By Rick Becker 28 May 2018
Picture a ship without a rudder in turbulent waters. It’s at the mercy of the elements and unable to navigate, possibly facing shipwreck. This is the plight of those captivated by every new wind of teaching that does the rounds. Thousands of resources are available to cater for itching ears in the visible church. Not a week goes by without a new book release, conference, course, workshop, or new revelation. Novelty ensnares the ignorant and those who lack discernment. Despite this overload of new information and accompanying frenzied activity by consumers, the vast majority of the visible church is “always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
A distortion of the truth is celebrated, sold, and sought after, and because it’s a distortion, it leads to death instead of life. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul describes the means of these damaging doctrines: “by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” Ephesians 4:14.
One of the fruits of these deceitful schemes is described in the same verse: “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” Ephesians 4:14.
Sound teaching/doctrine is crucial, failure to follow good doctrine has dire consequences: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
1 Timothy 4:1.
Slick marketing ensures new books and courses have mass appeal in the visible church. Catch words and claims of revelation bait the biblically illiterate into believing they need these teachings. Under the veneer of spirituality that coats these products, lies the cunning of men and women who know exactly how to cater to itching ears. The really sad part is that they also fool the desperate, hurting, and those passionate for God. I am going to list some examples of various winds of teachings available to consumers. These teachings do not line up with scripture, and contribute to the billion dollar industry known as the Evangelical Industrial Complex:
Who would not want to purchase Lisa Bevere’s latest book “Adamant”, described by her husband John Bevere as “TRULY God breathed. It’s a message that will impact eternally everyone who reads it.” Lisa said she “knew this book was a message and a mandate that God had entrusted to me… I felt the fire of God’s vision for the book quicken. As I worked, it was as though the words flew out of my fingertips.”
This is crafty marketing – giving the impression that this book is a direct revelation from God, and essential information for the church. I wonder if God had the same fiery vision when he inspired the scriptures?
John Bevere lets us know how indispensable “authorities” in the church are, but for the wrong reasons. In his book “Undercover” John claims God told him the following: “John, if I intended for every believer to get all his information, wisdom, and direction only from prayer and communion with Me, then I’d never have instituted authority in the church. I placed authorities in the church with the full intent that My children could not get all they needed just from their prayer life. They would have to learn to recognise and hear My voice through their leaders as well.” p147
Manipulative marketing once again – John Bevere is obviously one of the leaders through which we will have to hear God’s voice.
Bevere is arrogant and boastful when introducing his book “The Bait of Satan.” It begins with this sentence: “The book you hold is quite possibly the most important confrontation with truth you’ll encounter in your lifetime.” Surely this should apply exclusively to scripture? Bevere was reluctant when writing his latest book “Killing Kryptonite” but God apparently told him “son you must write this book” or He would have given it to someone else, he said, because the messages on this page are going to liberate my people and it’s going to restore the power of the kingdom, back into the church” Bevere believes “this message is very urgent for the body of Christ”
Why did God not add it to scripture if it was so urgent?
Perhaps after reading their books, something is still lacking in your life. Could the reason be your ignorance regarding your prophetic personality? If so, Havilah Cunnington offers a “Prophetic Personalities” course. She identified what all the real Apostles missed – there are four types of prophetic personalities. Havilah will “teach on four types of prophetic gifts, unleashing you into a bold life of hearing from Heaven.” Priced at $49, you will also receive “ADDED BONUSES” : “Deep Dive Cheat sheet for each Personality Type, 30 days of Activations, Private Q&A for Students and Private Facebook Community.”
If you have completed Havilah’s course, but feel you could still do with some fine tuning, Shawn Bolz is ready to help. I thought the scriptures had already been translated from the original languages into English, but Shawn Bolz goes a step further. His $124.95 “Translating God” study course will help you to hear God: “Through a thought provoking prophetic ministry philosophy and Shawn’s glorious successes and very real failures, you will be inspired and equipped to: learn how to hear God for yourself and others, grow through simple focused steps, take great risks, stay accountable, love people well, grow in intimacy with the Lord” and best of all: “This series will help you develop tools to deepen your prophetic process and learn how to hear the voice of God for yourself in a whole new way.”
Who knew God made it so difficult for us to hear him?
Perhaps the problem is not really you, it’s in the atmosphere. Solution -purchase Dawna De Silva’s “Shifting Atmospheres” teaching from Bethel. Dawna will teach you how to “walk victoriously in any atmosphere you encounter.”
It’s worked for Dawna as she is able to take dominion of her neighbourhood. If a house in her neighbourhood needs paint, Dawna will declare that the house gets painted. If the house owner cannot afford paint, Dawna will declare that money will come to the owner so that he is compelled to paint his house. Dawna will declare that a person waters their neglected garden. Dawna can do this because there is “power in our words.”
By now you are Adamant, under a covering, have dealt with the bait of Satan, killed your Kryptonite, know your prophetic personality, can hear God, and have managed to shift atmospheres, but still struggle financially.
Well, according to Kris Vallotton “if heaven is God’s goal for us, then wealth must be a piece of our prize!” Naturally you would have to purchase his book “Poverty, Riches, and Wealth” to stake your claim. After all, it worked for Kris: “Then suddenly, thousands of dollars began pouring in from a number of different sources, from real estate deals to book sales, and from teaching materials to conference offerings. Thousands of dollars found their way into our bank accounts”
It sounds like this must be from God: “I think this revelation is a catalyst to overthrowing the principality called Mammon and establishing a wealth mentality rooted in heavenly wisdom. My primary motive in writing this book is to break the back of poverty and release a spirit of prosperity on the world.”
If Vallotton’s teaching has little impact, try Bill Johnson’s $4 MP3 download “The Power for Increase” You will learn that: “Recession is just a bad idea. God is releasing an anointing to deal with that cycle. When we believe recession is a superior reality, we turn in fear, and our fear causes a collapse. This message has caused a ripple effect in our church and to many around the world who have suffered loss and financial hardship. We have testimonies of lost items being restored, legal cases dropped, financial shifts and market sales contrary to the current economy.”
Now you are even better off – adamant, under a covering, have dealt with the bait of Satan, killed your Kryptonite, know your prophetic personality, can hear God, and have managed to shift atmospheres, and finally… wealthy.
Content? Don’t be, because there is more!
Roma Downey, the new age Roman Catholic mystic believes we need to be “expanded where our dreams are small” and so she recommends Brian Houston’s latest book “THERE IS MORE.” Houston believes “potential perishes because of the lack of an audacious dream” and we should “shoot for the moon.” In business, why not, but I thought Houston is a pastor and should echo Paul’s dream: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8
The only “more” you will receive from his book is more of the same false doctrine.
Now that you have the “more” (until next’s years new more) you may realize that there’s a bit too much “more” around your waist and your garments are a little tight fitting. There’s a solution to that as well. It’s not what you think – gym, healthy eating etc. Jennifer Eivaz has a prayer for supernatural weight loss, at least this one’s for free. You can “Watch and receive this powerful teaching and prayer for supernatural weight loss! The Lord is dealing with the spirit of heaviness so you can have new garments of praise Isaiah 61:3.”
Now if you were unaware that God is doing this kind of thing, your problem is that you are not awake to what is being released over us from heaven – you need to wake up! Yes, there’s a solution of course: you can purchase Beni Johnson’s “Wakey Wakey” teaching – described as follows: “Everything that is in heaven is being released over us. It is important that we learn to hear heaven’s heartbeat to infect our world with what God is doing. This message will inspire you to WAKE UP your spirit to the mystical things of God. Let us not grow too old to welcome mystery, but dream as a child again.”
Speaking of children, now that you are adamant, under a covering, have dealt with the bait of Satan, killed your Kryptonite, know your prophetic personality, can hear God, shifted atmospheres, are wealthy, found more, lost weight, and are wide awake, it’s time to invest in your children!
Pop over to the Bethel Store and purchase this teaching by Anne Kalvestrand: “Teaching Kids About Healings, Miracles & Raising the Dead – In this teaching for children, Anne Kalvestrand demonstrates how to heal the sick, perform miracles and raise the dead. You will see children being released to pray with a focus on how to continue to press in for a complete healing miracle.”
There is more…for the children at the Bethel Store. For $100 “Vintz the Puppet” can be yours, this is no ordinary puppet as “Vintz and this curriculum are part of God’s solution to filling this generation with His joy! This is more than a puppet and a script, Vintz releases heaven into earth“
Still not satisfied…something missing in the package? Go over to Bethel’s online store; one of the 610 teaching products is the “Sozo Basic Saved, Healed & Delivered” teaching. This $105 DVD will save time as “Sozo finds issues in minutes instead of years.” Furthermore “Sozo contains the whole package of being made whole or well.”
Then of course we have countless seminars, conferences, stadium meetings and workshops available. Personalities and bands such as Bill Johnson, Christine Caine, Shawn Bolz, Beth Moore, Hillsong and Jesus Culture cater to the millions who are eager for a new word or new experience. A good example of yet another gathering is the upcoming Global Summit in Pasadena this August. A who’s who of teachers that should be marked and avoided – Lou Engle, Bill Johnson, Patricia King, Cindy Jacobs, Che Ahn, Shawn Bolz and others, will be speaking. This deception costs $25 – $189 but hey, you can “Come receive the release of mantles.” Who do we have to thank? The celebrity superstars of the New Apostolic Reformation who “As leaders and influencers in the Body of Christ HAVE PREPARED AND SOWN INTO THIS SEASON OF ACCELERATED ACCELERATION” This is far superior to the previous years where we had to settle for mere acceleration! After the summit, you will be able to “go forth with fresh fire to bring about revival in your sphere of influence” and “REFORM YOUR MOUNTAIN.”
I think you realize that I could carry on, but I’ll spare you the misery as you get the point. It’s exhausting to simply read about all the winds of doctrine – imagine living it! Yet millions do, and they end up “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.”
Now the question must be asked: Why are people carried about by every wind of doctrine? Paul gives us the answer in the beginning of the verse: “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” Ephesians 4:14
Those who are carried about by winds of doctrine are described as “children.”
In other words, these are people who are spiritually immature. Children tend to put things in their mouths that are not edible because they lack knowledge, the ability to reason, and cannot distinguish between what is good and what is harmful. Children can be easily influenced, and led astray by others. In the same way, false converts and immature believers feed on harmful winds of doctrine. They are led astray by eloquent teachers who distort the truth.
The “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” Paul mentions in verse 5, has been replaced with a buffet of options. It’s literally a free-for-all when it comes to doctrines and practices in the visible church. People can choose what tickles their fancy. Paul put it this way: ““For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths“ 2 Timothy 4:3
Instead of being children in this context, we should “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” vs 13.
“Children” or Spiritual infants, need to go back to the foundation – to the first principles of God:
“About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” Hebrews 5:11-14
Those who have been tossed to and fro, carried about by every wind of doctrine have been robbed! They are paying in dollars, but the cost is far higher than any monetary expense. The have been robbed of truth; they have been robbed of Christ.
The teachers who have robbed them, are not the ones that are going to lead them back to truth. There are no valid reasons to keep listening to those who distort truth; there are no valid reasons to sit under a ministry that distorts truth. Reject the endless quest on offer through teachers who twist God’s word, it will leave you exhausted, confused, poorer, and a step closer to a great delusion.
“Nothing short of the total destruction of a believer will ever satisfy our adversary. Nothing less than the perfection and complete salvation of a Christian is the heart’s desire of our Savior. He will never see the full fruition of the travail of His soul till all His people are completely saved. The reverse is true of Satan. He can never be content till he sees the believer utterly devoured. He would rend him in pieces and break his bones and utterly destroy him if he could. Do not, therefore, indulge the thought that the main purpose of Satan is to make you miserable. He is pleased with that—but that is not his ultimate end. Sometimes he may even make you happy for he has dainty poisons sweet to the taste which he administers to God’s people. If he feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best effect his end” C H Spurgeon
Helpful Links :
10 ways to identify false teachings
10 ways false teachers ensnare people
Invalid reasons for staying in a church you know teaches false doctrine
10 invalid arguments in defense of false teacher’s