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“The Holy Spirit really showed up!” and “A big move of the Spirit!” = crass emotionalism?

Posted on November 8, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We hear a lot about the big moves of the Holy Spirit. We see Youtube clips of young millennials falling to the floor, or standing with arms upstretched in front of smoke filled stages, pulsing lights, glitter, laughing and sobbing. Afterward they smile tiredly, saying “The Holy Spirit really moved!” Or, “The Holy Spirit really showed up!”

As an aside, I dislike that phrase, ‘The Holy Spirit showed up.’ It’s crass. It’s akin to attending a funeral and saying to the bereaved, “So your wife croaked, eh?’ The Holy Spirit doesn’t ‘show up.’ He isn’t hailing a taxi running late, throwing a scarf around his neck while jumping out of the cab and huffing into the church. The Spirit doesn’t ‘show up’. The Holy Spirit governs the universe.

To the main point regarding big moves of the Spirit. Successive years of successive generations of younger church-goers have twisted Hebrews 11:1’s statement of what faith is:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Into –

Now faith is the substance of things we’ve come to tangibly possess, the evidence of things seen and experienced.

Spurgeon had something to say about these “Christian emotionalists” in Sermon 898, A Word with Those Who Wait for Signs and Wonders,

There are some, and these are generally the most uneducated, who expect to experience remarkable dreams or to behold singular visions. Others we have met with, who suppose that in order to being saved they must feel some very peculiar physical sensation. Now you must not look for this. You must not put physical contortions or sensations as a test before the Lord, and say you will not believe in Him otherwise.

You seek what is quite unnecessary. What do you want a sign for? You want, you say, a token of God’s love. What token of God’s love to you can ever be wanted, now that He has given His only-begotten Son, first to live on earth, and then to die in pains extreme, the just for the unjust, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”! I blush for you, that you should ask any token of God’s love while Jesus Christ is before you…

I must tell you what is more, you are acting the part of an idolater. What does an idolater do? He says, “I cannot believe in an unseen God; I must have a golden calf or an image, that I can see with my eyes and touch with my hand.” You say just the same. You cannot believe God’s naked word, you demand something you can feel, something you can see. Sheer idolatry.

And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign... (Luke 11:29-30)

You might feel an overwhelming sense of joy, or peace, or well-being, or love for Jesus at times. These emotional times can occur when prayer is answered, providence is seen, worship is genuine, or Bible reading has deepened your view of the Savior. Strong emotion is good and appropriate. But to rely on such moments as proof of the Spirit’s presence casts a vain hope upon the shores of the Rock which stands above all. Your sure faith is in Him and His word that reveals Him.

Depending on signs is seeking a golden calf of experience over faith.

If you’re looking for a move of the Spirit, a miracle, sign, or wonder, there are many that we can name which exalt Jesus. Unsaved men are helpless and unable to come to God unless the Spirit draws them. (John 6:44). He saves by grace. Any new believer is a miracle, because they cannot save themselves. Sanctification is a miracle of God, because only by the Spirit can we resist sin and grow in His likeness. Providence is a miracle of God because He sustains the universe by the power of His word every minute, and He ordains every event that happens to all 8 billion people on earth at every second.

Stop looking for glitter dust falling from the ceiling, for personal prophecies, and visible signs when we already have the redemptive, sanctifying, providential work of the Lord occurring all over the world every second.

I’ll leave John MacArthur with the last word-

For all those true believers who love the Lord, the promise is a wonderful promise. … I think it’s time in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to give honor to the Holy Spirit, to worship Him, to love Him, to ascribe to Him the glory that He is due and to stop the nonsense that brings dishonor on His holy name.

theology

Prata Potpourri: Bubba Copeland, Elisabeth, God’s Will, Confronting a brother

Posted on November 7, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The Halloween season is over (and a huge praise the Lord from all teachers!) and now we are looking at the blessed time of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I see the usual debates on when to decorate for Christmas (before Thanksgiving or after?), ham or turkey for the Thanksgiving dinner? Nativity sets should or should not contain Wise Men?

I found a sweet and simple nativity myself, made of popsicle sticks. But the manger scene is just adorable. Joseph even holds a teeny tiny staff! I plan to put it in my classroom.

Hopefully this holiday season is a time we can step back, let twitter wars and Facebook resentments go, embrace those around us with love and enjoy the time of year.

Yet, sin still stalks the world and sad and weird news still happens. There’s cuteness and joy too. To that end, here are a few items for your perusal-

Mayor F.L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland, who was also pastor of First Baptist Church, was outed as a transgender women who had posted photos of himself in racy underwear, his wife’s clothing, authored transgender erotica as well as posting trans porn, killed himself two days after he was outed. “What I do in private life has nothing to do with what I do in my holy life” he had said. No. This is an error. There is no separation between the private and public man. Try to, and it’s spiritual shipwreck! Sadly, he killed himself 😦 he leaves a wife and three children.

Alabama mayor ‘Bubba’ Copeland’s friends worried about his mental health prior to apparent suicide

News story here: Alabama preacher F.L. ‘Bubba’ Copeland kills himself after being outed as ‘transgender curvy girl’

We truly don’t know the secret sins some people hide. Yet, the Bible says,

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. (James 1:14-15).

Sometimes we must confront a brother or sister. Matthew 18:15 says so. “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Proverbs 25:9 too. Luke 17:3. Galatians 6:1. Sensitive stuff. It needs to be handled rightly. Paul Tautges at Counseling One Another gives some advice in his essay, Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before Confronting a Brother or Sister in Christ

God’s will is inscrutable sometimes. We know His revealed will for all humans, as we read His word. He has revealed Himself there. He has revealed himself in general to all humans through His creation. But His personal will for each of his children, we do not know from day to day how He will sovereignly care for us. Just that He will and He does, even through the most traumatic of events. If a tragedy occurs in our life we often ask, “Why, WHY, Lord?” and we cannot see the ‘good’ in it. But all that God does is good.

This is an anecdote from the early adult life of Elisabeth Elliot, who was not married to Jim Elliot at the time, but was working on mission in Ecuador before she was even engaged to him.

When God’s Sovereign Will Seems Inscrutable – Elisabeth Elliot

Seek what is good, what is true, and what is beautiful. Enjoy the outdoors and God’s creation today. Pray, love, and be patient. God loves you.

theology

What happened to the man who allegedly called in a bomb threat at G3 Conference in September?

Posted on November 6, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizbeth Prata

On a Friday evening on September 22, 2023, thousands of conference-goers were settling into their seats at the G3 Conference, ready and eager to view the premiere of The Essential Church documentary. G3 stands for ‘Gospel-Grace-Glory’ and the conference was founded by Atlanta-area pastor Josh Buice of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church.

Suddenly a person came on stage to announce there had been a bomb threat, and everyone must evacuate the cavernous building, the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC). Similar warnings were being issued in the adjacent vendor area. It’s a massive venue and it took a few moments for people to process the information and then act by moving toward exit doors.

Then dozens and hundreds of Law Enforcement and other first responders continuously checked and cleared the massive building for the few hours. Meanwhile, many of the attendees who were lodging at the next door hotel, congregated in the lobby.

A threat caller wants to disrupt normal activities by creating anxiety and panic. Well, the threat did disrupt activities, but it did not create fear or panic. The attendees simply streamed out of the GICC, went their separate ways, and prayed. Those who were lodging in the next-door hotel gathered in the Library and…sang.

They sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and the sound reverberated in the marble lobby and into the hearts and memories of many who were there. It moved those who viewed the recording later, too. Great IS thy faithfulness, Lord!

Bomb Threat at the G3 2023 Conference Led Us Back to the Hotel Lobby Where We Worshiped God in Song

The conference continued the next morning with only 1 minor adjustment to the schedule and concluded later that day as scheduled without incident.

The perp was arrested that very evening in the parking lot of the Conference Center, according to reports, Timothy Mixon, a 33-year old, was arrested and removed from the scene.

GICC LifeSafety Guide source

“Bomb threats create significant operational and psychological impacts.” FMI source

So what happened AFTER? I’ve been tracking the court case. The case in Clayton County Magistrate Court was filed the next morning, with a ‘Warrantless Arrest Affidavit Against MIXON, TIMOTHY MATTHEW.’ The charge was “False Public Alarm.”

A judge was assigned and Mixon’s first appearance was 09/24/2023 via ZOOM. Mixon’s bond was set $5000.00 with special conditions, and an application for indigent counsel was filed.

The next month, on October 24, there was a preliminary hearing via ZOOM. The next day a waiver of hearing was filed, with a case disposal.

The disposition of the case as of October 25, 2023 was that the case was “Bound Over to St. CT., Waver – Cnt 1 Warrantless.”

I’m not a lawyer but I believe this translates to being bound over from Magistrate Court to State Court.

According to Michael M. Hawkins, a Criminal Defense Attorney in Atlanta, GA, speaking not about this case but answering a question as to what “bound over” means,

“Bound over simply means the case is being sent forward in the court system to be prosecuted. A bind over can be from a municipal court to a state court, or from a magistrate court to a state court where there is a probable cause hearing. It is a normal step a case takes in the criminal justice system. The next step will be arraignment, where [defendant] will be advised of the charges pending against her, and will be given the opportunity to enter a plea of guilty (where [defendant] will go to sentencing), or not guilty (where [defendant] will be scheduled for trial).“

The case does not appear yet on the State Court website, so no further information is available at this point. I will update when it is filed and the public can view it. Meanwhile, no motivation for Mixon’s act has been publicly presented as far as I can detect, but certainly the man needs prayer.

theology

“God is watching how we care for children”

Posted on November 5, 2023November 5, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

This weekend has been a sober one, not sad exactly, but I’ve had a troubled spirit and been in deep ponderings about children.

Sometimes I get that way, maybe it’s the gift of discernment and the Spirit stirring my heart, or maybe it’s just normal observation of the things happening in the world, or maybe both. But it has been a furrowed brow weekend.

As you may know, I work with children. I teach children reading in small groups in levels from kindergarten to third grade, or age 5 to about 9. Because of my job, I’m aware and observant of anything that relates to children in the wider world.

On Friday, I wrote on Twitter,

“IMO you can detect how stable or unstable a society is by how they treat their children. In the US, our society is collapsing.“

My feeling of spiritual concern, my propelling drive to protect and love these children has increased of late. But I feel like the man on the starfish beach, seeing all the thousands of starfish washed up with no way to get to their safe haven of the ocean. The man came across a boy putting the starfish back into the water, one by one. The man scoffed, saying, “What are you doing? You can’t save them all! What you’re doing can’t possibly make a difference!” The boy looked at the starfish in his hand and calmly replied, “Yes, but I can make a difference to this one.”

I just have to keep remembering to be the boy, and make a difference to the ones in my sphere. Who I am able to help, I need to help.

Then in God’s providence, I came across John MacArthur’s latest sermon on Youtube. It was from October 29, 2023 and titled “Grace for the Children.“

MacArthur began the sermon by telling his congregation that the little booklet they received had a note in it about his new upcoming book, which is at the printer’s now and will be available in January: “The War on Children.” It is an apt title and crystallized things for me. Yes, it IS a war on children. I need to be a good soldier and remember that children are both targets in this war and collateral damage. They are helpless, vulnerable, and at-risk every moment. Most children.

“Just Say No” isn’t a motto for being against drugs anymore, it’s a motto for children against their parents’ authority. EPrata

Not like the old days when children were protected and cherished. Even in today’s good families, there is high risk. Just last week Robert Card of Lewiston Maine entered a bowling alley on a Family League night and shot people, one of whom was a 14 year old. The younger children who were present and survived still must deal with the trauma of being involved in such a horrific event.

Next, MacArthur said that he wants the church to renew their commitment to children.

“It was the process of going through that book and taking stock of what is happening to the children of our culture that I felt that we as a church needed to affirm our commitment to children. That is a stewardship, obviously, that God has given to us and we need to take it seriously. … What is happening to the children is horrific and it is disastrous temporally and eternally.” ~John MacArthur

This was good for me to hear. I need to re-affirm my commitment to children.

Then MacArthur launched into the main body of the sermon. He doesn’t whitewash the truth. It is the truth and it needs to be said, whether it’s “good” or “bad”. There are no primrose paths for us to tread in this day and age. Evidenced by how this society is treating its children, it is obvious God has moved in judgment of us. What is the next generation going to be like, we wonder? MacArthur answered,

“Biblically? It’s going to be worse. Because the Bible says evil men grow worse and worse. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse. And that means the people who will make this culture worse are the children of this generation.”

Not the news I wanted to hear, but it’s news that is true and informs my conscience and my behavior. I had also earlier noted on Twitter that it has been getting harder and harder to impress upon children to be responsible for their behavioral choices, to own up to them.

I see a lot of bucking authority and ignoring authority in society today. As I’m out and about I see children ignore or refuse their parents’ directions. “Just Say No” isn’t a motto for being against drugs anymore, it’s a motto for children against their parents’ authority.

I watch Youtube videos of people getting arrested for drunk driving or shoplifting. The younger ones, in their late teens or early 20s who are caught, absolutely refuse the Law Enforcement Officer’s orders. They completely ignore or reject his authority. It’s startling to see this, having grown up in the 1960s where the cultural revolution was happening but people still by and large protested peacefully, or law and order was maintained because of a more widespread acceptance of parental and law enforcement authority.

Then MacArthur spent time in Matthew 11 and exposited the meaning of several verses and parables involving children. He spent about half an hour in different verses. I couldn’t wrap my head around his point. I began wondering, since he is 84 1/2 years old after all, is he losing it? The sermon isn’t coalescing. Is there a point?

And YES of course, toward the end, there was a point that wraps the sermon up into a bow. He isn’t losing it. He came to a crescendo that pierced me. I have exactly seen what he started to talk about as he came to a close.

He said that when children are in their tender years, 5,6,7 they are very receptive to the things of God. They are eager and take them as normal and true. But after a certain point, which some call the Age of Accountability, they close down. They become hostile to the things of God. He said you will know when the child reaches that age,

“because accepting the Gospel is difficult. Submitting to the Law of God, a struggle to confront their sin, turn from their sin and submit their lives to Christ.”

I have seen kids age 5 or 6 burble about Jesus. The excitedly relate what they know and have interpreted. They speak of heaven and the cross. They say things like, “Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then came alive again and then he killed all the dinosaurs.” LOL. But they speak admiringly or positively about Jesus, especially during Thanksgiving time in November when you ask them what they are grateful for.

After about age 10, 11, 12…they don’t.

The point of his sermon is to be aware of this and during the years they are compliant and accepting, “Teach, teach, teach.”

“Because all that you teach them, all that input into their little minds will be available to them when they come to the point when the struggle begins. You want them filled up with the knowledge of scripture. You want them singing songs you heard today…because that truth in their heart is what mitigates against their fallen nature.”

In Literacy Education, we do something called “frontloading.”

Frontloading means punctuating the key learning points before an activity or experience takes place, rather than or in combination with, debriefing it afterwards.” (Source)

Frontload your children with hymns, scripture, God’s holy love, and be persistent in it. For me, working in a secular school, I can’t pointedly teach them about Jesus, but I can behave that way. I can live it. I can love, love, love in His name, and remember they are not the enemy. They are the enemy’s targets. I can counter the devil’s push with patience, love, and kindness acted out and expressed.

“God is watching how we care for children.”
John MacArthur

Here is the sermon. Please consider listening. My discernment radar is telling me things are getting very, very serious out there. I was not off track when I pondered these things on Friday and by Saturday night the Lord graciously led me to this sermon, where it is also obvious that JMac’s discernment radar is also going off.

When JMac’s book “The War on Children” is published in January, I want to buy it immediately.

Sermon audio, no transcript yet, at Grace Church: https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/81-161

Sermon on Youtube, with closed captions.

conversation, encouragement, john bunyan, pilgrim's progress, salvation

Godly conversation has more impact than we think

Posted on November 4, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I am a literacy educator in a lower elementary school. I am also a writer. I am an editor. And I have been a voracious reader since I read “Dick and Jane“.

I love words, everything about words. Words have great impact. Nothing will convince me otherwise.

I read an interesting list of points an author made about John Bunyan’s conversion. John Bunyan was the writer of Pilgrim’s Progress, a book many say is the most important book in English ever written, apart from the Bible. It is without doubt a literary masterpiece. It has stood the test of time since its publication in 1678. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature in history. And the man who wrote it was raised as an atheist.

In Geoff Thomas‘ essay titled “John Bunyan,” Mr Thomas wrote,

“John Bunyan had no family influences encouraging him to become a Christian. … In June 1644 when he was 16 his mother passed away and four weeks later his sister died. Eight weeks after his mother’s death his father remarried and in 8 months his wife gave birth to a boy whom his Royalist father named ‘Charles’. Four months earlier John had left home and had joined the Parliamentary Army fighting against King Charles. There was little affection between son and father. How then did John Bunyan become a Christian? There were ten factors which all played their part, great and small:”

One of these factors caught my attention-

Bunyan was stirred by the godly conversation of Christians.
He would work in Bedford and eat his bread with some Christian women who tailored their conversation for his ears. They talked of their own sin, the new birth, and the love of Christ. Bunyan listened intently and later wrote, ‘They spoke as if joy was making them speak. They were to me as if they had found a new world,’ and he often sought them out and sat with them.

‘they tailored their conversation for his ears.’ How important it is, to speak of Jesus in truth for known hearers and unknown hearers! The women must have seen the Spirit working in Bunyan, and they made a choice to and selflessly not speak of the carnal or mundane or the personal, but of the joy of His grace!

They were living this:

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6)

Gill’s Exposition says of the Colossians verse,

“let grace be the subject matter of your speech and conversation. When saints meet together they should converse with each other about the work of grace upon their souls, how it was begun, and how it has been carried on, and in what case it now is; they should talk of the great things and wonders of grace, which God has done for them, which would be both comfortable and edifying to them, and make for the glory of the grace of God”

Jason L. Sanders wrote,

Preachers Aren’t The Only Ones With Pulpits

Parents carry a pulpit with them. And from it, thousands of times a day, we preach a sermon to our kids. Whether the sermon is a good one or a bad one, we can be sure of this one thing.

Whether we are preachers exhorting in church, parents teaching our children, or two simple Puritan Christian ladies serving lunch to an obviously tortured soul in John Bunyan, we have the privilege and the responsibility to speak ‘as if joy was making us speak.’

What glory it brings the Lord when we intentionally speak of the riches of His grace. Hearers known and unknown to us, Christian and perishing, listen to us and our Spirit-carried words,

For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. (2 Corinthians 2:16)

For John Bunyan, the ladies’ words were the aroma of life to life (‘he often sought them out and sat with them‘). Therefore season your conversation with love, joy, and salt, and watch with admiration and joy where He carries your words. For we all have a pulpit.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)

theology

Praying to the dead in heaven for intercession?

Posted on November 3, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Catholic believers pray to Mary. They think that since Jesus can’t resist His mother, that if they pray to Mary, whop passes it to her son, their prayers get more oomph. In addition, they have been told that Mary’s conception was immaculate, and therefore she is without sin, and is co-redeemer with Jesus. It’s why they pray to her.

For more on this topic, read here. Or here.

But praying to a saved sinner in heaven (which is what Mary is, a sinner just like the rest of us, and certainly not “Queen of Heaven”), isn’t something that only Catholics do. Protestants pray to departed relatives in heaven, too. It’s becoming more common to hear of non-Catholics praying to the dead in heaven.

We pray FOR others on earth, we do not pray TO others in heaven.

We’ve sadly seen the intrusion of Catholic practices into Protestantism. We saw Contemplative prayer sweep the denominations, Lectio Divina, labyrinth walking, books on prayers in ordinary time, and more. Now we see the beginning of praying to the departed friends or relatives in heaven, just like the Catholics pray to Mary.

Is this biblical? Let’s take a look.

In Hebrews 12:1, we read,

Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us,

If reading the verse at first pass, it looks like there is a balcony in heaven upon which sit the departed saints, viewing our movements and involved with us, at least emotionally and/or spiritually.

That is not what the verse means. The witnesses are the believers who lived before us and whose lives are recorded in the Bible for us to take example or encouragement from.

But folks who interpret the Hebrews verse the incorrect way, think that because the balcony is stuffed with watchers from above, and that since they are involved with us anyway, we can send up a prayer for them to pray for us to Jesus. Some people pray to the departed for them to give us aid or comfort, or whatever the person on earth is praying to them for. And, that they will hear those prayers and be able to do something about the need.

This activity is very close to the pagan practices of Ancestor Worship. Ancestor Worship is prevalent in Chinese religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Eastern Orthodox, and is practiced widely in varioius places in India, Africa, and Asia.

Nations Online defines Ancestor Worship as:
“1. a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence,
2. that the spirits of deceased ancestors will look after the family,
3. take an interest in the affairs of the world,
4. and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living.“

Well, #1 is correct. The rest are false notions. Why?

The scripture says, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5).

ONE mediator, not parents or aunts or friends who have passed into glory. There is only one mediator.

Mediator means: “one who intervenes between two persons who are at variance, with a view to reconcile them.” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary).

Humans and God are at variance, meaning, we are at enmity against Him and we need reconciling due to our natural hatred of God, holy living, and worshiping rightly. God established the Gospel in order to mediate Jesus and humans and reconcile us to Him.

Hebrews 8:6 ; 9:15 ; 12:24 also speaks to the Mediator.

Romans 8:34 says “Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

The verse doesn’t include others to whom we may appeal for prayer. The Bible is clear we may only pray to God. Hebrews 4:16 tells us we may approach His throne with boldness. When He has made a way to approach him confidently, through His Son’s blood, WHY would anyone want to swerve from the direct path He has given us, to go away from God on His throne and approach a human for intercession?

Approach His throne boldly, and ONLY His throne

It makes no sense. It is true we who are believers are all called ‘saints’, and it’s true we are in a royal ‘priesthood’, but we mustn’t allow those biblical terms to become unbiblical by adding more to the office than is warranted. Only Jesus is the true intercessor, operating in His priestly function.

Why dilute Jesus’ priestly role by adding to the list of people in heaven who ALSO can intercede? Is the person praying to people other than Jesus, in that case, on earth believing in or proclaiming “a different Gospel’?

Only Jesus does that can hear our prayers and act on them. Praying to anyone else than the Persons of the Trinity is inappropriate and wrong. The practice smacks of at best, a misunderstanding of Hebrews ‘cloud of witnesses,’ and at worst, a pagan practice the heathen perform.

Jesus is sufficient. He is our Priest and mediator.

father's day, fatherhood

This, THIS is honorable manhood

Posted on November 2, 2023November 2, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In July 1861, Union Officer Sullivan Ballou wrote a letter to his wife, Sarah. He was facing the First Battle of Bull Run, and he knew he might never return. Below, please listen to the letter read on the PBS program “The Civil War.”

It is from a man who was a loving husband and father. It is from a courageous soldier committed to the cause of our representative government. It is from a man who thanked his God for his blessings. It is from an articulate, sensitive man. It is from a man looking death in the eye and doing his duty anyway. It is from a man unflinchingly committed to duty, honor, virtue, love, country, and God.

discernment, false teachers, God in a box

“God can use it…” Yes He can. But will He?

Posted on November 1, 2023November 22, 2023 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

“I don’t agree with everything [insert false teacher’s name here] but there are some good things he/she says. God can use it.”

No.

For people who say, well, ‘Don’t put God in a box, He can use anything’, you’re right, God can use anything. He can turn me into a giraffe. But will He? No, He created animals after their own kind. Just because God CAN turn me into a giraffe doesn’t mean He will.

There is the story of the demon-possessed slave girl in Acts which relates here.

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. (Acts 16:16-18)

Why didn’t Paul say, as so many pastors and teachers and women say today, “She is speaking truth. I don’t agree with everything she says, but God can certainly use her”?

Because it isn’t about the words such a person says, it’s the source. Paul taught,

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

He made four explicit points:

Righteousness v. lawlessness
Light v. darkness
Christ v. Belial (satan)
Believer v. unbeliever

He made four implicit points. The goal among believers is to be in:
partnership
fellowship
harmony
in common

Whatever flavor your favored partly or all-false teacher demonstrates from the second column, God will not use it. The dividing line is clear. Have nothing to do with those who are lawless, or dark, or of satan, or are an unbeliever.

He can do anything, even use a demon-possessed girl speaking truth – but He won’t. He didn’t. The Holy Spirit inside Paul was tormented hearing the slave girl speak heavenly glories from a satan-polluted mouth! (Acts 16:18). Any false teacher is demon influenced. In Galatians 1 Paul was astonished they were deserting the Gospel so quickly. In 2 Corinthians 11 he chastised them who put up with a different Gospel so easily. In Revelation 2, Jesus threatened the Thyatirans for tolerating a false prophetess. No, God won’t use falsity. His Son is too beautiful to Him and His Gospel is too pure. Why should he?

God chose to speak thru His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2), not through satan. So why would you limit God and put Him in a box by saying He can’t follow through on what He said He will do? Trust Him. If He said He will work through the Gospel given rightly, He will.

And what if…”God can use” a false teacher’s words not to draw women to Christ but to harden them in their sin? Be careful what you say “God can use.” God DOES use sinners, wolves, and false doctrine, but not in the way most people think.

I’ll end with a best quote from a sister in Christ. When the TV series “The Bible” was released by Roma Downey, Sunny Shell reviewed it. She put in a Q & A to her review. She was asked,

Q. “Even though there’s a lot of error in this movie, still, don’t you think it’s a great way to show people who God really is, I mean, can’t God use anything to save someone?

A. No, I don’t think this movie is a great way to reveal the truth about God since it’s filled with lies about God. And yes, I realize God can use anything to save someone, but He only chose to use the message of the true Gospel to save all men (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). Nowhere in Scripture does God command or allow His children to use the work of Satan to proclaim His truth. And God is clear, anyone who denies Him and defiles His holy character or word, works for the devil, not for God.

Since the beginning of time, the devil has attempted to minimize and blaspheme God’s holy character by lulling us to disregard His holiness, justice and righteousness. God has never called His children of light to partner with the works of darkness (2 Cor 6:15-16). As God’s children, we are commanded to pursue holiness, rather than try to find a way to compromise the glory of Christ in order to “reach more people”.

If I hear a woman saying “I know [such and such false teacher] doesn’t teach everything according to the Bible, but I like some things she teaches” then I know one thing for sure. Something in that false teacher’s doctrine appeals to her flesh and she is unwilling to give that up.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

theology

Is there a scriptural basis for discernment?

Posted on October 31, 2023May 19, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Part 1 here: Why are there so many false pastors?

In these biblically illiterate days, many people focus their anger on the person calling out false teachers. They become angry with those who are warning against false doctrines or movements. Discernment is important! But, is there a scriptural basis for discernment activity, such as calling out false teachers, or warning the brethren of faddish leaven-soaked movements?

Yes.

The fact of the Spiritual gift: Some in the faith have been given the spiritual gift of “discerning of spirits.” Some translations say “distinguishing of spirits.” This is embedded in the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

The purpose of the spiritual gift: The reason some have been given this spiritual gift is to be a smoke alarm for the local body, an early warning system as it were. ALL spiritual gifts are to be employed for the good of the church and the glory of God. Discerners are to use their gift of discernment to warn others so that false doctrine does not creep in. False doctrine is deadly. It’s “leaven” that pollutes the whole loaf.

Did you know that every New Testament book except Philemon warns of false doctrine or false teachers and outlines the impact falsity has on the church? It is a HUGE issue. It is something the NT does not ignore, and we should not either. So the Spirit installed discerners to help keep His church pure.

Discerners do not have extra sensory perception, nor direct revelations from God. It’s not a mystical activity. They just know the Word so well, they can spot a counterfeit at 100 paces. It would insult the Spirit to have been given the gift of discernment by Him but to remain silent and not use it. Jesus rebuked the church at Thyatira in Revelation 2, for knowing the metaphorical Jezebel was teaching falsely, but did nothing about it.

Discernment for the layman: Though some do not possess the specific spiritual gift of discernment, ALL people in the faith are to work at honing their discernment. Hebrews 5:13-14 expects the believer to train in discernment. Acts 17:11 tells us all to be like the noble Bereans who consulted the word to compare whether what they were hearing was true or false. 1 John 4:1 tells us to test the spirits to see if they are from God.

So even if a person does not have the gift, they are to be working at being discerning themselves through constantly being in the Word and by training and practice of discernment.

Calling out the false: The folks that feel they possess the gift, or are pastors or teachers in charge of the sheep, have a DUTY to warn. Jude speaks to this, in just one of many examples. Jude 1:22 speaks of snatching some from the fire. Matthew 7:15 says to “beware” of false prophets that come in like hungry wolves. Beware is an action, we must be on guard. And many other verses…

So if one person who is more mature than another (Hebrews 5:14) sees that their friend is about to be devoured by a wolf, or led astray, or headed to a shipwreck (all allusions in the NT for what happens to the undiscerning), is it loving to look away, go home, and pray? Yes, prayer is effective (James 5:16). But paired with a gentle but direct warning, it is even more effective.

Discernment Police: The person who chides the discerner is usually one who likes their idols. They should be concerned with their own walk and its purity and holiness. Though I rarely receive this kind of reply, the reply I’d love to see is this:

“Oh no, you say So and So is false? Please tell me more. I want to honor Jesus with all my might, and would be crushed to think I’m polluting my faith by being unwary. Help me understand.”

THAT is the answer we all hope to get, SHOULD get, because Jesus is more important than anything.

People have too soft of an attitude toward false teachers and false doctrine. The serpent deceived Eve with one question. He tried to bamboozle JESUS of all people, tempting THE Word with the word of God. The concern for all of us should be holiness and purity of our walk, training in discernment, and being so knowledgeable of the word that we are immersed in truth as our armor.

Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 Timothy 3:5; 2 John 10 in some form or fashion tell us to mark and avoid the false teachers. These are commands. We cannot mark nor avoid if we do not know who they are. We should thank discerners for helping us to do this.

WHY are there so many warnings about false doctrine in the New Testament? Because it’s important! And because we are all easily deceived: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

Balance: Now it is true that some people get so consumed with discernment that they wind up looking for the dirt rather than focusing on Jesus. They are imbalanced, spending too much time on discernment and not enough in the word and other spiritual disciplines. Discerners like that give the spiritual gift a bad name. Balance and moderation is key.

Resource: Balance in our theology is important

Grace: If someone is charging you dear reader, with being too active in discernment, is it because they’re concerned for your balance? Do they think you call out TOO much? On the other hand, are your naysayers uninformed of the verses on discernment, or uninterested in battling against the false in themselves or in their sphere? Are they misunderstanding the importance, given the time and space the NT gives to it? In that case, give them grace and help them learn why it’s important.

Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Resources:

Part 1 here: Why are there so many false pastors?

What does the Bible teach about Discernment?

John MacArthur, “Defining Discernment”

Ligonier (Sinclair Ferguson) “What is Discernment?”

theology

Why are there so many false pastors?

Posted on October 30, 2023May 11, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I recently finished a short biography of RC Sproul by Nate Pickowicz. It was an excellent book. In it, I read of RC’s description of how false teachers do their work and why they are so dangerous.

“In my college days, there was a pre-ministerial fraternity for those who were planning to go on to seminary, and while I cannot read anyone’s heart, it seemed as if the majority of members of that particular club were quite hostile to all things Christian. I scratched my head and wondered, “What are these men doing preparing for the ministry when they’re so hostile to the things of Christ?” In time, it became apparent to me that one of the reasons why people go into the ministry is to refute the truth claims of Christianity.

Becoming a pastor is one of the easier ways to gain a public hearing; the preacher can air his views to a captive audience for an hour each Sunday Morning. However, those unbelieving men (and sometimes women) who are ordained to ministry usually find it difficult to sustain a viable ministry in the local church for any length of time, so they tend to gravitate to administrative positions, and before you know it, the unconverted control whole denominations.” ~RC Sproul, originally in “Matthew” (Wheaton: Crossway) 2013, p 656.

Eye opening, isn’t it? We know that 2 Peter 2:1 says the false teachers creep in to spy on our liberty, and Galatians 2:4, and so many other verses. But to see it laid out so clearly, that they are unconverted and abuse the pulpit to confuse and deceive the sheep, it’s startling.

I remember my conversion and when I first started to go to church. I felt a deep sense of relief, now I was safe! In one sense, I was safe, safe in the hand of Jesus where no one could snatch me out. In another sense I was now in more danger than ever. I had a new worldview, so I was the salmon that swam upstream from the crowd, whom the bear looks for and catches. Whom the lion roams around seeking to devour.

And this is how false teaching gets in, or, one of the ways.

The reason they get in is because the people want them. Believers who may turn out to be false themselves (Matthew 7:21-23), or even true believers who are unlearned and undiscerning…they do the action of heaping up the false teachers. 2 Timothy 4:3 tells us this

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

And there is a false teacher to match every flavor of sin. There’s the greedy money hungry false teachers, (Simon Magus of Acts 8) or the licentious false teachers (Revelation 3’s ‘Jezebel’), the heretic (Alexander and Hymenaeus), hyper-authoritative false teachers (Pharisees), teachers (OT prophets) who tell you what you want to hear, like peace when there is no peace, or prosperity or healing), and so on.

Challies outlines 7 False teachers in the Church today, listing 7 types. Seven certainly isn’t comprehensive.

Paul Washer said:

“False teachers are God’s judgment on people who don’t want God, but in the name of religion plan on getting everything their carnal heart desires. That’s why a Joel Osteen is raised up. Those people who sit under him are not victims of him. He is the judgment of God upon them because they want exactly what he wants and it’s not God.”

It’s the people who do the heaping up and clinging to false teachers. The catalyst is people, and satan is only to happy to provide them to the people who want their carnal desires stoked.

It’s the people who raise them up, and combined with Sproul’s outlook on one of the ways they get in, it’s clear we have a problem.

And the people who call them out often bear the brunt of the anger of the false converts or the deceived believer, who charge us with being mean or inappropriate. This is a way that satan uses the unlearned to protect his teachers.

Here are two resources that may help:

John MacArthur, “Defining Discernment”

Ligonier (Sinclair Ferguson) “What is Discernment?”

Tomorrow, more on discernment; what it is and isn’t, and the scriptural basis for discerning.