Emphasis added by Editor-CWMTo: ppowell@christian-witness.org Subject: man resurrected after three days Date sent: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 20:08:28 +1200 Hello Philip, I have been on your mailing list for some time now and agree with most of what you say and write. I have a question for you. A number of the local Nelson churches have been showing the video documenting the raising of the dead of Rev Dan Eke of Nigeria after being dead for three days. Supposedly in a Rienhard Bonke meeting. One church has advertised "Hear the authentic story of....". I am aware that there is a little bit of contention around this and have visited the web site of deceptioninthechurch.com to read what they have to say. Have you conducted or made any enquiries into this reported incident of Rev Eke raising from the dead? I would be interested in learning of your views. PD, New Zealand [ Name & address on file ] REPLY from PLP Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 05:28:40 +1000 Dear Phil: (and Danny Gug) The only thing I know about this is through a discussion (dispute) I had with a man who was promoting the story. The man who was so say raised from the dead claims that during his "in death" period he visited "heaven" and "hell". Jesus said that this could not be done. I accept Jesus' words against the words of anyone. Also the man said that it happened to him so that he could be a witness to Christ and that through his testimony his generation would be reached. If you read the story Jesus told in Luke 16 you will find that our Lord Jesus Christ said that people would not believe even if one was raised from the dead. The Scriptures are adequate. Again I prefer to accept the words of Jesus than the words of any man. Thank God for JESUS! I [ Philip L Powell ] think the story is a fraud and a hoax. I recently heard a well known preacher here in Australia, called DANNY GUGLIELMUCCI, tell his congregation that he had the video and would be showing it to his congregation. The video is being offered for sale to anyone on the internet. It is another of those money making scams and I am sure has become a big money spinner. It is in line with Brian Houston's "YOU NEED MORE MONEY" spin. My inclination is to reject it totally. Sadly ministers, like Danny Gugglielmucci who have traded their discernment for popularity and sold their birthright for a mess of pottage are foisting this sort of falsity upon their congregations around the world. I reject it totally. Men and women do not get saved on the basis of "hype" linked to some sensational story - called by many "faith" - but on the basis of revelation linked to God's Word, which is truth. I suspect that there will be a huge "kick-back" when the truth is ultimately known about this story, but sadly the back-slidden Church leadership will just sweep it under the carpet and move on to the next fad and gag. Recently in our first CWM Conference in Melbourne (2002) a young man who has sat in one of these popular churches that rely on music, stories and on motivational talks and kid themselves that they are doing God service, as he listened to the true Word of God being preached said he was born again. He had sat in his own Church for more than a year and later testified that he learned in an hour more about the nature and character of God than he had learned in a year sitting in the big church which he attended. Scripture clearly tells us that men are born again through the agency of the Word of God - and nothing else - PERIOD. I am also copying it to pastor Danny Guglielmucci in the hope of reaching him and thus save his congregation from further deception. Sincerely in Christ, who is TRUTH - "Thank God for JESUS." Philip L. POWELL. April 5th 2002 Dear Philip, I first discovered VANGUARD, one day while visiting my parents and I have to say, nearly blew the roof off with my sigh of relief that SOMEBODY, somewhere was finally working to expose the evil heresies that have contaminated our churches over the years. Without listing specific details of people and organisations, I have worked in the Christian Media and PR world for 5 years now and have seen things that have quite literally made my bones ache at how far God's people have departed from his word. It seems we pursue the idea of a 'celebrity priesthood', following one 'great' and charismatic personality after another - and all the while, the world around is literally going to hell. I have become particulalry burdened with the 'bless me now' culture that seems so prevalent in many churches. I was born into a Pentecostal family who attended a very sound and biblically based Assemblies of God church - but it wasn't until I began to rebel (about 8 years) ago, eventually leaving the church all together - that I began to realise what was truly bothering me. It was the idea that we went to church to get a 'lift', a nice fuzzy feeling which temporarily insulated us from the cold of the world. Thankfully, the Lord did not let go of me as easily as I discarded him and I eventually came back. I now distance myself from all things that smell of showmanship. I do worship in a small Baptist church which encourages open and free worship, but it is not the rolling on the ground, frothing at the mouth variety that frankly, sickens me. My relationship with God is, as a result, I believe quiet, simple, intimate and runs through my life like a silver chord, rather than as a handly fashionable appendage. My reason for writing!!?? Last night, I attended a Martyn Joseph concert. You may not be familiar with Martyn but he has been on the Christian music scene for 15 years or more - but has not been embraced warmly by the wider community because of his out-spokenness. He is passionately against oppression of the weak, poverty and social injustice and speaks out very loudly against the peverse tactics of so many telly evangelists. Last night, he spoke of Rod Parsley *1, he of 'Breakthrough Ministries' in Ohio - who has been apparently telling people that debt is from Satan and that God will take debt away from Christians - the only catch is that you have to send $50 to dear old Rob, along with your bills. In return, he will hold a big bonfire, burning all the bills, which will apparently, be a sweet smelling sacrifice to God. I don't believe I have heard anything as vile in such a long time! Surely, it is sacrifice borne from a pure and contrite spirit that is pleasing to God, not a fire full of bills from money-hungry greedy believers who believe they can incur debts and ask God to simply whisk them away, at the drop of a match. How can we be so blind when babies are dying of AIDS in Africa, children living on rubbish dumps in Cairo...so much suffering and people like Rod Parsley climb into their pulpits and announce that God's desire for mankind, is for us all to have the best car and house we can own. Anyway, I am writing to see if VANGUARD could look into Rod Parsley's 'ministry' a little closer - expose some of his evil money grabbing ways. My apologies for the emotion in this email - it just grieves me so deeply to see things like this, and to be honest, if people like Rod Parsley can call themselves Christians - I don't want the same title! I'd rather be a follower of Christ or a believer in Jesus - anything but be associated with this kind of heresy. Thanks for what you are doing - its unique, its powerful and badly overdue! Warmest regards and blessings from England. [ name & address on file-ed ] [*1] [A later email from the authouress gave this information-ed ]"Yes, Martyn J was very vocal against Parsley - he began by telling the story of having been in the States and switching on the TV late at night and seeing one of his programmes. He initially didn't name him but then the evening became so charged with energy as he spoke out about some of the appalling poverty he had witnessed in third world countries and compared it to the enormous greed of this man's ministry - he decided to name him and shame him." Arrived by email (Address on file) Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:10:45 +1200 My sister in Australia sent us the tapes set Gathering the Faithful Remnant.We are so blessed that we had to let you know.God bless you all for the stand you take for His Holy Name. We are challenged by the message and have no doubt it's from the Lord. Is there any way we could get advice from brother Philip or brother Aeron? ** We are out of church because of the issues you deal with [false doctrine etc]. Thank you again. L. W. America ** Contact < editors@christian-witness.org >
Dear Editors (Siam particularly), 11/02/2002 I appreciated Siam's comments about feminism in the January CETF 2002[ed]. Too often Christians generalise in making scathing remarks about feminism. It is good to see someone who is able to note the positive aspects of feminism (while not concurring with the negative aspects). I also appreciated the article about US foreign policy in the wake of Sept. 11. Very helpful - thankyou. On a less positive note, I am disquieted about the tone Siam used in AoG UK in Crisis (p 10-11). We were encouraged to "spot the spin" used by bad leaders. While I agree it is highly appropriate to train the body of Christ in discernment techniques, and the logical thinking necessary for such ends, to cast the educational/discernment enterprise in the language of a game, like a cheap TV show, is going too far. You may not have meant us to feel gleeful anticipation when you wrote: "watch and see what happens... God will not stay His hand forever," but that is certainly how it came across. Let us recall Proverbs 24:17-18 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.(Also Ezek. 18: 23, 32). You defend your tone of mockery as legitimate satire (on pg 25; letters section) and say it is fine to highlight the stupidity of bad leaders while simultaneously amusing the readers. Permit me to disagree. We all should feel grieved (as God does)- and yes, angry, too - about the atrocious conduct of bad leaders, but we should not be amused at it. If we let ourselves become so, we fall into sin too. Psalm 73 describes at length the conduct of the wicked, but in verse 15 it says: If I had said,"I will speak thus (ie, like the wicked sinners just described)," behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of your children. In the same section, I think you poorly interpret Mark 12:37 "and the common people heard him gladly". The common people were glad to hear Jesus exposing the false teachers. But there is a difference between gladness that truth is being spoken, and glee or amusement that sinners are being exposed. It is the old adage: hate the sin, but love (and grieve for) the sinner. I have a far more extensive comment to make about Siam's assertion (p 7) that "the Scriptures allow for remarriage after a divorce if, and only if, this divorce was necessitated by adultery." I am still preparing my response and will send it as soon as I can.In Christ, Barbara Roberts, Australia Subject: re hello from the Illawarra I don't know if I am supposed to contact you at this email address. I am still getting used to manoeuvring around your web site. You probably are inundated with emails so I hope this email isn't too "wordy" and time consuming. I have only just accidentally discovered your site - last week in fact. I think I typed in my search engine something like "australian christian churches + heresy" and got your site. I had been a faithful member of a large AOG church in the Illawarra for 30 years (the church was formerly CRC but had in recent years come under the banner of the Australian Christian Churches after coming under the mantel" of the AOG). I have never had an "official position" in the church but the ministry team (former) have appreciated my input over the years and on accasion let me share with the church about half a dozen times over the last 30 years. I ran the corporate church prayer meetings for about 6 years as well. I have always been a person who has been widely read, particularly the Christian classics etc and this has of course, caused, at times, a great deal of conflict in my life as I have watched the waves of fad teaching sweep the church since the early 70s (eg the prosperity message - the confess to get message - the discipleship fad - the hyper faith message - the triumphalist message - the toronto "blessing" and the pilgrimages to Pensacola etc etc and finally the Hills music youth culture and CCM with all its hideous selfism, and partying spirit, that is entailed with what is supposedly called christian worship). I can't express the grief and heartbreak that I have gone through watching my peers embrace these theologies and fads and finally seeing the church succumb to the corporate "globalisation" managerial style of church culture where the congregation virtually become finance fodder for the corporate elites and corporate church structure. Where the only thing offered to the poor of the church is for them to give their way out of their poverty. I finally could not handle it any longer and left the church. This was very difficult for my wife and 2 daughters because we can not be accused of being "church hoppers". Leaving a church was an entirely new thing for us. My wife had received a word a few years earlier, "Abraham went out of Ur of the Chaldeans not knowing where he was going..... for he was looking for that city whose builder and founder is God". We have felt just like that - going out not knowing where we were going. We have not been able to find a church to settle down in yet. The big "successful" denominations here in the Illawarra are not into the Toronto pentecostal thing - but they are into the church growth "relevant" seed faith giving, entertainment, youth music culture, stuff. We are visiting at the moment an Independant Baptist church. The young American pastor is only in his 20s and he and his wife like us, but he is a strict cessationist so we have had some lively debates (privately) and we feel that we cannot stay there forever and it is perhaps a bit of a "resting" place at the moment. What struck my wife and I was the godliness of this young couple. We weren't used to it. We had been used to the constant - cheeky, flippant sort of church culture within the leadership of contemporary Pentecostalism. Oswald Chambers made a comment once that to embrace any form of error there has to be some moral compromise somewhere in your life. He said that this results in an "enervation" in our lives. I looked up this word in the dictionary and one of its meanings really struck me - it was "lacking moral vigour". I thought that this is the characteristic of so many church leaders nowadays - "lacking moral vigour" -ie that moral sharpness of character or as Oswald Chambers says: "Holiness is transfigured morality blazing with indwelling God". Francis Schaefer once said that the world isn't so much looking for perfection in Christians but rather is looking for a moral authority that they can respect. How tragic that all that the world seems to be being presented with now from Christendom is this constant parade of money grabbing side-show charlatans. In about 1917 Oswald Chambers said: "In the last days the church will be seduced into the sideshow business". How prophetic. I find it rather incredible how the apostasy that seems to have spread through the church in the last 20 years or so has seemed to be specifically aimed at church leadership in an unprecedented manner. A friend of mine who teaches at Tabor college approached my wife and I several years ago to see if we would use our house as a venue for a meeting with an invited guest speaker. The speaker happened to be Aeron Morgan. We didn't know much about him at the time and why I mention him is that I was surprised to find email letters addressed to him on your web site. He spoke about the true signs of revival and what doesn't constitute a revival. We are praying that some sort of place will become available for Christians in the Illawarra who desperately want to hear the uncorrupted gospel preached again and to be able to come and gather together somewhere I don't know if you know of any church that we could go to in the Illawarra? The sense of spiritual homelessness that we have felt at times has been pretty heart wrenching especially when we have faithfully served the one church for 30 years. I have felt a bit like Elijah at times when he was feeling sorry for himself and thought that he was the only one left in Israel who was serving God. When you feel on your own like that you are so often assailed with doubts as to your position as to whether you may be wrong and overly critical etc etc. That is why I cannot thank you enough for discovering your web site. It has made my wife and I feel that we are not alone in all of this. God bless you JR Illawarra Subject: regarding "Vanguard" march 2001 Date sent: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 23:22:06 +0100 Dear Mr Powell, I have been meaning to write to you for some time. I live in South Wales in the UK. I have been in contact with your Web Master in the past. I cannot express enough how grateful I am for the Publications of "Vanguard" and "Contending earnestly for the faith". I am 35 years of age, married with two children. Have been a Christian for about 23 years. I attended the Bible College of Wales for three years under the leadership of Samuel Rees Howells (son of Rees Howells). I have strong links with the college now even after 15 years of leaving as a student. I have been preaching as a lay preacher since 1985 but I now stick with bible teaching with a small group that I fellowship with. For the past 6-7 years I have been deeply involved in researching the Falsehood of the faith movement and its subsequent movements from it, (Toronto, Penascola etc). This I believe this has isolated me over the years from Popular churches that hold to many of the teachings that the Faith movement exponents teach. I continue to study issues most recent the Tommy Tenney, God chasers issue (this is an issue with me now as one local church near my home are into this kind of Christian ministry and showmanship, this have many in the church who see no danger with either Hinn or Copland, and are using the Alpha course as an acceptable means of revealing God to the masses.) I write a small newsletter every so often to warn and encourage those who are interested in the truth for our time, I give to a small number only (20). But the reason I am writing is to thank you on your article on "What's biblical anointing?" this just confirmed all that I was taught at BCW (Bible College of Wales) and what I know personally. Thank you. Also the Article on Biblical Ecclesiology, on Eldership. This was very encouraging as I personally was involved in an eldership situation in My home Baptist church, which I no longer attend (not welcome). I was a deacon (Servant) in this fellowship for some years, then my pastor decided he wanted two men to help him in ministry, at first he downplayed the role as to him it was no big deal. Myself and another brother became elders with him in this Baptist church. Months went by and both myself and this other elder (who to this day remains a dear brother and ofwhich our spiritual insights are the same) began to see in scripture other roles that elders used but we were not using in this typical Baptist church. I was the preacher elder as I took housegroup meetings and Sunday ministry shared with the pastor. Time went by and my ministry was beginning to mature and an anointing was seen by others, I was not aware of any feelings except an authority when preaching, which I feel was there because I believed what I spoke (unlike the pastor at this time). The crunch came when evident role conflict developed between myself and the other elder and all the deacons, a them and us developed. This difference intensified and as it became evident that there was an issue between the Baptist Union and the new Testament in our church, I stood my ground as did my elder brother, the pastor was with us but did not really get right behind us, his word of support would have helped ease the minds of the confused congregation. Within months the pastor resigned without warning. Myself and the elder brother led the church with the pastor gone. Months went by and the pastor came back but as a member of the congregation but he came being happy to sit under our eldership leadership. Months went by again, it was decided to bring in a moderator as things were not good. (all this happened about six years ago). This is where I was accused of many bad things, and was on two occasions publicly shouted at while I was speaking in the pulpit, and by two deacons, both did not like what I did or what I preached. Within weeks there was a church meeting and the main agenda was whether we support eldership or not. I knew that they did not like the elders but tried to make them see the biblical view of eldership. The vote was given, eldership ceased from that moment on. I had no choice as I felt, I left the church, so did a third of the membership. As I remember back now as I write to you I still feel the hurt and betrayal, and even in recent years the same issues arose and the pain doubled as those who stood with me them did not do so the second time under differing problems (this is another story). I still to this day feel certain of my convictions, perhaps I would have done things differently but still my views are the same. What Siam Bhayro wrote did encourage me, thank him for me. Sorry if this e-mail is long but I felt I had to encourage you to keep the integrity of the word, Christians need strong guidance and healthy food from the pulpits. Many Christians are offended by what you say or write, I know something of this but keep faithful, for there is no unity when truth is brushed aside to incorporate all "beliefs". I have read some of the e-mails sent by Christians who do not understand your position, that just shows their utter lack of discernment and utter lack of sound teaching in their lives. May God bless you Mr Powell, Yours faithfully, RM -original email on file- April 23rd 2001 Dear Philip As some stories begin "A long time ago" - so does this one. This story began back in 1974, in Droylsden, Manchester. I had become a Christian some months before and was going to a small church in Manchester run by 2 lovely men. We lived in Littlemoss, close to Droylsden, where there was an Assemblies of God church that I vowed I would never enter. The reason? I had met a number of people from there and they all sounded "religious" to me. Well, the Lord loves to challenge us - and one evening, after a terrible visit that morning to a small church in nearby Ashton-under-Lyne, two young women came to our door, to invite us to - yes, the AOG church in Droylsden. One of those women was June Rolland, the other, her friend Ruth from Bristol, who volunteered to babysit for our 2 small children. After the bad experience in the morning (and my wife had not yet given her heart to the Lord), I expected a negative reaction, plus the fact that she should trust some stranger to look after our babies. To the contrary, my wife came to the church along with June Rolland and myself - that night, my wife gave her heart to the Lord through your ministry. By now, I guess you either remember us, or (quite understandably), have no recollection of us. My wife's name is Diane - and we have often spoken of you and Kath and wondered what became of you and the family. We moved from the north of England in 1975 and have lived in the south and the west of England since. We found your Website after a little searching - and downloaded the Real Networks audio interview you gave recently. Both of us were really encouraged that you have not changed your devotion to the Lord, and your uncompromising stand on Jesus and the Gospel. It was great to hear your voice again after 26 years, and it hasn't changed a bit. Diane and I want to tell you that the two years in Bethel, under your training and leadership, created a strong foundation for our faith in the Lord. This faith, as many have experienced, has been sorely tested since we last saw you all those years ago. After leaving Droylsden, we became part of the eldership in a church in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, where my boss was one of the elders (his name was Dennis Marshall - you and Dennis once baptised 18 people at Bethel, including Diane and myself, and my parents, Cliff and Joan). Dennis died some 3 years ago this month and I still miss him. We speak of you often to people, and tell them of how you instilled in us the importance of the Word, the Gospel, and how the Word should be brought and not diluted. Twenty years ago, after being asked to leave a divided church, the Lord spoke to me and told me that He was going to show me His love for me, not through other men, but directly. Since then, in fact, since April 1981, we have not been part of any church fellowship. Believe me, we tried - we went to all the churches within 40 miles of where we live once we moved down to Wiltshire, some 17 years ago. But the Lord has shown to us time after time, that He had other plans. These days, we are involved with two church leaders - the local one in Swindon (about 15 miles away), called Andy Lane, and his elder, who is called Ervin Dorschler, Ervin lives in Berwick-on-Tweed near the Scottish border. I guess you come to the UK from time to time. When you do, please contact us - we would just love to meet up with you again. Please give our love to Kath and the children (who I know won't remember us) - our 2 eldest (who you dedicated to the Lord when they were tiny), Alison and Andrew, are now almost 30 and 27 respectively. And when we had been in Hertfordshire for a wee while, Alexandra came along to bless all of us. She will be 20 this coming July. We have subscribed to your mailing list and have downloaded several articles including the expose on Benny Hinn and the Selective Response to a Roman Catholic Apologist (Diane had a prayer partner in Marlborough who, though spirit-filled, is still in the local Catholic church to honour her husband) - we're praying for her and her husband as you will expect. Finally, I hope you will be encouraged to know that Diane and I have not wavered from the same commitment to Jesus as you saw when you were in Droylsden; that we agree with your comments in the interview (and hold them fast ourselves). With love to you all in Jesus' name. David & Diane Name and address on file. From time to time there are some people who don't always agree with what CWM is doing. For example: (Name and address have been removed for privacy reasons.) What a load of crud. No wonder you Christian cannot do anything, You don't believe in anything except your own interpretation and then all you do is argue and pull one another to pieces. You truly are the blind leading the blind. Your traditions make the word of God of no effect. Everyday we experience God and His love. Newagers are light years ahead of you. You are so full of your own dogma which is so polluted and false. I send you peace and light and trust that you will stop all this hatred. just ask yourself some basis questions Why did a immutable, self existant God start it all anyway? What difference did the Cross of Jesus have upon the world? Why did Jesus come? To Quote " God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Question, Did He (Jesus) pull it off? In His own words 'It is finished' in my opinion says He did and he redeem ALL of mankind. Will heaven be more populated than hell? If not then the corruption Satan inflicted upon planet earth was more powerful than the Cross of Jesus Christ. I THINK NOT!!!!! Come on stop all this hatred and get on with telling people about the love of God. The reply from CWM; Q:... Why did a immutable, self existent God start it all anyway? Clear Day Hello Mr Powell, Hope that you don't mind if I call you Philip from now on. I recently came across an issue of CEFTF and wondered if you still produce it? if so please can you put me on your mailing list? The issue that I have is date April 2000 if that is important. It was I felt very insightful and aided me somewhat in praying for the body of believers ( the bride to be kind of ), Have you any info available on a) alpha as I am not quite sure about it and b) yacov Prasch as I am interested in his teaching as I am Barry Smith whom you interviewed. [ TOP ] Have NOT appeared in any CWM Issue |
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