Category: False Doctrine

False Doctrine, New Apostolic Reformation

SBC President Ronnie Floyd, Featured Speaker at New Apostolic Reformation’s IHOP

Michelle Lesley

Screenshot_2015-11-18-10-15-50_kindlephoto-738691

As a lifelong Southern Baptist it grieves me to have to report this, but if you’re Southern Baptist, you deserve to know and need to know what the president of your denomination is doing.

Above is a screen grab from the International House of Prayer’s (IHOP) web site. (If they don’t take it down, you can click here and see the page for yourself.) This page lists the speakers and worship leaders for IHOP’s Onething 2015 conference scheduled for late December. As you can see, SBC president, Dr. Ronnie Floyd is a featured speaker.

Why is this a problem?

IHOP is a demonic, New Apostolic Reformation organization which often cooperates with Bethel Church in Redding, California. Just to give a shorthand frame of reference you might be familiar with, these are the people who do “holy laughter” and faith healing, crawl around on the floor barking like dogs during worship services, get “drunk” on the Holy Spirit, go into spasms and convulsions when “possessed” by the Holy Spirit,  etc. Any weird signs and wonders type of thing you’re familiar with most likely started at or is practiced by Bethel/IHOP.

THIS IS NOT A MINOR, UNIMPORTANT DIFFERENCE OF WORSHIP STYLE. THIS IS BLATANT AND DANGEROUS FALSE DOCTRINE.

And your SBC president is joining cooperatively with proponents of this false doctrine to put on Onething in defiance of 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, 2 John 9-11, 1 Corinthians 5:11 and all of the other passages that tell us we are not to give aid or quarter to those who are damned because they preach another gospel.

Now, either Dr. Floyd knows about the false doctrine of IHOP, or he does not. If he knows, then he is in egregious sin for choosing to defy Scripture by cooperating with this demonic organization. If he doesn’t know, it says a great deal about his lack of discernment. There is no excuse for someone at the highest level of leadership in our denomination, with a master’s degree and a doctoral degree from seminary, to be ignorant about the theology of a group he is choosing to work with, or at least not to do a modicum of research about them before agreeing to speak.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m listing below some links explaining the problems with Bethel and IHOP. Educate yourself, then share this information with your pastor and others you know in local or national SBC leadership. If you know Ronnie Floyd personally, contact him, ask him why he’s doing this, and urge him not to. Galatians 6:1 tells us:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

Dr. Floyd may be president of the SBC, but he is first and foremost our brother in Christ, and he deserves that we love him by correcting him, helping him, and restoring him to obedience to God’s word, and preventing him from leading others astray.

Resources:

What is the International House of Prayer (IHOP)?

The Dangers of the International House of Prayer (IHOP)

The International House of Prayer?

Love and Death in the House of Prayer

The Deception of the International House of Prayer (additional resources listed under the video)

IHOP is Dangerous! Stephanie’s Testimony

SHOCKING DOCUMENTARY- False spirits invade the church – KUNDALINI WARNING Parts 1-3

What Is The New Apostolic Reformation?

New Apostolic Reformation

Thanks to My Word Like Fire, Berean Research, Christian Research Network, and Psalm 21 Outreach for breaking this story.

Discernment, False Doctrine, False Teachers

Clinging to the Golden Calf: 7 Godly Responses When Someone Says You’re Following a False Teacher

Michelle Lesley

Ever heard of Jeroboam? If you’ve read your Old Testament, the name probably rings a bell, but, let’s face it, it’s hard to keep all those Jeroboams, Rehoboams, Ahinoams, and Abinoams straight, right? Well, let’s read a little bit about Jeroboam:

And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 29 And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. 31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites. 32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar.

1 Kings 12:26-32a

The Kingdom of Israel had just split into the southern kingdom of Judah and the Northern kingdom of Israel. Jerusalem, where the temple is located, is in Judah. Jeroboam (king of Israel) figures that if his people continue traveling to Jerusalem for feasts and sacrifices, they will eventually turn their loyalty back to the the kingly lineage of David (aka: Judah, 26-27) and he’ll lose both his kingdom and his head. So, in order to keep the people inside the borders of Israel and control them, he makes a couple of golden calves (which somebody should have remembered turned out badly the last time that was tried {Exodus 32}) for them to worship at either of two convenient locations, Bethel, in the southern part of Israel, and Dan in the northern part. Jeroboam, leading the way, had the Israelites simply transfer their feasts and sacrifices that they would have offered to God to these golden calves. It’s a fascinating story that you can read more about here if you’re interested.

So why am I going on and on about Jeroboam?

Because Jeroboam’s story is so similar to something that is happening in the visible church today. He was a well known personality who led God’s people to worship an idol which he told them was God. And God’s people went along with it, transferring their worship from the one true God to the golden calf called “God.”

There are a ton of Jeroboams out there today. Some of you reading this might be following one of them and worshiping the idol their false theology tells you is the God of the Bible. And in the same way that a man of God came along and rebuked Jeroboam for his blasphemy, a man or woman of God might come along and call out the Christian celebrity you’re following, or take you aside -out of love and concern- and let you know that person is a false teacher.

I hope you won’t respond like Jeroboam did. He was so angry, he tried to kill the prophet. But sadly, I have seen this type of response (at least verbally) many times, especially from women, when faced with the fact that their favorite Bible teacher or author is preaching a false gospel.

So, what’s a godly way to respond when someone tells you you’re following a false teacher?

1. Consider the source and listen.

If you know the person who’s telling you this, think about her godliness and character. Is she generally a godly person? Does she know her Bible well? Does she show love and concern for others? Is she trustworthy? A godly person of good character has no reason to toss out wild and unfounded accusations, especially if you’re her friend and it might offend you. In fact, she’s probably scared to tell you.

But even if it’s a stranger on a blog saying Celebrity Bible Woman is a false teacher, hear her out and make sure you understand what the issues are. Remember, what she’s saying might be true, but you’ll never know if you immediately write her off.

2. Listen for content, not tone.

There are some discerning people out there who will bring you flowers and candy and hold your hand as they gently tell you the person you’re following is a false teacher, and then there are discerning people whose tone or manner might rub you the wrong way as they’re delivering the news. Don’t let the way something is said turn you off to the content of what is being said. Don’t sacrifice truth on the altar of tone.

3. Keep your emotions in check.

It’s tempting to let our feelings take charge when we’re receiving bad news, but you aren’t going to be able to evaluate the content of what the person is saying if you’re consumed by rage or hurt. It might help to remind yourself of your relationship to the teacher/author in question. Do you even know her personally? It’s not like someone is leveling accusations against your child, spouse, or best friend. Put your emotions aside and let reason and clear thinking rule the day.

4. Don’t blindly believe the messenger.

You don’t have to -nor should you- believe everything you hear just because it quotes a Bible verse or wraps itself in the label “Christian”. That applies to both the person who tells you you’re following a false teacher and the alleged false teacher herself. Listen carefully to what the person has to say, make sure you understand it, then get out your Bible and get to work. Are the issues the person has raised biblical? What does God’s word have to say about these issues? Is the person you’re following violating Scripture? If so, choose to stop following the false teacher because the Bible -not a person- tells you to do so. People are fallible. God’s word is not.

5. Don’t shoot the messenger.

It’s been my experience that women who are loyal devotees of false teachers can be some of the most vicious people in the world if you dare to question their idol. I have had women verbally rip me to shreds, threaten me, call me names, accuse me of “judging,” and tell me I’m what’s wrong with Christianity for politely pointing out from Scripture that someone is teaching false doctrine. Ladies, we give Christian women as a whole a bad name when we act like that. More importantly, that kind of behavior is a reproach to Christ, and never appropriate for someone who calls herself a Christian.

6. Defend from Scripture, not opinion,
emotion, or personal preferences.

It is downright embarrassing when a person is shown that Celebrity Bible Woman is violating a certain Scripture, and her only argument is, “But I just LOVE her! She’s such a great teacher and helps me understand the Bible so well!” If it were really true that Celebrity Bible Woman is such a great Bible teacher, her followers ought to be able to  prove -from Scripture- that what Celebrity Bible Woman is doing or teaching isn’t unbiblical. The bottom line is that Scripture is our ultimate authority, not our opinions, not our personal preferences, not how much we love a certain teacher. For a Christian, if something comes up against the Bible, the Bible wins. Period. So, if you’re going to defend Celebrity Bible Woman, defend her from Scripture. And if you can’t, why are you still following her?

7. Love Christ more than you
love your favorite teacher.

If someone shows you from Scripture that your favorite teacher, author, or pastor is teaching false doctrine and you ignore that warning because you are so enamored with that teacher, then what you’re saying is that you love that teacher more than you love Christ and His word. Jesus said:

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:37

Your parents. Your children. They’re the people you love most in the world. If Jesus says you can’t love them more than you love Him, do you think it’s going to be OK with Him if you love your favorite Bible teacher more than you love Him? It’s not. Love Christ above all else, and cut that false teacher out of your life.

It can be difficult to hear that you’re following a false teacher. You like her. She makes you feel good. You think you’re doing great in your walk with the Lord. It’s hard to give all that up. But we must be careful that we never put our feelings for a person above Christ and His word. If someone tells you you’re following a false teacher, don’t brush her off or attack her. She’s most likely coming to you out of love and concern for you and for the body of Christ. Check out what she’s saying against the Bible. And if she turns out to be right, stop following that false teacher and thank her. Because a person who rescues you from an enemy of Christ is truly your friend.

Discernment, False Doctrine, False Teachers, New Apostolic Reformation

A Call to Reject The Response

Michelle Lesley

the response

This article is mainly for folks in my immediate area (Baton Rouge, LA), but if a politician in your state ever holds a large prayer rally (especially one called The Response) you might want to keep this information in mind.

Dear Fellow South Louisiana Christians and Pastors-

You may have seen some publicity recently for a large prayer rally promoted by Governor Jindal called The Response. It is to be held on January 24, 2015 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

I am urging you not to attend or promote this event.

I have nothing against Governor Jindal (I voted for him twice and think he’s a great governor.), and I certainly believe that we should pray for our nation and our elected officials as 1 Timothy 2:1-3 instructs us.

However, the Bible also tells us not to partner with unbelievers, that anyone who preaches a gospel other than the one laid down in Scripture is damned  and that we are to have nothing to do with those who do so.

What do these passages have to do with The Response?

Though it is being touted as a meeting for Christians to gather and pray, certain individuals and organizations behind the scenes who are responsible for this event are part of a movement that, while claiming to be Christian, preaches another gospel. They are therefore unbelievers. These individuals and organizations are part of the New Apostolic Reformation movement.

Don’t know what that is? Maybe you’ve seen videos like the one below, or others, that show people participating in “holy laughter,” being “slain in the spirit,” barking like dogs, being “drunk” on the Holy Spirit, or “toking the Ghost.” NAR “churches” often claim that during their worship services, gold dust, jewels, or angel feathers fall from the ceiling. People involved in this movement also claim to take trips to Heaven and talk to Jesus face to face.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The NAR movement has a long list of anti-biblical doctrines, beliefs, and practices that no Christian should support or take part in. Below, I’ve compiled some resources for you on what the NAR is and how The Response is connected to the NAR.

On January 8, 2015, I attempted to confirm, via a polite question on The Response‘s Facebook page, if the Baton Rouge event is in any way connected with any NAR individuals or organizations such as the International House of Prayer (IHOP), Bill Johnson, or Bethel Church (Redding, CA) who were also connected to Rick Perry’s The Response in Texas in 2011. The Response did not answer my question, and when another concerned Christian citizen confirmed that my information was correct and offered to send me more information, The Response deleted my post from their page. A pastor friend of mine sent The Response a private message on Facebook asking the same questions and was never answered. There is no information on The Response‘s web site to indicate who is really behind this event, though, for Rick Perry’s 2011 event, a list of event co-sponsors was clearly available on the event web site.

One is left to wonder -when any doctrinally sound entity would be quick to deny any ties to NAR organizations or individuals-

What is The Response trying to hide?

Resources:

What is the New Apostolic Reformation?

New Apostolic Reformation by Apologetics Index

The Dangers of the International House of Prayer (IHOP) by CARM

Love and Death in the International House of Prayer by Rolling Stone

Links between the NAR and The Response

NAR individuals/organizations sponsored Rick Perry’s The Response in 2011

A video on The Response’s own web site connects Rick Perry’s 2011 event to the Baton Rouge event

The American Family Association is sponsoring Baton Rouge’s The Response

The American Family Association’s connection with the NAR

Doug Stringer, an event coordinator for The Response, is a member of and writes teachings for ICAL (the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders). C. Peter Wagner, one of the founders of the NAR movement, was the first Presiding Apostle of this organization.

Two of the non-local personalities who made promotional videos for The Response, Cindy Jacobs and Jennifer LeClaire, are major players in the NAR movement. Cindy claims to have the gift of prophecy, yet many of her prophecies have not come true (this qualifies her as a false prophet according to Deuteronomy 18:20-22). She was also one of the sponsors of Rick Perry’s The Response. Jennifer writes for Charisma magazine. A quick perusal of her web site and the titles of her latest books, The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel and Developing Faith for the Working of Miracles should leave little doubt as to Jennifer’s involvement in the NAR.
UPDATE (1-13-15): Since the writing of this article, Cindy Jacobs’ promotional video has been removed from The Response‘s web site.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2 Peter 2:1-3

I urge you, brothers and sisters in Christ- reject The Response.

False Doctrine, False Teachers, New Apostolic Reformation, Top 10

Top 10 NAR* and Seeker-Driven Buzzwords

Michelle Lesley

I study false teachers pretty often. I watch their videos, listen to their sermons, and read their articles. And I’ve noticed that there are some common buzzwords that New Apostolic Reformation* and Seeker-Driven false teachers tend to use over and over again. Naturally, these words are just that: words. Just because you hear your pastor, Sunday School teacher, or favorite Christian celebrity utter one or more of them doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is a heretic. But if you’re constantly hearing these words and phrases, it could be a red flag that you need to vet the person you’re listening to more carefully and see whether or not his or her theology matches up to what the Bible says. So, here, in no particular order are 10 such buzzwords and some of the false teachers who are fond of them:

1. The Glory

Photo Credit: Revival Magazine
Photo Credit: Revival Magazine

 

“Sometimes as I stand in the glory my hands and feet will begin to drip with supernatural oil, representing the miracle anointing of God.” ~ Joshua Mills

 

 

 

 2. In The Natural

Photo Credit: Awesome God Ministries
Photo Credit: Awesome God Ministries

 

“I learned that even when we are in a place of obedience, we often have no way in the natural of knowing for sure whether we are right or wrong.” ~ Joyce Meyer

 

 

 

3. Shaking/Shifting

Photo Credit: Apprising Ministries
Photo Credit: Apprising Ministries

“If we continue to pray and call out to God, the nation will shift.”

“There is terror in Tampa, Tallahassee and Miami – a ring of terror; but, God has a ring of fire. Shaking, shaking, shaking.” ~ Cindy Jacobs

 

4. Decree

images
Photo Credit: Do Not Be Surprised

 

“Decree and declare… THE FAMINE IS OVER!” ~ T.D. Jakes

 

 

 

 

5. Declare

Photo Credit: Amazon
Photo Credit: Amazon

 

“I declare that I am a ‘no lack’ person and receive every blessing You have prepared for me.” ~ Joel Osteen

 

 

 

6. Spirit-man

Photo Credit: Jennifer LeClaire Ministries
Photo Credit: Jennifer LeClaire Ministries

 

“Pray always and when you catch your mind trying to reason out a prophetic revelation, let your spirit man rise up and take control.” ~ Jennifer Leclaire

 

 

 

7. Holyspirit

the-holy-spirit-364251_640

A number of NAR personalities refer to the third Person of the Trinity as “Holyspirit” -as though that were His first name- instead of the Holy Spirit. For example, “Holyspirit said to me the other day…”

It is nearly impossible to isolate a text example of this as a) it is usually verbal and b) search engines always include the word “the” in search results.

 

 8. In the heavenlies

Photo Credit: The Elijah List
Photo Credit: The Elijah List

 

“War in the heavenlies. We can battle against the enemy’s strategies through prayer and declaration of the Word. This wins the battle in the heavenlies before it hits the earth.” ~ Patricia King

 

9. Come into agreement/alignment

Photo Credit: The Elijah List
Photo Credit: The Elijah List

 

“…the Bible states that God, before time, determined your zip code—that spiritual place and geographical location; when you get into that spot, everything around you will begin to come into alignment.” ~ Cindy Trimm  

 

 

10. Cast vision

Photo Credit: FBC Jax Watchdogs
Photo Credit: FBC Jax Watchdogs

 

“Sure, I cast vision—but it has taken every staff member and volunteer we have to pull it off.” ~ Perry Noble

 

 

 

What are some common words and phrases
you often hear false teachers use?

False Doctrine, Word of Faith Movement

I Beg Your Pardon? I Never Promised you a Rose Garden.

Michelle Lesley

I once heard a pastor say that a gospel that doesn’t work everywhere is a gospel that doesn’t work anywhere. He was referring to the so-called “prosperity gospel” that seems to be gaining momentum in the U.S.

If you’re not familiar with this movement, the basic idea is that, if you just have enough faith and/or sow enough seed (i.e. send money to a certain “ministry”) God will bless you with wealth, new cars, new houses, etc. It must work, right? The pastors who push this “name it and claim it” (or as someone I know puts it: “blab it and grab it”) crack “gospel” certainly seem to be doing well financially.

The problem is, it doesn’t work for everyone. How did it work for Paul? What about John? Stephen? Peter and the other apostles? Certainly, they were faithful and gave everything for the cause of Christ, and what did it get them while they were here? What about Christians in India, China, parts of Africa, parts of the Middle East, and many other places today? They are being tortured, imprisoned and even killed for following Christ. Where is their health, wealth, and prosperity?

The fact is, God has not called us to a life of ease. He has not called us to life at all, but to death. Death to self, death to pride, death to greed:

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:12-13

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Matthew 6:24

God never promised us a rose garden. He promised us that if we follow Christ, we will be persecuted and hated. Wow, just when you thought witnessing couldn’t get any harder! What a selling point for Christianity! But this is what our brothers and sisters across the globe face every day. Many of them, when they make a commitment to follow Christ, are signing their own death warrants.

What God has promised is so much better than material wealth. He has promised that when we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). When we truly do delight ourselves in the Lord, the desires of our hearts will mirror the desires of His heart. We won’t crave fleshly things like wealth, but holiness, compassion, justice, and a closer relationship with Him. He hasn’t promised us material rewards here, but hereafter.