False Teachings in the Church
      
There are many within the church today who claim to have a new edge on the teachings of the church. Do they really? Does God really speak directly to them and give them new revelation knowledge to pass on to the rest of us? If they are truly able to heal by swinging their coats at the audiences and by blowing air at them, touching their foreheads and praying, etc. as Benny Hinn does, how come they are seemingly unable to produce any thoroughly documented cases? We sometimes see wheelchairs and canes left at the stage of these people's 'ministry' but have you ever seen any glass eyes or discarded mechanical arms or legs as these limbs have been miraculously regenerated?
Why is it that so many of them say that in order to get God's blessing of healing, etc, we must "sow a seed of faith" and give, GIVE, GIVE to their ministry? Do we have to put money into God's vending machine in order to get His blessings? When did Jesus and the apostles ever demand money from people before God would help them? Since when did God ever need money? Was Jesus really a wealthy man as some of them tell us? If so, then why does scripture tell us that He had no place to lay His head?
Is the trinity truly a "nine" as Benny Hinn indicates in his book, "Goodmorning Holy Spirit"? (See the trinity link below for scriptural teaching on the trinity doctrine.) How can we tell when we are hearing a false teacher/ prophet? We must compare what they say God said to them to what we know God has already said to us in the scriptures and "hold fast to that which is good".
Search the archives of The Christian Research Institute for information on most any subject from witnessing to cultists to recognizing false teachers who are truly "wolves in sheep’s clothing".
I liked the following articles so much I decided to add them here:
The Flaws of the Faith Movement (Hank Hanegraaff)
[F] The F in F-L-A-W-S will serve to remind you of the word Faith. The Faith movement's metaphysical concept of faith is embodied in the following four spiritual flaws: The force of faith. Faith is a force and words are the containers of the force, Thus, through the power of words, you can create your own reality. The Formula of faith. Formulas are the name of the game in Faith Theology. Through them you can "write your own ticket with God." The faith of God. The God of the Faith movement is no god at all. You may be amazed to learn that he is a mere faith being who has to operate in accordance with universal laws of faith. The faith hall of Fame. For the Faith teachers to stand, Job has to fall. Thus they induct Job into the "Faith Hall of Shame" and induct themselves into the "Faith Hall of Fame."
[L] The L in F-L-A-W-S will remind you of the words Little gods. Incredibly, Faith theology deifies man to the status of a god and demotes God to the status of a man. The four spiritual flaws are as follows: The deification of man. In Faith theology man was created as an exact duplicate of God, including size and shape. · The demotion of God. The Faith movement not only deifies man but also demotes God to the status of a bellhop at the beck and call of His creation. The deification of Satan. Satan is deified as the God of this world and is positioned with so much power that he could manage to "turn the light off in God." The demotion of Christ. All cults and world religions compromise the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Faith movement is no exception.
[A] The A in F-L-A-W-S will remind you of Atonement Atrocities. As you will hear, the Faith movement has ripped the very heart out of Christianity. The four spiritual flaws are: Re-creation on the cross. On the cross, Jesus was re-created from divine to demonic, taking on the very nature of Satan. Redemption in hell. In the words of one Faith teacher, "Satan conquered Christ upon the cross." In the words of yet another, "If the punishment for sin was to die on a cross . . . the two thieves could have paid your price." Rebirth in hell. In hell. the "emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit" of Jesus was born. "The trap was set for Satan, and Jesus was the bait." Reincarnation. Jesus was reincarnated from demonic to divine and then emerged from hell as an incarnation of God. When you are born again, you too are reincarnated from demonic to divine, becoming "as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth."
[W] The w in F-L-A-W-S will remind you of Wealth and Want. .As you listen, it will become apparent that Faith theology transforms Christianity from a gospel of grace to a gospel of greed. The four spiritual flaws are: Cultural conformity. Rather than transforming our culture to Christ, prosperity preachers are hawking a Jesus who "wears designer clothes." Cons and cover-ups. The cons and cover-ups of the Faith movement are so outrageous that you have to hear them yourself to believe them. Covenant-contract. The Faith concept of Wealth and Want finds its genesis in a covenant that God made with Abram. God supposedly told Abram, "I'm making a proposition to you. You can tell Me to bug off if you don't like it." Context, context, context. Faith teachers are masters at attributing esoteric or mystical meanings to biblical passages. Among other things, you will hear them claim that Jesus and the disciples were fabulously wealthy.
[S] The S in F-L-A-W-S represents Sickness and Suffering. You will learn that devastation and death follow in the wake of false faith teachings. The four spiritual flaws are: Symptoms and sickness. Are symptoms merely tricks used by the devil to steal our guarantee of divine health and healing? Satan and sickness. The cruelty displayed by the Faith movement when it comes to the sick is almost beyond comprehension. One of the most famous of all Faith teachers today writes, "If your body belongs to God, it does not and cannot belong to sickness." Sin and sickness. It is not enjoyable to hear the stories of people who have lost their loved ones and were told it was a direct result of sin. Perhaps we will wake up to the fact that the kingdom of the cults is now within the very walls of the church itself. Sovereignty and sickness. One of our best-selling "evangelical" authors states, "Never, ever, ever go to the Lord and say, `If it be thy will.' . . . Don't allow such faith-destroying words to be spoken from your mouth." And that's just the beginning. The sovereignty of God is a crucial casualty in the cultic theology of the Faith movement.
Touch not the Lord's anointed! - excerpt - by Jacob Prasch.
We always get the same response: "Touch not the Lord's anointed!" I profoundly wish that those who quote that verse would read it. It is true that King David would not touch King Saul in the cave of Ein Gedi. However, that never stopped David or Samuel the prophet from telling the truth about King Saul. He said King Saul was a treacherous, back-slidden and murderous man. And that verse is not going to stop me telling the truth about Rodney Howard-Brown or Kenneth Copeland.
If you think "Don't touch my anointed" means you don't stand up and name the names of people who are leading God's people astray, you will need to modify your Bible. Jews anointed High Priests and Kings. Watch out for Jaazaniah son of Azzur (Ezekiel 11:1). He was the High Priest, he was God's anointed, and he was leading the people astray. Tear the book of Ezekiel out of your Bible!
Watch out for people who predict things that don't happen. It says in Deuteronomy 18:22 that someone who predicts something in the name of the Lord which fails to happen is a false prophet. Get away from them!
Watch out for Hananiah, he predicts things which don't happen; he counsels rebellion against the Lord (Jeremiah 28). Well, so do people like Rick Joyner and John Wimber; you can document their prophecies that have failed.
Who does Jeremiah the prophet think he is, touching God's anointed? Tear the book of Jeremiah out of your Bible!
Every king was anointed. Jews didn't crown kings, they anointed them. 1 Kings, 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles record the history of the kings. Every king of Israel, and most of the kings of Judah were corrupt and mislead the people. The Word of God names them and says what they did. Quick! Tear 1 Kings out of your Bible. Tear 2 Kings out of your Bible. Tear 1 and 2 Chronicles out of your Bible.
High Priests were God's anointed, so were kings. What did Jesus say about Herod? "Go and tell that fox " (Luke 13:32). Who does Jesus Christ think He is, touching God's anointed? Who do Matthew, Mark, Luke and John think they are? When they decry Caiaphas and Ananias, the High Priests, they must be touching God's anointed!
If you think that is what "touching God's anointed" means, tear the four Gospels out of your Bible. Turn to the Epistles. Look out for Alexander the coppersmith (2 Timothy 4:14); look out for Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). Look out for Diotrephes (3 John 9). Quick! Tear the Epistles out of the Bible, they are touching God's anointed. They are naming the names in public; they are naming them in published letters.
If you think "touch not God's anointed" means that you should not stand up to those who are teaching error to God's people and misleading them, you may as well throw away the whole Bible and write your own, which is essentially what these people are doing, any way.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
(Matthew 7:15-20) Again, the words of Jesus.
Links and Resources about False Teachings in the Church
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