Singing like a Pharisee

The Pharisees did not simply follow God's commandments at all. They were hypocrites; shiny on the outside, rotten on the inside. To them the law was not spiritual, and their hearts were far from the Law-Giver.

They added to this wicked hypocrisy by not only making up new commandments not found in God's Word, but also condemning others for not keeping those things in order to puff themselves up. And the worst of all, which was no doubt the root of their pride and hypocrisy, was that they taught that righteousness was obtained by means of keeping the law. But only those who have graciously been given the perfect righteousness of Christ are justified in God's sight. The just shall live by faith in Christ's righteousness, not their own.

In contrast, those who believe that they have obtained righteousness by means of their own will, naturally will produce the proud fruit of hypocrisy, rather than the humble fruit of sincerity. Because they believe that their own will makes the difference between them and another, it is natural for them to puff themselves up against others, and insist on burdensome commandments to trip others up, so that they are considered better. So, they love the praise of men rather than the praise of God, because being unjustified, they have not experienced the praise of God in their consciences as righteous in Christ alone, which testimony makes the praise of men worthless and undesirable.

If you want an example of Pharisaic worship today, look no further than the Roman liturgy, or the charismatics (which are actually worse). Some charismatics even think that a person who does not raise his hands and shake and babble and do whatever other ridiculous fad, is totally unspiritual, and probably not even a Christian, or at least a far less spiritual Christian. And woe betide the church which refuses to sing their super-spiritual hymns and choruses!

After all, they say, isn't God always doing a "new thing", and bringing "new revelations", and "new waves" and "movements of the Spirit" (a spirit of confusion and pride, you understand, not the Holy Spirit of God who brings the righteous fruit of self-control, patience, and love which covers a multitude of sins, and by which we humble ourselves and bear with the failings and weaknesses of our brethren). And "sing a new song" they insist means that we must sing their sensational, carnal, and emotive doggerel, while discarding and abolishing the inspired Psalms as deadweight. So, they puff themselves up against those who are content with singing the songs actually inspired by God, the 150 Psalms. It is after all, one of the Psalms speaking of itself (not some other song) which says, "sing a new song".

Who here is the Pharisee? He who sings the songs which God has given to His church, or he who condemns us for refusing to sing songs which have not been appointed by God for worship? And since God is the only one worthy to determine how He must be worshipped, we must not worship in any way other than what He has commanded, and so we ignore the unscriptural commandments of the Pharisaic charismatics, and maintain that their worship is vain because it is not what God has required. By means of their pride, they lay aside the good things which God has commanded. And is this not Pharisaism?

"Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." - Matt. 15:6b-9.
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men...Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" - Mark 7:8,13.

Finally, consider the objection to only singing Psalms, which tries to compare our Scriptural practice to the wickedness, pride, and hypocrisy of the Pharisees, because we don't condemn the singing of all other songs outside the worship service as inherently sinful. To bring other songs before God as worship would be sinful - unless one meant in the sense that we must worship God with everything we think, say or do, and with all the gifts and talents that have been given to us. But is it not plain that there are a great many songs and many other activities that are not sinful to sing or do most of the time, but would be completely inappropriate for the worship service? I may fix teeth all week as a dentist, but I won't do it in the worship service. Similarly a poet, or a musician, or a singer may do a great many lawful things during the week, which would be inappropriate for the worship service. Is it is not placing an unnecessary and even grievous burden on such people to restrict their singing to only the Psalms all the time outside the worship service?

Now, the reason I've written a short article on the subject was to answer these objections, because they were laid against the Scriptural practice and teachings of my church, and they were made publicly, and I felt it would be worthwhile and helpful to defend our practice and teaching, because it is Scriptural, and I want others to see that, and grow in understanding, and for God to be worshipped rightly and given the praise and honour He deserves from His people, and I want to see the errors which oppose this thrown down and exposed, and His people blessed in singing the 150 Psalms in worship, and not burdened with the traditions of men, and the proud craftiness of Pharisaic philosophies.

But I can't help wondering what one hopes to achieve with these objections, if one is not really bothered after all with whether or not we sing the Psalms. Is it all just an academic exercise, or is there a genuine care about how God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth? And for those who treated the issues of God's commandments as mere academia, Christ had words too: "Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." - Luke 11:46.

Of course, God's law is not burdensome (I John 5:3; James 1:25), but men try to present it as such when they do not desire to keep it, or wish to excuse themselves. There is no fault with God's commandments, the fault is with us whose hearts are sinful and rebel against God's authority in His Word.

Acceptable Worship in Christ Alone

The only thing acceptable in God's sight is what proceeds from Him alone. God is holy, and the highest good and only source of all goodness. The human heart is always filled with pride, and all kinds of malice, idolatry, wickedness, and envy. There is such evil in the human heart by nature that we cannot fathom it. Nothing good can possibly come from the heart of those fallen in Adam. And though the life of Jesus Christ is present in every Christian, there is only a small beginning, and the totally depraved, vile, and abominable sinful nature remains.

It is entirely evident to me now, as despite myself God has graciously taught me by His glorious law of light and liberty, more of how deceitfully wicked we really are at heart, that for a man to get the insane notion into his head that he can write a song that is worthy to be brought into the presence of Holy God in the congregation of the saints as pure, true, and spiritual worship to the Holy One, is nothing but rotten, foul, and stinking pride of the worst sort - spiritual pride.

David, and the others inspired writers of the Psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God to pen the 150 Psalms, and God has not added to them, nor ever will, because His Word is sufficient, and perfect. Some say that this is a lack of diversity and is unworthy of the God who created millions of species of insect, but He eternally decreed 66 books of the Bible, and every word of it, and all the history recorded therein, all the commandments, who should write them, all the prophecy, and the lives of all those mentioned in the Bible, and of those who penned the books. And He decreed 150 Psalms to be perfectly inspired by His Spirit, to proclaim the praises of the redemption of His elect church by the promised Messiah, for His glory and honour. And He is worthy, not of the lame and blemished to be brought to Him (Mal. 1:6-14), but only for that which is perfect, as He is perfect, to be offered as praise before Him.

First of all, this tells us that Christian worship can only ever be acceptable, by being sanctified in Jesus Christ. The beloved Son of God covers the filthy rags of our pathetic worship to make it acceptable in the sight of God. He atoned for all the impurity, weakness, and carnality of our worship. But does such grace give us license to be proud before the Holy One, and lift up our hearts as if we were acceptable of ourselves? That is what we say (whether we realise it or not) to God, when we offer up the ridiculous writings of mere men as worship. Even the holy Psalms become filthy rags as we try to offer them as worship, so how much more the products of proud hymn-writers, no matter how much derived (or distorted) from Scripture (which God did not appoint to be sung, but to be preached). Such hymns may indeed be edifying, and helpful in their place, but that place is not in worship. It is not a matter of greater and lesser, but of appointed for worship, and not at all.

Shall we sin that grace may increase? By no means. Rather we must, in holy reverence granted by the Spirit of God, repent of our spiritual pride, and seek to worship with what God Himself has given approval, and to do so in spirit and in truth more and more as He causes us to grow by the powerful preaching of the Gospel. Considering our depravity, it is utter foolishness to expect that our own carnal imaginations and reasoning about what God desires in worship should ever be anything other than completely wrong and even abominable in His sight. Instead, we must humbly seek His wisdom, and ask of God in His Word revealed to us, how we ought to worship, just as we must learn from Him how we must pray. Naturally, all our own ideas about spiritual things are nonsense, and worse than folly; even directly opposed to what is godly and righteous.

Furthermore, since Christian worship can only be acceptable in Jesus Christ, knowing that there is one Mediator between God and man, and that He is the only way to the Father, we should know that anything not appointed as worship in His Word is as vain and idolatrous as seeking God outside of Christ. Again, it is idolatry to worship God according to our own ideas about what is acceptable. The Lord Jesus alone appoints how we must worship, just as He alone directs and governs all things in His church. And the church that refuses to submit to His rule, is not His bride, but a whore with which the world commits fornication. To offer anything other than the Psalms of Holy Scripture as worship is nothing less than disobedience to Christ, and seeking to have fellowship with God apart from the Mediator, Jesus Christ, by whom we were given the Psalms.

The starting principle of the godly is that he humbles himself before God, and forsakes his own thoughts, and inquires carefully of God how it is that He must be worshipped. Those who come to the Scriptures with this Christian attitude of humility, and this question, cannot escape the conclusion that there is nothing else apart from the Psalms of Scripture that God ever appoints for us to sing in worship to Him. And so all other notions and objections, no matter how persuasive must be utterly rejected as deceitful and devious lies and temptations of the devil who always seeks to corrupt the worship of God, and whose greatest ally in the church is the sinful heart of man, with all its proud natural reasoning.

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So they that are in the flesh cannot please God." - Rom. 8:7-8. 

The most blind argument that can ever be made against singing the Psalms only, is that it is proud. The idolatry of offering worship that has not been appointed by God is proud. And it is natural that a church which loses the doctrine of the depravity of man, and the holiness of God, and of Christ the Mediator, and in short where Christ is no longer heard in its preaching, and the sacraments are carelessly profaned, and there is no spiritual discipline to remove the leaven of adulterers (for example), that such a lump becomes more and more leavened, so that the worship too is utterly corrupted, in that proud man-made worship is proudly offered, and the sincerity, holiness, purity, richness, and worthiness of the Psalms are no longer heard at all. The voice of the Bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, are no longer heard in such false churches. Where you hear the voice of the Bridegroom however, there you will also hear the voice of His bride, singing joyfully to her Saviour, with the words given to her by God Himself.

What did it feel like to be born again?

(I was asked this question by a man from a Pentecostal background and responded as follows:)

‎"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." - John 3:8.

The first work of regeneration, that implanting of new life is a secret unconditional and sovereign work of God, as that passage teaches. We can only see that it has happened from the fruits of it, namely faith in Jesus Christ, repentance from sin, and the beginning of the new obedience to the will of God. Just as we cannot be conscious of the exact moment of our natural conception (yet we know certainly it happened, as we live and breath today), we cannot conscious of the exact moment of our spiritual birth (even though afterwards we experience the results of it - spiritual life). Before we are born again, we are not spiritual, but dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-10), and so cannot believe:

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - I Cor. 2:12-14.

So, before the new birth, we cannot believe and everything in us, our mind, will, affections, and strength, wages warfare against God:

"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." - Rom. 8:6-9.

And this same passage also teaches that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they are not a Christian at all, because they do not belong to Christ.

All these passages prove that it is the Lord's gracious will and pleasure alone that determines who is reborn, and who is not. Without the Spirit, our will, and every other faculty of our entire being is under slavery to sin and Satan - and that is the natural condition of man since the Fall.

Because I see that I believe all this, that Christ has paid for my sins on the cross, and I therefore belong to Him, I am assured that He has given me His Holy Spirit. And this assurance is further strengthened as I see that the work of His Spirit in me, not only causing me to believe, but also to live a new life for Him. Since it is God who testifies in my conscience through the faith He works in me by His Spirit, there is nothing in all the world that can shake that confidence - not even certain Pentecostals who think that speaking in unintelligible languages is the necessary proof of the new birth:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" - Rom. 8:15-16.

This is the primary difference between the true Christianity of the Bible, and the false religion of the Roman Catholic church. In one there is full assurance, confidence, peace and joy - and in the other, there is nothing but terror of punishment, and dread of presumption.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Rom. 5:1-2

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Rom. 8:38-39.

It was these same convictions, worked in Martin Luther by the Spirit of God, that led him to boldly declare in face of the fierce opposition of the false church of his day, "Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God."

This assurance of eternal salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and fellowship with God, is the foundation of the Christian life - without it, there is no Christianity; because it is the work of the Holy Spirit in every true Christian. But it is also true that many Christians for various reasons at various times (false teachings, and their own sins, etc), have a weak faith, and do not enjoy this assurance to the same degree - but these are exceptions in terrible temporary circumstances. The chief means by which God strengthens our faith is the preaching of His Word. This is why preachers who think that their calling is to try to terrify the congregation as much as possible, are not being obedient to their calling which is:

"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins." - Isa. 40:1-2.

This same message of comfort which strengthens God's people, and cultivates thankfulness and godly joy in them, testifies against hypocrites and unbelievers, and hardens them against the truth which they hate. The salvation of the church always means the destruction of her enemies.

Revivalism: A carnal discontent with the biblical means for church reformation

"Revivalism and the unceasing desire for revival in the church all come from the desire for a 'quick fix' for the church's problems and weaknesses. Rather than insisting on the necessity of true holiness, of living faith in Jesus Christ, and of sincere repentance for sin, the desire is for some excitement which will give the appearance of bringing the church back to her spiritual moorings, however temporary such excitement may be. Rather than the hard work of preaching the gospel and of calling for these things in the church, the easy way is sought."
- Rev. Ron Hanko (2009) "Another Look at the 1859 Revival in Ireland", British Reformed Journal, 51, p26.

Revivalism brews when the preaching of the gospel in a church falls to the ground, and is replaced by vain stories, amusing platitudes, and entertaining nonsense, and the sacraments are corrupted by no longer being explained biblically in the preaching, and church discipline is wholly neglected, such that the most profane adulterers and idolatrous unbelievers are not only treated as if they had nothing to fear on the Day of Judgement, but are regularly, and unashamedly welcomed to the Lord's table.

People in this environment often don't see that the solution to these problems is for the church to diligently and zealously return to Scripture, not to seek the misguided and ignorant enthusiasm and excitement of Revivalism. And if the church opposes the biblical protests for her to correct her doctrine and practice in these areas, then believers must flee and seek to join a church which does submit to God's Word. An institution which rejects the authority of Scripture is not a true church of Jesus Christ at all, but a syngogue of Satan.

We are naturally lazy and weak, and prone to every kind of carelessness and foolishness because of our sinful nature. We are prone to not believe in the power of preaching of the Word of God, and instead search for all manner of unclean gimmicks, godless tools, and every other kind of imagined means instead of the means that God has appointed for us in His Word - which is primarily biblical expository preaching. In this way, Revivalism is actually a lack of love for the truth, despite all the passion it boasts of. Love must be demonstrated in action, and if heartfelt passions do not lead one to search the Scriptures and insist on its authority alone, then such passions are an abomination before God. All our passions and the thoughts of our minds (along with every other aspect of our beings) must be conformed to the image of Christ through the knowledge of God which is eternal life (John 17:3).

Yet it is also God's sovereign decision whether a church falls further into apostasy or reforms (and we have no right to insanely protest against His good and perfect will). It is nothing but pride, rebellion, and stubbornness, stemming from a stiff neck, to pray for the Almighty, sovereigng and only wise God to change His mind (which is impossible for Him to do). Our calling is to submit to His will and to be "reformed, and always reforming", and to join churches which manifest the marks of a true church, and to leave whatever institution which claims to be a church yet does not bear the marks of it, when it refuses to hear godly biblical protests.

May God give His beloved elect believing saints in Limerick, and throughout the world, the grace to do so.

Who is wise?

Malcolm Forbes says, "The dumbest people I know are those who know it all."

But Christ said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32. Not as if anyone knows it all (I Cor. 13:12), but we must confess what God has revealed to us about Himself, or else we are denying Him. So who do we believe? The Bible which tells us that God is the truth and He has revealed Himself to us and the rest of the world is in prideful ignorance, or Malcolm Forbes who claims that those who confess that they are not ignorant, are stupid?

And Christ also promised, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into *ALL TRUTH*: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." - John 16:13-15.

The false spirit of Pentecostalism opposes the Spirit of truth, because it is a spirit of falsehood, ignorance, and confusion. It says, "doctrine divides! be content to live in uncertainty! simplicity is godliness! knowledge is the source of pride because 'knowledge' puffs up! humility is to profess ignorance! emotionalism is true spirituality! the intellect is unspiritual! love the lack of knowledge! do not seek wisdom! the truth is harsh! speaking the truth is unloving! love is a feeling! worship is a feeling! don't read the Bible too much because the 'letter' kills! logic is unspiritual! mystical self-contradicating confusion is spiritual! etc." The false spirit of pentecostalism seems to never tire of twisting Scripture to keep people in darkness.

I have met pagans and atheists who understand the Bible better than most Pentecostals, though they are damned by their denial of it. And the solution to this, is to bear witness to who the Holy Spirit really is, and identify the spirit of pentecostalism as an unclean spirit and a lying spirit from Satan who comes to steal, kill and destroy. How can one declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light if one is still dwelling in the darkness (I Pet. 2:9)?

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." - II Cor. 4:6. And Paul the Apostle was sent to the Gentiles by Jesus Christ for this purpose: "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." - Acts 26:18. And this is exactly the work which the false pentecostal spirit works so busily to oppose. Faith is not ignorant or uncertain, and it grows in knowledge of its object, since faith is the certainty of things hoped for, and the knowledge of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).

But speaking of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; the Bible says:
Proverbs 4
"4He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
10Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life."

And the Bible is filled with this teaching. And the warning to those who do not heed this call is terrible:
Proverbs 8
"1Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?
2She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.
3She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.
4Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man.
5O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.
6Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
7For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
9They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
10Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."
"35For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death."

And Proverbs 1
"20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

I believe God has revealed the truth about His Holy Spirit to His church, and I will NOT deny this! To deny this would not merely be false modesty (I Cor. 2:9-16), it would be for me to renounce my faith entirely - because it is a denial of God's grace in salvation. When a Christian says, "I know", it is not a confession of pride, it is boasting in the Lord who has shown us the light (I Cor. 1:24-31). Who is Malcolm Forbes to attempt to silence our praise for our Saviour?

To despise knowledge and wisdom is no different than to despise the Holy Spirit of God.

Tales of the Visit of a Reformed Pastor to Limerick: Part III

On the first Saturday of their visit we braved the cold weather and went on a trip to the Clare Glens with the Stewarts. But we were walking for a couple of hours, and I don't have the time now to relate all we spoke about there. Afterwards we visited a brother who had an operation recently (who was in top form!) and we finished the day with some excellent cooking and more Bible study and devotions on the book of Judges.

That Lord's Day began with a worship service in which we listened to a sermon on Romans 11:6, which I would agree is one of the clearest statements in Scripture that our election is entirely gracious and nothing at all of ourselves (cf. Eph. 2:8; I Cor. 4:7). We are much in need of such humbling doctrine - precisely because we are so very sinful. In the evening the sermon was about Stephen the Martyr which was a great encouragement to spur us on, especially considering how God used this very evil hatred of the false church to promote the Gospel even further and gather even more of His people from the Gentiles. Of course all things work for our good, as the curses David received from Shimei were so many showers of blessings upon his head. We had been going through a sermon series from Numbers 22-25 about God's "uncursable" church, and so this fitted in very well.

I think that day Rev. Stewart made a suggestion about whether there was any possibility of me helping to put the Calvin Conference DVDs on Youtube. So, after some experimenting and figuring out on Monday, I finished putting them all online by Saturday. We had another Bible study on Wednesday and on I Peter 3:7-12, although we barely finished the first verse! Again it was a very enriching time, everyone present loved it. It was very sad, because some were asking me about the possibility of future Bible studies, but it will be rare that Rev. Stewart will be in Limerick to lead them. However, we are praying and hoping to have a full-time missionary working here with us soon.

After the study we were about to leave and someone remembered the match against France (which we had to win one-nil to qualify - I think) and wondered aloud about the score - and lo and behold, it was fifteen minutes into extra time and Henri had just performed his now notorious unchecked double-handball goal after Ireland having been in the lead for most of the match (and after a brief but valiant attack for the last fifteen minutes we lost). So the guys at our house were pretty distraught and upset (almost weeping, I could say) when we arrived back at our house.

Anyway, that week the lecture was on Thursday which in the unsearchable (yet good and perfect) providence of God, meant that many people couldn't make it. It was on “The Glory of God”, and though the attendance was much lower (think seven less or so), we remember that God's word does not go out in vain - it was a weighty and meaty lecture, for which I am very thankful. One application of the passage (Exo. 33:18-34:7) was made to popular Revival meetings (in which people pray for God to show His glory, yet reject those who preach sovereign election and reprobation) and was very apt - since if God shows Moses His glory by the saying, "I will show mercy on whom I show mercy", then these same fervent (yet hypocritical) "prayer-warriors" are actually commonly engaged in burying God's glory.

More soon...

How Do I Know God's Will For My Life?

On Thursday, 24th of September, Rev. Angus Stewart gave a lecture entitled, “Guidance: How Do I Know God's Will For My Life”. This included a robust and comprehensive defense of sola Scriptura over against all the insane notions of various kinds of fanatics, charismatics, pentecostals, Arminians, etc. It began by examining all the wild, wacky, and wonderful ideas about guidance that abound today, and which are utterly false and lead people into all kinds of difficulties. I remember as a young Christian in the Methodist church hearing all these ideas about guidance and seriously desiring to be led by God – especially as regards what career to pursue (I had heard no small voice in my head as a call such as the Methodists seemed to speak of, and thought it very easy to fall into being guided by my own desire or pride). I would ask people about it and at various youth conferences I would go to the lectures/workshops on “guidance”.

I guess I heard a few useful things, like letting the Bible fall open randomly and blindly putting your finger on a verse is downright stupid, but I think I knew all those things already - the inituitive Christian hermeneutic militates against it. It all really caused me to despair about what to put on my CAO form for a college course to go to after writing my Leaving Certificate exams. Why? Because I had not heard any “voice” telling me what to do – I did not have the kind of subjective, supernatural, experiential “calling” like the Methodists so often spoke of, and so I assumed that either they were just talking trash or God was determined not to guide me. In the end I made a decision, hoping that I would receive some special supernatural revelation later eventually. This of course seriously harmed my assurance too. If I do not receive such guidance in such a manner, does God really love me? Of course, biblically speaking, to receive a direct revelation from God is to be a prophet, and the prophets, along with the apostles, are laid in the foundation of the church with Christ (Eph. 2:20).

Once the coffin had been nailed firmly shut (and a few more planks hammered on top) on all these unclean spirits of “guidance”, the meat of the lecture was expounded. The all-sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work is the answer to how we are to know God's will for us. A careful distinction was made between God's commands and God's purposes (since these can both be referred to ambiguously as His "will"), and it was highlighted in view of this, that while we can certainly be outside God's will of command by walking in disobedience (in which case we ought to repent), we cannot be outside God's good and perfect purposes. Rev. Stewart proved a number of crucial principles from Scripture, and how God guides us as we apply these wise biblical principles to our circumstances:

• How does God guide Himself? First of all, is His own glory, and His own glory in Christ, and His own glory in Christ in the salvation of His elect church (Col. 1:16ff).
• This model is given in the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), so we are admonished to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:31-34).
• We are aided by the Psalms by which we teach and admonish one another to be guided rightly (e.g. Psalm 23, 25, 37, 73, 119, 143).
• It is hypocrisy to claim to seek God's guidance if we are not obeying His commandments – of which the ten commandments are a summary, and include the 4th commandment (Exo.20).
• We are guided by many biblical examples, both positive and negative; the patience of Job; the longsuffering of Joseph; and the folly of Jonah.
• Luther famously contended that the Spirit guides us by the Word and prayed that he may be content with this alone – and prayer cannot be a substitute for diligent study of Scripture and thinking biblically, but rather, in prayer we ask that we may be given the ability and willingness to do these things.
• Advice from others is also not a substitute for the above, but ought to be sought in order that we may benefit from the experience and knowledge of others to make more informed biblical decisions (Prov. 11:14; 24:3-7).

The lecture was finished with a few concrete examples of how to apply biblical principles to various key areas of decision-making; dating, church, and employment. See here also concerning work (I Cor. 7:17-24). Finally, Rev. Stewart mentioned decisions in which we cannot clearly see which is better either way, sometimes it is needless to devote much thought to it, such as what brand of beans to purchase, and in others, at least if the more difficult option is taken, it will work for our sanctification (Jas. 1:3). In all these things of course, we must trust that God works all things together for good (Rom. 8:28), even when we make foolish decisions (as sadly we often do - Prov. 24:9). Thank God for another fabulous lecture, soon to be available on Youtube!

A Contemporary Observer's Scriptural Iniquiry into the 1859 "Revival"

In my continuing analysis of the bizarre, unbiblical, and antichristian phenomena of neo-pentecostalism, fake charismaticism, unscriptural revivalism, carnal enthusiasm, and false spirituality, I've been reading a book by the Rev. William Hamilton, written around 1859 about that much-lauded "Irish Revival" which started in Kells.

While I am sure that I could find a few disagreements about certain particulars mentioned by the author (as in fact, Rev. Stewart of the CPRC also says in his foreward to the book), his work in this book is of great value in correctly diagnosing the current fanatical insanity we can observe not only in explicitly Pentecostal and Charismatic circles - but increasingly and almost ubiquitously in traditionally faithful denominations. Many who claim to be scriptural and even Reformed devote an inordinate amount of time and effort into promoting and encouraging revivalism, and in particular for this island, the Revival of 1859 in Kells.

Rev. Hamilton's book, "An Iniquiry into the Scriptural Character of the Revival of 1859" makes it very plain that such an attitude is wholly misplaced, as he lays bare the genuine characteristics of the 1859 Revival - and by extension, all revivalism - and reveals their sinister nature in the light of the very foundational truths of Scripture regarding salvation, the church, preaching, pastors and teachers, and much more.

I leave you with this quote, and counsel you fervently to read the book, and to afford all such phenomena a similar attitude of always first bringing it to the test of Scripture in which the Holy Spirit reveals His will:

"... it is the supernatural that is relied upon in their favour. We must, therefore, pause a little to shew the unscriptural nature of their position and conduct as manifested in this Revival. Look at it.

"Men and women, boys and girls of every description, many of them, according to their own statements, of the worst character, and as ignorant as they were immoral, and yet they become, in a few days or weeks - in some instances in a few hours - the teachers and leaders in the largest religious assemblies, and little, if any good, can be attained without them; and woe to the minister who will not approve of them, encourage them, nor employ them. It is no imaginary evil, no shadowy phantom, that he is called upon to encounter.

"The first thought that arises in the mind is, will the next generation believe that such a state of things existed in the year 1859? Very likely it will be recorded as a gracious Revival; but we leave the future to the future; we are in the midst of these sad realities, and it is our duty to deal with them." (pp. 142-143)

I hope that you will take the opportunity to purchase the book and study it closely. Again find the book here: http://www.cprf.co.uk/bookstore/1859revival.htm

- Sam W.

My Impression of the "Greenchurch" Movement.

My brother-in-law recently asked me for my thoughts on a subject which I see as rather crucial and neglected here in Limerick - a city full of false ecumenism, and independentism. For that reason, I decided to share this on my blog too:

First the invitation and link:

I am going to link in something here and want to hear your thoughts on this:

http://darinj.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/leaving-church-to-find-jesus/

Leaving “church” to find Jesus « greenchurch
Source: darinj.wordpress.com

One of the hardest decisions I have had to make in my life was the decision to leave the institutional church. You get taught, as I was that Jesus is only interested in working through “local churches”. ...

And my response:

The guy in that link you sent me, whether he knows it or not is a schismatic. His position on ecclesiology is fundamentally against true biblical unity. Pastors, which are the primary gifts (charismata) of the ascended Spirit-pouring Christ for this era, are crucial for unity and maturity among believers (Eph. 4 - that's what a genuinely charismatic Christian should be cherishing!). Not only that, but the called and ordained preachers of the Word are the life-giving voice of Jesus Christ to His sheep (Eph. 2:14-17; Rom. 10:14-17; John 10:1-16; 6:63; II Tim. 1:6 (gift/charisma again!); II Tim. 2:2).

And the purpose and aim of a denomination is actually biblical unity in doctrine and practice among local churches, not division, and is scriptural (e.g the synod/council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, the working together of the Gentile churches to provide for the Jerusalem churches in famine and persecution, e.g. II Cor. 8 and 9). And this is even though there must be division on account of heresies, and so the feast of unleavened bread must be kept in amongst churches (I Cor. 11:18-19, Gal. 1:6-10; I Cor. 5:6-7). There is corporate responsibility because the churches are all part of the one body of Christ, and so denominational separation must occur, when a church is listening to the voice of Satan rather than the voice of Christ. Three marks demonstrate this - the erosion of true biblical preaching (so that no longer is the Gospel preached but all kinds of other useless nonsense) - which means that Christ is no longer speaking in that church, at least in the official capacity.

Instead of receiving spirit and life through the preaching then, the true saints receive poisoned food and starve (Amos 8:11-13). The Christian life is one of relationship with God, and if we are not hearing Christ voice in the preaching especially (Bible-reading, and private study notwithstanding) then the primary part of our communication with God is cut off - and communication is the most essential thing in a relationship. And so this is why, when the preaching in a church is compromised, it quickly becomes utterly apostate (Gal. 5:7-9; I Cor. 15:33; Heb. 12:15), and the saints there can often feel like staying at home or retreating (or keeping quiet) - but what they should do is bear witness as much as they can to that apostasy and reject it if their warning is not heeded, for we are all prophets, priests, and kings (I Pet. 2:9 etc). And so they ought to seek the establishment of a new lump, unleavened by that Pharisaic false religion (Matt. 16:6-12; Mark 8:15-21; Luke 12:1-12).

The preaching being compromised, then the other two marks of a false church closely follow, the sacraments are defiled and distorted, and the church discipline is turned on its head. All manner of vile corruptions are introduced, such as the teaching that baptism causes regeneration, or denying baptism to the children of believers (who as much as the adults are to be treated as church-members, regardless of whether they are elect or reprobate, but if reprobate, they will only manifest this later - and should undergo church discipline just like any church-member, culminating is excommunication in the face of prolonged impenitence). The truth of baptism becomes utterly obscured by false teaching, because the sacraments are only edifying if received in faith properly, in other words, only if correctly understood. Baptism is a sign and seal of the righteousness the elect have not of ourselves, but of the faith of Christ, as circumcision was to Abraham and his descendents in their generations (Gen. 17:7; Rom. 4:11).

Commonly the Lord's Supper is profaned by opening it to any and all carnal unbelieving wicked, manifest hypocrites, and heretics, instead of the elders guarding the table by the keys of the kingdom - preaching and church discipline (Matt. 16:19; John 20:21-23; Matt. 18:15-18; II Cor. 2:10; I Pet. 5:1-3; John 21:15-17; Acts 20:17-38). And this brings further judgment upon the entire congregation (I Cor. 11:20-34). This overseeing involves preaching the significance and meaning of the Lord's Supper, admonishing the saints to examine themselves before receiving Christ spiritually (not bodily/physically) by faith at the Supper, and refusing access to those under church discipline, or those who they do not know whether they adhere to biblical doctrine and walk a godly life.

And certainly the Lord's Supper is receiving Christ spiritually only by faith (not just a fancy symbol as some fanatical Anabaptists teach), as John 6:31-69 and I Cor. 10:1-22 teach. It should be apparent that the third mark of church discipline is necessarily reversed. Instead of disciplining the impenitent and heretics, those faithful and bold saints who witness against the apostasy are disciplined. The only sins then become schism and lack of political correctness. The false church then aids the evil beastly world power in persecuting the true saints. In the face of such apostasy, the believer has the right, and the responsibility to reform the church by establishing a new separate church institute whilst seeking fellowship with other churches that have remained faithful. If a church is not always reforming (according to the word of God) - it is deforming (conforming to the wicked world under the authority of Satan). So the general picture is that if all things are carried out according to the Word of God, then it is a true church that fellowship within a denomination is to be sought with, and from which no believer has the right to separate himself from. Otherwise, it is part of the false church in the service of Babylon, from which all true believers must flee, lest they be partakers in her sins.

But this guy has chosen to reject not only pastors (necessary for the Great Commission of teaching all things that Christ has commanded us - the whole counsel of God), local church institutes (including the government of elders necessary for the proper administration of discipline and the sacraments, apart from which there is ordinarily no salvation – and by this I especially include the continuous sanctification which must take place in every believer’s life primarily by means of attending the preaching of the Word), and denominations (necessary for churches properly working together, serving one another's needs, and for true biblical unity in doctrine and practice). So my testimony is that he is schismatic. This is plainly, grieving the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of love, and of truth, and therefore also, of unity. Saints are to be greatly and heavily and deeply concerned, with endeavouring to KEEP (not make) the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4), because there is ONE body (not two or more as the Judaizing dispensationalists teach), and one Spirit, one hope of our calling (not two, and that means the biblical amillenial hope, not the Jewish dreams of the premills or carnal fancies of the postmills), one Lord, etc. Read Ephesians 4!

One faith (not train-tracks, not "truth in tension", not compromising with prideful and damning Arminianism), one baptism (not post-confessional anabaptism or regenerational baptism - the true spiritual baptism into Christ), one God and Father of all. And how is this incredible measure of unity maintained? By the PRIMARY spiritual gift of the ascended Christ - mentioned at the start, pastors and teachers (v.7ff). Have a listen to this sermon if you have time: http://www.cprc.co.uk/keepingunityofspirit.mp3 and there is a great series about pastors on the cprf audio section too. Just how important is unity in the church and between churches? To oppose unity in the church and amongst churches for unscriptural reasons is dividing Christ asunder, and calling Him a polygamist (Eph. 5:22-33), or worse. It is to deny monotheism, and teach polytheism instead. It is to attempt to split apart the one body of Christ and cut others or oneself off from Him – and only those joined to Christ’s body under Him as the Head can be in fellowship with Him and saved from hell – to be cut off is to be eternally accursed – this is the terrifying reality of excommunication when carried out biblically and if the subject does not repent (John 20:23 etc). In all this the inward reality ought to be manifest outwardly too.

It is not without great weight then, that the Scripture says: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment. … Is Christ divided?” (I Cor. 1:10ff) All divisions result from the carnal seed, those wretched and damned false sheep within the church, and our own still-remaining sinful flesh which we must daily crucify. But this is not to say that all such divisions are wrong or unnecessary! Christ’s earnest desire is for such divisions to be manifest (Luke 12:49-53), between the seed of the serpent and His seed, but not between His own seed, who are joined by His Spirit! Here we have the entire reality of what the previous division between Jew and Gentile was supposed to represent – and why, the reality having come in Christ, that all such divisions made by the dispensationalists are wicked Judaizing and any division based on race or social status is wrong. To manifest the true unity of the Spirit, we must humble ourselves and tear down the errors of doctrine and immorality in practice which our lustful flesh is so prone to – and the central means as always is the preaching of the Word by lawfully called, qualified, ordained and sent ministers, which this man has so carelessly thought to reject.

I hope all this helps. On the subject of denominations I recommend this short booklet:
http://www.prca.org/prtj/nov97.html#BiblicalChurchUnity
More info and links on my blog here:
http://wiseguysblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-new-year-from-limerick-it-has.html
And on the CPRC Resources page about the church here:
http://www.cprf.co.uk/churchresources.htm

- Sam W.

Assemblies of God teach a false health "gospel"

The Heidelberg Catechism has this to say regarding the comfort of the Christian:

Question 1: What is thy only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him."

And John Piper has this to say regarding the health, wealth and prosperity "gospel":


However, one of the four "cardinal doctrines" of the Assemblies of God makes this bold assertion:
http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/index.cfm

"Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers. (Isa. 53:4,5; Matt. 8:16,17; James 5:14-16)"

I could stop right there and you would know exactly what is wrong with this - but I am compelled to explain and place the nature of this false teaching beyond all doubt. Aside from their dubious views on "Holy-Spirit-Baptism" and tongues-speaking being the necessary evidence of this (and therefore of salvation - thereby destroying the doctrine of assurance, 1 John 5:13, John 3:18, Romans 4:18-25), this particular doctrine incontrovertibly shows that the Assemblies of God officially teaches the false health prosperity "gospel" which is no gospel at all.

Before continuing any further, I must clarify beyond any doubt that it is absolutely true, not only that God actually heals people today (possibly both by natural and special providence), but also that we are instructed to pray for healing as James 5:14-16 says (though the context suggests that this refers to an affliction of not being able to pray for oneself). Divine healing however is not an integral part of the gospel nor is deliverance from sickness the privilege of all believers, nor is it provided from in the atonement. This is a different "gospel" to one which the Spirit bears witness to in scripture. I also hasten to add that there will be eventual deliverance from sickness in that there will be no sickness in the new heavens and new earth (Rev 21:4).

The Gospel of God is exactly what Christ has done on the cross. This necessarily includes not only the work of Christ on the cross, but also the Person of Christ on the cross. His work was to purchase redemption by the payment of His blood for His people (Ephesians 1:7). His blood flowed to cleanse us from sin. He died in our place, so that we would be delivered from death. He bore the full wrath of God that was against us so that not a drop of the fury of God is left toward us. He bore in entirety the punishment for our sin that we deserved. By this perfect and eternally secure redemption, our full salvation is provided for, being as secure as the unchanging character of God, as sure as it is impossible for God to lie.

He could only accomplish this work by His Person, being the very eternally begotten Son of God; fully man and fully God, the one mediator between God and man, and our kinsman-redeemer; the descendant of Adam according to the flesh. He is also a priest forever in the order of Melchisedek; being Prophet, Priest and King, and having an indestructible life. He is the Sovereign Lord under whose absolute authority forever is everything that ever was and is and ever will be. He is the Holy One of Israel, the Great Jehovah, perfectly righteous in whom there is no iniquity even in His human nature; there is not a shadow of turning in Him and no darkness at all. He is full of grace and truth, full of mercy and justice, full of compassion and zeal, and many other glorious qualities which we could never be finished speaking of, but at this time suffice to say that He is unsurpassed and infinite in glory and beauty, and all glory is His.

He rose from the dead to conquer the power of death once for all, and to break all the power of sin in His people. He lives that we also may live in Him and share in His righteousness imputed to us by the bond of faith in Him alone which He works in our hearts by His Holy Spirit by His grace alone because He has removed the wrath of God from us. As a consequence, we are not only justified in the sight of God, being declared righteous by Christ's righteousness imputed to us, but by this faith we are also partakers of Christ and all His benefits.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" - Ephesians 1:3.

We are adopted as children of God and no longer children of the devil. The very love that the Father has for the Son is the love He has for us, this is the love with which He loved us in election before the foundation of the world and made possible by the death and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus the Christ. Being reconciled to Him by His death, how much more are we saved through His life!

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:" - 1 Co 5:1-4.

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." - 2 Co 5:21.

In the light of this glorious Gospel to which all of Scripture attests in all its glorious promises to all those who trust in Him alone and put no confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3), which we have now discussed and described, we must now ask the question, does the atonement wrought by Jesus on the cross provide deliverance from temporal sufferings, hardships, sicknesses or difficulties? We have affirmed that we are delivered from the punishment of sin in that we have eternal life in fellowship with God, and from the power of sin in that though we still groan in our sinful bodies awaiting the redemption of our bodies and fall into grievous sins on occasion, but that in the present time by the Holy Spirit in us we are yet turning away from sin every day so that our conduct is one marked by a holy life lived in righteousness, submitting to our Lord in humility and godly grief and repentance when we do sin. Does this atonement also give us any promise of removing any of the temporal effects of sin on our lives such as sufferings and sicknesses or any kind of tribulation? The epistle of Paul to the Romans has this to say while speaking of what is provided for in the atonement:

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were ye without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." - Romans 5:1-11.

Not only is it clear here that God indeed helps those who cannot help themselves, in that we were without strength when Christ saved us, but it is also clear that we are to rejoice in tribulations. This is reiterated in many places in the Scriptures, which would take a far longer essay to expound fully in all their glorious encouragement for the called of God: James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:3-8, 2:19-25, 3:14-16, 4:12-16, Hebrews 10:32-37, 11:13-16, 24-27, 11:32-12:11, 13:10-15, 2 Timothy 3:9-13, 2:3, 1 Timothy 5:23, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 3:1-7, Galatians 4:13-15. I could not even list all the Scriptures which speak of the sufferings of God's people, but these are listed to give a taste of what Scripture teaches on this subject.

These passages prove not only that God's people endure sufferings, including physical illnesses, but also that such sufferings are promised to God's people and not only that but that God brings them for the good of His people and for His glory. The grace of God toward us provided for all believers in the atonement then is not that we are delivered from these tribulations, but that we are delivered through these tribulations and even that these tribulations are used as part of the means of the application of this grace in our lives to conform us more to the image of Christ, that is they are part of the means of our sanctification. The grace of God does not remove these tribulations from us (though eventually it will, Rev 21:1-7) but upholds us and strengthens us through these many trials (included physical ailments) and even uses these to sanctify us. This is what the prophet Isaiah says:

"But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." - Isaiah 43:1-2.

This is repeated explicitly in the epistles, that we are delivered not from these troubles but through them:

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16.

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

So then we can see how God's grace works in us, despite many infirmities to strengthen us for our good and for His glory that we might rejoice in Him even in our infirmities. And so we see that even in this the promise of Romans 8:28 holds true:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28.

Our response then to all situations and calamities and infirmities and all manner of sicknesses and illnesses and disasters and tribulations should be that of Job and to fulfill the command in Philippians:

"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." - Job 1:20-22.

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." - Philippians 4:4.

Now, to misunderstand the glory of God and the comfort of the believer in tribulations would perhaps be a small matter, but in the doctrine of the Assemblies of God, it is taught that divine healing is part of the Gospel and deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers. This is trying to add to the work of Christ on the cross and trying to add to the Gospel. It is therefore a false "gospel" and will therefore lead to false and deluded converts who will simply come in the hopes of being healed. But Christ says this to all who would follow Him:

"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." - Matthew 10:38.

God gives us the grace to bear our cross until the final day, His grace does not mean that we have no cross to bear. We must openly declare the same to all who would believe in the Gospel, lest they deceive themselves. From all of this it is plain to see that to preach this doctrine of the Assemblies of God is heresy and a "false" gospel. Therefore with a heavy heart, I call all my friends to forsake this organisation and remove yourselves from it lest ye be ensnared by Satan to do his will and I beseech you all to take heed to the stern words of the Apostle Paul:

"I marvel that ye are so soon moved from the Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so say I now again, If any preach any other gospel unto you than that which ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:6-10.

In case you were unsure about Benny Hinn

2 Peter 2 "... And through covetousness shall they make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. ... Having eyes full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: ..."

Todd Bentley's Revival

I wrote this as a response to the following post on Irish Calvinist:
http://www.irishcalvinist.com/?p=1358

---

Thank you so much for this post. A good friend of mine has recently been falling into this despicable deception. But I consider that you haven't got the right end of the stick here. The first thing to do is to see what he is actually preaching. And as it says in Isaiah, "To the law and to the testimony!" I would greatly appreciate if you could write a post in response to his teaching.

I praise God that when we study His word and judge by His precepts that the things that these dogs say and do are self-condemnatory. Look at this remark as an example of his teaching:

"Be like a little child, the simplicity of when you were a young child, and receive the kingdom heaven (Matt. 19:14). Allow God to speak to you like that. Be sons and daughters, not preachers, not ministers, not pastors, evangelists, prophets, teachers; forget about that for a moment and begin to receive the Father’s love. Begin to receive His goodness; that the mercy of God would begin to wash you in those areas in your life where there has been condemnation, guilt and shame, sorrow and grief."

Besides the mysticism and experiential goo, he continually emphasises the physical blessings in this life (he treats Paul's settling with his thorn with utter contempt it seems - remember Paul's words, "I consider that my present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us." and the Lord's words, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness."). What about the glorious sufferings and persecutions and afflictions of those who would also share in Christ's glory for His sake?!

Compare his above statement with Ephesians 4:11-16, especially verse 14. Not only that but we are to be like children only in the sense of [sic - being] humble before God and utterly dependent on Him. This is twisting scripture and introducing damnable heresy deceptively attacking the pastoral offices - which according to 1 Co 12 we must eagerly desire. Notice that healers are not on his list above, rather those responsible for teaching sound doctrine.

Reference for above excerpt from Todd Bentley's teaching:
http://freshfire.ca/index.php?Act=read&status=teaching&Id=247&pid=954&bid=955

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When I said experiential goo, I do not mean that we do not experience God. In fact we must experience what we have learnt to be true. But we must believe His goodness, whether we feel it or not! And it is by this faith, through thick and thin by perseverance and character and hope enduring suffering as a good soldier for Christ that we will begin to feel His goodness.

But consider for a moment how glorified the Lord Jesus is by your faith if you continue to cling to Him while having "felt" not an iota of Him. Consider the joy and the wonder of Jesus being glorified and lifted high in your life despite your physical circumstances!

Sing Habakkuk 3:16-19 with me and rejoice in such a great Saviour!