January 31, 2005 http://home.comcast.net/~mfairlady/home.html
Many of you have been asking when we will continue our Friday studies and I wanted to share a few of the things I have been researching with all of you before we start up again in a few weeks.
1. ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS—DON’T BE IGNORANT 2. SECRET SOCIETIES & SYMBOLS: NATIONAL TREASURE 3. PRISCILLA—A TEACHER OF GOOD THINGS 4. THE GREAT POTTER
Just two years ago I was shaken from my stupor when I found out the extent to which Willow Creek Community Church had fallen away from the Word of God. Particularly shocking was the appearance of their “spiritual formation leader,” MINDY CALIGUIRE, who was allowed to lead the congregation in yoga meditation—arms out and palms up. Outsiders cannot understand how deceptive this has all been. Today, Willow Creek now provides spiritual direction for thousands of churches worldwide.
Many of you who are familiar with TAYLOR UNIVERSITY through VCOB youth retreats should know that “Mindy Caliguire” has a ministry outreach through Taylor and she is teaching her esoteric Christianity on their airwaves for a YEAR-LONG investment in spiritual health. http://www.wbcl.org/soul_care_on_midmorning.htm . On the subject of Christian colleges, World Magazine, May 10, 2003, reported that top-notch Calvin College has moved away from Scriptures on such origins as feminist theology and homosexuality. Before leaving town, Willow Creek’s ex-teaching pastor Nancy Ortberg had been able to speak at JUDSON COLLEGE…and the list goes on.
As I watched Willow Creek baptizing new Christians this year, just as a Christian Church would in Jesus’ name, I wondered about the different meaning behind what they are doing THAT THE MASS MAJORITY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND. From Willow Creek’s beginnings, modern marketing techniques were used in order to draw and hold large numbers of people BY MEETING THEIR FELT NEEDS. Although they claimed to be Protestant, their dream has been to “affect change in the community and the world.” Rather than biblical separation, “unbelievers have been purposely mixed with believers” in worship services, small groups, and ministry. Subtly, believers have been moved away from their original position of “moral absolutism” as this non-denominational church turned interdenominational WITHOUT SAYING A WORD.
People are being moved by their emotions and swept away. As I taped a few of the famous charismatics for the kids next study it became so obvious to me that there was something about the way the crowds clapped, moved, and swayed to the music that was common. Worship had turned into something else. It was all about receiving something and feeling something. Not unlike Ellen Degeneres who ‘dances’ with her audience to warm them up. One night I came across the Video Hits 1 channel when it was doing a show on “swinging.” Before I flipped the channel, I heard the main couple talk about “going dancing” to warm up to see “what might happen next” and how they were very aware that dancing played an important roll in their evening. It is subtle, but there is something that changes when people begin to dance and move to worldly music—even in the church. The Scriptures warn us be self-controlled and alert.
Over the years the church began to accept techniques of inner healing, holistic health practices, and psychological counseling, but this search for knowledge WITHIN ONESELF is the basis for gnosticism. Gnosticism, or “hidden knowledge,” was the basis for the mystery religions of paganism. Today, it is secular psychology that tells us that we have “tapped into wisdom and understanding” about the human soul and human nature. Simply by “LOOKING WITHIN OURSELVES” we can discover all truth, all knowledge, and all power. In order to mind this supposedly unlimited potential, psychologists have attempted to explore unconsciousness through eastern mysticism’s altered states. CENTERING PRAYER (taught by Mindy Caliguire) is said to be the same process as integrating the conscious with the unconscious as described by Jungian psychotherapy. Carl Jung, who was suicidal and communed with a demon, taught beliefs about archetypal images, the occult and the collective consciousness. SPIRITUAL FORMATION is a new paradigm and “consciousness revolution.” Not unlike the charismatic experience, individual thinking and application of reason are discouraged.
ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS—DON’T BE IGNORANT
“Now concerning the spiritual gifts, brethren, I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led” (1 Corinthians 12:1-2).
At our last study we watched ORAL ROBERTS’ SON on his web site promise to “heal people.” Then I read the following excerpt about the Vineyard church: When Phillip R. Johnson visited John Wimber’s Anaheim Vineyard church as part of research in writing a book, he reiterated the gist of the pastor: “In a moment I’m going to call down the Holy Spirit. Things like you’ve never seen will begin to happen. PEOPLE WILL LAUGH. SOME WILL SHAKE AND QUIVER. OTHERS MAY MAKE STRANGE ANIMAL NOISES. Don’t be alarmed by anything you see; it’s just the Holy Spirit working in His own special way. We don’t put limits on how God can and cannot work. He may even surprise us with something new tonight. So no matter what you see happen, don’t be alarmed. And above all, DON’T TRY TO RATIONALLY EVALUTATE THE THINGS YOU WILL SEE. God isn’t trying to reach your mind; He wants to reach your heart. Analyzing spiritual phenomena through the grid of human logic or religious presuppositions is the quickest way to quench what the spirit is doing. Subjecting the revival to doctrinal tests is the surest way to put out the fire. DON’T TRY TO FIND REASONABLE EXPLANATIONS for what is happening; just turn your heart lose and LET THE SPIRIT FLOW THROUGH YOUR EMOTIONS. Only then can the Spirit have his way in your life.”
It is so important to understand the DISPENSATIONAL DISTINCTIVES OF GOD in the subject of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. New revelation for the church age ceased with the completion of the cannon. God has given us the “truth” He wanted to communicate to us and He is no longer doing that (Eph. 2:20). The apostles and the prophets laid a foundation for the church in their ministry and these letters that are in the New Testament are part of that foundation, part of their ministry. Books on spiritual gifts by C. Peter Wagner highlight the top shelf of the “spiritual formation” aisle in Willow Creek’s bookstore that promote signs and wonders and healing. C. Peter Wagner, who was an expert on church growth and a strong proponent of signs and wonders is said to have especially impacted Vineyard’s John Wimber and he soon concluded that THE GOSPEL WAS LARGELY INEFFECTIVE UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY SIGNS AND WONDERS. Wimber and C. Peter Wagner co-authored a signs and wonders class that was taken globally. Pastors trained in Wimber’s methodology operate the Promise Keepers movement.
On “vision night 2005,” just this month, Hybels mistakenly referred to 1 Corinthians 12:1 where he taught that the Corinthians were struggling with BEING IGNORANT by “avoiding spiritual gifts,” when, in actuality, the passage CLEARLY SPEAKS OF AN ABUSE OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS. Although the Corinthians were very enthusiastic about faith and they were very dynamic, Paul says they were also very carnal. This same ignorance of the truth and fleshly wisdom that they were walking in brought tremendous confusion concerning the area of spiritual manifestations or spiritual gifts. For the Corinthians, in their pre-Christian life, they grew up in the center of pagan mystery religions. It was very typical of the pagan mystery religions to be EXPERIENCE ORIENTED TO THE EXTREME. In fact they had a word “ecstasis,” which described a trance-like state that they valued highly as perhaps the greatest religious experience that you could have. We get the word “ecstasy” from it. The Priestesses there, the “Oracles of Delphi,” were women who went into these trances and began to speak in this gibberish and they were said to be in communication with the gods. In Corinthians 3:1, Paul says, “Brethren, I cannot speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ”—clearly to fleshly people. The Corinthians were behaving and judging by the world’s criteria—what the world considered successful. They were LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCES—SOME OF THEM FROM THEIR FORMER LIVES. They were being deceived by Satan and were following a number of lies. One lie was that of following after certain men instead of following after the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. An experience may “look” very religious and very mysterious and maybe even of divine origin—and yet it is not by that judged truly from God. IT MUST BE SUBJECT TO THE WORD. (Mooberry notes on tongues)
“Now concerning the spiritual gifts, brethren, I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led” (1 Corinthians 12:1-2).
SECRET SOCIETIES & SYMBOLS: NATIONAL TREASURE
After spending some time covering secret societies it was interesting to find out how much the kids had remembered as Disney put out “National Treasure” last fall and was loaded with them. Only those who are aware of them would have caught as many as the kids did. (See Jars of Clay: The New Age on web site).
A TEACHER OF “GOOD THINGS”
Priscilla is a good example of a woman who, though not permitted to speak during church worhsip or in the synagogue, did good with the knowledge God had given her in private converse.(Acts 18:26). Young scholars, like the new pastor Apollos, may gain a great deal by converse with judicious serious Christians like Priscilla and her husband Aquilla. Paul would have the aged women to be teachers of good things(Titus 2:3,4). Not only by an exemplary life, but they should also teach by doctrinal instruction at home, in a private way. The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy his mother taught him—such a woman is praised: “She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness”(Prov. 31:1, 26)—their business is, and they may be called on to it, TO BE TEACHERS OF GOOD THINGS, NOT PUBLIC PREACHERS THAT IS FORBIDDEN. In the Old Testament God placed women in leadership positions. Deborah was chosen by God to judge Israel. She was a prophetess, and as God’s mouth to Israel, correcting abuses and redressing grievances, especially those which related to the worship of God. The spirit of prophecy was sometimes put in the weaker vessels that the excellency of power might be of God.
Miriam helped to lead Israel out of Egypt(Micah 6:4), Deborah judged them (Judges 4:4), and Huldah instructed them in the mind of God, and HER BEING A WIFE WAS NO PREDJUDICE AT ALL to her being a prophetess; marriage is honorable in all. It was a mercy to Jerusalem that when Bibles were scarce that they had prophets. Afterwards, prophecy ceased and they had more Bibles, for GOD NEVER LEAVES HIMSELF WITHOUT A WITNESS, because He will leave sinners without excuse. Matthew Henry’s Commentary also notes that the Scriptures point to the fact that BELIEVING FAMILIES OUGHT TO ASSEMBLE FOR PROMOTING SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE IN THEIR HOMES.
THE GREAT POTTER
The first three chapters of Romans prove that man, left to himself, will choose anything but God. All mankind is bound by a corrupt will, not a free will. Only by being denied something which we have equal claim can we declare unfair treatment. We deserve condemnation, not salvation. God’s mercy extends whomever He wants. Do to our human nature, even if we were to convert every soul under God’s spiritual direction, the rebelliousness of the future generations would still manifest itself. It is the Holy Spirit that draws men to God as we share the Word about Christ (Rom. 10:17).
“What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I WILL HAVE MERCY, and I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I WILL HAVE COMPASSION. So then it is not of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, “Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? HATH NOT THE POTTER POWER OVER THE CLAY, OF THE SAME LUMP TO MAKE ONE VESSEL UNTO HONOUR, AND ANOTHER DISHONOUR? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, WHICH HE HAD AFORE PREPARED UNTO GLORY, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” (Romans 9: 14-24).
Protestant No More: New Age Sacred Mesa Reflects Willow Creek and Karen Main's Spirituality
