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False Teachings of Our Day
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* The 'holy laughter' heresy
Practice promoted within some renewal and revival movements. Known in some Pentecostal circles. Re-introduced by, among others, false teacher Rodney Howard-Browne, the Vineyard Movement and leaders associated with the Toronto Blessing and some other renewal and revival movements. Said to be a manifestation of the presence or touch of the Holy Spirit. (Rodney Howard-Browne calls himself the "Holy Ghost Bartender.")
* The 'latter rain movement' heresy
Latter Rain doctrine includes the following beliefs:
- the gifts of the Spirit, including tongues, are received through the laying on of hands
- Christians can be demonized and require deliverance
- God has restored all the offices of ministry to the Church, including apostle and prophet
- divine healing can be administered through the laying on of hands
- praise and worship will usher God into our presence
- women have a full and equal ministry role in the Church
- denominational lines will be destroyed, and the Church will unify in the last days
- the “latter rain” will bring God’s work to completion; the Church will be victorious over the world and usher in Christ’s kingdom
Many “apostles” in the Latter Rain Movement also teach the doctrine of “the manifest sons of God.” This is a heretical doctrine which says that the Church will give rise to a special group of “overcomers” who will receive spiritual bodies, becoming immortal.
It is important to note that the Assemblies of God deemed the Latter Rain Movement to contain heresy from the very beginning. On April 20, 1949, the Assemblies of God officially denounced Latter Rain teaching, nearly splitting the denomination in the process. Other established Pentecostal groups have passed similar resolutions.
Today, the term “latter rain” is rarely used, but the theology of Latter Rain continues to exert an influence. Most branches of the Charismatic Movement adhere to Latter Rain teaching. Modern movements such as the Brownsville/Pensacola Revival, the Toronto Blessing, and the “holy laughter” phenomenon are a direct result Latter Rain theology.
* The 'seed of faith' heresy
Prosperity teaching. The Word-Faith teaching that claims to receive anything at all from God, one must first donate money, known as a seed-faith offering. However, nowhere in the Bible is money a seed.
* The 'Jesus was God's first creation' heresy
Many understand “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15-20 to mean that Jesus was “born” or “created” as the first act of creation. This is not the case. Jesus Himself proclaimed His self-existence and eternality (John 8:58; 10:30). John 1:1-2 tells us that Jesus was “in the beginning with God.” The Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons of today hold this position about Christ’s nature.
* The 'slain in the Spirit' heresy
Being “slain in the Spirit” happens when a minister lays hands on someone, and that person collapses to the floor, supposedly overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit. Proponenets of this satanic doctrine use Bible passages that talk about people becoming “as dead” (Revelation 1:17). However, there are a number of contrasts between the biblical falling on one's face and the practice of being slain in the Spirit.
1. The biblical falling down was a person's reaction to what he saw in a vision or an event beyond ordinary happenings, such as at the transfiguration of Christ (Matthew 17:6). In the unbiblical practice of being slain in the Spirit, the person responds to another’s touch or to the motion of the speaker's arm.
2. The biblical instances were few and far between, and they occurred only rarely in the lives of a few people. In the slain in the Spirit phenomenon, falling down is a repeated event and an experience that happens to many.
3. In the biblical instances, the people fall upon their face in awe at either what or whom they see. In the slain in the Spirit counterfeit, they fall backwards, either in response to the wave of the speaker's arm or as a result of a church leader's touch (or push in some cases).
Falling backwards adds to the effect. There is a feeling you get when you fall backwards that you don't get when falling forwards. The human body produces adrenaline and endorphins when it experiences something new, exciting, emotional, and/or disconnected from rational thought.
This is a demonic counterfeit doctrine, and should be avoided.
* The 'word of faith' teaching
Word of Faith teaching is unbiblical. It is not a denomination and does not have a formal organization or hierarchy. Instead, it is a movement that is heavily influenced by a number of high-profile pastors and teachers such as Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paul and Jan Crouch, and Fred Price.
The Word of Faith movement grew out of the Pentecostal movement in the latter 20th century. Its founder was E. W. Kenyon, who studied the metaphysical New Thought teachings of Phineas Quimby. Mind science (where "name it and claim it" originated) fit well with the emerging Pentecostal movement and its emphasis on the supernatural, so he combined them and created a peculiar mix of orthodox Christianity and mysticism. Kenneth Hagin in turn studied under E. W. Kenyon and made the Word of Faith movement what it is today. Although individual teachings range from completely heretical to completely ridiculous, what follows is the basic theology most Word of Faith teachers align themselves with.
At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." It is believed words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, and thus actually create what they believe Scripture promises (health and wealth). Laws supposedly governing the faith-force are said to operate independently of God's sovereign will and that God Himself is subject to these laws. This is nothing short of idolatry, turning our faith—and by extension ourselves—into god.
From here, its theology just strays further and further from Scripture: It claims that God created human beings in His literal, physical image as little gods. Before the fall, humans had the potential to call things into existence by using the faith-force. After the fall humans took on Satan's nature and lost the ability to call things into existence. In order to correct this situation, Jesus Christ gave up His divinity and became a man, died spiritually, took Satan's nature upon Himself, went to hell, was born-again, and rose from the dead with God's nature. After this, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to replicate the Incarnation in believers so they could become little gods as God had originally intended.
Following the natural progression of these teachings, as little gods we again have the ability to manipulate the faith-force and become prosperous in all areas of life. Illness, sin, and failure are the result of a lack of faith, and are remedied by confession—claiming God's promises for oneself into existence. Simply put, the Word of Faith movement exalts man to god-status and reduces God to man-status. Needless to say, this is a false representation of what Christianity is all about. Obviously, Word of Faith teaching does not take into account what is found in Scripture. Personal revelation, not Scripture, is highly relied upon in order to come up with such absurd beliefs, which is just one more proof of its heretical nature.
Countering Word of Faith teaching is a simple matter of reading the Bible. God alone is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1:3; 1 Timothy 6:15), and does not need faith—He is the object of faith (Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:3). God is spirit, and does not have a physical body (John 4:24). Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but this does not make him a little god or divine. Only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalms 8:6-8). Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the only incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 15; 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By becoming a man Jesus gave up the glory of heaven but not His divinity (Philippians 2:6-7), though He did choose to withhold His power while walking the earth as man.
The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling since the Garden: “you shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings. (from the book Christianity in Crisis: 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff)
* The 'little god' doctrine
((See the 'word of faith' doctrine above; paragraph 4-5.))
* The 'Health & Wealth' or 'Name it and Claim it' Gospel(((See the 'word of faith' doctrine above.)))
* The 'Jesus died spiritually' heresy
Meaning, that Jesus took on the nature of Satan and had to be born again. Jesus' shed blood was insufficient for the redemption of man; so He had to suffer at Satan's hands in Hell and be born again as the first man to conquer death.
((Also see the 'word of faith' doctrine above; paragraph 5.))
* The 'suffering of Jesus in hell' heresy
((See the 'word of faith' doctrine above; paragraph 5; also the 'Jesus died spiritually hersey above.))
* The 'never pray God's will' teaching
False teachers never pray, "Lord,thy will be done". Why? The answer is simple, because to the 'word of faith' teacher, God's will is not good enough. They don't want God's will to be done, they want their own will to be done. If they prayed God's will be done, they would not be doing what they are doing.
1 John 5:14- And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us:
James 4:15- ...ye ought to say, if the Lord will...
* The 'point of contact' teaching (handkerchiefs, blood of Jesus oil, bottles of holy water, green prosperity cloth, prayer cloths, etc.)
The point of contact teaching is a form of witchcraft known as "sympathetic magic." It is a shameful gimmick used by unscrupulous ministers for the sole purpose of increasing their personal wealth.
****REMEMBER, CHRISTIANS ARE REQUIRED TO STUDY!!!****
2 Timothy 2:15- Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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