Recently I have become aware of numerous leaders and celebrities in the evangelical world who have seemingly fallen into apostasy. I don't know if they have always been apostate, or if this is something new to them. But the fact remains they have ventured far from the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and into an ecumenical unity with the deception of false teachers. Among these evangelical leaders and celebrities are the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (recognizing Word Faith teacher Cindy Trimm with an humanitarian award for “her leadership role in enhancing the spiritual direction and well-being of the Southern California Basin”), Tony Campolo (and his “Red Letter Christian” movement which prioritizes the actual words of Jesus over the rest of Scripture), Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth (and her promotion of the Spiritual Formation movement and prayer circles), Max Lucado (and his involvement with Christian mysticism and contemplative prayer), and David Jeremiah (and his partnering with and promotion of Christian mysticism and the Word Faith movement).
I am not saying these leaders and celebrities are not Christians as I do not know their heart or their motives. Nor have I spoken with each of them regarding each of false teachings and deceptive practices they are currently engaged in. However, I am confident enough to say that if they do not repent, if they refuse to repent, and the continue on in there apostasy, then I would seriously doubt their salvation. As we read in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”
To better equip my readers to understand the seriousness of this trend, I offer a group of five blog articles from the “Possessing the Treasure” blog of Mike Ratliff. I would encourage, no, strongly encourage each of you to read the full articles on Mike's blog.
ApostasyPosted on November 16, 2016 by Mike Ratliff
Apostasy doesn’t happen all at once. The church is continually under attack from without and within no matter what intellectual cycle it is in. The Protestant Reformation is good example. Foxx’s Book of Martyrs shows how large the number was of Christians who paid with their lives because they knew the truth and would not recant. I wonder how many of today’s Christians would be likely to take that stand.
What is the process of the Church moving into Apostasy? In the early 20th Century the Princeton University Seminary was dying. It had a wonderful history being lead by Charles Hodge and Benjamin Warfield, but those men were gone. The new leadership was determined to liberalize and modernize it from top to bottom. Along with this, the denomination behind it went the same way. That, of course, was The Presbyterian Church USA. It is, without a doubt, one of the most liberal denominations. It’s members actually pray to a goddess named Sophia. God did raise up men like J. Gresham Machen who would not give in to the pressure to conform to the new form of his old denomination. He is credited with starting the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
(continue reading)
The Lord Jesus ChristPosted on January 3, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
When I witness the bizarre conflicts in the visible Church in our time, especially the ones in which I take part, I never come through them without wondering how those whose faith is in their religion or idol can call Jesus Lord since they most definitely are not obeying Him nor submitting to His will as their Lord. If they did then two things would be true about them. They would teach sound (αντικειται) doctrine (διδασκαλια) from God’s Word and they would minister to His Church with love (αγαπην). Any other form of “ministry” will negatively impact the Body of Christ for it will come from motivations other than ministering unto the glory of God alone as a slave (δουλος) of his or her Lord (κυριος). These other motivations are actually service to another lord, either self or the enemy of our souls and are therefore the source of bad fruit.
(continue reading)
God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not properPosted on January 7, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
For those who are nonplused at the utter foolishness running rampant throughout the visible church what you have to come to understand is that all of it is rooted in one thing, unbelief. Also, all of you reading this who have taken that stand for God’s truth knowing it would be costly and have then experienced oppression resulting in despair as you deal with others who either claim to be Christian, but prove they aren’t by their reprobate lifestyles or they claim to be superior in knowledge about nearly everything and so attack those who profess to be Christian in an attempt to disavow the gospel, the atonement, our desperate need for redemption, and that Jesus Christ came to fulfill that role. As we mature and become more knowledgeable about this warfare our reaction to all changes. Instead of despair or fear our reaction will be pity for those whom our enemy has assigned to attack us and our ministries. Be encouraged my brethren. Why? The attacks by the enemy are being allowed by our God for our own spiritual growth and for His glory and our enemy would not care anything about us if we were no threat to him.
However, the superior attitude projected by these people is offset by an arrogance that is so off the scale that it is laughable to one whose faith is strong. As they attempt to cast doubts on God’s sound doctrine and say stupid things like, “everyone knows that the bible is nothing more than a book of symbolism so you can’t use those exegetical techniques you use to prove anything!” Really? Wow, and why am I to believe this person? It is because he or she says so that’s why. Those who argue like that use many of the same arguments that the emergents use, but claim to not be part of that. In fact, he or she appears to be pagan, but actually, aren’t the emergents moving more and more into that realm of stupidity that is marked by fuzzy logic, disavowing all proof and claiming to know the truth is a mark of arrogance? As I said, dealing with these people is no longer stressful for me at all. Instead, when this happens, it becomes a great source impetus to dig into God’s Word to show the deep ignorance of the reprobate mind in contrast to the grand and deep truths given to us by our loving God.
(continue reading)
What is the Doctrine of Unity and Separation?Posted on January 10, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
It doesn’t take very long for me to discern whether the person I am dealing with is truly God’s man or woman or is a pretender. That personal interaction is necessary for me to see the true nature and focus of the person. As we debate or discuss doctrinal or church issues or even secular issues it soon becomes very clear whether I am dealing someone who is walking according to the Lordship of Christ or is their own man or woman. Their values soon become apparent. All of us are in various stages of spiritual growth and repentance to be sure, but the mark of the washing of regeneration is there to be seen in all of God’s people that cannot be counterfeited. Of course, this is only discernable by those who are looking for it and then only through God’s testing fires.
I think that is why those of us who truly belong to Him are so often struggling in the fires of tribulation. As I have that personal interaction with people as I shared above, I am given glimpses into their value systems and what is truly beleaguering them, et cetera. When some come to me full of retribution, meaning to shut me up or whatever, I always prayfully look at their motives. Never have I had anyone do that with the motive of bringing God glory. No, it has always been self-motivated personal glory. In light of this I pray that you will carefully read the passage from Titus I placed at the top of this post.
According to those in the Rick Warren camp, unity is what the Church must be about. This unity is all encompassing with no regard for doctrine, et cetera. However, as you just read in that passage, the elder of the Church is to do what? He must be ready to give instruction in sound doctrine and also be ready to rebuke those who contradict it. Does this “rebuke” mean we separate from them as well? First, here is a definition of the “Unity” part of the Doctrine of Unity and Separation.
The church is united in Christ, having a common salvation which is found in Christ; a common citizenship which is in heaven; a common hope which is Christ; a common spirit which dwells within each believer; a common fate which is likeness and conformity to Christ; a common interest to walk with Christ and to spread His name. (Matt. 28:19; 1:Cor. 2:2; Phil. 3:8-10; Rom. 5:2,5; Col. 1:5; Heb. 6:18-19). These things all believers share regardless of race, ethic or political background, class distinction and church affiliation. We are united together to the Head which is Christ.However, we are also called to be separate from the world and those who profess to be Christians, but who are worldly or who refuse to submit to the doctrine of Christ. We are also to separate from professing Christians who refuse to submit to the Lordship of Christ.
Consider the following two quotes from C.H Spurgeon.
“On all hands we hear cries for unity in this and unity in that; but in our mind the main need of this age is not compromise but conscientiousness. `First pure, then peaceable…’ It is easy to cry, `A confederacy,’ but that union that is not based on the truth of God is rather a conspiracy than a communion. Charity by all means: but honesty also. Love of course, but love to God as well as love to men, and love of truth as well as love of union. It is exceedingly difficult in these times to preserve one’s fidelity before God and one’s fraternity among men. Should not the former be preferred to the latter if both cannot be maintained? We think so.”The following is an excerpt from “The Bond of the Covenant,” preached Sunday morning, May 10, 1885 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Spurgeon’s criticisms of 19th-century modernism are also perfectly suited for 21st-century post-modernism:
This generation has made a god of its own. The effeminate deity of the modern school is no more the true God than Dagon or Baal. I know him not, neither do I reverence him. But Jehovah is the true God: he is the God of love, but he is also robed in justice; he is the God of forgiveness, but he is also the God of atonement; he is the God of heaven, but he is also the God who sends the wicked down to hell. We, of course, are thought to be harsh, and narrow-minded, and bigoted: nevertheless, this God is our God for ever and ever. There has been no change in Jehovah. He has revealed himself more clearly in Christ Jesus; but he is the same God as in the Old Testament, and as such we worship him –Biblical Separation or correctly obeying the doctrine of separation is not to be taken lightly and we must do it correctly. Here are the guidelines.
(continue reading)
DoctrinePosted on January 14, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
Those who want to abolish all “doctrine” and just follow the Bible are really wanting zero doctrinal boundaries while we see that the Word itself teaches us the very opposite. Go back to the passage I placed at the top of this post, which is Jude 1:3. I ask, how can we contend for the faith if we do not know the truth? If your truth is different than my truth then how can we do that?
(continue reading)
I am not saying these leaders and celebrities are not Christians as I do not know their heart or their motives. Nor have I spoken with each of them regarding each of false teachings and deceptive practices they are currently engaged in. However, I am confident enough to say that if they do not repent, if they refuse to repent, and the continue on in there apostasy, then I would seriously doubt their salvation. As we read in 1 John 2:19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”
To better equip my readers to understand the seriousness of this trend, I offer a group of five blog articles from the “Possessing the Treasure” blog of Mike Ratliff. I would encourage, no, strongly encourage each of you to read the full articles on Mike's blog.
ApostasyPosted on November 16, 2016 by Mike Ratliff
Apostasy doesn’t happen all at once. The church is continually under attack from without and within no matter what intellectual cycle it is in. The Protestant Reformation is good example. Foxx’s Book of Martyrs shows how large the number was of Christians who paid with their lives because they knew the truth and would not recant. I wonder how many of today’s Christians would be likely to take that stand.
What is the process of the Church moving into Apostasy? In the early 20th Century the Princeton University Seminary was dying. It had a wonderful history being lead by Charles Hodge and Benjamin Warfield, but those men were gone. The new leadership was determined to liberalize and modernize it from top to bottom. Along with this, the denomination behind it went the same way. That, of course, was The Presbyterian Church USA. It is, without a doubt, one of the most liberal denominations. It’s members actually pray to a goddess named Sophia. God did raise up men like J. Gresham Machen who would not give in to the pressure to conform to the new form of his old denomination. He is credited with starting the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia.
(continue reading)
The Lord Jesus ChristPosted on January 3, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
When I witness the bizarre conflicts in the visible Church in our time, especially the ones in which I take part, I never come through them without wondering how those whose faith is in their religion or idol can call Jesus Lord since they most definitely are not obeying Him nor submitting to His will as their Lord. If they did then two things would be true about them. They would teach sound (αντικειται) doctrine (διδασκαλια) from God’s Word and they would minister to His Church with love (αγαπην). Any other form of “ministry” will negatively impact the Body of Christ for it will come from motivations other than ministering unto the glory of God alone as a slave (δουλος) of his or her Lord (κυριος). These other motivations are actually service to another lord, either self or the enemy of our souls and are therefore the source of bad fruit.
(continue reading)
God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not properPosted on January 7, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
For those who are nonplused at the utter foolishness running rampant throughout the visible church what you have to come to understand is that all of it is rooted in one thing, unbelief. Also, all of you reading this who have taken that stand for God’s truth knowing it would be costly and have then experienced oppression resulting in despair as you deal with others who either claim to be Christian, but prove they aren’t by their reprobate lifestyles or they claim to be superior in knowledge about nearly everything and so attack those who profess to be Christian in an attempt to disavow the gospel, the atonement, our desperate need for redemption, and that Jesus Christ came to fulfill that role. As we mature and become more knowledgeable about this warfare our reaction to all changes. Instead of despair or fear our reaction will be pity for those whom our enemy has assigned to attack us and our ministries. Be encouraged my brethren. Why? The attacks by the enemy are being allowed by our God for our own spiritual growth and for His glory and our enemy would not care anything about us if we were no threat to him.
However, the superior attitude projected by these people is offset by an arrogance that is so off the scale that it is laughable to one whose faith is strong. As they attempt to cast doubts on God’s sound doctrine and say stupid things like, “everyone knows that the bible is nothing more than a book of symbolism so you can’t use those exegetical techniques you use to prove anything!” Really? Wow, and why am I to believe this person? It is because he or she says so that’s why. Those who argue like that use many of the same arguments that the emergents use, but claim to not be part of that. In fact, he or she appears to be pagan, but actually, aren’t the emergents moving more and more into that realm of stupidity that is marked by fuzzy logic, disavowing all proof and claiming to know the truth is a mark of arrogance? As I said, dealing with these people is no longer stressful for me at all. Instead, when this happens, it becomes a great source impetus to dig into God’s Word to show the deep ignorance of the reprobate mind in contrast to the grand and deep truths given to us by our loving God.
(continue reading)
What is the Doctrine of Unity and Separation?Posted on January 10, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
It doesn’t take very long for me to discern whether the person I am dealing with is truly God’s man or woman or is a pretender. That personal interaction is necessary for me to see the true nature and focus of the person. As we debate or discuss doctrinal or church issues or even secular issues it soon becomes very clear whether I am dealing someone who is walking according to the Lordship of Christ or is their own man or woman. Their values soon become apparent. All of us are in various stages of spiritual growth and repentance to be sure, but the mark of the washing of regeneration is there to be seen in all of God’s people that cannot be counterfeited. Of course, this is only discernable by those who are looking for it and then only through God’s testing fires.
I think that is why those of us who truly belong to Him are so often struggling in the fires of tribulation. As I have that personal interaction with people as I shared above, I am given glimpses into their value systems and what is truly beleaguering them, et cetera. When some come to me full of retribution, meaning to shut me up or whatever, I always prayfully look at their motives. Never have I had anyone do that with the motive of bringing God glory. No, it has always been self-motivated personal glory. In light of this I pray that you will carefully read the passage from Titus I placed at the top of this post.
According to those in the Rick Warren camp, unity is what the Church must be about. This unity is all encompassing with no regard for doctrine, et cetera. However, as you just read in that passage, the elder of the Church is to do what? He must be ready to give instruction in sound doctrine and also be ready to rebuke those who contradict it. Does this “rebuke” mean we separate from them as well? First, here is a definition of the “Unity” part of the Doctrine of Unity and Separation.
The church is united in Christ, having a common salvation which is found in Christ; a common citizenship which is in heaven; a common hope which is Christ; a common spirit which dwells within each believer; a common fate which is likeness and conformity to Christ; a common interest to walk with Christ and to spread His name. (Matt. 28:19; 1:Cor. 2:2; Phil. 3:8-10; Rom. 5:2,5; Col. 1:5; Heb. 6:18-19). These things all believers share regardless of race, ethic or political background, class distinction and church affiliation. We are united together to the Head which is Christ.However, we are also called to be separate from the world and those who profess to be Christians, but who are worldly or who refuse to submit to the doctrine of Christ. We are also to separate from professing Christians who refuse to submit to the Lordship of Christ.
Consider the following two quotes from C.H Spurgeon.
“On all hands we hear cries for unity in this and unity in that; but in our mind the main need of this age is not compromise but conscientiousness. `First pure, then peaceable…’ It is easy to cry, `A confederacy,’ but that union that is not based on the truth of God is rather a conspiracy than a communion. Charity by all means: but honesty also. Love of course, but love to God as well as love to men, and love of truth as well as love of union. It is exceedingly difficult in these times to preserve one’s fidelity before God and one’s fraternity among men. Should not the former be preferred to the latter if both cannot be maintained? We think so.”The following is an excerpt from “The Bond of the Covenant,” preached Sunday morning, May 10, 1885 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Spurgeon’s criticisms of 19th-century modernism are also perfectly suited for 21st-century post-modernism:
This generation has made a god of its own. The effeminate deity of the modern school is no more the true God than Dagon or Baal. I know him not, neither do I reverence him. But Jehovah is the true God: he is the God of love, but he is also robed in justice; he is the God of forgiveness, but he is also the God of atonement; he is the God of heaven, but he is also the God who sends the wicked down to hell. We, of course, are thought to be harsh, and narrow-minded, and bigoted: nevertheless, this God is our God for ever and ever. There has been no change in Jehovah. He has revealed himself more clearly in Christ Jesus; but he is the same God as in the Old Testament, and as such we worship him –Biblical Separation or correctly obeying the doctrine of separation is not to be taken lightly and we must do it correctly. Here are the guidelines.
(continue reading)
DoctrinePosted on January 14, 2017 by Mike Ratliff
Those who want to abolish all “doctrine” and just follow the Bible are really wanting zero doctrinal boundaries while we see that the Word itself teaches us the very opposite. Go back to the passage I placed at the top of this post, which is Jude 1:3. I ask, how can we contend for the faith if we do not know the truth? If your truth is different than my truth then how can we do that?
(continue reading)
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