False Christs, False Anointings.

From the archives of this blog, but still very relevant as I found out today. I saw comments, expressing similar ideas to these being deleted from a blog that is open to public comment.
If that blog was entirely someone's personal space I would make no issue of it, but the owner is a reasonably well known christian who uses that site as a promotional space for his own ministry.

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False Christs, False Anointings.

The church today idolises the “anointed” Christian Superstar. These Superstars can be individual big name preachers, or they can be well known centres of “REVIVAL” or “REFRESHING”. Many Christians put a lot of faith in these Superstars and invest significant quantities of time and money in seeking the anointed ministry they offer.

I have to confess I was one of those seekers. I’d run from conference to conference; from speaker to speaker, and I’d buy as many of the tapes and books I could afford (I admit the “tapes” reference probably shows my age!). However, looking back with honesty, I can see that I never received what I was led to expect – because my expectations were misdirected. Not only was I being careless by running here and there to seek an imparted blessing from God, I was being disobedient!

It is now clear to me that chasing after “anointed” ministers, or groups that claim to be spreading “the anointing”, is the VERY thing that Jesus warned believers against in Matthew 24:23-26

Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it.

For false Christs (anointed ones) and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand.

Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it.



Taking into account that the title “Christ” means anointed one, how many of these big name preachers are claiming to be specially anointed? So when we rush off to places because the anointed ones are there… we have ignored Jesus’ warning and we have opened ourselves to deception.



When we rush off to conferences to hear their imported “anointed” guest preachers (usually at a price of course) – or to any other place where “anointed” ministers are advertised we are disobeying Jesus’ SPECIFIC and clear warning and opening ourselves to deception. We don’t need to chase the anointing – in fact we are warned and commanded not to do so.

The term “anointing” is used in scripture ONLY to refer to the anointing of believers with the Holy Spirit (or a literal anointing with oil as a type of the Holy Spirit). There are NO alternative anointings in scripture and no anointings by any other name. I suggest great suspicion be shown when you hear of any specifically named anointing (for example “warrior anointing”). I cannot see scripture supporting such a thing. The same goes for individuals who claim they have a special anointing not shared by others.



As Christians we are no less anointed than any other Christian no matter how famous or high profile they may be. If you are in Christ “the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.” (1 Jn 2:27)

God’s anointing isn’t increased according to the level of celebrity someone attains, neither does it increase according to the amount of TV air time they have. We do not need to seek the “anointing” of other people. Instead we turn to the source of the “anointing” – our Heavenly Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ.



http://onefiles.blogspot.com/2008/04/false-christs-false-anointing.html

Gloria's Testimony

This is what my wife Gloria wrote regarding her reaction to her dad’s recent death. This is a paragraph taken from a letter she sent to her friends in which she tells them of her loss:

Tim said to me that he had dreaded the time that I would lose a parent, because he knew what I was like several years ago. I would have been hysterical, and would have had panic attacks, crying all the time and no doubt go into depression. However I have changed with the help of God, by putting my faith and trusting in Jesus before anything else. It doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen to us, but by having faith in Jesus and truly believing that He is our Messiah, gives us the strength to get through those hard times knowing that we are not alone. I turned my back on God once and felt very alone, and promise that I will not do it again. God gives me hope which I haven’t had for a very long time, and it truly is a comfort to me. I feel for those that do not know God, and I pray that they seek God before it is too late as we only have this life time to reach out to Him.

2012: the first months.

I’ve clearly done very little blogging in recent months. My four blogs on this account have been neglected for some time, partly due to access difficulties. But I’ve also been very quiet on my new wordpress blog. Most entries there have been short.


This year hasn’t had the best start. So far there’s been my father in law’s death, followed by my newly widowed mum-in-law being evacuated from approaching flood waters. In addition to those major events there were quite a few smaller scale difficulties that I would have liked to avoid.

But despite the clear negative aspects to all of these events, we not only survived them, we found ourselves encouraged and uplifted.

I know my wife would have been an emotional wreck if she had lost one of her parents several years ago, so something has clearly changed. She was able not only to cope with her own grief; she supported her mum through the funeral arrangements, the funeral itself and through her first two weeks without her husband.

She later wrote to several friends to tell her of her father’s death and detailed the reason for her strength. I hope to post part of that letter before too long sharing in her words the change that made the difference.

Clarification and free David Pawson mp3 sermons.

For some time now I've been unable to access the main page of my blog and can't add replies in the comment box.
In response to Kevin Jackson's comment related my last article I want to make it clear I was not referring to David Pawson. Not only did I keep the link to Pawson's ministry in the side bar, I've added another (thanks Kevin) through which ALL of Pawson's sermons are now available for free download.

Sad time.

How should we feel when a ministry that has played an important role in our life takes a wrong turn?

I am going through that kind of experience now, seeing a ministry that has had significant influence in my life and the lives of many others I know rapidly going downhill. I see there are several inter-related reasons, including:

1) a casual approach to prophecy and prophetic gifts,

2) a lack of discernment (or lack of care) regarding the sources of ideas being shared.

3) a refusal to be accountable,

4) a refusal to admit error when clear evidence is given.

On one hand the ministry has built a following and a reputation through its exposure of dangerous trends seducing the church – on the other hand it recommends resources (such as articles, which individually may be good in themselves) from people involved with those dangerous trends, without warning about the fact that other resources from the same source should be viewed with caution.

Sadly the ministry in question has been going backwards for some time and without humble repentance will head in one of two directions. Either the Lord in His mercy will shut it down completely, or it will push forward regardless and the Lord will take His hand away all together, allowing it to sink further into error.

I have now removed links to that ministry from this blog sidebar.

Choose Your Own Acronym...

2 interesting recordings


Discussion between Calvinist Tim Challies and Bruxy Cavey about the 5 points of Calvinism (TULIP) (45 mins)

http://www.themeetinghouse.ca/roundtable/2011-06-21-roundtable.mp3



Discussion between Bruxy Cavey and Tim Day about TULIP and an proposed “arminian” alternative. (1 hr 3 mins)

http://www.themeetinghouse.ca/roundtable/2011-07-20-roundtable.mp3


__________________________________________________
Visit my new blog:  http://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/

Some entries will be duplicated for a while until I get used to using the different wordpress format.
I'm still unable to access the main pages of blogs associated with blogger (blogspot) - so I'm unable to reply to comments, and I'm also unable to visit other "blogspot" blogs.

However I can still moderate comments so anything inappropriate can still be deleted.

Why I Believe the Bible

I've posted a recording on my new blog.
I listened to it this morning and thought it was worth sharing

http://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/why-i-choose-to-believe-the-bible/

Syncretism and sin.

Last week I was talking to my brother in law who is one of these laid-back people who thinks all religions are okay and ultimately lead to the creator and all problems are caused by those who insist that one particular "religion" is the truth.


He also has the answer to world peace - that if everyone put down their weapons and hatred as he has done, all war and conflict would end.

Unfortunately for his point of view, there are too many people of different “faiths” who (rightly) recognise that all religions can't be equally valid when there are so many blatant contradictions between them, and some of those people are all too willing to (wrongly) promote their cause with bullets and bombs.

As I once heard - all religions could be wrong - but it’s impossible for all religions to be right.

My brother in law’s attitude demonstrates the very nature of sin.

He may not be a murderer, a thief, a liar, a cheat etc. - but he HAS chosen his own way above God's ways.

Even if man could live a perfectly MORAL life - that life would still be sin-ridden if God was not given His rightful place within it.

New Blog

Because of continuing problems with access to this blog I am trying out something new on wordpress:

http://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/

I'm not sure how it will go. I'm still trying to work it all out.

Computer problems

I've been having trouble accessing my blogs over the last few days. I can get to the dashboard area but I can't view the main blog pages.

I know very little about computer things so don't know how to resolve the situation. At the moment I'm playing around with a new wordpress blog - trying to find out how it all works and trying to get the kind of "look" I'm happy with.

I'd hate to leave blogger completely. I've found it easy to use and it has suited my blogging needs so far, but I'll have to wait and see how things work out.

Repent, While There is Still Time by Rick Frueh

excerpt:

… the outward signs and manifestations of a religion that says it is Christian but reveals everything to the contrary, are all around us. In fact, if you cannot see the open disfigurement of the faith once delivered to the saints you are deceived as well. And these are not minor disagreements that are more fringe than core. These modern displays tear at the very fabric of what Jesus came to do and what the church is ordained to do and be. Again I say that the situation is so horrifying and treacherous, that in good conscience most of the evangelical religious expressions can no longer be called Christian.

Full article here
http://judahslion.blogspot.com/2012/01/repent-while-there-is-still-time-i-can.html#links



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Discernment Ministry?

Today there are many websites claiming to be involved with “discernment ministry”. Their main objective seems to be the exposure of error. Some of these sites offer a valuable resource, informing readers of dangerous teachings and practices that are gaining acceptance in the church.

However some can’t seem to understand the difference between penetrating darkness with light and the mere highlighting of darkness. Those sites seem to be mostly interested in posting criticism and accusation with no balance of encouragement or genuine concern. How often do they pray for those they “expose”? Are they concerned for them or do they merely take delight in writing about dark things?

I recently visited one site and left an encouraging comment for the site owner giving the following advice:

“While it is good to warn about the things that are wrong, be aware that discernment is perhaps more about highlighting what is RIGHT.
It is LIGHT that penetrates the darkness. It is not enough to merely say how dark it is.”

That comment was answered with an accusation that I had “severe NAR* influences in [my] camp”. What was that accusation was based on? The fact that I link to the websites of Andrew Strom and Voice of the Martyrs in the sidebar of this blog (both guilty of false teaching in the view of the “discerning” website owner). However there was no evidence that they had bothered to read further on my blog to see what I personally believed.

When referring to a “discernment ministry”, may I suggest that we assess where their priorities lie? Do they show concern for those in error? What is the standard by which they determine who is in error? Do they go beyond the exposé and ultimately point people to the truth? What is the site's theological bias and how does that affect their understanding of error?


*NAR, New Apostolic Reformation, associated with C Peter Wagner - a group whose teachings, philosophies and practices I categorically reject.

Seeking and Finding.

1 Chronicles 28:9
"..the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."

Proverbs 8:17
"I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me."

Matt 7:7-8
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Acts 17:26-28

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,"

The "Diabolical" Gospel I believe...

This will be the last post I make to this blog for 2011. I’ll be away over the Christmas/New Year break. Unfortunately it ends on a sad note. Yesterday a comment was left on my blog that I found quite disturbing – making me wonder what some people actually think the gospel is about.

The anonymous commenter quoted something I’d said earlier:

Many make the error of thinking that all sin, past present and future is already dealt with, that it no longer matters.
Through the new birth we are given new, clean start in life, however we are not given immunity from the effects and penalty of future sin.
We are given a new clean start, and then by His Spirit we are given the means by which we are able to continue living a clean life as long as we walk according to His Spirit
And praise God He did not stop there - He made provision for additional cleansing (through confession) if we fall back into sin.

The commenter considers this to be a “diabolical appraisal of what ... constitutes salvation ”.

So:

Is it diabolical to consider that sin still matters to God?

Is it diabolical to see that God gives us a new and clean start to life through the new birth?

Is it diabolical to recognise that we are not immune to sin and its effects and that if we continue in sin there is a penalty to pay?

Is it diabolical to see that God has given His Holy Spirit to equip us to live a clean life as long as we walk in the Spirit?

Is it diabolical to see that God continues to forgive and cleanse us from sin and its effects when we confess our sin?

Again I really wonder what “gospel” some people are following.

Thank God for HIS truth and thank God for the gift of His Son and the salvation available only through Him.

What will you make of Christmas?

This is what we can MAKE Christmas be about despite all of the negative things associated with its pagan origins.

False Christ

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.

At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear ...

Matthew 24

SOS: Security Of Salvation

A topic that often leads to arguments is the idea of OSAS (once saved always saved). It’s an idea that many passionately defend while others are equally passionate to refute.

Unfortunately many are introduced to Jesus through a “gospel” of easy believism and when we add OSAS to that mix a foundation of false security can be created.

While many adherents to the OSAS are NOT victims of easy believism, I think it is wise to recognise that easy believism more often than not promotes OSAS as part of its salvation package.

Could it be time become clearer on this issue to help break the false security that comes with a diluted gospel?
I propose a new outlook: IHAS or "In Him Assuredly Saved". While not quite as catchy as OSAS, I think it better portrays the reality.

We should be clear that we don't obtain guaranteed eternal salvation by saying a "sinner's prayer", or by inviting Jesus into our heart - and then going back to old ways and never giving Jesus another thought.

The security of salvation is found in Him and only in Him.
As we remain in Him our salvation is assured.

Can Good Fruit Come From Bad Seed?

Just a little (very quick) research I did as part of a discussion on a Christian forum. Chiropractic seems to have become one of those widely accepted therapeutic practices that even Christians have no problem with.
But should we so easily accept its legitimacy and submit ourselves to it? I first had concerns about this in the mid-80s when I become interested in the widening influence of new age thought within the church.

In general reading about alternative therapies compatible with the “new age movement” I came across information about the origins of chiropractic.
I no longer have that 25 year old reference material, but in response to the forum discussion I took a look at Wikipedia and found the following information.

Daniel David Palmer or D.D. Palmer (March 7, 1845 – October 20, 1913) was the founder of chiropractic. Palmer was born in Pickering, near Toronto, Canada. While working as a magnetic healer in Davenport, Iowa, United States he encountered a janitor, Harvey Lillard, whose hearing was impaired. It was reported Palmer successfully restored the man's hearing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer

Palmer founded a school based on his work that would become the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1897. He regarded chiropractic as partly religious in nature. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer

D.D. Palmer was a man with subjective and personal religious beliefs. As an active spiritist, he said he "received chiropractic from the other world" from a deceased medical physician named Dr. Jim Atkinson. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer#Palmer.27s_fundamental_idea

D.D. Palmer founded chiropractic in the 1890s, and his son B.J. Palmer helped to expand it in the early 20th century. It has two main groups: "straights", now the minority, emphasize vitalism, innate intelligence and spinal adjustments, and consider vertebral subluxations to be the cause of all disease; "mixers", the majority, are more open to mainstream views and conventional medical techniques, such as exercise, massage, and ice therapy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic

Vitalism has a long history in medical philosophies: most traditional healing practices posited that disease results from some imbalance in the vital energies that distinguish living from non-living matter. In the Western tradition founded by Hippocrates, these vital forces were associated with the four temperaments and humours; Eastern traditions posited similar forces such as qi and prana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitalism

Many involved with present day chiropractic try to distance themselves from the origins of their practice. But can anything good emerge from such a false foundation?  Can good fruit be produced by bad seed?

The divine "Mr Potato Head"?

I often wonder whether people are really interested in the truth about God. It seems we would rather create our own God with a form and nature that WE find suitable.

It makes me think about Mr Potato Head, a plastic toy with interchangeable parts that can be used to create a “person” with facial characteristics of our own choosing.

Instead of selecting from a choice of different facial features, we can choose from a selection of scripture verses to build our own preferred image of God. But just like the toys, we don’t need to stick with the basic package of original parts. We are also offered supplementary features through countless extra-biblical texts and teachings. There are accessories we can add to “improve” our chosen Divine image – until all authenticity has been either replaced or obscured.

Maybe we would benefit significantly from time spent reassessing our motives and desires. Do we genuinely want GOD’s Truth; do we want GOD as HE really is? – Or do we want to follow a "plastic" God we have created for ourselves?

It’s (Past) Time for a Charismatic Reformation, by Lee Grady.

There are some good points made in this article:

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/32228-its-past-time-for-a-charismatic-reformation

Regarding recent events I’d like to highlight part of Grady's 14th point:

“Hold the prophets accountable. Those who refuse to take responsibility for inaccurate statements should not be given platforms.”

So many times people accept no accountability when words of "prophecy" fail. They do their best to sweep the failure under the carpet and hope it goes away without being noticed so they can move onto the next "prophetic" claim.


If it doesn't go away, all kinds of excuses will be made - or clarifications given - to explain why the word actually did come true (even if evidence shows otherwise) or why the outcome of the word was averted through intercession - and we could probably add a variety of other ways the prophet tries to cover their tracks.

How many prophecies of significant events have been made that have been proven to be false when the event did not happen? Have those "prophets" shown contrition and demonstrated repentance?

Or have they tried some way of justifying themselves and their predictions?



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