A Controversy
The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has undergone a huge “paradigm shift” (this was originally a New Age term utilized to explain
the strategy of redefining “church” terminology into their New Age meanings. It was
subsequently adopted, much to our shame, by many Charismatics as a buzz word for an alleged shifting of God’s future priorities for His church).
Unfortunately, the real shift has been towards
the past and has resurrected many erroneous theological issues and beliefs long since resolved by
the early church fathers and laid to rest as invalid.
Basically stated, we have shifted our purpose
and our focus from the ministry and Person of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, to that of the manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In so doing we have redefined our purpose as living stones in
the temple of Our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:9,10 state God’s eternal
purpose for His church: “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according
to his
good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him:” It should be obvious that “all things” do not include fallen angels
and those of fallen mankind who have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour of their lives.
Manifestations
There is tremendous controversy concerning some
of the manifestations which have occurred and are continuing to occur in Pentecostal/Charismatic
experiences. Failure to exercise caution within the arena of these debates will yield eternal consequences, as will impropriety in attributing some of these manifestations to the wrong spiritual
source.
Continued debates, arguments and accusations
create schisms, divisions and disturbances within the body of Christ. While these tactics and techniques serve the devil very well, they are totally inappropriate for members of the body of Christ,
and are, in fact, counter-productive to the eternal purpose of God as stated above.
The battles have been fought, all ammunition
expended, all personnel exhausted. There is no clear winner.
There is, however, a clear loser: the biblical integrity of the body of Christ.
I will here mention some of those manifestations
which have occurred in theological environments which are not friendly to the biblical doctrines of
the Bible. Manifestations which have occurred and are continuing to occur within the communities
of the Catholic church and the New Age movement. Manifestations throughout the world that Pentecostals/Charismatics have, and also have not, experienced.
A prime source of these manifestations are the
many Marian shrines presently being visited:
Lourdes, France attracts 5.5 million pilgrims
yearly.
Fatima, Portugal—4.5 million people annually.
Poland’s Marian shrine “Our Lady
of Jasna Gora” (a favorite of Pope John Paul II)—5 million pilgrims a year.
The Marian shrine that attracts more pilgrims
than any other is “Lady of Guadeloupe,” located near Mexico City. This shrine attracts
over 20 million people annually.
I would add that for those who have experienced
manifestations at these shrines, those manifestations have become, by tradition,
“doctrine” for them and for those with whom they have shared those experiences. These
experiences are real, witnessed by many, even those who went to disprove them, and in many cases,
healing testimonies have been medically verified.
We cannot simply read them and dismiss them
as fantasy. These experiences, and many others, have formed a cohesive and powerful bond that
transcends traditional religious teachings and doctrines for millions, if not billions, of their faithful
followers. We ignore this fact at our own peril.
It will—no ifs, ands or buts—it
will affect your future as a believer in Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, particularly if you
are a Bible believer.
The distinctions of the religious identity and
bigotry of those involved in these experiences is being blurred by an overriding sense of being one.
One with God. As God. Traditional Christianity as we know it is in great danger. In danger of being
liable to self-destruction by being pulled into this mass of religiosity by its exaltation of these experiences to a state of “doctrinal” acceptance by its adherents. Failure to get our biblical
purpose firmly established within the body of Christ, and not focusing as members of that body on
our purpose will force us to join the merging masses. Or be annihilated.
The apostasy—the falling away from the
faith of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified—and the false signs, wonders and miracles, and false
teachers and false prophets and false Christs we are all expecting to suddenly show up and announce
themselves to us have already arrived. A long time ago. Like the frog in the kettle, we have simply
enjoyed the warmer water of various spiritual manifestations, never noticing that it is inevitable that
the water will reach a boiling point of multiple unbiblical spiritual manifestations. And we will be
cooked. Body, soul and spirit. Cooked dead.
Catholic and New Age Spiritual Experiences
The following information was taken from various
Catholic and New Age web sites. From Catholic Apparitions of Jesus and Mary at:
http://www.Apparitions.org
The last century-and-a-half has seen numerous
accounts of appearances of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Jesus, Himself, is said to speak to a few of the seers. Some of the apparitions have received
official approval by the Roman Catholic Church. Common threads running through all the messages
are: Jesus has been offended by the multiplication of sins against His Sacred Heart; and Mary exhorts
humanity to prayer and repentance and an increased devotion to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. A simple message, but the alternative, we are warned, is a great chastisement
which will befall mankind.
From the Miracles page at:
http://www.capecod.net/~mjones/miracles.htm
It has now been 16 years since the first apparition
in Medjugorje. Four of the six visionaries still
see the Queen of Peace almost daily. The pilgrims still flood the street of Medjugorje.
Imagine while in the village of Medjugorje being
engulfed in the smell of roses. Thousands of people have reported this happening as well. The reports
of the smell of roses happens both singularly and in mass episodes.
Imagine looking into the sun without injury to
your eyes. Imagine watching the sun spin, pulsate, change color, or jump around in the sky. Imagine
seeing the face of Jesus in the sun. Thousands have witnessed this as well.
Many Catholics say the chain links on their rosary
beads change from silver to a gold looking color. This has happened to thousands of pilgrims both
on their way to Medjugorje, as well as in Medjugorje.
From "Signs and Wonders of our Times" at: http://www.sign.org/
Messages via Sadie Jaramillo, Thursday, May 13, 1999 Feast of the Ascension, in
Garabandal
For the Feast of the Ascension, Bishop Roman
Danylak, a Ukrainian Rite Catholic bishop, was
offering the Holy Mass with four concelebrating priests, and it was wonderful! Again I asked,
“What more can you give me Lord?” Thursday evening we went up to the pines and
joined many people from all over the world, including a group from the Franciscan University of
Stubenville, Ohio. It was just wonderful. As we were in the pines praying the Rosary about 8:30 p.m.,
there was suddenly thunder! This was not ordinary thunder, but like thunder that might have accompanied God’s conversations with Moses! To the right of us there was a cloud of fog or smoke,
or something that looked like that, rolling toward us until it reached a certain point and rolled back,
all the while accompanied by thunder. Some others who were there also saw the cloud and heard the
thunder. This was not a private vision! We were in the presence of God and Our Lady, and we received a multitude of graces. Over and over I heard from the others who were there that they had
not intended to go to Garabandal. Just like me, many of the other pilgrims felt like they had been
called there.
From Share International at:
http://www.shareintl.org/background/miracles/MI_other.htm Tuesday miracle
On the first Tuesday of every month, crowding
the highways by bus and car, people travel to Sara Piqui in Costa Rica to witness the appearance of
the Virgin Mary in the sky. As well as this miraculous vision, sometimes glitter has suddenly manifested on the arms of the people present. They say it is very real—that they can pick it up with
their fingers. Lebanese statue of Mary sweats oil
Hundreds of Lebanese people have been visiting
the Christian cemetery of Tyre, to pray before the statue of the Virgin Mary which, according to many
eye-witnesses, is sweating oil. Many reporters and photographers, from Lebanon and abroad, are
visiting Tyre to investigate the phenomenon, while the believers collect the blessed oil covering the
major part of the statue’s marble surface. (Source: l’Orient-Le Jour, Lebanon)
From: The End Days—Prophecies from Catholic Saints and Mystics
(http://www.webcom.com/enddays/saints.html)
V. Marie Julie Jahenny of La Fraudais (19th century, France)
She had five wounds of Our Lord. As a result
she was called “The Breton Stigmatist”. She had the marvellous gift ... recognizing
Eucharistic bread from ordinary bread, objects that were blessed and those that were not; relics and
to say where they came from, and finally to understand in several language hymns and liturgical
prayers. During a five year period from December 28, 1875 she survived only on Holy Communion.
As Dr. Imbert-Gourbeyre recorded, during this whole period, there were no liquid or solid excretions.
She was completely insensitive to pain or intense light during her ecstasies. Some of these ecstasies
were accompanied by levitation; at that moment she was ecstatically light.
From: Our Lady of Fatima
http://www.capecod.net/~mjones/fatima.htm Miracles and Wonders of Fatima
The sixth and final apparition, October, 13, 1917
and the promised miracle of Oct. 13, 1917
This account is taken from a book called, “A
Woman Clothed with the Sun.”
Gradually the sun grew pale, lost its normal color,
and appeared as a silver disk at which all could gaze directly without even shading their eyes. Then,
to the astonishment of all present, rays of multicolored light shot out in every direction; red, blue,
yellow, green, every color of the spectrum. Meanwhile, the very heavens seemed to be revolving as
the sun spun madly on its axis like a gigantic wheel of fire, painting the rocks, the trees, the faces
of the people with sunshine such as human eyes has never seen before. Three times it stopped and
three times the mad dance was resumed. Then, while the crowd went to its knees in abject terror, the
sun suddenly seemed to be torn loose from its place in the heavens. Down it hurtled, closer and closer
to the earth, staggering, “drunkenly” as it zigzagged through the skies while from all
parts of the now terrified multitude arose cries of repentance and appeals for mercy. “It’s
the end of the world,” shrieked one woman hysterically.” “Dear God, don’t
let me die in my sins,” cried another.” “Holy Virgin, protect us,” implored
a third.”
Suddenly, as if arrested in its downward plunge
by an invisible heavenly hand, it poised for a moment and then, in the same series of swirling motions
it began to climb upward till it resumed its accustomed place in the heavens. Gone was the silver
disk with the brilliant rays. It was once more a ball of fire at which nobody could look directly with
unshaded eyes.
During that day drenching rains had left an estimated 70,000 pilgrims soaking wet. The apparition site was a pit of mud. After the miracle the weather
was beautiful. While the people looked at one another, still trembling from their terrifying experience
and not yet sure that some further disaster would not overtake them, a cry of astonishment was heard
on every side. The rain-sodden garments had suddenly dried, someone said out loud, and the muddy
pit of land was also dry.
[Note: It is reported that at Medjugorje on August
2, 1981 there was a similar experience witnessed by approximately 150 people. The sun was setting,
and appeared to be spinning on its axis. Those staring into the sun suffered no problems with their
eyes. The sun appeared to come towards the people and then to back off from them and it appeared
to be very dark behind the sun. At the conclusion of the phenomena a white cloud came down over
the mountain side of the apparition and moved towards the sun, which was still spinning. Some saw
a large number of angels with trumpets coming out of the sun. Some people saw a large heart with
six small hearts beneath it. It has also been reported that the word MIR, which means
“peace” in Croatian has been observed many times in Medjugorje in the sky in burning
letters.]
Compiled from: Kenya Times. First published in the Kenya Times, 22 June 1988.
On June 11, 1988 a man suddenly appeared before
a vast crowd in Nairobi, Kenya, gathered to witness the miracle healings of Kenyan spiritual healer,
Mary Akatsa. Instantly recognizing the tall, white-robed figure as “Jesus Christ,” the
crowds fell down overcome with emotion. The editor of the Swahili edition of the Kenya Times, Job
Mutungi, witnessed the event and wrote the article from which this information is compiled.
About 6,000 worshippers at Muslim Village,
Kawangware, Nairobi, believe they saw Jesus Christ,
in broad daylight on Saturday, 4 June 1988. A big, bright star was sighted above the skies by worshippers. It was unusually brighter than ordinary stars. The time was 1 pm.
At 4.15 pm the tall figure of a barefooted
white-robed and bearded man appeared from nowhere and stood in the middle of the crowd. Twenty
cripples managed to walk again because of the day’s blessings. In clear Swahili, which had
no traces of accent, the strange man announced that the people of Kenya were blessed, especially
those who had gathered at the venue that afternoon. He said Mary had an important mission to unify
people of all races and tribes under the umbrella of God through Jesus. “I implore you kindly
to steadfastly hold on to your faith as the world will be no more. We are nearing the time for the reign
of heaven. But before that I shall come back and bring a bucketful of blessings for all of you. Please
respect Mary as she is a true representative of ‘The Most High,’” the man said
and reminded the crowd to live to the teachings of the Bible.
It took the crowd nearly 20 minutes to recover
after the man left the meeting in a car belonging to a Mr. Gurnam Singh, who offered to give him
a lift. But it will probably take Mr. Singh his lifetime to recover from the shock he got two minutes
later. On reaching the bus terminus for KBS Route No. 56, the man informed Mr. Singh to stop the
car as he wanted to alight and head for heaven. On getting out, he did not ascend. He walked a few
paces beside the road and simply vanished into thin air. Several people who witnessed this were
astonished by his mysterious disappearance.
Comment
The smell of roses, metal changing from silver
to a gold looking color, glory clouds, glitter manifesting on peoples arms and sweating olive oil are
all manifestations of phenomena in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.
There is also an account of a Catholic faith healer
in the United States with “heavenly power” given healing energy that burns their hands
until they touch someone. Power given by the Virgin Mary during a pilgrimage to Fatima. Power
given by a personal supernatural encounter with the Virgin Mary. And dying, going to heaven, sitting
on God’s knee and being sent back by God to help people on earth as a holy person.
Healing power “‘burning”
the hands is another Pentecostal/Charismatic phenomenon.
Past History
Let’s go back several hundred years ...
Compiled from: Welcome to The Mantle
The HOME Site of The Apostolate Alliance of the Two Hearts
at: http://home.ici.net/~aath/alliance/2hearts/ St. Gertrude the Great had a famous mystical experience regarding the Sacred Heart of Jesus
in 1302:
On the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, the author
of the Gospel of the same name, St. Gertrude had a vision of Our Lord, during which she was allowed
to rest her head upon the Wound in His side. When she heard the beating of His Heart, she turned
and asked St. John, who also was present, if he had heard the same on the night of the Last Supper,
when he leaned upon the breast of Our Lord. And if so, why he never spoke of them in his Gospel.
Remarkably, St. John replied that the revelation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was reserved for later
times when the world, grown cold, would be in need of being rekindled in love.
It was to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a humble
nun of the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady that Our Lord chose to reveal to the world His Sacred
Heart, thus opening a New Era of Grace and Mercy in the history of the Church and the world. These
private revelations took place during the years 1673-1675, and are drawn from the diary of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the witness of her fellow sisters, and that of her spiritual director, St. Claude de
La Colombiere.
On the Feast of St. John the Evangelist Our Lord
came to St. Margaret Mary in 1673, while she was in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and
granted her the same privilege as He had done to St. Gertrude.
After this vision (she had several more) St. Margaret Mary had this to say:
“After such a signal favor which lasted
for a long time, during which I knew not whether I was in heaven or on earth, I remained for several
days, as it were, on fire and inebriated (with divine love) and so completely out of myself, that I had
to do myself violence in order to utter a single word. The effort I had to make in order to join in
recreation or to take food was so great that it was all I could do to overcome myself, which was a
cause of considerable humiliation to me. I was not able to sleep, because of the pain of the wound,
which is so precious to me; it produces such heat within me that it burns and consumes me alive. I
also felt such a plentitude of God, that I could not explain myself to my Superioress, as I should have
wished, regardless of any suffering and confusion which the recital of these favors might cause me
...”
Note the physical symptoms: Disorientation
(“I knew not whether I was in heaven or on earth”) for several days, on fire (“it
burns me”), and inebriated (i.e., drunk), out of herself (loss of control), difficult to eat,
couldn’t sleep because of the (burning) pain of the wound which “produces such heat
within me that it burns and consumes me alive.” And confusion ...
Sounds much like many contemporary Pentecostal/Charismatic physical phenomena, but described within a 17th century frame of reference.
Present History
Could levitation, powerful signs in the sky and
mysterious visitations by a healing “Jesus Christ” endorsing the Virgin Mary’s
authority as a true representative of “The Most High” be the next group of phenomena
which the Pentecostal/Charismatic community of believers will accept as a genuine move of God
in their midst?
It is reported that the Virgin Mary has hinted that
these appearances will soon be ending in Medjugorje and will then cease everywhere. After a series
of warnings a permanent visible sign will be left on the mountain of the first appearance in
Medjugorje. Those who are still alive will have little time for conversion. The permanent sign will
lead to many healings and conversions.
Will this event then make believers out of the
Pentecostal/Charismatic signs and wonders followers? And other members of the body of Christ of
other theological beliefs?
Jesus said: “For there shall arise false
Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:24,25). The
New Testament also contains warnings about not believing the truth and being sent a strong delusion,
and many other warnings about deception. It can’t happen, you say? Neither could
Jim Jones, or Heavens Gate, or David Koresh.
Yeah, but ... Forget your “Yeah, buts”
That’s one of the reasons why we’re where we’re at.
Church, this is only a small sampling, less than
the tip of the iceberg of what is happening to our religious and spiritual climate and communities.
There are many, many, many, many weeping
statues of the Virgin Mary, exuding tears, blood and olive oil. There are many, many, many crosses
of light mysteriously appearing at different locations seen by thousands. Tears of glass crystal being
wept by a young girl. Statues drinking milk. Healing wells of water, curing everything from AIDs
to cancer.
In Conyers, Georgia, a town about 30 miles east
of Atlanta Nancy Fowler alleges that the Virgin Mary began appearing to her in October 1990 and
gave her messages. She said that the October 1998 message would be the last public declaration from
the Virgin Mary delivered through her. She claimed that her final vision included a multitude of souls
accompanying the Virgin Mary, which were supposedly released from purgatory into heaven in
Mary’s honor.
And on and on and on...
Our Purpose and Focus
Do I need comment on the fact that the biblical
theology of the Bible has been severely violated in these statements by the alleged Jesus and Virgin
Mary?
My point here is that we must be very, very careful
and we must draw closer to Jesus and the Father and we must exercise our God-given gift of discerning of spirits before we give credence to signs, wonders and miracles and those whose teachings and
theology violate the doctrines clearly stated in the Bible.
We, in the Pentecostal/Charismatic community,
must—simply must—establish our spiritual purposes firmly upon the foundation of the
teachings of Jesus Christ and as expounded upon in the epistles written in the New Testament by
the apostles for our instruction and guidance.
And then we must maintain our focus upon Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified as we present the pure gospel as objectively stated in the word of God so
that lost humanity will come to a full, saving knowledge of the truth of their eternal destiny.
And so that we may not be led astray by those
things that are occurring with increasing frequency, whose source is highly questionable, and which
would lead us, also, from the narrow path of biblical truth onto the broad way of universal spiritual
acceptance by those who serve the god of this world.
Suggested Reading
Against the backdrop of this information I strongly
suggest an article written by David Wilkerson in 1982—a period of time in which the majority,
if not all, of these manifestations were not prevalent within the Pentecostal/Charismatic community. I would strongly—even frantically—urge you to not go another minute without reading
what David Wilkerson said in this 1982 article, which reads like it was freshly penned. It is as timely
as today’s newspaper and more important than anything you could read in this hour, except
for the Bible itself.
The prophetic nature of his article describes the
biblical truth of the situation and presents a viable
working solution to the problems we have created for ourselves.
The article is located at:
A Christless Pentecost!
Is Christ Becoming A Stranger In Our Midst? by David Wilkerson, pastor of Times Square Church,
New York City - 1982
