Thanks for letting us know about the new “spinning” trend. I’m not aware that it has reached our shores yet, but I’ll be on the lookout.

Glad you are enjoying the MacArthur book. All that have read it say it’s been very helpful in learning to articulate the differences between truth and deception.

We will continue to keep you in prayer as you try to bring forth the real word of God in Puerto Rico.

Thanks for keeping us updated, and may God bless you and your ministry richly.

Just a comment on what deseanjones was talking about from his/her former church. Now in Puerto Rico some pastors are starting to teach about some sort of magnetic/force fields that develop around you when you spin in “godly rejoicing”. Some “prophets” are “jumping” in and out of parallel dimensions, moving from one place to another “by the Spirit”. All sorts of occult/new age teachings are being introduced by the same ones that were called to protect the sheep from the Devil.

So deseanjonesplease stay tuned to God in prayer, be careful about which places of worship you attend, but be sure that God will direct you to safe place because He is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless, before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior” (Jude 24).

In Christ,
Gadiel

Thank you for being one of the few who will stand up to false teaching nowadays.

Our experience has been similar. We have found that the Calvary Chapels are one of the few churches in our area who do stick to the truth of God. They preach verse by verse out of the Bible, so that you get the real context.

We have really learned a lot in our few months of attendance. If you have one in your area please do try it.

In the meantime, take heart. It took us several tries to find the right church. One of the saddest experiences we had is contained here:

http://christianconcerns.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/what-would-jesus-really-do/

God bless.

The farther you stay away the more clarity you will continue to get. To me, it is amazing how when we put our focus back on the true Word of God, we will recognize more how much deception is out there, how many wolves in sheep’s clothing are out there, and how truly far we can be guided away from the truth.
Hang in there sister.

I received a letter (email) from the pastor who used 1 Timothy 6:4-5 (New Living Translation), 2 Timothy 2:14-17 (God’s Word Translation) and 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (New Living Translation) to disfellowship (d) me — altho he never used that the ‘d’ word.

He refused to discuss the questions and issues I had.

My heart was broken. But I am healing as I look for another church. It has brought me into a sweet place of fellowship with the God I serve and love.

The farther I get away the clearer I see things.

I commend you for speaking up, and I am relieved to know there are conferences such as the ones you have and will attend.

I highly recommend John MacArthur’s new book:

“The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception.”

Not only is it a timely read, it is an excellent teaching tool. My husband and I purchased the workbooks that go along with it and the two of us are doing a home Bible study.

Do stay in touch when you’re able. I have a 4 part post on intercession coming up soon, which you might find of interest.

God bless you in your efforts to bring the true gospel back into the forefront to the people of Puerto Rico.

I attend a conference dealing with the post-modern issues (similar to the blog iwanthetruth pointed), and how this worldview is savaging the evangelical church today. It was called “Contending for the Truth”, and organized by Ligonier Ministries (lead by R.C. Sproul, a reformed theologian and teacher). Several excellent speakers were there (Piper, MacArthur, Zacharias, Mohler) and we received an in-depth, exalted view of the need to do more apologetics work to defend the gospel.

There was another great conference called “Together for the Gospel” hosted by another round of great teachers (Piper, MacArthur, Dever, Mohler, Duncan, etc.), which was fully devoted to the issue of preaching the gospel in the church today. A book was issued with the full versions of the sessions, all of them directed to pastors. The conference was filled with at least 3,000 young pastors (mostly in theirs 20’s and 30’s) which are fully devoted to preaching the full gospel of the cross (I’m planning to attend the 2008 conference in March).

Friends, I have been in the church my whole life, and only now (at 38) I’m starting to get the gospel clearly communicated to my brain and to my heart. These leaders (which we from our Pentecostal background dismissed as “cold”, “dead theologians”) have a zeal for the Word of God, for His exaltation, for the gospel, and for personal holiness, that I have not known in my life. So, as you may see, there is hope.

Gadiel

MBaker…Listen to this… I think it is most excellent

I would like to see more local pastors quit jumping on the bandwagon with these guys to attract more folks to their churches, and see them stand up in their pulpits and start a grass roots movement to move the church back to its position honoring Christ as the Head – with more than lip-service.

There are few speaking out, but not nearly enough. As you said, it seems to be a small group of highly visible CEO types who seem to have their own agendas who have the most influence right now.

I believe some of that lies at the ordinary Christian’s door, however. It’s the old law of supply and demand. We don’t have to accept such shoddy leadership, yet because we are too busy, too indifferent or too politically correct to demand more accountability from our spiritual leaders we are seeing a generation of spiritually bankrupt folks becoming the majority in our churches. The best thing we can do is wake up and smell the coffee, and be a whole lot tougher on these folks who are misleading and misrepresenting Christ’s church.

In my opinion, we have ignored their negative influence on the church as a whole, and minimized the damage to the church’s witness throughout the world far too long! It’s time for His people to be courageous enough to rise up now and take back what is rightfully Christ’s church.

Hybels has been prominent in destroying Christ’s Church here in N.America with its seeker sensitive deception and Colsen has the gall to sing his praises! Of coarse, Colsen has had his own success in destroying the church with his brain child of the Catholics and evangelicals togather organisation. With such men the scripture says do not even say God speed lest you share in their evil work.

2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

Kind of like Watergate for Colsen all over again, this time he defends Hybels not Nixon! Such men never learn.

The hypocricy of this guy seems to know no bounds! He actually uses a phrase from the reformation in his article. The very reformation that Colsen has done his very best to destroy over the past 20 yrs!
Lord have mercy upon us and your church!