Why I Admire Martin Luther
When Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the church, he did so not to create a denomination, as some believe. Martin Luther wanted to correct anti-biblical practices being promoted in the church. The main theme revolved around the practice of “selling indulgences”. What the church was doing was convincing people that they could “pay” their family members out of purgatory. The church did this primarily to finance the Popes greed and desire to finance the Cistene Chapel in Rome. Now we Protestants read this stuff in Church History books and we gasp, yet how many of us “enlightened” Spirit-filled Protestants that know of Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers in our Protestant churches that “sell blessings” today.
We have condemned Catholics for centuries, yet we have the same skeletons in our closets. From Reverend Ike, Robert Tildon, or to the pastor in the storefront in the inner city, we too have been guilty of “selling blessings”. Every Protestant denomination (and non-denomination) has had it share of “Greedy Popes”. I really admired Martin Luther’s guts, but where are the Martin Luther’s of today? When Oral Roberts said he would die unless he got 80 million dollars in donations, where was the outrage from Christians? Of course the world ridiculed his nonsense, but there was no moral outrage from any Christian leaders. Why? Well I’ll tell you why! It is a very lonely position when you stand on the truth of scripture. We are quick to condemn Catholics trust in traditions and church doctrine, but we are equally guilty! How often have you seen and heard things done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in your church, but in your gut (spirit) you knew it was against the Bible? And why didn’t you say something is the more disturbing question.
Jim Jones was able to take hundreds of lives in Guyana because someone refused to listen to their gut (spirit). I firmly believe in supporting the local church and helping pastors, I want to make that clear. However there is a real epidemic of spiritually stupid “saints” that don’t study their Bibles and try every spirit by the Spirit. We were given the ability to discern so we WON’T end up giving our money to crooks and drinking poison Kool-Aid! Many of today’s most prominent preachers would be labeled heretics hundreds of years ago because MOST clergymen were devout Theologians and serious students of scripture. Today ordination papers and licenses are given to anyone that say’s they are called to preach. I agree that being Spirit-filled and called is the first priority of being a preacher, but ALSO there has to be training…SERIOUS TRAINING! A lack of understanding of just the basic Bible doctrines of the faith can lead to the types of abuses I am talking about. Martin Luther was able to stand up to the lies of Rome because he was filled with the knowledge of the truth. I am a Pentecostal preacher, I believe in the Charismatic Gifts of the Spirit, but that doesn’t negate the fact that we must have a scholarly approach to the scriptures and its teachings.
I have heard PREACHERS say stupid things like, “I don’t know the Bible that well but I am filled-with the Holy Ghost and fire!” This person is a prime candidate for deception and a good whipping from the devil! The Bible say’s in 1st Timothy 4:4 “In the last days some shall DEPART from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and DOCTRINES of devils.” The Devil will fill your head with HIS doctrine (teaching) if your head isn’t filled with sound Bible doctrine. Martin Luther unlike other priest actually studied the Bible for truth and not to support a man made lie. We must as individual believers have reformer’s courage to stand up to the church when it strays from the truth of scripture. I know it sounds crazy to say stand up AGAINST the church, I am of course talking about organized denominational/non-denominational institutions that profess to be of Jesus Christ, yet stray away from the truth of Jesus Christ. I have seen enough heresy in the church in the last 25 years of my life to make ones head spin and the majority of it went unchallenged.
We allow “preachers” to say anything in our pulpits and we say AMEN! We are afraid to be attacked for standing up for the truth. In 1980 I was stationed at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. While there I heard a Baptist preacher (Who was also a Freemason) tell a group in Bible study that “all roads lead to Rome” meaning every religion can get you to heaven. I was a new believer, but I knew this was wrong! I challenged him, because NO ONE else would say a word. He was a popular preacher and I was a new convert so you can imagine whose side everyone lined up on. My point is this, when you hear false preaching or teaching SAY SOMETHING! The Apostle Paul was the new kid on the block (Read Galatians) yet he challenged and corrected the Chief Apostle Peter for treating the Gentile believers wrong.
Ministers are NOT infallible, only the Word of God is! No matter how popular or how powerful a preacher is, they are NOT above reproach!
But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word. (Acts 6:4 Amp)
This is one of the key verses in the Bible to help a novice minister be a successful tool for the Master. Preaching has nothing to do with popularity, titles, or position. The successful minister is the one that realizes that sharing God’s Word is a divine call and privilege that can’t be done in one’s own strength.
The Apostles took this charge so seriously that they knew total devotion to prayer and study was paramount. A preacher that doesn’t devote his life to prayer and study is a potential false prophet. Satan loves preachers that say “I’m to busy to study” or “I don’t think preachers need formal Bible training.”
The gospel preacher must devote his (or her) life to purity of doctrine. Paul warned Timothy to avoid fables and old wives tales. It’s very easy for preachers to get involved in the “flavor of the month” teachings. In last 20 years we have been bombarded with the “faith” message, “prosperity gospel”, “Spiritual Warfare”, and “Prophecy”. Every one is an “Apostle” or “Bishop”; no one is simply a Gospel preacher. Don’t get caught up in trends and hype. Be lead by the Holy Ghost and walk in your calling. I have been preaching 23 years. I have done the work of an evangelist, and served in pastoral capacities, but I am called to teach. My anointing is that of a teacher. It would be foolish to try and be anything else. I live to study and teach the Word of God. We need more “Martin Luther’s” in the church today. Too much of our teaching today is unbalanced. We have churches teaching crazy things like you have to speak in tongues to be saved, Christians should never get sick, or you can only be saved in MY church! Wake up saints and speak out against false teaching! There are churches that teach everyone has a demon, yes some people need demons cast out! However some problems are not demon powered but human error! Teaching the truth can solve more problems in the church than by casting out a “demon”.
(Note: I am not picking on any particular denomination, there is enough heresy in every Protestant denomination)
Why you are still dividing the body falsely
I agreed with almost everything you said and read it very closely. Now for the part to challenge you and I know you will appreciate my words, for deep down inside your regenerated spirit will sense it is true what I am about to say.
You call yourself Protestant (protesting the Roman Church) in this denomination and the denomination of Pentecostalism ("gibberish babble"), but the Bible says never to say "I of Apollos" or "I of Cephas" which is the equivalent of saying you are in this or that denomination. Even if the only problem either of these two systems had was this alone, it would still be wrong to call yourself either of these things, because the body of Christ never divides this way. Remember always, the only way the body of Christ is to be divided is according to locality, e.g. church of your city is what you should say your membership is in locally just as if you had lived in Ephesus, then you could say you belong to the church of Ephesus in the churches of Asia Minor.
However, these two systems have their own set of errors too which stick out like a sore thumb (in addition to the points you made). The protestant system is a pastoral system carried over from the Roman Church.
Watchman Nee (CFP white cover), Church and the Work (vol. 1-3), writes,
Let me first explain what we leave behind when we leave the denominations. If we do not know what we have left behind, it is true, we too may become a denomination. According to my understanding, when we leave the denominations, we leave behind two things: (a) various divisions such as are caused by the use of different names for the denominations; and (b) the pastoral system found in denominations. What is the pastoral system? It is bringing the intermediary priestly system of Judaism into Christianity. Unfortunately both Catholics and Protestants have adopted this.
Someone may ask us, Why do you oppose "pastors"? I say in response that I do not oppose "pastors"; I only object to the "pastoral system." If anyone has the gift of a pastor, we treasure him very much. Yet whether a person has a pastoral gift or not, we must not make anyone into a special priest and introduce a disguised form of priestly system into our midst. Even those with a pastoral gift we will not treat as intermediaries.
The pastoral system is basically this. You go to pastoral school and get your ordinances to be a pastor, even to exclusion of those who have no formal training yet may be more effective. Then that pastor takes the spotlight to the exclusion of virtually the rest in the congregation, creating a clergy and laity system. This is easily solved by introducing more active participation from others as well as circulating the role of the pastor, but not to the extent where it becomes so diffused that no meaningful message has the time of day to be given.
The second problem is Pentecostalism, which is just Montanism redux from the second century otherwise known as "gibberish babble" (a second century heresy brought into the church which even Martin Luther was against in his day long before Pentecostalism got so popular in the early 20th century). No verses in Scripture point to gibberish babble, plus, Professor, the fact that you agreed with question that tongues are only languages contradicts what you have said above that you believe tongues are gibberish babble (which is not praying in tongues, for praying in tongues is praying in a language you know, though may not be known to others). Your answer at the time of this writing was:
Biblical tongues are languages only:
Yes :huh:
Therefore, you would need not to have a doubletongue about this. Hence Board Etiquette #4 is stipulated not to hold two opposing views. My heart goes out to you, because I know how difficult it is, considering wherever you go it seems people have taken on the view that tongues means gibberish babble, but if one is to be an apostle or an elder, this is a sure sign they are not yet, because they would be altering God's Word. Now even teachers can be wrong on some particular matter, yet may still be teachers, but in the case of apostles and elders, there are no exceptions, at least not in this new reformation you are calling for which we may term Biblocality.
An issue to have clarity on also to not go beyond the boundary of a role will be most helpful. In the Scriptures we see prophets, evangelists and teachers (shepherds) operating locally and only apostles work regionally. For example, recall what happened after Philip and the Eunuch met. After their discourse, Philip, the evangelist, settled down locally as indicated when Acts 8 says "until he came to Caesarea" (v.40).
Just to clarify if to be sure! Apostles are those who agree in their being directly commissioned by God by proof of agreeing to a certain number of questions together. Just as Paul achieved agreement with Peter and James and John. Elders (bishops) of a locality are appointed by them, and Elders of meeting places are approved by the Elders of a locality. Not everyone is a teacher, nor should such a thing ever be exalted, though certainly appreciated. To be a teacher one needs the gift of teaching. This is the sole ground for being a professor or shepherd. Some employed teachers in the world do not have the gift of teaching.