Gospel Living

At the 2015 Bible Conference  at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Globe, AZ, Justin Peters highlights how the Word-Faith movement is anti-gospel and antichrist.  He shows clips from Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Paula White, Paul Crouch, etc.  This is an adaptation of Peter’s presentation, “ Clouds Without Water .”

Why Confront False Teachers? http://www.gty.org/Blog/B130507 The issue of false teaching and the question of how to address it is a present reality for every believer. Many Christians choose to respond with silence rather than incur the wrath of a world that demands tolerance. But is silence the best reaction to doctrinal error? In the following audio clip, John MacArthur examines Christ's confrontations with false teachers, how His example clashes with our polite society, and what it means to fight for the truth. As we look forward to the Strange Fire conference in October at which John MacArthur and several other outstanding preachers will follow Christ's example by confronting the errors and excesses of the charismatic movement. You can view this or any of our other Strange Fire media at the conference website. http://www.tmstrangefire.org In anticipation of the sold-out Truth Matters' Strange Fire Conference taking place October 16-18, 2013, we will...

The sons of Aaron…offered strange fire before the LORD…and fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them. —Leviticus 10:1–2 In case you've missed the buzz, the announced 2013 Truth Matters Bible Conference has been stirring the hornet's nest.  John MacArthur contended for years against the charismatic chaos erupting in Evangelical circles.  Now, prior to the release of his new updated book on the subject, Strange Fire , his church will host a conference by the same name that exposes the present dangers of the movement.  Obviously controversial, this challenging conference will call us to consider whether our worship finds its grounding in Scripture, or in the experiences and traditions of men.  MacArthur anticipates criticism by answering whether his questioning something that benefits others is a loving act: Here's the release: The Lord calls His people to honor Him, to treat Him as holy. Leviticus 10 pictures the consequences ...

( Part 1 | Part 2 ) The first two posts of this series form an important foundation: we must rely on the truth the Holy Spirit revealed to us through His Word, lest we grow arrogant and embrace bold deception in the name of God.  If we lean on our own understanding of how God operates, we will fall.  If we grow unsatisfied with the Bible and seek words and visions, we invite spiritual destruction. Indeed, the light of Proverbs 30:6 dispels our confusion:     Do not add to his words,         lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. In total, we said we must avoid Bethel because it is spiritually dangerous, and we said there are two reasons for that.  The first reason we examined in length last week, that it promotes false doctrine , and we looked at the heretical teachings streaming from the pulpit to computers and MP3 players near you.  If you have not read at least that post, please do so now, beca...

( Part 1 | Part 3 ) In the previous post , I argued that doctrine is not only unavoidable, the Holy Spirit wants us to grow in our knowledge of biblical doctrine.   Even so, I understand the many Christians who, burned by those intellectuals whose convictions were buried in seminary, believe avoiding deep theological study is the best salve for the injured soul.  They believe that you can feed only your intellect or your spirit, seeking a moving experience that is not necessarily meaningful, and missing the fact that God created both in union. As such, some of today's most popular teachers and preachers proceed with that foundation; books and sermons promising bigger and better experiences create many celebrity pastors.  However, upon this foundation a house of theology must reside, inside which a Christians find a spiritually environment that is not up to biblical code.  We will see this with our case in point --- Bill Johnson --- as we exami...

( Part 2 | Part 3 ) Doctrine and theology: sour words in the ears of many today, and with good reason.  Knowledge can puff up (1 Cor 8:1), inflating otherwise well-meaning Christians with hot air.  You probably even know someone seemingly more concerned with crossing the "t" in theology than showing the love of the cross.  Yet, God designed our hearts and minds to grow in doctrine ( instruction or teaching ), and we can't go far in our Christian walk without it.  Consider Jesus, who employed sound doctrine when His proper understanding and application of God's Word defeated Satan's temptation (Mt 4:1-11; Lk 4:1-13).  He also chastised the poor doctrine or teaching of the leaders of Israel, saying, "Have you not read" (Mt 12:3, 5, 19:4, 22:31; Mk 12:10, 26; Lk 6:3).  He equated knowing Scripture to knowing the power of God (Mt 22:29).  His Great Commission includes the directive to make disciples and to teach them (Mt 28:18-19).  As...

Would people still create false altars like they did in the Old Testament?  Would they seek experiences outside of Scripture?  Yep and yep.

ommunication is a two-way street. This includes prayer, says Dallas Willard in his book, Hearing God , the free audio book of the month at ChristianAudio . If we want to feel close to God, then we should be willing to listen for His voice when we pray—and no, he doesn't just mean that Scripture verse that came to mind last night. Christians leaders throughout Evangelicalism are teaching the idea that God actively delivers new knowledge to believers. This naturally stirs confusion in the hearts of many Christians— Will God also speak to me? How will I know if He does? If I don’t hear a clear voice, does that mean that there is something wrong with my faith?   Compounding the issue is the fact that when Christians claim that God told them something, they are essentially claiming to have a prophecy. While we won’t take up space with a full examination of all biblical prophecy here, let’s consider how Christians with the gift of prophecy operated in the NT to see i...

It enough to make your heart ache.  "Pastor" Dayna Muldoon  has been pitching her tent in Florida, and like Todd Bentley before , false claims to miracles, healing, and prophecies litter her campsites. This video of a Calvary Chapel pastor exposing her as a false prophet has been appearing in various places, and its been uploaded to YouTube multiple times.  Even Todd Friel got animated about this , and nothing gets him hyper. Here's the deal: Muldoon set up her tent-meetings right down the road from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg , peeking the interests of many attending the church.  When they listened to the message she presented, however, they found it not to be the Gospel, but instead the typical narcissistic message of health and blessings from God. This is coming from a Calvary Chapel crew, folks that are typically non-cessationists themselves.  Many churches, including this particular Calvary Chapel , host after-glow services where one ex...

A slogan thrown around in churches today that want to exalt their passion for God is "a church without walls."  Churches sporting this might want to emphasis evangelism or even an ecumenical spirit, or perhaps both. I hate what cultural fundamentalism  has done to American churches.  It likes being divisive.  It likes being offensive.  In doing so, it creates unbiblical boundaries that should be ripped down by those who love God more than their subculture and tradition. Yet, we can easily forget that division is sometimes helpful (1 Cor 11:19).  We are commanded to avoid being unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:14).  There is even a joke that Matthew 10:34-39 should be inside a Christmas card with the word "Peace" on the front flap. Walls erect themselves as we commit ourselves to God's Word.  We shouldn't like it, but the answer is to persuade those on the other side of the wall, not to tear down a wall that exists for the sak...

Remember the false prophet and false healer Todd Bentley?  I'm still shocked over his antics and statements, and over how many people were buying into his nonsense. Sadly, two people are now dead who claimed their healing, and it sounds like a third may follow . (HT: Hear God Speak ) Just as a reminder, here were, in order, highlights of the so-called Lakeland Revival we examined: July 18, 2008 : We watched videos and then chatted: Todd Bentley heard the "audible voice of God" and discovered he was demon possessed after his profession of faith. Bentley announced the physical appearing of Jesus Christ in Lakeland, then said it would be spiritual (or invisible), then said it would be the (visible) Glory, then began to call down angels.  (To date, nothing appeared on stage, if you were wondering). Bentley described some of the ways he has "healed" people: he banged a crippled woman's legs up and down like baseball bats, he kicked an elderly wo...

Dr. Richard Mayhue, Speaker For additional notes, see the Master’s Seminary Journal 14/3 (Fall 2003), pages 263–286. These pages are available online in PDF format . The Seminary and church are cessationistic in theology. Richard says he tires of those who claim that cessationism is a new doctrine. In the fourth century, John Chrysostom taught the gifts had ceased in response to those who believed they were manifesting gifts. It is not new. In response to people who say God wills for us to be blessed with physical well-being, Mayhue states, “ Some of the healthiest people in the world will die and go to Hell, and some of the sickest people in the world will die and go to heaven. ” Consider these quick points about Benny Hinn: 1. Benny Hinn does not pray “Lord, Thy will be done.” Jesus Christ did (Luke 22:42). 2. Hinn believes that God always intends for believers to be healed. In contrast, the Bible teaches that some of the greatest saints, including Jac...