HOREMOW's Linda Rika "Knows" Whose Names Are in Book of Life

Most of you know by now that I have written a few articles regarding some serious issues and concerns about HOREMOW, the worldwide holiness movement based in Nigeria, which is led by Paul Rika and his wife Linda. Today I would like to share some things that a sister in Christ in Kenya shared with me. She wrote:

"I attended one HOREMOW meeting one Saturday...and was very tempted to join, but something is holding me back. I don't know what it is. I'm very afraid of getting myself into bondage...I witnessed a strange thing in the meeting, and it bothered me, including being told I have to rededicate my life to the Lord afresh, and hearing someone praying to the 'God of HOREMOW'. These are not Scriptural. I told them I have to seek God to know whether to join. 

"I was already planning a 3-day dry fast last weekend, and I did not major on praying for this, but I did ask God about it. But one of my fasting days I dreamt that I was with Nigerian men who were giving me Nigerian food to eat. They told me it is 'hot' as Nigerians put a lot of chili in the food, and I said I did not mind and ate it. When I woke up, I was horrified. I know being fed any type of food in a dream is witchcraft. I prayed against it, but I wondered why Nigeria. 

"I prayed against it, and a few days later I spoke with a servant of Jesus I respect from Tanzania, and he told me that dream is connected to me attending the Nigerian church I attended the previous week. (He doesn't know HOREMOW.). He had told me not to be quick to attend any churches or meetings and to wait on God. He helped me pray to renounce anything that happened there and to repent for disobeying the Lord and going there when I did not hear from him. 

"The teachings of Paul Rika are wonderful to be fair. He knows how to teach God's Word and make one desire holiness. But I'm troubled by the statements of them being 'the last ark' or him being a 'savior', and also the endless revelations sister Linda receives of people's name in the book of life or out of the book of life and being shown eternal destiny of members of their church etc. There's too much detail of who made heaven and who went to hell, which can lead to discouragement and also feeling like if you leave HOREMOW you're doomed for hell. 

"I know God speaks through prophecy but....either God has chosen her with a very unique calling, because I've never seen that level of revelation before, or something is off...I never want to offend Jesus by speaking against his servants...I do not believe Jesus would choose one man to lead everyone to heaven. It seems off and unlike how He works because the world has billions of people and Jesus has given gifts to all his kids. Something is strange.

"HOREMOW seemed to have a balance of Word and Spirit, but I still see some extreme of exalting one man and woman, and yet they say it is Jesus who had chosen Pastor Rika and who is leading this movement."

To anyone who is still considering joining this movement, I hope this has helped you to realize that the issues and concerns with HOREMOW have not gone away. They continue to persist, and you should very carefully wait upon the Lord to direct you regarding any decision to join that movement.

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading HOREMOW Issues and Concerns, Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW, HOREMOW Descends to New Low, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, and Exposing Heresy.  You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Issues and Concerns with Deeper Life

Dear brethren, 

I'd like to share with you some issues and concerns I have with the Nigerian megachurch known as Deeper Christian Life (aka Deeper Life, and Deeper Life Bible Church), led by its pastor and General Superintendent, Dr. William F. Kumuyi. Perhaps the best way to summarize those issues and concerns is to simply quote an email I received recently from a sister in Christ I know in Kenya, who will remain anonymous for privacy reasons. Here is what she wrote:

"Dear brother Len

I wanted to share with you some of the reasons I left Deeper Life. Paul told the Galatians that he brought his gospel to the apostles in Jerusalem just to be sure he had not run in vain. I want to share with you just for transparency.

I joined Deeper Life on the first Sunday of October last year (2023) and left the last Sunday of September (2024), exactly one year.

When I joined, if you remember, I was really struggling on whether to join, and I decided to do so, because it was the only holiness-preaching church I knew in Kenya, including the matter of of modest dressing. My first Sunday there I was overcome by a deep spirit of slumber, so heavy. I had never experienced that before, even in the few Pentecostal churches I had attended before briefly. I was just sleeping and couldn't stay awake and heard nothing of the sermon. I knew it was an attack, but assumed the devil didn't want me to be there. That night I had a dream where pastor Kumuyi was my supervisor, and I was introducing him to my family, and I took it as confirmation and stayed. 

It was a good church with sound Bible preaching and no sin or dishonesty. Anyone in it with the intention to make heaven can do so, if they are sincere, but there were a few issues that bothered me:

1. New people never stay. The church is mainly made of up of people who joined many years ago, and their families. 

2. There isn't much love. Because I had been delivered out of sin, I was pretty much self-driven, but most people feel lack of love there and leave. There isn't much concern for one another.

3. The Bible study on Mondays is pastor Kumuyi all over the world and streamed in English on Video screens in every Deeper Life branch. This means anyone who doesn't speak English -- even in Kenya  -- can't fit into Deeper Life.

4. The local pastors hence can never teach bible study to their members. Every last Sunday of the month is a combined service where a live service from Nigeria is streamed with pastor Kumuyi.

5. One Sunday is the overseer of east Africa whose message is live streamed to all Kenya branches. 

6. This leaves any local pastor with only 2 Sundays a month to preach from inspiration. And even that can be affected if he is given sermon notes of pastor Kumuyi message to preach.

7. Sunday morning Sunday school called "search the scriptures" is from pastor Kumuyi books. That means all youth and women teachers and children teachers have to use this book and can't preach from inspiration.

8. Every month pastor Kumuyi has a global crusade and it must be televised in all Deeper Life churches, so we would go outdoors, put up a video screen, and show that crusade to Kenyans. This was odd to me, because it should be the locals going out to do crusades

9. Baptism manuals, discipleship manuals, church doctrine manuals are all by Kumuyi. Again a teacher cannot teach from inspiration.

10. Only hymns are sung. There is no praise and worship. This means any person with a gift to write songs or music can't have a place in Deeper Life or their gift will be buried. 

11. We only had holy communion twice in that year that I attended. This struck me as off. It's done rarely, unlike other churches I was used to where it was monthly.

12. People don't pray in tongues in church. I never heard tongues mentioned once. 

13. There is no talk of the gifts of Holy Spirit, except marveling at pastor Kumuyi healing the sick in his crusades.

14. Prophecy is not accepted. Word only.

15. The only ministries people can join are teaching, ushering, or things like cleaning; and even teaching [in this church is just] using Kumuyi's books, so you're not actually teaching.

16. There are too many meetings, and I found this cumbersome to spiritual growth, even though they encourage evangelism. But there is no time for it, if one has a full time job, and still has to attend Monday Bible study, Thursday meeting, Saturday workers meeting in the afternoon till night, and Sunday service. 

I found if one has a ministry from the Lord, it would not work in Deeper Life, because there is no room for it. If you wrote books they would not be welcome, as only Kumuyi's books are sold. If you wrote music, or were called as a pastor, or had the gift of tongues, or prophesy, etc., you can't use it in this church.

As a result, the church has a spectator-like atmosphere, where everyone is just watching Kumuyi in the ring, unless one is very determined and self aware, or has a relationship with Jesus. Most are just church attendees, following holiness to go to heaven, but their gifts and life are dead. You see it in the quiet prayers and dead looks. People are dead, and sadly witches have infiltrated because of this. I was shocked to be told while I was new that there are witches in the church, and people know them, but they just let them be, hoping one day the Word will change them

I also just felt aloofness from the pastors and lack of love and a lot of "criticism".

I know it is [supposed to be] a Pentecostal church, but for me I felt such a coldness the time I was there, but the people are genuine and fear God and strive to live holy. The verse came to me that the letter kills but the Spirit gives life. They began very well, and I do not know what happened.

Deeper Life had the Word of God and balanced teaching, and it's a great church, but they don't allow the gifts of the Holy Spirit to operate, which also became a problem for me to bear, because I feel people's gifts get killed in that church. And also Pastor Kumuyi is highly exalted until the pastors in that ministry cannot truly shepherd by inspiration, because it's only Pastor Kumuyi who can do certain things (e.g., write books. his books are used in everything and his sermons leaving no room for the pastors or teachers to by inspiration teach the Word). Prophets or anyone with revelatory gifts cannot operate in that church, and that to me is a problem, because they will be accountable to God for burying their gifts for a church. Speaking in tongues is not encouraged in meetings, and I found the place to be dead with very little to no prayer, which allows witches to infiltrate the church.

The final thing that happened that made me feel I must leave was that pastor Kumuyi in August began a program called Change Makers International, where he is trying to bring change in Nigeria by bringing leaders together: religious, political, and tribal. This program had people give speeches on driving social change, and pastor Kumuyi also used the Bible to inspire. And what shocked me was to see a Muslim cleric stand up and pray to Allah, and give his message, too. I was shocked and felt grieved and put off. We had been told to tune in while in church and listen to this program. It is not meant to be a regular thing. but that's the day I began to feel something was off. How could pastor Kumuyi invite Muslims and non believers, and even people worshipping ancestors, together to drive social change with him as a pioneer being a man of God? When people questioned him, he said this program was not a gospel one but a social one. yet he used church funds and had it televised in all Deeper Life branches."

[END OF EMAIL FROM KENYAN SISTER]

-----------------------

I hope this has helped to show the true state of things within Deeper Life. This is not the true life of the Body of Christ that we read about in Scripture, where all Members of the Body are healthy, functioning, and encouraged to do their part, operating in their gifts and calling by the power of the Holy Spirit with Christ as their head, rather than man. I trust this has helped provide you with some things to prayerfully consider, if you are considering joining Deeper Life in any country around the world. Let the Lord lead you.

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading HOREMOW's Linda Rika "Knows" Whose Names Are in Book of Life, HOREMOW Issues and Concerns, Exposing the Darkness within HOREMOW, HOREMOW Descends to New Low, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, and Exposing Heresy.  You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Kanye West Claims to Be God

Kanye West

As I wrote in my previous article called Kanye West Issues and Concerns, Kanye announced to a fellow rapper in 2019 that he was now born again after initially turning to God in 2016. In that article, I shared numerous points that indicated something was seriously "off" with him, indicating that his lifestyle was inconsistent with a disciple of Christ. However, he has now taken things to a whole new level. 

It has now been reported that Kanye West is "dead set" on starting his own pornography website and studio. He appears to have confirmed reports that he is launching an adult entertainment studio, his new venture known as "Yeezy Porn." He also said during an interview that he is God and he is the Kingdom.  His words were: "We are the kingdom and I'm the head of the Kingdom. I am God! No one can suggest sh*t to me, period! You can't tell my daughter to say sh*t to me about Jesus. I'm just tell you some real simple sh*t: God runs the world; I am God; I run the world. Make that very clear." 

Obviously his mind is completely warped, indicating that he has been given over to a reprobate mind. As Paul wrote to Timothy, "They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected." (2 Tim 3:8).

His mouth has a lot in common with an anus, since it spews forth the same sort of filth, and he cannot seem to utter a single sentence without "sh*t" coming out of it. Our Lord Jesus said, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luk 6:45). Therefore, based on what is coming out of Kanye's heart and mouth, it is obvious what his heart is full of, and we can easily see that it is evil. This is a clear case of demonic possession, in which the final state of this man is worse than the first state before he came to know Christ (Matt 12:43- 45).  

Moreover, since he is claiming to be God, he qualifies biblically as an antichrist. Even in the first century, the apostle John said that many antichrists had already come, and Kanye has become one of our present day antichrists. He is like the man of lawlessness, the final antichrist, which the Scriptures warn us about, who "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2Th 2:4). As Paul the apostle said of Hymenaeus and Alexander, I have handed him over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. (1Ti 1:20).

It used to be that our society would lock up people like him in an insane asylum or have them committed to a mental hospital, but now instead of that, people adulate them, promote them, idolize them, attend their concerts, buy their music, and listen to what they have to say, as if they were in their right minds. This shows the level of overall depravity that our society has reached, which is certainly another sign of the times.

For more on this, and to hear Kanye say these things out of his own foul mouth, see the following short video. Beware that it contains foul language.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV,  copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Images may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading Kanye West Issues and Concerns, Awaken 2020 Event Exposed, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separated from the World, Avoiding Worldly Worship, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music - Five Divine Revelations, New Age-New World Order, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, Popularity of the Gospel, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?, and Pope Establishes One World Religion. I also recommend my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Andy Stanley's Unbiblical Views on Homosexuality

In my previous article, I wrote about Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament, which I recommend reading in conjunction with this present article. Unfortunately, things seem to have gotten worse in terms of his beliefs in that now he is affirming the views of the LGBTQ community. For those of you who don't know who Andy Stanley is, he is the son of the famous Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries and former President of the Southern Baptist Convention. His son, Andy, is pastoring a mega church in Atlanta, Georgia, called North Point Community Church.

The following allegations have been reported by another pastor regarding Andy Stanley:

• He has directly advised gay men to get married. 

• He has said that homosexuals cannot change.

• He has called homosexuality a disability.

• He has said that maybe one day he would do a gay marriage. He is not sure, but said maybe he would.

• He said pastors should make space for gay people to marry.

According to the pastor who publicized these allegations, pastors Luke Simmons (Ironwood Church, metro Phoenix) and Brian Kruckenberg (New City Church, metro Phoenix) were both present when Andy Stanley disclosed these things, and they have publicly corroborated that story.

Upon being asked if these allegations were true, Ryan Visconti, pastor of Generation Church in the Phoenix metro area, verified that unfortunately all these things are true about Andy Stanley. He confirmed that Andy Stanley said these things in a private dinner with fifteen other pastors at a church in Gilbert, Arizona. Visconti had originally tweeted about this on September 19, 2019.

Furthermore, a conference, called Unconditional, was hosted at North Point Community Church in Atlanta from September 28-29, 2023 with Andy Stanley as one of the keynote speakers there at the church he pastors. The stated purpose for the conference was: "for parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches." The Unconditional conference was part of a ministry called Embracing the Journey (ETJ).

Greg and Lynn McDonald, who founded ETJ, were among the speakers at the Unconditional conference held at North Point. According to The Aquila Report's Overview of Embracing the Journey, "Greg McDonald sits on the board of Renovus, another faith-based non-profit that does assert that homosexuality and transgenderism are compatible with Christianity. The two organizations are closely linked." The overview goes on to say that Renovus exists to “[reclaim] faith for LGBTQ+ Christians,” and its vision is “a world where no one has to choose between their faith and sexual orientation or gender identity.” McDonald states in his Renovus bio, “It simply breaks my heart when people are told they can’t be a Christian and LGBTQ.”

The vast majority of ETJ's recommended resources are all affirming of the LBGTQ lifestyle, and include authors like Justin Lee and David Gushee, who were also speakers at North Point's Unconditional conference in September. These authors, according to the Aquila Report, are "well known for rejecting biblical orthodoxy on homosexuality and transgenderism in favor of full LGBTQ inclusion in the church."

The Eternal Word of God

Now that we have seen what Andy and his friends say, who are embracing the sin, let's compare that to what the Bible says about homosexuality:

"Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” (Gen 18:20-21).

The Lord said their sin was grievous. In case there is any question in your mind as to what the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was, it was the sin of homosexuality. The men of Sodom wanted to rape the two angels that had come to rescue Lot and destroy the cities (Gen 19:1-5). In fact, the term sodomy originates from that place. The original meaning of sodomy is any sexual act involving the genitals of one person and the mouth or anus of another person. The Lord says that sin is grievous, according to Genesis 18:20.

"The two men said to Lot, 'Do you have anyone else here–sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.'" (Gen 19:12-13)

"Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah–from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities–and also the vegetation in the land. (Gen 19:24-25)

This really happened and is not fictitious. God sent burning sulfur down from heaven to destroy those cities and the people living in them, burning them to ashes, and there is evidence of this today that has been discovered to prove it.

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Lev 18:22)

The Lord says that it is detestable for a man to lie with a man as one lies with a woman.

“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." (Lev 20:13)

Under the Law of Moses in the Old Covenant, such people were put to death. To affirm this or any sin is to completely contradict the Word of God, which is our eternal standard. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest stroke of a pen to disappear from the Law.

In the New Testament, Peter the apostle wrote: "If He [God] condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;" (2 Pet 2:6).

The apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Rom 1:24-27).

Paul said that homosexuality comes from the sinful desires of their hearts -- shameful lusts, resulting in sexual impurity, indecent acts, and the degrading of their bodies with one another. Specifically woman had sexual relations with women and men had had sexual relations with other men. He calls this "perversion".

And here is what the Bible says about false prophets and false teachers like Andy and his cohorts, such as those mentioned in this article, who condone such sinful perversion:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Mt 7:15)

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Tim 4:1)

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." (2 Tim 4:3)

Closing Words

The Lord warned us there would be wolves in sheep's clothing that we should beware of (Mt 7:15). His holy apostles warned us of the same about these false teachers (2 Pet 2; Jude 1), who would come and teach the doctrines of demons that people's itching ears want to hear (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 4:3). 

It's quite evident that Andy Stanley is one of those, and that he is affirming of the LBGTQ lifestyle, thereby helping such people fulfill their agenda. That's what happens when you disconnect from the Word of God as he has done, and rely on experiences to dictate what you believe, since the Word clearly defines these perversions as sin (Rom 1:18-32; Gen 18:20-21; 19:12-13, 24-25; Lev 18:22; 20:13; 2 Pet 2:6). This is all part of the end time apostasy in fulfilment of what is written in Scripture. 

Let those who love the LORD hate evil (Ps 97:10).

Disclaimer: I do not agree with the LBGTQ lifestyle, but that doesn't mean I hate anyone. As Christians we are called to love everyone -- even our enemies. But we have reached a dangerous point in society that if we disagree with something, because of our religious beliefs, it is wrongly viewed as hate speech. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and that homosexual behaviors are sinful. I love members of the LBGTQ community, and so does Jesus. I am not gay bashing at all. I am just writing about my sincerely-held religious beliefs based on Scripture. The message of every Christian to every LGBTQ person is that God loves you so much that He would sacrifice His own Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sake. If any one of you would be willing to change through repentance and believing in Jesus Christ, the Christian community would be more than willing to help you.  

Attribution notice: Image may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament, Pope Francis Supports Homosexuality, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separated from the World, The Bible is the Word of God, Scripture Alone (Sola Fide), Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, and Exposing Heresy. I also recommend my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Is it Possible to Resist God?

Dear friends,

I want to address a myth that's very popular in the Church today that says you cannot resist the grace of God. The irresistibleness of God's grace is actually the "I" in the Calvinist acronym TULIP. Let's see what Scripture has to say about it. But first, you should stop and pray, asking God to remove all scales from your eyes, and illuminate your heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. I find that it's best to approach God's Word this way in humility, putting aside all your preconceived notions about Him. 

Choking the Word

In His parable of the sower, Jesus told about a farmer who went out to sow his seed, which ended up falling on four different types of soil. He said, "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants." (Mat 13:7). Later He explained this to His disciples saying, "The seed falling among the thorns refers to him who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making it unfruitful." (Mat 13:22). 

He taught that the Word can actually be choked, thereby making it unfruitful. The kinds of things that can choke the Word are the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. Yet we know from John's gospel that the Word is God, because it says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Joh 1:1). If the Word is God, and the Word can be choked, making it unfruitful, then that means it is possible to allow things into your life that choke God out of it. 

Quenching the Holy Spirit

In another passage, the apostle warns the saints not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). The Greek word for quench in that verse (sbennumi) means to quench, extinguish, or go out. This means it's possible to extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit, who is the third Person of the Triune Godhead. The Holy Spirit is not a thing or a force. He can be grieved (Eph 4:30), lied to (Ac 5:3), and quenched (1 Thes 5:19). He is referred to with the pronoun "He". Therefore, we know that He is a divine Person, and He is God. If it were not possible to quench Him, then there would be no need to warn us against doing so.

Resisting the Holy Spirit

In fact, right before the Jews who were about to kill Stephen actually stoned him to death, he said that they always resisted the Holy Spirit. He said to them, "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" (Act 7:51). Not only can the Holy Spirit be lied to, grieved, and quenched, but He can also be resisted. 

Refusing Him Who Speaks

We also learn from Scripture that it is possible to refuse Him who speaks, For the apostle wrote to the Hebrews: "See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?" (Heb 12:25). If it were not possible to refuse the Lord when He speaks, then it would not be necessary to warn us not to do so.

Closing Words

Therefore, in light of the Scriptures showing us that it's possible to choke God and His Word out of our lives, as well as refuse Him when He speaks to us, and that it's possible to quench, as well as resist God's Holy Spirit, it seems quite reasonable to me that one could also resist the grace of God. Scripture is clear that you can receive God's grace in vain (2 Cor 6:1), so it is possible to mishandle it to your own detriment. Since God's grace is not God Himself, but something He gives, then it is a fallacy to teach or believe that it cannot be resisted, when Scripture says that God Himself can be resisted.

TULIP Calvinism is not biblical. If you still have any doubts about that, talk to the Lord about it, and ask Him to confirm it. He is faithful and He will do it.

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you are invited to check out the series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Sid Roth Interview: Is there a Once Saved Always Saved? Will there be a 2-State Solution for Israel?

Dear saints,

This is my response to an interview that Brandon did on his Last Days Youtube channel with our beloved brother Sid Roth. You can view the 45-minute interview at this link. Brandon did a great job with it and so did Sid. Let me share a few things about it here, along with some of my relevant articles.

Pray Without Ceasing and Be Thankful

I agree with Sid that we need to pray without ceasing and be thankful to God every day, as the Word teaches us to do (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). I covered that in my article called Whatever You Do, Do All Like This.

Praying in the Spirit in Tongues

I also agree that every believer who is truly born again is eligible to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Mt 3:11; Lk 11:13; 24:49; Ac 1:5,8, 2:38). I agree that praying in tongues (1 Cor 14:2,4-5), otherwise known as praying in the spirit (1 Cor 14:14-15; Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20), is one of the best ways to pray without ceasing.  Let me encourage you to read my articles, Baptized with the Holy Spirit and The Gift of Speaking in Tongues.

Baptism with the Holy Spirit and Fire

Brandon asked Sid how he stays on fire for God, and Sid mentioned these things that I just covered above, emphasizing the importance of remaining on fire for God. He also said that in the first-century Church, they all received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire on the Day of Pentecost. It's true. However, I'd like to add that these days, even many who've received the baptism with the Holy Spirit have never received the baptism with holy fire. I was one of those people until 2012, when I received the holy fire baptism, and the Holy Spirit began to do the most amazing, supernatural things in my life once I got the holy fire. Please read my article called Holy Fire Baptism. There are so many naysayers out there who deny the holy fire as being truly from God, so if you are one of those, then please see my series called The Holy Fire Series, which will clear that up for you. 

Daily Repentance

Sid mentioned the importance of daily repentance, which is essential for every believer. In fact, he said that he repents instantly, which is what we all should do, in order to prevent any sort of stronghold from developing in our lives. I appreciate him saying that, because many today preach a false gospel without repentance, and some even teach that repentance is a work, falsely claiming that it nullifies the grace of God, which is  a foolish error on their part. Please see my articles, The False Gospel without Repentance, and Repentance That Leads to Life.

Once Saved Always Saved (Eternal Security)

Brandon said he does not believe in "Once Saved Always Saved," which is a widely held false doctrine  that the devil has released throughout the whole earth in these last days to deceive people into hell.  Brandon said, "I believe that you can backslide and go to hell that if you don't live a holy lifestyle, if you don't live on fire for Jesus, keeping your lamp full, ready for His return at any moment, and that you can actually backslide if you're living like the world." I completely agree with that. 

He asked Sid if he thinks that "Once Saved Always Saved" is true or not, and Sid replied, "I'm 100% convinced that what Brandon said is correct, and it's not 'Once-Saved-Always-Saved;' that is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumber than dumb." Sid believes as I do that our security in Christ is conditional, which I call The Conditional Security of the Believer. I know there are many skeptics and naysayers on this topic, so if you have any doubts about what Brandon, Sid, and I are saying, then please see my series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. Nobody has ever been able to refute this from Scripture.

Avoiding Worldliness

Brandon is "right on" when he says that if you live like the world and don't live a holy life, you will end up in hell unless you repent. You will not make it in the rapture, when Jesus comes, if you are living like that (1 Jn 2:15-17; Mt 25:11-12)). Please see my article called The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, in which I talk about a pastor who ended up in hell, because of worldliness. Please also see Separation from the World.

The Glory of God

Brandon asked Sid what the glory of God is, and Sid elaborated correctly on the light that comes forth from the Lord, which has been depicted by artists as a halo around the Lord's head and those of His saints. Let me encourage you to read my article called The Light and the Glory, which explains the glory from Scripture. If you you have not yet seen my article about a dream I once had of the glory of God on Sid Roth, you can read it here on my Yeshua Messiah blog, in my article called The Glory of God Appears on Sid Roth. It's very interesting! My Yeshua Messiah blog is dedicated to reaching Jews for Jesus.

Supernatural Power for All

Brandon rightly said that all believers can walk in supernatural power. I totally agree, and would like to invite you to read my article called Supernatural Power for All Disciples. I believe it will greatly encourage you.

The Truth About Holy Living

While Brandon emphasized the need to live a holy life, and Sid agreed with that, Sid also said that holiness is only internal, not external. He said, "Holiness is based on an internal thing: on loving God." At 21:57 in the video, Sid makes the big mistake of denying that God is concerned about the external aspects of our walk, such as what clothes you wear or whether you have tattoos. He doesn't realize that our bodies are members of Christ (1 Cor 6:15), our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), our bodies are meant for the Lord and the Lord is meant for our bodies (1 Cor 6:13), our bodies are not our own (1 Cor 6:19), and we must glorify God with our bodies (1 Cor 6:20). He fails to realize that the Word of God clearly teaches us that a disciple of Christ must dress modestly, as both the apostles Paul and Peter taught (1 Tim 2:9-10; 1 Pet 3:3-4). I have written about this in Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, and Holy Living in a Perverted World. In my article, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, I report on seven people who have had divine revelations from the Lord warning that how we adorn our bodies outwardly matters to God, and that many people have ended up in hell for sins pertaining to ungodly attire and adornment. I have also written about Cross Dressing vs. Carrying Your Cross.

Sid also forgets that God clearly forbids tattoos in His Holy Word (Leviticus 19:28). Just because this verse is found in Leviticus doesn't mean it is irrelevant for a believer in Christ. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (2Ti 3:16). Jesus quoted from that same chapter in Leviticus 19:18 about loving your neighbor, which He said is the second greatest commandment. 

The command that forbids tattoos is not some Jewish custom that no longer applies to believers in Jesus (Yeshua), as is the case with circumcision. The commands of God are still applicable today, except that we are free from the ritual, ceremonial, and dietary laws, which were shadows of the realities now fulfilled in Christ Himself. Let me encourage you to read my article called, Tattoos and Body Piercing, which not only addresses the Scriptural basis for why these things are wrong, but also mentions revelations that the Holy Spirit has given to people warning of the same.

Two State Solution for Israel

Brandon asked Sid whether he believes there will be a two-state solution for Israel that will result in Jerusalem being divided, and if so, what the consequences will be for America. Sid said the Bible clearly states that God owns the land of Israel and leased it to the Jewish people (Ps 105:8-11), and no court of law can break that lease. However, since the two biggest power brokers -- Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu -- are both pushing for a two-state solution, Sid believes this will inevitably happen this year. He says it is a bad idea, since he says most Palestinian people are taught from birth that their purpose in life is to kill a Jew, and are falsely taught that this is the only way they can be sure they are going to heaven (i.e., jihad). 

Brandon referred to the Abrahamic covenant in which God said those who curse Israel will be cursed (Gen 12:3); and he said he had a vision, in which he saw a major earthquake in the US along the New Madrid fault line that would happen if the US agrees to divide Jerusalem, as part of the two-state solution. He saw in his vision, while praying, that around 1,800 people will die just along the area between Texarkana, Texas and Tulsa, Oklahoma; but he said that overall, tens of thousands of people will be killed by the quake. I would like to show you a map that indicates the catastrophic destruction that would occur if there is an earthquake along the New Madrid fault line (see map at this link).

Ungodly Monetization

Let me just say a word about monetization of Christian channels like this. Throughout this video and all of Brandon's videos, viewers are forced to watch multiple ads (at least the first parts of them, for the ones that allow you to opt out at some point), which are often ungodly and even demonic. For example, there is one that shows demonic creatures (pictured left), one of which has something coming out of his belly button, at one point during the ad. You can see that it has the antichrist number 666 on it, too (displayed in red numbers above the creatures head). These are straight from hell, and yet they are being shown to viewers of a channel airing Christian content, including prayers, prophecies, and testimonies. (Sid Roth's channel, "It's Supernatural," is also monetized).

I love Brandon and Sid, and I love their hearts. I am a subscriber to both of their channels. I realize that monetizing a channel is very lucrative, but I don't think it's appropriate to use these ads, especially in light of their ungodly nature. This is not the way God has ordained that we fund His gospel work. God's ministry is to be funded God's way, not the world's way. The preacher is allowed to earn a living from the gospel (1 Cor 9), but that doesn't mean we can be yoked together with darkness or use worldly means to do so. Free-will love offerings are one biblical way to fund the gospel (Gal 6:6). Another way is for the preacher to be bi-vocational, as Paul was and as I am. I have never monetized my blogs or videos on my Youtube channel. My book, A Willing Heart to Please the Father, is also free of charge, both the hard copy and the e-book version. That doesn't make me any better than anyone else, but I am simply leading by example. For more on this important topic, please see my article The Sale of Christian Music and Art -- A Robbers' Den?

Closing Words

As I have shown in my article above, I agree with Brandon's viewpoints in this interview, and I agree with Sid on most everything he said. But with all due respect, I cannot agree with him about his statements contradicting the Word of God with regard to holiness, since holiness is not limited to internal matters of the heart. The very word "holiness" indicates total and complete consecration to God, being set apart wholly for Him, which means being "devoted to Him in both body and spirit" (1 Cor 7:34).

My aim here has been to strongly support what they said that was true, to encourage, and to provide some of my content that will further explain and confirm what they said, but also to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15), and to lovingly confront my dear brothers in Christ about their beliefs and actions (Gal 2:11-14; Mt 18:15; 1 Tim 4:2; 5:20). My hope and prayer is that Brandon and Sid, as well as their viewers, will read what I have written in this article, as well as the articles I have linked to above, and take these things before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to reveal the whole truth and nothing but the truth to them about these matters. And once they have done so, I pray that they will make any necessary changes in their lives and ministries, wherever applicable, as needed.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you are invited to check out the series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. You may also enjoy reading Can You "lose" Your Secure Position in Christ? and Is it Possible to Resist God? If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Can You "lose" Your Secure Position in Christ?

To all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Have you ever heard anyone say that it's not possible to lose your salvation? That's actually a very popular teaching all around the world, known as "eternal security" or once-saved-always-saved (OSAS), which I've already disproven completely in numerous other articles. In this post, I'd like to respond to the question: can you "lose" your secure position in Christ?

Just to give you one example of a single verse that answers that question, rather than showing you over 200 of them, here is a verse from Peter's second epistle that states:

"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position." (2Pe 3:17)

The word "fall" in this verse is translated from the Greek word ekpipto. According to the Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, ekpipto means "to fall off or from, Act_12:7; Act_27:32; met. to fall from, forfeit, lose, Gal_5:4; 2Pe_3:17; to be cast ashore, Act_27:17; Act_27:26; Act_27:29; to fall to the ground, be fruitless, ineffectual, Rom_9:6; to cease, come to an end, Jas_1:11; 1Pe_1:24."

According to NASEC, ekpipto means: "to drop away, fig. to lose, become inefficient: — failed (1), fall (1), fall away (1), fallen (1), falls off (2), fell off (1), run aground (3).

According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, ekpipto means "to drop away; specially, be driven out of one's course; figuratively, to lose, become inefficient:—be cast, fail, fall (away, off), take none effect."

According to Thayer's Greek–English Lexicon, ekpipto means "to fall out of, to fall down from, to fall off;  metaphorically to fall from a thing, to lose it, to perish, to fall; to fall from a place from which one cannot keep; fall from a position; to fall powerless, to fall to the ground, be without effect."

This same greek word ekpipto is used in the New Testament to refer to flowers falling and ships running aground.

I have just cited four reputable, Greek-language Bible resources (Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, NASEC, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, and Thayer's Greek–English Lexicon), which all indicate that ekpipto can mean "to lose."

The "secure position" Peter was referring to is our secure position in Christ, known as the divine promise of our salvation, which some people falsely teach is eternally secure. But it is actually conditionally secure, since Peter the apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit warned that you must be on your guard, so that you do not "lose" (Gr., ekpipto) your secure position or salvation. Obviously there would be no need for Peter to warn believers to guard against losing their salvation if it were not possible.

Also see the LSJ Lexicon online and Blue Letter Bible for a more in depth definition of ekpipto.

Closing Words

Based on the definition of the Greek word ekpipto, the verse in 2 Peter 3:17 that we have studied could be translated like this: Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and lose your secure position in Christ by falling from it, thereby forfeiting it and perishing.

Indeed, Scripture teaches that our secure position in Christ is conditional, as I have clearly explained and proven in my article called The Conditional Security of the Believer. In it, I show 24 positive conditions in Scripture for maintaining your secure position, which contain the word "if", as well as 30 negative conditions -- or warnings found in Scripture-- for those who do not keep the conditions, which also contain the word "if." 

My article called New Testament Books Disproving Eternal Security shows that most New Testament books contain one or more verses disproving the once-saved-always-saved heresy. There are hundreds of these verses, more than half of which are the very words of our Lord Jesus Himself.

Another article of mine called Drifting Away highlights 22 Greek words in the New Testament Bible that mean to forfeit one's salvation, abandon one’s faith, drift away, turn aside from the truth, forsake the straight way, stray, wander, or become apostate and fall away from the Lord.

My post called The False Gospel of Eternal Security contains numerous articles I have written disproving OSAS, which no one has ever been able to contradict or refute. If you still have any doubt about this matter, or know someone who is confused about it, please share this article with them.

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image courtesy of Beth Ariel Congregation, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. We have no affiliation at all with that ministry, nor does use of this image imply any endorsement of their teachings.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you are invited to check out the series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.