And God Said No
by Claudia Minden Weisz

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, “No.”
He said it was not for him to take away,
But for me to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
And God said, “No.”
He said his spirit is whole,
His body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said “No.”
He said that patience is a byproduct of tribulation,
It isn’t granted, it’s earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said “No.”
He said he gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said “No.”
He said, “Suffering draws you apart from worldly
cares and brings you closer to me.”
I asked God to make my spirit grow
And God said “No.”
He said I must grow on my own,
But he will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God to help me love others,
As much as he loves me,
And God said,
“Ah, finally, you have the idea.”

I was nervous this morning as I prayed and prepared for my day, but I knew I had the word in my heart, and the Holy Spirit would give me the right words to say. I’ve always had an easy time with people, and with some of my history before being saved, I can relate to the clients and some of the social problems at the center, including alcohol abuse. I realized soon after my first day visiting that is only but for the grace of God that I am not a client. I am hurting some tonight, but the joy I feel from my service to the Lord radiates my entire being. I am blessed.
I thank you Jesus for my disabilities, hardships, and multitude of trials you put in my path, because without them, I would not be able to be doing Your work today. Amen

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die is cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus. I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I am finished and done with low-living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, or popularity. I do not have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on God’s presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way rough, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not give up, shut up or let up. I will go on until Christ comes, and work until Christ stops me. I am a disciple of Jesus.

Classical Yoga Hindu Academy States:

“Is Yoga a religion that denies Jesus Christ? Yes. Just as Christianity denies the Hindu MahaDevas such as Siva, Vishnu, Durga and Krishna, to name a few, Hinduism and its many Yogas have nothing to do with God and Jesus (though we do respect
that others believe in this way). As Hindus who live the Yogic lifestyle, we appreciate when others understand that all of Yoga is all about the Hindu religion. Modern so-called ‘yoga’ is dishonest to Hindus and to all non-Hindus such as the Christians.”
Danda,
Dharma Yoga Ashram
(Classical Yoga Hindu Academy)

Pagan Practices

“The practice of Yoga is pagan at best, and occult at worst. Its teachings emanate from the Eastern religions, all of which teach that self is God, only we just don’t realize it until we do the techniques. ‘The goal of Yoga is self-realization-to look deeply within to what ought to be the temple of the one true God and to discover the alleged true Self or higher Self to be God. Nothing could be more religious than that, yet with straight faces, all of the Yogis insist that practicing Yoga does not change anyone’s religious beliefs.’”— Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, Read More …

“When Westerners employ yoga techniques as a means to improve their health, they should understand that they can also be producing subtle changes within themselves which will have dramatic spiritual consequences that will not be for the better. Regardless of the school or spiritual tradition, yoga practice tends to alter a person’s consciousness in an occult direction.”—John Ankerberg, Innocent Yoga?

Gimmie Yoga, a Burger and Fries

This week I had yet another new shock to the system. While standing in line to order a Number 3 meal at the local McDonalds®, I noticed an interesting new promotion that is taking place. They now have Adult Happy Meal. This is pretty cool because the kids always got some pretty neat toys. The adult meal also comes with a prize, but I was kind of shocked when I found out what it is … a DVD on Yoga.

Well on my bag for my Big Mac®, I found a handy URL telling me more about this and I checked it out.

Here is what they say…

15 Minutes of Sane

Feeling stressed? Try Yoga. It helps relax the mind and rejuvenate the body and spirit. Plus, it’s great for improving flexibility.

Your exclusive McDonald’s® Yourself!Fitness® Yoga DVD offers four different 15 minute workouts to help improve your mood and your energy level. You can customize your Yoga workout by choosing a language, difficulty level and your
area of focus—flexibility, stress relief, balance or strength.

The eastern thought of New Age mentality is not only entering the burger joints of America, but it has made a strong entrenchment in a place not as suspecting … our churches today. Read entire article by Ray Gano of Prophezine.

East and West, The Two Shall Never Meet

“Christianity cannot be integrated with yoga and remain Christian. To think otherwise imperils the Christian truth and faith. As the managing editor of ‘Hinduism Today,’ Sannyasin Arumugaswami, remarks, ‘Hinduism is the soul of yoga ‘based as it is on Hindu Scripture and developed by Hindu sages. Yoga opens up new and more refined states of mind, and to understand them one needs to believe in and understand the Hindu way of looking at God. … A Christian trying to adapt these practices will likely disrupt their own Christian beliefs‘.’ East is east, and west is west, and if Christianity is to remain Christian, ‘the twain’ should never be married. Can yogic practices be integrated with the Christian faith? Pastor Larry De Bruyn

Can We Separate the Exercise From the Philosophy?

“There is a common misconception in the West that hatha-yoga, one of about ten forms of Yoga that supposedly leads to self-realization, is merely a neutral form of exercise, a soothing and effective alternative for those who abhor jogging and calisthenics …

“[However], Hatha-yoga is ‘one of the six recognized systems of orthodox Hinduism’ and is at its roots religious and mystical. It is also one of the most difficult and potentially dangerous [spiritually] forms of Yoga. “The term hatha is derived from the verb hath, which means ‘to oppress.’… What the practice of hatha-yoga is designed to do is suppress the flow of psychic energies through these channels ["symbolic, or psychic, passages on either side of the spinal column"], thereby forcing the ‘serpent power’ or the kundalini force to rise through the central psychic channel in the spine (the sushumna) and up through the chakras, the supposed psychic centers of human personality and power. Westerners mistakenly believe that one can practice hatha-yoga apart from the philosophical and religious beliefs that undergrid it. This is an absolutely false belief. …

“You cannot separate the exercises from the philosophy. … ‘The movements themselves become a form of meditation.’ The continued practice of the exercises will, whether you … intend it or not, eventually influence you toward an Eastern/mystical perspective. That is what it is meant to do! … There is, by definition, no such thing as ‘neutral’ Yoga” —Johanna Michaelsen, Like Lambs to the Slaughter, pp. 93-95).

Closer to A World Religion?

“Jacobs teaches meditation Judeo-Christian-style and minimizes the more overtly Hindu aspects of yoga in his classes—not to accommodate his Catholicism so much as to accent his universalism. ‘I honor the Hindu path, the Buddhist path, the Sufi path,’ he states with Midwestern matter-of-factness. ‘I do not think that Christians have a monopoly on paradise.’—A Look at Yoga and Religious Belief By Alan Reder

Related Information

• Reiki
• Mantra Meditation
• Alpha State

Of course, the totally unscriptural praise and worship music was way too loud, vibrating my very bones. I read Scripture during this time as not to be drawn into the mezmorizing effects of the repetitive rock music. After several songs, Rick McDanial, the associate pastor went into a flurry of pseudo-wisdom from his mind, not the word of God. In general, this opening talk was whipping people up, saying that, “we’re getting loose.”

Galations 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance(self control): …

On numerous times today, various people spoke as if they were speaking of God in the first person! Not Scripture, but again, words from thier own mind and feelings. At one point, the pastor, Irwin McDanial, said, “I feel a breakthrough coming”, which I seem to remember as a quote from a known heretic of the WOF movement, Rod Parsley. There was no Scripture, no Biblical reason, just another ‘feeling.’ There was the usual vague references beginning with, “the Bible says”, “God said”, or something similar with absolutely no Scriptural references. How can anyone really learn the true word of God from this? Where is the Biblical survey, teaching of the WORD OF GOD? I do not know what to do…

Another charasmatic, aberrant phenomenon is the speaking in tongue, if you can rightly call it that.

Tongues: gr: glōssa (also Strong’s 1100)

Thayer Greek Definition:

• 1) the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech
• 2) a tongue
  • 1a) the language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations

When tongues broke out today, it was the usual babbling, and not a known language as the Bible teaches. There were many doing so, men and women (who should be silent in church) and no interpretation which is also unbiblical. At one time the pastor even interpreted his own tongue. Now, who exactly is edified?

1 Corinthians 14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.

How to Recognize a False Teacher

The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are NOT the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). (GotQuestions.org)

Why Name the Names of False Teachers

Paul saw no problem specifically exposing people in his day. In 2 Timothy 4:14 Paul names Alexander the coppersmith. He not only gives his name and gives the trade he was in, but prays that God would judge him for what he did!

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:

In 1 Timothy 1:18-20 Paul names Hymenaeus and Alexander. In 2 Timothy 1:15 Paul names Phygellus and Hermogenes. In 2 Timothy 2:17-19 Paul names Hymenaeus and Phyletus. In 2 Timothy 3:8 Paul names Jannes and Jambres; although they were dead, he still names them. In 2 Timothy 4:10 Paul names Demas, mentions that he had forsaken him, and notes how he “loved this present world” pointing out that the man was hell bound (1 John 2:15). In Galatians 2:11-21 Paul even publicly confronts Peter, who was not a false teacher, and calls him to account for his hypocrisy.

Christians are told to “note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.” (Romans 16:17) Paul practiced what he preached.

Perhaps one of the commonest expressions of this misguided zeal is the practice of “binding Satan” before Christian ministry is attempted. The Word of God gives no justification for this practice. None of the apostles utilized this approach and no Scripture commands Christians to practice it. It is an extra-biblical performance, arising from the desire of the flesh to look committed and powerful in the service of God. Christians are told to “resist the devil” but never to bind him. Resisting the devil is done by putting on the whole armor of God, as Paul describes it in Ephesians 6. The “binding and loosing” mentioned in Matthew 18:18 refers to the agreement in prayer of believers in line with the promises of God revealed in his Word.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Another form of this same error is to ascribe the manifestations of the flesh to the work of demons, which then are ostensibly “cast out” of an individual through a “deliverance ministry.” But Galatians 5:19-21 clearly tell us that lust, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, envy, sexual orgies, and the like are not the work of demons but of the flesh. It is impossible to “cast out” the flesh during this lifetime—rather it is to be subdued by recognizing its evil character, refusing to yield mind or body to its impulses, and turning immediately to Jesus for the supply of his strength and purity, as Romans 6:13 so clearly outlines.

Galatians 5:19-21 ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
²⁰Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
²¹Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

It is plainly the work of pastors and teachers to help Christians identify the flesh in themselves, by means of the Word of God, and to follow the pattern the Word describes to keep the flesh in subjection to the spirit and the individual free to live as the Lord has already made provision to do.

Galations 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”.

The Ray Stedman Library Index
From the archives of Elaine Stedman, July 30, 1996.
© Copyright 1996, Elaine Stedman, Discovery Publishing & Penninsula Bible Church

1. “All truth is relative”
   1. If all truth is relative, then the statement “All truth is relative” would be absolutely true. If it is absolutely true, then not all things are relative and the statement that “All truth is relative” is false.
2. “There are no absolute truths”
   1. The statement “There are no absolute truths” is an absolute statement which is supposed to be true. Therefore it is an absolute truth and “There are no absolute truths” is false.
   2. If there are no absolute truths, then you cannot believe anything absolutely at all, including that there are no absolute truths. Therefore, nothing could be really true for you – including relativism.
3. “What is true for you is not true for me”
   1. If what is true for me is that relativism is false, then is it true that relativism is false?

   If you say no, then what is true for me is not true and relativism is false. If you say yes, then relativism is false.

   1. If you say that it is true only for me that relativism is false, then

   I am believing something other than relativism; namely, that relativism is false. If that is true, then how can relativism be true?

   2. If you say that it is true only for me that relativism is false, then am I believing a premise that is true or false or neither?

   If it is true for me that relativism is false, then relativism (within me) holds the position that relativism is false. This is self-contradictory and can’t be true.

   3. If it is false for me that relativism is false, then relativism isn’t true because what is true for me is not said to be true for me.
   4. If you say that what is true for me is neither really true or false, then relativism isn’t true since it states that all views are equally valid and by not being, at least true, relativism is shown to be wrong.
   5. If I believe that relativism is false, and if it is true only for me that it is false, then you must admit that it is absolutely true that I am believing that relativism false.

   If you admit that it is absolutely true that I am believing relativism is false, then relativism is defeated since you admit there is something absolutely true.

   6. If I am believing in something other than relativism that is true, then there is something other than relativism that is true – even if it is only for me.

   If there is something other than relativism that is true, then relativism is false.

4. “No one can know anything for sure”
   1. If that is true, then we can know that we cannot know anything for sure which is self defeating.
5. “That is your reality, not mine”
   1. Is my reality really real or not? If it is, then my reality states that relativism is false. If my reality is not true, then relativism isn’t true either since it states that my reality is true.
   2. If my reality is different than yours, how can my reality contradict your reality? If yours and mine are equally real, how can two opposite realities that exclude each other really exist at the same time — especially since reality is that which is true?
6. “We all perceive what we want”
   1. If we all perceive what we want, then how do you know that statement is true since I can want to perceive that your statement is false?
   2. If we all perceive what we want, then what are you wanting to perceive?

   If you say you want to perceive truth, how do you know if you are not deceived? Simply desiring truth is no proof you have it.

7. “You may not use logic to refute relativism”
   1. Why may I not use logic to refute relativism? Do you have a logical reason for your statement? If not, then you aren’t being logical. If you do, then you are using logic to refute logic and that can’t happen.
   2. Can you give me a logical reason why logic cannot be used?
   3. If you use relativism to refute logic, then on what basis is relativism (that nothing is absolutely true) able to refute logic which is based upon truth since you must assume relativism is absolutely true to be able to refute logic.
   4. If you use relativism to refute logic, then relativism has lost its relative status since it is used to absolutely refute the truth of something else.
8. “We are only perceiving different aspects of the same reality”
   1. If our perceptions of reality are contradictory, can either perception be trusted?
   2. Is truth self contradictory? If it were, then truth wouldn’t be true because it would be self refuting. If something is self refuting, then it isn’t true.
   3. If that is true that we are perceiving different aspects of the same reality, then am I believing something that is false since I believe that your reality is not true? How then could they be the same reality?
   4. If you are saying that it is merely my perception that is not true, then relativism is refuted. If I am believing something that is false, then relativism is not true since it holds that all views are equally valid.
   5. If my reality is that your reality is false, then both cannot be true. If both are not true, then one of us (or both) is in error. If one or both of us is in error, then relativism is not true.
9. “Relativism itself is excluded from the critique that it is absolute and self-refuting”
   1. On what basis do you simply exclude relativism from the critique of logic? Is this an arbitrary act? If so, does it justify your position? If it is not arbitrary, what criteria did you use to exclude it?
   2. To exclude itself from the start is an admission of the logical problems inherent in its system of thought.
      

   Thanks to C.A.R.M (CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY ) for this post!

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Scripture Twisting
In this brief examination of Warren’s popular book we will point out some examples of his purposeful, heretical distortion of the Holy Scripture. This is not to say that everything he says is wrong. The irony is that often he will say something that is Biblically correct, but rather than use proper Scriptural support, he chooses to twist the meaning of some other passage to prove his point. Our concern here is focused on his blatant twisting of the Biblical text to suit his purposes.

Matthew 16:25 ₂₅For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

It is not unusual for Warren to make good statements, such as his rejection of pop-psychology, then turn around and by his misuse of Scripture promote the very thing he just condemned. The reader is then faced with two problems: What does Warren really believe about this subject, and more importantly, why has he chosen to either distort the Word of God directly or through his use of faulty translations? For example, in the midst of his denial of pop-psychology (p. 19), he quotes The Message translation of Matthew 16:25 — Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self (emphasis mine throughout). The Message has altered the meaning of Jesus’ words into a means by which a person finds himself, a fad having roots back to the 1960s but not to the Bible. Compare Matthew 16:25 in the KJV: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Jesus is speaking of eternal life (Matthew 16:26 makes this clear), not the twisted, aberrant modern day concept of “finding yourself.”

There is a bit of bait-and-switch going on in many of these quotes. Warren is attempting to tap into the current felt-needs making the rounds– in this case finding ourselves and/or finding our purpose in life. He is then presenting the Christian life as a means of meeting that felt-need. It is true that the Lord will give you purpose in life, but that purpose will be to live for and follow Christ. It is not a promise that we will find ourselves (if you ever find yourself you are going to be disappointed anyway) but that we will find true life in Christ. What often happens is subtle: Warren turns these passages, and the Christian life, from being Christ-centered to being centered on the human self, the individual. The focus now becomes us rather than Christ.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

The thesis of the book is found on page 25, where Warren says, “We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives.” The Message paraphrase of Romans 12:3 says, “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us.” The Message has changed the meaning of the text. The KJV reads: For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.(emphasis mine) The thrust of the verse is the problem of pride, in the context of spiritual gifts. (see Romans 3-8). Apparently, some in the church body were arrogant about their spiritual gifts, leading to anger, bitterness and vengeance (see Romans 9-21). Paul told them not to think so highly of themselves but to have sound judgment in reference to their giftedness. The result would be the proper functioning of the body. The passage is not giving a formula for how to understand ourselves. The Message abuses the true meaning of the text, yet Warren quotes it to support his heretical thesis.

In both of these examples Warren’s use of Scripture is not even close enough to be confusing, let alone accepted without question. This is not a minor issue. Once we believe we have the right to change the meaning of God’s Word to suit our agenda, there is no limit as to how far the misrepresentation of God’s truth can go. It is HERESY This is exactly how virtually every cult and heresy is started. It should disturb us even more to discover that so few Christians care.

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

In chapter one, Warren makes several statements with which I would agree. He writes that the Bible “explains what no self-help or philosophy book could know” (p. 20). He then quotes 1 Corinthians 2:7 from The Message paraphrase as support: God’s wisdom… goes deep into the interior of his purposes… It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest — what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us(emphasis mine throughout). Let’s first compare this to the KJV: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Just a quick reading reveals that The Message’s paraphrase has no real connection with the meaning Paul was intending. Paul was writing of the wisdom of God, which is unlike the world’s in several ways. First, it is a mystery, which in Scripture speaks of something hidden in the past and unknowable without revelation from God (see Ephesians 3:3-5). God’s wisdom is still hidden from the people of the world (vv. 6, 8), but revealed to God’s people through the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Scriptures. God had determined this wisdom before time began, but has now worked it out in the present age. All of this was for our glory. In the context of the passage, this refers to the eternal salvation of God’s people as a result of the crucifixion of Christ (see v. 8). Our glory is Biblical language referring to the final goal of salvation, which is to share in the glory of the Lord Himself (v. 8b). Now, let’s back up to Warren and his use of The Message. The wisdom of God that has been revealed through the apostle Paul is not that God has determined “the way to bring out His best in us,” but that the Lord has determined the way to bring us to eternal glory. It is not about purpose in life, but about the truth of salvation. The problem is that he is misusing Scripture, in a rather imaginative fashion, to prove his position.

Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

A similar type of thing happens in the very next paragraph of the book. Warren makes a Biblically defensible statement, “You must build your life on eternal truths, not pop psychology, success-motivation, or inspirational stories.” But rather than backing this truth with proper Scripture, he decides to use a distorted paraphrase of Ephesians 1:11, found in The Message once again. It reads, It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eyes on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. Warren says that this quote gives us three insights into our purpose, the first of which is, “You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

The KJV reads: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: This verse says nothing about discovering our purpose through a relationship with Christ. It speaks about our position in Christ — our eternal inheritance in Him. This verse tells us that we have been made the heirs of God; through no merit of our own we were given the right to all the blessings of salvation, both now and in eternity. It speaks of being “predestined according to His purpose,” not finding our purpose or identity.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

A more common form of misuse of Scripture is taking passages out of context. Warren gives this exaggerated promise, “If you have felt hopeless, hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose,” followed up with this quote from Jeremiah 29:11, I know what I am planning for you…. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future” (p. 31). But this is a promise to Israel concerning their future, not a general promise for all people (even Christians) at all times. Just a few chapters later, the promise is reversed, Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good… (Jeremiah 44:27). And in Lamentations 3:38, the same prophet writes, Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth? It is strange how people love to claim Jeremiah 29:11 and ignore passages such as these last two. I have yet to find anyone who has claimed Jeremiah 44:27 as their life’s verse.

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Chapter nine is devoted to the kind of person who makes God smile and is rooted in this Living Bible paraphrase of Genesis 6:8: Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. The New King James translates this verse, But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Some other literal versions translate “grace” as “favor,” and the Hebrew word can have that meaning. But when used of God, the word always means unmerited favor or grace. When Noah found grace, he was the recipient of undeserved Divine favor. He was not spared the flood because of his righteousness, but because of God’s grace. By changing the word from “grace” to “pleasure,” the Living Bible has turned the true meaning of the passage on its head. Now Noah is spared due to his goodness — he is the kind of guy that makes God smile — and you can be such a person too. But now grace is no longer grace; it has been transformed into a work that pleases God. This is not a minor error. It strikes at the root of the Christian faith. (Ironically, Genesis 6:9, which tells us that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time, and Noah walked with God, could have been used to support Warren’s chapter, so keep in mind our concern. We are not accusing Warren of being wrong in everything he is saying, but we are accusing him of distorting Scripture.) Warren is undermining the Word of God by changing its meaning to suit his purposes. In this case the marvelous doctrine of grace takes the hit.

Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Warren strains Scripture to interesting limits by using none other than Eliphaz as his spokesman. “The Bible is crystal clear about how you benefit when you fully surrender your life to God. First you experience peace” (p. 82). The proof-text is Job 22:21, Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you. If you recall, this speech from Job’s friend is a promotion of works-righteousness which, along with Eliphaz’s whole theology of living, will be condemned by God later in the book. To use it as a means of finding peace with God is, at minimum, an extremely careless use of Scripture.

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

In the same paragraph, Warren also promises freedom if we surrender to God. He uses The Message’s rendering of Romans 6:17: Offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits… [his] commands set you free to live openly in freedom! It is true that we have been set free in Christ, but what kind of freedom is Paul offering? The KVV translates this verse: But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Warren does not mention that the freedom promised in Scripture is from sin, and that the believer becomes immediately the slave of another — righteousness. Nor is there any mention that this slavery transferal is not predicated upon a subsequent surrender on the part of the Christian, but rather is actually the definition of a Christian. When people come to Christ for salvation, their master is changed. They no longer owe any allegiance to sin for they have become the slave of God. Whether they live in fidelity to this new Master is another matter, but ownership has changed hands. This is the argument of Romans Six, which is ignored by Warren. Instead, he forces it to say what God never intended.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Warren uses The Living Bible paraphrase of Hebrews 12:1 to teach that God has assigned certain boundaries to each believer: “When we try to overextend our ministry reach beyond what God shaped us for, we experience stress. Just as each runner in a race is given a different lane to run in, we must individually run with patience the particular race that God has set before us” (p. 253). But this verse simply reads: let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (KJV), and is speaking of the Christian race of faith in general. This verse cannot be pressed to teach that each Christian has a particular race to run — it is simply not the context or meaning of the passage.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We are told that “worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline. The moment you put him back at the center, you will have peace again” (p. 314). He then quotes The Message’s translation of Philippians 4:7: A sense of God’s wholeness…will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. While there may be truth in what Warren says, a proper translation of this verse will not teach what he says it does: And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(KJV). Let’s break it down a bit. “A sense of God’s wholeness,” whatever that means, is not the same thing as the peace of God. The last sentence found in The Message is foreign to the passage. The peace of God guarding our hearts and minds cannot be contorted to mean that something wonderful happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Warren is developing his propositions upon faulty paraphrases of Scripture and the average reader is none the wiser. Placing God back at the center of your life may indeed result in peace, but, and this is the important thing, Philippians 4:7 does not say so. To make Scripture say what it does not say is manipulation, not exegesis.

Of course we could go on, but hopefully you get the point. Other notable examples of Warren heretically twisting Scripture are:

Page 24 — James 1:18
Pages 25, 30 — Isaiah 49:4
Page 104 — I Corinthians 14:16-17
Page 105 — Romans 12:1,2
Page 109 — Job 23: 8-10
Page 110 — Job 7:11
Page 219 — II Corinthians 3:18
Page 223 — Habakkuk 2:3
Page 232 — Mark 8:35
Pages 272-273 — I Corinthians 1:27
Pages 273 — II Corinthians 12:9-10

Summary

So, what difference does all this make? What if Warren is misrepresenting Scripture over 40 times as well as peppering his book with extra-Biblical psychological theories and other earthly pieces of wisdom, disguised as Biblical principles? Overall he says some good things, and even in the sections where Scripture is abused, he sometimes says the right thing, but uses wrong Scripture to support it. What’s the big deal? The big deal is this: Once we sign off on this kind of “Christian” teaching and torturing of Scripture, the sky is the limit. It should not go without notice that every cult claims to believe in the Bible. The uniqueness of cults is that they twist the interpretation of Scripture to say what they want it to say, and failing that, they write their own translations to support their heresies (e.g. Jehovah Witnesses’ New World Bible). Should we then endorse these same methodologies when professing evangelicals promote them? Or should we refute those who openly sanction such approaches to Scripture? Remember, we are not discussing different opinions on interpretations of certain passages. That too cannot be ignored. But of a more serious nature is this careless and wanton mishandling of Scripture that we have been discussing. To purposely ignore the proper translation of a passage and insert one that has no basis in the original languages in order to undergird a particular point of view is one of the most dangerous things imaginable. The only thing more concerning would be to discover large segments of the evangelical community being incapable of discerning this kind of problem — and/or not caring.

Sermons about the Purpose Driven Movement and its HERESIES.

Adapted from:The Purpose-Driven Life-A Review of Scripture Misuse*

2 Peter 2:1 ₁But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

I went to a good solid, Bible preaching church early this morning, and was fed a good message. I also attended the Bible study lesson. However, I also chose to later go to yet the Word/Faith (WOF) church, Living Water Ministries Inc. of Vero Beach, FL I had once attended. I don’t know why I continue to visit this WOF church. I tell myself it’s as if I’m in the mission field. I should listen the Apostle Paul:

Romans 16:17-18 ₁₇Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.
₁₈For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. [emphasis mine]

I want to go through a few things I noted in today’s message that are false teachings so if anyone else runs into these messages, you will know they are deceiving spirits.

The first thing that always concerns me at this WOF church, is the complete lack of Biblical Scripture reference. The preacher, Irwin McDanial may say, “God says…” or “this is what the Bible says,” without a book, chapter and verse to back things up. This makes discernment difficult even for someone who is well-read in Scripture because of loosely worded paraphrasing. At times, some errors and abberrant teachings are so obvious, anyone who has learned basic Christian doctrine will know when things are not true.

Hebrews 10:10 ₁₀By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; [emphasis mine]

And we know from scripture when Jesus’ spirit left his physical body just before breathing his last breath:

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

Job 28:28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’”

Proverbs 1:16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Jeremiah 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

James 4:7 Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

And finally, Instead of focusing on defeating the Devil, we should focus on following Christ.

Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

How NOT to Engage in Spiritual Warfare
The ultimate example of how not to engage in spiritual warfare was the seven sons of Sceva? “A team of Jews who were traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus. The incantation they used was this: “I command you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But when they tried it on a man possessed by an evil spirit, the spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul. But who are you?” And he leaped on them and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and badly injured. (Acts 19:13-16). What was the problem? The seven sons of Sceva were using Jesus’ Name. That is not enough. The seven sons of Sceva did not have a relationship with Jesus, therefore their words were void of any power or authority. The seven sons of Sceva were relying on a methodology. They were not relying on Jesus, and were not employing the Word of God in their spiritual warfare. As a result, they received a humiliating beating. May we learn from their bad example, and conduct spiritual warfare as the Bible describes. (Paragraph source:GotQuestions.org)

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Remember, pray, and seek your answers to tithing from God. Do not give expecting anything in return. Remember, Jesus said:

Matt 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

And finally, your giving should be done cheerfully, not under pressure to be like everyone else (envy), for greed, or any other motive than to further the Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Well, that’s all for today. There was more such as the false health and healing teachings of the WOF movement. This has been covered in this article.

God bless.

At this stage, Word-Faith adherents often gain an attitude of superiority. Word-Faith adherents consider any criticism of their doctrine to be an attack by those who are not “spiritually mature,” and have not had this “higher revelation.” Then, some time later, after all the teaching, confessing and testifying, reality begins to rear its ugly head. Common human suffering teaches Word-Faith adherents that their system just does not work! By embracing a faulty view of faith, thousands have exposed themselves to the power of Satan and the results are seen in the depression which results from inevitable failure to achieve the claimed results. Breakdown of relationships, loss of faith and personal tragedies at work and in the home result – with inevitable breakup of families through divorce and despair. People have died or lost their children because they denied the reality of sickness and were persuaded not to take medical advice but to rely on this “faith in faith!” Once faced with this, they either admit hat Word-Faith teachings are fallacious and throw themselves into the arms of a loving, sovereign God, or they begin to consciously deny reality. Word-Faith victims who seek counselling often display three characteristics: confusion, guilt, and fear. The confusion is usually the result of inner conflicts set up by contradictions between what is taught by Word-Faith teachers and what is in the Bible.

But “Confessing It Means Possessing It”?
Word Faith celebrity Kenneth Copeland says, “What you are saying is exactly what you are getting now. If you are living in poverty and lack and want, change what you are saying. The powerful force of the spiritual world that creates the circumstances around us is controlled by the words of the mouth.” (Copeland, Laws, 98). Kenneth E. Hagin, who served for many years as Copeland’s mentor, echoes his protégé: “Your right confession will become a reality, and then you will get whatever you need from God.” (Kenneth E. Hagin, Right and Wrong Thinking for Christians (Tulsa: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1966), 30). Positively confessing something is the very first step to getting what is wanted (i.e., healing, a luxury home, someone to marry, etc.). The “force of faith” coupled with a carefully conceived positive confession is really the only way to produce results because such methods release God’s ability to bring about the things desired: “God’s Word conceived in the heart, then formed with the tongue and spoken out of the mouth becomes a spiritual force releasing the ability of God.” (Capps, Dynamic, 33). The stress placed on correct “speaking” often leads to some rather interesting instructions on how to “make” God work: “What do you need? Start creating it. Start speaking about it. Start speaking it into being. Speak to your billfold. Say, ‘You big, thick billfold full of money.’ Speak to your checkbook. Say, ‘You, checkbook, you. You’ve never been so prosperous since I owned you. You’re just jammed full of money.’ Say to your body, ‘You’re whole, body! Why, you just function so beautifully and so well. Why, body, you never have any problems. You’re a strong, healthy body.’ Or speak to your leg, or speak to your foot, or speak to your neck, or speak to your back. … Speak to your wife, speak to your husband, speak to your circumstances; and speak faith to them to create in them and God will create what you are speaking.” (Marilyn Hickey, quoted in Hanegraaff, Crisis, 63). This exhortation, as humorous as it sounds, masks a cruelty that comes through whenever someone in the Word Faith movement faces trials. Just as positive words have the power to create positive (good) results, negative words have the power to create negative (bad) results, according to the Word Faith followers. Consequently, those suffering have only themselves to blame, say the Word Faith teachers. As Frederick K. C. Price says, “If you keep talking death, that is what you are going to have. If you keep talking sickness and disease, that is what you are going to have, because you are going to create the reality of them with your own mouth. That is a divine law.” (Price, Realm, 29). Deceived Christians are being mocked by Satan as they stumble around waiting for a missing limb or eye to be replaced – if and when they have enough faith and stop confessing negatively!

Faith in Doctrines of Demons (1 Timothy 4:1-5) leads to Fear and Death!
Guilt is generally brought about by the tension generated when one was positively confessing but getting no results. According to the Word-Faith position, no results equals lack of faith or open sin in one’s life. This can, and usually does, cause excessive introspection and a tremendous guilt feelings. Sometimes the guilt is real and needs to be dealt with, but often there is no reason for the feelings. Whatever the person was positively confessing was not in God’s plan and He is not going to bring it about.

Fear comes from two areas. First is the obsessive compulsion to be positive in every word. Even using phrases such as “I’m just dying to do that” or “that joke just tickled me to death,” release satanic powers, say the Word-Faith teachers (The Tongue – A Creative Force, p. 90-92). People become afraid that they are going to slip up, utter a negative word, and give a place to Satan. Secondly, fear is a corollary to the guilt mentioned above. Fear and guilt usually work in a downward spiral. One feels guilty because of supposed lack of faith, then afraid because the confession is not “working.” Then there is more guilt, then more fear, and so on down into further despair. This cycle can be extremely spiritually and physically debilitating. All of these spiritual and psychological difficulties can be directly attributed to elevating man to the false position of being a god and saying that he has powers far greater than he really does.

Unfortunately, Word Faith proponents explain suffering through a convenient appeal to the sovereignty of man. There are no victims, nothing is out of control, and everything can change because those afflicted are calling the shots. As long as someone possesses enough knowledge about what God has promised, says the right words, and has enough faith, all will be taken care of–bills will get paid, family members will be healed, and money will fall like manna from heaven. One’s own words control life because words “are the most powerful things in the universe today.” (Capps, Creative Power, 25). “HEALTH, SUCCESS, HAPPINESS and PROSPERITY are God’s Will for YOU when you believe His Word enough to ACT ON IT.” (T. L. Osborne, quoted in Hanegraaff, Crisis, 361). In the Word Faith movement, all suffering is caused by man, rather than God. As Frederick K. C. Price says, “You are suffering because you’re stupid!” (Price, quoted in Crenshaw, Man as God, 156). The only alternative they suggest is blasphemous: “If God is running everything, He does have things in a mess.” (Hagin, The Interceding Christian (Tulsa: Kenneth E. Hagin Ministries, 1978, 14). The stupidity to which Price refers is expressed either through speaking negative confessions or through not realizing that positive confessions will bring about good things.

How should the church respond?
We have seen enough evidence to conclude that the Word-Faith message is a dangerous soul-destroying heresy that simply does not work. It is a body of presumptuous teachings that lacks the authority of the Word of God. It is a system of thinking that has been generated by a group of men drawing from each other’s teachings with an amalgamation of Christian theology, mysticism and Gnosticism bound together by one of the most fanciful methods of Scripture interpretation ever devised. All of this is buttressed by a mutual admiration society among the most popular of the Word-Faith teachers that admonishes critics to “touch not the Lord’s anointed,” often under dire threats of divine displeasure.

The Word-Faith movement has done more than its share of producing strife in the body of Christ. Scores of well-meaning Christians are in bondage to this unscriptural philosophy. The results of the Word-Faith teachings is to leave many people full of confusion, guilt and fear – the very things that the Word-Faith movement professes to eradicate.

The time is long due for Christians to take a serious look at the teachings of the Word-Faith movement. Very little has been written or said about the defective Christology of Word-Faith believers which is utterly blasphemous! We criticize such groups as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christadelphians, or the United Pentecostal Church because of their unscriptural views of the Godhead. We expose the Mormon teachings declaring that men can become gods (the first Satanic lie! – Genesis 3:5) or the Witnesses heretical view that Jesus is “a god”, and not Almighty God, and was pre-existent as Michael the archangel. Can we do any less when the Word-Faith groups have introduced equally heretical teachings into the Body of Christ?

Source:http://www.thechristianexpositor.org

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• Is the Word of Faith movement Biblical? -No, ‘Decidedly Unbiblical’
• Apologetics for Christians – Faith Movement