Simple Salvation Church of God
Prayer Request: OUT OF THE WILDNESS from our friends Ron and Karen Schwartz
Subject:
OUT OF THE WILDNESS from our friends Ron and Karen Schwartz (Jun 10, 2008)
Prayer Request:
Out of the Wilderness
Part 4. The Tares and the Wheat
June 10, 2008
By Ron and Karen Schwartz
Many people have sent us various portions of an article by J. Lee Grady, an editor for Charisma magazine. Taken from his blog on May 28 of this year, he wrote the following concerning the revival in Lakeland:
“In our nation today thousands have been swept into the current of the Lakeland Revival in Florida, which began in early April in evangelist Todd Bentley’s meetings at Ignited Church. The fervor quickly spread because of God TV’s broadcasts, and today up to 10,000 gather nightly at a venue near the city’s airport. In recent days, people who were touched in Lakeland have started similar meetings in Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte N.C. and other cities. Bentley and his colleagues believe this is the beginning of a worldwide healing revival that will cover the globe…
When I wrote an article in mid-May calling for scrutiny of some aspects of the Lakeland Revival, I was labeled a Pharisee and a “religious policeman.” People who said they had been deeply impacted by the Holy Spirit in Lakeland used spiritual threats and harsh terms to tell me that I had become the enemy…
When the early church was hit with the issue of Jewish legalism, Paul and Barnabas determined that the answer was to seek the counsel of “the apostles and elders” in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2, NASB). The church was being divided because the legalists were insisting that gentiles be circumcised. But when the elders looked into the matter, the apostle James settled the dispute by issuing this wise ruling:
‘Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood’ (v. 19-20). In other words, James affirmed the gentiles’ access to salvation and overturned the legalists’ bad doctrine.
Based on this biblical example, I am appealing to the elders in our movement. We need to hear from them in this hour. In a desperate moment we need older, seasoned veterans to release the counsel of the Lord...”
First of all, we applaud him for taking a position in this controversy rather than just going with the flow as have many popular Christian entertainers like that of Rick Joyner. According to Grady, we need to follow Paul’s example and call together a council of Christian leaders similar to the council found in Acts 15 to resolve the issue. Grady is correct in that the Acts 15 issue was resolved; but the real question remains: “Did that council find the mind of God, or did they only reach a compromise?”
Years before that council, God had already settled the issue. There was no need to find a compromise. Peter reiterated this to the council:
Acts 15:6-11
The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
Peter was referring to the vision he had in Acts 10.
Acts 10:9-16
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
Even though God clearly demonstrated to Peter that the Gentiles were not to be considered unclean, it did not satisfy the council which, though made up of Jewish believers, nevertheless continued to embrace the law. To them, salvation gave Gentiles the right to become Jews, and the saved Gentiles should therefore abide by the law as it applied to Gentiles. According to the Jewish law, Gentiles who wanted to live among the Jews did not need to obey the entire law but only certain parts of it. That is why James offered the compromise:
Acts 15:13-21
“Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
Interestingly enough, the requirements that James suggests here are the same exact Jewish law requirements of any Gentiles who wanted to live among the Jews. In addition, this suggestion was not made by James the apostle but James the brother of Jesus, who did not even become a believer until sometime after Jesus’ death. He, though not chosen by Christ as an apostle, nevertheless became a powerful influence in the early church, especially among the unconverted Jews. James valued and loved the law, and he constantly looked for ways to draw unconverted Jews into Christianity, even if it meant compromising a direct revelation from God. Consider what transpired sometime later as a result of this council:
Acts 21:17-25
When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
In this account Paul is forced to “pay” for his decision to go along with the council. It is curious that James stresses the point that the believing Jews were “zealous for the law.” As James saw it, the ultimate goal was to get all people – Jews and Gentiles alike – to become Jews. James was well on his way in transforming early Christianity back into Judaism. His intentions were noble: to make Christianity acceptable to the Jews so that more of them would be converted. But his drive for numbers cost Christianity dearly. His short term solution for converting his countrymen would ultimately cost Christianity in its future. The cost of compromise had already begun. A council designed to create unity ended in compromise. Eventually, this decision to include the law (a.k.a. “works”) in the salvation formula eventually gave way to Catholicism with its indulgences, flagellation, and purgatory.
Both Peter and Paul were specially chosen by Jesus, both received their revelation directly from Him, and both came to the same conclusion regarding the law. However, both men also eventually caved to James’ influence. We find this about Peter in Galatians:
Galatians 2:11-14
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?”
In this account, we see that James’ influence in support of Judaism caused even powerful Christian leaders like Peter and Barnabas to deny the revelation of God and act hypocritically. Compromise is not always a good thing. A study of the book of the “Acts of the Apostles” shows that the apostles were harmonizers quite often. As with any committee there are winners and losers. History is replete with examples of Christians trying to work things out through a committee just to lose in the end.
J. Lee Grady, well-intentioned as he is, would like to see another council. Why? A council would settle the issue. A council would release him and others from their responsibility to speak out against something that they already know is wrong. The problem is that another council on this issue would just create the foundation for another error, and integrate this league with demons (occult practices) into mainstream Christianity. Other than false unity, no good would come from it.
The council in Acts 15 served merely to set the opinions of men at the same level as the revelation of God, and in the long run, it only served the interests of men, not God. As they saw it, that council was a way to achieve unity. But what they really did was breed a form of passive aggression and hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14) among church leaders. Men like Paul, Peter, and John knew - because of their revelation - that what was settled in Act 15 was wrong, but because of the council’s decision, they could neither write nor speak of it.
Dialectics
What happened in Act 15 can be explained through a branch of science known as dialectics. Briefly, dialectics holds that a truth, law, or standard of a society can be described as “thesis.” Eventually, an opposing view, or “antithesis,” comes along to challenge the commonly accepted truth. These two views eventually converge to form a “synthesis.”
In the case of the New Testament Church, the thesis that God gave to Peter was that He, being God, would accept the Gentiles “as is.” They did not need to first become Jews. Such was evident when Peter obeyed the vision he had about eating unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16) and followed messengers to the home of Cornelius (a Gentile). God then confirmed the meaning of the vision by pouring out “the gift of the Holy Spirit… on the Gentiles. (Acts 10:44-46).”
The antithesis - or opposing view - was that the Jews saw early Christianity as a threat to their culture. Christianity was a heresy because it did not require obedience to the law. These two dissimilar views collided and eventually synergized to create a single truth. The church eventually reached a synergy (Acts 15) where the law was partially obeyed by Gentiles and as such was shown at least some respect. It also provided the Jews what they needed: a license to compel Jewish believers to continue to keep the law as well. This idea of “strings attached” eventually gave rise to the form that Christianity took throughout the Dark Ages.
The Wheat and the Tares
Matthew 13:24-30
Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
For as long as I can remember I have heard people ask, “How can I know the difference between those who really love God and those who don’t. They both seem to say the same thing and act the same way. How do I know who is real?” The simple answer to this question is: you don’t. You don’t need to know, because God does, and in the end, He will sort things out.
What we find happening in places like Lakeland and Toronto is just that – it is a separating of the tares from among the wheat. This false revival is sucking out from among those who love God the pretentious, the egotistical, the profit-seekers, and the glory-seekers. But this is just the first round. There will be more. We are hearing that Todd Bentley is just the first oracle. More will follow him, and they will be even more difficult to discern.
Currently, this revival is a mixing pot. There are still many people who love God but are confused or caught up in the hype. However, as the tares continue to separate, following after the next great thing or the next prophet, more and more of the people who love God will not follow. So be patient. Do not compromise and do not go investigating out of curiosity. Let God do His job. He will separate out the ungodly from among the godly.
Remember, it will become more and more difficult to resist the temptation to go see the miracles and supernatural manifestations. When they say “’Look, here is the Christ[who is meeting with and talking to a prophet – like Bentley. Or, here are angels, or another revival]!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it (Matthew 24:23).” This revival with Bentley will run its course, and others will follow. One will merge/mutate into the next. The leaders of this movement will still be involved but each new one will be more cunning in his/her deceptions.
Should a council be formed to resolve the Todd Bentley issue?
Let’s take our example from the Bible. Every time that people found themselves in error or sin and God intervened, He always did so through prophetic voices. Consider Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, and even John the Baptist and Jesus. In the case of John the Baptist and Jesus, they repeatedly had opportunities to reason or bargain with the Jewish leaders, but they did not. Why? Because the instruction of the Lord is not open for debate. It is either obeyed or not.
To gather a council of Christian leaders would be to open the floor to men like James, who, though a powerful influence in the church, had received no instruction from Christ. Men like him believe they know what is best, but their influence merely synergizes what God has spoken and what He has not into an amalgamationof doctrine that will eventually lead us astray.
A council to decide the matter of Todd Bentley’s revival would simply provide the opportunity to synergize Christianity with the beliefs of those who support this human collaboration with demons. In the end, it would decide something like this: “In revival meetings, you can do pretty much do what you want under these conditions: 1) the Bible is referenced at least once, 2) miracles can be performed in the name of “bam” as long as sometime during the meeting you give credit to God, 3) [fallen] angels can participate as long as they are nice and don’t exhibit too strange a demonic manifestation, and 4) you can invalidate scripture as long as an angel, a dead saint or prophet, or God/Christ has appeared to you and given you an explanation for it. When all is said and done, all such a council would achieve is to reach an agreement with hell and its demons.
So what should we do? We should do what every man and woman of God has done when servitude to God was hijacked by the traditions of men like the Pharisees, sin like Sodom and Nineveh, or the worship of demons and false gods like Baal. We must speak out against it.
We do not need to hear from people who are merely promoting compromise. We do not need to hear from those who are interested in numbers (Acts 21:20). And we certainly do not want to give place to any synergy developing between Christian faith and demonic influence. What we need is to hear clear instruction from God.
Final thoughts…
1. Do not make leagues with devils.
To form a council with those who are promoting this wave of spiritualism/mysticism would be like trying to make a deal with the devil. Why would we do that? Do not try to reason with them or try to reach a compromise. You will be the one who loses. We are in the end times, though the end is still probably years away. You won’t be able to stop this out pouring of demonic activity. What we are seeing is God beginning to separate out the tares.
2. Stop trying to define "Rules of Engagement" for Satan
We constantly hear Christians trying to define rules for how Satan operates: "he cannot possess, he can only oppress;" "he cannot stand the truth;" "if you do X then he will do Y;" etc. People need to quit assuming that Satan and his minions play by any "rules." They never have. Christianity's greatest failure has been in its inability to anticipate Satan's guile and deceit, and its inability to accept what he is actually capable of doing. Satan loves the fact that Christians give him so little credit. He loves it that Christians underestimate him on such a massive scale. He loves it that they don't believe he can deceive them or inflict pain. He loves it that they don't believe he can imitate God, an angel, or a prophet. Whatever rules you have established in your mind, discard them now, because if history teaches us anything, it teaches us that Satan is notorious for finding ways around "the rules."
3. Unity does not mean compromise
In the face of two powerful and conflicting opinions, there will always be those who cry for their version of “unity.” For those Protestants who want “unity” on this issue, we ask: “Will you also seek ‘unity’ with your Catholic brethren? Or, will you Pentecostals seek to ‘unify’ with those who deny your doctrine?” You cannot have it both ways. If compromise on this issue is necessary for “unity,” then consider the fact that division among Christians extends deeper than this Lakeland issue. Where will it end? Are you willing to tackle every point of controversy? You will find that the cry for “unity” is always coming from among those who feel pain from certain divisions that directly affect them, yet they will ignore every point of contention that does not. Yes, perhaps there could be that type of “unity” but at what expense? The fact is, Acts 15 did not create true unity: it only created compromise. The Acts 15 council compromised a clear and direct revelation from God. They all knew it, and they all went along with it, even knowing it was wrong.
How important was unity to Jesus?
John 6:54-69
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Jesus always allowed His Word to separate the tares from the wheat. He did not dilute His Word to make it more acceptable for the sake of numbers. Unity is important to Jesus, but His desire for unity extended only to those who stayed with Him. There is and always has been a unity among those who embrace the Words of Christ.
What would have happened if the apostles had simply told James, “No, we will not go along with this. We accept and embrace the revelation of grace given to Peter and Paul.” The disciples did not know how to handle conflict. They simply did not trust Jesus to work things out. There might have been a split. James and some of the orthodox Jews may have left. But then again, maybe they would have listened. Instead, the apostles responded to fear (demonstrated in Galatians 2:11-14) and intimidation, and they did not give God a chance. Perhaps, they should have allowed a split. Perhaps God wanted to separate the tares from the wheat even back then?
There will be those who, like Grady, will use the example of Acts 15 to suggest that we form committees so that they can create unity. The committee formed in Acts 15 is symptomatic of every committee that has ever followed. They are plagued with compromise and politics. Acts 15 did not establish “unity.” It created passive aggression among its leaders. It created a truce among the opposing voices and a compromise regarding the issues. And compromise is not unity, nor should it ever be misconstrued for unity. Unity is something that can only be created through the Holy Spirit among those who yield their lives to the Lord. It cannot be created by a committee, and it cannot come about from working in league with the devil.
Conclusion
What is taking place in this new wave of spiritualism/mysticism hurts people. It is not simply a difference of opinion. People are coming away from these meetings infected with demons, or with residual demonic influences. People are being deceived. Now is not a time to reach a compromise with devils or to be silent for the sake of “unity.” Now is the time for good men to stand up and resist evil. Satan will not play by your rules.
You may be called divisive. You will ache for unity. But instead of remaining silent, allow your voice to blend in harmony with the voices currently speaking forth. Unity occurs when individual Christians speak corporately together as the mouthpiece of God. John the Baptist and Jesus spoke out against the tide of hypocrisy in their generation. Their voices harmonized as a single voice in unity, to speak the word of the Lord. Unity occurs when we are listening corporately to the Lord and following Him. Unity is not conformity, and it is certainly not compromise. The scripture describes unity: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth (Revelation 14:4).”
We realize that it is tempting to leave the safety of the Savior and rush off to follow after these men and the [fallen] angels who direct them. Don’t do it. God told us how the revivals He brings will come, and you will not find it in the hype, arrogance, and perniciousness in Lakeland. God said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14-15).”
Finally, please pray for us. We ask that you would remember us before the Lord.
Amen.
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Discussion:
OUT OF THE WILDNESS from our friends Ron and Karen Schwartz
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