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"Take
Heed" Ministries
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Cecil Andrews, 29 Edengrove Park, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AZ, Northern Ireland Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL - takeheed@aol.com WEBSITE - http://www.takeheed.net Quick Links - Home - Assorted Articles - Audio/Video - Ministry Newsletters - Words of Wisdom |
Joel Osteen and Rick Warren
‘The
heretics are pastoring the church’
The
subtitle of this article ‘The heretics are pastoring the church’ is
really a parody on another well-known expression, namely ‘the lunatics
are running the asylum’. Asylums were built to protect the general
public from those who were mentally disturbed and so posed a threat to them but
the public at large often think that those running such regimes, by their
actions and attitudes, pose just as much, if not an even greater danger to the public
they are supposed to be protecting.
God
has ordained that His people gather themselves together in local churches and
to such assemblies He gifts men who are skilled in “rightly dividing the word of truth” – this expression “rightly dividing the word
of truth” according to Vine’s expository dictionary means “teaching
Scripture accurately”.
Pastor
John MacArthur in his bible study notes on this verse from 2nd
Timothy
In relation to JOEL OSTEEN I have already identified his lack of
‘scriptural prowess and backbone’ in an article that can be accessed on this
link
In recent weeks he has once more demonstrated his complete unworthiness
to be pastoring any part of God’s flock. A faithful pastor must not only ‘feed’
God’s sheep but he must also ‘fence’ the flock to protect them from
predators. Paul made this very plain to the elders at
It was in this second area of responsibility, ‘fencing’, that publicly
Joel Osteen showed himself to be totally ill equipped for such a vital charge.
WALLACE: And what about Mitt Romney? And
I’ve got to ask you the question, because it is a question whether it should be
or not in this campaign, is a Mormon
a true Christian?
OSTEEN: Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his saviour, and that's what I believe, so, you know, I'm not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are. And so, you know, Mitt Romney seems like a man of character and integrity to me, and I don't think he would — anything would stop me from voting for him if that's what I felt like.
WALLACE: So, for instance, when people
start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the [Mormon] church, and the golden tablets in upstate
New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those
theological issues?
OSTEEN: I probably don’t get hung up in
them because I haven’t really studied them or thought about them. And you know,
I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know. I certainly
can’t say that I agree with everything that I’ve heard about it, but from what
I’ve heard from Mitt, when he says that Christ is his saviour, to me that’s a
common bond.
Having admitted that when it comes to the history and
doctrines of Mormonism [something
that Chris Wallace the interviewer is clearly well versed in] Joel Osteen states ‘I
haven’t really studied them or thought about them’ – that however
apparently doesn’t stop him from answering the question ‘is a Mormon a true
Christian’ by saying ‘in my mind they are…I believe they are’. By
this response Joel Osteen has singularly and spectacularly failed to ‘fence’
his flock against the, spiritually speaking, grievous and ravening wolves
of Mormonism. He has failed to ‘take heed’ of one very important command
in God’s Word as recorded in 1st John 4:1 “Beloved believe not
every spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God because many false
prophets [like
Joseph Smith and Brigham Young] are gone out into the world”. This is a clear example of
a ‘heretic pastoring the church’ and so posing eternally great danger to
those he is supposed to protect and also to those he is supposed to witness to.
Before moving on to Rick Warren I think it appropriate, in the
light of what we have just read about Joel Osteen, to draw
attention to the failings of another supposed ‘evangelical pastor’ in the realm
of Mormonism.
In our June 2005 ‘News From The Front’ ministry newsletter I
included an article called ‘After ECT [Evangelicals & Catholics together] will there be an EMT [Evangelicals & Mormons
Together]?’ In that article I identified the efforts of a supposed ‘evangelical’
pastor called Greg Johnson to forge a link with Mormonism, particularly
through his friendship with a Mormon, Robert Millet, a professor at Brigham Young University. Recently
Bud Press of the Christian research Service emailed the following information
to me –
Which Jesus are Greg Johnson and Robert
Millet talking about?
Greg Johnson and Robert Millet have co-authored the November 2007 book,
‘Bridging
The Divide: The Continuing Conversation Between A Mormon And An Evangelical’ http://www.monkfishpublishing.com/books/BridgingTheDivide.htm
Bridging The
Divide includes a section devoted to "Questions from the
Audience." On page 89, Greg Johnson is asked, "do you
think Mormons can be 'saved Christians' in the same way that a person who
attends a revival is saved by accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord?"
Here is an
in-context excerpt of Johnson's answer:
“If you were to ask me if my friend Bob Millet is a
saved Christian, I would have to answer that I do not know for sure. But I can
say that it is entirely possible that he and other Mormons could be saved
Christians in that they have a sincere and genuine relationship with Jesus
Christ”.
Compare Greg Johnson's answer
to… Galatians 1:6-9; 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4; 1st Timothy 6:3-5; 2nd John
1:9-10.
Robert Millet worships a false
Jesus; preaches a false gospel; is overshadowed by a false spirit; and is
under a divine curse (Galatians 1:6-9).
It
is absolutely heretical of Greg Johnson to suggest that Mormons like Robert
Millet, no less a person than a professor at Brigham Young University,
could be truly ‘saved’ by currently having what he calls ‘a sincere and genuine
relationship with Jesus Christ’. The ‘Jesus Christ’ of Mormonism is not the
Biblical Jesus Christ and is in fact one of the “false Christs” that the
true Lord Jesus Christ warned of in Matthew 24: 24 and is the product of
the fertile imagination of one of the “false prophets” [in this
case Joseph Smith] that the Lord also
warned of in Matthew 24: 11.
Turning
now to Rick Warren I want to mention a report posted by the Christian
Post on this link –
Part of the report reads as follows –
‘Megachurch pastor Rick
Warren attended a large Reform Jewish gathering last week to share tips on how
to build a community. Warren - who saw his church expand from seven people
meeting in his house to 22,000 people worshipping in an expansive treasure
island-like campus – said the key to holding onto visitors is involving them in
a small group… “We don’t really feel like people are in the congregation until
they’re in small groups.” The “Purpose-Driven” pastor spoke to thousands of
Jewish leaders Thursday night at the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial
convention in San Diego… “There are some principles
that apply regardless of our faith, if it’s Jewish or Christian,” he
said at the convention. One of his principles: “Just be nice to people. Smile.”
After Warren spoke a few minutes at the podium, he sat
alongside two popular Southern California rabbis for a casual talk about
strengthening congregational life. Other advice
given by Warren included looking at everything from an outsider’s
viewpoint, such as simplifying worship terms, making
strangers feel welcome, and encouraging interaction… The biennial
meeting of the largest Jewish denomination in North America began Dec. 12 and
concluded on Sunday. Other guests at the conference
included the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of
the Islamic Society of North America’.
This is not the first time that Rick Warren has
spoken to Jewish, non-Christian gatherings, in an attempt to assist them with
growth. On 4th October 2005 Spero News reported on this link http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=128&id=1980 ] and part of that report stated –
‘Some
Jewish synagogues are taking their lead from a mover behind the Protestant
phenomena of mega-churches. According to Synagogue 3000, an umbrella
organization pushing for synagogue transformation, there was “a pathbreaking
meeting with Rick Warren ("The Purpose-Driven Life"), founding pastor
of Saddleback Church" – an evangelical Christian church that average over
30,000 worshippers each weekend - to explore what synagogues can learn from
mega-churches and small groups... Synagogue 3000 says its objective is to
encourage Jews to recommit to Jewish tradition and “synagogue life by creating
new 21st century spiritual arenas where relationships with God and with each
other define everything the synagogue does.”
Rick Warren seems to have
overlooked one very basic but fundamental point in all of this. If the Lord
Jesus Christ is not recognised by religious groups such as the Union for
Reform Judaism or Synagogue 3000 as ‘God’s Messiah’
[John 4:25-26], as “Emmanuel…God with us” [Matthew 1:23] then GOD
is not present in all of their ‘Jewish tradition and synagogue life’
no matter how fervently they seek to ape the methods employed by Rick Warren
at his Saddleback church.
The Lord Jesus Christ stated in Matthew
18:20 “where two or three are gathered together, IN MY NAME, there am I in the
midst of them”. I wonder what the Apostle Paul would have thought of all
this advice being imparted by Rick Warren, a supposed Christian pastor,
to those who have firmly rejected the truth of “Jesus Christ and him
crucified” [1st Corinthians 2:2]. That was Paul’s singular
message to the multi-faith and pagan city of Corinth.
Again, when speaking to the followers of
many faiths in Athens, Paul didn’t say to his listeners, “There are some principles that apply
regardless of our faith”. He took the opportunity to set before them the truth of
the ONLY true God and how all will one day be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ –
Paul said unashamedly [see Romans 1:16] “He [GOD] hath appointed a day in
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained, concerning which he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he
hath raised him from the dead”.
Paul had a very specific concern for the spiritual and
eternal well being of those of the Jewish faith and he pours out his anguish
and concern in Romans 10:1-4 “Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer unto God
for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear witness that they have a zeal
for God, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. For they, being ignorant of God’s
righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness (by Jewish tradition and “synagogue
life) have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For CHRIST is the end
of the law for righteousness TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH”.
This is another clear example of a ‘heretic
pastoring the church’ and not only that but directly failing to witness to
those on the brink of eternally great danger. I think Rick Warren should
consider carefully the words of the Lord Jesus Christ as found in Matthew
10:32-33 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess
before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my father who is in heaven”.
In closing let me continue with the next verses in Matthew
10:34-35 where the Lord says, “Think not that I am come to send peace on
earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword [This of course refers to the spiritual battle for
‘truth’ and involves “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God…which is
truth” (Ephesians 6:17 and John 17:17). The Lord clearly rejects the notion
that His cause and gospel should be advanced by use of a literal sword as we
learn in Matthew 26:52] For I am come to set a man at variance against his father
and the daughter against her mother and the daughter-in-law against her
mother-in –law”.
Despite this clear teaching, Rick Warren and
other so-called ‘evangelicals’ have issued a letter to leading Muslim clerics
in which they express their hopes in these words “Peaceful relations between
Muslims and Christians stand as one of the central challenges of this century,
and perhaps of the whole present epoch. If we can achieve religious peace between
these two religious communities, peace in the world will clearly be easier to
attain.”
A Christian Post report on this letter and reaction to
it [including some comments by a certain ‘takeheed’ contributor] can be viewed on this link http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071123/30194_Christian_Leaders_Invite_Muslims_to_Love_God,_Neighbors_Together.htm
Earlier in this report I highlighted this from the San
Diego meeting - Other guests at the conference
included the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of
the Islamic Society of North America’ –
Jim Wallis was another of those who signed the letter to Muslim clerics.
It is very clear that politicians and supposed ‘evangelicals’ like Rick
Warren, Jim Wallis and Bill Hybels of Willow Creek are
pushing an agenda for ‘social cohesion’ between differing religious groups
rather than seeking ‘soul conversion’ through faith in the only Saviour of men,
The Lord Jesus Christ.
In that vein an email I received today from the
excellent Lighthouse Trails Ministry identifies more clear evidence of this
push for ‘social cohesion’ amongst differing religious groups [particularly
the so-called ‘Abrahamic faiths’ of Judaism, Christianity and Islam] by so-called ‘evangelicals’,
particularly from the ‘seeker-sensitive’ and ‘emerging’ camps, high-ranking
politicians and influential media barons. I will copy the email in its entirety
at the close of my remarks.
When you examine closely the words and actions of
influential ‘pastors’ it is clear that the professing church is in the hands of
heretics who are not as Paul said to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 2:2
“faithful men who shall be able to teach others”. In his first letter to
Timothy, Paul instructed him to remain at Ephesus where false teachers had
appeared on the scene and he told him in 1st Timothy 1:3 to “charge
them that they teach no other [false] doctrine”. He wrote in similar fashion
to Titus who likewise was confronted by false teachers and Paul’s instruction
in Titus 1:11 was that their “mouths should be stopped” –literally
that they should be muzzled.
May God in His mercy be pleased to raise up faithful
men, like Timothy and Titus who will confront and silence ‘the heretics who
are pastoring the church’.
Cecil
Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries- 18 January 2008
Reproduced now is today’s email from
Lighthouse Trails Ministry giving details of a
‘Rethink
Conference being held at the Crystal Cathedral, California’
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