Plant a Seed…

An old friend came to see me the other day…this is a true story but the identity of my friend must remain anonymous so I will henceforth refer to him as “Binny.”

Binny is a PK (Pastor’s kid) from a very Charismatic background…although he didn’t come into the movement until he was in his late teens when he decided to go looking for his birth father. He found his dad leading a group of fervent believers in a small, northern community. I was also attending the gatherings at this group’s meeting places and following the leader around, so met I met Binny through his Dad (the leader of the group) as he quickly became a follower of his new Dad and the excitement of the entertainment at the group’s gatherings. They called them worship services and the band was pretty good, sometimes really good! They had flaggers and dancers and even painters doing prophetic paintings to the music. It was a really cool place…I liked it a lot and so did Binny. We were both willing to overlook the people “doing the chicken”, shouting out in the middle of “sermons” writhing around on the floor like frying bacon and the kids “puking up demons” in the parking lot. I mean, who were we to question the Holy Spirit? I was in my late 30’s or just in to my forties at that time and played guitar in various bands at the gatherings. We even travelled a bit and put out a CD!

After about 7 years of this, I began to realise that the Gospel was not being taught nearly as much as the LAW was being hammered into all the teens and down-on-their-luck adults that were following us around, so I left. On my way out I made it clear to the leader that I thought he was a false teacher and our parting got quite ugly as he and I hammered out our arguments on Facebook, of all places! To be fair, we had spoken privately and in the presence of one or two leaders on numerous occasions but I was usually dismissed with something like, “You are being divisive” or “You have a dark spirit” or “You lack of faith.” Our discussions however, I now see, were much like what you might expect to hear between a classic Lutheran and a Charismatic…like a debate between Chris Rosebrough and Bill Johnson for example. However, Bill Johnson would never agree to a sit down and chat with Chris Rosebrough and that’s how it is now between me and “the leader.” He has blocked me on Facebook and probably doesn’t read my blog but if he does I would still say the same to him.

“You can’t raise the dead. You can’t heal the sick by smashing them on the forehead and yelling ZOOMBA…or SHEEBA at them. Tongues is not a gift that is to be used the way you use it. You are not a prophet, nor are any of those other quacks like Patricia King, Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, Rick Joyner or Cindy Jacobs. You can’t teach people to be prophets or to become healers. Christianity is not about taking over the “seven mountains” in order to prepare the Kingdom for Jesus. Christianity is about recognizing our inability, because of our sin nature, to please God and His mercy and grace through the Gospel which says, if we are repentant and put our trust in Jesus, that our slates are wiped clean because of what Jesus Christ did at the cross. Jesus died to take the punishment that we deserve because we are sinners. He didn’t die so we would somehow now be able to not sin…and it is certainly not your job to keep your flock’s sins in check. The saddest thing I have to say to you is this; All sin is forgiven…except blasphemy…and if you claim to teach the Gospel but don’t, or if you teach a Gospel other than the one taught to us by Paul who was taught by Jesus, it will be better for you to have a millstone around your neck than to face judgement saying, ‘I did this for You and I did that for You.’ You know the rest of the story. I say this BECAUSE I love you. Repent my friend.”

So…back to Binny. We were not real close during those years with the group but he liked me and I liked him…but when I left the leadership of the group, Binny believed his Dad, that I was a divisive one with a dark spirit and he broke ties with me as I broke ties with the group and its leadership. That was about 3 years ago. I am 50 now and quietly attending a Lutheran Church. Binny is in his late 20s and he came to see me, and I guess this is the end of the story, to tell me that he had received a revelation of grace, was now attending a Baptist Church and that he now sees that I was actually right to leave the group and to encourage others to leave as well.

Post Script: I did not feel like this was a “win” for me…but I do see it as a win for the Kingdom and a loss for Satan. And I also see it as a bit of a wake-up call to not become complacent with the status quo and to continue to oppose and even expose those who teach false doctrine. Gotta plant more seeds!