Sunday, July 24, 2011

An Escape From Bethel and the False Prophetic

Just received this as a comment. Please, if you are involved with Bethel, Crowder, any part of the charismatic/word of faith movement, the healing rooms or the prophetic, check these methods with the word of God. They may seem right, but they are occult at the core. I know this is so because I used to be a part of it all. Praise God for His saving grace!

I really wanted to share my story too as my church in the UK has become well & truly Bethelized, the transition into it has been a subtle & underhanded invasion, swapping of truth for error, what Im posting is about that journey of utter deception & how it gets in.

late 2009- Bill Johnson comes to my town in a big church wide event…. some time after that mtg (I didnt go to it because I really dont like big events) our senior pastor sat down with some leaders & discussed the audacity of bethel people visiting mind/body/spirit./psychic type fairs & setting up stalls that would offer to pray for healing & prophesy over people that would frequent such a place… 1st red flag no gospel preached/ & irresponsible – how on earth do people who are mostly drawn to occult practices discern & distinguish & make appropriate responses to that which is reportedly from a Holy God in that type of setting. ok I know god can reach anyone anywhere anyhow – but his “method” promotes spiritual confusion I believe in people who are dead to sin & lost to HIM.

May 2010: a group of leaders form our church & around the town visit Bethel… they return “odd’ different but not in a good way – immediately there is a lot of praying for individuals in the church by laying a hand on the forehead without the individual’s permission – these leaders just go up & “minister”- shouting & whooooaing in prayer times… also wafting hand movements during prayer times. my ” mentor’ who I love dearly & know very well now exhibits a subtle change in personality & has experienced a range of ill health ever since.

Red Flag 1: the language begins to change – we hear about impartation/intoxication of the spirit & relationship with father/ the work of Jesus on the cross becomes lessend as we focus on a culture of developing the prophetic/miracles & concentrate on being family
we see for the first time the practice of “fire tunnels”

rest of 2010…. we begin to immerse in Jesus culture music – begin preparing plans to launch our own healing rooms.. the “culture of honour” is widely talked about promoted from the senior leadership team.

Red flag 2: even though a culture of honour & doing everything from a place of loving relationship/family is promoted big time – various circumstances present themselves where honour should have been highly practiced – where in fact the opposite could be said
2011- senior leadership from Bethel visit the church. its obvious people form other places in the UK flock to hear the latest word.
healing rooms begins
Students from Bethel BSSM visit the town: we actively see for the first time prophetic art & the interpretation of it in our service time- soaking or what they would call “carpet time” is evident & other new phrases begin to pop into our language
* being whacked by God – get whacked – stay whacked – never go back
* get activated in the spirit/prophetic
* we want Jesus to get what he died for ( in relation to miracles)
* release & freedom become Big words
* Host the prescence
* More More & More

Red flag 3: senior leaders are imparting drunkeness to each other (& everyone else)- rolling around on floor – throwing love/bliss bombs at each other. & stating that they feel so drunk they are not sure how they could drive home. some of the behaviour they exhibit & allow would have been considered demonic & or worthy of discipline 20/25 years ago
present:
*church decides to set up its own supernatural school of ministry
* other leaders visit to Bethel & other conferences around the uk & return using odd & confusing language – mostly pointing to the idea that Gods word was for then & the spirit or the flow (of the new wine) is for now
* we go totally overboard on the prophetic – with instruction form the senior leaders to develop, be ready & willing to give a prophetic word to literally anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Red flag 4: the occult creeps in: we now use Bethel’s offering readings ( look it up on their website) when we collect our tithes & offerings – this to me is nothing short of an incantation – a list of demands to get what WE want from God including “divine manifestations” & angelic visitations.
people are encouraged to place a cloth on their head during prayer at HR
& we are also offering people ” spiritual readings” this is where various prayers are written on cards & people are encouraged to randomly select one & have a leader pray over them for fulfillment in that area – just feels like home grown Tarot.

After all of this I have to say IM OUT – they will have my resignation by the end of the week !
I just felt I wanted to post all this so that others can see how this has happened chronologically like a drip drip drip effect of Blurrgh! which has sucked many in.

Jesus Culture Awakening || Bible Study on Lying Signs and Wonders

Mat 16:4b (NIV) "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign."
Jesus gives us the underlying truth that it is spiritual "horneyness" that leads to spiritual adultery in those who hanker for a sign. "Generation" here means progeny: "whose" you are, or who is your "father", i.e.: who "generated" you. Are we of our father, God, or is there still a devilish seed in us? To seek for signs is a clear sign of a spiritually adulterous heart.
Yet, take a look at:

Mr 16:17 (NKJ) "And these signs will follow those who believe..."
See the distinction? When we look to the Lord and seek His kingdom and His righteousness, signs will surely follow, but it is not the signs that we seek. This has been my experience. I have never seen anyone seeking a sign that I did not see end up in dramatic spiritual ruin, myself included. Seek God, on the other hand, and the signs follow; for our God is supernatural and generous and loving.
If you follow me, the resultant chicanery of those hell-bent on a "sign" and subsequent grief this causes in the hearts of those who know and love God can be detected very early on. Yes, a present perversion being blamed on the Holy Spirit is vexing, but we should have seen this the minute someone started "seeking a sign". Adultery leads to some wild moments of fun and pleasure, no doubt, but later to shame and betrayal and broken lives. It is the same with spiritual adultery.
But on to satanic "signs and wonders". In this we need to consider carefully the following verse:
 
2Th 2:9 (TCN) For at the coming of the Lord there will be great activity on the part of Satan, in the form of all kinds of deceptive miracles, signs, and marvels, as well as of wicked attempts to delude.
2Th 2:9 (NKJ) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.


Jesus Culture Awakening || Bible Study on False Prophecy

Mat 24:3-5,10-11 (NIV) ..."Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name,.. At that time many will turn away from the faith... and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people."



  • As spiritual adultery increases in the church, false prophets will flourish as highly sought after speakers, and as Christians accept more of these false teachings indiscriminately, many will fall away, believing in a phony "faith". Since we have been warned, it might be wise to seek insight into how to discern false prophecy--what are false prophets likely to say? What are they like?




  • Tuesday, July 19, 2011

    Jesus Culture Awakening || The False Teachings of Bill Johnson, Bethel Church

    This is an excellent resource on the false teachings of Bill Johnson by Bob Dewaay, in his review of Johnson's book, When Heaven Invades Earth.

    His conclusion:
    The invasion of heaven promoted by When Heaven Invades Earth is in reality an invasion of theological error. Johnson says there is no sickness or poverty in heaven, which is true. However, there is also no falsehood or error in heaven. Johnson’s potpourri of error is astounding in is breadth. His is a classic case of zeal for a cause divorced from theological truth. In his thinking, zeal for signs and wonders (and the resultant end-time revival) baptize any theological errors, including his heretical Christology.

    My conclusion is not overly harsh: that this movement is not really from heaven, as it is claimed to be. Many young people are targeted and deceived by it. Powerful experiences in a Christian context form a potent elixir that dulls ones theological senses. I know because when I was young, I was drawn into a similar movement based on experiences that I allowed to trump sound Biblical exegesis. Thankfully God saved me out of that and led me, through Scripture, to the true gospel. May many who are in the clutches of this false revivalism be spared as I was.
    Read Full Article Here:
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