Contextualization

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A CRITIQUE OF THE HIGHER LIFE MOVEMENT

Higher-Purpose

A CRITIQUE OF THE HIGHER LIFE MOVEMENT 

By Jay Wegter

INTRODUCTION

The concept of the higher Christian life arose in the nineteenth century in connection with the holiness tradition in America.  The movement grew in popularity and ultimately spread to England.  Keswick, England became the home of the higher life conventions.  In time, the movement returned to America with great momentum.  “The Higher Life movement has influenced the rise of other theologically conservative movements, the founding of a number of institutions, the growth of foreign missions, and the theological perspective of several denominations.”1

Description of the Movement

          The higher Christian life is an explanation of the means and methods involved in advancing the believer’s progressive sanctification.  The purpose of this paper is to identify the areas where the higher life model of sanctification differs from the scriptural doctrine of sanctification.

          Though not identical, three terms are used synonymously to refer to the movement; “The higher Christian life,” the “Victorious Christian Life,” and “Keswick Teaching.”  In this paper, any of the three terms may be used to refer to the whole body of higher life teaching.

HISTORIC BACKGROUND

          The inception of the higher life movement is often identified with the publication of William Edwin Boardman’s book, The Higher Christian Life (1858).  The book argued that Christ was to be received for sanctification sometime after justification. Continue reading →

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DOES RICK WARREN WANT YOU TO “COME HOME” TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

painting-of-st-peter-s-basilica-roman-catholic-church-29888275-781-550

DOES RICK WARREN WANT YOU TO “COME HOME” TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

By Amy Spreeman  (Aspreeman’s Archives )

You’ve heard about the Purpose Driven Life for Catholics, but did you ever think it would lead to a major evangelization project by the Church of Rome that targets Protestant Christians?

Rick-Warren-Catholics-Come-Home

Catholics Come Home: God’s Extraordinary Plan for Your Life is the name of a new book that is taking Rome and the world by storm, with this incredible endorsement by Rick Warren, which signals a troubling shift toward embracing this new project:

Warren-quote

Make no mistake; this Catholics Come Home movement is not just to bring “lapsed Catholics” into the system of Rome. ( see The Eucharest: the New Evangelization targets you, Christian!) It’s target is everyone, including Bible-believing Christians. The project’s founder, Tom Peterson, has opened the doors to entice Protestants and people of other faiths to Catholicism: Continue reading →

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New Calvinists , Reformed Charismatic’s Names Features on Rick Warrens list of Recommended Pastors

Rick Warren reformation over

The following post below by Amy Spreeman from Stand Up For The Truth, drew my attention to some names  mentioned, popular well known  men who are part of The New Calvinists/Reformed Charismatics/YRR movement,  all well known in the Reformed Circles, some of them visited South Africa recently see here : Why We Cannot Endorse Rezolution 2013 and also Here : More on the New Calvinist /YRR Mystic Tim Keller and Rezolution Conference 2013 and also see Charismaticism: fraud, lies, arrogance and deception and The New Calvinists. 

It is very concerning that the names (marked in Red) below are blended in with some real heretics on this list of Rick Warren. We ask what is the connection ?  What has light to do with darkness ? You decide what this means. Compromise ? Tolerance ? Apostasy ? Who is next to fall to the Purpose Driven Emerging Ecumenism in the New Calvinists , Reformed Charismatic camp Circles ?

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
(1 John 4:1 KJV)

A strong recommendation DO NOT FOLLOW this list of teachers lest you be led astray on the Wide road.

RICK WARREN’S TOP 100 PASTORS TO FOLLOW

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A strange (but very telling) recommendation from Rick Warren:

Joel Osteen? T.D. Jakes???  This is quite a Facebook Post from Pastor Rick Warren. Here he tells his fans which senior pastors — the top 100 in fact – that he recommends his fans follow on Twitter.

Here is the exact post, but you can also follow the link above and see the strange conversation happening on Pastor Warren’s page: Continue reading →
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THREE RELIGIOUS FABLES

To argue that God is “trying His best” to save all mankind, but that the majority of men will not let Him save them, is to insist that the will of the Creator is impotent, and that the will of the creature is omnipotent.” -A.W. Pink

Pastor Don Fortner

The prophecy made by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1-5 has come to pass in our day. All over the world men, and women, and boys, and girls gather in religious assemblies. Some are very solemn. Others can barely be distinguished from dance hall revelry. But they gather in the name of Christ to worship God. They read the Bible, say their prayers, invoke God’s blessing, and give their money. They are devoted. They are sincere. But they are lost! They have faith; but theirs is a false faith. They have hope; but their hope is a delusion. Having been led and taught by blind and ignorant men, “They will not endure sought doctrine; but after their own lusts…they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…They turn away their ears from the truth and (have been) turned into fables.”

I am not talking about Hindus, Buddhist, and Muslims. I am talking about men and women who profess to know, worship, trust, and serve the living God by faith in his Son Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. I am talking about our friends, relatives, and neighbors. I am talking about many of you. You have turned away from the truth have been turned unto fables. Do I have your attention? If you will pay attention to the Word of God, God just might teach you something. Continue reading →

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The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women

As Spurgeon cried with deep insight: “Once a church or individual Christian gets on the downgrade, momentum takes over, recovery is unusual.” And there our modern church is found falling away in profound decadency with most churches having “ICHABOD” written on their doors.

The issue of Women Preachers is just one of the symptoms of this malaise of the church and so from all sides the word now used is “Post Christian Era”. But here we are dealing with this “cancer” of women preachers in the church. The Bible speaks too clearly on this subject for there to be any confusion. The problem is that churches too often are looking to sources other than the Bible for guidance; indeed they are fully steeped in the tenets of secularism. God loves women as much as He does men. Women are as important to the home, church, and society as men are. In Jesus Christ, women enjoy the same access to salvation and blessings before God as men do. This does not mean, though, there is no difference in men and women in their appearance and roles. There is a basic truth, which needs to be restated in the church and society today: Men and women are different and are not interchangeable! Continue reading →

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Usurping Women have been the originators of many false Charismatic movements !

One of the trademarks of Pentecostalism is that women usurp their God ordained place of submission in the church! Pentecostalism: The only religion often founded by women who usurp their place! Dominated by emotionalism!

Teaching or exercising authority over a man in the church. This includes pulpit preaching and administration.

1 Tim 2:12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, andthen Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression. 15 But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

Being a pastor/elder/overseer. 1 Tim 3 and Titus 1 explicitly identify that pastors MUST BE MEN.

1 Timothy 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Notice that the prohibition against women teaching or exercising authority over men in the church is IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE CLEAR STATEMENT THAT ONLY MEN CAN BE OVERSEERS/PASTORS! One continuous text!

Miram ~ 1500 BC Continue reading →

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His Number is 666

“His Number is 666”
By Kim Riddlebarger ~ Sermons on the Book of Revelation # 20
Texts: Revelation 13:11-18; Daniel 8:15-26

There is no subject–with the possible exception of the unpardonable sin–which has caused as much consternation for the people of God as has the so-called “mark of the beast.” John pointedly warns his hearers against taking such a mark on the back of the hand or the forehead. He also tells us that anyone who takes such a mark swears allegiance to the beast. This has given Christians throughout the ages a healthy suspicion of any government which persecutes the church or hinders the preaching of the gospel. It has lead to a number of questions in our own day about advancing technology and increasing government control over many areas of our personal lives. Such a warning from an apostle creates a climate in which sensational predictions and warnings about political events and technology are the norm. So we must do our best to bring clarity to this most difficult and controversial of subjects.

In past sermons, we have been working our way through Revelation 12-14 in which John introduces his reader to seven of the main characters in the great drama of redemption. Like the seal judgments of Revelation 6-8:1 and the trumpet judgments of Revelation 8-11, the vision recorded in Revelation 12-14 describes the entire period of time between the first advent and the second coming of Christ from a distinct theological perspective (or “camera” angle as we have been calling it). In this section of Revelation, John gives us a vivid description of the struggle between the people of God and our great adversary, Satan, who has been cast down from heaven to earth where he now seeks to wage war upon the church of Jesus Christ through the agency of his henchmen, the beast and the false prophet. Continue reading →

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Can Those Of Religions Other Than Christianity Enter The Kingdom Of God ?

MUST-SEE VIDEO: WHY “KINGDOM CIRCLES” TEACHING IS BLASPHEMOUS

Posted by: Amy Spreeman

Remember when we first shared that photo of a Saddleback pastor teaching a highly questionable method of evangelizing to other religions? Churches around the world are learning how to blend or sychretize two different faiths, thanks to movements like Jesus in the Qur’an and The Insider Movement.  These folks will often use the so-called “Kingdom Circles” illustration to explain how Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., can enter the Kingdom of God without actually converting to Christianity.

Today I sat down with Elijah Abraham, a former Muslim and now born-again Christian, who took out a pen and paper to explain to me why Kingdom Circles is flawed at best, and more truthfully, blasphemous.

He then illustrated a much better (and biblical!) way to explain the Kingdom to those who do not know Christ. Here is the video: Continue reading →

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Entertainment and Style of Music Do Not Convert People

John MacArthur,

“It’s not the style of our music that gets people converted. It’s not because of the entertainment level that they enjoy that gets them converted. Sooner or later you’ve got to get down to confronting them with the message and my judgment is sooner is better than later. So what are we waiting for? Let’s just get them to hear the message, that’s how they’re going to be saved. Take out the preaching of sin, take out the preaching of hell, take out repentance, take out the cross, and then people will feel comfortable. That’s the new trend. Build an image of love, care, being nice and if everybody is nice, they like us, they might like Jesus. That is tragically not the case. Continue reading →

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Profit of Doom : An expose’ on T.B. Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations, Nigeria

T.B. Joshua  
“To Deceive Even The Elect …” 

an expose’ on T.B. Joshua of

The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations

by Sandy Simpson, 3/01

There has been a lot of talk about T.B. Joshua from Nigeria lately.  I have written to him asking for two items: (1) a copy of his doctrinal statement and (2) independent HIV tests from BEFORE those he claims he has healed were allegedly healed proving they had AIDS to begin with.  On his The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations web site he makes claims of AIDS healings but provides only testimonials and pictures of people holding up what are supposed to be HIV tests taken, in some cases, before and after the fact.  Most people will readily realize that testimonials and HIV tests shown in photographs do not constitute proof.  HIV tests from before their visit to The Synagogue should be provided independently of The Synagogue to verify any alleged healings.

That spectacular things are being seen at his church and on video seem to be without doubt.  But let’s not forget that many of the “miracles” we see could also be faked.  If these are indeed true miracles, we still need to investigate the source.  It is important to remember that Satan is capable of both healing (Rev. 13:14) and making people sick (Job  2:7).  I have suspected for a long time that occult healings can sometimes be the result of the enemy lifting sickness or disease that was a result of his inflicting sickness and disease in the first place.  Why would he do that?  Simply to prop up his false prophets and false healers and to deceive people!  We also need to be aware of the fact that a house swept clean without true repentance and belief in Jesus Christ is a house that is open to further demonic episodes (Matt. 12:43-45).  That’s why it’s always important to check back on those who claim to be healed and see if they are still healed at a later date. Continue reading →

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King’s Way, Rick Warren Controversy Continues

Posted by Christine Pack

After reading Ken Silva’s excellently researched article on the ongoing King’s Way controversy, I decided to chart Pastor Silva’s findings for the purpose of giving a quick thumbnail sketch of the issue to anyone not familiar with the controversy. Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church, is claiming that an Orange County Register reporter inaccurately reported that Saddleback is working with the local Muslim community on an interfaith document known as King’s Way. The reporter (Jim Hinch) stands by his story. Below is a chart detailing some of the conflicting claims: Continue reading →

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Rick Warren’s denials under a microscope

March 11, 2012 by

Listen to Podcast here:

This past weekend, two significant statements were made regarding the controversial King’s Way Islamic partnership from Saddleback Church. First, Pastor Rick Warren denied ever launching the Islamic partnership, blaming it all on a few members who simply gathered to talk about it in a Bible study without consulting him or his staff. Continue reading →

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Why is a Saddleback pastor teaching on the Kingdom Circles?

This photo is satirical

March 12, 2012 by

With all the buzz about the interfaith aspect of Saddleback Church’s P.E.A.C.E. Plan and the controversy over the King’s Way initiative that partners Rick Warren’s church together with the Islamic community, many question just how Saddleback is reaching Muslims after promising not to convert anyone to Christianity.

Could it be that not converting anyone is one reason Pastor Warren is getting so many questions about Chrislam?

This is a photo of Emmaus Weekend Pentecost, an event held last June 11 and 12 in The Parish of Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church in Sophia Antipolis, a town near Nice, France: Continue reading →