R
charismatic quotes in purple:
"The question we as believers must answer is this: Will we flow with the plans and purposes of God for this hour or will we hinder revival? I'm concerned that many are in danger of creating a false comfort zone for themselves. By the position they're taking, they are saying: 'I'm not sure about this present move. I'm just going to wait and see what happens.' But Jesus said, 'He who is not with Me is against Me' (Matt. 12:30, NKJV). Pentecost was not -- and is not -- an option. God considers us to be either for or against what He is doing at any given time" ("Flowing With Revival," p. 14).
Read Acts 2:1-47 about Pentecost. One thing you will immediately notice, is that this event was used for evangelism. Many nations heard the gospel being preached in their own native language(vs. 9-11). They were accused by mockers of being drunk(vs 13) because they were hearing tongues in each nation's own language and it was gibberish to them. The people were "pricked in their heart" and asked "what must we do?"(vs 37). They were called to repentance(vs. 38).
The Holy Spirit cannot contradict himself(Galatians 5:22-23), and God is not the author of confusion(1 Corinthians 14:33). It would be confusing if the Holy Spirit acted drunk through a person(eg: swaggering), because the common man would say he was drunk, while a charismatic would say its was Holy Spirit! In fact, if you were to step back one verse in Galatians 5:21 you would see that God condemns drunkenness! Many charismatics preach about being drunk in the spirit. Rodney Brown teaches that if there is physical drunkenness, then there must also be spiritual drunkenness. Here is what the Word says about being drunk:
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Ephesians 5:18-21
Charismatics will use accusations from mockers in the Word, to defend acting like drunkards in their revival meetings. As the Word says, the Holy Spirit wont contradict Himself and imitate something evil like drunkenness. So, it wasn't because the preachers were acting drunk at Pentecost, that they were being accused of being drunk. They were filled with the Holy Spirit(Acts 2:4). Peter even defended his testimony from the lies of the accusers(Acts 2:15)!
The Word says there should be decency and order in the church(1 Corinthians 14:40). Barking, howling, groaning, roaring, shrieking loudly, punching people in the stomach, slapping people in the face, having people thrown across the stage, swaggering like a drunkard are frequent phenomena witnessed at charismatic meetings and churches. This does not line up with Scripture because it is not something that is "decent" and "orderly".
"Howard-Browne's reputation grew during the next four years, and he established the Rodney Howard-Browne Evangelistic Association in Louisville, Kentucky. In the spring of 1993 his big break came when
Assemblies of God pastor Karl Strader invited him to preach in Lakeland, Florida, at Carpenter's Home Church" (Julia Duin, "Praise the Lord and pass the New Wine," 8/94, Charisma, p.23).
The results of Pentecost in the Bible were persecution, beatings, and jailings of the preachers, not increased reputations. In Acts 4 they get threatened. In Acts 14:19 Paul was dragged out of the city for dead as he had been stoned. In Acts 16:19-24, Paul and Silas were accused of troubling the city(vs. 20), were beaten and thrown into prison(vs 22-23). In Acts 21:30-33, Paul stirred up Jerusalem to the point they were trying to kill him(vs. 30-31), and were beating him until soldiers came to take him to prison(vs. 32-33).
The charismatic version of pentecost is "a new break" and "reputation grew" as an example in the above quote. Where is the persecution that charismatics should be receiving? Because in the Word, the apostles were persecuted for preaching the gospel! It was mostly hardship! To charismatics, its joy, joy, joy, and laughter! Even catholicism, and other cults, New Agers, etc rejoice over holy laughter with the ecumenism movement!
"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." Luke 6:26
In fact, as Christians, we will face persecutions for standing for the Lord uncompromisingly(1 John 2:15-17, John 15:18-20, 2 Timothy 3:12). I get called a liar, a stirrer of trouble, etc when I tell the lost about sins, repentance, and salvation! Some will even physically threaten me. I expect persecution when witnessing to the lost, and also when I expose false doctrine. I've lost friends for standing up for the Lord. I dont want any praise for what I told you, I only want to serve God and obey Him, all glory goes to Him alone. If it means I have to suffer for obeying Psalm 94:16 , then so be it.
Dont trust experience over the Word of God. I've already shown you where a charismatic leader admitted there is no precedence for such bizarre phenomenon in Scripture(which is true). Many use the argument to look at the fruit as the measuring stick for whether something be from God. The Word says to look at the fruit AND the Word to discern truth from error(Isaiah 8:20, 2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:43-45). By just looking at the fruit of someone without the Word is folly. Because even a non-Christian who gave to the poor and is generous is heading to the lake of fire if he does not trust in Jesus as the Savior. There are many who in fact, hope to enter into heaven on the merits/even partly on the merits of their good deeds, but are unsaved and hypocrites(Matthew 7:21-23). Dont just trust your pastor because he told you something. Be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see if the claims were in fact true(Acts 17:11). Trusting in man more than God can be devastating(Proverbs 16:25, Psalm 118:8, Jeremiah 17:5, Romans 3:4). Charismatics and others who promote false doctrine, twist Scripture and take verses out of context to fit their own ideology, not rightly dividing the Word(2 Timothy 2:15). I am rebuking false doctrine which is what the Word commands me to do(2 Timothy 4:2-4, Ephesians 5:11). This isn't a hate campaign against charismatics, like many think it is. I pray for professing Christians who are caught up in this deception. And for those who mock me for standing up for the Lord, I pray for you too.
"The question we as believers must answer is this: Will we flow with the plans and purposes of God for this hour or will we hinder revival? I'm concerned that many are in danger of creating a false comfort zone for themselves. By the position they're taking, they are saying: 'I'm not sure about this present move. I'm just going to wait and see what happens.' But Jesus said, 'He who is not with Me is against Me' (Matt. 12:30, NKJV). Pentecost was not -- and is not -- an option. God considers us to be either for or against what He is doing at any given time" ("Flowing With Revival," p. 14).
Read Acts 2:1-47 about Pentecost. One thing you will immediately notice, is that this event was used for evangelism. Many nations heard the gospel being preached in their own native language(vs. 9-11). They were accused by mockers of being drunk(vs 13) because they were hearing tongues in each nation's own language and it was gibberish to them. The people were "pricked in their heart" and asked "what must we do?"(vs 37). They were called to repentance(vs. 38).
The Holy Spirit cannot contradict himself(Galatians 5:22-23), and God is not the author of confusion(1 Corinthians 14:33). It would be confusing if the Holy Spirit acted drunk through a person(eg: swaggering), because the common man would say he was drunk, while a charismatic would say its was Holy Spirit! In fact, if you were to step back one verse in Galatians 5:21 you would see that God condemns drunkenness! Many charismatics preach about being drunk in the spirit. Rodney Brown teaches that if there is physical drunkenness, then there must also be spiritual drunkenness. Here is what the Word says about being drunk:
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Ephesians 5:18-21
Charismatics will use accusations from mockers in the Word, to defend acting like drunkards in their revival meetings. As the Word says, the Holy Spirit wont contradict Himself and imitate something evil like drunkenness. So, it wasn't because the preachers were acting drunk at Pentecost, that they were being accused of being drunk. They were filled with the Holy Spirit(Acts 2:4). Peter even defended his testimony from the lies of the accusers(Acts 2:15)!
The Word says there should be decency and order in the church(1 Corinthians 14:40). Barking, howling, groaning, roaring, shrieking loudly, punching people in the stomach, slapping people in the face, having people thrown across the stage, swaggering like a drunkard are frequent phenomena witnessed at charismatic meetings and churches. This does not line up with Scripture because it is not something that is "decent" and "orderly".
"Howard-Browne's reputation grew during the next four years, and he established the Rodney Howard-Browne Evangelistic Association in Louisville, Kentucky. In the spring of 1993 his big break came when
Assemblies of God pastor Karl Strader invited him to preach in Lakeland, Florida, at Carpenter's Home Church" (Julia Duin, "Praise the Lord and pass the New Wine," 8/94, Charisma, p.23).
The results of Pentecost in the Bible were persecution, beatings, and jailings of the preachers, not increased reputations. In Acts 4 they get threatened. In Acts 14:19 Paul was dragged out of the city for dead as he had been stoned. In Acts 16:19-24, Paul and Silas were accused of troubling the city(vs. 20), were beaten and thrown into prison(vs 22-23). In Acts 21:30-33, Paul stirred up Jerusalem to the point they were trying to kill him(vs. 30-31), and were beating him until soldiers came to take him to prison(vs. 32-33).
The charismatic version of pentecost is "a new break" and "reputation grew" as an example in the above quote. Where is the persecution that charismatics should be receiving? Because in the Word, the apostles were persecuted for preaching the gospel! It was mostly hardship! To charismatics, its joy, joy, joy, and laughter! Even catholicism, and other cults, New Agers, etc rejoice over holy laughter with the ecumenism movement!
"Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets." Luke 6:26
In fact, as Christians, we will face persecutions for standing for the Lord uncompromisingly(1 John 2:15-17, John 15:18-20, 2 Timothy 3:12). I get called a liar, a stirrer of trouble, etc when I tell the lost about sins, repentance, and salvation! Some will even physically threaten me. I expect persecution when witnessing to the lost, and also when I expose false doctrine. I've lost friends for standing up for the Lord. I dont want any praise for what I told you, I only want to serve God and obey Him, all glory goes to Him alone. If it means I have to suffer for obeying Psalm 94:16 , then so be it.
Dont trust experience over the Word of God. I've already shown you where a charismatic leader admitted there is no precedence for such bizarre phenomenon in Scripture(which is true). Many use the argument to look at the fruit as the measuring stick for whether something be from God. The Word says to look at the fruit AND the Word to discern truth from error(Isaiah 8:20, 2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:43-45). By just looking at the fruit of someone without the Word is folly. Because even a non-Christian who gave to the poor and is generous is heading to the lake of fire if he does not trust in Jesus as the Savior. There are many who in fact, hope to enter into heaven on the merits/even partly on the merits of their good deeds, but are unsaved and hypocrites(Matthew 7:21-23). Dont just trust your pastor because he told you something. Be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures daily to see if the claims were in fact true(Acts 17:11). Trusting in man more than God can be devastating(Proverbs 16:25, Psalm 118:8, Jeremiah 17:5, Romans 3:4). Charismatics and others who promote false doctrine, twist Scripture and take verses out of context to fit their own ideology, not rightly dividing the Word(2 Timothy 2:15). I am rebuking false doctrine which is what the Word commands me to do(2 Timothy 4:2-4, Ephesians 5:11). This isn't a hate campaign against charismatics, like many think it is. I pray for professing Christians who are caught up in this deception. And for those who mock me for standing up for the Lord, I pray for you too.
*borrowed from our own 1stillwaters *