Secret
Forces of the Church—Rome
and the Church-Growth Movement
Dear Reader,
The following article is by Hal Mayer, who
is an associate of Hartland Institute, operated by Dr.’s Colin and Russell
Standish. When reading the article, keep in mind that SDA pastors are sent to
Rick Warren and Bill Hybel’s for mentorship.
Secret
Forces of the Church
Rome and the Church-Growth Movement
By Pastor Hal Mayer
Dear friends,
This month we are going to explore another
secret force that involves more than the Roman Catholic Church, a secret
force that is intended to deceive many people and get them caught up in a
false system of worship. It involves an amazing network of connections that
are preparing to sweep hundreds of thousands into eternal destruction.
Have you ever heard of Willow Creek? Have
you ever heard of Saddleback church in Arizona,
and the book called The Purpose Driven Life? Amazingly, these popular places and
books and teachers have swept through Protestantism like a storm. Millions of
their books have been sold. Thousands upon thousands of pastors have attended
their seminars. But what is behind this church growth movement? Where does it
come from? And will it help us prepare for the coming of Jesus? The following
message will clearly show what is happening behind the scenes and how Rome
is using the church growth movement to her advantage. Some of the players may
not even realize it, but they are involved in a secret plan to destroy God’s
last church. The research we have pulled together with the help of a friend
of mine in the Netherlands
will open your mind like never before. But before we get into our message for
today, let us pray to our Father in heaven and ask Him for His Holy Spirit so
that we can be discerning.
Our loving Heavenly Father, today we come
to You and ask for Your Holy Spirit to lead us as we
look into the movement that threatens to destroy the effect of Your last
message to Your people in these last days. We love You
and want to live with you for eternity and don’t want to be deceived. Thank
you for revealing to us the future, which is really the present, as prophecy
is fulfilled right before our eyes. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will ever be
by our side and keep us free from all taint of sin and evil. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Turn with me in your bibles to 2 Peter
1:19, 21. You may not think that the verses we are going to read have to do
with the message for today, but they do as you shall see. “We have also a
more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a
light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star
arise in your hearts… For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Satan is very sneaky. He tries to come to
God’s people and deceive them by those things that sound good, but are not of
sound doctrine. Most people just breeze over what they hear from the pulpit
without giving a second thought. They think that what they have heard is
right, but it is not biblical. They become deceived. They feel good. They
feel happy. But they are really in a spiral that will lead them to eternal
destruction.
The mega-church movement has spread all
through evangelical Protestantism as well as other churches, but as we near
the close of probation, what effect does it have on the truth for this time?
Will it deceive those that have been given a special message for this hour?
Often, those who are emotionally tied to a
particular practice or idea will not listen to the facts. Their emotions are
caught up in the excitement and when they are presented with the details of
the ministry of Satan in the church, they become defensive and angry. Others
simply won't listen to any warnings concerning the teachings that they are so
determined to follow. But the Bible tells us that we must “be sober,
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith,…” 1 Peter 5:8, 9.
These verses tell us that we cannot just
drink in anything we are told from the pulpit or from some respected church
leader. We must search for ourselves to see if the things we are taught are
indeed of God and sound in scripture. It is a life or death matter that we
must believe only sound doctrine. It is vitally important that pastors,
teachers and other ministers of God must speak “the things which become sound
doctrine. Titus 2:1.
What amazes me is that sometimes there are
those that will listen to a sermon that is teaching the truth in all it’s beauty, and they will rightly say what a blessing it
was. The following Sabbath, they will hear a sermon propounding exactly the
opposite teaching and full of error, and again they will say what a blessing
it was. While the first sermon was indeed probably a blessing to them, there
seems to be a lack of discernment on the part of many to comprehend what they
are hearing from the pulpit. Satan is indeed a roaring lion, “seeking whom he
may devour.”
In his book called Charismatic Chaos, John
F. MacArthur, Jr. warns us that “Unsuspecting churches and denominations have
opened their doors – and their pulpits – to Third Wave teachers, many of whom
sport very impressive academic credentials. The Third Wave is now rolling
like a destructive tsunami, leaving chaos and confusion in its wake. (Zondervan, 1992, p.158).
What is the Third Wave? C. Peter Wagner,
professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary School of World
Mission identifies the first wave as the Pentecostal movement, the second,
the Charismatic movement and the third as the signs and wonders movement.
Jesus said that “false christs and false
prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were
possible, even the elect.” Mark 13:22. Just because there are wonderful signs
and wonders, it doesn’t mean that it is from God. But Jesus said, “take heed:
behold, I have foretold you all things.” Vs. 23.
Jesus has told us what is coming and some of it includes signs and wonders.
But you may be looking for the wrong signs and wonders if you aren't careful
to follow sound doctrine. Jesus said in Mark 13 that the sun would be
darkened, and the moon would not give her light. The stars of heaven would
fall, and the powers of heaven would be shaken. That’s verses. 24-25.
Healings, speaking in tongues and other personal manifestations are not in
the same class of signs at all.
MacArthur goes on to say, “Third Wave
devotees believe that fantastic signs and wonders demonstrate the genuineness
of their movement. Miraculous phenomena are the very heart of the Third Wave
credo. Third Wavers are persuaded that miracles, visions, tongues,
prophecies, and healings are essential supplements to the gospel. They view
Christianity without those things as impotent, adulterated by the Western,
materialistic mindset.
“Signs and wonders are the key to Third
Wave evangelism,” wrote MacArthur. “Some Third Wavers even say that
unbelievers must experience the miraculous to be brought to full faith… Most
people will not believe without seeing miracles...” (Ibid
pp. 158, 159.)
People are distracted by exciting things,
and when miracles are added to the mix, they become obsessed with the
movement. Their attention is taken away from the truth of the word, and
placed on the miracles. They no longer need the word to assure them of the
rightness of their course, but rather the signs and wonders. This is one of
the key problems with the church growth movement. The movement is not focused
on scripture.
One such example was the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church,
started by John & Carol Arnott. Worship experiences included miraculous
phenomena of signs and wonders in addition to the usual Pentecostal
emotionalism. One interesting addition to this type of worship was known as
“holy laughing.” The most common described behaviors include hysterical
laughter, physical spasms or jerks, falling to the floor under the Holy
Spirit's power, which is called “slain in the Spirit” and speaking in
tongues. Other less common behaviors resemble roaring like lions and barking
like dogs. At one time the TACF website described it thus: “The Toronto
Blessing is a transferable anointing. In its most visible form it overcomes
worshippers with outbreaks of laughter, weeping, groaning, shaking, falling,
'drunkenness,' and even behaviours that have been described as a 'cross
between a jungle and a farmyard.'" From Wikipaedia, article “Toronto
Blessing.”
Behind the “Toronto Blessing,” as it was
called, was something known as the Alpha Course, a 10 to 12 week program
developed by Nicky Gumbel at the Anglican Holy Trinity Brompton Church in
London in the 1980s. The Alpha Course emphasizes only that which all the
churches have in common. The idea is to facilitate a relaxed atmosphere with
a unified spirit in which participants feel at home. Perhaps it is most
significant that the participants are advised to lay the Bible aside so no
one will be deterred. It is also customary not to say a prayer in order not
to embarrass the guests.
Nicky Gumbel developed the Alpha course
after an encounter with John Wimber in 1982 who spoke at the Brompton church.
Nicky describes his experience. “after [John Wimber]
had been praying for about 30 seconds… I felt this incredible power – it was
like 10,000 volts… going through my body…
Is this a sign or wonder that the Bible
warns us about? To answer this question, all we have to do is understand who
John Wimber was and we will have a clear picture of where the Alpha course
comes from. Wimber was the founder in 1962 of a rock-and-roll band known as
the “Righteous Brothers.” He was converted to Christianity through the
Quakers in 1963. Eventually he joined the faculty at Fuller Theological
Seminary and founded the Department of Church Growth. Wimber became very
interested in how charismatic healing was affecting church growth in third
world countries. In 1982 he joined the early Vineyard movement in S. California. He wrote his main book
called Power Evangelism, Signs and Wonders Today in 1986 which teaches about
“signs and wonders” as an essential element in genuine Christian experience.
Wimber assigned great credibility to Roman Catholic miracles because of Rome’s
supposed “careful documentation of them." Actually Rome
has often fabricated miracles in order to progress someone to sainthood, or
keep the gullible enthralled. Wimber’s wife was raised in the Roman Catholic
Church. After a difficult separation, Wimber says they were remarried in the
Catholic Church. Wimber wrote for a Catholic charismatic publication known as
New Covenant.
Wimber was the main leader of the Vineyard
movement for many years. The Vineyard movement was very ecumenical because of
Wimber’s influence. He often praised the Roman Catholic Church including
several statements in his book. He had nothing but praise for the Pope and
the Catholic Church. In Power Evangelism, he praises Roman Catholic saints
such as Pope Gregory the Great, St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Benedict of
Nursia, and Ignatius of Loyola. Apparently he seemed to overlook the false
teachings of these alleged “saints” and gives no warning about them. Some of
these saints were the founders of some of the most diabolical aspects of
Roman Catholicism such as the Jesuits and the Inquisition.
Wimber even recommended the writings of
Jesuit priests Dennis and Matthew Linn. He wrote: “Father Dennis and Matthew
Linn are Jesuit priests who have written books which deal with physical,
psychological and spiritual wholeness. They are highly trained in psychology
and combine the best insights in this field with theological understanding,
shaped by charismatic experience.” (Quoted by Albert James
Dager, Latter-Day Prophets: The Kansas City
Connection.) Could it be that the Jesuits have been involved in the
charismatic movement in order to break down barriers to the teachings and
influence of Rome? A de-emphasis
on Biblical truth as our guide in favor of emotions and feelings always
benefits Rome and leads eventually to a reaction; moving away from the chaos
of the charismatics to the ritualism of Catholicism. It is amazing but true.
The connection between John Wimber and the
Jesuits is very revealing. But there is more. When Pope John Paul II was
planning to call a decade of world evangelism Wimber said “I am thrilled with
the Pope and glad that he is calling the Church to this goal, to this work.’
A report in the New Age Bulletin said that Wimber had been told informally
that the Vatican had shown ‘a real interest’ in using Vineyard Ministries
International’s concepts for the decade of evangelization ‘and possibly even
[Wimber himself] to help train priests who will be used as trainers in the
program worldwide’” (“Off to Rome with Wimber,” New Age Bulletin, June 1988
quoted in The Hidden Agenda, by Jan Voerman). Imagine that, the Catholic
Church using a Charismatic to train priests that can then be used to spread
the Catholic praise, teachings and whatever else worldwide. Something doesn’t
seem right about this. I wonder if there is more here than meets the eye with
John Wimber. There is something we don’t know perhaps in his connections with
the Jesuits or the Catholic Church. Would the Catholic Church use
non-denominational, mostly protestant churches, to promote her own agenda?
Why not, they might well become very effective tools in the hands of the
Pope, thanks to the Jesuits and others.
In his church planting seminars, Wimber
would extol the use of relics as a means of healing. “In the Catholic Church
for over a 1,200 year period people were healed as a result of touching the
relics of the saints,” he said. “We Protestants have difficulty with that…
but we healers shouldn’t, because there’s nothing theologically out of line
with that,’ he would say. During a pastor’s conference, he even “apologized”
to the Catholic church on behalf of all Protestants by saying that “the Pope,
who by the way is very responsive to the Charismatic movement, and is himself
a born-again Evangelical, is preaching the gospel as clear as anyone in the
world today.”
Here we see another background force
working to strip Protestants of their Protestantism and eventually bring them
back into the Catholic church through the
charismatic movement. The Vineyard Churches were so ecumenical and emotional,
that they certainly played a significant role in bringing much openness if
not outright interest in the Catholic Church, particularly its charismatic
side.
Extreme ecumenism is behind the creation of
the Vineyard Church Association. And behind that was the
teachings in Nicky Gumbel in the Alpha Course. Then came a new phenomena called the “Toronto Blessing.” The
“Toronto Blessing” was an extreme charismatic manifestation in which people
were often falling backwards, stumbling around as if drunk, trembling,
convulsing, and laughing. In the May 1995 issue of Renewal (pg. 15), Gumbel
says of the Toronto movement and
the Alpha Course, “I think that the two of them can go well together.”
Besides these extreme manifestations in the
Toronto movement,
what do their leaders teach?
John Arnott, pastor of the Toronto church, made it clear: “Toronto
is like a flowing stream. Don’t try to test it or discern it. Just jump in,
you’ll understand it after you’ve jumped in.” (J. J.
Prasch, Why Three Years of Toronto
and Still No Revival? Moriel Ministries, p. 9.)
Rodney Howard-Browne, who has been closely
associated with the Toronto
movement, says: “Don’t pray. Just accept. Just receive.” (Ibid.)
He also declared: “People come trying to be all serious and praying. No! This
is not the time to pray. This is not a prayer meeting; get in the joy; you
can pray on the way home.” (Hank Hanegraaff, Counterfeit
Revival, Word Publ. Dallas Texas, 1997, p. 223.)
Even though the Bible says that “The heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer.
17:9), Rodney says: “You can't understand what God is doing in these meetings
with an analytical mind. The only way you're going to understand what God is
doing is with your heart.” (Stephen Sizer, Rodney
Howeard-Browne, A Critical Examination of his Theology and Practice, p. 4.)
In other words, the Bible doesn’t matter. You must not think about it. You
can only feel it. Imagine if our distinctive doctrines were verified by
feelings and not by scripture. Where would we be?
Then another movement arose, known as Willow
Creek. Bill Hybels, the founder of the Willow Creek Association got much of
his mentoring under Robert Schuller who is the host of the well known
television show in America:
“Hour of Power.” Schuller uses humanistic ideas in his teaching. Schuller is
also a follower of Norman Vincent Peale, who “plainly admitted that many of
his principles came from two leading occultists: Earnest Holmes, founder of
“Religious Science” and Charles Fillmore, co-founder of “Unity cult.” (Dave Hunt, Occult Invasion, Eugene, Oregon, 1998, pg. 460).
Peale said on the Phil Donahue show back in 1984 that “It’s not necessary to
be born again. You have your way to God; I have mine. I found eternal peace
in a Shinto shrine… I’ve been to Shinto shrines, and God is everywhere.” Phil
Donahue was shocked and responded, “But you're a Christian minister; you’re
supposed to tell me that Christ is the way and the truth and the life, aren't
you?” Peale replied, “Christ is one of the ways. God is everywhere.” That was
taken from Christian News, May 12, 1997, p. 11. This is sheer New Age
nonsense. Norman Vincent Peale was teaching New Age Philosophy. He mentored
Robert Schuller who mentored none other than Bill Hybels. As false teaching
is developed over time, one person seems to be in the spotlight for a while.
During this time he trains others, and then they come into the spotlight and
train others who in turn come into the spotlight. Hence error is spread
generation after generation.
Robert Schuller says of Bill Hybels, “I am
so proud of him… I think of him as a son. I think of him as one of the
greatest things to happen in Christianity in our time… Bill Hybels is doing
the best job of anybody I know. (G. A. Pritchard, Willow
Creek Seeker Services, Evaluating a New Way of Doing Church, Baker Books,
1996, p. 56.) According to Dave Hunt, Robert Schuller is a 33rd degree
Mason as was his mentor Norman Vincent Peale. (op.
cit. Occult Invasion).
Bill Hybels, of Willow Creek fame is also a
very strong ecumenist. He invited F. M. Laz, a Roman Catholic priest of the “Holy Family Church,”
to help the members and associates of Willow Creek to understand the things
that Protestants can learn from Catholics. When he introduced Laz, Hybels
told that he was invited to a conference to speak in the Holy Family church
for a group of Catholic leaders, and that he had gained much admiration and
respect for Laz as a brother in Christ. (Audiotape M9010 WC
Seeds Tape Ministry.)
Ellen White makes it very clear where the
ecumenical movement is heading. “The opinion is gaining ground that, after
all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed, and
that a little concession on our part will bring us into a better
understanding with Rome…
The people need to be aroused to resist the advances of this most dangerous
foe to civil and religious liberty.” That is from the book Great Controversy,
pp. 563 and 566. She also wrote, “the pacific tone
of Rome… does not imply
a change of heart. She is tolerant where she is helpless.” Great Controversy,
p. 565
In his apostolic letter: Ad Tuendam Fidem,
May 18, 1998, John Paul mentioned canon 1436.1 which says, “One who denies a
truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or who calls it
into doubt… is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with major
excommunication…”
Karl Keating, in his book Catholicism and
Fundamentalism, published by the Ignatius Press in San Francisco (1988) stated, “The Catholic
Church did not change any of its doctrines at Trent
and it did not change any at Vatican II.” No wonder Ellen White wrote: “Let
none deceive themselves. The papacy that Protestants
are now so ready to honor is the same that ruled the world in the days of the
Reformation…” That is also from Great Controversy, p. 571
Bill Hybels invites Christian ministers
from all denominations to Willow Creek to learn how to do church growth and
spread his New Age, pro-Roman Catholic ecumenical concepts in their own
churches. The style of service is patently marketed as “seeker friendly,”
which means that the sinner is approached in affirming ways, not in a
confrontational way. They need to be listened to and everything that can be
disturbing or hurting to them by word or act must be avoided because they
should feel perfectly comfortable. Everything possible must be done to make
everybody feel happy.
While we should be courteous and thoughtful
to all sinners, we must avoid anything that would hinder the work of the
Spirit whose first work is to convict of sin. For the scriptures say that
“when the Spirit of truth is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment to come,” wrote the apostle John in his
gospel. [16:8]
Instead, of presenting convicting truth,
contemporary, popular music is played. Stories, skits and other entertaining
trappings are used to keep the attention of the masses as they are told to
relax and that God loves them just the way they are. While this is true, it
is not the whole truth. God also insists that change is necessary for
salvation – a change of heart which works a change in the life.
Today the church growth movement as
promoted by Willow Creek presents an attractive gospel that caters to carnal
desires. The Bible is presented in a friendly, non-confrontational manner
while in reality presenting a concept which conflicts with its principles.
The purpose is to make everybody feel comfortable.
But Paul writes plainly: “for if I yet
pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galations 1:10. Ignoring
this principle, church-growth leaders do everything possible to please men. A
clear “thus saith the Lord” is not a part of the program. Kimon Howland says:
“’seeker church pastors make orthodox theology less offensive and more civil
for a pluralistic society.’ The gospel isn’t put aside but repacked ‘in a
kinder, gentler format.’” Wrote Nathan Busenitz in The
Gospel According to Hybels & Warren, Pulpit-Shepherds Fellowship, 2003,
p. 3, 4. “Gone are the hard sayings of Jesus,” writes Os Guinness.
“Gone is the teaching on sin, self-denial, sacrifice, suffering, judgment,
hell. With all its need-meeting emphasis, there is little in the
church-growth movement that stands crosswise to the world.” (Os Guinness, Dining with the Devil, Baker Book 1993, p. 78.)
In an article called, Baptist Churches
Caught in Willow Creek Web, published in the International Social Pulse
Newsletter, November 2003, the author says, “Bill Hybels is one of the most
dangerous religious leaders in America.
Through his ministry at Willow
Creek
Community
Church,
South Barrington, Illinois, and the
Willow Creek Association, he is leading many Baptists into the web of
compromise. Churches are being destroyed, while at the same time they are
growing in membership… Every Sunday morning about 15,000 people gather in the
Willow Creek Community Church (WCCC). This is not your regular church
service. There is no organ, piano, hymnbooks. They do not join in singing the
grand old hymns of the Christian faith. Neither is there a biblical sermon
preached. This is the so-called Seeker Service, which is produced in order to
get lost people to enjoy church without guilt or shame. There are no sermons
against sin, nor is there a call for repentance. Instead of this, there is
plenty of rock music from a rock band. Instead of a biblical sermon they
feature dramas and multi-media. Of course, the lost man likes to be
entertained, and he gets plenty of that at WCCC.”
I’m sure that it is not only Baptist
churches that are experiencing this type of service now days. It is
interesting and instructive to see which churches are involved in Willow
Creek. In fact, the list of churches that are members of the Willow Creek
Association is very long indeed. According to their main website, there are
more than 12,000 member churches from over 90 denominations in 35 countries around
the world, and they are growing at a rate of about two churches per day. They
seem to span all or most all denominations including, Anglican/Episcopal,
Baptist, Congregational, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene,
Non-Denominational, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed, Roman Catholic and
Seventh-day Adventist, etc.
The WCA website says that “All WCA Member
Churches have affirmed the central doctrines of the Bible reflected in the
WCA Statement of Faith and also presented in the historic creeds of the
Christian faith.” Now, let us understand what this means. The historic creeds
of the Christian faith would certainly include the Roman Catholic creed as
well as the Anglican, the Methodist, etc. Some of these creeds contradict
each other. But still members must presumably affirm these creeds even if
their denomination has rejected them. My friends, there is one megachurch
behind all megachurches. Rome’s
creed supersedes them all. She is the mother of all mega-churches.That is
what the ecumenical movement is all about; bringing the churches into harmony
with Rome’s creed.
Members must also affirm the WCA Statement
of Faith. The WCA statement of faith says “[Salvation] is a gift that must be
received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on
the cross.” This is in direct conflict with scripture. Christ’s work of
salvation wasn’t finished on the cross. His sacrifice was full and sufficient
on the cross, but the work of salvation goes on. He continues this very day
in the heavenly sanctuary his ministry of salvation in the lives of His
followers. The WCA statement of faith, denies one of the most important
principles of scripture that applies specifically to those living at the end
of time – the Most Holy Place
ministry of Christ.
The WCA statement of Faith also says that
the Bible is “the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final
authority on all matters upon which it teaches…” If Willow Creek truly
believed this, then there would be no way that 90 denominations could be
united together in an association because so many of them believe things that
are explicitly in contradiction to the Bible.
For example, the WCA Statement of Faith
also says “Death seals the eternal destiny of each person.” What happens to
the soul in death is not addressed. This may well be strategic because there
are differences of opinions concerning what happens in death. The Bible is
clear about what happens after we die, but Willow Creek is not – even though
the WCA statement claims to believe that the Bible is the supreme and final
authority… How could a Roman Catholic Church affirm that the Bible is the
supreme and final authority in all matters on which it teaches when the
Catholic Church affirms that tradition is just as authoritative as the Bible
and in practice places tradition above the Bible?
There can be considerable argument about
what the Bible actually teaches between the many denominations involved in
Willow Creek. So it is impossible for the WCA to define its beliefs clearly
so that members actually know what they must believe. This nice sounding
statement about the authority of the Bible is
meaningless.
What is going on at Willow Creek? Though
Willow Creek has a nice sounding statement of faith that many protestant
churches will support or accept, though it has a reference to the historic
creeds so that Catholics perhaps will feel comfortable joining, in practice,
biblical truth is sacrificed. One statement which seems to override all
others says, “Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by
acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic,
national, generational, gender, and denominational lines.” That is the key
point. Spiritual unity is not based on truth, but on acceptance and love;
anything but doctrine. This is an ecumenical effort to unite all churches in
large bundles and reduce denominational distinctives to only those things
upon which all can agree.
God’s messenger says: “The enemy has used
the chain of dependence to draw men together. They have united to destroy
God's image in man, to counterwork the gospel by perverting its principles.
They are represented in God's word as being bound in bundles to be burned.
Satan is uniting his forces for perdition.” That’s from the sixth volume of
the Testimonies for the Church, pg 242.
Listen to God’s last day messenger who
says, “The wide diversity of belief in the Protestant churches is regarded by
many as decisive proof that no effort to secure a forced uniformity can ever
be made. But there has been for years, in churches of the Protestant faith, a
strong and growing sentiment in favor of a union based upon common points of
doctrine. To secure such a union, the discussion of subjects upon which all
were not agreed--however important they might be from a Bible
standpoint--must necessarily be waived. Great Controversy, p. 444.
This is precisely what is happening with
the Willow Creek Association. Ultimately, the only point on which it will
seem possible to unite will be Sunday worship. Under the pressure of a
national or international crisis, it will be very easy to suggest that no
other points mean much of anything and that we all must rally around this one
key issue. Listen again to God’s last day messenger, “When the leading
churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are
held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees
and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed
an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon
dissenters will inevitably result.” Great Controversy, p
445.
The watered-down WCA Statement of Faith is
part of the process of preparing the churches to be deceived and receive the
mark of the beast by worshipping according to man’s dictates rather than by
the commandments of God. God’s church on earth is defined by the fact that
they keep the commandments of God. The Willow Creek Association is leading
thousands of churches and their people into an ecumenical web from which it
will be very difficult to extract themselves.
Another major influence in modern
ecumenical Christianity has been Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback
mega-Church in Lake Forest, Ca. He
is the author of The Purpose Driven Life. Church growth for Rick Warren means
to homogenize Christianity in the ecumenical fashion. Similar to Bill Hybels
in Illinois, Rick
Warren misuses scripture to suit his purposes. He says, “…I have deliberately
used paraphrases in order to help you see God’s truth in new and fresh ways.”
(The Purpose Driven Life, p. 325)
While this sounds good, what really
happens? Listen to John 4:23 from the King James Bible. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship Him.” The Message paraphrase, which Rick Warren uses in his book says; “That’s the kind of people the Father is out
looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in
worship.” It is quite different isn’t it? The Message “Bible” suits Warren’s
purposes and doesn’t emphasize worshipping in truth. In Rick Warren’s
mega-church, just as in virtually all seeker friendly churches of whatever
size, everybody is supposed to feel at ease, whatever his opinion or way of
thinking. Warren deliberately
avoids distinguishing the truth from falsehood. Worshippers are to be “simply
and honestly themselves.”
The Alpha course and these church growth
teachers hinder sinners from experiencing the gospel by encouraging them to
believe they are Christians, while they haven’t given themselves fully to
God. Most of us don’t want to face the fact that we are sinners. We want to
come to church and be told that we are ok as we are. So we hear affirming
sermons, sermons about love and unity. But we rarely hear sermons dealing
with our apostate lifestyle and the need to get our lives right with God. We
are being set up to accept the church growth model. The underlying assumption
is that those who have been baptized and regularly attend church are somehow on
the path to heaven. While that may be true of some, it is certainly not true
of all.
These mega-church leaders are all following
the same path to a man-centered gospel in what sounds like a Christ-centered
approach. They use the modern perversions of scripture to emphasize the love
of Christ, but strip that love of its convicting and transforming power.
Rick Warren says “…anybody can be won to
Christ if you discover the felt needs to his or her heart.” (C. Matthew
McMahon, Pelagian Captivity, p. 19. Cf. The Purpose Driven Church. P. 219.)
Hybel’s explains “We are a love starved people, with broken parts that need
the kind of repair that only he can give long-term.” (Ibid,
pg. 20.) The Bible teaches however that the unbeliever is by nature
more than broken. He is dead in trespasses and sins, (Ephesians 2:1) and must
be raised from death to a new life. It isn’t a matter of recognizing our
love-starved selves, but it is a matter of understanding our sin. The only
remedy for that sin is not pop-psychology, but the total surrender of our
sin-burdened souls to Jesus Christ.
Rick Warren says, “It is… critical that we
keep in mind a fundamental principle of Christian communication: the
audience, not the message, is sovereign… our message has to be adapted to the
needs of the audience. (George Barna, Marketing the Church,
Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1988, p. 145.) What he is saying is that
the truth of the Bible is not as important as felt needs of the people. This
is one good way to become popular, but it is not the way that heaven approves.
The underlying problem in using all the
various scripture revisions is that it is almost impossible to determine what
biblical truth actually is. This leaves those who are thus confused
questioning what really is the truth that we must believe.
Rome has the perfect
answer. Since there is no consistent, clear, biblical interpretation or
authority available, then the Pope is the one to determine what is truth. He is the only authoritative voice in the
ecumenical world today. Rome
greatly appreciates all the modern translations. In fact virtually all of
them harmonize with her corrupted western texts. The modern Bible
translations are designed to create confusion over doctrine, so that
eventually the churches will turn to Rome
for final authority. Ecumenical churches such as the mega-churches are very
effective agents of Rome.
Not only do they extol the Pope, the Jesuits and the Catholic Church, they
use translations that harmonize with Rome’s corrupted scripture in an effort
to come as close to Rome as possible without alienating their Protestant
supporters.
The church growth movement also
de-emphasizes prophecy. Rick Warren writes in the Purpose Driven Life [p.
285], “When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly
switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on
their mission in the world. He said in essence, ‘The details of my return are
none of your business. What is your business is the mission I’ve given you.
Focus on that!’ …If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling
your mission, not figuring out prophecy. It is easy to get distracted and
sidetracked from your mission because Satan would rather have you do anything
besides sharing your faith.” As you can see Rick Warren actively discourages
the study of prophecy because to him it is a snare of Satan to keep us from
fulfilling our mission.
Listen to this very prophetic statement
from the Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 92 “Satan is not asleep; he
is wide-awake to make of no effect the sure word of prophecy. With skill and
deceptive power he is working to counterwork the expressed will of God, made
plain in His word.”
Warren dares to suggest that the details surrounding
Jesus’ coming are none of our business. If it is none of our business, then
why did Jesus give us a very clear description of it in several places in
scripture? What Rick Warren doesn’t know apparently, is that Satan is
planning to counterfeit Jesus’ coming, and that it is essential that we know
as much about it as Jesus himself has given us, so that we won't be deceived
(see Matt 24). A correct understanding of prophecy is indispensable and
invaluable so that God’s people can prepare for His coming.
Do you remember our first scripture that
said “we have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn…?
When Rick Warren says that we should not focus on prophecy, we can say that
instead of receiving God’s blessing he and all those who follow him in this
way will at last find themselves in darkness, since they have no shinning
light to show them the truth and the right way. They don’t have a prophetic
light shining into the future.
It is not surprising that the church-growth
movement is tightly connected with the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican
is very enthusiastic about the Alpha Course which under girds church growth
movement. The Calvary Contender, March 2004 said in an article called Alpha
the Unofficial Guide, (p. 55.) that, “the Alpha Course is proving to be a
most profitable vehicle for Rome’s
ecumenical goals.” An Evangelical Times article wrote that Alpha fever “will
inch its adherents inexorably closer to the Roman Catholic Church. Rome
has welcomed the courses, and waits with consummate patience to embrace those
who wander from the path of scripture… (Alpha Courses and Catholicism)
Ambrose Griffiths, Roman Catholic bishop of
Hexham and Newcastle, England,
says that Alpha, “doesn’t contain anything that is
contrary to Catholic doctrine.” (Paul Fitton, The Alpha Course: Is it
Bible-Based or Hell-Inspired? Part 2)
Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore
has nothing but praise about Alpha. “Those who complete the Alpha course are
ready and eager to take part in the small communities that are forming in
parishes – ready and eager to learn more about our church and her sacraments
and to serve and evangelize others. (Alpha News International, Aug-Nov. 1999)
With all this background, why then do
churches and conferences who claim to have God’s truth send their pastors to
Willow Creek to learn of these methods and teachings? Why are books like the
Purpose Driven Life urged upon church members? Why do pastors quote from
Catholic mystics like Thomas Aquinas, Augustine and other famous churchmen?
The fact is that there is a great desire to be like the world-loving churches
so that their churches will grow. Listen to this enlightening statement from
The Signs of the Times, August 27, 1894. “Ministers of popular churches are…
softening down and diluting the plain word of truth. They are obscuring the
light, and changing the message, in order to accommodate it to the
prejudices, and adjust it to the opinions and habits, of the people. Thus
they cater to the taste of the world-loving members of the church.”
More than 12 years earlier Ellen White
warned that “Some ministers are adopting the customs of other churches,
copying their habits and manner of labor.” That is also from the Signs of the
Times, May 25, 1882.
Here is the problem for God’s last day
church. Those that follow the mega-church methods very quickly discover that
one cannot attract a large crowd if one preaches the distinctive message of
the Bible for the last days including the Sabbath, the non-immortality of the
soul and the investigative judgment. They then have to avoid preaching them
or give them up all together. The result is that God’s last day church loses
her clarity concerning her message and becomes insecure in its proclamation.
Once that insecurity sets in, there is no end to the compromises that will be
made in order to make people comfortable with modern worldly lifestyles. When
we bring in drums and rock music, clowns, mimes, skits and other forms of entertainment,
when we water down the message and just preach an emaciated love and
truthless unity so that everyone is happy and have no fear of sin and God’s
displeasure with it, we give the enemy of souls an open door to enter into
our midst to lead us from the truth, all in the name of worshipping Jesus.
What a masterful deception! How important it is for us to be alert to the
plans of Satan! He wants to bring us under the influence of the ecumenical
movement so that he can eventually bring us under the power of Rome and Rome’s
false worship.
Ellen White warns us again, that “there is
to be no compromise with those who make void the law of God. It is not safe
to rely upon them as counselors. Our testimony is not to be less decided now
than formerly: our real position is not to be cloaked in order to please the
world’s great men. They may desire us to unite with them and accept their
plans, and may make propositions in regard to our course of action which may
give the enemy an advantage over us.” That is from Selected Messages, book
two, p. 371. How true are these words!
If your pastor has attended Willow Creek,
love him, but tell him of his danger. If your church is a member of the
Willow Creek Association, perhaps it is time to make a presentation to the board
of the dangers of this type of worship and loss of the distinctive truth for
this time. Maybe you have been unaware of the false teachings of the “Purpose
Driven” movement, and have been attracted to its ideas. This is the time to
open your eyes and awake to your danger. Give no more time to this deceptive
plan of Satan to lead you astray. Rome’s
secret forces are at work, deceiving if possible the very elect. She is using
every method, including the church growth movement and the ecumenical
movement to deceive your soul and lead you under her control.
Now is the time to make your soul right
with God and make sure that you understand the message for this hour. Your
time and talents are God’s and we should not be
using them to entertain or lull others into comatose carnal security. This is
the time to be true watchmen on the walls of Zion
proclaiming God’s last warning message to the world. It is not the time to be
softening it down.
Let us pray that God will awaken those that
are caught up in this church growth deception and that we will never be
deceived by unscrupulous preachers of a false and watered-down gospel.
Our Father in heaven, thank
you for revealing to us the truth and exposing to us the deceptions of the
devil. Help us Lord not to be deceived and become blinded by the false
teachings of men that sound so good, but are unbiblical. Please Lord, there
are those who have been deceived. Please undeceive them and help them to open
their hearts to the truth for these last days. And Lord, if there are some
pastors that have become caught up in these methods and teachings of the
church growth movement, please help them to see the error of their ways, and
turn and proclaim the true message with power. May we truly represent Christ
and His faithfulness in every way. In Jesus’ name I
pray, Amen.
|