The Threat Within (III)
One of the biggest criticisms against the Church is the fact that there has been such evil practiced under the guise of following God. I can tell you this criticism is not unfounded, but rather an unfortunate reality. Now before we go any further, I need to point out this does not invalidate the scripture nor the reality of Jesus Christ but rather points to an immovable fact. This fact only points to the need for a savior to come and rescue us from our sinful flesh. Those who are saved in Jesus Christ, who are still living on earth right now are still very much in a sinful state. This means we are dependent on Jesus Christ for salvation of not only our soul, but also daily for His grace, mercy, love, compassion, guidance, wisdom, generosity, and so much more.
You might be asking why I am discussing this when this series is in regards to threats inside the Church? I want to clarify that all born again believers this side of the grave are not perfect, just look at Paul who in Romans 7:14-18 stated, “14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” This is why Acts 17:11 states, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” we need to focus on what scripture says in accordance to what we learn from other believers.
This foundation is vital to understand, we are not perfect before our death but rather saved which Jesus Christ will one day finish in us a good work, “6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. This principle is important to understand as we move forward. If you belong to a church and the pastor makes a mistake, go to him gently behind closed doors and show him the mistake and help restore him in the fruits of the spirit. We want to be Christ like and if Jesus was able to forgive you and I of our sin, than we better be able to forgive our brothers who lead churches when they mess up. This goes for anyone in the Church body, but especially those men who are in leadership roles. There is a plethora of instructional verses discussing this, however I would first tell you to go to Matthew 18:15-35.
Nevertheless, the people we are discussing today are not brothers and sisters striving for the faith who have made mistakes along the way. Rather they are disciples of satan and workers of the doctrines of demons. These people are actively serving the devil’s will by leading those away from the scriptural truth we have in Jesus Christ. I want to make a quick reader advisory and quote something I stated last week in our series.
“If you have followed along with us, I want to take this time to say thank you! This discussion is not an easy one and one that I do not take with quick words. I want to strain a point to you that must be taken seriously. Here at Mill House Ministries we are not in the business of attacking, and/or attempting to cut down any part of the Body of Christ over areas to which the Lord has been silent on. ”
So while we are not wishing to attack the Body of Christ, it is important that we understand the threat that these people possess. The people we are discussing have told millions that there is other ways to heaven, they have declared that the church is for making us happy because that makes God happy, and they have championed for the practice of talking to demons. Before we discuss who these people are, we can see a time in the Bible when there were those who identified as messengers of God who in fact were nothing but imposters. Jeremiah had to deal with imposters several times and in this particular time, the imposters were calling to the crowds and unfortunately they had a willing audience. We can see from Jeremiah 14:13, that these imposters were proclaiming what people wanted them to say, “But I said, “Oh, Lord GOD! Behold, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see a sword, nor will you have famine; on the contrary, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’” These imposters had a willing crowd who wanted nothing more than to hear about “good times.” While there has always been these types, Paul warned that this would become even more prevalent in the later days which we live in now, 2 Timothy 4:3, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”
Jeremiah is warned by God, as we are also warned, that these imposters do not speak for Him, “Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them, nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds.” Jeremiah 14:14. These imposters were manipulating and deceiving their willful audience, Paul helps us understand the mindset of these types of imposters in 2 Timothy 3:2-7, “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. 6 For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
These imposters know what they are doing, yet they continue due to their own lustful desires. They know, yet they do not adhere to the Word of God. They actively distort, pull away, and snatch willing audiences who are not fastened on the Word of God or who would rather seek their own sinful desires.
Unfortunately, today we have two modern examples of who Jeremiah had to deal with in his day. Our two imposters inside the Church are Joel and Victoria Osteen. You might be wondering at why these two have made the list. The world has identified them as champions of Christianity and messengers of God, they have millions of followers and are successful in “preaching” to millions each week. Yet, I give you their own words as proof of their inherent heresy in their teaching.
The below quote is from Victoria Osteen,
"I just want to encourage every one of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God—I mean, that's one way to look at it—we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we're happy. That's the thing that gives Him the greatest joy. So, I want you to know this morning: Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?"
This quote can be seen in its entirety on video. You can see certain buzz words are being used in order to convince naive Christians into believing that what she is saying is Biblical. We see the word “God” is used a number of times, as well as “church” and “worship.” From a quick look you might think that this is just an encouraging word from a pastors wife, but you would be wrong. This is a blatant push for the doctrines of demons. Pastor Billy Crone with www.getalifemedia.com at Sunrise Bible Church Las Vegas, Nevada has a great eye opening series on the reality of Satanism. In his study and weekly lectures he points to the admitted sole foundation by satanist of what their doctrines are about. Their sole focus is on the promotion of self. They believe that self is supreme and through self we can accomplish anything. This is directly contrast to what the Word of God says about self. We are to deny oneself, Jesus is quoted in the book of Matthew 16:24-26, “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and be following Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will a person be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his life? Or what will a person give in-exchange-for his life?”
If you have a person promoting “self” you have, in essence, a person promoting the foundational belief of satanism today. Some might defend Mrs. Osteen and say she just misspoke, however both she and her husband have not only defended her words, they have made other comments that coincide directly with the doctrine of demons. John in 1 John 4:3 states, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” These spirits are denying that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He is the only way to heaven. Those who deny this are not brothers or sisters, they are imposters.
When Joel Osteen was asked by Oprah if there are many ways to God, Joel Osteen quickly side steps the question by stating that there are many paths to Jesus. This might sound like a good answer until you realize that Jesus Christ is also God the Father, John 14:8-10 “8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works.”
As a person that has taken years of debate, I can tell you this is an intentional move to circumnavigate around having to answer something that will make the questioner, in this case Mrs. Oprah Winfrey, not to be upset. Mr. Osteen is intentionally leaving wiggle room for interpretation. Off the show he would later go on the defensive and “clarify” what he said. However, this is strategic. He is saying what needs to be said to the millions of viewers, than if called out he has left enough “wiggle room” in his vernacular to appease the questions being asked and to keep his opponents who are in the church at bay. For the naive Christian, this is a masterful switch and bait. Thankfully, for those rooted in God’s Word Mr. Osteen’s deliberate maneuver is clearly identified. He has been called out by hundreds and yet more flock to his sermons and heretical teaching. We could continue to show more evidence of Mr. and Mrs. Osteen’s comments, but that would take us several pages. I would quickly note, they have supported groups that talk to spirits, they are identified as leaders in the “faith claim” movements, and have pushed for a replacement theology which goes directly against the promises of God.
You might be asking yourself what can be done regarding this atrocity? The answer is simple. Do not support financially any of their missions, this might seem harsh but we need to be supporting those that are proclaiming the pure and simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are talking about people’s eternal home and when eternity is on the line, there is no doubt we need to help people know the real Jesus Christ. As for the Osteen’s, we need to pray for their salvation. We need to keep them daily in our prayers and asking that they would come to a faith in Jesus Christ. For the opposite result of faith is eternal damnation by Jesus Himself.
We now can look back and see that Jeremiah was told of what would happen to those imposters in his day. However, those who willingly listen to the Osteen’s need to be aware of what God in Jeremiah’s day also said.
God tells Jeremiah in chapter 14:15-16, “15 “Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them--yet they keep saying: ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’--by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! 16 “And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters. For I will pour out their own wickedness upon them.”
We as believers need to be careful who we listen to so as not to be swept away by those who would wish to lead us astray. The Osteen’s have told millions that they need to make themselves happy, “Just do good for your own self...When you come to church, when you worship Him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself.” They have told people there are many ways to Jesus, even though He is the direct and perfect representation of God the Trinity made into flesh, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
There is no mistake that these two have been able to meander their way for far too long inside the Church. What makes them so dangerous is the fact that they have been so subtle, so careful when and how to infuse their poison into the Word of God. Be careful Christian and know that our God is a God who does not take lightly these imposters, but also those who listen to them. Pray for their salvation, but do not give them an inch into your home for their current pathway is judgment by God one day. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the commandments He has given us. We need to stay hyper vigilant in our daily scripture reading and stay ready, for the devil’s minions are elusive and very much prevalent in these late times. This does not mean we are to lose hope, but rather keep fervent in the faith knowing our perseverance is what we have been called to. Next week, we look into a group that has been literally snatching young adolescences and indoctrinating them to believe false realities and fake memories to distort their very childhood. All in order to ensnare them into their worship of demons, and they do this with the whole hearted financial support of almost every church in the the Western Hemisphere.
Hold until relieved, Our Blessed Hope is coming,
JL