Is your church part of the great falling away?
Jan 7, 2015 16:27:11 GMT -5
Post by Berean on Jan 7, 2015 16:27:11 GMT -5
IS YOUR CHURCH PART OF THE GREAT FALLING AWAY? (VIDEO)
Geri Ungurean | January 6, 2015
Feature Story Contributor Geri Ungurean
HAVE YOU CHECKED RECENTLY, TO SEE IF YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING TRUTH, OR DO YOU JUST BELIEVE HIS SERMONS BECAUSE HE IS A PASTOR?
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
I am writing this article in hopes that the readers of it will seek TRUTH in the only place it is always found — The Word of God. Within God’s Word, we find TRUTH to grow in Him, and to be kept safe from the lies of Satan. God tells us in His Word what will happen in the future. He always warns us about heresy being taught and received as truth. He said it will be worse in these End Times.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4: 3-4
The Berean church was used in the Bible as an example of how God wants His people to be kept safe. He knows that the enemy of our souls roams about the earth, seeking those he might devour. This passage of Scripture speaks of the Berean church:
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” – Acts 17:11
Emerging Churches
In the attempt to make the church more relevant for people today, this movement has incorporated mystical practices such as mantras, the burning of incense, meditation and much of the practices used in Yoga. The term started as Seeker churches. Just get them into the church building – so what if the Bible isn’t stressed. So what if repentance of sins is glossed over. At lease they are in church, right? WRONG.
Our God and His Word does NOT need gimmicks. Christianity stands on its own. His Word does not change, and watering it down is certainly counterproductive for the Gospel.
Slippery slope syndrome is a phrase I often use. The Christians begin to pick and choose the Scriptures they like, and gloss over or completely throw out others; they are on a very dangerous slippery slope away from God.
Brian McLaren, known as the father of Emerging Churches tells a story of his daughter coming home from college. They get into a conversation about hell, and she asks him how could a good God allow it? She doesn’t want to believe that her unbelieving friends will go there. Before long, this girl has convinced her dad that hell keeps people away from the church. He is totally on board with this, and very excited. Makes a person wonder if McLaren had any strong conviction about God’s Word in the first place. The view of no hell is certainly not a new one. It is call Christian Universalism, and has been around for a very long time.
With Slippery Slope Syndrome in place, falling away from doctrines of the church becomes quite easy. Bringing in Eastern Mystical practices seems the thing to do. The Emerging church is apostate. If you find yourself in one, search the Scriptures and ask the Lord to show you through His Word. Remember – HIS WORD NEVER CHANGES. Then I pray that you will leave that church!
The Mainline Apostate Churches
I will simply name the churches who are not following the Word of God. They teach Replacement theology, detest Israel and boycott products manufactured there, ordain gays as clergy, and many are pro abortion. Here is the list:
Southern Baptist (depending upon leadership)
Presbyterian USA
Methodist
Lutheran
United Church of Christ
Episcopal
I’m sure that some of you are saying “She put Southern Baptist churches on the apostate list!” And Yes, I did….and I’ll tell you why.
Do you think that Satan is content in corrupting just the mainline church denominations? Of course he is not! He wants to deceive the Baptists, who to many of us could NEVER be fooled and corrupted. We should not underestimate the craftiness and deception of the father of lies and the author of confusion – Satan himself.
Apostate Southern Baptist Churches
Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, has had a detrimental effect on many Baptist pastors. Since the day that Purpose Driven Church came out, he has been sending his propaganda to leaders of Baptist churches all over America. Many of them took the bait, and have his programs in place in their churches.
When studying the list of signatories of a Chrislam document, I noticed the signature of a Baptist Pastor from the FBC of the City of Washington, D.C. His name is Jim Somerville. I saw Rick Warren’s signature, but was not surprised. The signing of that document was from 2008, and today, Pastor Somerville is pastoring Richmond’s First Baptist Church – a church of more than 1000 members. [1] source
I contacted him by phone to ask him if he believed that our God is one and the same as Allah. Obviously annoyed with my call, he told me that they are indeed the same God. He said that Christians view God through the lens of Jesus Christ, while Muslims view Him through the lens of Muhammad. I offered to give him Scriptures from the Word, and passages from the Qur’an that would show conclusively that this was not true. He became furious with me and told me that he would not allow me to lecture him.
A good friend of mine in the Lord contacted Pastor Somerville’s staff to notify them of his errant beliefs. There were no responses to the email, save one which simply said “Stop emailing me!”
Pastor Somerville wrote to my friend and accused me of slander. I wrote to him and told him that I saw the accusation, and that both of us knew what was said during the phone call. Here is part of his response to me – I copied it from his email to me:
” I do remember telling you that I believe there is only one God, the maker of heaven and earth, and that “Muslims view the one God through the lens of the Prophet Muhammad while Christians view the one God through the lens of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
At the end of his email to me, he wrote:
“I don’t talk about Allah in the pulpit. I don’t teach my church that God and Allah are the same. I don’t say anything about Islam or the Quran. I’m a Christian pastor. I teach and talk about Jesus.”
When I read that, this Scripture came to my mind:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” – Proverbs 23:7
I dug a bit deeper in Jim Somerville’s website and blogsite and noticed some startling things. He was the pastor who came up with “A sermon for every Sunday” website. When I opened this site, I saw that there were about 13 pastors who had come together to offer sermons for shut-ins and churches who had no pastor. Pastor Somerville was the only Baptist pastor – the others were a conglomeration of Emerging and Mainline Apostate pastors. I immediately thought of the saying “Birds of a feather, flock together.” [2] source
While looking through Pastor Somerville’s blogsite, I came across some things (I wish I could say shocked) that disappointed me. Please know that I am not coming after this man for the sake of coming after him. My heart BREAKS for the 1000+ people who are sitting under his teaching, Sunday after Sunday – many of which may be baby Christians who are holding onto his every word.
I found this poem on his blogsite. It is a poem by his friend which touched him. He had pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope:
A Poem (My comments in bold print, with parentheses)
To My Atheist Friends (while looking at pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope)
Aren’t they amazing?
These are pictures of deep space,
the far reaches of the universe
and what can be seen in every dark corner
is light.
Towering nebulae,
whirling galaxies,
clusters of stars so dense
they dazzle the eyes.
There is an ancient text that claims:
“God is light.”
Work with me for a minute:
Imagine that it’s true,
that all the brilliant beauty in those images—
is God.
That He, or She, or It, is a luminous, swirling, benevolent Presence
That fills the universe,
and touches every dark corner with light.
(OR SHE OR IT??)
Imagine that other humans—
not so sensitive—
have found meaning in those words,
some sense of connection
to something they cannot name,
so that they have gathered up those words
and written them down
on tablets, scrolls, and in books.
Suppose that’s what the Bible is,
the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita:
books full of words that bear witness
to some greater presence
(SO THE BIBLE IS JUST ONE OF MANY HOLY BOOKS?)
those who have heard the low hum
(REMINDED ME OF MANTRAS IN HINDUISM)
of the heavens, singing,
by those who have seen the light
and called it by name?…
–Jay Green [3] source
All of this troubled my spirit so greatly. I decided to call the Southern Baptist Convention, and attempt to speak to someone there about accountability in the SBC churches. I was connected to a man who told me that because the SBC had so many churches affiliated with it (well over 100,000) that each church was considered to be autonomous. He made it clear that the SBC would never go after one leader or one church. The most that could happen was if they saw that one of their churches was so doctrinally wrong, they would simply ask that church to not state an affiliation with the SBC.
When we hung up, I wondered to myself about the souls of the congregations of these apostate churches — didn’t they matter? Wouldn’t Jesus say that these who were teaching doctrine opposed to the doctrine we received in His Word, should be disciplined and set right or removed?
Brethren, if you love God and His Word, and you are not one of the itchy ear crowd, I beg you to question your church leadership about essential doctrines of our faith. Or maybe you have friends or relatives in one of these churches. I believe that the Lord would have you share truth in a loving way with them. You may be the only person who ever tells them the truth!
Let me say this – there are many solid and Biblically based Baptist churches still out there. But I am trying to make the brethren see that it’s up to them to make sure that what is being preached is from God’s Word! You don’t go to church to hear the opinions of man. You go there to learn from the Word of God!
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” – Ephesians 5:6-11
link
Geri Ungurean | January 6, 2015
Feature Story Contributor Geri Ungurean
HAVE YOU CHECKED RECENTLY, TO SEE IF YOUR PASTOR IS TEACHING TRUTH, OR DO YOU JUST BELIEVE HIS SERMONS BECAUSE HE IS A PASTOR?
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
I am writing this article in hopes that the readers of it will seek TRUTH in the only place it is always found — The Word of God. Within God’s Word, we find TRUTH to grow in Him, and to be kept safe from the lies of Satan. God tells us in His Word what will happen in the future. He always warns us about heresy being taught and received as truth. He said it will be worse in these End Times.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4: 3-4
The Berean church was used in the Bible as an example of how God wants His people to be kept safe. He knows that the enemy of our souls roams about the earth, seeking those he might devour. This passage of Scripture speaks of the Berean church:
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” – Acts 17:11
Emerging Churches
In the attempt to make the church more relevant for people today, this movement has incorporated mystical practices such as mantras, the burning of incense, meditation and much of the practices used in Yoga. The term started as Seeker churches. Just get them into the church building – so what if the Bible isn’t stressed. So what if repentance of sins is glossed over. At lease they are in church, right? WRONG.
Our God and His Word does NOT need gimmicks. Christianity stands on its own. His Word does not change, and watering it down is certainly counterproductive for the Gospel.
Slippery slope syndrome is a phrase I often use. The Christians begin to pick and choose the Scriptures they like, and gloss over or completely throw out others; they are on a very dangerous slippery slope away from God.
Brian McLaren, known as the father of Emerging Churches tells a story of his daughter coming home from college. They get into a conversation about hell, and she asks him how could a good God allow it? She doesn’t want to believe that her unbelieving friends will go there. Before long, this girl has convinced her dad that hell keeps people away from the church. He is totally on board with this, and very excited. Makes a person wonder if McLaren had any strong conviction about God’s Word in the first place. The view of no hell is certainly not a new one. It is call Christian Universalism, and has been around for a very long time.
With Slippery Slope Syndrome in place, falling away from doctrines of the church becomes quite easy. Bringing in Eastern Mystical practices seems the thing to do. The Emerging church is apostate. If you find yourself in one, search the Scriptures and ask the Lord to show you through His Word. Remember – HIS WORD NEVER CHANGES. Then I pray that you will leave that church!
The Mainline Apostate Churches
I will simply name the churches who are not following the Word of God. They teach Replacement theology, detest Israel and boycott products manufactured there, ordain gays as clergy, and many are pro abortion. Here is the list:
Southern Baptist (depending upon leadership)
Presbyterian USA
Methodist
Lutheran
United Church of Christ
Episcopal
I’m sure that some of you are saying “She put Southern Baptist churches on the apostate list!” And Yes, I did….and I’ll tell you why.
Do you think that Satan is content in corrupting just the mainline church denominations? Of course he is not! He wants to deceive the Baptists, who to many of us could NEVER be fooled and corrupted. We should not underestimate the craftiness and deception of the father of lies and the author of confusion – Satan himself.
Apostate Southern Baptist Churches
Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, has had a detrimental effect on many Baptist pastors. Since the day that Purpose Driven Church came out, he has been sending his propaganda to leaders of Baptist churches all over America. Many of them took the bait, and have his programs in place in their churches.
When studying the list of signatories of a Chrislam document, I noticed the signature of a Baptist Pastor from the FBC of the City of Washington, D.C. His name is Jim Somerville. I saw Rick Warren’s signature, but was not surprised. The signing of that document was from 2008, and today, Pastor Somerville is pastoring Richmond’s First Baptist Church – a church of more than 1000 members. [1] source
I contacted him by phone to ask him if he believed that our God is one and the same as Allah. Obviously annoyed with my call, he told me that they are indeed the same God. He said that Christians view God through the lens of Jesus Christ, while Muslims view Him through the lens of Muhammad. I offered to give him Scriptures from the Word, and passages from the Qur’an that would show conclusively that this was not true. He became furious with me and told me that he would not allow me to lecture him.
A good friend of mine in the Lord contacted Pastor Somerville’s staff to notify them of his errant beliefs. There were no responses to the email, save one which simply said “Stop emailing me!”
Pastor Somerville wrote to my friend and accused me of slander. I wrote to him and told him that I saw the accusation, and that both of us knew what was said during the phone call. Here is part of his response to me – I copied it from his email to me:
” I do remember telling you that I believe there is only one God, the maker of heaven and earth, and that “Muslims view the one God through the lens of the Prophet Muhammad while Christians view the one God through the lens of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
At the end of his email to me, he wrote:
“I don’t talk about Allah in the pulpit. I don’t teach my church that God and Allah are the same. I don’t say anything about Islam or the Quran. I’m a Christian pastor. I teach and talk about Jesus.”
When I read that, this Scripture came to my mind:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” – Proverbs 23:7
I dug a bit deeper in Jim Somerville’s website and blogsite and noticed some startling things. He was the pastor who came up with “A sermon for every Sunday” website. When I opened this site, I saw that there were about 13 pastors who had come together to offer sermons for shut-ins and churches who had no pastor. Pastor Somerville was the only Baptist pastor – the others were a conglomeration of Emerging and Mainline Apostate pastors. I immediately thought of the saying “Birds of a feather, flock together.” [2] source
While looking through Pastor Somerville’s blogsite, I came across some things (I wish I could say shocked) that disappointed me. Please know that I am not coming after this man for the sake of coming after him. My heart BREAKS for the 1000+ people who are sitting under his teaching, Sunday after Sunday – many of which may be baby Christians who are holding onto his every word.
I found this poem on his blogsite. It is a poem by his friend which touched him. He had pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope:
A Poem (My comments in bold print, with parentheses)
To My Atheist Friends (while looking at pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope)
Aren’t they amazing?
These are pictures of deep space,
the far reaches of the universe
and what can be seen in every dark corner
is light.
Towering nebulae,
whirling galaxies,
clusters of stars so dense
they dazzle the eyes.
There is an ancient text that claims:
“God is light.”
Work with me for a minute:
Imagine that it’s true,
that all the brilliant beauty in those images—
is God.
That He, or She, or It, is a luminous, swirling, benevolent Presence
That fills the universe,
and touches every dark corner with light.
(OR SHE OR IT??)
Imagine that other humans—
not so sensitive—
have found meaning in those words,
some sense of connection
to something they cannot name,
so that they have gathered up those words
and written them down
on tablets, scrolls, and in books.
Suppose that’s what the Bible is,
the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita:
books full of words that bear witness
to some greater presence
(SO THE BIBLE IS JUST ONE OF MANY HOLY BOOKS?)
those who have heard the low hum
(REMINDED ME OF MANTRAS IN HINDUISM)
of the heavens, singing,
by those who have seen the light
and called it by name?…
–Jay Green [3] source
All of this troubled my spirit so greatly. I decided to call the Southern Baptist Convention, and attempt to speak to someone there about accountability in the SBC churches. I was connected to a man who told me that because the SBC had so many churches affiliated with it (well over 100,000) that each church was considered to be autonomous. He made it clear that the SBC would never go after one leader or one church. The most that could happen was if they saw that one of their churches was so doctrinally wrong, they would simply ask that church to not state an affiliation with the SBC.
When we hung up, I wondered to myself about the souls of the congregations of these apostate churches — didn’t they matter? Wouldn’t Jesus say that these who were teaching doctrine opposed to the doctrine we received in His Word, should be disciplined and set right or removed?
Brethren, if you love God and His Word, and you are not one of the itchy ear crowd, I beg you to question your church leadership about essential doctrines of our faith. Or maybe you have friends or relatives in one of these churches. I believe that the Lord would have you share truth in a loving way with them. You may be the only person who ever tells them the truth!
Let me say this – there are many solid and Biblically based Baptist churches still out there. But I am trying to make the brethren see that it’s up to them to make sure that what is being preached is from God’s Word! You don’t go to church to hear the opinions of man. You go there to learn from the Word of God!
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” – Ephesians 5:6-11
link
