Weekly Thoughts

8/4/07 – Idolatry

Hi all,

I receive an email from J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine. Maybe you saw it too. Here is what he wrote:

"At a charismatic conference in an East Coast city recently, a pastor stood on a stage in front of a large crowd and smugly announced that the guest speaker was “more than an apostle.” Then the host asked everyone to bow down to the person, claiming that this posture was necessary to release God’s power.

“This is the only way you can receive this kind of anointing!” the host declared, bowing in front of the speaker. Immediately, about 80 percent of the audience fell prostrate on the floor. The few who were uncomfortable with the weird spiritual control in the room either walked out or stood in silent protest.

New Testament Christianity is humble, selfless and authentic. And those who carry the truth don’t preach for selfish gain or to meet an emotional need for attention. May God help us root out the false apostles and false teachers who are making the American church sick with their man-centered, money-focused heresies." (end quote)

My concern today is: How did the body of Christ get to this point, and then, what does scripture call a false (prophet, brother, teacher)?

To answer the question about how part of the body of Christ got this spiritually sick, I have to consider the reasons of why a congregation would bow down to an 'apostle' - my mom's words come to mind: If everyone jumped off a cliff would you jump too?

The issue of following the crowd as a 10 year old is the same as the congregation above - insecurity. Then we must ask; why are they insecure? (why no backbone, why no sense of absolutes?) The answer includes greater faith in the man than God. No knowledge of God's Word but rather knowledge of popular spiritual fad doctrine that has been elevated in their heart above the Word. Higher esteem for the man and present moment than God. A higher and closer walk with popular church culture than a close walk with God. Need I go on? I've warned for years about Hollywood Christianity, and this is just another sign of the times.

Lee called this man a false apostle in his last paragraph. I agree, but I want to address what the Bible calls false brethren so we can have a clear understanding.

For years my understanding (what I assumed) the Bible called false brethren were people who had fallen away from God, who had renounced Jesus but still acted like ministers, and who therefore would be clearly identified. Years ago (after some close calls with ministers who didn't feel right in my spirit) I began digging into the Word for God's definition, and I found it to be different than my assumption.

First though, here is what Paul said of true apostles, because the best way to identify a counterfeit is to truly know the genuine:

"Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by (your own) faith you stand."

(II Cor 1:24)

"Now I am coming to you again, the third time, and it is still not going to cost you anything, for I don't want you money, I want you!" (II Cor 12: 14 Living)

"Did I make a gain of you? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you? Did Titus make a gain of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?" ( II Cor 12:17-18)

"You think you are so wise - yet you listen gladly to those fools; you don't mind at all when they make you their slaves and take everything you have, and take advantage of you, and put on airs...(II Cor 11:19-20)

And finally: "I fear...that your minds would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted...but I know what I am talking about; we have made this evident to you in all things." (II Cor 11:3-4,6 Living, AMP)

Moving from simplicity to complicated faith is the first clue; and once started down this road, it of course brings in another Jesus, another spirit and gospel (good news) - notice these are in contrast to the true Jesus, Spirit and gospel - they resemble the true, but are counterfeit. The good news will be a different good news - one focused on self rather than God, seeking to make God the servant of man rather than man the servant of God.

The first marker of the false is that they make faith complicated; formulas, methods, commands to do this and that to get God to do this and that...the first marker of a false apostle (or teacher, prophet, pastor, etc) is moving people towards a complicated faith.

Again, according to scripture, a false brother isn't one who has necessarily fallen away from Jesus openly and directly (but they could be included in the group), rather they have gotten off from grace into works, they've lost their first love...we can vary in how we understand the scripture, but Paul's dividing line seems to be when they start moving from simple faith to complicated faith, with the purpose of the manipulation of others for their money and loyalty to them as individuals rather than loyalty to God - and all this is done in the name of Jesus - that's when they become false brethren.

I'm going to make the statement that these false apostles (ministers) are directly spiritually related to the Pharisees of Jesus' and Paul's day, and I'll show how:

Paul and Barnabus had been ministering to non-Jews for some time, and Acts 15:1-2 says: "And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabus had no small dispute with them...they determined that they should go to Jerusalem to the apostles an elders about this question."

Paul later wrote about this in Galatians 2:4 where he called those who were telling the men they had to be circumcised to be saved 'false brethren'.

These men wanted to bring free people in Christ back into subjection (1) under them and (2) enslaved to legalism with them as the leaders. They said the right way of Christianity was their way - they had a higher knowledge - they were more spiritually mature than others - they would usher in breakthroughs.

In the next chapter Paul asked "Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?" (Gal 3:1) He is talking about these people who went to the churches in Galatia to spread this different gospel.

Back in Acts 15:24 when James was telling everyone the Word and Spirit don't want them to go back under the law, he tells them these men were "subverting your souls" with this teaching. The word "subverting" here means "to plunder, to make bankrupt" (Vine) and the word "soul" is "psycho" (soul, emotions, mind)

This is what Paul said was Christian witchcraft. The reason the message of a complicated gospel is equated with witchcraft is because the root of witchcraft is manipulation and control - that's what Satan did first in heaven to the angels and then to Adam and Eve - so that is why he equates the two, it's all about manipulation and control presented through a looks good complicated faith that looks to individual men as the ones who (only) have the anointing and revelation to bring their message to the body of Christ and the world. 

The goal of Satan according to James in this passage is to make Christians spiritually and emotionally bankrupt through continuous religious activity to bring heaven down to earth if they just do this or do that. It's fatiguing, exhausting, and makes for empty souls, empty faith, and hurting and emotionally bankrupt believers! (James' words folks, not mine)

Keep in mind these people in Acts 15 were (evidently) born again, Spirit filled 'brothers', for James said in Acts 15:24 they went out from among the believers in Jerusalem (though they did not send them). But somewhere along the line they accepted another spirit, or tried to hold onto both the Holy and an unholy spirit at the same time.

Paul said in II Cor 11:15 that they also are "transformed as the ministers of righteousness". The word "transformed" here is meta-schematizo. You can see the root words: 'meta' (change) and 'scheme' (scheme, manipulate). Literally then, to change (people) by scheming and manipulation (wrong motives).

Identifying a false minister therefore does not refer to someone who doesn't know God or has fallen away from God, but rather a minister who wants to bring people under their own control and fashions a complicated gospel, urging people to follow them and their complicated Christianity.

If the first marker of a false minister is the presentation of a complicated gospel, then the second and equal marker is the wrong spirit connected. When someone has a wrong spirit, my spirit through the Holy Spirit within takes notice in that it doesn't set right with me.

Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth. I John 2:27 says the anointing we have of God is the truth and not a lie, and we don't need someone to teach us (the context of that passage is identifying the right Spirit versus wrong spirit, and the Holy Spirit within will teach us if a spirit is right or wrong).

The body of Christ as a whole has not been taught to trust the Holy Spirit within as a means of identifying a wrong spirit. But relying on this internal witness combined with a thorough knowledge of God's Word are the Biblical ways of identifying a counterfeit.

You do this all the time, but perhaps no one has told you that you can rely on the Holy Spirit within and the Word. For instance - you see a TV preacher and down inside something hits you as not being quite right about him - that is the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth) telling you the truth - the guy has a wrong spirit about him.

Your work presents a program that hits you with a heaviness inside and you just know that isn't the direction God wants the company to go - that's the Spirit of truth letting you know the truth - that plan isn't right.

You open your mouth and share confidential information and instantly have a grieved feeling down inside - that is the Spirit of truth telling you the truth- you sinned by saying something you shouldn't have.

By contrast, other things presented will resonate, bear witness, 'feel' right down inside. That is the Spirit of truth saying He agrees with what is said.

You know the Spirit of Truth, but in the traditional church system it's hard to break free from an allegiance to a wrong spirit because meetings are larger with a captive audience. According to the lead paragraph, only about 20% of the people knew immediately not to bow down to the 'apostle' as the 'pastor' had commanded. I spoke with someone in the know about this on Thursday and they said there were about 10,000 people in attendance, and about 8,500 bowed down by their estimation.

I'm sure a good many more knew inside it was wrong, puzzled that their spirit was screaming NO while the 'men of God' commanded such an act, causing their minds and thoughts to swirl. Still, they bowed their knees.

What are the markers? A complicated faith, going after people's money in exchange for 'the anointing', making a larger personal gain off those they minister to, and legalism in whatever form it takes, but according to Paul, linked to serving and esteeming a person higher than Jesus - and that's what leads to 80% or more of a congregation bowing down to an 'apostle'.

Learn to trust the Holy Spirit within you and know the Word free from religion. The best way to do that is to dig into it yourself, and seek out balanced teachers and what they share. These things will give you the tools needed to be able to identify a false minister and provide you with the strength needed to resist the idolatry in a Hollywood Jesus culture.

 

Blessings,
John Fenn
www.ifaithhome.org