A Response to Chris Lyons' Response

A very spiritually discerning friend, and fellow blogger, Landon Chapman, posted an article on the Pulpit and Pen website entitled Christians Attack Their Own In the Name of Love: The Plight of Practicing Biblical Discernment. The purpose of the article was to basically outline the path he has taken from first having his eyes of discernment opened, and being overzealous, to where he is now, a more mature, humble follower of Christ. After posting a link to this article on on his Facebook page, one commenter, by the name of Chris Lyons (of CRN.info) had the following to say, and I will address it point by point.

Landon, this is one of those things where I really have to wonder if you have all that much self-awareness or an understanding of irony. Probably the best way to sum it up would be "Physician, heal thyself." However, I know you are speaking from a place of pain (some real, some imagined), so self-reflection is hard, if not impossible. 

First of all, Lyons is making an assumption here that Landon is speaking from a position of pain. Why is he assuming this? Is there something he knows about Landon's past that could prove to be painful? Just what could this "place of pain" be? Could it be the deception, or the watered down Gospel he heard at his former Church in which Lyons is still a member of? Could this place of pain be Landon's earnest, tireless desperation to get the true Gospel out to those who need to hear it, and expose the enemy of the Word of God. To expose those teachings that lead people to an even more painful place, a place of rejection and eternal separation from God?

Secondly, Landon clearly laid out in his article that he is examining himself, and his motives. Lyon's appears to be taking the same liberal stance of "judge not," while leaving the entire context of the totality of Scripture out of the argument. He cunningly does this by appealing to this assumed "place of pain," while pleading to take on the role of caretaker here, and imagining himself to be the one thinking clearly and providing logic and reason to an otherwise out of control situation.

The biggest issue is that you assume your "discernment" is biblical, and your analysis reasonable. In your case, specifically, you've not really left the "cage stage" and you've eisegeted your own justification.

I don't think Landon "assumes" anything. I think Landon is a cautious student of God's Word, who only seeks to Glorify God. Yet Lyons is hypocritical in his assumption, since he provides no biblical reason of why Landon's discernment is unbiblical. However, Lyons must be unfamiliar with passages such as Romans 16:17-18, Ephesians 5:11, Galatians 1:6-9, Colossians 2:8, Matthew 7:15, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 1 John 4:1, Jude 1:4, etc. etc. etc... or perhaps Lyons takes an allegorical hermeneutic approach to Scripture, and these passages don't really apply to us today, or don't really mean what they say. I'm just assuming.

In general, 99% or more of online "discernment" "ministries" (including, especially, P&P) are neither "discerning", nor "ministries" (in the sense that they are doing anything of substance to further the kingdom of God). They have become tools to divide and attack the Body of Christ over non-primary issues.

I'm glad he is able to come up with these statistics on the fly like that. Wow, 99%, huh. Well Lyons, what exactly do you consider to be a primary issue? Lyons has a misunderstanding of what causes divisions in the Kingdom. It isn't discerning individuals who stand up for the truth, it's false teachers (Romans 16:17) According to Lyons website, his mission appears to be unity among professing Christians, and attacking people who he refers to as "discerners." While the very premise of his argument is that "discerners," like Landon, create divisions among believers by "attacking those whom are already saved," he takes the hypocritical stance of reciprocating the attacks. Except, while Landon's concern is people being led astray, fed a false Gospel that leads someone to Hell, Lyons is more concerned with people standing around holding hands and singing Kumbaya in their descent to Hell.

They mistake "state boundaries" (denominational differences) for "National boundaries" (differences between Christianity and non-Christianity). They mistake "lost sheep" for "goats" and pastors of other flocks as "wolves". They, themselves, are cancers in the Body of Christ, much like the Judiazers in the Acts church (except now, secondary dogmas have replaced circumcision as the argument of choice). 

But the concept that Lyons just can't quite seem to grasp here is that simply because someone claims the name of Christ, doesn't make them Christians. The Biblically exegeted definition of a Christian is someone who is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Lyons doesn't seem to be concerned that other sects, like Catholicism, or the Unification Church,  teach a gospel that is contrary to the Word of God, and lo and behold, if someone biblically-minded, like Landon warns people against these errors, then they are just "cancers in the church." Lyons wants the "discerners" to ignore Ephesians 5:11, and instead, have fellowship with unbelievers, and ignore their grave errors.

They mistake simple homiletic devices for heresy (like with the recent unsubstantiated attacks on Andy Stanley's current sermon series) and have absolutely no understanding of "charitable reading" (a la 1 Cor 13) when hearing something other than a rigid, Reformed exposition. They also mistake the differences, as do you, between people, personalities, and ideas, and seek to "warn" against and "condemn" people, rather than simply ideas. 

"Homiletic devices" like teaching people to come to church and follow Christ's teachings, even without knowing him as your Savior or as the Son of God, so you can have a better life? Why? Just so you can die and go to Hell afterwards? Perhaps Lyons doesn't know that Christ's teachings included him being the Son of God, and the Savior, and apart from him there is no life, but only weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30).

As I said to you, submission isn't submission if you only do it when you agree. And becoming a freelance "discerner" when you don't have the agreement of your own leaders to be a "discerner" for others in your own church, smacks of arrogance, not any sort of "biblical discernment" - even if you are right!

First off, how does Lyons know what the leaders of Landon's local church approve of or not? Has he forgotten that Landon left the heretical, man-pleasing, ear-tickling mega-church, Connection Pointe, to become a part of a bible-based, Gospel-centered church? A church that seeks to please God, rather than man? And, if any church, or local congregation is a true church, then Jesus Christ will be the supreme leader of that church, and the church's authority will be the Word of God, in which Landon's submission to is first and foremost.

Part of the problem, though, is within much of Western Christianity, where we have made the Gospel little more than a viral campaign for fire insurance to no earthly purpose. We decry pragmatism within the church, but we've taken the most pragmatic approach to the Kingdom of God by making it about "saving souls for heaven/from hell someday", when the primary import is stated plainly at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer: Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.

This twisting of theology here just proves Lyon's concern isn't about the eternal salvation of souls, but with making the world a better place to live. Jesus says in Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." The Great Commission of the Church is to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), by preaching the good news of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial atoning death on the Cross. These are the essentials, not unity among false converts and false teachers. Lyons is right that Lord's prayer states the primary import of the Church, but Lyons clearly does not understand the passage he quoted. Does Lyons think that somehow there will be unbelievers in Heaven? God's purpose does not include any unrighteousness in his kingdom, and the only way to be declared righteous is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, by faith in his sacrificial death, and believing that he rose again to conquer death. You must believe the Gospel... the true Gospel, not a false Gospel, otherwise, you are building a false kingdom, on false premises, that lead to a false savior.

I realize you're probably past the point of accepting any advice at this point I your life, but I believe, as do a lot of folks, that you have an incredible amount of potential and an enviable zeal that could be used for the good of the Kingdom, if you would only train your eyes on your own self for now, and leave the "wolf-detection" to the selected shepherds in your own local community, wherever that may be. 

If only you could see that Landon's eyes, by the grace of God, have been opened to the truth, he has now chosen a path of total submission to Christ and his Word. While God disciplines his believers reguarly, those who are not truly saved will ultimately be turned over to their own sinful desires. I would pray for you Chris Lyons, for you to examine your heart, in light of clear teaching of Scripture, through the entirety of Scripture, that you would see Jesus Christ for who he is. He is our holy and righteous judge, yet merciful enough to give his life for us on the cross, and if you don't have the urgency to take this message of truth to all the ends of the world, then what are you in it for? This life is temporary. Eternal life is forever.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

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Andy Stanley: Even if you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you will have a better life by following his teachings

Remember the old days, where churches had steeples and stained glass windows. Remember when there were pews, and a choir that sang edifying hymns to our Lord? Remember those days when people wore suits and ties, and ladies wore dresses and heels, trying to present their best to our God? Remember those days when children used to go to Sunday school classes, and learn the Bible, and families went to service, and the pastor preached a sermon? "Well," says Andy Stanley, "the greatest thing about all of this, is we don't have to do that anymore," he proclaims in his latest sermon, "Brand New." Stanley is making it abundantly clear that he has no qualms about changes that are being made in today's churches, and he's proud of it.

"The things that are holding people back from coming to church are actually the things the church should be letting go of," Stanley says. But what kind of things is he referring to? Could it be things like clear Biblical doctrine about salvation, sin, grace, etc? Could it be a pastoral teaching from the pulpit? Could it be edifying worship to our Lord and Savior? Just exactly what things is the church holding on to that's "hindering growth," according to Stanley?

He goes on to say that in his lifetime, he has never heard anyone say that the reason they don't go to church is because they follow Jesus.


Seriously? Where has his head been? "The Church should be irresistible except for the fact that we love Jesus," he says. But according to Stanley, the Catholic church loves Jesus too. Does this also include Mormons? Jehova's Witnesses? Unrepentant sinners, like Matthew Vines, and others who think living in sin is fine with God?

He goes on to say, "even if you never come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God...or that Jesus is your savior...if you follow his teachings, you will have a better life."




Stanley goes on to proclaim that Church has become resistible to people because of all of the baggage that comes along with it. Baggage like clear doctrine, and traditional, edifying worship. By removing these things that are "holding the Church back," we can now make church attractive to people, and give people a "better life." Much like Joel Osteen, he isn't concerned with the eternal salvation of people's souls, but he wants to give people "their best life now." So lets do away with doctrine that teaches people about sin and repentance, and the merciful loving grace of God. Let's not teach people about the consequences of sin, Hell, but let's just teach people to come in and sing Rock and Roll music, and follow some of the red-letter teachings of Jesus about loving one-another, and people can walk out of here on Sunday mornings fulfilled, have a better life, and perhaps, the pockets of wolves like Andy Stanley will be lined with the dollar bills of these goats.

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You can view the entire "sermon" here.

** UPDATE **

I just wanted to say, that while the majority of people are discerning, and they can easily see the bigger problem here, I have been getting a few nasty (personal) attacks, on Twitter and Facebook, and in comments on other's blog sites, stating that I am taking his words out of context, and misrepresenting him. I've been likened to a "bitter old man" who wants followers more than the truth. I can assure you, that is far from the truth. I want to be abundantly clear that I do not believe these words are taken out of context. I have posted the link to the entire sermon for anyone to watch. I understand that there are those who actually agree with this seeker-friendly theology, and chances are, you will not be convinced. I pray for you folks. But for those who are on the fence, I invite you to study up on the seeker-friendly, seeker sensitive model of the church, and it's grave dangers.

If you believe that church is for outsiders, you have a mistaken view on what the New Testament Church is. The Church, by definition, is the body of BELIEVERS. It is the local church's job to equip the saints to go out into the world to make new disciples. If you are a follower of Christ, you are a member of the Church, and should be a member of a local NT church. However, the seeker-sensitive model of attracting a bunch of goats with Rock and Roll music, light shows, short sermons, and comfortable seats, into a "church" building and teaching them to follow Christ's commandments so they could have a better life is not a church... it's a social club, and a spiritually dangerous one at that.

Here are some links to more information on the seeker-sensitive movement.

GotQuestions? Should a Church Be Seeker Sensitive?

LetUsReason, The Seeker Friendly Church Model

John MacArthur: Seeker Friendly is the New Liberalism

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Russell Moore's ERLC: Change Agents of the United Nations

**Note This article is a follow-up of an article I wrote on Russell Moore and advancing a socialist agenda within the Church. It is not my intention to call into question the personal salvation of anyone in this article, nor to promote any conspiracy theory, but to simply expose the facts as I see them, and to attempt to conclude their effects on the Church. 

It is no doubt that Russell Moore has worked his way up to the top of the largest Protestant denomination in the world, only to promote ecumenism, and UN friendly ideas through the use of his position within the Church. But there is more to it. The Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission as a whole is nothing more than a branch of the United Nations, that is now intertwined with the Southern Baptist Convention, to bring about a change of thought and influence among church-goers.

The ERLC is listed as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) within the United Nations. You might not think this is a big deal, but according to ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31, there is a certain set of criteria that the NGO must meet in order to be granted this status, including:

• The aims and purposes of the organization shall be in conformity with the spirit, purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
• The organization shall undertake to support the work of the United Nations
• [They must] demonstrate that their programme of work is of direct relevance to the aims and purposes of the United Nations

These are just a few of the requirements of an organization to be listed as an NGO of the UN. So what difference does this make? Well, since the agenda of the United Nations is the destruction of independent sovereign countries, the destruction of Biblical Christianity, and the establishment of a one world order, united under a single world religion, one can only assume that the ERLC and it's members are intentionally on board with this plan.

The former President of the ERLC, the same man that unabashedly spent SBC money to build Muslim mosques around the country as part of the Anti-Defamation league's interfaith coalition, Dr. Richard Land's book, "Imagine! A God Blessed America," he portrays Christians as "radical change agents" who are "committed to the common good." We all know that the phrase "common good" is a buzz word for Communitarianism. Richard Land, along with emergent pastor Rick Warren, is also a member of the Fabian Socialist Council on Foreign Relations. In a New York Times article, Richard Land is quoted as saying:

I’ve had some older conservative leaders say: ‘Richard, stop this. You’re going to split the conservative coalition,’

Dr. Land continued.

I say it might split the old conservative coalition, but it won’t split the new one. And if the new one is going to be a governing coalition, it’s going to have to have a lot of Hispanics in it. And you don’t get a lot of Hispanics in your coalition by engaging in anti-Hispanic anti-immigration rhetoric.

In other words, he wants to trade the old conservative coalition for a new, pro-socialist, pro-democratic "conservative" coalition. While he may seem to be interested in maintaining a "moral majority," he doesn't mind doing it at the expense of turning conservatives more moderate or liberal in fiscal policies, which ultimately undermine morality, and he has used his evangelical leadership at the ERLC to do so. So was he successful? Was his retirement from the ERLC a smokescreen for change?

Then there's Al Mohler, a founding fellow of the ERLC's Research Institute, and also Vice Chairman of the ecumenical radio program, and UN NGO Focus on the Family. Al Mohler agrees with Communitarian activist, Jane Jacobs in an article he writes in 2006, that "genuine community" is being destroyed by the construction of "elevated freeways." Jacobs was funded by the globalist organization, the Rockefeller Foundation. Communitarianism naturally results in restrictive laws, such as laws prohibiting certain modes of travel, under the veneer of pollution control. Mohler, being a regular traveler of these "elevated freeways," must consider himself exempt, because of his elite status, from these travel restrictions he would like to see imposed on others for the "good of the community."

The globalists have been attempting to co-opt the Church by infiltrating our seminaries. Dr. Mohler is the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It is the largest seminary in the United States. The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, an ecumenical organization that sets standards of accreditation to seminaries across a variety of denominational lines, including Catholic schools. The organization is also funded by the Rockefellers.

Mohler tends to spend much time associating with other religious groups, like Mormons, on the grounds of saving the country from the decline of moralism. Much like Rick Warren and other Fabian Socialists, Dr. Mohler knows that by influentially undermining the exclusivity of Jesus Christ they are eliminating one of the biggest threats to Marxism. While they speak of Biblical authority on one hand in high regards, their actions much of the time seem to coincide with the agenda of the United Nations. I'm not doubting that Dr. Mohler, as President of the largest seminary in the country, has had a positive, conservative influence on the SBC as a whole, but this tends to be how front organizations work. They tend to speak and act profusely one way, while subtly and/or secretly working on their agenda another way.

Enter Russell Moore. Russell Moore, Dr. Richard Land's replacement, and current president of the ERLC, has been heavy handed when speaking on behalf of the SBC in matters of faith and public policy. He recently came out and said that Christian judges who disagree with the striking down of the same sex marriage ban by a federal judge in the state of Alabama should either uphold the law (affirming same sex marriage), or resign, despite the fact that the decision is against the state's constitution. In other words, civil disobedience has no place among public servants, but it's okay among regular citizens. He is basically saying that you can't be both a Christian, and a public servant, and if you are a public servant, you must check your Christian beliefs at the door, or resign. He is in effect setting up a false dichotomy that can't be found anywhere in Scripture, however, it seems to be perfectly compatible with his globalist agenda.

Globalism is often pushed under the guise of environmentalism, and the UN is one of the biggest players in the league. One of the top agendas of the United Nations is it's Environmental Programme (UNEP). Russell Moore, again, as head of the ERLC which subscribes to the agenda of the United Nations, is also on board with their environmental program, which seeks to regulate and criminalize certain many environmental activities. Moore referred to his home town of Biloxi, MS as an "oil-drenched crime scene" during the accidental gulf oil spill of 2010. He shares some of the same ideas that the UN does when it comes to regulation of environmental activity through fines and fees–activity that by nature could only stifle the economic growth of developed countries, while benefiting only the undeveloped countries. In other words, he supports the redistribution of wealth from developed countries to poor countries–socialism, all while hiding behind the veil of conservative Christianity.

So how can these so-called leaders speak out against socialism, and take a conservative, Christian stance on social and fiscal issues, all while upholding, agreeing with, and promoting the UN's agenda? Is the ERLC simply a front organization for the UN? Are these leaders nothing more than change agents infiltrating the Evangelical church for the purpose of leading believers into the acceptance of a New World Order?

To see how Russell Moore has used his position to advance socialism within the church, click here.

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Ronnie Floyd and Life Action Ministries - Mystics in Disguise

President of Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd, has for some time been known to dabble with questionable theology. He endorses the First Fruits tithing heresy of Robert Morris, and also endorses the contemplative mystic, Mark Batterson and his new age book, the Circle Maker. But another troubling partnership between Floyd and New Age mysticism exists—between him and Life Action Ministries.

Life Action claims to be a ministry that holds "revival" conferences at different churches. According their schedule, it appears to be all Southern Baptist churches. From their website page, "Awaken your heart," they say:

As a ministry, our desire is to see the hearts of God's people awakened and revived! Incredibly, God wants us to experience revival even more than we desire it for ourselves. He has even given us a road map to follow. We pray that these resources will help you discover and travel the pathways that lead to God's heart.

Now, who wouldn't want to discover the "pathways" that lead to God's heart. First and foremost, besides the entire new age theme of their website, the plural word "pathways" insinuates that there is more than one way to God. Do you see the problem here? Is there another pathway to God apart from Jesus Christ? They also teach a method of contemplative prayer, involving being quiet, waiting, sitting still, and listening for that "still quiet voice" of God to give you a specific revelation. They also teach that forgiving someone entails no longer desiring righteous justice or discipline against that person. Another workbook on their website, entitled Draw a Circle, is strikingly similar to Mark Batterson's Circle Maker witchcraft heresy that Floyd endorses. Their promo video for this prayer teaching involves a young man, who has a piece of chalk that keeps "magically" appearing on his Bible. He ultimately ends up reading Hosea 10:12-13 and somehow he gets the idea from these verses that he should be drawing circles around himself, and praying. In this workbook, they say:

It’s a challenge OneCry is issuing to men, women, teens, and even children...It involves a simple piece of chalk. With this piece of chalk, we kneel to draw a circle around ourselves and then look to heaven expectantly, praying, “Lord God, send revival, and begin it right here in this circle!”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Radio Host of Revive Our Hearts women's outreach ministry of Life Action, also endorses these chalk circles. She is known for associating with other contemplative mystics, including Richard Foster and Dallas Willard.

Ronnie Floyd has worked extensively with this ministry in the past. At the 2013 Annual SBC Conference, he partnered with them at a lunch meeting to discuss the subject of "spiritual revival." He asked his audience on his blog before the meeting:

Tuesday at noon: Life Action Ministries has asked me to join three other spiritual leaders over a major lunch meeting to talk about the subject of Spiritual Revival. I look forward to this engaging luncheon as hundreds of Pastors will gather for discussion around this theme. Pray for a mighty visitation from God.

Notice, he didn't say he was joining three other "Christian" leaders, he said "spiritual" leaders. Life Action Ministries' theme appears to be this "spiritual" awakening, a new age, contemplative type of awakening, or a mystic type of relationship with God. They also endorse a type of theology, known as Keswick theology, in which they believe that there are two types of Christians, carnal and sanctified. They believe that the "carnal Christian" needs to be spiritually awakened, and work themselves into a sanctified state. This is remarkably similar to the new age though of awakening your "inner-self" to a higher state of consciousness, and becoming "one with God." LAM also stands on the notion that somehow Satan can takeover the hearts and minds of those who are saved.

The first and worst cause of error that prevails in our day is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgment, and the main handle by which Satan takes hold of Christians to hinder a work of God. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied in vain to heal all other diseases.

Ronnie Floyd's way of thinking appears to be very similar to this group. He believes that churches are filled with lukewarm, complacent "Christians," who are more interested in being promoted in the workplace than evangelizing the lost. While this is very true that our churches are filled with these types of people, the truth of the matter is that these people filling the pews aren't Christians. Carnal Christianity is not Christianity, it's false conversion. Generally speaking, people who have been influenced by Keswick theology may have a testimony like, "I was saved when I was 15, but I surrendered my life to Christ when I was 23." They tend to believe that human free-will is ultimately and separately responsible for starting and stopping the sanctification process. In an interview with Randy Hekman of Life Action, Ronnie Floyd was asked:

You have put out a clarion call to Southern Baptist pastors and members around the nation for a Great Awakening. How are people responding to this call?

And he responded:

...there was real resolve and commitment and understanding that our greatest need is a mighty move of God in this country...We need to strategize and get after reaching the world. The reason we want revival to come to the church, and for the country to be awakened spiritually, is so we can complete the Great Commission...We need fresh power to do that. We need American Christianity to wake up from sleep and get with it to reach the world with the gospel...[we must be committed to] the revival of religion and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom on this earth.

There is no mention of purifying the church of false converts or bad theology, or exposing the evil within the church. As most new-agers, Floyd doesn't believe this exists. What the Bible would describe as a false convert, it appears Floyd would just rationalize them as "less sanctified," and that they would need to become "more sanctified" by making a decision to wake up spiritually.

OneCry, a branch of Life Action ministries regularly praises Floyd for his advancement of "Spiritual Awakening." On January 19, they tweeted:

Every Christian, Pastor, & leader in all denominations should read this bold manifesto from SBC Pres. @ronniefloyd http://t.co/Lrr77WD6mZ
— OneCry (@OneCry) January 19, 2015

I believe that the SBC's association with this group is spiritually dangerous, but it appears to be the direction that this once great denomination is now heading. This slide toward the New Age is nothing new. Ronnie Floyd has prophesied a "Great Awakening," but the Bible predicts a "Great Apostasy." Who are we supposed to stand behind? We should always be praying for the salvation of souls, but should we be praying for something unbiblical? Should we be praying for something to happen when what the Bible predicts will happen, and must happen for the return of Christ, is already happening? Shouldn't we be praying for purification of the Church, salvation for the lost, and Christ's return to be quickened? Instead, it seems that the SBC wants to delve deeper into contemplative prayer, witchcraft and ecumenism.

More Information

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• Will the SBC officially announce their Apostasy at the 2015 Annual Conference?
• Apprising Ministries - Nancy DeMoss turns listeners to Richard Foster
• Sola Sisters - Nancy DeMoss endorcing Chalk Circles? Mercy!
• The Velvet Covered Brick - Prayer Circles

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Russell Moore: Advancing Socialism ''starts with the Church.''

The Southern Baptist's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission's President, Russell Moore, has been very outspoken about the need for the Church to address racism. In fact, the majority of the SBC's leadership has followed him into the this rabbit hole and made dealing with racism their personal mission, as well as one of the official missions of the SBC. Additionally, the SBC hosted a "Racial Reconciliation Sunday," in which a sermon outline, by Philip Bethancourt of the ERLC was to be preached at local churches. Thankfully, most Gospel centered churches, including mine, did not take this bait and run with it.


There appears to be an agenda within the ERLC, and Socialist Democrat, Russell Moore, who believes in a such thing as "Christian white supremacy," is leading the cause. I am not truly convinced that Moore knows what a Christian is, at least what a Biblical Christian is. Moore has been using the unfortunate cases involving Michael Brown and Eric Garner to promote his Racial Reconciliation Agenda. He has made it clear that what he wants to happen in America, must first take place in the Church. But his idea for racial reconciliation in the Church is very similar to Affirmative Action. In fact, it's nearly identical. His suggestions for promoting racial reconciliation in the church  is basically integrating a bunch of goats together at a dinner table, and working out their differences. He wants blacks and whites to set aside their differences and try to understand eachother. He believes that blacks are unjustly targeted by white cops simply because of their skin color. He wants whites to "try to understand" why blacks feel victimized by cops, and try to rationalize illegal behavior as a societal problem, rather than a personal responsibility problem. As I have mentioned before, this is antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and if you aren't transformed by the Gospel, and you hold to any form of racism, or self exaltation, then you are not a Christian, and no matter how much integration you do with others, talk with others, or try to understand others, the social gospel is not going to change your heart. Moore's bid is nothing more than an attempt to make a political change by introducing and normalizing social welfare among church-goers and seeking to bring them on board with Socialist Democratic ideas.

Russell Moore has long ties to the Democrat party, and in fact, he "still claims the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party as his home." Moore has worked extensively with the Democrat party in the past, and has exalted the highly socialist U.S. Congressman Gene Taylor as "one of the greatest public servants I have ever known." Moore's only opposition to the Democratic party appears to be the fact that it is pro-choice, while Moore is, thankfully, pro-life. Now that Moore has infiltrated the largest Protestant denomination in the world, and worked his way to a relatively highly influential leadership position, he has been able to gather many followers and supporters within. Many of his supporters now include President of the SBC, Ronnie Floyd, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Danny Akin, his own Vice President, Philip Bethancourt, and many other influential leaders and pastors in the convention, including , Tony Evans, Thabiti Anyabwile, H.B. Charles, Dan Darling, Mike Cosper, Matthew Hall, and many more.

Tony Evans, a Democrat party sympathizer, tends to agree with Moore on his political motivations. Evans believes that Americans need to "grieve and repent over slavery." Though he never really comes out right and says exactly what he means by repent, he seems to be insinuating that most Americans still believe that slavery wasn't unjust. So what exactly does Evans want Americans to do to "repent" of slavery? America has put in to place a multitude of social welfare, wealth redistribution programs that benefit blacks. Does he want more restitution? Perhaps we will find out when he speaks at the 2015 summit.

Another speaker, Thabiti Anyabwile, says, "I stand with the protestors[sic] because they better demonstrate what genuine faith looks like." What genuine faith is he referring to? The burning down of buildings of innocent store owners? The millions of dollars worth of collateral damage caused by the protesters? The assault and robbery by Michael Brown's mother on some of the other protesters in Ferguson? Civil disobedience is not faith, it's a Communist, Saul Alinsky-style of action to effect some type of political change, and apparently Anyabwile sympathizes with them.

Mike Cosper, Pastor of Worship and Arts at Soujourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, and staunch promoter of "white privilege" preached to his congregation "that churches are segregated today because white Christians failed to welcome and acknowledge the full humanity of their black brothers and sisters long ago." This is total nonsense. Again, if you have anyone claiming to be a Christian that doesn't recognize the full humanity of any person made in the image of God, they are not a Christian. The deeper issue here is not convincing them of someone else's humanity, or working through differences, it's that this person is a sinner who needs to repent, and believe the Gospel. "White privilege" is nothing more than another socialist/communist concept that portrays blacks as being victims of white supremacy, and helpless without government social welfare programs. In reality, these programs only enslave their victims even more by making them dependent on government programs that ultimately cannot treat the root cause of the problem—sin.

So now that Russell Moore has stacked his speaking schedule at the ERLC 2015 summit with like-minded Socialists and sympathizers, he now has a large influential pedestal to trumpet his socialist agenda within the Church. Having the President of the SBC, Ronnie Floyd, on board with him only stands to reinforce him. Ronnie Floyd regularly tells pastors what they should preach from the pulpit, generally to advance some point or idea of his, and stands on the notion that God told him to do so. Sadly, many pastors go along with him.

Moore is well known for compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ to promote an ecumenical social and political gospel. He has joined hands with the unbelieving Catholic Church on a number of occasions to promote a social gospel of marriage (though he's now calling for judges to uphold gay marriage, or resign), as well as a social gospel of pro-life. While these are good things to promote, Moore is not doing this in a biblical manner—by being salt and light in darkness, calling unbelievers to repentance. He is advancing a social political agenda among conservative church-goers, regardless of their beliefs, and treating them all like brothers and sisters in Christ, whether or not they really are, and using the visible church as a pedestal to effect political change. I believe this issue is really going to heat up in March at the 2015 ERLC Leadership Summit.


***See Follow-up Article Here: Russell Moore's ERLC: Change Agents of the United Nations

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Andy Stanley: Pope Francis Opens His Eyes to the Presence of the Lord

Megachurch pastor, Andy Stanley, of North Point Community Church gives his congregation an "improv" of Pope Francis, suggesting that Pope Francis will someday die to be with our Lord, Jesus Christ. "After I go to be with the Lord, when I open my eyes in the presence of Jesus..." he says, improvising a statement from the pope. What do you think? Does Andy Stanley believe the Pope's Gospel is the same as the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and will some day get him to heaven?

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The Devil's Old Manifesto: Enter the New Age

"I don't think I'm evil," she says, irritated that she is being pressed on her beliefs. "The heart of man is not wicked, and being taught that will definitely keep you from seeking it." She goes on to say that God has given us an "inner compass," and that we are not encouraged to follow it, because of religious beliefs. This was a conversation I had with my beloved mother not too long ago. She has come to the conclusion that human beings are not inherently evil, and therefore, do not need a savior. What Christians would view as evil is generally rationalized as illusory, or ignorance, and not the fault of humankind.According to her belief system, all we have to do is get in touch with our inner "God," and we can move on to the next level of consciousness—Christ-consciousness. God is in us, God is us. We can become one with God, a God who is an unconscious, impersonal, creative force, in which manifests itself in nature and material, and various gods throughout history. 

This is the typical thought process of those who have been seduced and indoctrinated by the New Age. But is this really a "new" concept? Satan has been using this line of deception since the beginning of creation. When God created Adam and Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden, he told them that they could eat from any tree, except for one. God told them that their disobedience to him, the fulfillment of their selfish desires, would cause them to die. But the serpent beguiled them into trying to find satisfaction apart from God, and they disobeyed and ate. Satan told them that God wasn't being truthful with them, and that by eating the fruit, they would become like God himself, that eating of the fruit wasn't evil, but good, and that God was trying to hide this "truth" from them. This lie in the Garden forms the basis of all false religious systems today, including the New Age.

This seduction into this esoteric (hidden) knowledge is central to most cults, Eastern mystic religions, and the New Age.  This idea that man is becoming God, is God, or God is in man is taught in Hinduism, Taoism, and even Roman Catholicism, a false religious system masquerading as Christianity. Even Buddhism and Atheist religions to a certain extent teach a type of humanistic self-worship. This concept is known as pantheism. As part of this teaching, evil is usually said not to exist or is rationalized as ignorance, caused by evil spirits rather than man, and should be warded off using mystical means. It's also taught to be part of a dualistic oneness composed of good and evil, a Yin and Yang, so that in reality there is no good or evil, just opposing equal forces. But the Bible teaches that evil is sin, a rebellion against God the creator, a pursuit of satisfaction apart from him (Matthew 5:19, Proverbs 8:13, John 3:19-20, John 8:44, 1 John 3:8).

Sadly, even prominent Evangelicals are dabbling in this divination. Rick Warren is probably one of the most well known Evangelical pastors of today, yet his ministry tends to lead people into the practice of forbidden things. He encourages the use of Breath Prayers in his book, The Purpose Driven Life (pp. 89, 299) and on his web site, Pastors.com, contemplatives Richard Foster, Philip Yancey, Charles Stanley and many more are recommended. He has had well known New Age sympathizer Leonard Sweet train pastors at his church, and another in Atlanta in 2008. Other prominent Evangelicals that practice divination, and claim to channel direct revelations from God are Matt Chandler, Beth Moore, Mark Driscoll and Steven Furtick (2 Peter 2:1). Yoga is now regularly practiced in many Evangelical churches and accepted as normal (2 Timothy 3:5).

The creative force, or principle, the God of the New Age who has deceived so many is generally believed to be unrelational, that is, it doesn't deal directly with it's creation, or "manifestation," and that the various gods, or ascended masters are responsible for the relations with creation. God is not a conscious being, and cannot be known. As part of this philosophy, man can achieve his own "god-hood" by following the paths of these god-manifestations and by simply becoming aware of your inner-god. When one becomes aware of his own inner-self, he becomes one with God. This is also a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church:

460 The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature":78 "For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."79 "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God."80 "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods."81

Image of the False 'New Age Jesus'

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ became man so that man can become God. This brings us back to the original lie of the serpent, that we can be God. This is the same concept that the New Age religion teaches. It teaches that Jesus Christ, among others like Buddah, Krishna, Muhammed, etc., were all teachers who had achieved their god-hood by becoming aware of their inner-self, and becoming one with the divine, impersonal creative force.

However, the practical methods of achieving this self-awareness is subjective, and is accomplished in a multitude of ways. Among the easiest of these ways is through the use of hallucinogenic drugs. This is typically an introductory way of achieving an altered state of consciousness that leaves the user curious, and longing for more. Some of the more advanced techniques, however, require much practice and self control, and involve the use of meditative techniques, such as Yoga. When entering into these altered states of consciousness, the person will usually have an euphoric spiritual experience, which leads them to believe that they have uncovered some kind of spiritual truth. But this "truth" is a deception. What New Agers fail to realize is that even the human desire for hidden knowledge is a result of our fallen state.

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." This isn't because God is trying to hide good things from us, he is simply protecting us. He knows that the spiritual realm is filled with demons who want our souls. This is why he tells us to stay away from practicing divination or other spiritual paths that he has allowed (Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Leviticus 19:31, 2 Kings 21:6). It is our natural desire as sinful human beings to try to find fulfillment outside of God, and guess who's there to exploit our sin? Satan.

Satan knows that our fallen hearts are deceitful, and wicked, and he will never miss an opportunity to pounce on that. Satan desires the worship of humans and will do anything to get that. The Bible says that Satan masquerades around as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). Satan has created an entire world full of religious systems that are devoted to worshiping him. One of the common beliefs between all of the world's religious systems, including Buddhism and the New Age is that there will come another "Christ," known as the Maitreya, who will lead the world into the Age of Aquarius. The general consensus among the followers of this religion is that we are on the verge of this right now, and this Maitreya is actually already living in the world right now, waiting to be called out by his people. He is allegedly making private appearances to people, and performing miracles. But the Bible teaches that this Maitreya is the Antichrist. The bible says about the antichrist:

He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. - Revelation 13:13-14

After the rapture, those left on the earth will be conditioned to believe in the lying signs and wonders he performs. He will perform a fake resurrection, which will bring awe to the world, and since the world has rejected the true Savior, Jesus Christ, they will readily accept Satan's substitute, the Antichrist, and the world will worship him.

5And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,a that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.b And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. - Revelation 13:5-8

So many people have been deceived into believing the lie, and unfortunately many will take this lie to their grave. This is exactly where the Devil wants you; he wants you to believe that you are a good person, and that you don't need a savior. He wants you to believe that Christianity is a dark force that tries to keep you from following your "good" heart. He wants you to trust in your self, rather than in Christ Jesus, because he knows that Christ Jesus is the only true path to eternal life.

7Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 or the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

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Hey, don't judge me with that log in your eye!!!

One of the longest lived accusations against us Christians is that we are judgmental. It's true, however, we are, and often we are hypocritical in our censure, and we are condescending and degrading towards others that disagree with us. We are intolerant, bigoted and unwavering, and often come off as hateful towards them. So many times we are met with the parroted reverberations of Scripture taken out of context to try to disincline us from continuing in our beliefs and behaviors. Verses like Matthew 7:1,

Judge not, that you be not judged.

or,  Matthew 7:5,

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

These verses are favorites among the anti-Bible crowd, they like to try to use our own Scriptures, you know, the ones they don't believe, against us. But is this really what these verses are trying to tell us? How can we reconcile verses that appear to be telling us to be tolerant against the entire theme of the Biblical Gospel, which is to call people to repentance and faith? Calling people to repentance is absolutely foundational to the Christian faith (Hebrews 6:1). The unbeliever thinks that Christians should just concern themselves with helping others, loving others, feeding the hungry, clothing and sheltering the poor, and these are certainly things we should be doing, but a man can go to Hell on a full stomach. If we aren't calling people to repentance, we are being disobedient to Jesus' command.

But these passages are obviously in Scripture for a reason; so what are they telling us? Well, if you view this passage in it's proper context, which is Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount, we can make more sense of it. Up to this point, he's talked about the beatitudes, being salt and light, the relationship of the law of Moses to the New Covenant in himself. He gave examples of unrighteousness, and talked about inward righteousness, alms giving, prayer and fasting. He talked about social ethics, materialism and anxiety and trust. Which then brings us to this final part, social relationships, of which not judging others is a major theme.

Now, the Scribes and the Pharisees were the religious influence at the time. They stood, in opposition to Jesus as fulfillment of the law, as purveyors of the law. Their social and religious influence was widespread among the Jews, and Jesus was preaching to them a different idea, a different way of thinking about the law, in contrast to the norm, which was full and total submission to the law. See, the Pharisees and the Scribes in many ways had been twisting Scripture in their own times, to promote a false religious system back then too. They taught, much like the Roman Catholic church of today teaches, that we achieve salvation through good works, and obedience to the law.

What Jesus was in effect saying to them was to stop criticizing every aspect of everyone in accordance to the law. That is not why the law was given. The law was never given as a means of salvation, but as a light to shine on our unrighteousness, so that we could see ourselves as sinners in need of a savior. Jesus didn't come to save the righteous, but the condemned (Luke 5:32). Without condemnation, there can be no salvation. So he wasn't telling us not to call people to repentance, or not to tell other people that their sins are killing them, and sending them to Hell (Romans 6:23). This is the essence of the Gospel for us to do this.

People must know that they are sinners in order to see themselves in need of a savior. Those who believe themselves to be righteous, or believe that obedience to the law, as did the Scribes and Pharisees, are lying to themselves, and sending themselves to Hell (Romans 3:10). Those who believe that Jesus was here to show us the way, or that going to church just means "hanging out with your buddy, Jesus" are believing a lie. Jesus wasn't telling Bible-believing Christians not to make people aware of their sins, he was telling the unbelievers that their judgement against others was misplaced, misappropriated, and blatantly hypocritical. They were hypocritical not because the law they were preaching was necessarily wrong, but because they were not believers themselves, or didn't understand the proper purpose of the law, and calling people to repentance. Moreover, as condemned sinners themselves, in God's eyes, they were just as guilty as anyone else, even though they lived their lives trying their hardest to be obedient to the law. They just weren't good enough. Their good deeds were like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), because they did not surrender to Christ.

Only once you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ alone, do you have any kind of standing to "judge" others. But it's not your own judgement that you are to judge others by, it's the judgement of God. God is the ultimate judge, and we are only proclaiming his judgment. It's only by the word of God that we can proclaim this judgment, and doing so on our own terms, and by standing on our own righteousness to proclaim it is absurdly hypocritical. However, we must continue to proclaim the truth that all are sinners and fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23), and that the only way to be saved is to repent of our sin (Luke 13:3-5), meaning, to change our mind, our attitudes, and our perspective on sin, and to see it for what it is, an evil abomination in God's eyes, and to turn our faith in Christ alone for the fulfillment of God's law, and our salvation (Gal 2:21). But the essential to this truth is that one must see himself as unrighteous, and condemned, before the throne of God before he can be saved. If one doesn't see himself this way, they cannot be saved.

So next time an unbeliever throws one of these verses at you in response to you trying to share the Gospel with them, kindly respond back to them that you are not the one judging them, but God has already judged them:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. - John 3:18

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T.D. Jakes: God's Grace is Like ''Supply and Demand''

Word of Faith preacher, Bishop T.D. Jakes, of the Potter's House in Dallas, TX, proclaims that God is at the mercy of our appetite, and our hearts, to do his will. In opposition to Romans 9:15-16 where it says

for he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

He goes on to say "you can't teach someone who ain't looking, you can't draw an illustration for somebody who won't watch, and "that we are at the mercy of the appetite of the people....and so is God."  He goes on to proclaim that "as strong and as powerful as God is, he is at the mercy of our hunger.

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Don't Ask That in Church!

Do you ever feel sidelined at your church? Everyone going about their business, actively participating in programs, teaching Sunday School classes, men's groups, women's groups, kid's activities, you name it. You want to be involved, but you have that feeling in you, that you can't share what you want to talk about, or bring up your thoughts or ideas, because nobody else gets it. Do you feel like you can't bring up certain subjects to your pastor, or your Sunday School teacher, because they just brush it aside? It's because they either don't understand it, don't think it's important, or are just flat out uncomfortable getting into it.

You faithfully go to church every Sunday, go to your class, and it seems like every day, it's the same mundane, cursory lessons. Constantly going over the basics—the milk. You've tried changing classes, more than once, but you just can't seem to get into a group that's interested in the meat. Lessons seem to be selectively simple, picking out passages that repeat the same basic, entry-level Christian concepts. Subjects like sharing the Gospel with others, loving one another, sin and repentance, living our daily lives as a witness, etc. Not that these aren't important topics, don't get me wrong, the Gospel is by far the most important topic. But as a general rule, if you're a born again Christian, you should already know the Gospel.

So why is it when you bring up for example, eschatology, the topic usually gets dismissed with a nice smile and a "that's a lesson for another day" type response, but then it never happens? Why can't we bring up and discuss topics such as the Antichrist, end times prophecy, false teachers, the New World Order and the harlot Church, that's being built right before our eyes? Everyone just wants to act like there's nothing going on, and just get on with their daily lives. But it's eating away inside some of us, who really need to be able to talk about these things with other Christians—other Christians who share the same interests on an intellectual level, and really want to dive deep into it. We want to know who the Nephilim are, and do they still exist today. We want to talk about how the Papacy relates to the New World Order, and how false teachers in our churches and denominations are helping to build this world system. We want to discuss topics like "who was Melchizedik," was he actually pre-incarnate Jesus, or just a type of Christ? What about freemasonry in the church? Don't you know that freemasonry is a Luciferian cult, and it's running rampant within both the Evangelical as well as Catholic church? What about the Jesuits, and their influence on the Evangelical church. Why is this never talked about? What about the Serpent Seed theory? This is a heresy that seems to be gaining vast popularity, but try asking your Sunday School teacher about that one. Chances are, he's probably never heard of it. Why don't we talk about how the New Age cults have managed to creep their old pagan ideas into the Church, and transform the church into a speeding vehicle for apostasy? Most of our church members have no idea what type of eastern mystic Satanic pillars are behind practices like Yoga or Contemplative Prayer, yet these are things that just aren't talked about. In many cases, these things are subtly promoted through false teachers like Beth Moore, Ann Voskamp and Tim Keller, within even the best of Bible-believing churches, simply because people aren't discerning, or just don't take the time to do any of the research. Why? Because most people are comfortable where they are.

When my (at the time, Catholic) wife and I first (re)started coming to our church a few years ago, my wife asked our Sunday School teacher (and deacon), in a Southern Baptist Church mind you, why Baptists don't baptize babies, and why they only baptize adults. His response, paraphrased: "I think it's because the the Bible requires it for church membership, and it's because Jesus commanded us to." Well, you can imagine how my wife took that response "seriously." It was at that time I knew we needed to find another class right away, in which we did, and eventually her questions were answered, and she was saved after hearing the Gospel preached by a faithful teacher. Nonetheless, even the most faithful of these teachers have their limits, and still won't seem to touch these outer edges. It's a sad state when Christians have to turn to internet forums and groups to get their spiritual meat.

We recently did a course in my church on Wayne Grudem's book, "Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know." Well, basic was definitely the right word. It was so basic, so boring that I couldn't hardly hold my eyes open during the class. And this was the advanced "Pastor's class." I don't want to make it sound like the pastors at my church are intellectually inferior in any way, trust me, they aren't. But it seems like the general consensus is that the members in the church need this basic milk, which is probably true, but there just isn't enough interest to set aside classes or groups for members who need more. But I know I can't be the only one longing for that, there must be others. But I just can't seem to find them. Everywhere I go, people are just so satisfied with where they are spiritually, and aren't longing for that meat.

The fact is, in most churches, intellectual Christians get shunned, they don't fit in, and many ultimately end up leaving the church altogether. If a Christian doesn't feel like they are being spiritually fed, and can't find a place to be spiritually fed, this is a problem. I'm not talking about unbelievers who deny the Gospel, and deny Christ. I'm talking about true, born again Christians, who have serious questions, and want to be spiritually fed on a deep level. They long for understanding, acceptance, and validation, but just can't seem to get that in church. But God gave us an entire Bible full of commands to seek out and study a vast array of topics, including what most would consider fringe topics. God created us in his image, with an intellect and a need to share in relationship with others. He gave us his Word, the Bible, with the basic essential doctrinal topics clearly laid out for us, but he also gave us the other, not-so-clear topics so that we could exercise our intellects, and get to know Him better. It keeps us focused on him, interested in him, and close to him. I believe that's why he reveals himself that way. It keeps us longing for more of him, and for some of us, much much more.

According to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there 1,817 prophecies in the Bible contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. There are 31,124 verses in the Bible, making prophecy approximately 27 percent of the Bible. Now, how often do we study prophecy in the Church? Hardly any, especially prophecies that haven't been fulfilled yet. Without study, and clear teaching and understanding of these prophecies from solid Bible teachers, pastors and elders in our churches, this opens the door for false teachings to take over. That's the problem, there are more false teachers teaching prophecy than solid Bible teachers, and this is where people are getting their spiritual meat. The solid teachers are just telling people to stay away from the subject, and not to worry about it. But the Bible says otherwise. The very fist passage, verse 3 of the Book of Revelation says "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." So why aren't our pastors reading and teaching it out loud? Why aren't we studying this in Sunday School classes? Why aren't students being taught these subjects in seminaries? Why don't more Christians care? Unfortunately, I think part of the problem people don't take it seriously is because they don't truly believe it, but also for many more, they just don't get it. Sadly, our teachers are robbing God's people of the blessed hope by ignoring it.

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, - 2 Peter 1:19

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Evangelicals: Fornicating with the Harlot

There is no doubt that the word "evangelical" doesn't mean the same thing it used to mean. The word is used to describe almost anyone who says the name "Jesus" these days. Mormons are referred to as Evangelicals, as are Jehova's Witnesses, and other unBiblical sects like the New Apostolic Reformation. There is even a growing movement within the Roman Catholic church today calling themselves evangelicals. But I believe this to be a deceitful tactic of Rome to continue in their centuries long war against the Word of God, and the Protestant Reformation.

Evangelicals used to be a small minority. They were the ones who preached the Word of God from the Bible, and took that truth to all the nations, standing against the enemies of the Gospel. Now that the word "evangelical" encompasses a multitude of religious sects and cults, evangelicals can be considered the majority among the visible church. When I say "visible church," I'm not referring to born again believers, who proclaim their salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. I'm referring to anyone who claims to be Christian, including Roman Catholics. Sadly, the true Evangelical church are embracing many of these others as brothers in Christ. I'm beginning to believe that they are no longer doing this inadvertently, and that they know exactly what they are doing. I believe they are holding hands with the Beast of Revelation, and that they are helping to build the Harlot Church as described in Revelation 17.

Described in Revelation 17 is a great harlot, who makes war with the lamb (Rev 17:15). Lets break down this chapter and see if we can identify who this whore is.

• She sits on many waters—that is, many multitudes of peoples, nations and tongues. She has power and influence over these people (Rev 17:1,150.
• She fornicates with the kings and leaders of the nations of the world (Rev 17:2). This figuratively means that this woman "cheats" on the true God, and worships false Gods, not necessarily literal sexual fornication.
• She sits upon a scarlet-colored beast (Rev 17:3). This is representative of the blood of the saints (Rev 17:6). She sits on top of this, and prides herself over it.
• Full of names of blasphemy (Rev 17:3). She has given herself a multitude of blasphemous titles. Titles that should belong to God, or that she is not worthy of holding. (e.g. His Holiness, and Vicar of Christ)
• Has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 17:3). This represents the ten individual kingdoms (European nations) of the empire in which she controls from atop the seven hills she sits upon. Rome, since ancient times, has been known as the "City of Seven Hills."
• She is adorned in purple and scarlet, gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls (Rev 17:4). What religious entity can you think of that decks itself out with these priceless things?
• She holds in her hand a golden cup, full of abominations of uncleanness and of her whoredom (Rev 17:4). She carries with her, and proclaims daily, in the name of Christ, these abominations and blasphemous rituals.
• Written upon her forehead was a name written: "Secret, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whores, and the Abominations of the earth" (Rev 17:5). In other words, all of the other whores, false churches and religious cults, and blasphemous entities are spawned by this mother-whore, and ultimately, they all answer to her.

What can we conclude from this? All roads lead to Rome, right? Well, unfortunately, many of our so-called evangelicals are assimilating with this image. Rome has been the ancient enemy of the Gospel, since it's inception. It started with Pagan Rome, to what we have now, "Christian" Rome. But I argue that it's still Pagan Rome, only disguised as Christian. For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, right? (2 Cor 11:14). Rome has been working to discredit and counter the Protestant reformation for centuries. But many evangelicals either don't understand this and are deceived themselves, or they are actively working with the mother whore to deceive people. There are quite a few on both sides of this aisle, but they are both flirting with this whore. 

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the world, and once the strongest and soundest to Biblical doctrine, has now become apostate. The sad state of the SBC is appalling to many, yet those who are in charge are lending a deaf ear. We have the president of the SBC, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, leading us into a New Age way of thinking about the future of the church, and promoting New Age materials on his blog while preaching false doctrine from his pulpit.  We have the president of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission as well as well known "pastor" of Saddleback Social Club, Rick Warren, watering down the Gospel and fellowshipping with Catholics at the Vatican. Russell Moore parading down the street with unbelievers, pretending they are brothers and sisters in Christ, giving them a false sense of hope, all for political and social gain. Russell Moore even thinks it's okay for Christians to celebrate homosexuality at the reception of a gay wedding, as long as we don't attend the gay wedding itself. Lifeway Bookstores, the publishing branch of the Southern Baptist Convention, is peddling more heresy now than almost any other bookstore, secular or Christian in nature, all for monetary gain.

Other so-called mega-church pastors, like Joel Osteen, are now the face of the Evangelical church. Joel Osteen has been preaching damnable heresies for years, never once calling his millions of fans to repentance, which is required for salvation. The 700-club with Pat Robertson and Cindy Jacobs promotes the false teachings and lies of the New Apostolic Reformation. Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC has spent multi-millions upon millions of dollars to build state of the art social clubs all around the area, leading hundreds of thousands, if not millions, into apostasy. Heretic James Robison, (who hosts SBC's vision-from-God-receiving and ecumenical Beth Moore's weekly program), claims he was "so moved by the Gospel message of the pope, that he asked the translator for a high five."

What does this say to these people? It says, "don't worry, the sin you're caught up in is okay, God loves you anyways, you don't need to turn away from it.... we're brothers and sisters in Christ anyways." There is no clear biblical truth being taught in our churches anymore, as once was the stronghold of the Evangelical Church. We used to stand on this Biblical truth, and proclaim it without shame. When our leadership is too weak to call false religions to repentance, and decide to stand with them instead, they are by default working to build the harlot church. They are working to fill the golden cup of abominations. They are serving their idols and worshiping their gods. God tells us in Revelations 18:4-5 "Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities." If we are participating in these activities with false churches, we are partaking in their sins. 

We are called to stand apart from this sin, calling sinners to repentance, not indulge in it. Why don't these mainstream "evangelical" figures understand this? I think they do. I think they are knowingly, and purposely working against the Gospel. If you believe and fear the Word of God, you must be obedient to it. But they are not. They openly reject the commands of God, giving him the finger, and saying "I'll do this my way." Sadly, man's way leads to Hell (Prov. 14:12). Russell Moore must know this. Joel Osteen must know this. Beth Moore, James Robison, Cindy Jacobs, and all of these other false teachers out in Evangeland... they MUST know this, yet they continue to flip God off, never facing their criticism. They one one hand speak truth, perhaps occasionally preaching sound doctrine, and then on the other hand mix in error, teaching lies, and living in ungodly ways, which is the tactic of Satan to lead people astray. I hate to say it, but these are the people that are working in the spirit of Antichrist, fornicating with the mother of harlots, and building the one world religion of the Beast. They need to be tested

"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." - 1 John 4:1-6

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