Redeeming the time...

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redeeming
This is our VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT :
	IT hardly seems possible that my That Was The Year That Was report was written 12 months ago. At that time the Philip and Kathleen Powell family was still based in rural South Queensland where I was interim pastor at the Jimboomba Baptist Family (JBF) Church. We moved into our new home in South Brisbane just before Christmas and then launched the first Christian Witness Ministries local Church in early February keeping it low key with an emphasis on Prayer and Preaching. The unincorporated CWM Fellowship was formed in September adopting simple yet clear and concise Faith and Mission statements. "to KNOW Christ and to make HIM known" Mark 3:14 "And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him ... Mark 1:17"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after ME, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations ..." The vision and goal of the Assembly shall always remain that of Paul the apostle as expressed in Philippians 3: 10 -- 11 "That I may know HIM, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." No humanly conceived goal or ambition shall replace or over-ride this goal which shall remain the vision of the Assembly at all times. The STATEMENT OF FAITH is incorporated within the RULES (Constitution) of the Fellowship and is available on a donation basis and as a modifiable pattern for those pastors and churches that may wish to affiliate with CWM. 1 CWMF Meeting Times To date we simply meet on a Sunday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for Ministry and Worship at the Eight Mile Plains Seventh Day Adventist Church -- provided on a long-term rental basis (see christian-witness.org/cwmf/cmf.html for address and travel direction). We also hold a weekly Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights at 441 Nursery Road, Holland Park QLD 4121 from 7:30 p.m. Apart from mentioning them in our publications and on our web site we have not advertised the meetings except by word of mouth. The Lord has been kind to us drawing good people from a variety of backgrounds and from distant parts into the fellowship of the saints. In addition one or two leaders from other Churches have expressed interest in having an association with CWM in this new venture. By invitation I spoke to the leaders of the Glen Waverley Church where Werner Schultz is pastor about their adopting a Statement of faith and a constitution. It is under their auspices that we will conduct our first CWM Conference, God Willing in March 2002 ...DETAILS. On Tour Due to local Church, writing and other commitments Ministry Tours have been reduced this past twelve months to a visit to Adelaide and two visits to Victoria, one of which included meetings in Sydney and Newcastle. There, as everywhere, we discovered good people who are disillusioned with the current Pentecostal/ Charismatic leadership and their increasingly obvious false teaching and practices, with the inevitable downward spiral into ecumenism. Incredibly we learned that in Adelaide young men who had been converted to Christ from a so called Werewolf cult attended the AoG Paradise Community Church, where they learned that howling like wolves had been encouraged as a result of the laughing revival under Rodney Howard-Browne. Naturally the young men concerned left the Paradise Church, though thankfully they did not leave their newfound faith in Christ.In July I joined with Jacob Prasch in a groundbreaking and exciting series of meetings in Brisbane. Jacob was his usual hard hitting self in four wonderful Bible based messages on VOW OF THE NAZARITE, CHINK IN THE ARMOUR, THE TRUE GOSPEL OF HEALTH & WEALTH and STARS THAT SHINE.* Videos and audios are available from the Moriel and CWM Offices. As chairman I gave a short message, before Jacob spoke at each of the four meetings on the major deceptions which are assailing the Church at this time -- THE NEW APOSTLES (Peter Wagner); FALSE PROPHETS (Cindy Jacobs); SPIRITUAL WARFARE (George Otis); and FAITH PROSPERITY (Brian Houston). All of my messages are available on one C90 audiotape from our CWM Offices Summaries of what I presented are on our Web Site as printable documents . Winds of change There are encouraging signs of a change occurring within Christian ranks as those with discernment realise that the only godly thing they can now do is "come out from among them" otherwise they will become entangled in their uncleanness and will thus incur the wrath and judgment of God _ see 2 Cor 6:16-18 c/f Rev 18:4 & Is 52:11.One such person is a Prison Officer from the Red Centre of Australia, who was opposed to our message and us but has come to see the truth of what we affirm. He led a campaign against heretic Rodney Howard-Browne (RHB) who was expecting up to 3,000 at his meetings in Alice Springs in April and ended up with about 300 a night. An open letter, which was distributed in the region, is published on our Web Site at christian-witness.org/ active/mail/ y_letters.html. RHB came and departed from Brisbane on two occasions with hardly anyone apart from the Faith Prosperity cult called The Tribe Of Judah knowing about it. Two people from our Fellowship attended one meeting and walked out in disgust to the open jeers of the speaker.A similar thing happened in Melbourne's Richmond Pentecostal Church (Senior pastor Phil Hills) where a former AoG pastor told me he couldn't endure more than ten minutes of RHB who was simply regurgitating his attempt at justifying his "Laughing Revival" from seven years previously. This former AoG pastor has asked if he can open a Church under the CWM banner. He left AoG quite some time ago. All of this indicates that the message of CWM and others associated with us is getting through. Death throes of decadence Bruce Hills (BH), senior pastor of the large Garden City AoG in Brisbane and an able preacher and a good young man, was recently cajoled into making a ridiculous statement from the platform about the "mistakes" of former pastors. He said that he was told by Reg Klimionok (RK), himself a former pastor of the church that he (BH) should "apologise" to the congregation on behalf of former pastors. No-one and nothing specific were identified. Allegedly Reg had received a "word" from some high profile minister from South America that the pastor of one of his (RK's) former churches needed to take this action. Such public folly is totally unbiblical and potentially extremely damaging, on account of the innuendo. RK's most recent pastorate was an AoG in Houston, Texas. Did the so called "word" apply to that church? Our information is that when RK left it was a shadow of its former self and then became virtually non-existent. What is the biblical basis for one pastor apologising to his congregation on behalf of another pastor? The New Covenant doctrine is very clear. We cannot repent on behalf of someone else. Then who is this former pastor that BH apologised on behalf? Garden City has a history of scandal involving a number of previous pastors and RK himself is not innocent, as he well knows.So apart from leaving sincere members and associates of that church with a sour taste, it also raises all sorts of questions. We say unequivocally that the "word" was not from the Lord. At best it is the sham "pentecostal clairvoyance" that passes in AoG and other circles as the "word of knowledge". At worst it is a manipulative device to avoid stuff that has long since been covered up and that God will expose. It could be the death throes of the decadence that has descended upon a one time godly movement and should be repented of out of hand. Future Tours While I personally hope to continue with some itinerant ministry, time permitting and the Lord willing, it is encouraging to know that my co-editor Siam Bhayro is receiving speaking invitations in the northern hemisphere and is willing to visit Australasia in the will of the Lord. We plan to use this column to keep you informed by way of reports and projections from both hemispheres Please uphold us in your prayers. (PP) *1 Please contact Philip Powell direct at his personal address listed elsewhere in CETF. [ TOP ] Appeared in Issue CETF 7.2 January 2002 "...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude v3

IT hardly seems possible that my That Was The Year That Was report was written 12 months ago.
At that time the Philip and Kathleen Powell family was still based in rural South Queensland where I was interim pastor at the Jimboomba Baptist Family (JBF) Church. We moved into our new home in South Brisbane just before Christmas and then launched the first Christian Witness Ministries local Church in early February keeping it low key with an emphasis on Prayer and Preaching.
The unincorporated CWM Fellowship was formed in September adopting simple yet clear and concise Faith and Mission statements.

"to KNOW Christ and to make HIM known" Mark 3:14 "And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him ... Mark 1:17"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after ME, and I will make you to become fishers of men." Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations ..."
The vision and goal of the Assembly shall always remain that of Paul the apostle as expressed in Philippians 3: 10 -- 11 "That I may know HIM, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
No humanly conceived goal or ambition shall replace or over-ride this goal which shall remain the vision of the Assembly at all times.

The STATEMENT OF FAITH is incorporated within the RULES (Constitution) of the Fellowship and is available on a donation basis and as a modifiable pattern for those pastors and churches that may wish to affiliate with CWM. *1

CWMF Meeting Times

To date we simply meet on a Sunday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for Ministry and Worship at the Eight Mile Plains Seventh Day Adventist Church -- provided on a long-term rental basis (see christian-witness.org/cwmf/cmf.html for address and travel direction).
We also hold a weekly Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights at 441 Nursery Road, Holland Park QLD 4121 from 7:30 p.m. Apart from mentioning them in our publications and on our web site we have not advertised the meetings except by word of mouth. The Lord has been kind to us drawing good people from a variety of backgrounds and from distant parts into the fellowship of the saints.
In addition one or two leaders from other Churches have expressed interest in having an association with CWM in this new venture. By invitation I spoke to the leaders of the Glen Waverley Church where Werner Schultz is pastor about their adopting a Statement of faith and a constitution. It is under their auspices that we will conduct our first CWM Conference, God Willing in March 2002 ...DETAILS.

On Tour

Due to local Church, writing and other commitments Ministry Tours have been reduced this past twelve months to a visit to Adelaide and two visits to Victoria, one of which included meetings in Sydney and Newcastle. There, as everywhere, we discovered good people who are disillusioned with the current Pentecostal/ Charismatic leadership and their increasingly obvious false teaching and practices, with the inevitable downward spiral into ecumenism. Incredibly we learned that in Adelaide young men who had been converted to Christ from a so called Werewolf cult attended the AoG Paradise Community Church, where they learned that howling like wolves had been encouraged as a result of the laughing revival under Rodney Howard-Browne. Naturally the young men concerned left the Paradise Church, though thankfully they did not leave their newfound faith in Christ.In July I joined with Jacob Prasch in a groundbreaking and exciting series of meetings in Brisbane.
Jacob was his usual hard hitting self in four wonderful Bible based messages on
VOW OF THE NAZARITE,
CHINK IN THE ARMOUR,
THE TRUE GOSPEL OF HEALTH & WEALTH and
STARS THAT SHINE.
Videos and audios are available from the Moriel and CWM Offices. As chairman I gave a short message, before Jacob spoke at each of the four meetings on the major deceptions which are assailing the Church at this time --
THE NEW APOSTLES (Peter Wagner);
FALSE PROPHETS (Cindy Jacobs);
SPIRITUAL WARFARE (George Otis); and
FAITH PROSPERITY (Brian Houston).
All of my messages are available on one C90 audiotape from our CWM Offices

Summaries of what I presented are on our Web Site as printable documents .

Winds of change

There are encouraging signs of a change occurring within Christian ranks as those with discernment realise that the only godly thing they can now do is "come out from among them" otherwise they will become entangled in their uncleanness and will thus incur the wrath and judgment of God _ see 2 Cor 6:16-18 c/f Rev 18:4 & Is 52:11.One such person is a Prison Officer from the Red Centre of Australia, who was opposed to our message and us but has come to see the truth of what we affirm. He led a campaign against heretic Rodney Howard-Browne (RHB) who was expecting up to 3,000 at his meetings in Alice Springs in April and ended up with about 300 a night.
An open letter, which was distributed in the region, is published on our Web Site at christian-witness.org/ active/mail/ y_letters.html.
RHB came and departed from Brisbane on two occasions with hardly anyone apart from the Faith Prosperity cult called The Tribe Of Judah knowing about it. Two people from our Fellowship attended one meeting and walked out in disgust to the open jeers of the speaker.A similar thing happened in Melbourne's Richmond Pentecostal Church (Senior pastor Phil Hills) where a former AoG pastor told me he couldn't endure more than ten minutes of RHB who was simply regurgitating his attempt at justifying his "Laughing Revival" from seven years previously. This former AoG pastor has asked if he can open a Church under the CWM banner. He left AoG quite some time ago. All of this indicates that the message of CWM and others associated with us is getting through.

Death throes of decadence

Bruce Hills (BH), senior pastor of the large Garden City AoG in Brisbane and an able preacher and a good young man, was recently cajoled into making a ridiculous statement from the platform about the "mistakes" of former pastors. He said that he was told by Reg Klimionok (RK), himself a former pastor of the church that he (BH) should "apologise" to the congregation on behalf of former pastors. No-one and nothing specific were identified. Allegedly Reg had received a "word" from some high profile minister from South America that the pastor of one of his (RK's) former churches needed to take this action. Such public folly is totally unbiblical and potentially extremely damaging, on account of the innuendo. RK's most recent pastorate was an AoG in Houston, Texas. Did the so called "word" apply to that church? Our information is that when RK left it was a shadow of its former self and then became virtually non-existent. What is the biblical basis for one pastor apologising to his congregation on behalf of another pastor? The New Covenant doctrine is very clear. We cannot repent on behalf of someone else. Then who is this former pastor that BH apologised on behalf? Garden City has a history of scandal involving a number of previous pastors and RK himself is not innocent, as he well knows.So apart from leaving sincere members and associates of that church with a sour taste, it also raises all sorts of questions. We say unequivocally that the "word" was not from the Lord. At best it is the sham "pentecostal clairvoyance" that passes in AoG and other circles as the "word of knowledge". At worst it is a manipulative device to avoid stuff that has long since been covered up and that God will expose. It could be the death throes of the decadence that has descended upon a one time godly movement and should be repented of out of hand.

Future Tours

While I personally hope to continue with some itinerant ministry, time permitting and the Lord willing, it is encouraging to know that my co-editor Siam Bhayro is receiving speaking invitations in the northern hemisphere and is willing to visit Australasia in the will of the Lord. We plan to use this column to keep you informed by way of reports and projections from both hemispheres
Please uphold us in your prayers.
(PP)

*1 Please contact Philip Powell direct at his personal address listed elsewhere in CETF.

[ TOP ]

Appeared in Issue CETF 7.2 January 2002
"...contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude v3