Ministerial Pride

by | Jan 26, 2017 | Abuse of Authority, Apostolic, Charismatic Cultism, Church Leadership, Personal Character

But pride in the preacher? Of all those who surround the Lord Jesus, you would expect humility in the pastor. Just as certain weeds grow best in certain soils, so pride grows perhaps most easily in the heart of a Christian minister. Surely the pastor could afford to stay low. He has been honored by God.

25 Reasons Abusive Church Leadership IS Disqualifying

by | Nov 8, 2014 | Abuse of Authority, Charismatic Cultism, Church Leadership, Deliverance & Demons, False prophets, False teaching, Fivefold Ministry, Personal Character

In the previous post I indicated my strong disagreement with the conclusions of the group of elders and an overseer who identified themselves as the “investigators” who conducted an investigation into the long train of abuses, misdeeds, and other allegations against the founding senior leader of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Mark Driscoll. Those men concluded that “While we believe Mark needs to continue to address these areas in his life, we do not believe him to be disqualified from pastoral ministry.” I ended that post by saying that abuse of spiritual authority is one of the most, possibly THE most, egregious affronts in existence to the One who is the Source of all legitimate authority, and that in a follow-up post I would offer 25 reasons why that is so that immediately come to my mind. This post consists of those 25 Reasons.

Mars Hill Church “Investigators” Claim Driscoll’s Transgressions Not Disqualifying

by | Nov 5, 2014 | Abuse of Authority, Charismatic Cultism, Church Leadership, Deliverance & Demons, False teaching, Fivefold Ministry, Personal Character

God’s people – leaders and laymen alike – need to give heed to the judgments of God that are clearly and undeniably manifesting all around us, and begin to earnestly and thoroughly “Humble (themselves) under the mighty hand of God!” (1 Pet. 5:6) for “God is opposed to the proud but gives His grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). It is much better for one to humble himself, as Scripture commands, than to refuse and leave it to an angry and avenging God to do the humbling.

Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence!

by | Oct 10, 2013 | Change & New Things, Church Leadership, Faith, Perseverance, Personal Character

Don’t allow the double-mindedness, indecision, and the pitiful meows of the paper lions of doubt, unbelief, fear of man, double-mindedness, and indecision that inevitably come to attack your confidence in Christ in you win in your life! LET OUT THE ROAR of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from within your spirit! HIS ROAR will SHUT THE MOUTHS of all the lying pretenders, for HE IS THE KING of the jungle of the Spirit Realm!

A Lesson From Abraham

by | Oct 9, 2013 | Change & New Things, Church Leadership, Cost of Obedience, Faith, Obedience, Personal Character

If you are called by God to a Kingdom-assignment, it is not because you are in any way adequate, qualified, or able within yourself to accomplish the task, but rather because He has given you an opportunity to prove your pliability in His hands, your willingness to be re-made into His Image, and that you have a contrite spirit that moves you to rely entirely upon Him and His Spirit to empower you to accomplish what He needs you to accomplish.

Demigod Leaders

by | Nov 28, 2010 | Church Leadership, Fivefold Ministry, Personal Character

WARNING! God’s putting His prophetic finger on a major problem plaguing the Church Jesus is building! Celebrity cult-status leaders — who act like spiritual divas and present themselves as demigods, based in arrogance, ascendancy, supremacy, and narcissism that has convinced them they are better and above everyone else — are on the rise in the American Church. You’ve seen them…they’re so important that, like “gangsta” subculture “homies” or mob mafiosos, they must be accompanied by an entourage of sycophants and bodyguards wherever they go to enforce their inaccessibility—even to peers, staff, and collegues—and to reinforce their self-proclaimed status and public image. Unaccountable islands to themselves who can’t be bothered with the mere plebian masses. “Wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever,” Jude called their ilk.

A Statement and Appeal Regarding the Lakeland Outpouring

by | Jul 19, 2010 | Charismatic Cultism, False prophets, False teaching, Lakeland Outpouring, Personal Character, Revival

The following article by Dutch Sheets was published August 21, 2008 on his personal website. It had been my intention to republish it then, in the interest of fairness to him: a) because I have also published criticism of him on by blogs; b) because I am impressed with and blessed by the character he demonstrated in standing up to admit his own indirect complicity in the matter and to repent thereof, and even to be critical of the actions some of his closest ministry friends and colleagues in the matter, knowing the potential for stress his criticisms would engender in those relationships, which he expressly acknowledges; c) because I agree with the overall essence of the points he makes, and believe what he says can be very helpful to many in the Body of Christ who have been confused, dismayed, and their faith challenged by the whole Lakeland debacle, d) in the interest of providing our readers with independent affirmation that there was and remains to be rather widespread concern and criticism regarding the so-called “Lakeland Outpouring” and its principals and, e) because he states well some things that need to be said by someone of his station. Somehow, however, in my busyness, republishing it contemporaneously slipped through the cracks. But, when I ran across the article today, I felt I should republish it now, despite being belated by nearly two years.

The One Trait Needed to Trust a Person

by | Jun 13, 2010 | Church Leadership, Personal Character

If you are one of those still living under the delusion that you and your life are perfect, or that you have a perfect record, or if you sometimes secretly ruminate within like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Publican who had the temerity in the presence of true Perfection, i.e., God Himself, to look at the Publican and hubristically pray, “I thank you I’m not like him and all the other ungodly sinners all around me,” then what you have to look forward to is the day when you realize you are among the most deceived people on the earth. God says ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. God says there is NONE righteous, no NOT ONE! There’s none who seeks for God as they should. All have turned aside, together they’ve become useless. There’s none who does good, no, not one! (cf., Rom. 3:10)