False Teachings: Dr. John Killinger

A friend sent me an email regarding an article titled, “CBF presenter questions Christ’s deity “. When I read through the article, I was floored! I wish that I could copy the entire article here, but that would be wrong… So, I will take some excerpts from the article for our discussion. I would highly recommend that you click the link and read the article in its entirety for yourself so that you get a complete and contextual idea of what was written. The picture to the left is of Dr. John Killinger, the speaker of which the article is written about.

Many of you are aware of the Ecumenical movement and the Emerging church movement and how they believe that we must “reinvent” the Christian faith (life), which means changing the true Word of God (Bible) to fit into their self-seeking, self-pleasing, humanistic point of view. If you are unaware of this movement, you can read about it at these links: Understand The Times, Slice Of Laodicea, A Little Leaven, Lighthouse Trails, Discernment Ministries also, if you would like more links, please visit my “Links” page.

These movements have caused quite the shake in the Church and are gaining momentum in some outrageous ways as of late. This article is just one more example of the heretical teachings that are creaping into the Church just as the Bible predicted would happen in the last days.

2 Peter 2:1 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

2 Timothy 4:1-4 “I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

 Dr. Killinger seems to look down on fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, however, to be a true Christian… you must believe what it says in the Word of God on how to become a Christian… This is fundamental, correct? Otherwise you are just playing a game that has no true outcome of which you strive for, so that being said, what would be the use? Your effort would be in vain. The Word of God is an all or nothing sort of thing. Jesus Himself said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and also, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10). It is logical, don’t you agree, that in order to do what the Word says, you must believe what the Word says and then you get what the Word says… eternal life in the Lord’s love.

Now, lets take a look at some excerpts from the article…

Excerpt 1

“Doctrine isn’t the driving force to many people today” except “to the fundamentalists who insist on it,” Killinger said. “But doctrine is a thing of the past now religiously.”

Pastors can follow this cultural shift by preaching about Jesus’ human side rather than insisting that He was God and that He always existed, Killinger said.

This excerpt goes along with what I have stated in the previous paragraph as you can clearly see.

Excerpt 2

“I find from pastors a greater and greater reluctance to preach from the Gospel of John, which used to be the greatest pleasure for most preachers because John was so assertive about the incarnation and the role of Christ” versus “the tendency to go back to Mark and Matthew and Luke to see the more human side of Jesus, who was anointed at the time of His baptism to be the savior of Israel, but not necessarily to be the preexistent one that we find in John.”

The part of this excerpt that stands out the most is the very last phrase, which is underlined by me. I would like to share the following verse with you, which was written before Jesus, the man, came to earth.

Psalm 110:1 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Also, Jesus clarified Himself to the scribes in the following statement:

Luke 20:41-44 “And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?”

Now, how do we know for sure that it was Jesus, the Lord (as Jesus Himself claimed to be)? Well, lets take a look at the following:

Hebrews 1:13-14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

This proves that it was not an angel which was spoken of. Lets continue…

Acts 2:34-36 “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Ah-ha! I think we have a winner! Jesus is the One! Is Dr. Killinger going to through out the book of Acts along with the book of John? If so, then how do we explain the Church being filled with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit which they so love to claim? You can learn more about the exploited gifts of the Spirit by researching the Toronto Blessing, etc. from the links which were provided above.

Excerpt 3

“Jesus Himself has had a lot of things said in His behalf that He never intended. This is one of the things that’s going on today in biblical studies — and I think is much more promising than some of the fundamentalists will allow — is that we are questioning whether Jesus Himself said this or whether an institutional church that grew up in Jesus’ wake said this. This was the purpose of the so-called Jesus Seminar,” Killinger said.

Lets just take a look back at what Jesus said about Himself, shall we?

John 14:6-7 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

Then Jesus is questioned by Philip regarding what Jesus just told them and Jesus responds with:

John 14:9-10 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

This is why Dr. Killinger doesn’t want to hold to the doctrine in the book of John.  The book of John is to the point, direct, in your face or as Dr. Killinger stated, “assertive”.

Excerpt 4

“I’m just suggesting that I think we need to be a little less certain about what Jesus meant, what He was about, what His life and work were about. I think we’re reevaluating all that.”

For example, Jesus did not conceive of Himself as the Savior of the world and may not have viewed Himself a sacrifice at all until the crucifixion, Killinger said.

Again, please notate the underlined portion, emphasis mine. Now, lets take a look at some more scripture:

John 3:14-21 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

 This as we can clearly see, is another reason why Dr. Killinger doesn’t want to pay attention/teach the book of John… it clearly states that Jesus IS the Savior. Jesus clarifies in the following verses:

Matthew 16:15-17 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

 The word “Christ” in the Greek is Χριστός which means:

 Christ = “anointed”

1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God

2) anointed

Dictionary.com determins Christ as a Messiah. It also clarifies a “Messiah” as a savior, deliverer, liberator.

 So, as we can see… whether by the Word of God (English, Greek, Hebrew) it all spells out that Jesus was, is and always will be the Savior of the World. 

Dr. Killinger goes on to state that he can read the book of John to himself and compares it to a “mystical” experience. This is classic Emergent phylosophy.  

Excerpt 5

Many CBF pastors agree with his views of salvation, Killinger said, citing an experience at a gathering of pastors in South Carolina. When he asked them what salvation meant to them, they all talked about self-fulfillment and love rather than doctrine, Killinger said.

The pastors also said they did not disbelieve in an afterlife but were not overly concerned about it, Killinger said. When asked whether they thought people of other world religions are going to hell, the pastors replied that they did not think in terms of heaven and hell, he said.

 I find it interesting that Pastors today are so not concerned about heaven and hell, yet Jesus cared enough to warn us all about it. (Please read the books of Matthew – John and the book of Revelation for specifics, for there are too many to list now).

Dr. Killinger goes on to attempt discrediting the book of Daniel and its prophetically acurate writings, stating that the book of Daniel “fibbed a lot”.

I have given you pretty much the gist of the article, however, I do recommend that you read it in its entirety. I hope that all of you will search out the scriptures and align everything with them, in the proper context, not withholding any books because of personal preference, as Dr. Killinger and others are trying to do. If these heretical teachers do not turn from their destructive ways, the Lord Himself will come unexpectedly with their just reward (condemnation), which they will not escape.

We are all accountable for what we influence others toward, so as watchmen on the wall… you have been warned. Now it is up to you what you will do with that, as you will be accountable for it.

 

Update: Successful efforts in Myanmar

We have received an update from Understand The Times International Ministry regarding their relief efforts in Myanmar (Burma) Yangon area. I will include the email sent to us from Roger Oakland in the following:

 
June 18, 2008

Report on Nargis Disaster Relief Trip – June 4-12, 2008

A representative from UTT journeyed to Yangon, Myanmar from June 4-12, 2008 to help provide disaster relief from Cyclone Nargis, distributing funds from Understand the Times donors and helping to organize future relief efforts utilizing friends and ministries already established in Yangon and the severely affected Irrawaddy delta area. Three others representing UTT also were in Yangon as tourists and were able to take in funds for disaster relief. We also were able to take in several power tools with rechargeable batteries.

Over $50,000 has been provided from people all over the world who responded to the UTT Myanmar Relief Fund. At this point we have distributed approximately $20,000. All of the funds that have been donated for the Myanmar Relief Fund will be used for this purpose.

We first provided for the immediate needs of the 120 children and adults that we are supporting in Yangon. Meetings were held and a plan was then established to supply food and assist in providing shelter for people in the outlying areas that were most devastated by the cyclone.

The following report put together by Tom (UTT Board member who was in Yangon) lays out some of the things that have been done and what our long-term plan is for assisting and evangelizing. We have not named specific people for their protection, as you will understand.

While we will continue to receive and distribute funds for the Myanmar Relief Fund, our concern at this moment is that we meet our budget for supporting the 120 children, students and adults that we are committed to supporting. While many of the children and students have sponsors, we have many other expenses and immediate needs. In the future we will be posting what these needs are.

This is just the first few paragraphs of the report. Please click here to read the entire report with pictures.

As you can see, there is a lot of positive efforts being done in Myanmar despite the rejections of the Junta government. We are keeping the Bryce Lodge orphanages and the people of Myanmar in our prayers as well as those involved with the ministry efforts of Understand The Times.

If you go to the link provided by the email, you will see much more information and some really great pictures of what is being done there. They are actively trying to support those in surrounding areas as well as those associated with the Bryce Lodges.

If you would like to help them in their future efforts, you can give to the cause by clicking here. The people of Myanmar will greatly appreciate all of your support whether it be financially or by prayer. You are making a difference in the lives of those devistated by cyclone Nagris.

Myanmar Junta Refuses US Aid

The following article is from the Associated Press at Yahoo news, so it will change as information is updated on this topic.

UN says Myanmar farmers need fuel for planting

…The U.N. estimates more than 1 million survivors, mostly in the delta, still need help more than five weeks after the cyclone struck. The government’s official death toll is above 78,000 and an additional 56,000 people are missing…

…”The window of opportunity is very short, and the need is of the utmost urgency,” Heyzer was quoted saying. “The planting season in the delta is June to July, after which it will be too late, with disastrous consequences for food security in Myanmar and the region.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in an assessment this week that the area affected by the cyclone “normally accounts for roughly 60 percent of (Myanmar’s) rice production.”…

…In a clear reference to the U.S. on Thursday, the New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a mouthpiece for the junta, said that “the goodwill of a big Western nation that wants to help Myanmar with its warships was not genuine.”

Myanmar turned down humanitarian aid from U.S., British and French warships, which sailed to the waters off the Southeast Asian nation after the cyclone hit May 2-3…

1st Picture           2nd Picture

The Junta government of Yangon (Myanmar) mistrusts the US government because of their (US) ties with the democratic government and opposition towards the Junta military government. The Junta leaders feel that their are strings attached to the aid offer presented by the USA and others who hold the same stance, therefore, they will not accept the aid from those governments.

As you can see in the article, it is time for them to plant for their rice harvest and if they do not, they will surely suffer greater devistation as well as others around the globe due to the shortage. Also according to the article, tens of millions of dollars have been donated and offered but the Junta will not accept it for the people of Myanmar. This tragedy reaches far deeper than words can convey and it has only just begun.

Military Ship Picture

 The Junta government claims that you cannot trust aid from a source that presents it from military vessels, such as Navy ships and helicopters, etc. In the following picture, you can see the devistated areas with some census information, taken by: Reuters News

 We have not recently heard any additional information from Understand The Times Ministries, however, the last that we did hear was that the orphanages were structurally sound and that no one was hurt. They have been struggling along with everyone there, due to the rising food costs while trying to help those around them in need. Please continue to pray for them and you can stay informed through the ministry site as to their progress. You can help by going to Understand The Times Donation Center, which is a dedicated link for Bryce Lodge in Myanmar. From what we have heard, the aid efforts are better received by having an inside source to go through rather than without a contact in the region. The children at Bryce Lodge and the people in the surrounding areas will be blessed by your prayers and donations.

Living the Christian Life – Part II

In Living the Christian Life – Part I, we looked at how the Bible defines “love”. We began our study in Galatians 5:22-26 as we will pick up our study today with looking at “joy”. To recap, this is what those verses state:

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Dictionary.com has one definition of joy as follows:

Joy

Joy\, n. [OE. joye, OF. joye, joie, goie, F. joie, L. gaudia, pl. of gaudium joy, fr. gaudere to rejoice, to be glad; cf. Gr. ? to rejoice, ? proud. Cf. Gaud, Jewel.]

1. The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; pleasurable feelings or emotions caused by success, good fortune, and the like, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exhilaration of spirits; delight.

If we look at Philippians 1:25 and 2 Corinthians 1:24, we can see that joy is based in faith and if we look further in Romans 15:13 and 1 Thessalonians 1:6, we can see that our joy (or faith) is given through the power of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) and Acts 13:52.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, we see that our joy is correlated with hope and a crown of rejoicing. The hope of our joy is what helped Jesus to endure the cross as in Hebrews 12:2. Then if we look at Luke 15:10, we can see that joy is in the salvation of those who are included in the Bride of Christ (Christians) and the fullness of the Bride is the Lord’s joy fulfilled (John 3:29).

In John 15:11, we can see that the Word of the Lord is joy to us, as well as John 17:13. In John 16:22 we see that the Lord gives us joy that no man can take away. We can see that it is through the Holy Spirit in Christ that we attain our joy in Romans 5:11 and Romans 14:17.

We can see that in Hebrews 11:11 faith is strength and we have already concluded that joy is through faith, therefore, our joy in the Lord through the Word inspired by the Holy Spirit is what gives us the faith to strengthen us through our lives and the hope of our salvation to the conclusion of the fullness of the Bride of Christ.

We have this joy, hope, faith and strength because of our love toward the Lord our God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Now, this takes us to our next topic, peace, which will be covered in Part III.

 

Living the Christian Life – Part I

A friend of mine is doing a study on the Fruit of the Spirit, so today, I am focusing on how we are to live as Christians. The best examples given are the scriptures that I have copied into this article. Now, because this is going to be an in depth study, I will post it in parts (this being Part I). The first scripture we will take a look at today is Galatians 5 verses 22-26 and it reads as follows:

 

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

 

Now, lets break that down a bit… The first one listed is Love. What else does the Bible say about Love? It says:

 

Leviticus 19:18 and Leviticus 19:34 tell us that love is to love our neighbors and to consider strangers among us as ourselves.

 

Deuteronomy 6:5 and Deuteronomy 10:12-13 describes love as fearing the Lord, walking in all His ways and serving Him with all of our hearts and souls while keeping His commandments and statutes. For those of you who do not believe that we are to strive to follow the commandments of the Lord our God, that Jesus did away with the law in His first coming, please read Matthew 5:18 and Luke 16:17.

 

Deuteronomy 11:22 describes love as cleaving to the Lord. According to Dictionary.com to cleave means:

 

1. to adhere closely; stick; cling (usually followed by to).

2. to remain faithful (usually followed by to): to cleave to one’s principles in spite of persecution.

 

So, we can look at it this way… that we are to stay close to the Lord through His Word and remain faithful in spite of persecution. This is what Deuteronomy is trying to relay.

 

Deuteronomy 30:20 goes a little more in depth by stating that we must obey His voice and that cleaving to Him is because He is our life. So, understanding this and placing the context into the previous sentence, lets see what it might say to us.

 

We are to desperately stay close to the Lord our God for dear life through obedience to His Word and remain faithful in spite of persecution.

 

That says so much of our Christian life, doesn’t it?

 

The Lord showed us what love truly is in two verses:

 

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

 

We are to give of ourselves completely and whole-heartedly to the Lord through studying His Word 2 Timothy 2:15 and conforming to His will Romans 12:1-2 through His Word faithfully, even unto death.

 

We will continue our study in Part II

 

 

What is the date of Pentecost (Shavuot) 2008?

I am writing this as an update (edit) to my original post: the Feast of Pentecost and the Rapture of the Church concerning the date of Pentecost (Shavuot) 2008.

In my original post, I began counting the 50 days, from the Sabbath between the Passover (April 20th) and First Fruits (April 27) as opposed to the Sabbath (Saturday) which follows the Feast of First Fruits. Therefore, I came up with the date of June 8, 2008 for Pentecost. The actual date is Sunday, June 15, 2008.

According to Leviticus 23:15-16, we are to count from the morrow after the first Sabbath which follows the Passover, which is the feast of First Fruits. There are to be 7 Sabbaths completed, even unto the morrow (the day after the Sabbath). [Seven Sabbaths after First Fruits]

Leviticus 23:15-16

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days [*Omer]; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.

Passover was on April 20, 2008
Feast of First Fruits was on April 27, 2008

The seven Sabbaths (Saturdays) are:

1. May 3, 2008 (begin counting the *Omer)
2. May 10, 2008
3. May 17, 2008
4. May 24, 2008
5. May 31, 2008
6. June 7, 2008
7. June 14, 2008

The morrow (day after) the 7th Sabbath (Saturday) June 14, 2008 is (Sunday) June 15, 2008. That means that June 15, 2008 is Pentecost (Shavuot).

If you would like to read my full study on this subject “The Feast of Pentecost and the Rapture of the Church”, you can click these links below:
Part I
Part II

 

Witchcraft and the Church

I just read an article through an email that I thought was interesting. This article warned the Church against introducing witchcraft to their young ones. I wanted to write a post on this and so I decided to try and look up the original source. Well, I could not find the original source article, but I did find other articles written by the supposed author in which he contradicts the original article that I did read.

The author’s name is Mark Early and he writes for Crosswalk… some of you may know who he is. Well, I will quote an excerpt or two from the email article that I read first.

 

 

“According to a study conducted by the Barna Group called ‘Teens and the Supernatural,’ three out of every 10 teenagers have played the Ouija board, had their palms read, and eight out of 10 have read horoscopes.

Maybe these numbers do not shock you. But while these activities may seem innocuous, below the surface there lurks an extremely dangerous and powerful world – something Scripture refers to as ‘the powers of darkness…’”

The article goes on to say how, though it may seem harmless, it is quite dangerous, quoting the verses: Isaiah 8:19 and Deuteronomy 18. It also states how horoscope readings can lead to yoga (opens the door to Eastern Mysticism), which can lead to demonic themed games and contacting spirit guides.

All of what this author states in this article, I believe, however, the other article I found written by this person is disturbing to me. This other article is located HERE.

In this second article, he goes on to praise the movie Prince Caspian from the Narnia collection. I know that many Christians seem to think that C.S. Lewis’ writings are the child’s version of the Biblical gospel account, however, they fail to acknowledge the paganistic themes also present in these stories.

HERE is another article that I found which goes into more detail of the specifics of Greek Mythology, etc. presented in the Narnia collection of both the books and the movies.

“…The best example in this context (of Lewis’ faith) is Lewis’ atypical view of paganism, which is certainly at odds with many of his fundamentalist Christian supporters. He regarded paganism and Christianity as having much in common, and seemed to consider pagan religions as being a kind of nascent (emerging) form of Christianity…

…This blurring of the boundaries between these traditionally opposed faith traditions can be seen in the chronicles of Narnia, where Lewis not only uses creatures from Classical, Norse and Teutonic mythology such as centaurs, dryads, fauns and dwarves, and the gods Bacchus and Silenus, but also a number of the themes in the books are arguably derived from pagan religions as well. For example, Peter is knighted ‘wolfsbane,’ because he defeats the wolf Morgrim, which echoes stories from Norse and Teutonic sagas, notably the story of the chief god, Odin fighting Fenris-Wolf at Ragnarok, the last battle. The figure of the white witch arguably corresponds to the Norse crone-goddess, Hel, who ruled over the icy afterworld Niflheim…”

It reminds me of the flood of churches who begged, pleaded and shoved their congregations to go and see the Harry Potter movies… again, consciously blinding themselves to the witchcraft throughout the movie. It is the blind leading the blind.

So, in the days of apostasy and false unity for the ‘greater good’, we must hold ever tighter to the time-tested, accurate and fundamental Word of our Lord… The Bible. In the Bible, we see that this was all predicted to happen just before the return of our Lord to call His Bride, the Church (true believers who are watching and ready) to Himself and there we will be, with Him for eternity.

If you do not know the Lord, please read: The Gift of Salvation

 

The Most Moving Video

There is a video that I found a while back and I watched it again today.  It is so moving that I wanted to have it on my site for you to see. Please watch it and listen.

Its amazing… and true. When things seem to be bad and all hope seems to dissipate, remember, the battle is already won… so hang in there my friend, you are not alone.