The Axe OF

The Apostles

 

-2-

 

dominionism by divinisation 

 

Those of us within Pentecostalism, dipping our toes into charismatic waters, were told by our dear pastors that, ‘..whenever things become more important & more worthy of pursuit than The Lord Himself, we are in trouble.’ Well, our generation was in trouble & our leaders knew it. During that early period, we very stupidly set out to find our anointing & walk in it. Develop our God kind of faith & exercise it. Access the key to God’s power & wield it. Although we didn’t know it at the time, dominionism was the bit that we had clenched firmly between our teeth. We had been convinced that it was God’s will & God’s way forward for all believers to be moving in supernatural, miracle working power, constantly. That had become our goal. Some had swapped reading God’s Word for reading books by authors who had laid claim to the principles, keys & steps necessary to release the …..blah blah blah. You know what I’m saying to you. Despite all of our reading, no matter how many tape series we bought & listened to & regardless of the countless services we attended, there was no talk of submission to Christ or biblical discipleship. Dominion was the thing. Isaiah says, ‘Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.’ (Isaiah 10:15-16). I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that there is something oh so appealing about dominion theology. I use the term theology loosely here because when viewed in the light of Scripture, the tenets of dominionism are thoroughly man centred. This is nothing new & if you’ll bear with me, you’ll soon see this for yourselves.  

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). 

Here we have the first recorded instance in which The Lord speaks of mankind having any dominion. This concerned the natural world. However, for most dominionists, who believe in a restorative rhetoric, these verses from Genesis is where they’ll always begin. By the way, I don’t know any believers within dominionism’s systems, who are strict vegetarians. Just sayin’. 

This dominion of the natural world was not to be the wielding of Divine power, control & influence, but rather, it was to facilitate man’s role as representative custodian. If dominionism’s first premise is wrong at best & blatantly false at worst, what does that say about its progression? If your doctrine is off, then you are off & if you have no formal & fundamental doctrine, you’re in freefall. This is where dominionism & its many manifestations dwell. Enter the charismatic wild geese of circa 1948-1952. 

Among Pentecostals at that time, there were still lines not to be crossed. Not so with up & coming charismatics. We’d heard of The New Order of The Latter Rain & William Marrion Branham. Many of the anecdotes that men like Kenneth Hagin had shared highlighted this man’s apparent prophetic ministry, but his newsletters were comprised of his sermons set out in verses as if they were Scripture. Ding-a-ling-a-ling, alarm bells ring. Pentecostals were having none of that. No matter how anointed a man was, he was just a man. Furthermore, because of Branham’s subsequent heretical doctrines & revelations, he was held at arm’s length. Rightly so. To this day there are those who still regard him as God in the flesh. 

This New Order of the Latter Rain is not to be confused with The Latter Rain movement of North Carolina & Tennessee during the 1880s, under the ministry of R. G. Spurling. This movement is well worth some study, but sadly, Spurling’s significance to Pentecostal history has long since been forgotten or ignored. Latterly, no pun intended, the work of George Warnock, who was a close friend of Branham’s, on The Feast of Tabernacles, went some way in cementing the movement’s leanings towards biblical typology as a means of interpreting their role in the coming revival & Kingdom restoration to & through them. Theologically however, this will very well be the undoing of the movement, simply because Jesus has not fulfilled several Messianic prophecies concerning Himself & won’t do so until His 2^nd coming, including typology within The Feast of Tabernacles which speaks to The Millennium. Consequently, the core Doctrine of The Rapture has been both decried & denied by many modern Latter Rainers. 

Aspects of The Holiness Movement, which preceded The Latter Rain, had made inroads into Pentecostalism though, because Pentecostals love holiness. Dominion for Pentecostals, went as far as demons, disease & of course the flesh, but not world domination. This idea came later. For Latter Rainers, their view of Pentecostals & Holiness adherents was that they were representative of the former rain, which had to all intents & purposes dried up. The Latter Rain was where it was at now. Similarly, during this period of time, Charismatics were soaking up Latter Rain’s experiential offerings & had cultivated a clutch of leaders who would absorb its teachings & practises seamlessly into the Charismatic wave. Branham’s shadow straddled both spheres of influence. It continues to this day. 

He had been the darling of The Voice of Healing movement during the 1950s & because of the similarities between Latter Rain & Charismatic expression, belief & practise, it wasn’t difficult to introduce & assimilate Branham into the mainstream of Charismania. In the eyes of both movements, God was restoring, renewing & advancing His agenda in a tangible way. This is one of the ultimate goals of Dominionism. This is divinisation; exalting something that is clearly man-made, to Divine status. 

The Latter Rain didn’t stand still & even today it remains in a state of flux. This movement wasn’t directly defined by its titles, by its leaders or indeed by its woeful failures. This movement was defined by its mandate. Whether it’s known as Joel’s Army, Post Millennialism, Manifest Sons of God, Reconstructionism, Restorationism, Kingdom Now, or more recently the New Apostolic Reformation, the mandate remains the same. Not only Dominion by Divine Design, but also by Divinisation. 

There are any number of beliefs & practices that can be pointed to in order to identify this particular movement as a fast moving train wreck. However, by far the greatest indicator of the movement’s destination is its supreme lack of adherence to fundamental Doctrine. It completely disappears. Within this belief system, experience is prized more highly than anything else & certainly more highly than the Canon of Scripture that we have. Divinisation occurs when man decides that whatever he has to say takes precedence over whatever God has already said & sadly this is the case in point. This is more often than not disguised as the prophetic. 

It takes a certain amount of daring, stupidity & or audacity to make some of the bold claims that the leadership of this movement have, with nothing to show for their brazenness. They write their own narrative. They make their own rules. They twist whatever they can & discard whatever they can’t. They are by far the most dangerous threat to The Gospel right now because they are operating within The Church. 

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 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 (2^nd Corinthians 11:12-15). Their boasting is not good. 

This hasn’t happened overnight & what’s more, we have allowed it to happen. These men have cosied up to us as new Apostles & Prophets, often with more assumed apostolic umph than those who have gone before. They are Super Apostles, careering through The Body of Christ like pied pipers, sweeping young & old along with their sweet tunes, glossy presentations & thus saith The Lords. Some of us ought to know better & some of us do. 

You can be sure that all of the bells & whistles apportioned to this new movement are nothing more than cheap window dressing that covers a supreme lack of substance throughout. Look at its pedigree! This movement is nothing more or less than a Frankenstein’s monster comprised of different cherry picked parts, all thrown together & animated by a false spirit. The whole thing even has bolts in its neck! 

As we will see, the speed with which this movement has gathered momentum is indicative of the apathy within The Church. I’m not suggesting that we put on a show. I’m suggesting that we feed the hungry souls in our fellowships with the truth we have come to know from the Apostolic Doctrine we’ve received. I was once there. I was once seduced by the bright lights & candy floss. However, the glass is always half full & followers are always empty. 

For Latter Rainers, God is always about to do something & after they’ve been systematically hypnotised, mesmerised, anaesthetised, desensitised & mollified, they will be discarded as surplus to requirements. Their donations will always come in handy though. The  movement exists to perpetuate itself until it successfully evolves into its next manifestation. 

I say again, The Latter Rain didn’t stand still & even today it remains in a state of flux. This movement isn’t directly defined by its titles, by its leaders or indeed by its woeful failures. This movement is defined by its mandate. It is the extent to which the movement’s theology is emphasised in any particular church or fellowship, vision or doctrine, statement of faith or core values that will tell you how far this wasting theodemic disease has spread. 

We will take a good look at the who’s who within the current New Order of these folk, as well as the doctrine they espouse & their progress towards world domination for Christ. This is going to be interesting. In our next meeting we will examine dominionism as decree or declaration, as well as identify some of those who have transformed themselves into apostles of Christ. This movement has already begun to creak and wane under its own weight & eventually it will collapse. Brethren, do not remain within it or be a part of it when the whole thing comes crashing down.

 

 

 

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxviii all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

The Axe OF

The Apostles 

-1- 

dominionism by divine design 

 

Back in the 1980s, when I thought that I was finding my feet theologically, there was a lot of talk about authority, dominion, power & might. However, this wasn’t being attributed to The Lord. It was being ascribed to The Church. Our situation has not improved. Somehow, I think that we’ve gotten the order more than a little wrong. Of course, the cry goes up ‘God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth’ (Genesis 1:26). Well, it does say that. I mean, those words are printed on the page, aren’t they? Yes, they are. However, I’m yet to see anyone who believes this particular brand of teaching concerning dominion, pop down to their local zoo & jump into an animal enclosure or an aquarium, exercising their dominion over fish, fowl, wild animal or creeping thing successfully. On the contrary, God’s plan for man was expressed before the fall & only at the culmination of this age will we see the legitimate restoration of these things. The Wolf will indeed lay down with the Lamb (Isaiah 11:6 & 65:25). Dominionism springs from & is reinforced by many of the common elements to be found within historic word of faith mythology; most especially the gnostic elements of teachings such as the authority of the believer & The Name of Jesus. This lore in turn finds its root in an unbiblical mysticism, which fuels the current New Apostolic Reformation. I’m reminded of Jeremiah’s words; ‘ Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; and with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; with thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid; I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.’ (Jeremiah 51:20-23). It’s all good, until the Prophet begins speaking about breaking shepherds! In reality however, it is The Lord Jesus Christ who holds all authority, dominion, power & might & not we ourselves. The moment that we think it is in our power that we do things, we are in real trouble. I am in no way attempting to suggest that God cannot use us. He has. He can. He will. He does. However, we are meant to submit to His authority, dominion, power & might. Instead, based on a series of twisted & badly stated theological diatribes, we attempt to exercise & wield these attributes as if they belong to us. They do not. They belong to Him & for the record, if you want that kind of authority, dominion, power & might, I suggest that you should be born of a virgin, live a sinless life & go to the cross. When you’ve accomplished that, complete a resurrection from the dead & ascend to The Father. Jesus said, ‘..All power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). The writer of Hebrews describes Christ as being ‘..appointed heir of all things…the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:2-3). It ain’t about you. It ain’t about me. 

Dominionism wouldn’t be so very bad if it were about The Lord Jesus Christ, but it isn’t. Classic dominionism is about you & what you can do. Funnily enough though, despite all of the positive confessions, declarations of faith & misappropriation of Jesus’ mighty Name, nothing & I repeat, nothing has really changed within the ranks of the word of faith dominionist new apostolic reformation camps. There are still things, it would seem, that ought to make all of us go, hmmmmmmmmm. 

Notwithstanding, this movement's leaders & their followers still visit their ologists, opticians, dentists, general practitioners, surgeons & finally, their funeral directors. Dominionism as stated doesn’t work, yet multiplied millions continue to hold onto their glasses, which are always half full. They're told to hold on, press in, keep going, continue giving, confess & believe. In the economy of dominionism, God is always about to do something & if you quit now, when you’re so close, you’ll miss it. 

At the end of the day brethren, who do we really think we are? A simple reading of Scripture tells us exactly what we are in our humanity. We are a bunch of sinful & wretched rebels, completely unworthy of the amazing grace shown to us. Shouldn't that humble us? Shouldn't that make us overwhelmed with gratitude? Shouldn't that bring us to repentance? 

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). 

Personally, I view the position of dominionism within The Church as a boast against God, because it reminds me of the actions of a certain former angel & the disastrous mess his blind ambition created. Please, prove me wrong in this regard. Please. Brethren if you want dominion over something, consider conquering your sinful flesh. If you want power, opt to exercise godly self-control. If you want to be mighty, then humble yourself under the hand of God. 

Even with the best of intentions, we'd have to ignore huge swathes of Scripture to reach the unbiblical conclusions that significant numbers of dominionists have. Yet, ignore them they have. Ignore them they do. Ignore them they will. Why? Because all of the tenets of Dominionism are highly attractive. I'll summarise. 

1. In the new birth, The Holy Spirit re-creates the human spirit.

2. ...blah blah blah...

3. ...blah blah blah blah blah...

4. The Holy Spirit fills our re-created human spirit.

5. ...blah blah blah blah blah...

6. ...blah blah blah...

7. We possess God's Divine Nature. We are gods, with a small 'g'  ...blah blah blah...

8. Christ's authority, power & might are ours through The Spirit's indwelling  ...blah blah blah

9. We can do what Jesus did when He walked the earth  ...blah blah blah blah blah... 

At a glance my summary's rather tongue in cheek. I know. But as is the case with dominionism & its numerous derivatives, you have a series of ridiculous statements secured against another series of even more ridiculous statements. The blah blah blahs are nothing more than a representation of every sermon, book, YouTube clip & conference built on these shaky & foolishly presumptuous foundations. 

Perhaps we'd all be better off if we went back to The Bible instead of reading the plethora of books that have been written about it by men who claim a superiority to honest & thorough scholarship, by regaling us with their experience led testimonies. In my day, I'd read all of Kenneth Hagin's books. I'd read all of E.W. Kenyon's books. I'd read some of Kenneth Copeland's, but by far, my favourite writings were those of John Graham Lake. Although there are similarities between Lake, Kenyon & Hagin et al doctrinally, it was Lake's subjective presentation of miraculous power & the dominion thingy, that was the hook for me. I know. I can hear you rolling your eyes. 

I read Spiritual Hunger, The God Men & other sermons. His messages on Dominion over Demons, Disease & Death. Adventures in God. John G. Lake a Man Without Compromise. The New John G. Lake Sermons. At one time I was in correspondence with Lake's son-in-law's ministry & received a copy of Jesus, God's Way of Healing & Power to Promote Health. As well as this, their ministry sent me a copy of Lake's unpublished writings. I ate it all up. 

To dominionists, Lake remains highly quotable. He said: ‘The thing that was forfeited in the garden was regained. God gave him dominion over the works of His hand. God made him His understudy, His king to rule over everything that had life. Man was master, man lived in the realm of god. He lived on terms of equality with God. God was a faith God. All God had to do was to believe that the sun was, and the sun was. All God had to do was to believe that the planets would be, and they were. Man belonged to God's class of being - a faith man, And he lived in the creative realm of God.’ John G. Lake © Kenneth Copeland Publications, Fort Worth, Texas 1994 (emphasis added). 

‘The power of God, the Holy Ghost, is the Spirit of Dominion. It makes one a god.’ John G. Lake, John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith © Kenneth Copeland Publications, Fort Worth, Texas 1994 (emphasis added). 

This & other statements by Lake captured my imagination at the time. I so wanted that power & might to be apparent in my life. This is the danger of dominionism when it's not about Christ. I never once asked the question as to whether this & other statements were true. I believed them as if they were because I wanted them to be.  If I had taken my Bible & checked, I would have seen that this wasn't true at all. 

The emphasis on dominion is a wrong emphasis. Lake's statements are typical of an all too common misconception among those who claim to be a part of Apostolic ministry & most especially the  new apostolic reformation. Just what was it that was forfeited by Adam in Eden? What did man lose there that he magically regains when his human spirit is recreated & when the new birth occurs? Does man then become a god once again? Once he's a god again, does he then have the power to wield the dominion that his new, Divine status affords him? Does this newly created god man walk around with no clothes on in his garden? 

This dominion, so highly sought after by so many, is not the dominion that God spoke of in the beginning. When did Adam exercise his God given dominion? When did the first man create anything? When do we see him using faith filled creative words? When was Adam a god, a king or a master? Perhaps my reading of the Genesis narrative is wrong when I conclude that Adam was to be an obedient servant. He was placed in the garden to dress it & keep it. My dominionist friends are yet to answer a simple question; Adam had absolute dominion but failed a test of obedience & allegiance? How does that even work? 

Where was Adam's creative mastery when the Serpent, a beast over which we are told that he had dominion, questioned his wife concerning God's Word & tempted her into eating forbidden fruit? Where was Adam's godhood & Divine quality when his wife handed him the same fruit & he ate it too? Dominionism fails to address this biblically. Dominionism fails, full stop. 

Do we really think for one minute that Almighty God is in the business of giving us His power & might, simply because we've been taught that it's our Divine right? Some. However, The One to Whom all power in heaven & on Earth has been given, gave His Apostles His Doctrine & they gave this Doctrine to The Church. He didn't say all power has been given to us. Even when The Holy Spirit is promised by The Lord Jesus, He says nothing about us taking over the world & everything about preaching His Gospel (Acts 1:1-8). So where in the world does this unsafe doctrine of dominionism come from & more importantly, just where is it going?

 

 

 

 

 

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxviii all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

WORD

TO THE

wHYS 

 

With the usual back & forth, cut & thrust & occasional parry that accompany blogs such as this one, come the inevitable questions about why I’m doing what I’m doing & the true definition of what is commonly identified as discernment ministry. I have to say again, as I have said formerly, that what I write & publish on this blog is not a ministry per se. Neither am I a discerner. Rather, it is God’s Word that discerns. Scripture is the discerner & the truth of this engrafted Word must be received with meekness, because it & it alone is able to save our souls. (James 1:21). Biblical discernment is not for a few, but rather, it is the responsibility of all believers, everywhere, at all times. I’m reminded of words from The Book of Job, ‘For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat.’. The writer of Hebrews states, ‘For The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’ (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, it would follow that if there were any discerning to be done, it will have to be done in the light of Scripture. This & this alone is the benchmark that has been set by God. His Word is the only reliable litmus test for those who will read, believe & apply it. His Word is forever settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89). His word is a lamp to our feet & a light to our path (Psalms 119:105) & I guarantee that the flame of His truth does not flicker in the way that some would have us believe. 

In many respects, those who follow mainstream Charismatic teachings coming out of The USA, believe that they have a higher regard for Scripture than the traditionalists & denominationalised they look down upon. They believe that they have revelation knowledge as opposed to the sense knowledge possessed by other believers. As I write this article in retrospect, I can see quite clearly that it simply does not matter who says what by way of objection. They are sold out to the word of faith system, no matter how faulty their tentative hermeneutic. 

This is one of the many, many problems with a non-exegetical experience led subjectivity. Simply put, it’s a very bad case of theological indigestion. 

When believers lend more credence to experience rather than the truth of The Scriptures, whether it be theirs or that of someone else, they’re on a path to trouble. What’s worse is the fact that those who advocate a non-exegetical experience led subjectivity, will always be careful to tell their devotees that they shouldn’t seek after an experience & then they proceed to lead them into an experience afterall. There is no true barometer, not in the biblical sense anyway. What has developed right under our noses is a gross caricature of The Church & this ethereal counterfeit, shamelessly masquerades as the faith once delivered to the saints, but, my dear brethren, I can tell you most sincerely that it is not. Our answers will only be found in The Scriptures. God’s Word is A Word to The Whys. 

In light of what The Bible says concerning error, I would ask my Charismatic friends & detractors to answer the fundamental questions being put to them. I answer their questions, but sadly they either cannot or will not answer mine. 

Much Charismatic rhetoric bears a quality that’s often found within the teaching of groups such as The Watchtower Society or the Mormon cult. It’s an otherness that only becomes apparent when examined in the light of a genuine orthodoxy. However, this otherness is very attractive. Be careful though. I’m not talking about comparing the teachings of men to a Church tradition. I’m talking about comparing said teachings to what Scripture actually says. I have often thought that at times it’s almost as if some leaders within the movement have deliberately courted controversy by actively kicking against the pricks of convention. This is then dubbed as revelation. 

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:10-11). 

The Bereans didn’t search the Scriptures in order to see whether those words Paul preached were there, they searched in order to see whether those things he preached were so. There’s a marked difference in that. 

It isn’t difficult to ask people to turn to certain places in their Bibles & read the words on the page, with no proper treatment of the passage or passages in question, except when it suits the individual preaching or teaching. Furthermore, with so many differing translations & versions available, it’s easier than ever to hop, skip & jump between readings & formulate whatever teaching you want to, whilst claiming that what’s being taught is biblical simply because the words were taken from a Bible. Such are the tactics of the pseudo-exegetes of our time. 

When it suits their purpose, they will use Greek or Hebrew. When it suits their purpose, they will examine context. When it suits their purpose, they will appeal to Church history. When it suits their purpose, they will find a Bible version, paraphrase or translation that says & supports whatever they want it to. When it suits their purpose, they will claim that The Lord has spoken to them audibly. This is an untenable, but all too common bad habit among Pentecostals & Charismatics. 

In this, I’m reminded of an old comedy sketch by Morecambe & Wise, featuring Andre Previn. Many in Charismatic & Pentecostal leadership are playing some of the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order. However, what we face now is not a comedy sketch. It’s a tragedy. At a very basic level, what we have is a scenario in which man is putting words into the mouth of God. Brethren, these things ought not to be so. 

Over the years I have watched the leading lights within Pentecostalism & Charismania build upon the false foundation laid by false apostles & false prophets. Their chief corner stone is not The Lord Jesus Christ. Orthodoxy seems to have been shelved adjacent to a conveniently open window, out of which it has been deliberately & continuously nudged. Why? Because orthodoxy is boring? Because orthodoxy is so unfashionably last century? Because orthodoxy is associated with stuffy old scholarly men, whose insistence on a right division of God’s Word makes them the object of ridicule? Logical argument good, theological argument bad? 

When I see & hear what passes for exegesis nowadays, I flinch. My stomach turns with every twist & spin placed on God’s Word. Moreover, with each successive generation of men & ministries purporting to bring us a fresh & new insights from The Word, there are also countless others who shamelessly ape them. Because of this, I have asked a lot of questions. Because of this, there has been a lot of silence. 

The core doctrines of our faith are Apostolic. The Apostles received said doctrine from The Lord Jesus Christ Himself. However, with the popularity of certain men & certain ministries, parts of The Church have leaned towards the writings, recordings & beliefs of word of faith leadership & in this they have become almost Patristic. These heretics have become the new Church Fathers & they are making a comfortable living at it. Today we see doctrine being rapidly replaced by spiritual laws & principles that bear more resemblance to that which is found within metaphysical cults & mind science religions, than they do to anything found within Holy Writ. WHY? The answer is in The Scriptures. The Bible has A Word to The Whys. 

Of course, Charismatics & Pentecostals will claim that they are indeed adhering to The Word. Which word? Whose word? Those of my friends with whom I regularly speak about these things, spend more time filtering Scripture through the lenses their leaders provide, rather than coming to an understanding of Scripture itself, as it is. WHY? The Bible is revelation, yet my Charismatic & Pentecostal friends & detractors will contend that The Word in its written form is the basis for revelation knowledge. There’s a less than subtle difference between these two statements, but I recognise its source. For them, God’s Word isn’t revelation knowledge per se, but rather it contains it. I’m less interested in what certain men have to say about Scripture & more interested in what Scripture itself has to say, particularly when the aforementioned regurgitate demonstrably false teaching & notable heresies. 

It is a sad indictment that those who claim to know & hold to the truth, are too lily livered to stand against this onslaught of falsehood. Among Charismatics & Pentecostals however, the sufficiency of Scripture has been side-lined in favour of so called revelation & this is a dangerous substitute for what God has already said. If it is indeed the case that The Word in its written form is only the basis for revelation knowledge, there is no need to study it. It will not matter what the original languages state, what history accords or what context The Scriptures are in. Why? So called revelation rises above & beyond these things, apparently. The ramifications of this belief & its tendency to take people beyond Scripture is an enormous danger. God’s Word has the answers. The Bible is A Word to The Whys. 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds (Hebrews 1:1-2). 

Nowhere in Scripture do we find the prescribed & primary teachings of movements such as the word of faith, unless we’re being warned concerning them. Despite the claims of certain men in certain ministries that Martin Luther’s revelation concerning the just living by faith, began a restoration of a lost truth to The Church, there is no evidence to support this. Others, such as The Waldensians, The Lollards & The Hussites, held to a belief in new birth & believer’s baptism. Faith in Christ alone for salvation, apart from works, yes. Faith as a spiritual force released through words that have creative power, no. Yet multiplied millions believe these things to be true. WHY? Fundamental doctrine is officially old hat. WHY? Because we have moved away from Scripture. God’s Word is A Word to The Whys. 

Be careful brethren, because much of what we believe to be & have been taught emphatically is meat, is not. I don’t believe that it actually qualifies as milk. Beyond this, a significant portion of the blended, spoon-fed teaching that drips from the teats of much of modern Charismatic & Pentecostal ministry, is nothing more or less than formula. I mean this quite literally. All of it comes, of course, at a price & for your love gift of any amount, you can have it. 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry (2^nd Timothy 3:16-4:5). 

The Bible has the answers. Scripture is A Word to The Whys. The words of men, however, have come to dominate & muddy doctrinal waters. Why? A supreme lack of proper biblical leadership & scriptural discipleship within The Church has given rise to a myriad of satellite & para-church ministries, all of which are claiming to preach & teach The Word. They travel the world, constitute broadcasts on radio & television, transcribe their sermons into books & produce glossy magazines. They encourage you to partner with them, to follow them, to believe them & of course, they encourage you to donate. What a sweet deal. There’s no need for you to read or study God’s Word, because they will do all of the hard work for you. All you have to do is sit back, relax, press play & drink it all in. Why?  

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not (2^nd Peter 2:1-3). 

And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11). 

We’re very good at wanting the love to abound, but we’re rubbish when it comes to knowledge & judgement, or discernment. These are not mutually exclusive elements of our walk with God & if we are not spending time with God’s Word, or being taught it correctly, we lay ourselves open to error & heresy. Our discernment begins & ends with The Scriptures. 

The revelation knowledge that’s so eloquently harped on about by popular figures in Charismatic & Pentecostal leadership, is nothing more than a subtle mixture of lies & mysticism. It isn’t the faith once delivered to the saints. It is what I like to call, Gnostianity. This is not what Scripture teaches. This is not the doctrine of Christ. This is not our Apostolic faith. We have to get back to The Bible. The Bible is A Word to The Whys.

 

copyright Ó by david Samuel Parkins mmxvii all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser