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Sometimes I really regret clicking on links on the Internet. As I was replying to the comments made in my blog, "The Problem Of Evil - Part 3", I noticed that at the top of the page reserved for Ads by Google, what looked like an interesting link. It was entitled "Why do bad things happen? In painful times, how do you reconcile them with God's will?" "Wow! I thought another opportunity to read and learn more about God's Word!" Without thinking, or looking carefully, I clicked on the link and found myself on an impressive looking WEB page for "The New Church".
The problem was that when I began to read, alarm bells began sounding immediately. Firstly, there was not a single Scriptural reference. Second, even though everything that was said sounded wonderful and there was even some truth in what was being said, I could not help but detect a ring of falsehood in them. This caused me to click on the link on their site outlining their beliefs. Once more, the words were sweet and savory. There were elements of truth there but there was also a terrible darkness. In order that I do not misquote them, the following is a direct copy and paste from their site:
I know that some here think I am an alarmist or a raving fundamentalist and that I come down too hard on those who teach falsely and I can understand why -- sometimes I tend to come across too strongly - it is something I must let the Holy Spirit to work on. Nevertheless, God's TRUTH is inviolate and we live in perilous times and we MUST recognize the perils. If I am a fundamentalist, so be it, the humour of the situation is that fundamentalists think I am too liberal and liberals think I am too conservative. Guess I will never find a home in either camp. No matter, my home is in Christ and I would prefer to be known as a Christ follower and let that stand for ill or good.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Satan does not come to us in the form of a horrific being with horns and hoofs, a pointed tail breathing fire and venomous fumes. Demons do not take the form of grotesque beings, drooling and salivating green puss. These are Hollywood constructions. Satan and his minions were once exalted angels, beautiful and fair. It is not their exterior form that should frighten us, it is the venom of their hearts and the intent of their minds. Evil comes with smiling faces and soothing words, it appears in gentle forms bearing gifts, all sugar and spice and everything nice laced liberally with poison.
Dearly beloved, we do not have to go looking for false prophets and teachers, we do not have look far afield, they come looking for us. They appear in ads on Christian sites, they are in our churches and our dioceses, our sanctuaries, they could stand behind pulpits and they can live in our parishes and parsonages. That is why the Lord calls them "wolves in sheep clothing". How do we recognize them? Let me use this particular example as a guide.
- They will disguise themselves behind faces of piety, lacing their lies with truth, often using Scripture. This particular organization declares that they believe that Christ is God come in the form of a man. They use truth but they will just ever so slightly distort that truth to divert us from God. This particular organization does just that. Note that while they acknowledge Christ and his life and death, nothing is spoken about His resurrection. Instead of declaring Salvation through the cross, repentance, and accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, they teach that what Jesus won for us is to restore "the freedom to choose between good and evil, thus saving the human race". Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 1 ... any teaching that does not place the finished work of Christ on the cross and His victorious resurrection on the top of their beliefs must be suspect! Did Jesus have to win our right to choose between good and evil? Heck no!! If you have read my previous blogs, you will see that that right was granted to us from the very beginning of creation. The problem is NOT that we could not choose, the problem is that we did and chose sin over God!
- They may claim some exalted position either as having been divinely inspired or having a status equivalent to prophets or Apostles. All will claim some other revelation, either in person or in writing as inspired by God, elevating these to a status, if not above, then equal to Scripture and the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what happens in the teaching of this organization: They say that "in order to bring the light of truth to the world, God came again. However, this time He did not appear in human form. He came as a new body of revelation given to us through the works of Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century scientist and theologian. Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 2 God came again not in human form but in someone or something else? God is here!! Alive in the Holy Spirit, Alive seated on the right hand of the Father! Anyone or anything that makes similar claims must be suspect straight away!! Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 3. Any teaching or anyone who claims divine inspiration and elevates themselves to the status of prophet or apostle must be suspect! Here is where it gets sticky, everyone who seeks to preach or teach will seek God's guidance and inspiration, the key thing to note is elevation and exaltation of anything or anyone above God and the Word of God. There are people today running around calling themselves healers, prophets and apostles, be very wary when you come across them. It betrays a deep spiritual pride regardless of outward appearance and demeanor. Some may say, "Hey I know so-and-so who does not call himself a prophet or an apostle, it is his followers who do." My answer to that is that any true follower of Christ would stop their followers from doing that dead in their tracks and he would tell his followers to quit following him and run after Christ instead. I know the danger that this involves. On those rare occasions where I have delivered a good sermon or written something worthy, I have people praising me and it scares the living daylights out of me because I know how pride prowls like a lion just outside my heart. That is why in all that I do, say, and write, I keep urging that we look to the Lord, seek the Holy Spirit, and study the Word of God for ourselves. Why? Because nothing I or anyone do, say, or write can compare with the Holy Spirit and the Bible.
- They will claim exclusive knowledge of God and His Word over all others. This organization claims that through the writings of one man they hold secrets that no one else have uncovered before. "New Christianity possesses an unprecedented depth of understanding about God, the inner meanings of the Bible, and life after death." Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 4 The Word of God is given freely to all, His Holy Spirit is freely available to all, there is nothing hidden that we cannot uncover for ourselves without diligent study and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord may reveal and teach through pastors and writings of Godly men but you will notice that none who are preaching, teaching, or writing truly will ever claim that what they preach, teach, or write is exclusive to them. Exclusive and special knowledge ... that is the warning sign. My brother billyb gives it it correct theological name gnosticism.
- They will make claims that sound wonderful but are not Scriptural. This organization claims, "All religions have goodness in them. There are many paths to the heaven. Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 5 What I will say next will offend many but that is bogus. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" John 14:6. There is only ONE way to salvation and hence heaven and it is by the blood of our risen Saviour. Many think that Satan only deceives with moral evil, I am telling you that Satan is just as pleased if you sell all you have, shave your head, wear simple robes and sandals, and do good works and kind deeds all your life. As long as you do not acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour, Satan has won! Yes Satan corrupts and yes, he perpetuates evil, but all these he does to elevate himself over God and as long as you are worshiping anything but the true God, he has won. What am I saying? Let me be blunt, anything other than Christianity are institutions of the devil. There, I said it and I stand by it. (LOL just in case, do any of you know of a good safe house in case a price is put on my head?)
- They will prey on your deepest hopes and desires. This organization says, "Heaven is for everyone", "There will be no 'last judgment'", and "Marriage can last forever." Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 6. This is what we all want to believe: no one wants to see their loved ones go to hell; we all dread the judgment of God; and we all want to be with our marriage partners in eternity. Scripture tells us otherwise, it teaches that those who die without the Lord as Saviour will suffer eternal damnation, it teaches that all will be judged ... even believers, and Jesus Himself declares, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven." Matthew 29b-30. Other false teaching offer wealth, total happiness, end of sickness and disease, and so on. Remember faith is not based on what God can give us but on whom we believe.
- They will always end up contradicting themselves. No lie is totally sustainable, in the end you will find contradictions and inconsistency. This organization starts off by saying that God "came as a new body of revelation given to us through the works of Emanuel Swedenborg" and they end by saying, "Members of the New Church follow the teachings of Swedenborg, not because of Swedenborg's claim to have been divinely inspired, but because the teachings themselves make sense. It is a religion based on common sense and application to life."Ding! Ding! Warning bell number 7. As Tonto from the famed Lone Ranger series would say, "Me thinks you speak with forked tongue!"
Dearly beloved, this is just a one sample of what is out there. Be wary, be vigilant. Question everything, test everything against Scripture, pray for the Holy Spirit's protection and guidance. The times are evil and the followers of Christ must be on their guard.
Before I close, there is one more warning sign that is not evident in this particular teaching that we must all guard against.
Most false teaching will claim some special knowledge or secret or method or process. Recently I came across one that tells its followers that in order to lay claim to the power that God promises, one must never say, "If it is Your will!" in our prayers because it betrays a lack of faith. Ding! Ding! Warning number 8. The way to our Lord is as simple and as plain as it can be, there is no secret formula, no prescribed ritual, no incantation, no secret knowledge required. Besides, what was taught by this particular teacher just told us to throw out what Jesus taught about prayer. Remember the Lord's Prayer? How does it begin? Does it not start with "Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, They Kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven."? If our purpose on earth is not the fulfillment of His Will, whose will should it fulfill? Ours? Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there is no secret knowledge or ritual. Access and a relationship with our God is as simple as calling out to Him, "Daddy!" It is as simple as talking to Him, hearing His voice as we pray and read His Word. It is all laid out as plain as day in Scripture. I speak to Him often through the day. When I write or prepare my sermons, and come across difficulty in expressing something, I would stop and simply say, "Lord, how would you want me to word this?" I know a friend who speaks to the Lord nearly constantly when he is alone. My son, when he prays, he sometimes calls God "Big guy" and "Dude". It is not being disrespectful, I know my son, he has a wonderfully deep and close relationship with God. I would never ask him to pray in the service though, some of my beloved blue haired ladies might keel over, I don't think they are quite ready for that.
Satan would want us to chase after a cheap faith. He will sell us anything other than the Truth and usually what he sells will be enticing and exotic. Do not demand a Faith with cream and sugar. Heed Scripture which tells us, "1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
In His Love,
Arisen
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