Tag: discernment

Posted in theology

Of Tweet-storms, cauldrons, and cesspools

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

A week ago, on Reformation day 2022, (October 31) I tweeted a thread and subsequently posted a longer piece from the blog about something Beth Moore had said. She proclaimed with certainty that her 87 year old mother-in-law (who had passed 2 weeks before) was “in the presence of Jesus” and reunited with family members. The problem was, besides the fact of claiming you know with certainty anyone’s final destination, was that her Mother-in-law was a “devoted” life-long, “staunch” Catholic.

I’d said that if anyone who believes the dogmas of Rome, when they depart this world, is likely not in heaven. That was what the Protestant Reformation was all about, protesting the apostasy evident in that false religious structure. The Catholic Church by Martin Luther’s day had become apostate, rife with man-made traditions, schemas for salvation, merit, works, and indulgences (monetization of religion). It is still the same today. The Roman Catholic Church is a false church with an evil religious structure that opposes God. Believers in that church are sadly deceived that they are worshiping ‘this same Jesus’ in Acts 1:11 who departed this world and who will return in wrath and fury. (Revelation 19:21, Colossians 3:6).

Keep out, warn your discernment people. There be piranhas and brimstone.

That first tweet in my thread garnered 172,000 impressions and over 10,000 engagements within a day or two. Of the responses and discussions I’d seen, only 2 were positive or encouraging. The rest elicited a host of attacks, swears, curses, insults, and evil accusations. Some were poisonously corrupt to the Nth degree.

The attacks were almost instant, cruel, and ruthless. Many were from self-identified Christians, self-stated liberals, however, which explains a lot. Yet it was unbelievable what some of them felt it was OK to say in public the things they said.

I pondered and processed that event over the next few days, and here’s my conclusion:

1. I got to share the Gospel again and again and again. In the Twitterverse, there are not only the people you are directly engaging with, but all the people watching. There are a lot. So the Gospel was presented (as best as one can with the character limit). That is satisfying. Ultimately my first goal as a social media user is to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus.

2. I got to say several times that the Catholic church is corrupt and not Christian, and attach resources for further exploration. This is also good. It’s the second goal of mine to present credible resources to people. There is a lot of false out here. Putting out links to good ministries is a privilege and my joy.

3. I got to say many times that Beth Moore is a false teacher. I was expecting the outcry. It happens almost every time Beth Moore is presented in a negative light. It happened when I and 5 other ladies published the Open Letter to Beth Moore. It happened when I broke the news after she departed the Southern Baptist Convention that she was serving at the pulpit at her new Anglican church. Because Moore is destructive to one’s walk and one’s soul, I am pleased to say as many times as I can that she is false, in hopes that even one sister in Christ will go away from Moore. She’s one of the worst false teachers of past decades. Stating this in hopes of some eyes opening is my privilege and my joy.

4. Such activity reveals. It is an Elisha servant moment. When Elisha’s servant looked out and saw that the King of Syria’s army had surrounded them at Dothan, the servant moaned and said,

And his servant said to him, “This is hopeless, my master! What are we to do?” And he said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, please, open his eyes so that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:15-17).

Can we see the demons? No. They are spiritual beings. But we can see their activity.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12).

In your mind’s eye, envision a still pool in a verdant forest. It looks inviting, pretty, calm. Throw a big rock into the pool, and suddenly there is motion, ripples, splashes. Waves reverberate against the shore. Cattails along the edge wave wildly. Chaotic splashing spreads poison spray on the upper reaches of the grass on shore, which wilt and some die. Piranhas lurking just under the surface leap and scream wildly, revealing themselves.

That is what happens when you throw a big rock into the polluted pool of Beth Moore defenders. At once you can see the verdant pool is not inviting after all, it is an unpleasant cauldron of malevolent schemes and percolating brimstone.

I’ll gladly take the splashback from the false teacher cesspool if whatever I post roils up the demonic so that its activity can be identified. I wish we all could be given an a glimpse like Elisha’s servant was, but unfortunately such privileges are few and far between these days. But God did give us His word, which is always available to one and all who are regenerated and can spiritually discern its contents. He did give us discernment to be trained up in. Discernment always roils the false. When you see such outcry, take note, it’s your discernment people trying to point out the mines in the minefield.

5. It became clear to me how many people need to be educated on the falsity of the Catholic church, what the Reformation was, and that there is a massive, fundamental, and eternal difference between Protestant and Catholic. The agitated activity showed us that ignorance is rife even among believers. Why?

Over the last couple of decades, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the world (formerly led in part by the self-same Beth Moore), tolerated Catholic practices such as Lectio Divina, Contemplative prayer, and other mystical practices such as visions and direct revelation, used by the Catholic Church for centuries. When Moore herself publicly stated several times that Catholics are just another denomination, there was no public correction from the actual leaders of the SBC. In time, the undiscerning Baptists (and others) came to accept what leaders were saying overtly and by omission, and now have a hard time understanding that Catholicism isn’t Christian.

If you, dear sister, are tired of the wrangling and pushback from your social media posts, I understand. People have no common sense these days. They lack basic charity and grace. Politeness seems to have flown the coop. But also know that all things work to the good of those who love God, and He is glorified even in the disorder created by Tweet storms, Facebook posts, and blog essays. Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. (Galatians 6:9).

The demons don’t get weary. Malignant activity still performs its evil in this world. It’s up to us to shine the light. Ephesians 5:11 says Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;

The Gospel goes on, it is the joy and light of salvation. Its proclamation sometimes is received well, other times not. But we persist in being ambassadors for His name, THE name-

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name, (Romans 1:5).

Further Reading

Are Catholics saved? (GotQuestions essay)

Are Roman Catholics Christian? (CARM essay)

What’s the Problem with Beth Moore? (video-1:33)

Discernment in Days of Defection (sermon by Phil Johnson)

The End Time Blog Podcast Season 2, Episode 270

Posted in theology

Reformation Day is a good day to talk about the Blood on Beth Moore’s Hands

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

An essay in three sections.

  1. The Reformation and what it stood for
  2. Beth Moore and her failure to teach the truth about Catholicism
  3. What the Bible teaches about leaders failing to preach the true word, and encouragement for those who do

1. What was the Reformation about?

October 31, Reformation Day, is a day when Christians bring to remembrance the old Catholic priest, Martin Luther. His inquiry into the scriptures, his spiritual angst over indulgences (a gross monetization of the faith), dismissal of the theology around purgatory, and his disappointment and despair after his trip to Rome, caused him on October 31, 1517 (traditionally accepted date) to nail 95 Theses to the All Saints’ Church in anticipation of a theological discussion. These theses became the foundation for the ensuing Protestant Reformation. We have been discussing ever since.

In his theses, Martin Luther had said that “It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though the indulgence commissary, or even the pope, were to offer his soul as security.” (Thesis #52).

He also said, “They are the enemies of Christ and the pope who forbid altogether the preaching of the Word of God in some churches in order that indulgences may be preached in others.” (#53).

And, in speaking against the gross accumulation of personal wealth by the Pope, that “The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” (#62).

The Roman Catholic Church teaches and preaches heresy. Anyone believing the doctrines of Rome is likely not saved. If they do come to true repentance in the true faith, they soon leave the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), because it is not spiritually profitable to remain. The Holy Spirit who indwells the new believer, would not let them stay.

Ex-Catholic and now fervent Protestant Evangelist Mike Gendron, writes,

“Catholic salvation is based on Jesus plus Mary, faith plus works, grace plus merit, Scripture plus tradition and the blood of Jesus plus purgatory. Catholics do not know that any addition to the Gospel is a denial of the sufficiency of Christ (Heb. 7:25). Any addition to the Gospel also nullifies the saving grace of God, which is the only means by which God saves sinners (Romans 11:6). Catholics, who are victims of this deception, need to be evangelized with the true Gospel of grace.”

ABCs of Evangelizing Catholics

2. Beth Moore’s failure to teach the truth about Catholicism

Beth Moore’s 87 year old mother-in-law died a few weeks ago. Any death is sad, but when the person is likely a non-believer, it’s heart rending. The obituary says, “Mary and her husband John were lifelong, devoted Catholics.” If Mary believed RCC dogma, then she did not believe in the necessary elements of the faith.

“Many of the 70 million Catholics in America were born into their religion and have never examined their faith through the lens of Scripture“. ~Mike Gendron

Beth’s mother-in-law Mary Moore was devoted to errant RC dogma. It’s a tragedy that she’s likely not dwelling in peace now or forever. But another tragedy is her daughter-in-law Beth, who proclaimed with certainty that Mary Moore,

“having entered the holy presence” said, “We are greatly consoled she lived to be 87 and is now not only with Jesus but with the two children she’d buried long ago and grieved deeply and daily.”

No. It’s a tragedy that Beth has compromised on this issue, declaring that a “devoted Catholic” has entered the holy presence of God. I hope Mary Moore has, but only due to last minute repentance in true faith. That post about her mother-in-law’s death on Instagram by Beth Moore got over 21,000 likes, and Moore’s Instagram account has over half a million followers. Beth’s influence and reach could have seen Catholics as a mission field.

But she didn’t. She doesn’t. She never has.

Beth’s own errant doctrine, compromising man-pleasing, or just cowardice, for many years has instead ignored the souls of millions she otherwise could have shared the truth with. There is blood on her hands, sadly. No one who believes Rome will see glory, except on Judgment Day, when the Lord will say “Depart from me, I never knew you!” and the same to false teachers like Moore who poison the faith and confuse the naïve.

Catholics are a mission field. They do not need an influential celebrity evangelical to assure them in their error! However, I and others have warned for over a decade now, that Moore teaches that Catholics are part of the true faith. She taught from her 2002 ‘study’, “Believing God” that Jesus lifted her to another dimension and gave her a view of the global church “as he sees it” which included the Catholic Church. She used an example of various denominations with signs to illustrate this ‘vision’, naming the Catholic ‘denomination’ of St. Anne’s Catholic Church. Her mother-in-law was a member of a church named St. Anne Catholic Church, by the way.

In this screen shot from a video, Moore is teaching from her 2002 ‘Believing God’ study that a Catholic church is simply another denomination along with Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran churches etc

In her 2006 Catholic-influenced Mystical DVD “Be Still,” Moore spoke of lines between denominations being erased, insinuating the lines were between Catholic and Protestant. In effect, she was denying the need for the Reformation and rejecting that severe doctrinal differences separate Protestants and Catholics. She said,

“You know, one of the things that time gives us is that it erases the lines in between people so many different sections of the people of God. Because many years later it doesn’t matter any longer that this person was of this practice in the Christian faith and this person of another. Time somehow blurs those lines and we are profoundly moved by the historical narratives of all their lives, of so great a cloud of witnesses; that we can look back on and see what kept them running the race, what kept them running toward the face of Christ at the end of that finish line.”

In 2012 Moore participated in and led an arena full of impressionable youth in a RCC mystical practice called Lectio Divina at the Passion Conference. Clearly, Beth Moore believes that Catholicism is part of the faith, or if she doesn’t believe it, she acts like it is.

In 2020 Moore didn’t insinuate, she outright called Roman Catholicism a denomination of the faith.

I can understand that living with in-laws who are staunch Catholics is hard when you’re an alleged evangelical. I know they scowlingly objected to her quick and ignominious wedding in an off-white dress (Beth’s words). I understand the tensions when the in-laws remained Catholics all their lives, even when moving from Houston to Tomball, changing Churches from one Catholic church to another in a declaration of their continued loyalty to Rome.

I can understand that Beth’s husband, having been raised Catholic and remained attached to it throughout the marriage, was a hard to reach mission field; Moore has often publicly complained about her husband’s lack of interest in her Baptist church or the things of God, like not being inclined to study the word, or leafing through fishing magazines if forced to come where truth is being taught.

And in 2022, confidently writing on her Instagram to half a million followers that her Catholic M-I-L is in the presence of Jesus in heaven.

Opposing satan’s doctrines often brings tension, rejection, and difficulty. Instead of using her reach if not for her family (who knows if she did, God knows) then for at least the women she draws in to her public events and studies. Yet Moore consistently affirms Rome by her affirmations of Catholics being true believers and simply another denomination of the true faith. But it isn’t.

3. What the Bible teaches about leaders failing to preach the true word, and encouragement for those who do

“And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” (Acts 20:25-27).

That’s the Apostle Paul speaking. Other translations say ‘I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God’. As Paul prepared to leave the believers in Ephesus, his conscience was clear. Why? Barnes’ Notes says,

“‘I have not kept back’; I have not been deterred by fear, by the desire of popularity, by the fact that the doctrines of the gospel are unpalatable to people, from declaring them fully. The proper meaning of the word translated here, “I have not shunned” ὑπεστειλάμην hupesteilamēn, is “to disguise any important truth; to withdraw it from public view; to decline publishing it from fear, or an apprehension of the consequences.” –End Barnes’ Notes Commentary

Paul said the same in Acts 18:6, But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.

Hebrews 13:17 reminds us all of the weighty task that leaders have. They will give an account regarding the souls they’d had under their charge. “Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.”

While we learners have an obligation to submit, the leaders/pastors/teachers have an obligation to preach boldly. Paul and Barnabas did, even facing down a hissing mob of Jews who were blasphemously contradicting their teaching. (Acts 13:46). They must offer the entire teaching. An incomplete gospel is no gospel at all. But the whole counsel of God (with nothing added!) is sufficient to save! What glorious Good News!

Finally, we forget, or ignore, the evilness of false teaching. Spurgeon never wavered on proclaiming the truth and never shrank from denouncing the false. He said of the Catholic mass-

“The mass is a mass of abominations, a mass of hell’s own concocting, a crying insult against the Lord of glory. It is not to be spoken of in any terms but those of horror and destestation. Whenever I think of another sacrifice for sin being offered, by whomever it may be presented, I can only regard it as an infamous insult to the perfection of the Savior’s work.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

For the leaders who are faithful, you have aspired to a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1), and no doubt if done with persistence, humility, and in truth, will hear our Lord say “Well done good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of the Lord!” (Matthew 25:21). What a day that will be!

Further Resources

Mary Moore Obituary

Is Roman Catholicism biblical? (article, Grace to You)

Evangelizing Roman Catholics with Mike Gendron (video)

The Reformation and the Men Behind it (article, Ligonier)

Posted in theology

Need training in discernment? Here’s a bundle!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

EPrata photo

Finally the long, hot Georgia summer is letting go and we are experiencing cool mornings and bearable afternoons. Fall in Georgia really is glorious. It lasts a while, which is one of the many reasons I enjoy it. The Fall season in Maine is about 2 weeks long, I’m not joking. In Georgia it’s about 8 weeks and the slow slide into ‘winter’ is beautiful with clear skies, low humidity, and turning leaves. I put winter in quotes because even after 16 winters in Georgia the fact that winter temps rarely even get below freezing overnight, and usually remain in the 40s and 50s during the days, is not winter to me but a Maine Spring, lol. On to today’s news-

On this blog I generally do 4 kinds of essays. Encouragement (like my sailing stories), theology (like the recent providence, cessation, attributes of God, and fearing God essays), creation essays (like the one about horseshoe crabs and barnacles) and discernment.

Of course, discernment essays are the ones that people view the most. I don’t know if that is good or bad. I think it is good. People need discernment. John MacArthur has regularly said over the years that lack of discernment (which is caused by biblical illiteracy) is the biggest threat to the church.

I recently mentioned that I’ve enjoyed Todd Friel’s Wretched series called “Drive By______”. Drive By Marriage, Drive By Biblical Counseling, Drive By Theology, Drive By Discernment, etc. These are short, systematic lessons in audio, focusing on the topic, that anyone can listen to as they drive to work. (Or listen to anywhere). Audio lessons range anywhere from 10 minutes to 15 or so. They are short.

I’ve listened to several of these series and I especially enjoyed the series on discernment. Discernment as a biblical skill and applied to practical life is rarely explicitly taught. But Hebrews 5:14 says,

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (ESV).

So we CAN practice discernment and train up in the skill, even if we are not blessed specifically with the gift of discernment as some possess. Bottom line, discernment is for everybody.

I saw that the Drive By Discernment bundle at Wretched is on sale. The team has put together a bundle of excellent resources with the Drive By Discernment audio lessons, which includes some great stuff. Normally this bundle would sell for $96.00. The bundle is now for sale for not much more than the lone Drive By lectures would be, $39.00. Their blurb says,

This bundle is the perfect arsenal to help you defend the truth and refute false teaching. Each resource has been carefully selected and is guaranteed to strengthen your discernment. The bundle includes the following:

All that for $39.00. Read the reviews!

Reviews

Joel Osteen
“This bundle is giving me my worst life now.”

Benny Hinn
“This bundle makes me so mad I want to whack someone with my coat.”

Kenneth Copeland
“I found the one thing scarier than my soulless stare, this bundle.”

Creflo Dollar
“Don’t spend your money on this bundle. Give it to me instead. My jet needs new gold platted seatbelt buckles.”

Steven Furtick
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

LOL, to be clear, if you are not familiar with Todd Friel’s jocularity, those reviews are Wretched-type witticisms of course, not real reviews. But they are pretty funny. The lectures are not given by Friel, there are a variety of noted speakers who give each lesson, many of which are from the Psalm 119 Conferences. Lecturers like Justin Peters, Phil Johnson, James White, Tim Challies (who wrote a book on discernment, see below) and others. In the Drive By Discernment series of lectures alone, there are 63 lectures. In the Drive By False Teaching series included in the bundle, there are 79 lessons. (Remember, each one is short enough to listen to on a short commute, like 15 minutes).

But I am serious when I say it would be worth it to look into either this bundle, or at least one or more of the items in it separately. If you are serious about training up in discernment and you regularly already read your Bible, this is a good deal. And for the record I am not a Wretched employee nor do I receive compensation for this. I am simply always on the lookout for credible and edifying resources, and discernment resources are scarce. When they come to my attention, I like to pass them on to you, my sisters. 🙂

Other Resources in discernment

The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. Challies said: “Written for the general reader and in a way that is suitable for a wide audience, the book teaches people to think biblically so they might act biblically. It appeals for discernment, teaching the importance of this discipline in guarding the good news God has entrusted to us.“

John MacArthur, article: Defining Discernment. Article begins,

“In its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.”

Ligonier Article by Dustin Benge: How to Develop Your Discernment. Article begins,

“Over the past several months, we’ve seen how quickly news and social media can elicit fear, provoke anger, and fuel movements. This information overload is sometimes more than we can bear and has sent believers and unbelievers alike spiraling into despair and hopelessness as we’re simply trying to discern what to believe.“

Podcast by Alistair Begg: Who is Wise? part 1 of 2. Description-

“What’s the proof of wisdom? Is it found in the diplomas you have, the books you’ve read, the knowledge you’ve gleaned? Well, on Truth For Life, Alistair Begg demonstrates the biblical measure of wisdom and discernment.“

Part 2 of Who is Wise, here. Description-

“Education can provide important facts, but it can’t offer us wisdom. On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg says it’s not intelligence, but faith, that makes a person wise. Hear how to employ wise discernment by trusting in God’s Word.“

Posted in theology

They make such excuses: Exhibit B, Aimee Byrd

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Byrd’s Twitter profile picture

AIMEE BYRD is a woman that has been in spiritual decline for a few years. At least, public evidence of a decline has been observed for a few years, the inward decline was probably a lot longer. Her 2020 book, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover Her Purpose was a huge red flag.

‘There are significant problems with Byrd’s interpretation of the important passages about biblical manhood and womanhood, passages she does not even address in the book. Worse, the entire thrust of Byrd’s book is in the direction of feminism”, as this reviewer (and many others!) noted.

A month after her book was published, her long-time broadcast/podcast partner, Reformation 21, announced they had dropped her from the podcast.

Continue reading “They make such excuses: Exhibit B, Aimee Byrd” →
Posted in theology

Matt Chandler: Another pastor disqualifies himself

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

There are people who train in meteorology. They are experts who watch the ground conditions and air currents, check the radar, and put their training together to issue a watch when the tornado might come.

What if some people reacted like this: “I don’t believe it”. “Who made you judge and jury?” “Weathermen are morons.” “Mind your own business.”

If conditions worsen, the trained meteorologists publish a tornado warning, issue stern instructions regarding health, life, and safety, and make the tornado siren go off in the neighborhood. It is almost too late. You might have seconds to dive into a closet or get to a bunker.

Still. What if some people reacted like this: “I don’t believe it. What gave you the right to talk like this?” “Tornadoes are nice, why be so negative against them?”

Of course, most sane people don’t ignore tornado watches and certainly don’t say those things about tornado warnings. They heed them, relying on the expertise and training of the weather folks. They don’t want to get caught in a tornado. Tornadoes destroy and kill.

But that is how many people react to discernment watches and warnings. Discernment folks see the radar, are trained in discernment, and/or have a gift of discernment. These are the people who are the early warning alarm for your local church who issue watches and warnings about a false teacher, a false trend infiltrating the church, or give the all clear, sunny skies bulletin.

The Village Church, Matt Chandler, Pastor

Photo source

Matt Chandler has been pastor of The Village Church since 2002. It is a megachurch of about 14000, and aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also President of the Acts 29 network. He started seminary twice but felt he had already attained all the tools he needed for being pastor so he dropped out both times and never finished.

It is no small thing when a pastor of this notoriety and visibility falls below reproach.

It was revealed this week that Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound TX and the President of the Acts 29 Network, was stepping down from his position of pastor. He had apparently been in an inappropriate relationship online with a woman. Months ago, a friend of the woman confronted Chandler about the online relationship. Chandler said he did not think he had done anything wrong, because his own wife knew and the woman’s husband knew. However the chatting had become frequent, familiar, and included coarse jesting inappropriate for someone in Chandler’s position.

Matt stated he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Despite careful wording in both the Village Church statement and Matt’s own speech at his church making it sound like Matt immediately went to his elders himself, the woman had confronted Chandler months ago and eventually recruited some senior staff to help her continue the process. See excerpt from Relevant Mag:

Chandler says that months ago, he was approached by a woman in the church building who expressed concern about his communications with a friend of hers. According to Chandler, his wife was aware of his online communications with the woman. The woman’s husband was aware of the communications as well. But the friend still thought the conversation was bad and, after recruiting a fellow senior pastor and elder to take a look at the messages, they agreed. (Source Relevant Magazine)

The elders concluded that:

Chandler had been in an inappropriate and unwise relationship, hadn’t instituted proper boundaries with the woman, had engaged in coarse and foolish joking, and behavior unbefitting a pastor. The elders insisted Chandler step down for an undetermined period of time. The demand was predicated on the fact that it was “disciplinary and developmental.” They stated that Matt had lived a life above reproach but “he failed to meet the 1 Timothy standard for elders of being “above reproach” in this instance.”

Further, the elders hired an outside law firm to review the church’s policy on social media and compared it to voluntarily produced texts and direct messages Chandler gave, and the law firm found that Chandler had violated it.

I’d like to remind us in these liberal times, that if the departure from the office of pastor is “disciplinary” as the elders said, and that if Chandler “failed to meet the standards of being above reproach” as the elders said, he is now below reproach. “An overseer, then, must be above reproach…” (1 Timothy 3:2). The verse doesn’t say it’s OK just this once, or in just this instance. It doesn’t say that if the elders believe otherwise it’s OK. Falling below is falling below. When a pastor destroys the purity of his office by falling into scandal, he is done.

Pastors who fall below reproach must step aside permanently. It’s like being a little bit pregnant, or a ‘kind of’ a virgin. You either are or you’re not. Once does it.

But the optics these days are to step aside, go on a weepy apology tour, (without uttering the word ‘sin’) and after the short attention spans of the watching public drifts off to another scandal, then come back, and everything is hunky dory again.

But this approach fails to take into account the gravity of the issue- that a pulpit was defiled, the name of Christ was defiled, a woman was defiled (though the elders claim the communication was not sexual in nature, the verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says to abstain from all appearance of evil).

Tornado: Early watches & warnings about Matt Chandler

Warning signs come with, well, signs. It is not often that a public Christian persona suddenly falls. There are always clues, they begin privately but then the public begins to see them. People with discernment can detect these signs earliest. Here are three signs about Matt Chandler people raised over the years:

Charismatic

Folks with discernment warned about Matt Chandler years ago. They, and I, warned about his charismatic pursuits in 2018, when Chandler said he and his church came out with a belief that the sign gifts continued (miracles, prophecy tongues etc). Chandler then also described what he termed as a mini-prophecy given to him and in turn, encouraged his congregation to speak prophecy to each other, but it was confusing. I’ve never seen a charismatic believer stay in one spot. Either they repent and return to the cessationist position, or they continue down charismatic tracks and then go off the rails. Continuationists’ beliefs open the Bible when it is a closed canon. It degrades the perfection of the word and eventually degrades the soul.

Beth Moore

Beth Moore, left. Lauren Chandler, right

His wife Lauren partners with Beth Moore. Lauren has been theologically partnered with Beth Moore for many years. In this, Matt Chandler has been derelict in his pastoral and husbandly duty. They support each other online and also appear on each other’s videos. Either Matt lacked the discernment to steer his wife away from such a wolf, or he lacked the courage to demand it of his wife.

Jen Wilkin

Matt Chandler supported now-feminist Jen Wilkin in her trajectory away from orthodox Christian faith. She was Executive Director in The Village Church of Curriculum and has functioned in leading roles since. Wilkin preached a message to men at a pastor’s training, preached a terrible message about Rahab in 2014 and again in 2018 and let us not forget the menstrual blood issue in one of her sermons. At no time did anyone see Pastor Chandler issue a public repudiation of Wilkin’s office-usurping, preaching, or her feminist tendencies. Chandler again is held to account for this, being her pastor.

When these and other issues were raised, people reacted to the discerning in the ways I’d noted at top about the tornado warnings. “Who are you to judge?” “Why are you so mean?” “Nobody is perfect!” Perhaps if the watches and warnings had been taken to heart, Matt Chandler would not have fallen below reproach, destroying his credibility as a pastor and bringing reproach onto his name, the church’s name, his wife’s name, the anonymous woman, and Jesus’ name.

Discernment is important. Please wisely listen to your discernment people and compare what they are saying to scripture. As for Mr Chandler, it breaks my heart, absolutely and totally, when this happens. The elders said the messaging wasn’t sexual but included “coarse joking.” That sounds sexual to me. I feel for Lauren, I feel for their church. It is a sad, sad, state of affairs for all involved.

Posted in theology

The Continual Trumpet Blast from the Monstrous Regiment of Beth Moore Battle-axes

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In 1558, Scottish Reformer and minister John Knox wrote a treatise called “The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous Regiment of Women“. In it, Knox proffered the argument that it was unnatural for women to rule and it was contrary to the Bible.

The archaic word monstruous meant “unnatural” and is often written “monstrous” today, meaning hideous or frightful. Regiment meant rule or government.

In 2011, then-member of Team Pyro Phil Johnson, at his team blog Pyromaniacs, riffed off Knox’s title, posting a blog named, “The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Discernment Divas“. He wrote,

“The following video (40+ minutes) is from the recent Psalm 119 Conference in Keller, TX, sponsored by “Wretched,” featuring Todd (“Freakishly Tall”) Friel. Todd dragged me on stage to discuss the Elephant Room and other issues related to wall-building, biblical discernment, bad discernment ministries, shrill-and-sharp-tongued women who fancy themselves called to ministries of full-time criticism—and a few other interesting topics.”

Sadly, that video is no longer available, but the lengthy comment section is interesting.

Johnson apparently spoke spontaneously at that conference about the influx of women claiming the gift of discernment but not employing it in charitable – or even biblical – ways. He said, and I excerpt some of the comments,

In short, I was referring to those very vocal (mostly, but not all female) self-styled “discernment” specialists who seem to think screeching, angry emotions are as good a response to heresy as carefully reasoned, biblical answers.

The pejorative that was floating in my mind during that conversation with Todd is actually a biblical term: busybodies.

[They] relentlessly pestered me with everything from silly taunts and insults to the crassest sort of slander.

[Their] watchblog-style criticism consisting of raw passion or verbal hysterics instead of rational or biblical arguments…are especially prone to fire off rabid posts and caustic comments without sufficient forethought.

Furthermore, these Discernment Divas tend to be incorrigible when you try to point out that this is not a good thing. In fact, they seem to like to drum up campaigns and comment-flurries and virtual tar-and-feather mobs when anyone questions their technique.

Mr Johnson has a way with words. And he got his point across. That discussion, both at the conference and afterward on his blog, made waves.

Eleven years ago was only a few years after the Year of the Blog, 2003. That was when Google bought Blogger’s platform and made it available to the whole world. WordPress launched that year too.

Anyone and everyone suddenly had a blog and could publish anything they wanted, for better or for worse.

In the Christian realms, people found blogging a wonderful way to propagate Christian principles, theology, practical Christian living ideas, and more. Just being able to publish scripture alone, was a revelation. Yay!

But with great visibility, great foolishness is often revealed.

One who withholds his words has knowledge, And one who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding, says (Proverbs 17:27).

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent. (Proverbs 17:28).

Fools are fools for a reason. They do not know when to remain silent. When blogs became a thing, there was also a sudden birth of discernment bloggers. People, women included, who misjudged their supposed ‘gift of discernment’ and used their “gift” as an excuse to tear down, destroy, slander, and simply be cruel. They do not display the gifts of the Spirit nor do these people exemplify the virtues of a Godly woman.

This week, G3 Ministries leader and Pastor of Prays Mill Church Josh Buice had an interaction with Beth Moore of Living Proof Ministries. It did not go well. Moore had said in a previous tweet that she was pleased with her vines producing grapes, and “If Jesus is trying to get me to have a crush on him, it’s working.” Hers was a blasphemous statement, and Buice chided Moore for it. THAT is why the interaction devolved immediately. Moore did not take the chiding to heart (shocker). Her followers, for which this essay is titled, dove immediately into mob mentality with screeching that could be heard from pillar to post.

Those were the PG rated responses. Of the defenses I’ve seen this past few weeks, particularly surrounding Beth Moore but also others, I stand amazed at how yet again the Bible is real. I see the verse from Genesis 6:5 brought to life before my very eyes-

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.

I am truly amazed that people who profess Christ would be so free to slander and condescend and make tirades and say such awful things. But of course, most of them only profess, but do not possess the Spirit, and sinners are indeed ugly and sin is indeed rampant.

Instead of being shrieking feminist harridans, instead of unteachable snarks & uncorrectable mockers, instead of slanderers and harpies, women in God’s economy can and should be so much more. We have the Holy Spirit! With His help, we can be what God has called us to be: gracious, modest, wise, hospitable, kind, discreet, humble, respectful…

In one sense, as ugly as it is to read such comments, and as harsh as they are against their intended recipients, these women help me to see the contrast between worldliness and godliness. Not that I need such illustrations to obey God, but their behavior motivates me- in the other direction. Seeing such ugliness on display illustrates the ugliness of sin and the importance of kind speech, the beauty of submission, the elegance of humility.

Virtues that God wants us to cultivate ARE beautiful. They ARE for the common good. I don’t need to test God in this, but trust Him in this.

There is no in between. We can be a crone, or a queen.

Posted in theology

There is a reason to be wary of flatterers with smooth speech: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In 1 Corinthians 15:33, we read Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Source

Every translation of this verse begins with the warning not to be deceived.

In context, Paul had been “addressing problems regarding their worship practices (11:2–14:40), Paul continues by addressing reports about the Corinthians’ beliefs. In this chapter, he focuses on the issue of resurrection.” Source Faithlife Study Bible

Paul sends them a strong warning about their beliefs, which had been and could continue to be corrupted by smooth talkers. Barnes’ Notes explains so clearly:

Be not deceived – By your false teachers, and by their smooth and plausible arguments. This is an exhortation. He had thus far been engaged in an argument on the subject. He now entreats them to beware lest they be deceived – a danger to which they were very liable from their circumstances.

Evil communications – The word rendered “communications” means, properly, a being together; companionship; close contact; converse. It refers not to discourse only, but to contact, or companionship. Paul quotes these words from Menander, a Greek poet.

It is implied in this, that there were some persons who were endeavoring to corrupt their minds from the simplicity of the gospel. The sentiment of the passage is, that the contact of evil-minded men, or that the close friendship and conversation of those who hold erroneous opinions, or who are impure in their lives, tends to corrupt the morals, the heart, the sentiments of others.

It is always true that such contact has a pernicious effect on the mind and the heart. It is done:
(1) By their direct effort to corrupt the opinions, and to lead others into sin.
(2) by the secret, silent influence of their words, and conversation, and example.

We have less horror at vice by becoming familiar with it; we look with less alarm on error when we hear it often expressed; we become less watchful and cautious when we are constantly with the frivolous, the worldly, the unprincipled, and the vicious. Hence, Christ sought that there should be a pure society, and that his people should principally seek the friendship and conversation of each other.

It is in the way that Paul here refers to, that Christians embrace false doctrines; that they lose their spirituality, love of prayer, fervor of piety, and devotion to God. It is in this way that the simple are beguiled, the young corrupted, and that vice, and crime, and infidelity spread over the world. –End Barnes Notes

This is why we do not ‘eat the meat and spit out the bones’. We avoid false teachers altogether. We avoid close continual contact with those who are morally corrupt, unsaved. You see the processes Barnes outlined: the secret silent influence of a corrupt person’s words will infiltrate and dampen our horror of sin, make us less watchful, and then we begin to think and act impurely.

It’s why Jude 1:23 says And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh

Jude is saying we should be careful if we choose to help a doubter or one that’s involved with false teaching.

even the garment—do not let pity degenerate into connivance at their error. Your compassion is to be accompanied “with fear” of being at all defiled by them. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

It’s because the risk is so great. Our society has fallen into a tolerance of sin. Many have no horror of it. Worse, we believe that if sin comes in soft words and flattering or charming packages, is is to be accepted. When you look up flattery in Nave’s dictionary, the entry says –

DECEIT : See FLATTERY
FALSEHOOD : See FLATTERY
DECEPTION » SELF » See FLATTERY
SPEAKING » EVIL » See FLATTERY

God considers flattery to be an evil deceit! Yet we think of it as a ‘respectable sin‘ as Jerry Bridges would call it. This should not be so. But it works because the false teachers use words of flattery to deceive the simple. (Romans 16:18)

Flattery is defined as: “Insincere and undeserved praise or words of encouragement, used with the intention of gaining favour with others.”

Flattery is deceitful
Ps 12:2-3 See also Ps 5:9; 55:20-21; 62:4; Pr 27:6; Jer 9:8

The results of flattery are ruinous
Pr 26:28 See also Pr 29:5

Flattery is rejected by godly people
Job 32:21-22 See also Gal 1:10; 1Th 2:5-6

Honesty is preferable to flattery
Pr 28:23 See also Pr 16:13; 27:9

False teachers use flattery
Ro 16:17-18 See also 2Ti 4:3-4; Jude 16-19. Source: Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. Martin Manser.

Hanging around worldly people, flatterers, gossips, charmers with twisted doctrine is bad for your soul. Commune with the believers who are pure, strive for holiness, and enjoy refreshing, Godly conversations. You will be the better for it!

Posted in colossians, discernment, false teachers, lloyd-jones, spurgeon

Don’t let anyone disqualify you from the prize!

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

One of the most surprising things to me after my salvation was that there were people claiming to be Christian who would try to draw me away from the truth. I had been relieved to enter the kingdom, and I felt literally like I was stepping into a safety zone, an oasis of calm after having lived in turbulence and chaos for 42 years. It was a jolt to my system that though peace reigned between me and God, turbulence between false professors and true believers was abounding.

False professors are people who profess Christ but do not possess the Spirit. I.e., false believers.

Colossians is a tremendous book. Of this verse in Colossians, let’s first focus on the first five words, Paul’s warning, underline mine-

Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, (Colossians 2:18, NASB).

Other translations say let no one disqualify you from the prize.

There were some spiritual elites going around Colossae, intimidating the new believers there. They threatened them with disqualification from the faith, and the newbies were buying it. Now, a true believer can never actually be separated from Christ, but the elites claimed the newbies were under a threat of failure in the faith if they did not believe and practice things in addition to Christ. This is what the book of Colossians is about- Paul re-teaching that Christ alone is sufficient.

Christ was not all-sufficient to these elites. They said the new believers must also practice one or more of three things: self-abasement (humility), worshiping angels, and visions.

True humility is a true virtue. The elites in Colossians were not practicing it though. They evidenced a prideful humility that pointed to themselves. Which isn’t humility at all, of course. They delighted in their humility, in effect, saying, ‘Look how humble I am! I’m sooo godly! I’m sooo faithful!’

Secondly, worship of angels in Colossae was an issue well into the fourth century. Worship of angels destroys the one thing believers are commanded to do: “worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10b).

And visions. Oh, my, let’s talk about visions. They were a problem in the first century and they are a problem in the twenty-first century. People who are errant in their beliefs and know there is no biblical support for these beliefs, (if diligent believers go looking) the false professors instead try to buttress their beliefs with experiences and visions.

John MacArthur preached,

What is he [Paul] saying? “Don’t let anybody tell you you’re disqualified from attaining the prize of spirituality because you haven’t reached the level of self-abasement, you haven’t understood the worship of angels, you haven’t had the right visions.” … They’ve said, “It’s Christ plus my visions; plus my experiences with the angels; plus my deeper experience, my higher experience.” (MacArthur, “Spiritual Intimidation, part 1“)

No. Just…NO. Christ alone. Satan’s wiles have always been to sway a believer from the path to Jesus feet, and bundle belief with other beliefs, actions, rules.

Spurgeon said in his excellent sermon on the verse titled “A Warning to Believers“,

THERE is an allusion here to the prize which was offered to the runners in the Olympic games, and at the outset it is well for us to remark how very frequently the Apostle Paul conducts us by his metaphors to the racecourse. Over and over again he is telling us so to run that we may obtain, bidding us to strive, and at other times to agonize, and speaking of wrestling and contending. Ought not this to make us feel what an intense thing the Christian life is—not a thing of sleepiness or haphazard, not a thing to be left now and then to a little superficial consideration?

These elites have “fleshly minds” as the verse indicates. They were puffed up with their visions and boasting of humility and spiritual pride of ‘knowing more’ (mysticism). They had no reason to be secure. Their minds were flesh, not of Christ.

“There is a tendency in human nature to move from objectivity to subjectivity-to shift the focus from Christ to experience. This has always intimidated weak believers and threatened the church.” (MacArthur, Commentary on Colossians & Philemon.)

False doctrine is not only a corruption in the church, it does damage to you individually. One way false teaching and false teachers harm you is that following them even temporarily and certainly for a longer period disqualifies you for the prize. It is the false teacher’s intent to try and disqualify you. Even if they make you doubt, they have succeeded. Even if they make you wander, thus diminishing your effectiveness for a time, they have succeeded. That is why Paul wrote such a strong warning.

For the strong believer, what is inferred is a stronger believer’s responsibility to our brethren who are following a false teacher. How will it be when they are judged, when told to give an account of themselves (Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15) and we hear Jesus say that a friend has lost some prizes because they followed a false teacher and thus were disobeying Jesus, while we knew all along and never said anything.

Jude says, But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.

Catch that. They are devoid of the Spirit. This means they do not possess the Spirit. i.e. unsaved. But Jude goes on in Jude 1:22-23,

And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

This means, snatch them from wandering, grab them to prevent disqualification, help them understand in love and in discernment the person they are following will lead them AWAY from the prize.

Let’s end where we started. Don’t let anyone defraud you of the prize. The ultimate prize is Jesus, His faith, His comfort, faith in Him and Him alone.

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Posted in theology

Should we look at a teacher’s lifestyle? Or only his/her doctrine?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

A reader took issue with me recently, saying that me pointing out things related to a teacher’s lifestyle is hitting below the belt, is wrong, and now she has to wonder at my heart motivations.

This kind of discussion often comes up when I post about a false teacher’s lifestyle. People seem to think that their lifestyle is off-limits while only comparing their doctrine is acceptable. That is what being a Berean is all about, look at doctrine only, they say. Lifestyle is off the plate and not our business.

But is it?

Continue reading “Should we look at a teacher’s lifestyle? Or only his/her doctrine?” →
Posted in berean, bible, end of days. prophecy

Paul: What does it mean to be a Berean?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

“In Berea”

“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.” (Acts 17:10-12).

How many times have we heard some celebrity caught in a traffic stop or in an indiscretion and when called to account on it, says “Don’t you know who I am?” They balk and they yell and they squirm and try to escape accountability due to their position. Quite often, their ego is inflated to a large enough degree that they never expect they’ll be asked to support their views or explain their mistake. Even more often, the person calling them to account are seen as the ones with the problem. “Don’t you know who that is?” they are told. “Don’t ask him to explain himself!” as if there ever comes a point when someone is above the law.

Continue reading “Paul: What does it mean to be a Berean?” →