If you agree, we have a LOT of work to do. Answer Steven Furtick is the lead pastor of Elevation Church, based near Charlotte, North Carolina. If only the apostle Paul had known what Kenneth Copeland, Steven Furtick, Joyce Meyer, and Andrew Wommack know. You can SAY that youre right, but you cant responsibly use Scripture to show that youre right. Just yesterday I watched a clip of Jesse Duplantis, where he said (and I quote) You choose when you live, you choose when you die. Thank you and God bless you. "For several years we struggled in our marriage with infidelity, lack of trust, and loneliness with each other and in our relationships with other people. I didnt cite the judgment part because I think he goes too far. As Ive written in What is a False Teacher, I want to be careful, and I dont see these teachers as my enemies only as people who need to be seen, assessed, critiqued, and understood. One of the main issues that cause both false teaching and teaching in error is reading verses out of context. That Jesus was speaking only about Revelation. Many years later, the Son became a human. Jesus is the Word of God, (logos, the intelligence of God expressed in words) made flesh. Where in the Bible does it say that no one but God has the right to judge anyone? Im struggling with whether I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, or whether Im being discerning. Many people such as Paul himself before his conversion, along with his brother Pharisees, know the Word. Sure, Ballard Christian. When He prayed that we all may be one as He and the Father are one, He clearly wasnt suggesting anything like circumincessionism. The blood of Jesus is far superior to the blood of animal sacrifices in the eyes of God, so much so that sacrifice of animals ceased being acceptable to him since the completion of the atoning work of his Son on the cross, Hebrews 9:11-14 Thats undeniably false. If you need a hand working through these issues, Im here to help. If someone makes a good point, good but we dont use human authority to point out Gods authority in Scripture. Romans 12:3. The Spirit of God is the BREATH/Wind of God and the Son is the WORD of God. Every life is a miracle and every child a blessing, true. Yes, its complex. Can a man present the gospel that may be doctrinally incorrect on other matters ? Thats part of why Ive decided, after 24 years of having online discussions about Jesus, to go ahead and write about false teachers: so many have simply been deceived. My father used to say that people rarely and almost never amass large amounts of money and wealth without deceptive practices. Feeling encouraged by a false message, confident when they should be repentant, etc. Jesus couldnt do many miracles why? Well said, salvation is the most important possession someone owns. He is the sustainer of the universe. But I did check the website for Elevation Church to find out what they teach about the Trinity. Theres no Plan B, so we need to make sure the church follows Jesus lead. Would you bring an unsaved friend to an Elevation concert? Sometimes, pastors make bad decisions. The implication, as taught over and over by these false teachers, is that we share Gods nature, and we can do the things He can do. Using scripture to point out the errors. Youve encouraged me twice first by your gratitude, and second by letting the world know that youre paying attention! When good teachers do it, its irresponsible. Jesus sacrifice paid for us to be redeemed from them all. Most churches pay a subscription fee to a licensing service so they can put song lyrics on screens for people to follow along with. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. May I share a harsh scripture that not only you, but all of us, may need to consider, Acts 5:38,39. Do not line up with the holy spirit that was Within Me. Again, no, God did not break the law, as James 2:10 says whoever stumbles at one point of the law is guilty of breaking it all, which means God did not break any of His Old Testament laws! It is false to teach that God is a multiple personality being. Will you bring Matthew Henry into this category too? You and I both know that we dont save ourselves, yet many persist in the false notion that its our faith-filled words that save us. How many have only joined a church , gotten baptized, confirmed without being convicted. The word Sought covers a lot of ground. First, it contradicts Scripture. We cant create worlds out of nothing. Theres no question that all three persons are God. Essentially, the principle of Trinity exists all around us. Is it okay to sing the songs, but not go to the concert? I am sick on my stomach and disgusted by your interpretation or misinterpretation of Gods chosen disciple. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. A Baptist pastor. But I dont want to follow a false teacher. Thats not who I am. He teaches that God created a good Law, then broke His own Law, and did it because He loves us. I have confidence that it happens all the time, all around the world. I currently have a dad who has pastored for 40+ years. Furtick is, quite simply, wrong: God can, and often does, override our unbelief. Here is what the great Matthew Henry said; It (this familiarity breeding contempt). We are told it in scripture, and accept it on faith. Zachariah didnt believe he could have a son at his advanced age it wasnt his faith that allowed God to give him John the Baptist. Im sure you are as well. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul said to rebuke false teachers publicly, so that the rest may stand in fear. He specifically called out false teachers by name, too: Demas, Phygelus, Hermongenes, Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus. Do you believe that false teachers exist? Because it was trapped in their unbelief. He draws us to Himself, or we could not be saved. As for, Do you, in any sense, have power over God? Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: Notice the connection between Power and faith The religious leader was born and raised in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, in the United States of America. Paul wrote a whole bunch of books in the New Testament, right? Those are your only options. While it is an imperfect term, its the best one we can come up with. We can know they are three distinct persons, as indicted in this conversation; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: Genesis 1:26. Because faith works by love, Galatians 5:6, and must continue in this love, if our faith is to work John 15:9. Please be specific. Job, in, Nothing will be impossible with God. God wanted Paul to be healed, but Paul had some hidden sin that prevented it. Not the Steven Furtick you were looking for? If healing belongs to us, why was Paul never healed? If youre a Christian, one would assume that you believe the Bible to be a guide for Christians. He draws us to Himself. According to Furtick, the Law was ineffective at redeeming mankind, so God broke it to save us. I too get tired of the nonsense, and the focus on secondary issues, and on the desire to be entertaining rather than edifying. Do you know of any instances he may have snuck that in a sermon? Second, Im supremely confident that you will agree with these statements correct me if Im wrong: If you agree with those things, then the only thing left for you and me to figure out is whether Steven Furticks teaching actually DOES contradict Scripture right? Copyright 2023 Christian Today. As for telling Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach, you took that out of important context of which indicates the reason for the admonition, Drink no longer water, which was the source of his problem. Thanks. In this case, those consequences might be only a few minutes of ritual uncleanness, or most of a day. There are a number of very serious problems with Furticks teaching on this. without the shedding of blood, there is no remission ( forgiveness, Hebrews 9:22). There are plenty of Scriptures about not rejecting other believers simply because they dont yet understand all that Jesus taught. As this comes back to the baby and bath water analogy. Got it. I can certainly use the discussion to teach people how to handle Scripture properly, how the teachings of the Word of Faith movement come directly from New Thought, and how they distort the biblical record about God and man. I wonder: why do you think that almost all of the books in the New Testament warn Christians to watch out for false teachers? This does not match what we see in Scripture. I hope youre doing great! The most common error among Word of Faith teachers and that includes Steven Furtick is to give us the power. In case anyone wonders whether Furtick misspoke, theres more. Its not. Ive removed the link you provided, in case any would be tempted to go and listen to him. Youre right. Indicative mood: a simple statement of fact an indication, not a prediction or supposition. 1. Im sure we can agree on this: salvation is not the end, its the beginning. Hes also a dangerous false teacher, whether he knows it or not. In the same sermon, speaking of Jesus ascension into Heaven, Furtick said this: and now Jesus is taken from their sight, and hidden in a cloud, but he did not leave. Furticks teaching is chock full of narcigesis. True, I must admit I was not accurate as to what God can do, and does in His sovereignty, but still the scripture Mark 6:5 ; And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. sounds so close to Matthew 13:58, as here He was powerless to do no mighty work, Jesus was blocked, and even marveled at it, saying it was because of their unbelief. Right, John 5 speaks to Jesus ministry, doing his Father work verse 17, again in Acts 10:38, going about healing all who were oppressed of the devil . Humility and teachableness, and the willingness to consider that there might be more than we now understand is fundamental to avoiding error. The simple truth is that I dont want you to trust me, Ryan. ", He had also tweeted a Bible passage, Isaiah 35:10, which reads in the NLT: "Those who have been ransomed by the LORD will return. I think its important, on several levels. and this Christians power is not his own, as after God used Peter to heal a lame beggar, the apostle explained to astonished onlookers that the man was healed not by Peters own power but through faith in the name of Jesus Christ: Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? What you need is what we all need: to see people actually following Jesus closely. Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly, It is for your good that I am going away. If there are disputable matters, there are indisputable matters. We are like Him in some ways, but not in others. We are not kept in the dark about the truth of the gospel. Needs a dose of 1 Peter 5:5, as we all must! He exists as one substance in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That sounds good, but its the opposite of what we see in the Bible. Paul, you say, needed to be humbled. >> Actually, the Word of God teaches that there is only ONE Spirit who is God. The context here makes it clear that Jesus was referring to the prophecies in Revelation. Lets see a sit down between you and Pastor Furtick. Have a great day! Healing belongs to you and to me. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness. Teaching that reading about Jesus is anything like reading about ourselves goes too far. After studying these things for literally several decades, Im still working to properly explain how one can tell the difference between those who are wrong and those who are false. After all, someone might say: whos to say that God is NOT energy? We arent wandering in the wilderness. Most of. True he draws us to himself (hearing the Gospel, as there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved), but it takes two steps for salvation as it is (by grace), but it also takes the second part (through faith) Ephesians 2:8. Thanks for writing! Thanks. Buddhists will talk about becoming one with everything by losing your self-identity. Someone gave me a good example that Ill share with you: if the Jehovahs Witnesses started producing really good music that your church liked to sing, would you be okay with that? Two responses: when Mark says Jesus could do no mighty works in Nazareth, He does not mean that their unbelief sapped His power. Lets see what the apostle John says in 2 John 1: Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If you dont know that, you simply havent read the New Testament very much. As of August 2023, Steven Furtick Net Worth is $60 million. Seems like a foundational idea on which other bad ideas are built. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Weve gone back and forth a number of times, and Im not entirely clear on where you stand.