It takes time and dedication for celebrity teachers to build a ministry. Social media is a vital aspect when it comes to building their brand. Instagram, twitter and Facebook are utilized to keep their followers up to date with the latest offerings, and the goal is to receive offerings. A cursory glance at their social media pages is often enough to trigger the Berean inside of you, but the biblically illiterate will be duped into believing their theologically bankrupt, and at times sheer nonsensical posts. Word of faith (WOF) heresy, the prosperity gospel, and the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) are what these teachers have in common, in varying degrees. Here are some examples of what mesmerizes those who have been deceived by teachers who are not qualified to teach.
Jennifer LeClaire, news editor for Charisma magazine had thinking believers gobsmacked with her revelation of the “sneaky squid spirit.” She writes: “Fear can open the door to a squid spirit. The good news here is a squid’s tentacles do not grow back once severed. If you get discernment that a squid spirit is attacking you, repent for any known open doors, grab some intercessors, and get that sneaky stalker with its manipulating suckers off your mind! Sever the tentacles, in the name of Jesus, and walk free.”
Naturally, neither the gospels nor epistles make mention of this squid spirit.
Jesus said: “repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesse on the other hand offers his own perversion of the gospel:
Joel Osteen makes it equally convenient, while there is some truth (that’s how deception works) in his statement, salvation begins with conviction of our sins and repentance, not just starting to believe “you’re already in the family.” We have searched for a sermon by Joel Osteen where he clearly presents the gospel, we cannot find one. If you can, please send us the link.
John Bevere laments the dangers of “second – hand revelation” yet makes a comfortable living selling exactly that.
He has been very busy generating hype and creating expectancy among his followers over his forthcoming book. Here is the ear tickling description on Amazon: “This book offers answers to why so many people―and the churches they attend―are unable to experience the divine strength that was evident among the first-century Christians. In Killing Kryptonite, John Bevere reveals what this kryptonite is, why it’s compromising our churches, and how to break free from its bondage. Not for the faint of heart, Killing Kryptonite is anything but a spiritual sugar high. This is serious truth for any Christ-follower who longs to embrace the challenging but rewarding path of transformation.”
He claims this book is vital, not just for his church or followers, but an “urgent” message for the whole body of Christ. If this message is so important, and the whole body needs to hear it, why not offer it for free?
John Bevere wrote “Bait of Satan” so he knows about baiting. This clever marketing strategy offers some free material, but then the things that you think you really need you will have to pay for. For 2000 years the church has been without a “new paradigm” that works but fortunately John Bevere has seen something that that the disciples missed:
You can pray the “sinners prayer” a million times and still not be converted. 200 people raising their hands and reciting a prayer do not guarantee conversions:
Jonah might disagree:
Chris Gore is on the leadership team at Bethel Church in Redding and has been Director of the Bethel Healing Rooms since 2011. This is what he believes. He interprets Prov 18:21 through the heretical word of faith lens and ends up making man into God.
At one point God warned Israel: “but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing.” Amos 5:5 Another Bethel needs to be avoided at all costs. Firmly entrenched in the New Apostolic Reformation, Bill Johnson’s “church” in Redding is known for it’s “glory clouds” bizarre manifestations, new age tendencies, mysticism, and twisting of scripture. They also teach the prosperity gospel, word of faith heresy, and dominion theology.
If this is true, God is not sovereign and we are all in trouble:
Perhaps you know the meaning of this one:
The only person able to bring Heaven to earth is Jesus, and prior to that expect a great departure from the faith, not a worldwide revival as claimed by those in the NAR:
Believers in North Korea, China, Syria, Africa, and other countries where they are persecuted and martyred for their faith might take issue with this one:
Cindy Jacobs is founder and president of Generals International, an international prayer ministry, and is another NAR false prophet. This “breakthrough” will set you back $149. Forget about God’s plan for your life, which probably looks different to living the “American dream,” this is about YOU:
Kenneth Copeland the WOF heretic who claims to have power over the weather (where was he this past week?) tells us to have faith in OUR faith:
Be sure not to miss out on Tamara Lowe’s Boot Camp. “Discover how to use your God” – is where the sentence should end.
If Todd White is correct, we have a long way to go. Doing the good old leg stretching trick in place of real miracles will not fool the world. He is correct however concerning a “new breed” – these are the folk who have been deceived into believing a false prophet can impart an anointing:
Motivational speaker Joel Osteen contradicts himself. We don’t deserve it, but we deserve to be there:
Apparently bad theology pays off. Perhaps Joel learnt this past week that our words don’t shape our world, anyway, here is one of Joel’s houses:
Head of Bethel School of Supernatural ministry and false prophet Kris Vallotton (fortunate to have entered into the prophetic after the old covenant) agrees with mystical “apostle” Bill Johnson that we should “minister out of imagination”
Kris apparently has these verses missing from his Bible: “I know your
tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)…” – Rev 2:9
“For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted
the plundering of your property” – Heb 10:24
“as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as
having nothing, yet possessing everything” – 2 Cor 6:10
Charisma News – your reliable source for peddling the occult. Who needs Jesus?
Havilah Cunnington offers a “Prophetic Personalities” course. She identified what all the real Apostles missed – there are four types of prophetic personalities. Havilah will “teach on four types of prophetic gifts, unleashing you into a bold life of hearing from Heaven.” Priced at $49, you will also receive “ADDED BONUSES” : “Deep Dive Cheatsheet for each Personality Type, 30 days of Activations, Private Q&A for Students and Private Facebook Community.”
I don’t think shipwrecks, beatings, hunger, cold, a thorn in the flesh, bodily ailments and ultimately martyrdom were a part of Paul’s dreams, and neither do I believe that if Paul were disobedient to the vision he received, God’s purposes would have been hampered. What we have here is not prophetic; it’s just her personality speaking:
Never make the mistake of attending a conference that only hands our single anointings. Whatever impartation you receive from this NAR false prophet will not be from God.
Self appointed NAR prophet Lou Engle from “The Call” continues to promote false doctrine such as in the statement in the image below. Christ said “it is finished”. All that is needed is salvation by grace through faith which is applicable to individuals not nations. Christ did not die for national sins neither will he redeem nations but rather individuals from each nation. This is typical NAR kingdom now heresy; the goal being to save literal nations and set up God’s kingdom on earth.
The apostle Paul when he was in Athens was disturbed because the city was given over to idolatry. His response – he reasoned with the Jews and explained the gospel to philosophers. He did not engage in spiritual warfare and apply the blood to shift the atmosphere and cleanse the nation, he did not identify territorial spirits and walk in circles around the city claiming Athens for Jesus, he did not call for a 24/7 fast to tear down strongholds, he did not declare and proclaim scriptures over Athens.
The book of Jude tells us false teachers “rely on their dreams” Another nonsensical one liner from NAR false prophet Lou Engle:
Number plates, not only are they the means of identifying vehicles; apparently God uses them to speak to us:
Books and conferences are not the only way to make money; you’re building a brand remember, anything goes:
Let’s end with this pearl of wisdom from WOF and prosperity teacher, Paula White:
What you have just seen is a product of teachers who deny the sufficiency of scripture, twist scripture, or blatantly disregard scripture.
When the Lord called me and sought me out, He revealed the truth about the altar call delusion, so gently revealed to me by the Holy Ghost, I then and there trusted that the truth would be revealed to me in the Word. When I first started reading I knew immediately I had an enemy.
“Of His own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” James 1:18
I wanted to include this quote from an early Christian man that always stayed with me and I think explains what you are saying.
“The Holy Spirit operates upon the heart through the truth. He gives it a personal application brings it home to the heart and conscience, and exerts an efficacious influence in connection with it, changing the heart and life. “ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” “Of his own will begat he us, with the word of truth.” “Seeing ye have purified your souls, in obeying the truth through the Spirit.” “Being born again by the word of God.”
Thus, the agency of the Spirit is generally acknowledged in connection with the truth. Any religious feeling or experience, therefore, which is not produced by the truth, made effectual by the Holy Spirit, is not genuine.
There is a kind of indefinite religious feeling, which many mistake for Christian experience. They feel, and perhaps deeply; but they know not why they feel. Such religious feeling is to be suspected as spurious. It may be the delusion of the devil. By persuading people to rest upon this spurious religious feeling, he accomplishes his purpose as well as if he had kept them in carnal security.
And the clearer our views of truth, the more spiritual and holy will be our religious affections. Thus, godly sorrow arises from a sight of our own depravity, with a sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, as committed against a holy God, and against great light and mercy.
Faith is produced by a spiritual view of the atonement of Christ, and of his infinite fulness as a complete and perfect Saviour.
Love is excited by a discovery of the excellence of God’s moral perfections.
Holy fear and reverence arise from a sight of the majesty and glory of his natural attributes, and a sense of his presence.
Joy may come from a sense of the infinite rectitude of his moral government; from the sight of the glory of God, in his works of providence and grace; or from a general view of the beauty and excellence of divine truth.
Comfort may be derived from evidence of the divine favor; and confidence, from an appropriation of God’s promises to ourselves. And in many other ways, also, the Holy Spirit produces spiritual affections through the instrumentality of the truth.
But all religious feeling produced by impulse, without any rational view of the truth, is to be suspected. It may be the work of Satan, who is very busy in counterfeiting religious experiences for those he wishes to deceive. Every religious affection has its counterfeit.
Thus, sorrow may be produced by the fear of hell, without any sense of the evil of sin; a presumption of our own good estate may be mistaken for faith, and this will produce joy; we may exercise a carnal or selfish love to God, because we think he loves us, and has made us the objects of his special favor; and this may excite the natural passions to a high degree of fervor, without any spiritual affection; the promises of God, also, so far as they concern the personal good of the believer, may administer as much comfort to the self-deceived as to the real saint.”
The Young’s Lady’s Guide to the Harmonious, 1841.
Chapter 2, pgs. 31-33
by Harvey Newcomb ~
Thank you Deborah for sharing this.