Thursday, February 28, 2013

Joyce Leiphon and Light of the World Church, Should I Leave?

 
 
If you see any of these seven warning signs in your church, my advice is to run as fast as you can.
A friend of mine from England recently asked me for counsel regarding a serious dilemma. His pastor had been involved in extramarital affairs, yet the man never stepped down after the scandal. My friend grew increasingly uncomfortable. Then he became alarmed when the embattled pastor announced he was going to lay hands on every church member during a weekend service to impart “special revelation.”
This pastor had a base of loyal fans, but the Sunday crowd was dwindling because people could smell trouble. They knew it wasn’t right for this man to remain in leadership without receiving some serious personal ministry. I advised my friend to run for the door.
I’ve never found a perfect church in all my travels—and it certainly wouldn’t be perfect if I joined it. But there are some churches that deserve to be called unhealthy. While I believe we shouldn’t give up on a church too fast, there are some warning signs that should cause you to stop and ask if you’d be better off finding better pasture.
1. No accountability. There is safety in the multitude of counselors (see Prov. 11:14). There is much less safety—perhaps even danger—when a leader does not bother to seek counsel from a diverse group of his peers, as well as from gray-haired men and women who have the wisdom that comes with experience. If a pastor or church leader isn't open to correction or financial oversight, he is headed for a train wreck. If you stay in that church, you may crash with him.
2. Spiritual elitism. Healthy leaders love the entire body of Christ. Beware of any church that claims “exclusive” revelation or suggests they are superior to other Christians. This is how cults start. There is a large charismatic church in Hungary that began in revival, but the founder began teaching that their church was the only place people could truly be saved. If a pastor ever makes such claims it is time to shake the dust off your feet and move on.
3. Entrenched immorality. The apostle Paul commanded leaders to enforce biblical discipline. This must be handled with gentleness (see Gal. 6:1) but nevertheless with firm resolve, because the enemy wants to infiltrate the church with moral compromise. If a pastor has been involved in adultery or perversion and continues preaching, meanwhile refusing discipline, his unrepentant spirit will infect the entire congregation—and you can expect to see immorality spread throughout the church. Don’t be defiled.
4. An authoritarian spirit. Some leaders develop a dictatorial style and try to control people through manipulation, threats and legalistic demands. I’m amazed at how much spiritual abuse is tolerated in churches today. No pastor is perfect, and we are called to be patient with each other’s faults. But if a church leader is verbally abusive toward his staff or members of his congregation, he is in direct violation of Scripture. The Apostle Paul taught that church leaders should not be "violent" or "quarrelsome" but "self-controlled" and "gentle" (see 1 Tim. 3:2-3). It’s best to find another pastor if yours cannot control his anger.
5. Unbridled greed. Paul made it clear that a leader has no business being in the ministry if he isn’t “free from the love of money” (1 Tim. 3:3, NASB). Yet we have turned that requirement on its head today. We have given greedy charlatans access to the airwaves and allowed them to corrupt the church with a money-focused message. Your pastor does not have to live in poverty, but if he insists on living in luxury—and manipulates people during offering time to squeeze more money out of your wallet to pay for his toys—you are supporting his habit. You should leave.
6. False doctrines and manifestations. A pastor should be open to the Holy Spirit’s spontaneous work, but he or she should also protect the flock from deception. In many segments of the charismatic movement today, bizarre New Age influences have been wholeheartedly embraced—and Christians seem to have thrown away the gift of discernment. If your church is focusing on a particular prophet’s revelations, or is going off on weird tangents—at the expense of solid doctrine—then you should go elsewhere fast.
7. A culture of pride. Some church leaders are so insecure that they manufacture a sense of importance around them in order to function. They surround themselves with security guards, “armor bearers,” handlers and assistants—and never actually build genuine relationships with their church members. They think church is all about their stage performance, so they rely on volume, theatrics, clothes and a grand entrance to impress the crowd rather than just being normal, touchable, accessible servants. If your pastor is building a personality cult rather than a dwelling place for God, run for your life!
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). His latest book is Fearless Daughters of the Bible. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. 
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Monday, February 18, 2013

Getting "drunk in the spirit" Joyce Leiphon style!

I'm posting this because I've been part of this "drunk in the spirit", stumbling and bumbling, crawling on the floor, laughing hysterically all the while thinking this was of God.  Joyce Leiphon encourages and leads by example in this behavior.  So the question is:

Question: "Is being drunk in the Spirit a biblical experience?"

Answer: Nowhere in the Bible does it say to be drunk in the Spirit. When the Bible speaks of being drunk, it always has a negative connotation. The only place in Scripture that alludes to the idea of “spiritual drunkenness” is Isaiah 29:9-14, and it refers to God’s judgment upon sin and apostasy.

Some leaders in the Word of Faith movement and churches associated with the Toronto Blessing promote the false idea of being “drunk in the Spirit” or being filled with “drunken glory.” Congregations are instructed to “get drunk,” “take another drink,” and cast off all restraint. Stumbling gaits, slurred speech, falling to the ground and other odd behaviors are “proof” of the work of the Holy Spirit.

The false teachers who promote being drunk in the Spirit point to Acts 2:13 as justification for their aberrant practice. On the day of Pentecost, as the apostles were preaching the gospel, some in the crowd said, “They have had too much wine.” The accusation was obviously a mockery of the apostles, and Peter flatly denies any hint of inebriation (verse 15). Yet today’s Word of Faith teachers take this jest from an ungodly crowd and use it as “evidence” that Peter and the apostles were preaching in a senseless stupor. Such twisting of Scripture not only demeans the apostles, it also dishonors the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:15-18).

Paul says that getting drunk is akin to our old way of life with its worldly and self-serving desires. Such behavior is debased and “leads to debauchery” (compare Colossians 1:21; Romans 13:13). The word debauchery is a translation of a Greek word meaning “lawless insolence or unmanageable caprice.” Paul deliberately contrasts the state of drunkenness (a loss of control) with the indwelling of the Spirit of God (a gain of self-control, Galatians 5:23).

God wants every aspect of our lives as believers to be under the complete control of the Holy Spirit. This does not come by drunkenness, and it does not mimic its effects.

Acting drunk and blaming it on the Spirit of God is sin. Those who teach spiritual intoxication are more closely allied with Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and drunkenness, than with the true God of the Bible. Being filled with the Spirit is not some ecstatic or emotionally charged experience. It is not a heavenly high or a spiritual buzz. Being filled with the Spirit is a steady submission of one’s life to the God of glory (1 John 3:24).