The Glory has Departed

There has always been a satanic agenda to invade the charismatic Christian scene with a 5th column of liberal theology and New Age/ pagan elements in order to cast doubt on what God has said.
(The crest opposite is the crest of the Fabian Society , an organisation founded in Britain in 1884, which became known for its socialist, intellectual and occultic membership, whose aim was a new social order ruled by an intellectual oligarchy. The intellectual fruit of such organisations, intentionally or not, was the furtherance of the watering down of the Gospel and higher biblical criticism in theological circles in Britain; Sadduceeism, in other words, something against which Jesus warned his disciples to be as much on their guard as Pharisaism. (Matt.15:6) )

Now it seems as if it's becoming blatant.
A large reason for this is Christians' huge lack of biblical knowledge; the sheer disobedience of older believers to teach the WHOLE counsel of God instead of humanistically inspired, shallow, psycho-spiritual fast-food to immature believers, and the general tendency of many so-called 'leaders', who are paid hirelings, and often at heart, only out for their own gain, to preach or teach what will make 'their' flocks happy. They have failed to warn and protect them from wolves in sheep's clothing. Satan is prowling up and down like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The only thing which can protect the believer from deception is a thorough working knowledge of the word of God, coupled with a close walk in the Holy Spirit and deep love for Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

The eternal onslaught on the veracity and power of the inspired word of God goes on.

Last June, the Wissenschaftsrat - (German Council of Science and Humanities) Germany's highest body of scientists, awarded the conservative evangelical theological academy, the Freien Theologischen Akademie (FTA) in Gießen, official state recognition as a university. The FTA is the evangelical theological faculty from which the FeG churches (Freie evangelische Gemeinden) in Germany derive their leaders. The price for this prostitution to the whore of Babylon (state recognition) was the willingness of the FTA, officially given by the WR, the advisory body to the Federal (and state) Government(s) to be open to teach liberal theology, 'to afford the admission of scientific biblical criticism.'

Since science is perhaps one of the chief idols of our age, it is not surprising that again, an increasingly institutionalised church is bowing down to it. If godless, arrogant liberalism is now permitted entry to what used to be least in theory, a bastion of biblical, doctrinal faithfulness, what is to become of the faith of those Christians, who in 50 years' time, see themselves as 'members' of this denomination?

Those who criticise Christians who leave the institutional church, please take note.
(I Samuel 4:21) "The glory has departed from Israel," ... is it any wonder that thousands of mature, Spirit-filled believers are also leaving, as well as thousands of nominal church goers who no longer see believing, obedience demonstrated to them, only confirming their unbelief?
(Amos 2:4) "...they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments..."
(2 Chronicles 36:16) "But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy."
(Hosea 4:5-6 ) "You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you... my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children."

The tendency of believers to prefer to seek sensual experiences and trust their own experience, or lack of it, above the word of God, (as well as above Jesus, the Word of God) is the attitude which is leading to the following:

Strange Fire in the House of the Lord
by J. Lee Grady.

We need to be careful. Current fads involving angels, ecstatic worship and necromancy could push us off the edge of spiritual sanity. No one fully understands what Nadab and Abihu did to prompt God to strike them dead in the sanctuary of Israel. The Bible says they loaded their firepans with incense, ignited the substance and "offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them" (Lev. 10:1, NASB). As a result of their careless and irreverent behavior, fire came from God's presence and consumed them. Zap. In an instant they were ashes.

When Moses had to explain to Aaron what happened to the two men, he said: "It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near to Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored'" (v. 3).

Although we don't know the details of what Nadab and his brother did with the holy incense, we know they were careless and irreverent about the things of God. We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.

This ancient story has relevant application for us today. We don't use incense or firepans in our worship, but we are expected to handle God's Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the Lord. In other words: No funny business allowed. We aren't allowed to mix God's Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan practices.

Yet as I minister in various churches around this country I am finding that strange fire is spreading in our midst-even in churches that call themselves "Spirit-filled."

Pastors and leaders need to be aware of these trends:

1. Deadly visitations. In some charismatic circles today, people are claiming to have spiritual experiences that involve communication with the dead. One Michigan pastor told me last week that some church leaders he knows promote this bizarre practice and base it on Jesus' experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. The logic is that since Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the day He was glorified, this gives us permission to talk to dead Christians and our dead relatives.Although little is said about these experiences from the pulpit (since the average believer is not ready to handle this "new revelation"), people in some streams of the prophetic movement are claiming to have visitations from Aimee Semple McPherson, William Branham, John Wimber or various Bible characters. And we are expected to say, "Ooooooo, that's so deep" - and then go looking for our own mystical, beyond-the-grave epiphany.That is creepy.

Communication with the dead was strictly forbidden in the Old Testament (see Deut. 18:11), and there is nothing in the New that indicates the rules were changed. Those who seek counsel from the dead - whether through mediums and séances or in "prophetic visions" - are taking a dangerous step toward demonization.

2. Ecstatic rapture. Not long after ecstasy became known as a recreational drug, someone in our movement got the bright idea to promote spiritual ecstasy as a form of legitimate worship. The concept evolved from "spiritual drunkenness" to the current fad in which people gather at church altars and pretend to shoot needles in their arms for a "spiritual high." Some preachers today are encouraging people to "toke the Holy Ghost" - a reference to smoking marijuana.

I hate to be a party pooper, but the Bible warns us to "be of sound judgment and sober spirit" (1 Pet. 4:7). There is plenty of freedom and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don't have to quench it by introducing people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control. Those who worship Jesus do it "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor.

Recently I told a friend in Pennsylvania that when people get tired of this drug imagery it won't be long before we see some Christians having sexual experiences at the altar. "It's already happening," my friend said. He described a recent "worship concert" in which one of the musicians simulated sex while stroking a microphone and whispering sensual phrases to Jesus. What is next - orgasmic worship? God help us.

3. Angels among us. Angels have always played a vital role in the life of the church. They are "ministering spirits" sent to protect, guide and strengthen believers (Heb. 1:14). But suddenly angels have become the rage in some segments of our movement. People are claiming to see them everywhere, and often the stories don't line up with the Word of God.During the Lakeland Revival last year in Florida, a man from Germany took the stage and claimed that an angel walked into a restaurant while he was eating a hamburger, took his intestines out and replaced them with a gold substance. Others have testified that angels took them to heaven and operated on them. And many are claiming that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers.

I know God can do anything. He can make an iron axe head float, hide a coin in a fish's mouth and use a little boy's lunch to feed a multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But we still have to use caution here. There are counterfeits. If we promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord's house, we are participating in strange fire.
I know of a case where a man was caught planting fake jewels on the floor of a church. He told his friends he was "seeding the room" to lift the people's faith. I know of others who have been caught putting gold glitter on themselves in a restroom and then running back in a church service, only to claim that God was blessing them with this special favor.

Where is the fear of God when Christians would actually fabricate a miracle?This is a time for all true believers with backbones to draw clear lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.

~ J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma magazine.
http://charismamag.com/index.php/newsletters/fire-in-my-bones/18454-strange-fire-in-the-house-of-the-lord--