How can you get rich and build God’s kingdom at the same time?

By following the modern “apostles” and “prophets” — at least that’s what they claim. They say a “great transfer of wealth” is about to occur — from the wicked to the righteous.

If you want to be on the receiving end of the transfer, then you’d better get “properly aligned” with them. What that boils down to is submitting yourself to them.

More than 30 so-called apostolic leaders taught people how to take part in the wealth transfer at the Financial K.E.Y.S. conference held earlier this month in Denver, Colorado. Speakers included Bruce Cook, Lance Wallnau, Os Hillman, Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner and C. Peter Wagner. See the full list here. The name of the conference — Financial K.E.Y.S. — refers to their teaching that money is the key to global transformation and establishing God’s kingdom on earth. As Wagner says in his book Dominion!:

“If you check back through human history, you will find that three things, more than any others, have produced social transformation: violence, knowledge and wealth — and the greatest of these is wealth! (page 181)

To make the wealth transfer happen, Wagner claims that God is raising up a special group of apostles called workplace apostles. He says they will have the ability to make investments that will yield extraordinary returns:

“They will not be traditional financial planners who are satisfied with annual returns of 5 percent to 20 percent or so. … I have faith that we will see the biblical standard of 100 percent returns or more become the norm” (Dominion!, page 196).

Wagner and company claim that their prophecies about a “great transfer of wealth” have a biblical basis. Yet, the Scriptures they quote in support of this teaching are taken out of context. Let’s take a quick look at the two verses Wagner quotes in his book Dominion!.

Isaiah 60:11 and Proverbs 13:22

The first verse Wagner quotes is Isaiah 60:11:

“Therefore your gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night, That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, And their kings in procession.”

The chapter this verse is taken from, chapter 60, is about the restoration of the nation of Israel during the millennial reign of Christ. It’s not about the Church. The other verses in the chapter make this clear. Verse 14, for example, specifically names Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem, when it refers to “the city of the Lord” and “Zion” (these are two other names for Jerusalem).

In light of the rest of the chapter, it’s clear that verse 11 is saying that the wealth of the Gentile nations (non-Israelite nations) will be brought to Israel during the millennium, after Christ’s return to earth. It has nothing to do with wealth being transferred to the Church, today, through so-called workplace apostles.

The second verse Wagner quotes as support for a “great transfer of wealth” is Proverbs 13:22:

“But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

Actually, Wagner only quotes part of verse 22. He completely leaves out the first half of the verse without telling his readers that’s what he’s done. But the full verse sheds more light on its meaning. Here it is:

^“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

So, this proverb is about inheritances and the lasting legacy left by the righteous versus the fleeting prosperity of the wicked. I don’t know how Wagner — someone with multiple theological degrees — could take a simple proverb about inheritances and legacies and turn it into a teaching about the end times, workplace apostles and a wealthy Church.

Apostles and Wealth

Many of today’s apostles insist that they must possess vast sums of money to defeat the forces of darkness and advance God’s kingdom. Yet, Peter and John — two of the original apostles — didn’t have much money and God used them mightily. They relied on something even more powerful than money — the authority of Christ.

Once, when a crippled beggar asked them for money, Peter replied:

“I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene–walk!” (Acts 3:6)

Never once did the original apostles say wealth was a key to the Church’s success. Yet today’s apostles claim it is indispensable.

]]> http://www.SpiritOfError.org/2010/02/the-great-wealth-transfer-100-percent-returns/622/feed 9 http://www.SpiritOfError.org/2010/02/brain-stopper2-human-logic-is-bad/356 http://www.SpiritOfError.org/2010/02/brain-stopper2-human-logic-is-bad/356#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:42:13 +0000 admin http://www.SpiritOfError.org/?p=356

Is being logical unspiritual? That’s what modern “apostles” and “prophets” want you to think.

In fact, it’s not just unspiritual — it’s a sin to be repented of, according to Paul Cox, founder of Aslan’s Place in Hesperia, Calif. His suggested prayer urges Christians to repent of “all intellectualism, ungodly reasoning, logic and humanism.”

Huh? When did logic become an evil comparable to “ungodly reasoning” and “humanism”?

I want to show that logic isn’t bad — it’s a gift from God, and it protects us from harmful beliefs.

Human Logic vs. Heavenly Logic

“Apostles” and “prophets,” like Cox, often claim that there are two types of logic: “human logic” and “heavenly logic.” Human logic — they say — is unspiritual, evil, bad. Another example of the “human logic is bad” teaching can be found in “apostle/prophet” Rick Joyner’s prophecy titled Civil War in the Church.

Back in 1996, Joyner prophesied that an end-time battle will be fought in the church between two types of Christians — the “grey coats” and the “blue coats.” The grey coats — who represent the bad guys in Joyner’s prophecy — are Christians who use their “natural minds” and “human wisdom” to evaluate teachings in the church. The grey color of their coats represents “grey matter” — which, Joyner points out, is a slang expression for “the brain.”

But the blue coats — the good guys — don’t rely on their brains to evaluate teachings. They’re “heavenly minded” and “follow the Holy Spirit,” according to Joyner.

See other recent examples of the “human logic is bad” teaching by Kathi Pelton and John Mark Pool.

The problem with their statements is that the Bible doesn’t teach that there are two types of logic, and it doesn’t teach that human logic is bad. Let’s look at two Bible verses that have been misused by “apostles” and “prophets” to support these teachings.

1 Corinthians 1:21 and 3:19

In his first letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul says that the “wisdom of this world” is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19), and that God’s plan of salvation seems like “foolishness” to humankind (1 Corinthians 1:21).

So, the Apostle Paul believed that “human logic”  is bad, right?

Wrong. Confusion occurs because “prophets” like Joyner teach that “worldly wisdom” and “human logic” are the same thing. They’re not. They’re very different.

When Paul talked about worldly wisdom, he was talking about the things that are valued by people who are separated from God — things like power, fame and money.  These things are the opposite of the things God values. That’s why Paul says that God’s plan of salvation — through a crucified Christ — appears like “foolishness” to worldly people.

Paul’s description of “worldly” wisdom matches James’ description of “earthly” wisdom in James chapter 3 — it’s jealous, covetous and self-seeking (James 3:3-18).

So, it’s selfish ambition that Paul and James are bashing — not “human logic,” as Joyner asserts.

Human Logic

Logic is the science of correct thinking. We use it to determine if our beliefs are sound or not. We use it everyday.

Not sure of this? Let me show you.

One of the rules of logic is called the “law of non-contradiction.” This rule may sound complicated, but bear with me.  In simple terms, it means that if two things contradict each other, then they can’t both be true. For example, a moving car can’t be both in the street and not in the street at the same time. It’s either in the street or not in the street.

We use the law of non-contradiction when we decide if it’s safe to cross the street. We use other laws of logic, too — whether we know their names or not. And we have places for people who don’t use them — they’re called mental hospitals.

That’s because the opposite of being logical is being illogical. And being illogical isn’t being spiritual — no matter what teachers like Joyner or Cox want us to think.

Logic Glorifies God

God made our minds, and it glorifies Him when we use them. We were created in His image and that includes our ability to reason.

In fact, Jesus, Himself, is called “the Logic” in Scripture. Where? In John 1:1 — where He’s called “the Word.” The Greek word for “Word” is logos — which is where we get our English word for “logic.”

In other words, Jesus is the Supreme Rational Being who governs all things. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that the Greatest Commandment includes an admonition for us to love God with all of our minds (Matthew 22:36-38).

Likewise, the original apostles never discouraged people from using their minds. In fact, they had harsh words for false teachers who didn’t base their teachings on sound beliefs, but instead promoted a secret knowledge — or  “heavenly” knowledge, as Joyner would prefer to call it. Peter called these false teachers “unreasoning animals” (2 Peter 2:12).

So by not using their God-given abilities to reason — through applying the rules of logic — these false teachers are being unspiritual.

Why would they go to so much trouble to urge people to shut off their brains? So their followers won’t scrutinize the teachings of these so-called prophets and apostles. If they did, they’d detect the error.

Think about it.

***Read the first post in my Brain Stoppers series here.

Each January, this group of “prophets” — led by C. Peter Wagner and Cindy Jacobs — meets to determine what God has shown them about the new year.

This year’s prophecies — like previous years — are so vague that there would be no way of knowing if they were actually fulfilled. I call them “fortune cookie” prophecies.

But even if they weren’t vague, the ACPE includes so many disclaimers before their prophecies that not one of them would ever have to come to pass — and they could still call themselves “prophets.”

One of their favorite disclaimers is the one I call the “moving calendar” disclaimer. Just because they call it the “Word of the Lord for 2010″ doesn’t necessarily mean the prophecies will be fulfilled in 2010, according to the ACPE prophets. Maybe it will be in 2011. Or maybe 2012. Hey, why limit themselves to a single decade?

But this year they have another disclaimer they call “conditional prophecies.”

Conditional Prophecies

Their first disclaimer states this:

“All prophecy not contained in Scripture is conditional.”

What do they mean by saying that the prophecies they give are “conditional”? Their statement is clarified by another one of their disclaimers, which states:

“It is possible that prophetic warnings will cause either the person or nation to repent and so turn away the judgment prophesied. Biblically, this happened when Jonah prophesied to Nineveh and the city repented, causing God to relent.”

So, what they mean by saying that their prophecies are “conditional” is that they may or may not happen — based on whether their listeners choose to act on them or not. Just like the prophecy about Ninevah, God could change His mind.

In other words, their prophecy about a Holy Spirit revival occurring in Indonesia — well, that one might or might not happen. It depends on a number of factors, such as whether their followers prayed and worked hard enough to stir up a revival. And then there’s the prophecy about  the eradication of poverty. Again, it may or may not happen — depending on what things churches do to help the poor.

And, oh yes, don’t forget their prophecy about the rise of a third political party in America. Maybe a new party will rise. And if it does, the ACPE will be sure to take credit. But if it doesn’t, it’s not their fault. It’s the fault of the American people — or somebody, anybody else. And on it goes.

Are you getting the picture?

But there’s one gaping hole in this “conditional prophecy” theory. The Bible doesn’t teach it. Which Scripture passages say that all prophecies — other than those found in Scripture — are conditional? Show them to me.

What the Bible does teach is that prophets must be tested for their accuracy (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to examine every prophecy carefully (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22).

By saying that their prophecies don’t have to come to pass, the ACPE has thrown out the most basic test for knowing if a prophet is true or false — the accuracy test.

But that — maybe, possibly, could be — the point.

The ACPE members this year include Bill Hamon, Sam Brassfield, Harry Jackson, Rick Ridings, Greg Black, Will Ford, Mike Jacobs, Peter Wagner, Mary Glazier, Sharon Stone, Cindy Jacobs, John Sanford, Beth Alves, Gwen Shaw and Doris Wagner (pictured below).

Photo credit: CIA World Factbook

Steve Shultz, the publisher of the Elijah List, sent out an e-mail Tuesday claiming that “prophets” Kim Clement, Cindy Jacobs and Chuck Pierce predicted the recent earthquake in Haiti. See his e-mail here. But did they really predict it?

This is a perfect example of how “prophets” in the apostolic-prophetic movement falsely claim credit for predicting events. Yet, if you look at their actual prophecies, you will see how vague — or inaccurate — they were. Let’s look at them quickly.

Kim Clement’s Prophecy

Kim Clement’s prophecy, given last July, makes a quick reference to Haiti, along with South Africa, New Guinea and China. The only thing he says about Haiti is that “a spirit if unity is being released” in the nation (nothing about an earthquake). He says the same thing about unity coming to South Africa and New Guinea. And regarding China, he says that the “wicked regime” and communism are being defeated there.

I would hardly call Clement’s prophecy a prediction of the earthquake that occurred in Haiti.

Chuck Pierce’s Prophecy

Back in December, Chuck Pierce prophesied about “buckling highways throughout the earth.” Watch a video of it here. His prophecy — about “buckling highways” — predicted the damage that was caused to roadways during the Haiti quake, according to Shultz. Never mind the fact that Pierce’s prophecy didn’t mention either an earthquake or Haiti.

Shultz also claims that Pierce’s prophecy predicted the recent “buckling” of sections of roads in Israel, California and Florida. But his prophecy about “buckling” roads is laughable. There  are always roads that collapse or need repaired. The minor incident that occurred in Israel involved a bus wheel that broke through the pavement. It only merited a small news story that was related to Shultz second hand. A fulfillment of prophecy? Give me a break!

Cindy Jacob’s Prophecy

At the same event where Pierce spoke in December, Cindy Jacobs said there would be earthquakes in regions of the world where they normally don’t occur. She said the media would be shocked because they would happen in places that aren’t situated on top of fault lines.

Well, Jacobs’ prophecy definitely couldn’t have referred to the Haiti quake since two major fault lines run right through the island nation, and it has a history of devastating earthquakes. Read about them here.

When it comes to predicting the Haiti quake, it appears that Shultz’s “prophets” are 0-3.

Brain stoppers.

That’s the term I made up for a variety of tactics Satan uses to get people to shut off their minds so they don’t critically evaluate teachings. Leaders in the apostolic-prophetic movement use them all the time.

I’m not talking about brainwashing. The media often accuses cult leaders, like David Koresh, of “brainwashing” their followers so the leader can gain complete control over people. Yet, I don’t believe true brainwashing is possible because every person ultimately retains control of his or her own thoughts.

But I do believe religious leaders can discourage their followers from using their minds — which keeps them from detecting the error in what’s being taught.

Name Calling

One popular brain stopper is what I’ve labeled “name calling.” This happens when the teachings of an “apostle” or “prophet” are challenged. Instead of responding to the challenges, “apostles” or “prophets” often resort to calling their critics names.

The names they’ve given their critics are numerous: mean-spirited, judgmental, Jezebel, unspiritual, unanointed and old wineskins — to name a few.

This tactic is effective because their followers start to believe that everyone who questions an “apostle” or “prophet” is evil or unspiritual. So, the followers quickly dismiss any criticism of their leader, without ever determining if it is true or not.

“Prophet” Kim Clement often uses this tactic. In his book Call Me Crazy But I’m Hearing God (Destiny Image, 2007),  he calls his critics names that are associated with death — “undertakers” and “caretakers.” Clement says “undertakers are the ‘naysayers’ of this world who seek to bury what God is doing.” And he has an even harsher description of “caretakers”:

The caretakers are always poking their noses into your business. They are trying to take care of things that no one ever asked them to take care of. They are the judges who declare what they believe is wrong in the church and the world. They determine who the false prophets are and what is heretical. They don’t change the world; they criticize the world. They never take a risk. They live in the comfort of their own high towers (page 156).

Yet, he has a flattering name for his faithful followers — “risktakers.” He calls them the “pioneers” and the ones who “will make history.” He says, “God loves risktakers!”

Like Clement, “apostle” C. Peter Wagner calls his critics names. He says they’re the “unanointed leaders of the old wineskin,” and he claims they’re motivated by a high-ranking demon he calls the “corporate spirit of religion” [See his book Changing Church (Regal, 2004), pages 18-22].

I could give countless examples. Many followers of “apostles” and “prophets” have responded to my articles in this way. One comment I’ve often received is that I’m just “jealous” of the success of the ministries I’ve critiqued. This is classic name calling.

If someone’s favorite teacher is challenged, a better response is to show the critics where they are wrong — not to just call them names.

Paul Keith and Wanda Davis, founders of WhiteDove Ministries

“God is doing a new thing!”

Have you ever heard a Christian teacher make this statement? Chances are, you have. It’s become a catch phrase to promote all kinds of dangerous teachings, like this recent one from “Prophet” Paul Keith Davis of WhiteDove Ministries. See it here.

In his teaching — sent out by the Elijah List on Dec. 12 — Davis said God is doing a “new thing” today by giving new revelation to the Church through modern “apostles” and “prophets.” The purpose of this revelation, according to Davis, is to help the  Church set up God’s kingdom on earth. The Scripture he quotes to support this teaching is Isaiah 48:6-7.

What is the new revelation God is giving the Church, according to Davis? It contains insights into the heavenly realm, including the discovery of new laws of “physics, light, sound and spiritual colors,” he said. It also contains new revelation into the Scriptures. Christians will suddenly understand verses they never understood before. Their new understandings will have as great an impact on the Church as the Protestant Reformation, according to Davis.

But does Isaiah 48:6-7 support Davis’ teaching? No, an examination of the passage in its biblical context shows that it can’t be used to promote new revelations from “apostles” and “prophets.”

First, let’s look at the passage. I will quote from the Amplified Bible since it’s the translation Davis quotes from, even though it’s not the best translation to use. (I’ll explain why it’s not the best translation in a future post.) Here’s the passage:

⁶You have heard [these things foretold], now you see this fulfillment. And will you not bear witness to it? I show you specified new things from this time forth, even hidden things [kept in reserve] which you have not known.

⁷They are created now [called into being by the prophetic word], and not long ago; and before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, Behold, I knew them!

In this passage, God — speaking through the Prophet Isaiah — says He will reveal “new things” that He hadn’t revealed before. What are the “new things”?  They had to do specifically with the nation of Israel and its restoration after going into captivity.

How do we know this? By reading the chapters surrounding Isaiah 48. In Isaiah 39, God reveals that He will punish the Israelites by sending the Babylonians to conquer them. Undoubtedly, this experience will leave them wondering if God has abandoned their nation. So, in chapters 40-48, God calms their fears by promising that — after a time of captivity in Babylon — He will forgive them, return the exiles to their land, and restore their nation.

Thus, the restoration of Israel is the topic of chapters 40-48 and also the subject of the “new thing” God promised to do in Isaiah 48:6-7. This same “new thing” is promised in two other places: Isaiah 42:8-9 and 43:18-19.

So, Isaiah 48:6-7 is a specific promise God made to the nation of Israel — not a green light for every new revelation given by a teacher. Yet, a “green light” is exactly how this passage was treated by Rev. V. Gene Robinson when he was elected as the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop. In an interview with Beliefnet, Robinson said that the election results showed that “God is doing a new thing in the world.”

Robinson’s use of this passage contradicts other teachings in Scripture that say homosexuality is a sin. In the same way, many modern “apostles” and “prophets” are giving teachings that don’t mesh with Scripture, like Davis’ teaching that we must learn new laws of physics in order to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

God makes it clear that we must test all new revelations by seeing if they line up with Scripture. That’s what the first Christians did when they were presented with new teachings from the original apostles — they examined the Scriptures daily to see if they matched up (Acts 17:11).

But can God ever do something new — assuming that it lines up with the revelation He’s already given? He certainly can — He’s God! He can do whatever He wants to do. This is the very reason He promised to do a “new thing” for Israel in the first place. He wanted to show them that only He — and not their worthless idols — was capable of fulfilling prophecy (see Isaiah 48:5 and 7-8).

Steve Shultz

If you ever receive a forwarded e-mail from an organization called the Elijah List, beware. Steve Shultz — the founder of the Elijah List — is one of the most dangerous false teachers today.

This is a harsh statement. Why do I say it?

The Elijah List e-mails — which are sent to more than 134,000 subscribers everyday — have done more to promote the false prophets and false apostles of the New Apostolic Reformation than just about anything else. And they do this by twisting Scripture beyond recognition.

Take a recent example. Today Shultz sent out an e-mail containing a prophecy from Kim Clement. See it here. The prophecy was about California.

Shultz always introduces the prophecies he sends out with background information about the featured “prophet” or prophecy. In this case, Shultz introduced the prophecy by saying that when he first heard Clement give it live on streaming TV — before Clement even began to speak — Shultz somehow intuitively knew it would be about Los Angeles. Shultz concluded that — because he knew the prophecy would be about Los Angeles before Clement said what it was about — then the prophecy must be true. Then Schultz backed up his bizarre conclusion with a Scripture verse. Here are his exact words:

I am not exaggerating when I tell you I just KNEW he was about to prophesy about Los Angeles, and that was before he said it. The Bible says, “By the mouth of two or three witnesses.” So this is one of those words you can “take to the bank!”

The portion of the verse Shultz quoted — “by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established” — comes from Deuteronomy 19:15. Shultz used this verse to argue that — since two “prophets” (he and Clement) agreed with the prophecy — then it must be of God. So Shultz’s followers could trust the prophecy and, as Shultz said, take it “to the bank!”

Yet if Shultz had quoted the full verse — and not just the second half — then it would be obvious to everyone reading his e-mail that it had nothing to do with knowing whether or not a prophecy is from God. Here’s the full verse in the New King James Version (the version Shultz quoted it in):

One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.

This verse comes from the Old Testament, and it says that a man cannot be given the death penalty based on the testimony of only one person. This law was given by God to the Jewish nation to protect someone from being falsely accused of murder.

We know the verse is talking, specifically, about the death penalty — even though it doesn’t use those words — because the surrounding verses talk about what to do when someone is accused of murder. This interpretation is backed up by other passages in the Old Testament that set forth the same principle in regard to someone who has been accused of murder (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6). We also see the same principle at work in the New Testament regarding Christians who are accused of committing some type of major sin (Matthew 18:16, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Timothy 5:19).

So, the verse Shultz quoted has nothing to do with testing a prophecy. His misuse of Scripture to support Clement’s prophecy is irresponsible and dangerous. It teaches Christians that — any time two or more Christians agree that a prophecy is true — then it is true and they should believe it.

Yet, Scripture gives us at least three tests for knowing whether a prophecy is from God. And they have nothing to do with the number of people who agree.

1) Does the prophecy point people to worship of the one true God or to the worship of other false gods? See Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and 18:20. A close examination of the prophecies given by Shultz and Clement over the years show that the “God” they talk about bears little resemblance to the God of the Bible.

2) Does the prophecy come true? See Deuteronomy 18:21-22. Clement has become notorious for giving prophecies that never come to pass and then attempting to explain away their failure.

3) Does the prophecy line up with Scripture or does it contradict or otherwise undermine Scripture? See Acts 17:11, where the Bereans were praised for searching the Scripture to test new teaching. Shultz, on the other hand, contradicts Scripture by twisting verses such as Deuteronomy 19:15 and giving bogus methods for testing a prophecy.

Besides these three tests for a prophecy, the Bible also tells us we can know whether a prophet comes from God or not by examining the fruit of his or her life (Matthew 7:15-23). The frequent abuse of Scripture exhibited by Shultz is one example of bad fruit.

So, the bottom line is, Shultz and Clement can agree all they want — until they’re blue in the face. It still doesn’t make their prophecies true. Contrary to what Shultz says, by the mouth of 2 or 3 or even 123 witnesses a prophecy is not confirmed.

Dr. James Dobson speaking at The Call, San Diego.

Thousands of Christians gathered at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Nov. 1, to fast and pray in support of Proposition 8 — which would ban same-sex marriage.

“The Call” received support from prominent evangelical leaders like Dr. James Dobson (who spoke at the event) and from many Southern California churches — even though its list of organizers reads like a “Who’s Who” of the apostolic-prophetic movement. Well-known “apostles” and “prophets” behind the event include founder Lou Engle, C. Peter Wagner, Che Ahn, Rick Joyner, Bill Hamon, Cindy Jacobs, Chuck Pierce, Dutch Sheets and more. See the national board and advisory board.

What’s the problem with this? The apostolic-prophetic movement promotes modern-day “apostles” and “prophets” who claim to wield unlimited authority and give new doctrinal revelation in addition to Scripture. It’s teachings have historically been considered outside orthodox Christianity.

Why would mainstream evangelicals like Dr. Dobson, Michael W. Smith (Christian musician) and Steve Douglas (president of Campus Crusade) partner with this fringe movement? (See other prominent evangelicals here.) My guess — and hope — is that they aren’t aware of the organizers’ teachings. But in their zest to support marriage and family values, their participation gives the movement greater visibility and credibility in mainstream evangelicalism.

As a result, many Christians who never heard of Lou Engle or Cindy Jacobs or Dutch Sheets before are going to want to learn more about them, buy their books and attend their churches. Then they’re going to start being exposed to dangerous apostolic-prophetic teachings.

He got angry when anyone changed the content of the gospel. He even wrote a letter to the churches in Galatia, warning them: “If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Another time, Paul scolded the church in Corinth for putting up with so-called apostles who were teaching a different gospel:

For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully. … For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

What was the gospel Paul preached? He stated it in clear terms to the church in Corinth, so there’d be no confusion:

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you … by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word I preached to you … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day.

Paul’s gospel was that Jesus came to save sinners.

The ‘Apostle’ C. Peter Wagner

C. Peter Wagner

Not so long ago, in a place not so far away — the city of Colorado Springs, Colo. — there is another “apostle” named C. Peter Wagner.

Wagner claims he, too, is sent by Jesus. Yet, Wagner’s gospel sounds very different than the one preached by the Apostle Paul. One day last January, Wagner shared his gospel with Christians at a conference in Denton, Texas:

“Jesus came to save that which was lost — literally the dominion that Adam gave up in the Garden of Eden is now being restored.”

And what was the dominion Wagner preached? He stated it in clear terms to the conference attendees, so there’d be no confusion:

Dominion has to do with control, dominion has to do with rulership, dominion has to do with authority and subduing — and it relates to society. … In other words, it’s talking about transforming society. Watch him here.

Wagner’s gospel is that Jesus came to give Christians dominion.

So, whose version of the gospel is right?

Though I will address this teaching more in a future post, the reason I mention it now is because I recently saw a discussion board where people were praising the New Apostolic Reformation. Someone had posted a statement from my blog where I said that this movement promotes apostles with unquestioned authority and prophets who give new doctrinal revelation not found in Scripture. Someone responded and said my statement was untrue. Yet, my statement is true, and I will continue to show — from Wagner’s own writings and from other leaders in the movement — what they teach about modern “apostles” and “prophets.”

In this post, I want to briefly point out leaders of some well-known ministries who are members of Wagner’s “International Coalition of Apostles.” Many Christians may be surprised to learn of these leaders’ affiliation with Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation. Their participation shows the movement’s growing influence in the church. Some notable members include:

Notable ICA Members
• Chris Hayward, president of “Cleansing Stream Ministries,” based in Van Nuys, Calif.
• Jane Hansen, president of “Aglow International,” based in Edmonds, Wash.
• Dick Eastman, international president of “Every Home for Christ,” based in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Hal H. Sacks, founder and president of “BridgeBuilders International Leadership Network” in Phoenix, Ariz.
• Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine, and Stephen Strang, founder of Strang Communications (publisher of seven Christian magazines, including Charisma).

See the full list of members of the International Coalition of Apostles here.

Cleansing Stream Ministries
Cleansing Stream Ministries has “deliverance ministry teams” in over 2,500 U.S. churches and over 500 churches in other countries. Many of these churches wouldn’t consider themselves part of the New Apostolic Reformation or even know about this movement. Upcoming retreats led by Cleansing Stream are scheduled at many churches, including “New Life Church” in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Ted Haggard’s former church) and “The Church on the Way” in Van Nuys, Calif. (the church Jack Hayford founded). See the full list of Cleansing Stream retreats here.

One of Cleansing Stream’s books that they use with their teaching materials is written by “prophet” Chuck Pierce, and Cleansing Stream links to Wagner’s Web site from theirs. When one understands that Cleansing Stream president, Chris Hayward, is a member of Wagner’s International Coalition of Apostles, the reason for the organization’s promotion of New Apostolic leaders becomes clear. Apparently, Hayward has bought into Wagner’s movement. Unfortunately, through Cleansing Stream many people will be unwittingly introduced to New Apostolic teachings.

‘Aglow International’ and Others
The same goes with Aglow International. Its international advisors include prominent “apostles” and “prophets” like Che Ahn, Rick Joyner, Cindy Jacobs and Wagner. See the full list here. And Charisma magazine regularly features favorable articles on modern “apostles” and “prophets” (like Wagner and Pierce), which is no surprise given both the editor and publisher’s memberships in the International Coalition of Apostles. Many Christians also would probably be surprised to learn of the involvement in the movement by Dick Eastman (Every Home for Christ).

Of course, many Christians have probably been saved or otherwise blessed through their involvement with these ministries and have no knowledge of the leaders’ involvement with the New Apostolic Reformation. My point in mentioning their membership in the International Coalition of Apostles is not to pick on them or disparage their entire ministries. It’s to show how this movement is expanding its reach — and to show the importance of informing more Christians about this movement so they won’t be misled into its aberrant teachings.