesis.'”

It was difficult because I had meetings lined up and my itinerant ministry was bringing in much financial blessing. The books and tapes were selling well and people were blessed. The only problem was, I did not have a deep sense of God's reality. I was finding it extremely hard to hear from Him and I did not enjoy the sense of joyful liberation and rest in my spirit that I am experiencing now. God settled my indecision by taking me through the typhoid incident! I was pathetic during that illness but so spiritually enriched after it. After I recovered, I could hear Him better and with His directives, came the explanations. I heard Him say, "Too many want to travel and speak for ministerial and money sake. They have no interest to build into my kingdom but into their own ministry which has no eternal validity. Now, will you obey and live in a manner that is the antithesis to all these?"As I cancelled my itinerant ministry to stay back and spend time to pray, the directives also came to price down my books, to put them on the website for free reading. I was also to sell my house to buy a piece of land and to pioneer a prayer community. Oh, have I been struggling over these directives and decisions for the past two years! No wonder so many of us do not dare to spend time in His presence. Who knows what He will direct us to do next?

The struggles ceased lately as I read Matthew 7:13-14 and Jeremiah 7. In Matthew 7:14, Jesus commanded His disciples to walk the narrow way (or to live in a manner that is antithetical to the popular worldly order) although it was an unpopular choice and 'few there be that find it.' In Jeremiah 7 He convicted me that the deception in the church worldwide had already produced decline and darkness, a darkness which will finally lead to destruction. I then saw the decline of many local pastors and also much confusion in our local church scene as everything climaxes into what Jeremiah described in verse eleven:

"Is this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes. Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord."

Not only do we have semi - nudity, gays and lesbians, con-men and women, paedophiles, adulterers, fornicators, pseudo prophets/prophetesses and false apostles defiling the church, we now have an influx of the merchandizing and trading spirit. No wonder God said the final result is that His house will become 'a den of robbers.' As the mercenary and the merchandizing spirit join forces with the present profanity, we will not only rob God of His glory, we will also rob the nation of godly standards or ‘the sense of God,’ and the heathen of their hope and salvation.

Many non-Christians are already disgusted as they could not find the difference between the church and the world.

Pope Benedict called the present culture the ‘culture of death’, and weaved his recent Easter Day message around the contrast between material and spiritual riches an told Christians to undergo a ‘purification of hearts’ so that we can heal a lacerated world. He warned against selfishness, corruption and said that the temptation of worldly riches is ‘the language of the serpent’.

Yes, even the church is now inundated with the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘language of the serpent.’ What, then, is God saying to us? What is His urgent and fresh call at this hour to the church in our nation? Are the prophets and prophetesses in Malaysia hearing Him or are we still prophesying ‘vain things’ and dishing out only favorable personal prophecies? Can we hear God calling men and women to live lives that are the antithesis to the horrible system of greed, materialism and compromise that has defiled the church and the land? Do we hear God calling us back to kingdom life and an apostolic lifestyle? When we do hear, do we then, have the strength to obey? To live a life that is the antithesis to all that is around us is like a fish swimming against the tide. Its strength could break against that onslaught.

Does God know? Yes, He does. This is why He told Israel, “Go on this special diet. Feed on manna (Me) daily. If you do, then you can fight against that order. The journey is indeed too hard for you but you can do it as you feed on Me and let Me infuse you with My life.”

But Israel rejected that special diet. This is why they could not make the journey. Will we let the same happen to us? God knows we can only walk the narrow way and be the antithesis to the defiled, worldly and devilish system if we have an infusion of the life of Jesus. But the church life today is hardly an ‘infusion of His life’; rather, it is an infusion of programs, activities, mental knowledge and great exteriors. If I had not stopped my itinerant ministry and spent time in His presence to hear from Him, and then to have been allowed to see what He showed me, I would not have the strength to carry out His directives. And to many of us these directives seem to be utter foolishness.

Does it seem too much for a single woman pastor who is in her ‘retirement years’ to sell her house and part with her only piece of visible and tangible asset? Yet my disobedience, after the Lord has shown me the rich rewards of my decision, would be worse than total foolishness and wickedness. My heart came to a liberating rest and joy when I could finally agree with what God was saying to me.

“The church must not only pray. She must live her prayers. If the church in Malaysia will not live lives that are the antithesis to all that is around her she will never be able to defeat the powers of darkness in this land; neither will she have the strength to avert My coming judgment.”

The infusion of His strength has helped me to yield, to agree to His directives and to start to live in a manner that will be the ‘antithesis’ to that which is selfish, worldly and devilish. I am doing it not because I m spiritual, wonderful or ‘one step above the rest’. I am doing it as an act of obedience and out of a deep love for God. I am also doing it because I want to ‘stand in the gap’ for many priests and prophets who are unable to come free of the psychic bondage to materialism. I am also doing it as an encouragement to others to follow. The Lord has given me the assurance that there will be many others who will follow as His reality enveloped us for “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psalm 110:3)

I now know what it means when I pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” God’s kingdom cannot come if His will is not done. The ‘kingdom lifestyle’ is the antithesis to the selfish, worldly and devilish order which the enemy has set up. It is wonderful to give it all to Him instead of allowing an incoming tsunami to sweep it away. Of course many still do not believe that a tsunami will ever hit the Malaysian shore or that Malaysian houses or properties will get swept off. People in Acheh and New Orleans did not think it could happen; nevertheless it did. Did people think that Subang Jaya and Shah Alam would get that badly flooded and that winds of that magnitude can hit the city? It happened and the worse is yet to come.

Is your life, up to this time just a product of an institution (the church) or is it an infusion of the life of Jesus? If it is an infusion of the life of Jesus, then you can come free of the psychic attraction to materialism and the ‘culture of death.’ You can live the ‘kingdom lifestyle’ and not listen to the ‘language of the serpent’. You can speak God’s language, ‘go against the tide’ and live the life that is the ‘antithesis’ to all that is around you so that you can heal the lacerated world … and the church.

Other articles related by Susan Tang: 

http://goeagles2u.blogspot.com/2010/07/anointed-priest-who-sins-by-rev-susan.html

http://goeagles2u.blogspot.com/2010/07/adding-value-to-land.html