Jesus Culture :: A False Jesus, A False Gospel

Bill Johnson is the lead pastor of Bethel Church, in Redding, California. Bethel is the sending church for Jesus Culture, and a frequent key speaker at their conferences. 


(Read FULL ARTICLE HERE. Some reformatting has been done for clarity, and some comments from the article as of this posting have been left in for instruction. These are common objections and well-responded to by the author and commentors. )


It is with great sadness that I write this analysis of Bill Johnson’s book, When Heaven Invades Earth. I do pray for him and other pastors who teach these things. I also pray for those in their churches. There are people I love dearly sitting in their pews. Throughout the book and the teachings I’ve heard, there are many things I disagree with (doctrines such as healing in the atonement, the anointing, impartation, dominion theology). Instead of trying to refute every point, I’ve tried to identify some of the more significant errors.

View of Jesus

Bill Johnson plucks John 5:19 out of its context saying of Jesus, “the Son can do nothing.” He basically claims that Jesus laid aside all of His godly attributes and had only human attributes and abilities. In the history of the church, this teaching has been identified as a heresy called kenoticism. Johnson teaches that Jesus was completely powerless needed to be anointed by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles (p79). I found this confusing believing that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Johnson also said that “the Holy Spirit revealed the Father to Jesus” (p80). I don’t see this anywhere in Scripture. On the contrary, Jesus asserts, “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30) and also, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:9-10). Why would Jesus need the Father to be revealed to Him if they are one?

Johnson’s purpose behind this view of Christ is to show that a believer can do everything Jesus did. His reasoning is as follows: Jesus had no sin to separate Him from the Father and He was completely dependent on the Holy Spirit’s power. Since Christ’s sacrifice has removed the barrier of our sin, now nothing separates us, we only have to depend on the Holy Spirit. While it is true that Christ’s sacrifice has sufficiently dealt with our sin, I don’t think He went to the cross so that we could operate in the miraculous but rather because of God’s great justice and mercy. The penalty needed to be paid for our sin. We could never pay it. He paid it for us to reconcile us to Himself. And although I am holy and blameless in His sight, covered in the righteousness of Christ, while I am still in this earthly tent, I am still a sinner. I await the day when I will be in my glorified state but until then I cannot be compared to the sinless Jesus.
The Gospel

My greatest concern with the teaching of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church in Redding is that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not central to their message. It appears that the cross and the empty tomb are just a means to an end - namely, operating in the miraculous. I fear they may be preaching a different gospel.

“Salvation was not the ultimate goal of Christ’s coming… [The ultimate goal] was to fill each born again person with the Holy Spirit.” (Johnson, p71)

“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

“The gospel is the story of the Father wooing the hearts of mankind through His love.” (Johnson, p101)
“The present day understanding of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom means to preach a message that will bring as many people to conversion as possible. But what did preaching the kingdom mean to Jesus? Every instance in which He either did it or commanded it, miracles followed.” (Johnson, p185)

Jesus summed up His message with these words: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 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 3:16-18)

“Through the shedding of His blood, it would be possible for everyone who believed on His name to do as He did and become as He was. This meant then that every true believer would have access to the realm of life that Jesus lived in.” (Johnson, p138)

“…the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

“Without [signs and wonders/miracles], the world suffers, God is grieved, and we are the most to be pitied” (Johnson, p119)
“We are most to be pitied if we think we’ve reached the fullness of what god intended for His Church here on earth.” (Johnson p186)

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:17-20)


“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

View of Suffering

Johnson teaches that a loving Father would not allow His children to suffer. According to him, a good God would not allow sickness for a greater purpose. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, “So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

On page 48 of his book, Bill Johnson uses Hebrews 11 as a summary of faith. He fails to include those who by faith “were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated--” (Hebrews 11: 35-37). Throughout history God’s people have always endured hardship and persecution. A good God is one who upholds and strengthens His own in the midst of suffering so that He is glorified by doing so.

Biblical Interpretation

There are basic rules of interpreting the Bible that I think are very important. For example, verses must be interpreted in their context. We also must understand what message was being conveyed at the specific time and to a specific people. A text can never mean what it never meant…in its original context. (See page 65 and Joshua 1:3). I also have concerns with Bill Johnson’s hermeneutics on a different level. I affirm that we do need the Holy Spirit to reveal the truths of the Bible to us and we do need to lay aside our presuppositions and let God speak to us through His word. But Johnson goes beyond that and places a subjective prophetic word over the straightforward meaning of Bible passages. Of course he would say that the Bible has the ultimate authority but I haven’t seen that principle practiced. The result: (1) relativism - to me this verse means…and (2) a new form of popery - the great Reformation principle of sola scriptura is cast aside and the prophet/teacher’s interpretation is the new standard.

Discernment

One great danger spread throughout this book is the equating of discernment with fear. Bill Johnson is quick to defend himself against those who question his teachings. The apostle Paul commended the Bereans for searching the Scriptures to see if what he said was true. Those who are concerned about being deceived and hesitant to sign on are condemned as full of fear (which is viewed as the worst possible thing). In order not to fall victim to fear, all are encouraged jump in unreservedly.
“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Mat 24:24)

COMPLAINTS:

seeker3 said...

What false teachers often do is take some CONSEQUENCES of the gospel and make that the gospel INSTEAD.

For Brian Houston (Hillsong, Australia) that becomes: “Jesus came so that we can be worldly successful in business, leadership, possessions and money.”

For Bill Johnson it becomes: “Jesus came so that we can do supernatural miracles”

The Devil tried to entice Jesus (after the fast in the desert) to do supernatural things or get involved in worldly kingdoms – see http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%204:1-13;&version=31;

The Devil is trying the same enticement to Christians through people like Bill Johnson, Brian Houston, Todd Bentley, Rick Joyner, etc.

9:10 PM

Anonymous said...

While in no way am I defending Bill Johnson, I would encourage people to read the chapter "Is Kenosis Orthodox?" in the 2006 book EXPLORING KENOTIC CHRISTIANITY (most of the chapter is available on books.google.com). The book is a collection of works by scholars from various theological traditions and the Reformed view is presented as well.

12:23 PM

Glenn said...

I am so relieved to come across an honest and biblical critique of Bill Johnson's teaching. I have just finished reading a copy of his latest book 'The Supernatural power of a transformed mind' that a friend insist I read. It is simply a further elaboration of the same distorted gospel that permeates 'When heaven invades earth.' Johnson continues to ramp up his theory that Jesus was a little less than divine when he ministered. Bill's commitment to the kenosis theory seems to be for the purpose of elevating man to a level where everything depends on what we do or say. God becomes a little less sovereign and we become a little more omnipotent. It all gets subtly packed in around 'testimonies and stories', so the enthusiastic Christian can easily get swept along if they don't take the time to slow down and evaluate the warped doctrine behind it all. This type of teaching deserves to be challenged as it damages the true gospel and builds a hollow faith that tends to minimise the cross and salvation. I'm concerned at the impact I can see it having in my own church as people seem to become dogmatic about defending Johnson rather than weighing his teachings against scripture in context. Your review is very insightful Bob. Thanks.

6:17 AM

Anonymous said...

I love the book! If Jesus didn't operate fully as a man(Eph 2:7,8)under the power of the Holy Spirit, then there is no atonement. That is the whole point. He lived a perfect life for us, in our place. Then died on the cross for us, in our place. How would it be a "substitutionary" atonement if Jesus didn't do it strictly as a man? (Heb 4:15)

10:31 PM

Bob said...

Anonymous-
Jesus is the God man, He was made altogether like us in human flesh, He felt pain, He got tired, He grew up from infancy etc this is all true. However, to leave it there as Johnson seems to is not the WHOLE truth. Orthodox Christiainity through all ages has affirmed while the above is true in regard to Christ's human nature, it is equally true that Christ is also fully Divine in nature. All of the creeds have affirmed this doctrine and it is summed up in the phrase, Christ is both fully man and fully God, one person with two seperate and distinct natures.

With that said, what you said about the atonement is indeed true, it just isn't the whole truth. Jesus needed to take on human flesh so He could die (God can't die remember). Yet, and this is the error, Johnson wants to assert that in taking on flesh Jesus also took off Divinity. Johnson does this because he wants us to see Jesus more as our model for supernatural life than the most exceptional Person ever.

Thus, in Johnson's zeal for making supernatural signs and wonders an everday Christian thing he tosses the Divine nature of Christ making Him our entirely immitatable example. It is true that Christ is our example, but again not the whole truth. This is because He also had Divine attributes and a calling (Messiah) that none of us share in.

I must add on the calling aspect that the signs Christ performed in His earthly ministry were confirmatory in nature in regard to His messiahship and message (gospel). That is why He could tell John the Baptist when asked by John "are you the one?" Jesus replied, "The dead are raised the sick are healed..." In short Jesus said "You see the signs don't you?" This again mitigates our ability to immitate as the signs performed by the Messiah and His apostles were intended to be unique confirming their ministry and the new covenant gospel message. Thus, they would hardly be unique and confirmatory if Bill Johnson is correct and these things are to be going on all the time.

I am not saying that these things can not and do not happen today, but I am saying that the particular manifestation of signs and wonders under the ministry of Christ and the apostles was unique, and that was the point.

Sorry for the brevity, but those are the 2 things to take into consideration. 1. Christ did not dump His divinity at the incarnation, and 2. Signs and wonders performed by the Messiah and His apostles would hardly be confirming of their message if signs and wonders were a normal everyday thing. That's what makes them signs (pointer to something) and wonders (an unusual occurance)after all.

9:42 AM

Bob said...

Also, and this is so huge I feel bad for neglecting to add it as it is the most important point, it would be impossible for one mere man to die for the sins of even one man substitutionarily let alone many men. Jesus couldn't have done that strictly as a man, the dying part yes, the substitution no, He needed to be fully God as well to bear all the sins of me, let alone billions of others. Only God can placate God's wrath both being infinite.

9:59 AM

Craig said...

A previous comment referenced Evans’ Exploring Kenotic Christology. I have the book and here’s a synopsis of Davis’ essay “Is Kenosis Orthodox?” In short, the answer is “no.” Davis attempts to distinguished between ‘essential’ and ‘accidental’ divine attributes with the ‘omni’ traits merely ‘accidental’ such that God is, for example, “omnipotent-unless-freely-and-temporarily-choosing-to-be-otherwise.” Of course, this denies immutability, but Davis gets around this by claiming it’s merely “soft immutability” and the Word, of course, subsequently re-attains all the ‘omni’ attributes upon Ascension. Essentially, Davis has redefinedGod. However, both John 2:19 and 10:17-18 indicate that Jesus was in fact omnipotent as He raised Himself on the Third Day. [In fact, the entire Trinity was involved in the Resurrection as other Scripture attests.] That’s the real crux (pun intended) of the matter. Moreover, the Word must have retained and utilized omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience in order to sustain the cosmos [cf. Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3]. Thus, kenosis theories are insupportable by Scripture consequently, as such, they are by definition unorthodox and I would contend heresy.

You can read more here:

http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/kenosis-christology-and-bill-johnson-part-i/

http://notunlikelee.wordpress.com/2011/06/16/kenosis-christology-and-bill-johnson-part-ii/

5:30 PM

style='orphans: 2;widows: 2;-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-spacing:0px' title=Anonymous v:shapes="_x0000_i1035">

Anonymous said...

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this.

3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

4 At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”

9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

To everyone hating on Bill Johnson - You are naive to talk against God's servant.

"Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

This forum and others like it are utter rubbish. What is the point of hating on men and women of God who walk with God daily? You're only fighting against God himself.

I ask how many of you here posting negative comments about Bill do as Jesus commanded us and "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Not only are we to do these, but dare to refute Jesus himself when He says: "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Even if Bill does have some bits of theology wrong (I'm not at all backing your statements) since He is living and growing in Christ won't God give him revelation on these if what he currently preaches is destroying God's church?

Anyway have a good day everyone!

9:34 PM

Bob said...

This forum and others like it are utter rubbish. What is the point of hating on men and women of God who walk with God daily? You're only fighting against God himself. -Anonymous

Well that's begging the question, I can't see Bill's personal relationship with God but I wouldn't put him in the same catagory as Moses. We are called to test all things, rather than just suspend our discernment. Here's one that will throw you for a loop, I walk with God daily too...I disagree with Bill Johnson...whose side are you on? Why is your criticism of me not fighting against God like my criticism of Bill?

Is Bill more of a Christian than me? Why is he untouchable but I am not?

"Even if Bill does have some bits of theology wrong (I'm not at all backing your statements) since He is living and growing in Christ won't God give him revelation on these if what he currently preaches is destroying God's church?"

God takes teaching error far more seriously than you seem to think He should. God gave His entire church the final revelation in scripture, I don't need men and their private conversations with God I have a Bible as my authority. Bill has that as well, he is in no need of some private word from God saying, "Hey Bill, you are teaching error..." That's the Bible's job and that was the point of the post, a Biblical examination of the teachings of Mr.Johnson.

9:38 AM

Jesus Culture Theology - Christ not God - Heresy

Bill Johnson’s Christology Explained

In essence, Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, a recognized “apostle” by some, teaches that at conception, or at least prior to the Virgin Birth, Jesus divested Himself of all His divine attributes thereby living a sinless earthly existence by being totally reliant upon the Holy Spirit while receiving the power to do miracles at His baptism.  

This divine self-emptying is known as the kenosis doctrine as discussed here.  The quotes used in this section are taken from six different books by Bill Johnson (and one sermon) to illustrate that this teaching undergirds his entire theology. 

Jesus did everything as a man, laying aside His divinity in order to become a model for us.⁸           

…Jesus did everything in His earthly ministry as a man who had set aside all His divine privileges and power in order to model the Christian life for us.⁹ 

..Jesus set aside His divinity, choosing instead to live as a man completely dependent on God.¹⁰ 

…He laid his [sic] divinity aside as He sought to fulfill the assignment given to Him by the Father: to live life as a man without sin…¹¹ 

The above quotes can be construed such that Jesus retained all His divine attributes yet chose not to exercise them; however, the following illustrates that He no longer had inherent deity:¹² 

Jesus Christ said of Himself, ‘The Son can do nothing.’…He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever!…He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God…not as God.¹³ 

…Jesus had no ability to heal the sick.  He couldn’t cast out devils, and He had no ability to raise the dead.  He said of Himself in John 5:19, ‘the Son can do nothing of Himself.’  He had set aside His divinity.  He did miracles as man in right relationship with God because He was setting forth a model for us, something for us to follow….Jesus so emptied Himself that He was incapable of doing what was required of Him by the Father – without the Father’s help…¹⁴ 

Given that deity is by very definition supernatural, Johnson has, in effect, reduced Jesus to less than God.  

With Johnson’s claim that Jesus had no inherent ability to perform miracles in and of Himself, it is clear that Johnson means Jesus no longer had his divine attributes to utilize even if He so desired.  He “had NO supernatural capabilities”; He was totally and completely a man but “in right relationship to God” by the Holy Spirit

...Read FULL ARTICLE here

History of the Jesus Culture Deception

 

Note: This book was published in 1995, before Bethel came to the forefront of the Word Faith movement.  

It is all the more remarkable how:

a) true its insights and warnings thoroughly chronicle the roots of the false teaching and practices of the Jesus Culture Conferences;
b) stern the warning is to those who are under this deception because:
c) this deception may, as the author argues, be a judgment upon them from God Himself.

The scriptures repeatedly warn of a huge departure from the faith which was once and for all delivered unto us by the apostles. They speak of a day when men would be swept away from faith in God by

a tremendous delusion. Even more amazing, is the fact that the source of that delusion would be God Himself, as a judgment on those who wouldn’t “receive the love of the truth.” The time has now come for those of us who have considered ourselves to be “spirit filled” and “full Gospel” and in some cases, even “cutting edge” Christians, to begin to take these warnings seriously.

Who do we think we are, anyway? Are we above deception? Are the biblical warnings of the delusion only applicable to those in obvious cults, like Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, or are

they for the elect?

Why I Write

The current “renewal” or “revival” that is being promoted by people like Rodney Howard Browne, the Toronto Airport Vineyard, and others, actually has the potential of taking people’s eyes off of the God of the Bible and turning them to sensual manifestations and mystical experiences. Unless some leadership is offered and discernment is applied, I predict that many of God’s people will be hurt,

disillusioned and even made shipwreck of their faith, as a result of this “Mystical Revival.” And to make matters even worse, all too many shepherds and leaders do not know whether to join, oppose, or ignore the growing movement. This lack of confident principled leadership has thrown God’s flocks into much consternation.

Many high profile ministries have endorsed this move. Unfortunately, peer pressure will sweep in many of the undecided. This book is written to challenge some of the prevailing notions, and to offer a different perspective to the public discussion. It is our desire to stimulate afresh, the vigorous Berean spirit (Acts 17) in the family of God.

Roots of the Renewal

This sensual revival has not just suddenly appeared out of the blue, however. Nor have these occurrences spontaneously burst out within the past year, as some would suggest. The idea that many have, is that it is like Pentecost which, suddenly, came with a rushing mighty wind. In the same way, people are being empowered by this intoxicating spirit. Rather, I would like to demonstrate for you

that people have been preconditioned for this “move” for at least 40 years now, whether those involved realize it or not.

The true roots of this revival go back to the now discredited New Order of the Latter Rain and Manifested Sons of God movement of the late 1940s and 1950s. Though the Assemblies of God denounced these movements as heretical then, they seem to have had a resiliency. The ideas that they have spawned have continually cropped up over the years, perhaps with different emphases or diverse names for concepts, but holding virtually the same erroneous premises.

Read Full Book Here.

Jesus Culture Teachings Repudiated: Assemblies of God Rebuke Bill Johnson and Banning Liebscher's Teachings

The following is from a Position Paper of the General Prebytery of the Assemblies of God: “Endtime Revival–Spirit-Led and Spirit-Controlled A Response Paper to Resolution 16”

Deviant Teachings Disapproved

..The Assemblies of God cannot control false doctrine and practices outside its own constituency. But it does encourage its members to exercise extreme caution and avoid the abuses that discredit and bring shame on the cause of Christ. We do not wish to disfellowship sincere believers who unknowingly slip into excesses—if they are teachable and listen to the discerning judgment of the body of Christ with which they choose to identify....

God is certainly moving in the hearts and lives of people desiring His presence and praying to see His power changing lives and reclaiming that which Satan has stolen or destroyed. But along with the genuine move of the Spirit often come teachings and practices which, if not discerned and corrected, will turn the genuine move of God into shallow and misguided emotional displays. Within teachings that add to or depart from biblical truth, there is usually a kernel of truth that gets buried under the chaff of human additions and unusual interpretations of Scripture. 

Though we dare not inadvertently quench the Spirit’s work in changing lives and calling the church back to its first love and passion, we must speak out with words of caution when departure from Scripture threatens the ongoing life and stability of local churches....

The following teachings all have an element of truth in them, but as currently taught they are plagued with misleading and unbiblical elements and should be carefully avoided. In some instances a word or phrase is taken from Scripture, so it has the sound of biblical authenticity, but the application is a human creation rather than biblical truth. Many of them are appearances of earlier departures from biblical truth, and in the future they could resurface as supposedly new revelations with different names....

• The overemphasis on identifying, bestowing, or imparting spiritual gifts by the laying on of hands and naming, supposedly by prophecy, specific gifts.

The spiritual gifts are gifts of the Spirit, distributed as He “gives them to each one, just as he determines” (1 Corinthians 12:11). When the Spirit empowers the gift He bestows, there is no need for anyone to assume the Spirit’s role. As the Holy Spirit inspires the operation of the gifts, the identification and confirmation will be obvious to all without assistance from humans who would share some of the glory. The greatest tragedy of such a practice is a misguided human prediction, appearing to be a prophetic utterance, that leads a believer to expect abilities and an enduement he may never have.

Paul says that gifts were bestowed through the laying on of hands (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6),

but the biblical record neither names a specific gift Timothy received nor implies that Paul or elders had imparted the gift. The Holy Spirit bestows the gifts, not the minister who prays the

prayer for empowerment. Caution in naming specific gifts is advised until the Spirit confirms such a prophecy by the supernatural manifestation of the promised gift.

• The problematic teaching that present-day offices of apostles and prophets should govern church ministry at all levels

It is very tempting for persons with an independent spirit and an exaggerated estimate of their importance in the kingdom of God to declare organization and administrative structure to be of human origin. Reading in the Bible that there were apostles and prophets who exerted great leadership influence, and wrongly interpreting 1 Corinthians 12:23 and Ephesians 2:20 and 4:11, they proceed to declare themselves or persons aligned with their views as prophets and apostles.

Structure set up to avoid a previous structure can soon become dictatorial, presumptuous, and carnal while claiming to be more biblical than the old one outside the new order or organization. Proponents of apostles/prophets leadership stop too soon in their reading of the Ephesians 4 passage, overlooking the high calling of every office and minister of the Church: “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longerbe infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will inall things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:11,12, italics added).

In Ephesians 2:20, Paul is talking about the historical fact of Jews and Gentiles having come together

to form the Church. The aorist participle in verse 20 is best translated “having been built upon the

foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone”—a past

occurrence. The reference to apostles and prophets in Ephesians 3:5 speaks of their role in recording the inspired Scriptures as a past occurrence. The leadership of the local church, according to the Pastoral Epistles, is in the hands of elders/presbyters and deacons. These are the last of Paul’s epistles.

There is no indication in these last writings of continuing offices of apostles and prophets, though the ministry functions still continue. Prophets in the New Testament are never described as holding an officially recognized position as in the case of pastors and evangelists. They spoke prophetically to the body for edification and admonition.

When they prophesied under the inspiration of the Spirit, their ministry was noted. They could indeed have been called prophets without designating them as filling an office. A self-proclaimed prophet who dropped into a local church setting would certainly have been suspect until he was better known. And to guard against such abuses, Paul taught that all prophetic utterances should be tested by the Body (1 Corinthians 14:29).

The humility that Paul taught and modeled should be a primary character trait of every spiritual

leader. We affirm that there are, and ought to be, apostolic- and prophetic-type ministries in the Church,

without individuals being identified as filling such an office. ...

• The practice of imparting or imposing personal leadings by means of gifts of utterance.

Instances of Spirit-prompted personal advice, contrary to common sense yet definitely of divine origin, are so infrequent that recklessly giving personal prophecies soon becomes an abuse in the body of Christ. Though Paul and Barnabas were rightfully set apart by the Holy Spirit for an unspecified work (Acts 13:2), the two still had to hear the Spirit’s direction for their specific assignments. Their call was heard by the gathered believers while worshiping and fasting, and all present, including Paul and Barnabas, were obviously persuaded that it was indeed the Spirit speaking. If the “prophesied” words are from , the Holy Spirit will also confirm the reality to the heart of the one set apart for the Spirit’s work.

• Kingdom Now or Dominion theology

The thought that God’s kingdom can come on earth with a little help from humankind is intriguing to those who advocate this approach to impacting society. Rather than scoffing at the promise of Christ’s imminent return (2 Peter 3:3,4), this errant theology says that Jesus will not return until the Church takes dominion of the earth back from Satan and his followers. By taking control, through whatever means possible, of political, ecclesiastical, educational, economic, and other structures, Christians supposedly can make the world a worthy place for Christ to return and rule over.

This unscriptural triumphalism generates other related variant teachings.

• Manifest Sons of God and Joel’s Army

 These are some of the names used to describe those who have caught the vision of the Kingdom Now and are actively at work seeking to overcome the opposition and declaring Christians who hold a biblical understanding of Christ’s imminent return at any time to be cowardly for not joining the “anointed,” as they sometimes call themselves.

Without question, the Old Testament Book of Joel includes many endtime references. But the great and powerful army in Joel 2 is one of terrible locusts, an instrument of judgment on Israel. After Israel’s repentance, the army of locusts is destroyed by the Lord. Only after this destruction of the instrument of judgment does the promised revival come. “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28). It is a complete misinterpretation of Scripture to find in Joel’s army of locusts a militant, victorious force attacking society and a non-cooperating Church to prepare the earth for Christ’s millennial reign.

• Spiritualizing Biblical Events and History

There is certainly nothing wrong with finding parallels between historical biblical events and the application of biblical truth to life today—for edification and encouraging spiritual growth. But when those events are forced into a strained application of endtime events, thinking Christians should be on the alert. The Bereans of Acts 17:10,11 were commended because they “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things [that Paul was teaching] were so.”
A teaching announced as the revelation of a new truth should be checked out very carefully. Pentecostals have become accustomed to anointed and dynamic preaching. But hearing a teacher speak with authority and self-confidence does not make the teaching true. It must always line up with Holy Scripture. Personal charisma is no substitute for biblical authority.

• The Prosperity Gospel.
  

The preaching of a prosperity gospel has increased giving to some programs, both legitimate and less than legitimate. God does bless faithfulness, but the blessing is not always financial gain. There are spiritual principles of sowing and reaping, but to draw money from the poor to support an affluent personal lifestyle is unconscionable. If we one day will have to give an account of every idle word tthew 12:36), it seems reasonable that we will have to account for every dollar solicited by dubious methods. A biblical teaching should be applicable in every neighborhood, culture, society, and country of the world.
Read FULL ARTICLE

Error in Jesus Culture Teaching

AN INVASION OF ERROR: A REVIEW OF BILL JOHNSON—WHEN HEAVEN INVADES EARTH

As I read Johnson’s book [Heaven Invades Earth], I noted the various errors in it by category. At the end of the process the largest number of entries was under “anti-scholastic bias.” Johnson is firmly against careful scholarship based on sound exegesis of Scripture. To him, such study is likely to bring one into bondage and spiritual death. Sadly, this bias is widespread in current evangelicalism, but Johnson is quite blatant in his rejection of scholarship.

Johnson claims, “For decades the Church has been guilty of creating doctrine to justify their lack of power. . .” (Johnson: 116). It is hard to imagine what “problem” he is reacting to when most of our evangelical educational institutions are committed to postmodern mysticism, with their heroes being mystics like Dallas Willard and Richard Foster. It is hard to find a Bible college or seminary that does not promote “spiritual formation,” which is merely a fancy term for Roman Catholic mysticism. Yet Johnson decries the presence of doctrine. We will see later just how willing he is to depart from orthodox doctrine.

He resorts to an often misused passage that promotes his anti-scholastic bias: “A powerless Word is the letter not the Spirit. And we all know, ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life’” (Johnson: 116). This twisting of Paul’s meaning in 2Corinthians 3:6 has a long history of use to promote subjectivism and mysticism. The false implication is that studying the Bible will kill you spiritually. The context shows that Paul was speaking of the letters written on stone (verse 3), meaning the Decalogue. Paul explains how the law “kills” in Romans 7:5, 6. It kills because of our sinful passions that it exposes, not because it is studied for what it means.[3]

For example, does “you shall not steal” have some secret, mystical meaning that can only be assessed by certain elite persons with subjective spiritual impressions, or does it mean what it says? It means what it says. But to truly live as a person who is free from the sin of stealing we need the grace of God that comes through the gospel. In 2Corinthians 3, Paul is speaking of those who have the Law but reject Christ. Bill Johnson is warning Christians that studying the Bible will kill them. In so doing he abuses the passage and lowers the value of Scripture in the minds of his readers.

Read FULL ARTICLE

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.

Read FULL ARTICLE

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?

Read FULL ARTICLE

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:

Sound Doctrine Teaching Series - Mars Hill Church

Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA), has an excellent teaching series in video, .pdf, and text on the classical doctrines of the Christian faith.

For those seeking discernment on truth/error in the counterfeit revival movement, I recommend the sessions on:

• Revelation (the Word of God) 
• Image - Creation of Man
• The Fall - God Judges
• Incarnation - God Comes
• The Cross - God Dies
• The Resurrection - God Saves
• The Church - God Sends
• Worship - God Transforms

JOHN MACARTHUR A Call to Discernment Part 1

JOHN MACARTHUR A Call to Discernment Part 2

JOHN MACARTHUR A Call to Discernment Part 4

You Are in Danger - The Gospel Message (Mark Driscoll Video)

Jude: Contending Against False Teachers

By

Aaron Armstrong

– March 11, 2010

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

—Jude 5-16—

Last week, I began a series here based on a small group study I wrote a year ago examining the epistle of Jude, by first examining “our common salvation” of which he was so eager to write. It is critical for us to understand “the faith once for all delivered” for which we must contend—because knowing what is right is critical for us to distinguish what is wrong.

As Jude continues down this road, so do we, looking at what he (and the rest of Scripture) tell us about those who have “crept in unnoticed.”

Perverting the Grace of God
Jude verse 4 tells us that, “certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

This is a pretty serious charge, isn’t it? To say that some among us—leading, teaching, writing books, blogging, making videos—that some of these are not servants of Christ at all. They’re servants of Satan seeking to destroy God’s Church? Without question it is, but it’s one to which all believers must pay careful attention.

I would suggest that today the ability to be deceived by false teaching is greater than in any other generation. Podcasts, vodcasts, books, blogs… There’s so much out there, some good, some great and some that is extremely sketchy. And quite honestly, it can be difficult to discern who is on the level and who might not be. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that we don’t try.

The Old and New Testaments are not silent on this issue. Virtually every book of the New Testament has a severe warning against false teachers. Matthew 7:15-20; Mark 13:22; 2 Cor. 11:1-15; Phil 3:2-3; Col. 2:18-19; 1 Tim 1:2-20, 4:1-3, 6:2-5; 2 Tim 3:1-9; 2 Pet. 2:1-22; 2 John 7-11; Rev 2: 14-16, 20… These are just a few of the New Testament examples of warnings against false teaching.
Perhaps one of the most severe is the Apostle Paul’s warning to the elders of the Ephesian church:

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.

Acts 20:28-31 (emphasis mine)

In other words, Paul tells them, “Pay attention! Men are coming who will distort the truth and lead people astray—and you might be one of them!”
He even applies this warning to himself in Galatians 1:6-9,

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The Old Testament warnings are equally severe. Significant portions of Jeremiah address false prophets and priests who lead the people of Israel astray (see Jeremiah 14:13-22, 23:9-40, 28:1-29:32) as does chapter 13 of the book of Ezekiel. These false prophets are called ”liars,” their messages “worthless divinations” and “vain hopes” that are the “deceit of their own minds.” And God makes it clear: “I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them.”

Designated for Condemnation
Beginning in verse 5, Jude begins to describe in unbelievably clear terms the authority of Christ and the judgement that awaits those who seek to lead God’s people astray. Perhaps most powerful in verse 5 is that Jude emphatically states it was Jesus who freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. “Jesus is God,” says Jude, who grew up with Jesus as his half-brother. “And Jesus will judge the living and the dead.”
Jesus destroyed those who did not believe in the desert (v. 5). Jesus brought judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah for their gross sexual immorality (v. 7). Jesus chains the devil and his angels in anticipation of the judgement to come (v. 6). It is Jesus who rules over hell and will judge (v. 6-7).
The Scriptures are clear: Judgement belongs to God alone—and Jude makes it equally clear that Jesus is the one who will judge.

This should give us pause for ”it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
Those who are warned about are blasphemers.

They rely on their own dreams, on a “private word from God” that they put on par with the authority of Scripture, despite the fact that it might contradict Scripture. They “defile the flesh,” falling into sexual immorality. They reject authority, refusing to obey godly counsel or even Scripture. They “blaspheme the glorious ones,” possibly a reference to flippant talk against fallen angels when even the archangel Michael wouldn’t rebuke Satan, instead saying “the Lord rebuke you!” (v. 9).
They are controlled by their base instincts and desires. They are rebels motivated by greed and self-aggrandizement. They exemplify depravity.
They have no fear of the Lord.
They are blasphemers.

And Jesus will “execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (v. 15). These things will not go unchecked. God will not allow His name to be maligned, nor His people to be destroyed.

Be Steadfast
The challenge is false teachers don’t usually make themselves obvious; it’s not some dude who looks like Dick Dastardly with a sinister moustache waiting in the wings to snatch you. These are “Christians” who reject the truth; they are pastors of the serpent. They say nice words and say nice things that make us feel good but deny Scripture, sometimes overtly, sometimes covertly. They sow doubt under the guise of a conversation. Like the serpent in the garden speaking to Eve, they ask, “Did God really say…?”
Looking at the OT examples in particular, these are men and women who would speak as though God had given them revelation. Their intent always is always to turn us away from the God that is to the god of their imagining.
The point of knowing what to look for is not to go heretic-hunting. It’s to be discerning. To help us identify godly teachers and authors. To understand when God is being honored, and when He is being blasphemed. To encourage others to do the same. But it’s not to go on a smear campaign or to watch-blog or declare someone a heretic if they’ve misspoken. That happens far too often and is something that we must avoid.
In the end, judgement belongs to the Lord. He will render all judgement. So we must be cautious in how we approach countering false doctrine and teachers that we do not ourselves blaspheme God. We are called to contend for the faith, not abandoning it for what sounds pretty but is altogether unhelpful. We are called to persevere in the face of false teaching with a holy fear

Jesus Culture: The Purpose of Signs and Wonders

"A question often posed is, 'Can others do miracles like the apostles, since Mark 16:17-18 describes "and these signs will follow those who believe in my name they will cast out demons they will speak in other tongues and… will heal the sick." ( Note: these particular verses are not found in the majority of the manuscripts. Lets grant that it probably is.) The answer is found in a careful examination of the text. Where we find in the Mark 16:14 narrative that Jesus is speaking to the 11 and commissions them to preach the Gospel first then baptizing the believers. So we find that the Lord is in fact speaking directly to the apostles just before he is taken up into Heaven (verse 19). Afterward, the apostles went out and preached, and the Lord was working with them confirming His Word through accompanying signs. The "them" is referring to the apostles, therefore, there is no evidence that all believers can do what the apostles did. What did occur is the word was first preached and the signs and wonders followed to validate the new leadership for the Church. In much the same way Jesus’ miracles were to validate his person and message. Signs and wonders were to follow those who believe, not the believer following after the signs. Acts14:3 shows their focus was to build people up in the objective word, not looking for the power to do miracles. Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Signs and wonders, miracles are not for the Christians who already believe, they accompanied the Gospel and were done in the presence of the unbelievers to have them believe in the message...."
Read  FULL ARTICLE