Andrew Strom On David Wilkerson

Andrew Strom addresses criticism toward David Wilkerson. As the article indicates as well; I also believe there are real prophets out there, and they are not for sale. Real prophets do not compromise, and they do not preach "greasy grace" and an easy message like so many out there today. They focus more on God's Word than personal revelations of other men and themselves. Nor do they worship the "prophetic" more than God--like so many of the "new apostles and prophets"! Read this great message directly below.*

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DEFENDING DAVID WILKERSON
-by Andrew Strom.

There are large sections of the modern 'Prophetic' movement who for a long time now have bitterly opposed all that David Wilkerson stands for. They describe him as a "Doom and Gloom" merchant - always warning of what is coming and calling the nation and the church to REPENTANCE.

I received an email from some U.S friends awhile ago who had just gone back to a Pentecostal church after some years. They told me, "If I bring up David Wilkerson, they all get a hateful, angry look on their face." Isn't that terribly sad.

Even though David Wilkerson is the one man who has consistently warned America of cataclysms just like the ones we are seeing, he is still denigrated. Even though he is proved right, still they detest him! I think it is because his major message is "REPENT". And he doesn't pussy-foot around like a lot of these other so-called "prophets".

When the "God Wants You Rich" prosperity message began to spread, David was one of the few leaders who publicly refuted it and called the people to repent from the "love of money". Many hated him for that. Especially because he is so direct and up-front.

And when the 'Toronto Blessing' came along, with churches full of the most weird and often ugly behaviour - he called it like it was. He was one of the few (if any) Pentecostal leaders who actually stood up publicly and refuted this new 'spirit' that was invading the church. You can imagine how despised he was for that.

There is a 'Prophetic' movement in the world today that is in my opinion very far removed from the word 'Prophet'. It sells truckloads of books and holds untold conferences, but at the end of the day it is a mealy-mouthed travesty of the word 'Prophetic'. It retains its popularity because it is almost always "positive" and up-lifting. The voice of an Amos or Jeremiah is rarely (if ever) heard in its ranks - let alone a "John the Baptist". It is almost never blunt or confrontational - especially about sin.

A lot of this movement has a chronic obsession with the 'religious spirit'. Everywhere these people look all they can see are religious spirits of legalism, pharisaism, etc. Thus they are always talking about "grace, grace, grace". The words "Sin, Righteousness and Judgement" are almost a horror to them, because they are so fearful of being 'religious'. And thus when they come across a prophet who actually preaches on Sin, Righteousness and Judgement (-which are the very things Jesus said His Spirit would CONVICT of), they reject him. Every true prophet that I know of down through history has been a 'Sin, Righteousness and Judgement' preacher. So has every true Revivalist. (Finney, Wesley, Whitfield, Edwards, etc). It is part of the job description!

We have invented a new meaning for the term 'Prophetic' in our day that is far below the standard of the Bible. And far below the standard that must be in place to see a true Revival. I think it was God's spokesman Ezekiel who coined the term "pillow prophets". That is the last thing that America needs in her hour of crisis. What is needed are voices who truly tell it like it is - who WARN the people, no matter what the cost. -A 'clear trumpet sound'.

David Wilkerson has been just such a voice. And he is almost a 'lone' voice - though thank God he is widely heard. I believe God has placed him in New York for this very hour - the city that combines world political power (-The U.N) with world financial power and world media power. David is "God's man" in that city - I truly believe this. And if he says that God's message to America through these tragedies is "REPENT" then personally I will believe him rather than any mealy-mouthed 'prophet' who says otherwise. I am going to listen to the "man on the spot".

David hates sin and deception so much, and loves God and the people so much, that he cannot stand to be silent when God's heart-truths are being trampled underfoot. That is the mark of a true prophet. Keep it up, David!

God bless you all.

Andrew Strom.

Lakeland Damage Control III

Ah, C Peter Wagner emerges again, with Lakeland damage control III. Why apologize for Todd Bentley and make him the scapegoat of this apostolic prophetic manure at the same time? This thing is not just about Todd Bentley--it's about serious error in the Church! Just sad. We only can pray their eyes be opened to the Truth of God's Word, and stop exalting the word of men over the Most High God. Put your galoshes on and go to the letter below:

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A Lakeland Update
From C. Peter Wagner
October 29, 2008

Dear friends,

This is an update on the aftermath of the Lakeland Outpouring.

As most of you know, a day or so after I went to Lakeland and helped align Todd Bentley with Revival Alliance on June 23, the veil of secrecy over a number of serious, hidden sins began to come off. God has now shaken what could be shaken in Todd's life. On August 12 he announced that he was leaving his wife of nine years, and it had been revealed that he had been directing his attentions toward another woman. This is now history, but many have been asking for an update.

I have delayed sending you this email until I had an official statement from Todd's apostolic alignment, John Arnott, Ché Ahn, and Bill Johnson of Revival Alliance.
Here is their statement, issued October 23, 2008, four months after the alignment:

PUBLIC STATEMENT ON TODD BENTLEY FROM REVIVAL ALLIANCE

Dear friends, several years ago, six leadership couples came together formed a relationally based, non-denominational network called Revival Alliance.

When the Lakeland revival broke out Todd Bentley and the revival meetings were coming under much criticism. At the suggestion of Peter Wagner, three of the members of the Revival Alliance team went to Lakeland because the Alliance as a whole wanted to express support for the Lakeland Outpouring and to commission Todd as a revivalistic evangelist. Having been powerfully touched in the Toronto outpouring, and seeing the opposition that came from leaders in the church because of that movement, we wanted to stand with Todd and deflect some of the personal assaults that were coming against him. Many of the attacks were coming from well-respected Christian leaders, people that we still hold in high esteem. Yet the mandate from the Lord was clear. And we stood with Todd and the Fresh Fire Ministries team to both endorse and support this move of God.

Rory and Wendy Alec of God TV also took tremendous risk in airing the revival prime time and broadcasting it to over 200 nations around the world. Their heart is to capture and release the move of God, no matter where it happens, or who God uses as His instrument. This unparalleled media attention gave unusual advertisement for the outpouring. But it also put their whole team in an unusual, high-level position of receiving both praise and criticism.

The impact of the Lakeland Outpouring has been amazing, and it still continues. The record of conversions and miracles of healing is extraordinarily great in number. And the spreading of the revival to nation after nation has also been very significant. The God TV broadcast stirred up the hunger in people from around the world to go to Lakeland and receive from God, but then bring it home to their local churches. Impartation seems to be one of the unusual markers of a genuine move of God. Revival fires began to spread around the world as a result of the impartation received at Lakeland. But as great as the fruit has been, so have the devastation and fallout from Todd's personal failure.

While there must be no toleration or whitewashing of sin, there must also be no allowances for ungodly judgments in the name of Jesus. Hatred often masquerades as a passion for holiness. And while the church has had its share of tragic failures of leaders in recent days and equally tragic reactions, we must get this one right. It is possible to promote holiness and accountability in the spirit of grace.

The quickness to condemn and abandon a fallen comrade has caused us as much concern as has the actual sin of our friend. Some want to humiliate and expose Todd before the world. And then there are others who want to point to the obvious anointing on Todd's life as the sign of God's approval of Todd's behavior. Neither is acceptable to us. There must be deep repentance and thorough restoration.

The restoration process must be firm but loving, while holding to the Kingdom standards of both holiness and grace. The initial goal is not to get Todd preaching again. It is to get him healed from the issues of the heart that have brought devastation to his family, and such shame and failure to him. His gift will always function when given an opportunity. We just want it to come from a place of personal victory and triumph this next time.

Since the announcement of Todd's leaving his wife, Revival Alliance has been working to help restore our fallen brother. Sin is disastrous on any level, but it is well known that "to whom much is given, much is required." Gross sin from someone on Todd's level of influence is devastating. Even so, God is ready to heal and restore.

Todd recently spent three days in Redding, California, with Bill Johnson dealing with the issues of his personal life. Following that, he went to Morningstar Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina, to be with Rick Joyner for the same reason. Rick, along with the Morningstar leadership team, has offered to help in his restoration. With great confidence, Revival Alliance recommends this as the appropriate process for Todd's healing and restoration. Todd will be moving to Morningstar Ministries to live for a season. Rick Joyner's wisdom, along with the strength of the Morningstar community of believers, will be a great support to Todd as he deals with the heart issues that brought about his failures. A council of three has also been formed to give oversight to the restoration process. Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson will give oversight as needed.

We appreciate the prayers and support of countless numbers of believers who have continued to support Fresh Fire Ministries. We also appreciate the prayer support of so many for the Revival Alliance. We are also very thankful for Rick Joyner and his whole team that will be working to bring about a complete healing to our friend, Todd Bentley.

It should also be noted that effort is being made to ensure that Shonnah (Todd's wife) and children are also cared for and given opportunity to receive ministry and help. As you may imagine, they have suffered great hurt from this failure.

There are many in Fresh Fire Ministries who also need help. Efforts are being made to serve them as best as possible. John Arnott recently invited the Fresh Fire Ministries associates to Toronto for their Signs and Wonders Conference to receive personal ministry and encouragement. These kinds of efforts will continue.

Bill Johnson, John Arnott, and Rick Joyner have each spent time with the Fresh Fire Ministries board, and will continue to assist them as needed through this tragic season.

Fresh Fire Ministries will continue their crusades and conference schedule around the world. They are a group of ministers with much integrity and a great heart for the lost. Pray for them as they maneuver through the challenging season ahead, while serving the church at large.

We are thankful for the honor of being involved in this crisis.


On behalf of Revival Alliance: John Arnott, Ché Ahn, and Bill Johnson
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Apostolic Protocol

The Todd Bentley situation affords us a good contemporary case study in the proper application of agreed-upon apostolic protocol. Before an international TV audience, Todd affirmed that he desired to be apostolically aligned with Revival Alliance, and then received their apostolic commissioning as a revivalistic evangelist. Almost immediately, the shifting that this alignment produced in the invisible world caused Todd's hidden personal life to begin to unravel until he left the Lakeland Outpouring in early August. Host apostle, Stephen Strader, continued services in Ignited Church until he finally closed it in October.

The Revival Alliance took the first steps toward dealing with Todd's discipline and possible restoration. However, Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, a friend of Todd's, offered his services to help in the process. Revival Alliance, then, decided to outsource the long-term hands-on restoration to Rick. Rick brought his friend, Jack Deere onto his team, and Bill Johnson was added to maintain a link with Revival Alliance.

After reading the Revival Alliance statement above, some have asked not only who is now in charge of the restoration (Rick Joyner authorized by Revival Alliance), but also who would make the official announcement to the body of Christ if and when the restoration is complete and give Todd clearance to resume public ministry? The answer to this question revolves around responsible apostolic protocol, and the proper answer is that only Revival Alliance would be authorized to make such an announcement.

How would I reach that conclusion? Later on, I will explain the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team, but first let me introduce an official statement on apostolic protocol dealing with situations such as Todd Bentley's issued by the group in October:

Statement from the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team

Current issue: Paul Cain and his appearance on the platform of the Lakeland Outpouring I.

The background. At one point rather early in Lakeland Outpouring I, prophet Paul Cain was invited to appear on the platform. A few months before the Outpouring began he had prophesied publicly that such an outpouring would break out in Lakeland, and Todd Bentley felt it would be appropriate to recognize Cain on the platform and let the audience know about his accurate prophecy. While Cain was there, he took the opportunity to announce, among other things, that he had been living a chaste life and that rumors about him were not true.

This event drew criticism from many observers who knew something of Paul Cain's recent experiences. It turned out that he had been living a secret life which involved problems with drunkenness and homosexuality. Three Christian leaders who had been long-time friends and colleagues of Cain, namely Rick Joyner, Mike Bickle, and Jack Deere, attempted to bring correction and restoration privately, but to little avail. Consequently, they decided that, following the precepts of Matthew 18, they had come to the place where they needed to announce Cain's moral turpitude to the church at large with the hope that this public reprimand would speed the process of his restoration. Cain's response was to place himself under the accountability of other, self-chosen, Christian leaders who after a period of time announced that his restoration had been completed and that he was free to return to public ministry. This was an obvious violation of apostolic protocol. The correct apostolic protocol would have been for the three who first blew the whistle publicly to have been involved directly in any announcement to the body of Christ that Cain's restoration had been complete. Not only were the three not involved, but they felt that the timing for such an announcement had been premature.

Bentley knew something of this situation because he reportedly later commented that he had thought (wrongly!) that he had first cleared his intentions of inviting Cain to the platform with Rick Joyner. The problem had become more complicated with Cain's public confession of having lived a chaste life, apparently denying that he ever had been involved in homosexuality. His later explanation that he really meant that he had been chaste only since his "restoration" was not sufficient to change the impression left with the huge international television audience who heard his first words. Our conclusion is that inviting Cain on the platform and allowing him to have the microphone was an unfortunate mistake on the part of Bentley since it was an intended or unintended violation of apostolic protocol.

The principle. What can we learn from this? The principle is that the prescribed restoration of a fallen leader should be undertaken only by or under the direct supervision of the apostle or apostolic group (whether or not the term "apostle" is used) with which the fallen leader has previously aligned. The practice of the leader, himself or herself, slipping out from under a recognized accountability structure in order to select what would inevitably be a more lenient person or group of persons should be regarded by the body of Christ as unacceptable behavior. The proper apostolic protocol should be for those involved in the initial apostolic alignment, and those people only, to make any public announcement on the progress of the restoration or that the restoration has been completed and that the restored leader be allowed once again to resume public ministry.

As a footnote, it should be recorded that in recent years Paul Cain has not been the only high-profile leader to attempt this evasion of accountability. Others have taken similar erroneous pathways, and our opinion is that there should be a general consensus in the church that such behavior will not be repeated or tolerated in the future.

Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team
October 10, 2008

In light of the above statement it seems clear that public reports of the progress or successful termination of Todd Bentley's restoration be made only with the explicit approval of Revival Alliance. Any attempt to circumvent this apostolic protocol (as was done in the case of Paul Cain) should not be regarded as acceptable to the body of Christ. Especially those of us in the charismatically-inclined evangelical stream feel deep embarrassment over a number of recent cases that have taken this deviant route.

The Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team

As I have told you in other emails, after I moderated the meeting at which Todd Bentley was aligned and commissioned, I received over three thousand emails. Many of them expressed dismay and concern over issues that had surfaced during the Outpouring itself and during the commissioning. I carefully cataloged these and simultaneously pulled together a group of apostles which I called the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team. The team included Stephen Strader, Steve Strang, David Cannistraci, Ché Ahn, Lee Grady, Joe Askins, Jeff Beacham, Chuck Pierce, and John Arnott besides myself. One of the first things we did was to analyze the issues raised and end up with a list of 24 important concerns, each of which we would discuss and attempt to issue a public statement to the body of Christ.

We began our work and issued the statement above on apostolic protocol for the Paul Cain case, reducing the list to 23.

Meanwhile, God began speaking to Dutch Sheets, whom many of you know is my pastor at Freedom Church here in Colorado Springs, and who has been recognized as an apostle to our nation. Dutch felt that God was giving him an assignment to deal with many of the issues that I had on my list, and others as well, from a proactive, rather than a reactive posture as I had been doing.

After consulting with John Kilpatrick, Dutch approached me with the possibility of making some changes. I gladly received his suggestions and, frankly, I was greatly relieved. While I chaired Todd's alignment ceremony in obedience to a direct word from God, I did not have the same clear assignment from God to deal with the issues. I had organized the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team only because I felt it was my duty. Dutch now has a passion for the task, while I only had a sense of responsibility. The upshot is that I have now disbanded the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team and passed the torch to Dutch Sheets, who will form a similar group. One condition for Dutch's action was that I would agree to be a member of the new group, which I did. I also think that a proactive stance will be much more profitable for the body of Christ long term than my reactive approach, dealing specifically with problems arising from the Lakeland Outpouring which no longer exists.

Conclusion

That is my update for now, and probably the last one I will issue on the subject of Lakeland. Criticisms of what I have done have been severe, but affirmations have outnumbered them maybe one hundred to one. Only a few have been so upset that they have severed relations with me, and I deeply regret this. But I have no regrets over what I have done in the last four months, although there are undoubtedly a few things that I could have done better.

Let's move on to new horizons for the kingdom of God!

Blessings,
Peter

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

My answer to that question is an emphatic "no". For those of you reaching for your mouse, it’s been nice knowing you, but do consider reading on. I believe much of the Church has become accustomed to compromising with the world, we hardly recognize basic “rights” and “wrongs” any more. According to who you say? According to the Word of God.

We can see from His Word how God feels about witchcraft, sorcery, divination, and other things demonic in nature. He is against those things. And if He is against such things, why would He be for events which symbolize pagan practices—even “just for fun”? Just because a tradition has developed in our culture to go out and “trick or treat” does not mean God winks at little Christians dressed up as Harry Potter, ninja turtles, and devils. We need to learn that it is ok not to conform to the world. Some Christian parents compromise with their children--embracing worldly entertainment to appease them (and themselves), then scratch their heads in derision when their child call the psychic hotline. Hello. I recently googled “Christian hypnosis” and I am floored as to how many Christians think practicing hypnosis is ok. Of “what” power do you think you are manipulating? Power from God (yet you cannot manipulate Him) or power from Hell? The more garbage we let in, the more new age practices will be accepted and unquestioned. Like the moral degradation of prime time television shows, rot comes in by stealth. In gradual increments satan feeds slime to unsuspecting people, to the point where it begins to look and taste good, and we see nothing wrong with it anymore. We should honor God before all things, certainly over a holiday celebrated by many in the occult today to worship their false gods.


DEUTERONOMY 18:10-12
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.

ISAIAH 47:12-15
12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
15 Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast labored, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.

2 Kings 17:17
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6
And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.


From Wikipedia:

Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain; from the Old Irish samain).[1] The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture, and is sometimes [2] regarded as the "Celtic New Year".[3] Traditionally, the festival was a time used by the ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, now known as Halloween, the boundary between the alive and the deceased dissolved, and the dead become dangerous for the living by causing problems such as sickness or damaged crops. The festivals would frequently involve bonfires, into which bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Costumes and masks were also worn at the festivals in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits or placate them.[4][5]

History of name

The term Halloween is shortened from All Hallows' Even (both "even" and "eve" are abbreviations of "evening", but "Halloween" gets its "n" from "even") as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",[6] which is now also known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 (which had itself been the date of a pagan holiday, the Feast of the Lemures) to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day…

The following article below comes from The Good News website:

How Did a Pagan Holiday Become a 'Christian' Celebration?


Originally Halloween was a pagan festival oriented around fire, the dead and the powers of darkness. Most everyone knows that Halloween takes place on Oct. 31. Far fewer, however, understand the connection between Halloween and the next day on the calendar, the festival of All Hallows' or All Saints' Day, celebrated by some churches and denominations Nov. 1.

One author surmises that All Saints' Day was established to commemorate the saints and martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church and was first introduced in the seventh century (Man, Myth, and Magic, Vol. 1, 1983, p. 109). Oddly enough, history shows that Halloween—this ancient, thoroughly pagan holiday with its trappings of death and demonism—is inseparably tied to All Saints' Day.

Pagan festivals from time immemorial have had a curious way of worming their way into Christianity over the centuries. The Encyclopedia of Religion explains that "the British church attempted to divert the interest in pagan customs by adding a Christian celebration to the calendar on the same date as the Samhain [the ancient Celtic name for the festival that eventually would be renamed Halloween].

"The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, commemorates the known and unknown saints of the Christian religion just as the Samhain had acknowledged and paid tribute to the Celtic deities" (1987, Vol. 6, p. 177).

How did this strange turn of events come about—the Catholic Church transforming an ancient pagan festival into one to supposedly honor deceased saints?

The 1913 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia records this about All Saints' Day: "In the early days the Christians were accustomed to solemnize the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighboring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration.

"In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. [Eventually] Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November" (Vol. 1, p. 315).

Pope Gregory's choice of Nov. 1 for this celebration was significant. Author Lesley Bannatyne explains: "That the date coincided with Samhain was no accident: the Church was still trying to absorb pagan celebrations taking place at this time . . .

"Villagers were also encouraged to masquerade on this day, not to frighten unwelcome spirits, but to honor Christian saints. On All Saints' Day, churches throughout Europe and the British Isles displayed relics of their patron saints. Poor churches could not afford genuine relics and instead had processions in which parishioners dressed as saints, angels and devils. This religious masquerade resembled the pagan custom of parading ghosts to the town limits. It served the new church by giving an acceptable Christian basis to the custom of dressing up on Halloween.

"In addition, the Church tried to convince the people that the great bonfires they lit in homage to the sun would instead keep the devil away . . ." (Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History, 1998, pp. 9, 11).

Later a second celebration, All Souls' Day, was instituted on Nov. 2. Eventually these two holidays merged into the present observance on Nov. 1, which was also called All Hallows' Day. The name of All Hallows' Even (evening) for the night of Oct. 31 evolved into the name Hallowe'en, or Halloween as it is called today.

This is a brief history of how men rationalized taking an ancient pagan festival rooted in death and demonism and adapting it for use as a "Christian" celebration. Regrettably, it flies in the face of God's explicit instruction to not use pagan practices to worship Him.

He clearly states in Deuteronomy 12:30-32: ". . . Do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." GN

Racial Hatred Impacts Elections

*Warning: offensive language below

Man. It's remarkable the type of stuff this election has managed to pull "out" of people. Friends fighting among friends, families disrupted, crimes being committed, and unabashed racial hatred...come on folks, it's a political election! It's disheartening, the racial hatred spewing out of some people's mouths! Let me warn you, there is very VERY UGLY language below in this article. Racism and evil hatred is alive and well in this country. I remember just recently watching a report about the Klan activity described on a local station here just last week. Below, an article off a South Africa website about racist activity in Oklahoma.
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‘Wake up, N_ggers!’

In a small town in Oklahoma, not even loyal Democrats will vote for a black man.

Kristi Balden woke up at 4.30am to the sound of screeching tyres and yells of “nigger lover!” As she looked out of the window, a vehicle sped away with spinning wheels, peppering her parked car with gravel. She saw her Barack Obama yard sign in shreds on the lawn.

It was the fifth time in three weeks her signs backing Obama had been vandalised.

Elsewhere in the small town of Enid, in northwestern Oklahoma, more than 50 other residents have had their Obama signs smashed to pieces, and cars with bumper stickers that bear the black presidential candidate’s name have been splattered with eggs.

Late one night three weeks ago, four white youths went to a town museum that celebrates minority achievements and took down an exhibit of five Native American teepees. They dragged two of the tents around the streets of an African American neighbourhood, yelling: “Wake up, niggers!”

Sustained by a massive air force base and farming, and tucked into the eastern edge of America’s Great Plains “dust bowl”, Enid is far from the election front line.

It seems a quiet, charming place as you drive past church after church, grain silo after grain silo, and flag after flag hung outside neat clapboard houses.

In the local, Republican- leaning newspaper, discontent about post office staff hogging the public parking spaces in the main square is presented as the biggest issue in this town of 40000 souls.

But — like the rest of the state and huge swathes of the US — bitter division and outright racism is suddenly welling up in this town with its immaculate front lawns.

In another Oklahoma town, Ada, racist Ku Klux Klan newsletters were found wrapped with the local newspaper this week.

Ominously, signs of racism have invaded the state’s Democratic areas as well.

Last week, swastikas were painted on Obama signs in Oklahoma’s liberal commercial centre of Tulsa.

And this week, Todd Goodman, field director for Oklahoma’s Democrat campaign, told the Sunday Times that only one in five of the party’s voters were willing to vote for a black president.

“Virtually the entire east and southeast of Oklahoma is a Democratic stronghold, yet Obama is polling only 20% here. It’s beyond disappointing.

“It’s clear a significant number of people, including Democrats, just can’t bring themselves to vote for an African American man.”

The emerging racism in Oklahoma and elsewhere in Middle America is unlikely to affect the outcome of the election — a prize the Republican party, after eight years of economic and military stumbling, is unlikely to win.

But it will make it a harder contest, with one study showing that Obama would be at least 6% further in the lead if he was white.

This week, Democrat Congressman John Murtha admitted that the entire white, working-class west of Pennsylvania was “a racist area” resistant to voting for a black candidate.

Another poll found that one third of white Democrats in the US harboured some negative views towards black men.

On top of that, many experts believe a significant number of white Democrats who tell pollsters they’ll vote for the Democrat candidate on November 4 will use the anonymity of the polling booth to vote against him.

The signs of racism have sparked worries about a potential fracture in American society after November 4 — and serious concerns about Obama’s safety.

Dolly Jones, a 60-year-old retired banker, said: “Everyone’s talking about how someone might take a shot at (Obama). I heard the son of a person I know saying he and his friends would ‘take care of it’ if Obama won. It’s scary stuff.”

Locals say the “inciting ” language used by the McCain campaign in the past month has emboldened racists to act and speak more openly, leading to outbursts such as “traitor”, “terrorist” and “kill him” at campaign events.

Obama’s personal security was stepped up in February after a series of threats.

Former presidential candidate Jesse Jackson said black candidates faced a much greater threat of assassination. He told reporters: “Every place we went, the Secret Service was always on edge.”

On Balden’s lawn, campaign signs were placed in such a way that the vandals had to virtually step over a sign for a white Democratic candidate for the senate, Andrew Rice, to get to the Obama poster.

But the Rice sign was untouched, and no white candidate’s signs have been vandalised in town.

Pupils at Enid High School told the Sunday Times they had been sent text messages with a sinister play on Obama’s “change” campaign theme.

The messages read: “CHANGE stands for Can’t Help A Nigger Get Elected.”

When the conservative town leaders took no action, high- school children held a televised discussion to tackle the sudden upsurge in racism.

Enid is divided neatly between overwhelmingly Methodist Democrats and a much bigger block of Republicans who attend evangelical Baptist churches.

At the heart of Republican Enid is the Oklahoma Bible Academy, an evangelical Christian private school that is bristling with trophy cases, plush sports grounds and unnervingly disciplined students.

Cara Jackson, a science teacher, instructs the academy’s elite students that the universe — which has been dated at 13.8 billion years old — was either created just 6000 years ago, or developed over a longer period under the direct guidance of God.

“Traditional Christian values guide Middle America on every issue,” she said.

On emerging race concerns, Jackson said: “I think there are concerns over whether (Obama), as a minority member, would make minority issues his ... you know, focus in office and leave everyone else out.”

Virtually no one is willing to speak publicly about their skin colour reservations.

Skip Kyle, a sign-shop owner in Portsmouth, Ohio, is one of the few who have done so. He told Britain’s Telegraph: “I think Obama is an angry man. I just do not agree with black culture in this country ... the violence and the drug use.”

But Oklahomans do joke openly about a possible Obama assassination.

At the rodeo bar in downtown Enid, Bent Hermanski, 21, owner of a small livestock company, said: “A friend of mine says she’ll vote for Obama because it’ll mean another public holiday for her after he gets shot. Ha! Ha! Ha!

“My own opinion is that we should look more closely at the two running mates, because McCain will keel over from old age and Obama, well, he won’t last, will he?”

Meanwhile, the race confessions are starting to pour forth on various Internet blogsites.

One man from West Virginia writes: “Yep, if the blacks vote their race (then) by gully this (white) Democrat will vote his. I still haven’t met anyone in rural West Virginia that will admit to voting for Obama bin Laden.”

This week, at an election debate party in the posh Enid neighbourhood of Willow Lake, an Obama fan who is a Teamsters union trucker said Democrats should “think very carefully” about how they celebrate an Obama election win “if they want to avoid a beating”.

“Sure I’ll celebrate, but I’ll do it indoors and do it quietly.”

*See also here.
*See also "Election Poll: Racial Views"
*See also "Some Of Them Go To My Church"

Fall Foliage II

More Fall foliage for those out there who like the Fall season and all it's beautiful colors!

Blue Ridge Parkway





Beautiful golden foliage; makes me want to pack a suitcase and do some serious traveling! Burnham Beeches, Bucks, England.



Better and more brillant than Christmas lights!
Our God is so awesome!

Snoqualmie National Forest

I will likely add some next month. Be sure to take a look at Fall Foliage (the first set). Some look like paintings, just spectacular!

Economic Crisis Effects Aid Efforts

Something to consider for sure; the world wide repercussions of the global market crisis—as it effects the wealthiest to the poorest. And needless to say, it appears the poorest of people will suffer the most. Domestically, here in the United States, many organizations dispensing food have begun to dwindle in resources.

Aid Agencies: World's Poor Will Be Biggest Victims
By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS

GENEVA (AP) — The world's poorest people will be hungrier, sicker and have fewer jobs as a result of the global financial crisis, and cash-strapped aid agencies will be less able to help, aid groups are warning.

The charities that provide food, medicine and other relief on the ground say cutbacks have already started, but it will take months or more before the full impact is felt in the poorest countries of Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Aid agencies face more than just the prospect of plummeting donations. The economic conditions themselves — higher food prices and more joblessness — are greatly increasing the number of people who need assistance.

Philippe Guiton of World Vision told The Associated Press that his agency plans to cut back hiring, which will have implications for delivering aid to the needy overseas.

"What we are going to do now is to issue an order to reduce spending, to delay recruitment, delay purchases of capital assets, etc., until we can see clearer how much our income has dropped," he said.

Robert Glasser, secretary-general of CARE International, said the agency has "a number of major donors who have invested heavily in the markets and have now seen their portfolios take a big hit."

What that will mean on the ground could take months or more to gauge — and perhaps years for a complete recovery, aid groups say.

In impoverished Haiti, funding for projects to rebuild from tropical storms that killed nearly 800 people and destroyed more than half the nation's agriculture hangs in the balance.

"It's too soon to tell yet because we haven't heard back positively or negatively from our major donors," Greg Elder, deputy head of programming for U.S-based Catholic Relief Services, said by telephone from the battered southern port of Les Cayes.

The group is waiting for word from the U.S. Agency for International Development on whether it will get $2 million for 10 new food-for-work projects, which provide Haitians with rations in exchange for building roads, irrigation systems and environmental projects.

An additional $500,000 is needed to repair 12 existing projects whose work was wiped out by the storms. "It's just we can't start these new projects, these rehabilitation projects, until we get the go-ahead," Elder said.

During global recessions in the 1970s and 1990s, aid spending dropped sharply and took years to recover, said Matt Grainger of the British-based charity Oxfam International.

That means problems across the board, said CARE's Glasser. Wealthy countries will stop investing in developing countries, and cut back on imports from poorer countries, leaving their governments with less money to pay for health care and schools, he said.


In Zimbabwe, a Red Cross food program for 260,000 orphans and HIV-infected people began last month to make sure AIDS victims have sufficient nourishment in a nation where millions are going hungry because of drought and land-seizures that have devastated agriculture.

HIV-infected people are especially vulnerable because without food they cannot tolerate their medicine.

"The farmers' food stores are depleted. There is no food available," said Peter Lundberg, country representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

"I spoke to a family a few days ago and I said, 'How are you coping?' Basically this was a poor farmer family. And they said, 'We used to have three, maybe four, meals a day and now we're down to one meal.'"

Medecins Sans Frontieres, which runs AIDS clinics in the Cape Town township of Khayelitsha in South Africa, said it's "far too early" to determine the impact the crisis would have on donations.

"The money we're spending now was collected some time ago," said Henrik Glette, a South Africa-based spokesman for the group.

But Neil Tobin, an employee of UNAIDS in Sierra Leone, warned: "It is well documented that AIDS is a problem compounded by poverty. Thus the concern is that any sharp economic downturn may present increased challenges, particularly for developing nations in responding to the epidemic."

Top scientists meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, said they feared the financial turmoil would curb research into a new AIDS vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said "the increases in the budget we had hoped for will not be forthcoming."

Alan Bernstein, head of Global Vaccine Enterprise, said the financial meltdown is "not good news for research in general and vaccine research in particular."

Associated Press writers Jonathan M. Katz in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Michelle Faul and Donna Bryson in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Clare Nullis in Cape Town, South Africa contributed to this report.

*See also:
A Message From David Wilkerson--Economic Crisis

"Some Of Them Go To My Church"

An Inland Republican women’s group sent out a newsletter showing this fake $10 “food stamp” with Barack Obama’s face on it.

No surprise here. This is truly pathetic given this day and age. I hate racism. I do not care what group is the target, blacks, whites, Native American, Hispanics, whoever. This is remarkable and uncalled for. I do not even "like" Obama or McCain... the election is not the issue here. Why did this group pick these stereotypical foods to portray with Obama? Contrary to stereotypes, whites comprise the bigger cohort on welfare in the U.S., because they factor in population wise to be numerically larger-- therefore more are recipients. Let me not go on--I have had a really bad week and this just serves as "the cherry on the sundae". I find myself blogging for this story which "should not be", and already pressed for time dealing with my hacked website. Urrgghhh. Simply evil and insensitive--not just to blacks--but to the poor, some of the elderly, and disabled. The story below:

GOP Mailing Depicts Obama On Food Stamp
By MICHELLE DeARMOND
The Press-Enterprise

The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles.

The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps -- instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of "Obama Bucks" -- a phony $10 bill featuring Obama's face on a donkey's body, labeled "United States Food Stamps."

The GOP newsletter, which was sent to about 200 members and associates of the group by e-mail and regular mail last week, is drawing harsh criticism from members of the political group, elected leaders, party officials and others as racist.

The group's president, Diane Fedele, said she plans to send an apology letter to her members and to apologize at the club's meeting next week. She said she simply wanted to deride a comment Obama made over the summer about how as an African-American he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

"It was strictly an attempt to point out the outrageousness of his statement. I really don't want to go into it any further," Fedele said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I absolutely apologize to anyone who was offended. That clearly wasn't my attempt."

Fedele said she got the illustration in a number of chain e-mails and decided to reprint it for her members in the Trumpeter newsletter because she was offended that Obama would draw attention to his own race. She declined to say who sent her the e-mails with the illustration.

She said she doesn't think in racist terms, pointing out she once supported Republican Alan Keyes, an African-American who previously ran for president.

"I didn't see it the way that it's being taken. I never connected," she said. "It was just food to me. It didn't mean anything else."

She said she also wasn't trying to make a statement linking Obama and food stamps, although her introductory text to the illustration connects the two: "Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on????? Food Stamps, what else!"

Club Member Cries

Sheila Raines, an African-American member of the club, was the first person to complain to Fedele about the newsletter. Raines, of San Bernardino, said she has worked hard to try to convince other minorities to join the Republican Party and now she feels betrayed.

"This is what keeps African-Americans from joining the Republican Party," she said. "I'm really hurt. I cried for 45 minutes."

The Obama campaign declined to comment. It's the campaign's policy to not address such attacks, said Gabriel Sanchez, a California spokesman for the campaign.

The newsletter prompted a rebuke from another African-American member of the organization, which is well recognized in the community for its philanthropy and efforts to register and turn out voters in the Rancho Cucamonga and Upland areas.

Acquanetta Warren, a Fontana councilwoman and member of the women's group, said the item is rude and requires a public apology.

"When I opened that up and saw it, I said, 'Why did they do this? It doesn't even reflect our principles and values,' " said Warren, who served as a Republican delegate to the national convention in September and is a regional vice chairwoman for the California Republican Party. "I know a lot of the ladies in that club and they're fantastic. They're volunteers. They really care -- some of them go to my church."

Warren forwarded an electronic version of the newsletter to the California Republican Party headquarters, where officials also were outraged Wednesday and denounced the illustration.

Hector Barajas, the party's press secretary, said the party chairman likely will have a conversation with Fedele, and Barajas will attend the statewide California Federation of Republican Women conference this weekend in Los Angeles to handle any news media there to cover the controversy.

*Story continues on another incident, click title to go site

See also "Election Poll: Racial Views"
See also "Who Says America Is Not Racist?"

Hacked Again!

I have been hacked again. Crud. This is the second time this year, and two different websites at that! Why don’t these people put their talents to better use? The first site was hacked I am convinced for the gospel message. This other site the crooks used my url and my index.php files to create a fictitious cgi-bin and online banking account in the United Kingdom. Both accounts use C-Panel as the file manager—I have to wonder if there is a security issue with C-panel. Since I just contacted this bank in the UK last night, I am reluctant to remove the contaminated files, in case they need the information.

I am still waiting for a response from them. Additionally, these buzzards created a fictitious email account, as I can tell some of the links came from emails, yet the information is useless as to who owns these accounts. In both cases the crooks used and created index.php files--- so I would advise anyone using php files on their websites to routinely screen their files under “file manager” for new php files, and cgi-bins. On to raising up my sleeves and jumping in the mud.

*Update: I changed my password, and contacted the authorities. Anyone is such a position should immediately change their password!

**The easy part is done, authorities have been contacted. And some of the urls hijacked automatically present a phishing alert. I decided to delete the files in C-Panel, but not totally trash them, this should make them inoperable yet recoverable. The awstats logs will show the urls they used, although stat analyzers only relay limited information--and these scam artists would certainly travel by proxy. Probably take a while to sort out... Hopefully no one reading this will ever have to follow these steps...

Lakeland Revival Not Of God

Here is an interesting article I found today. The author makes some excellent points concerning the revival; including the erroneous ideal of angels with anointings, which I concur with wholeheartedly--it is error. A lot of times something can appear to be from God, but we must wave pride and our own notions aside--examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), and follow the blueprint of His Word. The article below:

--------------------------------

SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE THE LAKELAND REVIVAL IS NOT OF GOD
*Click title to go to blog

(2Co 11:4). For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

The “Jesus” that Todd Bentley is preaching is not the Jesus of the Bible. His “Jesus” doesn’t preach and emphasize deep repentance, denying self and carrying the cross, selling one’s possessions to give to the poor and needy, forsaking ALL to follow him, and freely bestows his “anointing” on all who have heretical or bad doctrine and loose, immoral lives.

The “spirit” that Todd Bentley is operating under is causing manifestations that DO NOT APPEAR anywhere in the Bible. He has been known to cause animal manifestations as well (clucking like chickens, barking like dogs, etc.), all of which are manifestations that have long been associated with pagan and heathen religions but are found nowhere in Scripture, except with Nebechanezzar at the judgment of God.

The “gospel” that Todd preaches is a gospel of seeking after signs and wonders. It’s hocus pocus. Angel feathers, gold dust, diamonds falling, seeing female angels, again, all of which are found nowhere in Scripture. Seeking after miracles and not after the face and heart and burden of God is a deadly delusion that will lead one straight into accepting “another spirit”. There are MANY spirits in the world, which is why we are called both to test the spirits, and to test those who purport to be prophets and teachers by their DOCTRINE. Their doctrine must be solid and sound, and Todd’s is more new age and hype than it is sound Bible doctrine.

(2Th 2:8-11). And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.

We need not say that just because there are many genuine miracles, that the whole move must be of God. The Anti-Christ himself will do many signs and wonders. And the mystery of lawlessness (anti-Christ deception) is already at work in the world. Anti-Christ doesn’t necessary outright oppose Christ, instead, he counterfeits him.

(2Co 11:13-15). For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Angel encounters are a constant theme in his meetings, and people just soak it all up, not even thinking to seriously question it. But who is to say these angels are truly the angels of the Lord God, and not emissaries of Satan sent to deceive? Todd claims that his healing anointing comes from an angel, but there is no record in all of Scripture of an angel giving somebody an anointing. The Holy Spirit is the only One who anoints God’s ministers. If the anointing is from an angel, it’s a huge red flag.

(Col 2:18-19). Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Glean what you will from that Scripture, but do note this, it is a very dangerous thing to speak constantly of angels and to give them the glory for an anointing. I don’t want any part of an anointing from any angel, I only want the HOLY SPIRIT’S anointing, period. Because I don’t know whether it’s an angel of God or an angel of light sent to deceive.

(Mat 7:22-23). Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Note, just because somebody:
1. Calls Jesus “Lord”
2. Prophesies
3. Casts out demons
4. Does many *wonderful* works (which includes healing people)

Just because they do all these things DOES NOT mean they are of God! It’s not a few, but MANY, that do these things and do not belong to the true Jesus of the Bible.
The Catholic Church still does genuine exorcisms (casting out demons) to this day but they are serious idolaters who preach ‘another gospel’. Signs and wonders is no proof of being genuine or not.
The only way we can tell is by:

1. The doctrine of the teacher (2 John)
2. The fruit of their life (Mat. 7)
3. Discerning of the spirit they operate under (1 Cor 12)

PLEASE PEOPLE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE FROM THIS END-TIME DECEPTION!!! IT IS A DANGEROUS THING TO EMBRACE ANOTHER SPIRIT THAT’S NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!

In Christ - Josef Urban

A Bit Of History On Wagner & NAR

I recently read the article below (I do not know about the bible studies on the site...) and I am putting it on the blog for a brief history on C. Peter Wagner and the formation of the New Apostolic Reformation. I have accentuated certain parts in bold and navy font.

It is sad to say, you can probably put a man in a crowd at a carnival or any place for that matter; and he can create a religious following in a short period of time---if enough vulnerable people believe him. So many of the people caught up in the new apostolic prophetic movement esteem personal revelations and new spins over God’s Word---and that is esteeming men/women over God. The new apostles and prophets have become quite skilled with adding and detracting from the Word. It is just mind boggling how Wagner and his homespun demonic churn has impacted people. It is evident Wagner was subjected to other influences in the Church; yet it does not excuse him or his followers. We have the infallible Word of God as our foundation.

--------------------------------------------

Charles Peter Wagner
From the Becker Bible Studies

Introduction

Charles Peter Wagner is considered a Christian theologian. Around 1980 he began the movement known as the Neocharismatic movement. He also created the expression the "Third Wave", which referred to being baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Charles Peter Wagner introduced the concept that God has established the plan for the earth, and the apostles shall execute that plan. Wagner is moving the same direction as the Latter Rain Pentecostal movement. Wagner and his followers insist the Rapture of the church is the spiritual return of the Spirit which comes first, without the physical return of Christ. His followers believe the government of the church becomes the government of God’s on earth. They claim the people are controlled as judges, rulers and warriors and are exercising their kingdom by the authority of supernatural powers greater than the original Apostles. They claim this is to bring in a global kingdom rule. It is only after this is done by the Global Harvest Mission conveying the philosophy of the Latter Rain Movement that Jesus will come back. They teach it is the new apostles and prophets that are going to lead the church into this new era, this great revival that will be the last revival.


Charles Peter Wagner is the founder and President of Global Harvest Ministries and the co-founder of the World Prayer Center. He is the Chancellor of the Wagner Leadership Institute. He was a professor of Church Growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission.

The Wagner Leadership Institute was founded in 1998 and equips people for leadership positions in churches. It tries to meet the needs of leaders who have become a part of the New Apostolic Reformation. Charles Peter Wagner and his wife Doris served as missionaries in Bolivia under the South American Mission.

The way Charles Peter Wagner sees the New Apostolic Reformation is as an extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit. He teaches that the New Apostolic Reformation is not only changing but also shaping Christianity globally. He believes it is the Lord who is establishing the foundations of the church for the new millennium. The foundation is placed on the apostles and prophets. Wagner began hearing the Holy Spirit speaking about restoring apostles and prophets as the foundation of the church in 1990. He believes he has the gift of apostle and holds the office of apostle.

The Global Harvest Ministries under the leadership of Charles Peter Wagner is in the role of global prayer and world evangelization. Developing apostolic leadership in the church today is a primary function of the Global Harvest Ministries. He claims the Spirit is speaking to the Churches God has given unto the Global Harvest Ministries to communicate to the body of Christ some of the new things the Spirit is saying to the churches. He believes the Global Harvest Ministries is a vehicle for the spreading, intercession, deliverance of the New Apostolic Reformation. They try to blanket the nations with opportunities through conferences to learn what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Charles Peter Wagner is the Presiding Apostle over the International Coalition of Apostles. They meet every December in Dallas. He convenes the New Apostolic Roundtable group once a year in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Membership for the New Apostolic roundtable is by personal invitation from Wagner. Wagner has appointed Chuck Pierce as prophetic counsel. The Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders is a select group of prophets who needs to build personal relationships with other prophets of the same status. They meet once a year in Colorado Springs Colorado. The Apostolic Roundtable for Deliverance Ministers meets regularly each year in Colorado Springs Colorado.

History

Charles Peter Wagner became a Professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions in 1971. While at the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Missions, Wagner served on many different oriented ministries including the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization from 1974 to 1989, the American Society of Missiology and the American Lausanne committee. He was the founding president of the American Society for Church Growth.

Charles Peter Wagner was associated with many different global movements of the Holy Spirit. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, also went to Fuller Seminary. Together Wagner and Wimber co-instructed the course “Signs, Wonders and Church Growth”. Wagner was an advocate of praying for the sick, spiritual mapping, ministry and roles of apostles and prophets in the church today, identificational repentance and demonic deliverance. Charles Peter Wagner is considered a pioneer of spiritual warfare.

The global Harvest Ministries was established in 1991 with the help of his wife Doris and Luis Bush. Ted Haggard was the pastor of New Life Church and convinced the Global Harvest Ministry Office to move from California to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Luis Bush had his offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Charles Peter Wagner partnered with Ted Haggard in establishing the World Prayer Center. The Wagner’s moved in 1996 to Colorado. They had Chuck Pierce take the leadership role for Global Harvest Ministry.

The World Prayer Center was dedicated in 1998. The focus of the Global Harvest Ministry is to make the churches aware that the Holy Spirit is working to bring His church to its ultimate destiny. This will be done by establishing the prophets and apostles in the church. Wagner believes the second apostolic age began in 2001. The government of the church has not been in place until the 2001 date. Wagner believes the apostles and prophets have been around but not recognized by the churches. This belief comes from the revival of the Latter Rain Movement of the 1940’s. Wagner teaches the Christian churches have functioned within traditional denomination but should be functioning now in the five fold ministry with apostles and prophets over the pastors and elders of the church. He believes the apostles bring spiritual government to the pastors of the city and the pastors of the city can do the job that God has given them to do.

Charles Peter Wagner believes he is the first Restored Apostle and the leader of the New Apostolic Reformation Movement. This is a movement in Protestant Christianity that has grown out of the Charismatic Movement and the Pentecostal Movement. They believe God is restoring the church government to the offices of prophet and apostle.

Charles Peter Wagner introduced the concept that God has established the plan for the earth the apostles shall execute that plan. Wagner is moving the same direction of the Latter Rain. Wagner insists the Rapture of the church is the spiritual return of the Spirit which comes first without a physical return of Christ. They believe the government of the church becomes the government of God’s on earth. They claim the people are controlled as judges, rulers and warriors and are exercising their kingdom by the authority of supernatural powers greater than the original apostles. They claim this is to bring in a global kingdom rule. It is only after this is done by the Global Harvest Mission conveying the philosophy of the Latter Rain Movement that Jesus will come back. They teach it is the new apostles and prophets that are going to lead the church into this new era, this great revival that will be the last revival.

An apostle is defined as being a Christian leader who is gifted then taught then commissioned and finely sent by God with the authority to institute the foundational government of the church. These apostles do have an area of specialty so they can hear what the Spirit is saying to the church and set things in the order according to where any given church is in their growth and in their maturity. Unlike the traditional Christian church that use church council or general assemblies to dictate the growth and the mission of the church the New Apostolic Christianity uses the spiritual authority that is delegated by the Holy Spirit to individuals. Wagner stresses the Five Fold Offices of the church are first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then evangelists and last pastors. The Government of the New Apostolic Reform has two divisions the vertical and the horizontal apostles and there are subdivisions within these divisions. Wagner stresses there are different functions of the apostles.

The Vertical Apostles includes the Ecclesiastical apostles who are given the authority over a specific area of interest including a number of churches in a network headed by the apostle. The functional apostles are given authority over those who have an ongoing ministry in a specific area of interest of service that has defined boundaries of participation. The Apostolic Team Members are apostles whose ministry is in conjunction with an apostle who is viewed as the leader of a team of one or more of the different levels of other vertical apostles. They may be assigned to another specific area of interest by the leading apostle. Congregational apostles are apostles who function as senior pastors of dynamic fast growing churches with large numbers over 800 in the congregation.

The Horizontal Apostles includes the Convening apostles who are apostles who have authority to call together other leaders who minister in a defined field. Ambassadorial apostles are apostles who travel from place to place being nurture’s the apostolic movement on a large scale. The Mobilizing apostles are apostles who have the authority to take leadership in bringing together those qualified leaders into the body of Christ for a specific reason such as a cause or a project. The Territorial apostles are apostles who have been given authority for leading a particular segment of the body of Christ in a given territorial area such as a city or state.

Belief

The expression Third Wave was created by Charles Peter Wagner around 1980. The Third Wave involves those Christians who have received a Pentecostal type experiences. The Third Wavers do not claim association with either the Charismatic or Pentecostal movement.

First Wave occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century with the Pentecostal movement. This movement began with the Azusa Street Revival. Those associated with the First Wave preached the “baptism with the Holy Spirit” and claimed it is a separate experience to conversion. They believe conversion must be accompanied with the speaking of tongues to be genuine.

The Second Wave occurred during the 1960’s as the Charismatic movement. It spread to the mainline Protestant Denominations and the Catholic Church. The Word of faith movement is part of this Second Wave Movement.

The Third Wave happened in the middle of 1980 associated with the ministry of Wagner and the Vineyard Movement under the leadership of John Wimber. Expressions of this movement are the Toronto Blessing and Eternal Grace. Those associated with the Third Wave identify “baptism with the Spirit” with conversion. It does not refer to a second experience of receiving the Spirit. They stress an on going experience with the Spirit. They do not emphasize speaking in tongues. The leaders of the Third Wave would not speak in tongues.

There are many Christians especially the conservative Pentecostals who reject this movement and claim it is as unbiblical as the Latter Rain Movement, the Manifest Sons of God teaching and the Kingdom Now theology.

The teaching of the New Apostolic Reforms teaches the belief of an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit within a believer that will enable them to perform miracles, especially those of healing and prophecy. They see the church as the true body of saved believers.

They believe in the Five Fold Offices of the church which is found in many Charismatic groups. They believe the Five Fold Offices of the church are first apostles, then prophets, then teachers, then evangelists and last pastors.

MLA Style Citation:
Becker, David B. Becker Bible Studies. Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians 1 Jan 2007. 8 October 2008 .

Bentley's Commissioning

Excerpt from video of the commissioning service:

Peter Wagner prophesies:

"This commissioning represents a powerful spiritual transaction taking place in the invisible world. With this in mind, I take the apostolic authority that God has given me and I decree to Todd Bentley:

Your power will increase.
Your authority will increase.
Your favor will increase.
Your influence will increase.
Your revelation will increase.

I also decree that:

A new supernatural strength will flow through this ministry.
A new life force will penetrate this move of God.
A government will be established to set things in their proper order.
God will pour out a higher level of discernment to distinguish truth from error.
New relationships will surface to open gates for the future."

C. Peter Wagner himself, "arrayed in royal apparel". He was right about a powerful transaction taking place in the invisible world--but its evil and not good.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

There Is But One Way

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Yes, just One way! And that way is through Jesus Christ! It may not be a popular position… or politically, socially and culturally correct, but God is not subjected to the passions and theologies of men. Because He is God and Him alone, and He makes that clear in His Word. It does not matter how much prestige you have in this world. Oprah Winfrey, psychic Sylvia Browne, and the Dalai Lama cannot make God to be something He is not. He is a good and merciful God, and He extends mercy to all who will accept it---own His terms. Not our terms. Money will not save you, your Hindu gods cannot save you, Mary and Joseph cannot save you, only Jesus can. ONLY HIM!!! Nor put your trust in church attendance, choir practice or your Jewish heritage…put your trust in Him.

Matthew 7:13-14
13) "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.
14) For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The way is NARROW. Jesus Himself said ‘few will find the way’. He wants all people to be saved but not all will be saved. You see, we have a part in this and we have a decision to make. Time is running out. Today even the secular media ponders how our world with national leaders possessing the ability to make nuclear decisions continue much longer without some international “incident”.

2 Peter 3:9-10
9) The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

Heaven and Hell is real. Because someone may not understand it, does not change the fact Hell exists. We are subject to human frailties, but God is sovereign and the supreme judge of all things. Hell is not a metaphor for bad people, or some state of inner conscious limbo. I have noticed seeker friendly churches avoiding the subject, some ministers don’t preach it fearing it will turn off people. Yet there is a place for preaching it, as well as the love God has for all mankind. So great a love that Jesus Christ laid down His life for us (John 10:18). For you, for me. Believe it, for it is true.

Romans 5:6-10
6) For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Many non-believers believe Hell to be a fear tactic—a mechanism for exerting social and political control. That is precisely what I believed as non-believer for many years. Until I had a very negative supernatural encounter, and I could no longer deny the supernatural existed. My non-believing mind reasoned if such evil exists than maybe God is real. Nevertheless, there were those times in my life when people witnessed to me and I wondered if Jesus was the Son of God. I will never forget watching the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”, and I thought, “it’s too bad Jesus is not real”. And I remember immediately hearing so distinctly these words (not audible) “I am real”. I was astonished and I wondered to myself, that it was the strangest thought I ever had in my life. I heard Him, yet I kept running. Now I can look back and see how many times God was calling out to me.

Daniel 12:1-2
1) "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.
2) And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

The universe is not a random accident nor did we evolve from apes. This is a blinding lie.

2 Corinthians 4:4
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

We have no guarantee that tomorrow will occur. Make the right decision today. Turn to Jesus Christ and receive God’s grace and mercy today.

Matthew 18:11
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

1 Peter 1:18-21
18) You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,
19) but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.
20) He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.
21) Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Watchmen Arise!

Good article from Sola Dei Gloria.

Watchmen on the Wall

This evening I came across a message I remembered reading back when it was first posted in 2004. It was impressed upon my spirit then, and even more as I re-read it again tonight. I have never witnessed a time more, when we need to be alert and watching, and when many Christians seem to be asleep. We all need to be ‘watchmen on the wall’ folks…even if there are those who will condemn us for ‘blowing’ the trumpet.

From: CrossRoad, Asleep On The Watch

I have been told that in this day and age the role of watchman as understood in the Old Testament has been done away with, that it is not necessary because we are not under the wrath of God but under grace through Jesus Christ. If there are watchmen today, I am told, they cannot be held to the same degree of accountability that God required of Ezekiel.

If there are watchmen today as described in Ezekiel, who are these watchmen? And after examining the following from Ezekiel 33, who would ever want to be put in this position?

The Watchman’s Duty: Ezekiel 33

“And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them,

‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life.

“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’

“Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. ” Ezekiel 33:1-9

If we look closely in chapter 20 in the book of Acts we see that the Apostle Paul understood this mandate even as he warned the overseers in Ephesus concerning his departure after being with them for three years. Here is one example clearly stated:

“I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert (watch), remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” Acts 20:26-31 (also see Acts 18:6)

One could say that this was an Apostolic responsibility that was not passed on to us but if we look in Hebrews we see that the overseers were exhorted by its writer to look out for the sheep, to guard and warn them as watching over the flock:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17

In Mark, chapter 13, we see that Jesus is telling us of the things to come regarding the Last Days. He exhorts us all to be on the alert, to be watchful of the things to come. It seems we have all been called to be in a constant state of watchfulness in some capacity as believers in Christ:

“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert — for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” Mark 13:33-37

Why am I asking these questions or why am I even concerned that anyone is at watch for the body of Christ?

As Paul states in Acts 20:28-31, there has been through the centuries and still continues to this day, to be many savage wolves coming into the flock and also rising up from within to deceive and steal away disciples after themselves. I would hope this is not a surprise to anyone but sadly, I must report, this is probably the state of many churches everywhere.

Just testifying of my own experience, over the last 10 years, I have visited dozens of churches that have had an ‘open door’ policy, accepting whatever doctrine or new teaching that comes through the door. Unlike the words of Paul in Ephesians 4, about those who should be watching and equipping the saints, to bring us to maturity, not being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, they in fact willingly open their sails to allow any wind to blow them about. I have witnessed many in leadership, whether pastor, elders or overseers who have no clue to what has come through their doors or is about to come upon them as we look to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No one is guarding the flock as the wolf moves silently about looking for those he can devour.

As I was wondering what has happened to those called to watch over the flocks, in whatever capacity that they serve, I thought of a little Mother Goose nursery rhyme about Little Boy Blue and how appropriate this is for today’s churches:

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn.
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where is the boy that looks after the sheep?
“He’s under the haycock, fast asleep.”
Will you wake him? “No, not I;
For if I do, he’ll be sure to cry.”

Somebody please wake the watchmen! I would rather have sadness and grief with much tears, bringing us to repentance, than to continue to see the churches being infiltrated and assimilated by New Age Occultism, false teaching, heresies, philosophies of men and doctrines of demons as the watchmen sleep.

I have written this before and it has happened again just recently. I was asked which church I would recommend for a new Christian to begin fellowship. As a Christian of more than 30 years, and after visiting dozens of churches locally, I could not think of any church where I would send this person without knowing that they would in some way be caught up in the current trends of deception that are sweeping through the body of Christ. This is related to the lack of discernment being used by the leadership that are asleep.

Steven Mitchell writes in his article “Watchman Arise,” (* very good message!)

“Since God mentions this ministry several times throughout the Bible with great clarity, we do well to read, heed, and learn to be men and women with this attitude for the church today. While we may not be under the threat of physical invasion today, or living in literal walled fortresses, Satan and his workers seek to destroy and lay siege to the church today through false teachers and ungodly philosophies. He seeks to lead us into false forms of worship and unbiblical teachings that masquerade as truth. He has engineered and orchestrated a full-out assault on the people of God today, complete with deceptive false ministers and non-prophets who no longer view His Word as the primary basis for true doctrine. The church is definitely under attack and, therefore, definitely and desperately in need of watchmen in this age.”

Pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds and watchmen; please heed this call to awaken and warn the flock of the dangers that face your churches today. You are responsible and accountable if you do not warn them. Their blood will be on your hands.