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[Note: This article was written years ago. Since then, evil men and seducers have waxed worse and worse deceiving and being deceived. And they shall only continue to do so (ref. II Timothy 3:13). Waxing...like how the new moon (the new moon is when the moon is totally shaded (like black and you cannot see it) indicating the beginning of a new month) grows and waxes into a quarter moon, a half moon, and up until the time it becomes a full moon. Things are waxing worse and worse as the days go by. Things are now much worse than they were when this article was first written--and they are waxing worse and worse.]
Chaos
Ready for some more mumbo jumbo gumbo? You are about to see exactly what some "apostolic"/pentecostal/charismatic churches want to rope you into. Some of them will say that you are not saved if you are not jumping like a kangaroo and saying words that don't make sense. This is not the faith that we learn from the Bible, yet they say that if you don't babble, show off and do the Mexican jumping bean you are not saved. Under the fair use copyright laws, this information is used for purposes of commentary. The Isaiah 58 Pentecostal website named the following, "Holy Ghost Slideshow". I say it should be named, "A Circus Sideshow".
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Signs and wonders they seek. People get roped into performing these antics in several ways: (1) psychological pressure to "perform" in front of everybody, (2) Desire to please their leaders (3) evil spirits speaking through them as they take advantage of their departure from the word of God, (4) bewitching or hypnosis. When you empty your mind, bad things can happen. I've been in churches like this where this sort of thing can go on for extended periods of time. Just standing around--no preaching of the word, just moaning, groaning, or pep rally style like this.
A dear reader sent me videos of the Pensacola "revival" and it includes exceeding strange things--[children] can't stop shaking even when they go to school, people falling out while simply introducing themselves, congregation being hypnotized by being told to keep looking at a banner (a big wavy flag at the front of the church), a girl that is supposed to be our intecessor with the Holy Ghost, unscriptural music, orchestrated meetings to heighten emotions, the preacher falling down, the preacher knocking people out, the preacher is glorified for his "annointing". I've read where unbelievers enjoy themselves at the meetings, people leave the meetings and drive off the road, and more...None of this is found in the Bible. A disciple of Jesus reads His word and obeys it! [...]
One aspect of the Pensacola movement that is not often mentioned is the lust whoremongering that can go on by their unbiblical activities. [...] I saw a video where some people were dancing to some Hawiian music in church when one of the musicians TOOK HIS SHIRT OFF, stopped playing his instrument and started dancing [like some kind of tribal dancing]. Another musician tried to step in front of him so that the people couldn't see him. Whoa...
My pastor told us a story of another pastor who had an experience with a woman "speaking in tongues". She came into his church and said that they needed to speak in tongues. He asked her if she could speak in tongues anytime she felt like it. She said yes. He invited her into his office and stood behind her. He told her to start speaking in tongues. She started babbling. Then he said, "Spirit now manifesting, do you believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?" The woman abruptly stopped speaking. She was confused. She tried it again and the man repeated the same question and she stopped babbling immediately--
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:2-3
Leaders of these wacky movements also have many strange visions and experiences. One leader said that the Beatles were annointed by God (but John Lenon of the Beatles blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ)! It is like whatever they like is good and they often term righteousness and holiness, "legalism".
The Bible says that the Holy Ghost will testify of Jesus Christ, not of himself (John 15:26). But these people are always talking about the Holy Ghost--WHERE'S JESUS? What these people do glorifies them and dishonors the person and work of the Holy Ghost. What you are hearing is chaos and God authors not confusion. Listen closely and hear the babble that they call speaking in tongues. The Bible says that the unbeliever will think us mad (as in crazy) if we all do this at same time:
1 Corinthians 14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
The Bible also says that tongues are not even a sign for a believer! But where do they do their tongues? In CHURCH where there are believers! They use tongues as a sign to show that they've received the Holy Ghost--but tongues are not a sign for believers!
1 Corinthians 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not...
Some charismatics will tell you, "Well you don't have all the power because you haven't spoken in tongues." Oh, so you have a bunch of extra power, uh? Exactly what are you doing for the Lord and how has this "power" manifested itself other than you sitting around babbling words that no one understands--while you ignore the Bible to boot?
People who are looking for these more physical, supernatural experiences seem to end up in three classes: (1) they get "it" and experience some wacky stuff getting further and further off base, (2) they never get it and are worried if they are saved or not (3) they get tired of all the antics they are expected to perform every Sunday [and eventually drop out].
One of our regular readers wrote to the Isaiah 58 Pentacostal site about this false doctrine and received this response.
My reply is that you're not "in Christ". You're an "unbeliever"... for "these signs follow them that believe" (Mark 16:16)[...]
Isiaah 58 Broadcast & Tracts
So now every Bible believer that doesn't follow their false, unbiblical, made-up doctrine is not saved? Cults say that.
The following is an e-mail excerpt from a reader who spent some time in the charismatic movement. I appreciate her willingness to share her experience with us--
"That Promise Keepers is poison I already knew, but now thanks to people like you, David Cloud, Steve Van Nattan and others, I am completely disabused of the desire to follow Charismatic practices. So much that appeared to be so spiritual and so many who appeared to be so gifted have no commandment or precedent in scripture for the things they do. Even when there is precedent, the scriptures are really wrested. We must seek the Lord, not experience. I have noticed that sound doctrine doesn't seem to be stressed, and liberty can include doing things that are prohibited in scripture. If God's word makes one uncomfortable or conflicts with one's carnal desire, then some seem to think that our loving Father exempts them from following His commands. Why? because he is more interested in their happiness than in their holiness. NOT SO!"When I first began attending a charismatic congregation I was so impressed with the 'prophets', the prayer warriors, the leadership and the spirituality of the laity. So different from some of the Baptist practices. But things really got to be confusing when trying to apply scripture to areas like divorce, and suddenly the word didn't mean what it says. Someone in leadership used being a new [creature] in Christ, old things having passed as an excuse for remarriage even though they were already believers when she remarried. I stayed confused, but have no one to blame but myself. I wouldn't have been as deceived as I was without my co-operation in the process. We deceive ourselves when we won't believe the truth. VERY DANGEROUS."
[Update 2014: People who ignore God's word are in tremendous spiritual danger, and now, with the contemplative prayer movement, fallen-church church people are magicians-in-training.
Baptist churches are not perfect either. In their practices (and sometimes even their doctrines), they often deny that there be any empowering work of the Holy Ghost or prophecy although the Bible says that we should desire to prophesy. The prophet tells men what God wants them to hear. The book of Revelation says that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy. Many Baptists are also antinomians that say that you can do whatever you feel like doing and you are still saved. Having spent much time in Baptist churches, I am familiar with the unscriptural foolish talk and jesting that can go on in their pulpits as well as the dispesationalism doctrine. These are the days of apostasy, we much each read and obey the Authorized King James Version of the Bible for ourselves--then, we can serve the Lord properly and if we decide to visit a church, we can discern what is going on.]
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