Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 7

To summarize, Satan has continually sought to compromise and corrupt God’s design, organization, and operation of the church (i.e., “church government and operation”) during the seven periods of the Church Age. This church government and operation is portrayed by and rests upon the leadership gifts given to the elders of the church and the gifts of the Spirit given to all members of the body of Christ. When Satan corrupts the operation of the leadership gifts as well as the gifts of the Spirit, he has successfully corrupted the organization and operation of the church. When the local members of the body of Christ abandon, misuse, compromise, or corrupt these gifts, it creates disarray and dysfunction within the church and hinders the accomplishment of the church’s mission outside of the church. Satan’s attacks are blocked to the degree that the church follows God’s plan and pattern for the church’s organization and operation established in the first century New Testament church.

In the study of church history, it will be helpful for the reader to read Revelation chapters 2 and 3 where John records Christ’s message to the seven churches of Asia Minor. These local churches were selected by God to give a timeless and cautionary message to His people throughout the centuries to the end of the age. The messages to the Seven Churches of Asia represent seven time periods over the past 2,000 years and give a panoramic prophetic view of church history beginning at the day of Pentecost and which will end in the twinkling of an eye at the Rapture of the church.

The works of each of the seven Asian churches revealed certain distinctive characteristics that symbolized a similar distinctive characteristic in each of the seven periods of history during the Church Age. With three exceptions (the first century church at Ephesus and the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia), the history of the Church Age reveals how far the church has drifted from the original design, organization, and functioning of the first century church. The three exceptions were periods when the church most closely followed the example of God’s design, organization, and functioning of the local church as expressed through a more faithful exercise of the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit as found in the first century New Testament church.

In Part II we shall look at the first two of the seven periods of history in the Church Age (Ephesus and Smyrna) and how the Bible doctrines, leadership gifts, and the gifts of the Spirit were intermittently defended or compromised, corrupted, and abandoned.

The Growth of the church during its first three hundred years was concerned with two major issues—its doctrine or beliefs and its organization. Both its doctrine and organizational structure were established in the first century through Christ’s ministry, the actions of the apostles, and their divinely inspired writings which became known as the New Testament.[1]

• Ephesus – Lost its first love (AD 30-100). Ephesus was a typical first century church that had many great works and had labored and endured without growing weary. Their sin was that they had left their first love. This period ended with the death of John, the last apostle.

Little needs to be added with regard to the church’s faithful adherence to the teachings given to the church for this was the age of Jesus incarnate and the apostles who lived in and recorded the inspired biblical history of the first century. When the first century churches veered away from the faithful exercise of the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit, Peter, John, Paul, and other apostles were there to minister correction in person and/or through their epistles and other canons of the faith.

Yet, in spite of all their good works, faithfulness, defense of the truth, and hardships endured, the first century church failed to maintain their deep love and passion for Christ that they once had. Christ’s message to the first century church of their fallen condition was written by John near the end of the first century (c. AD 90-96). Therefore, in less than seven decades after the church was born, its love and passion for Christ had cooled to the point that they were in danger of losing their place and destiny in God’s kingdom.

• Smyrna – The persecuted church (AD 100-312). They suffered tribulation, poverty, and slander. They were encouraged to not fear the coming suffering, imprisonment, and for some even death because a crown of life awaited the faithful.

The second period of church history was marked by persecution, suffering, poverty, and death. When such occurs at any time in history, the only recourse for the faithful is to trust in God and follow his commands including exercising the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit. In this regard the church during the second and third centuries was generally found to be faithful.

Doctrines of the faith

During its first three hundred years of existence (the Ephesus and Smyrna periods), the church not only grew spiritually and numerically, it grew organizationally out of necessity. From its beginning church councils have been held to deal with problems within the church, almost all of which arose from doctrinal issues. The challenges from the heresies of Gnosticism and Montanism in the last half of the second century led the church to the Apostles’ Creed and clarified the heart of Christian doctrine for everyone in the church. From this struggle came the canon (list) of books that comprised the New Testament.[2]

The rise of church councils dealt almost exclusively with doctrine. Even as the canon of the New Testament emerged as a result of the controversies surrounding various heresies, many leaders of the church still did not have a deep knowledge of the Bible. As a result, there was an on-going misunderstanding of many fundamental articles of the faith which led to questions and controversies.[3]

Although faced with many doctrinal challenges by false teachers in the second century (the 100s), local churches continued to operate under the guidance of multiple elders derived from the local church who exercised their leadership gifts as shepherds of the local flock. The gifts of the Spirit given to the body of Christ continued to be made manifest with little outside interference. However, during the third century (the 200s) there were signs that the first century design, organization, and functioning of the local church was about to change.

As has been noted, the church’s beliefs established in the first century came under severe attack during the following two centuries (the 100s and 200s). After the apostles of the first century died (the last was John who died in the late A.D. 90s), those who were personally taught by the apostles became known as the apostolic fathers in the first half of the second century (and included Clement, Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp, and Barnabas). Although the church had spread rapidly around the known world at that time, the church had very little depth in understanding the truth as revealed in the New Testament Scriptures. At the same time heathens attacked the church through lies and falsehoods that mischaracterized Christianity and brought Christians under great persecution. The foremost of the defenders of the faith was Justin who wrote his famous Apology in 153. In 165, he was beheaded in Rome for his beliefs and became known as Justin Martyr.[4]

The attacks against the church in the first half of the second century (100s) largely came from outside of the Church. In the second half of the second century, two great heresies (false doctrines) arose within the church. Gnosticism was a heresy that brought into question Jesus’ incarnation, i.e., Christ never dwelt on the earth in human form. Montanism was a heresy that taught that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) promised by Christ in the upper room the evening before his crucifixion did not come at Pentecost but was now at hand and that the end of the world would soon occur. The defense against these and other heresies fell to the church fathers, successors of the apostolic fathers during the last half of the second century (100s) and throughout the third century (200s). The church fathers included Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement, and Origen.[5]

The Apostles’ Creed, a summary of the Apostles’ teachings, was adopted as a means to distinguish what the church believed to be true Christian doctrine as opposed to the heretical doctrines of the Gnostics and Montanists. As new heresies attempted to infiltrate the doctrines of the church, it was necessary to identify and consolidate the canon (list) of authentic and inspired works of the New Testament writers. By doing so, the New Testament canon was separated from other writings that were of a historical nature or were false teachings.[6]

Important point: The church owes to the church fathers a huge debt in defending the faith at a crucial moment in church history. The right understanding of the New Testament came through much study, thought, and action on the part of the church fathers. However, they too were learning from the original texts and from each other, and their writings, however illuminating, contained some seeds of error that would bear tainted fruit in future generations of the church and its leadership.

Church government

We now turn from the doctrines of the church to its organization and operation. The organizational and operational patterns of the first century church were presented in Part I. The elders of the local church of the first century were known as presbyters (the Greek word for “elder”) and were all the same rank. Kuiper states that,

…it was natural that in each congregation one of the presbyters should take the lead. He would be president of the board of presbyters, and he would lead in worship and do the preaching. The presbyters were called overseers. The Greek word for “overseer” is episcopos, from which we get our word “bishop.” The title bishop was given to the presbyter who in the course of time became the leader of the board of presbyters. So the other presbyters gradually became subordinate to the presbyter who was their overseer, or bishop, and the bishop came to rule the church alone.[7]

Here we see the early signs of erosion of pattern of organization laid down in the first century church.

Out of the struggles with the heresies of Gnosticism and Montanism came the first challenges to the foundations of the congregational/local control form of church government laid down in the first century. How was the church to establish its position as the authority who decided the meaning of the Bible? Defense of the true faith was difficult to accomplish through a loose coalition of leaders from individual churches. Therefore, certain leaders of the larger churches presumed to speak as having authority over a group of churches in deciding issues of biblical interpretation. Many spoke as representing the decisions of the group for whom they spoke. But the frailties of their successors’ human natures caused them to succumb to the charms of pride, power, and avarice and thus perverted the episcopal answer to the challenges presented by false teachers and false doctrines.

The organization of the first century church was very simple and contained two offices: elders and deacons. But as the hierarchy of the church developed beyond the local level, an episcopal form of church organization (government) began to emerge with a decade or two after the death of the apostle John at the end of the first century. Beginning early in the second century the church began to adopt (gradually at first) the episcopal form of church government which lasted to the late 1600s, almost two hundred years after the beginning of the Reformation in the early 1500s.[8] The episcopal form of church government continues in the Catholic Church, in the Protestant liberal-modernist-progressive churches, and a few other denominations.

The following is a brief but important description of the episcopal hierarchy (and its harm to the church) that developed within the church. Because churches were first established in the cities, people in the cities became Christians first and the country people surrounding the cities were considered pagan (heathen) and were the last to be converted. The city and the surrounding countryside became a district called a diocese. As churches and their ruling bishops were added within a diocese, the first bishop in the diocese became a diocesan bishop with authority over the other bishops in the diocese. In time several diocesan bishops began looking to certain other diocesan bishops in larger and/or more influential cities. The bishops in the larger, more influential cities became monarchical bishops. These bishops were thought to be the successors of the first century apostles, and as such, they held great authority within the church.[9]

During the growth of the episcopal form of church government in the various cities in the second century, the connection between churches was very loose and informal. However, by the year 200, the church had been molded into one unified body. This unified body was known as the Catholic (universal) Church, sometimes called the Old Catholic Church. But it should not be confused with the Roman Catholic Church which came later.[10]

Over time further layers were added to the top of the church hierarchy. The bishops of the largest cities began to be looked upon as of a higher rank than monarchical bishops and other bishops of smaller churches. These were called metropolitan bishops. Eventually, five churches were considered to be the most important of all in the Christian world: Jerusalem (Israel), Antioch (Syria), Alexandria (Egypt), Constantinople (Turkey), and Rome (Italy). The bishops of these cities became known as Patriarchs. Rome was in the western and Latin part of the Roman Empire, and the remaining four cities were in the eastern and Greek part of the Empire. Because Rome was considered the first city in the Empire, the churches in both the East and West looked to the authority of the bishop in Rome. The bishop of Rome eventually was called the pope (the Latin word for “father”). The church over which he ruled came to be known as the Roman Catholic Church.[11]

In time the Roman Catholic Church adopted the belief in papal supremacy, an anti-biblical extreme belief and false teaching that stands at the pinnacle of the episcopal government hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. Referring to the doctrine of Papal Supremacy the Roman Catholic Catechism (religious instruction) notes in paragraph 882, “the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.”[12]

In the centuries to come Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria were conquered and ruled by pagans and lost their position and influence over the Christian world. Only Constantinople would survive and become Rome’s counterpart in the East, the Eastern Orthodox Church. For centuries this tenuous and tension-filled relationship continued until the Great Schism of 1054 when a complete separation occurred between the two great branches of the Christian faith.
_______

In Part III, our examination of the seven periods of church history will continue with the third and fourth periods—Pergamum and Thyatira.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] B. K. Kuiper, The Church in History, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1964), p. 14.
[2] Ibid., p. 18.
[3} Ibid., p. 15.
[4] Ibid., pp. 15-16.
[5] Ibid., pp. 17-18.
[6] Ibid., pp. 16, 18
[7] Ibid., p. 17
[8] Ibid., pp. 18-19.
[9] Ibid., pp. 19-21.
[10] Ibid., p. 21.
[11] Ibid., pp. 39, 41-42.
[12] “Papal Supremacy in the Bible and Church Fathers,” Catholic Faith and Reason, https://www.catholicfaithandreason.org/papal-supremacy-in-the-bible-and-church-fathers.html (accessed August 22,
2021).

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 6

Satan hates God but has no power to strike directly at Him. Satan’s arrogant pride caused him to attempt to raise himself to the level of God. Perhaps this was the first time any being ever chose to sin against God. As a result, Satan and one-third of all the angels who cast their lot with Satan were cast out of Heaven to earth. The only means left for Satan to strike back at God was to separate mankind from God by causing men to sin and thus destroying mankind’s eternal relationship with their Creator. Satan’s attack on mankind began in the Garden when he deceived our first ancestors and caused them to be cast out of the Garden just as Satan was once cast out of Heaven.

Christ’s completed work on the cross provided for the remission of the sins of mankind and a means to re-establish relationship with God. Forty days after Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, the church was established on the Day of Pentecost. Thereafter, the universal church was and remains populated by all born again believers around the world. This became Satan’s new target to separate God from His people. Satan knows that separation of believers from God will occur if he can corrupt the truth of God’s Word and/or the Church.

(1) Corruption of the truth of God’s Word. This corruption came through the infiltration of false teachers to spread lies and false teachings in the church. The subject of doctrinal compromise (heresy, false teachings) was previously presented in the three-part series “False Teachers in the Evangelical Church.”

(2) Corruption of the design, organization, and operation of the church. Satan continually seeks to undermine the design, organization, and operation of local church bodies from the beginning of the Church Age until the present day. But Satan’s plan was not a surprise to God. Jesus revealed through John (Revelation chapters 2 and 3) the spiritual condition of the seven churches of Asia Minor. These individual churches were Jesus’ prophetic picture of the seven periods of Church Age history, and the church is now in the last period of church history identified as the lukewarm Laodicean church. The modern lukewarm evangelical church has emerged at the very end of this period, the last days immediately precedes the Rapture of the church.

The attack on biblical doctrines and the design, organization, and operation of the church is the subject of this series of articles titled “Church, Inc.” In Part I we begin with the design, organization, and operation of the first century church as established by God. The essentials and details of this design, organization, and operation of the church (all born again believers, i.e., the body of Christ) is portrayed in the leadership gifts given to the elders of the church and the gifts of the Spirit given to all members in the body of Christ. To corrupt the operation of the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit in the church is to damage or destroy God’s design, organization, and operation of His church.

The design, organization, and operation of the first century church

1. The Leadership Gifts

To understand the design, organization, and operation of the church, the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is perhaps the most succinct and clear expression of God’s design, organization, and operation of the church that encircles individual Christians, the local church, and as the unified body of Christ.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. [Ephesians 4:1-6. NKJV]

Paul begins with an admonition to every member of the church to walk worthy of their calling. They were to endeavor to walk the walk in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace. Here Paul recognizes that even in the spiritual family of the local church, there are differences, many of which may bring division and conflict. Those divisions and conflicts cannot be resolved by reaching a compromise or a consensus, or by ignoring the issues at hand. The divisions and conflicts can only be resolved and unity restored as the church is led by the Spirit to a return to the purity of the unchangeable truth of God’s Word.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift… 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. [Ephesians 4:7, 11-16. NKJV]

Beginning in verse 11, Paul describes the establishment by Jesus of five leadership ministries and the combined job description of those ministries. Essentially, those who were given these leadership gifts were members of the local congregation whose specific gifts were used “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” In their various leadership roles they became elders, as the leaders in the local churches were called, and were selected by the local church from their midst. Essentially, certain members of the congregation were given various gifts of leadership by Jesus. In time elders with various gifts of leadership were formally recognized (commissioned) within the local church (see: Acts 14:23).

In the first, second, and third centuries, all five leadership gifts operated through the elders of the local church. However, apostles were usually called to an itinerant ministry to other cities, regions, or countries (as were the original apostles of the first century) while the remainder of the elders (prophet, evangelist, preacher/pastor, and teacher) generally continued to operate at the local church level.

One can gain an understanding of the status and work of elders by a quick review of what the New Testament says about elders:

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. [Acts 14:23. NKJV]

And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. [Acts 15:4. NKJV]

And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

From Miletus he [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. [Acts10:17. NKJV]

For this reason I [Paul] left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you. [Titus 1:5. NKJV]

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. [1 Peter 5:1. NKJV]

Here we see the inspired writers of the New Testament set the church in order. In summary, Jesus established the pattern for organization and operation of leadership in the local church in the first century, and that pattern is very clear. Certain individuals in the local church were given specific leadership gifts. The common term used for these leaders was “elder” as shown in the above Scriptures. The elders were called from the ranks of the local congregation for specific leadership assignments based on their gifting and who almost always were those having authority by virtue of age and experience. The above verses in almost every instance speaks of elders (plural) in the local church which confirms that local churches did not have one but several elders to serve the needs of the local congregation.

2. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ

4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. [1 Corinthians 12:4-11. NKJV]

The pattern for organization and operation of the local church did not end with the leadership gifts. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul described the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit to operate in the lives of individual Christians and in the overall life of the church for the purpose of promoting spiritual growth and development of the church.

Donald Stamps in his article “Spiritual Gifts for Believers” states that these gifts are not the same as the leadership gifts discussed in Ephesians 4:11-16 above. Leadership gifts are God-given abilities given to empower and commission some individual Christians to exercise leadership gifts in a more permanent or full-time manner in the local congregation and beyond.[1]

Paul listed nine gifts of the Spirit but does not include every God-given gift or ability that Jesus’ followers may possess. Stamps states that “…there are many desires and abilities God gives his people that may seem more common (compared to leadership gifts) but are equally important as God accomplishes his purposes.” Stamps also includes “abilities, talents, and expressions” given by the Holy Spirit which God uses to serve his purposes in a variety of practical ways.[2]

Did Jesus intend for the five-fold ministry gifts for leadership and the gifts of the Spirit given to all in the body of Christ to continue in operation throughout the Church Age up to and including the present day?

The answer is clearly a resounding yes! The verses dealing with the five-fold ministry for leadership (Ephesians 4:11-16) and the various gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the entire body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) plainly indicate that all of these gifts are still needed in the church today and must remain operational until the entire body of Christ comes into a unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to the level of Christian perfection as measured by Christ’s standard (see: Ephesians 4:13). In other words, God intended that all of these gifts remain in operation until Christ returns for His bride.

When Satan succeeds in weakening or destroying the operation of the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit in individual believers, it is a direct attack on the organization and operation of the local church body in order to destroy the life of the church from within.

In Parts II through V, we shall examine the outworking of Satan’s efforts to compromise and corrupt God’s design, organization, and operation of the church during the seven periods of the Church Age. Lastly, in Parts VI and VII, we shall examine the reasons for the disarray and dysfunction in the modern lukewarm evangelical church during the last days of the seventh and last period of the Church Age as a consequence of the abuse of the leadership gifts as well as the decline in the operation of the gifts of the Spirit within the universal church.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Donald Stamps, “Spiritual Gifts for Believers,” Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, Ed. Donald Stamps, (Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers International, 2009), p. 2175.
[2] Ibid., pp. 2175-2177

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 5

The God of the Bible is the God of order, and this order can be readily seen and understood. The Bible tells us in Genesis 1:1 that “In the beginning God created…” What did he create? He created the heaven and the earth and much more. In all of His creative efforts he had a purpose. He revealed to humanity that He was a glorious God and that He was their creator.

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. 3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. 4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. [Psalm 19: 1-4. NLT]

His creation was not an accident that brought chaos. His creation was a complex delicately balance order encompassed within the universe. At the beginning, God’s revelation was for all humanity, but sin entered His creation and broke the intimate relationship between the creator and His special creation—mankind. In time He chose a single man through whom He revealed His promise of redemption. Abraham and his descendants were designated as God’s messengers and example through whom all nations would be blessed. However, the promise was not fulfilled through the Hebrew people because they rejected their own kinsman, the promised Messiah. Jesus was the Messiah who was the fulfillment of the promise made to the Old Testament people. Because of the Hebrews’ rejection of Him, the gospel was sent to the Gentiles.[1]

In the fullness of time, Jesus was born, preached the good news, was crucified, died, buried, and raised from the dead for the atonement of the sins of the world. By His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus transferred the mantle from the Old Testament Hebrew nation to the universal Church born on the Day of Pentecost. This church would be of a spiritual nature and include all born again believers throughout the world. Their message would be a message of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. The message was found in the inerrant, inspired Scriptures of the New Testament.

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. [Matthew 16:24-25. NKJV]

Here we see the two essential pillars upon which mankind came to know and receive His invitation to take up their crosses and follow Him—The Scriptures and the Church.

In this extensive series titled “Church, Inc.,” we shall examine the condition of these two pillars in the last days of the seventh and final period of the Church Age. Presently, we are living in the last days of this final period just before the Rapture of the church. Given that we are living in a time of the Great Apostasy, a multitude of false teachers, and widespread worldliness within the church, it should be no surprise to most that all is not well with the modern lukewarm organized evangelical church, the last stronghold of first century New Testament Christianity.

Methodology

First, we must examine how (1) the defense of the doctrines of the inerrant Word of God and (2) the church’s organization and functioning have fared throughout 2,000 years of church history. With some exceptions it has not been a pretty story.

Second, we shall compare and contrast the present modern lukewarm evangelical church with the 2,000-year history of the church. This comparison will reveal that many of the teachings, methods, and practices of the modern church will be exposed as compromising, corrupting, and even opposing the church and the doctrines and teachings of the Bible.

Premises

This examination will be based on the following premises which are necessary to guide our understanding of the history of the organized church over two millennia including the rapidly declining condition of the present church—the modern lukewarm church at the end of the Church Age just before the Rapture of the church. This revelation of the church’s history by Jesus was given to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos and is recorded in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

1. Satan knows that separation of man’s relationship from God will occur if he can corrupt the truth of God’s Word and/or the Church.

2. Corruption of the truth of God’s Word comes through the infiltration of false teachers into the church to spread lies and false teachings. This was dealt with extensively in the previous three-part series “False Teachers in the Evangelical Church.” Although corruption of the Bible doctrines and teachings in the church are inextricably intertwined with the history of the church, most of the emphasis in this series will be on the church.

3. Corruption of the essentials and details of God’s design, organization, and functioning of the church will damage or destroy God’s pattern for life in the church and its mission.

4. The essentials and details of this design, organization, and functioning of the church are portrayed in the leadership gifts given to the elders of the church and the gifts of the Spirit given to all members in the body of Christ. To corrupt the operation of the leadership gifts and the gifts of the Spirit in the church is to damage or destroy God’s design, organization, and operation of the church.

It is exceptionally difficult to cover seven periods of church history over two millennia in a very condensed manner (Parts II through V). To do so the author has used The Church in History by B. K. Kuiper as an outline to condense but hopefully bring clarity and understanding of the causes and outcomes of the lukewarm evangelical church at the end of the Laodicean period of church history (Parts VI and VII). Apart from Kuiper’s outline, any information attributable in part to his writings will be identified by endnotes.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] B. K. Kuiper, The Church in History, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1964), p. 4.

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 4

In Part II we learned:

• The reasons Christians should be concerned about false teachers and false teaching in our supposedly more enlightened modern times
• The definition of False Teaching
• Not all who disagree with us on some biblical doctrines and other interpretations of Scripture are false teachers
• Identifying marks of false teachers

Examples of False Teaching and False Churches & Movements

Before we name false teachers in the evangelical church or claim some association therewith, it seems appropriate that we identify many of the teachings that are being taught, more or less, by various false teachers. This list of false teachings include (1) specific teachings that are false and (2) movements and denominations that teach false doctrines and practices based on the philosophies that are diametrically opposed to, placed above, or are substituted for the truth of God’s Word. Any church that teaches false doctrine is considered a false church.

Not included in this second group are religions that do not claim at least some association or connection with Christianity (e.g., Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism). By their denial of Christianity altogether, these religions are without doubt classified as being false religions. The list below is not meant to be inclusive of all false teachings found in the evangelical church. Also, many of the false teachings identified have various subcategories or variations not listed here.

False Teachings:

• Doctrine of a Divided Christ (Christ is accepted as one’s Savior but not followed as the Lord of his or her life, i.e., does not lead a pure and holy life.

• Cheap Grace (Non-judgmental love and acceptance without the requirement of repentance).

• Universalism (There are many paths to God other than through Jesus.)

• Prosperity gospel

• Dominionism (Dominionism, Kingdom Now, Latter Rain theologies, and similar philosophies.)

• Ecumenism (Merging of Christian denominations and doctrinal persuasions. Unity overrides doctrine, i.e., truth. Unity is supposedly achieved through compromise and consensus and not truth.)

• Replacement theology (The belief that the Christian church has replaced Israel, and Israel no longer has any significance from a biblically prophetic point of view.)

• Mind over matter (Power of positive thinking, possibility thinking, positive confession.)

• Contemplative Prayer (Various New Age techniques of meditation in which the mind becomes thoughtless, empty, silent in an attempt to draw closer to God. Similar to centering prayer.)

• Grave Soaking or Grave Sucking (A process by which someone lays on the grave of a deceased Christian in order to absorb their mantle or anointing which supposedly still resides in their physical remains.)

• Emergent Christianity (Churches that promote a redefinition of Christianity. They focus on social justice, cultural relevancy, and mysticism among other non-biblical practices.)

• Progressive Christianity (Beyond Emergent. An advanced “Christian” who has shed the old stale ways of traditional Christianity.)

• Toronto Blessing (One of several false revivals that focus on one or more counterfeit manifestations of God’s presence but which are not inspired or poured out by the Holy Spirit, e.g. holy laughter.)

• Social Justice (Shifts emphasis from repentance and righteous living to humanistic concerns of equality/racism, entitlement, empowerment, esteem-building, the environment, socialism, etc.)

• Seeker-friendly (More emphasis placed on making people comfortable in church and less on salvation and discipleship. Practical Christianity.)

• New Age Spirituality (Elements of the beliefs and practices of the occult and mystical religions that have been incorporated into various aspects of Christianity and the church.)

• Spiritual Formation (Non-scriptural disciplines and practices used to supposedly become more Christ-like.)

• Spiritual Awakening (Awakening the God within, i.e., pantheism.)

• Interspirituality (God is in all things, and the presence of God is in all religions, i.e., pantheism and universalism.)

• New Apostolic Reformation (Apostles and prophets in the church today are equal to or greater than the apostles and prophets who wrote the Bible.)

• New Thought (Merger of classic occult concepts and practices with Christian terminology, e.g., Christian Science and Unity Church.)

• Mindfulness (Buddhist meditation technique adapted to many areas of human endeavor, e.g., stress reduction, education, medicine, religious practices, etc.)

• Alpha Course (Evangelistic course designed to bring an easy-going method of exploring the “big questions” of life from a Christian perspective. Very emergent, ecumenical, and mystical.)

False Churches:

• Christian Science Church
• Church of Scientology
• Eastern Orthodox Church
• Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Most Liberal-Progressive Protestant Churches
• Roman Catholic Church
• Seventh Day Adventists (denial of an eternal Hell)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church)
• Unitarian Universalist Churches

Naming names — Identifying and marking false teachers, both present and past, in the 20th and 21st centuries

In these three articles about false teachers in the church, the author would have been remiss, if not hypocritical, in failing to obey the numerous New Testament commands to expose false teachers. This list generally includes men and women that have some degree of affiliation or connection with the evangelical church as loosely defined. For each false teacher named herein, there are hundreds of others that could have been added. In this list I have included many that are widely known in Christian circles and/or whose names are widely known in in the secular world.

It should be stated that the below named false teachers may fall anywhere on the wide spectrum between those who are generally faithful in correctly teaching God’s Word except for one or a two false teachings and those who teach multiple full-throated and wild heresies and outright lies. This last group may be so deeply involved in numerous false teachings that they have been given over to a reprobate mind (degenerate, debased, decadent, immoral, and perverted).

As noted above, some false teachers may be only peripherally involved with one or two false teachings; however, most false teachers fall into this category. Bear in mind the comment made in Part II that most people are deceived by Bible teaching that is 95% biblically correct and only 5% that is false teaching. A few former false teachers not given over to a reprobate mind have in subsequent years discontinued, disavowed, and/or repented of their false teaching.

Some readers may disagree with the author’s designation that one or more of the preachers and teachers listed below are false teachers. However, in naming a teacher as false, I have attempted to follow the standard as presented in Part II: False teachers are those who teach false doctrines that oppose or deny (1) some fundamental truth in the Bible or (2) some doctrinal truth that is essential for one’s salvation.

Space and time does not permit presentation of a detailed connection between the false teachings listed above and the names listed below. However, the author has studied and written about the false teachings listed above and most of the men and women named below. These writings which make this connection have appeared in various articles posted on CultureWarrior.net and in two of two of the author’s books: Evangelical Winter – Restoring New Testament Christianity and True Revival – Reviving the Church in Every Generation.

False Teachers – Past and Present (listed in alphabetical order by last name)

Todd Bentley, Ruth Haley Barton, Mike Bickle, Jack Canfield, Tony Compolo, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jesse Duplantis, Tony Evans, Richard Foster, Bryan Furtick, Benny Hinn, Brian Houston, Rodney Howard-Browne, Bill Hybels, T. D. Jakes, Bill Johnson, Bob Jones, Rick Joyner, Carl Lentz, Bryan McClaren, Joyce Meyer, Thomas Merton, Beth Moore, Larry Osborne, Henri Nouwen, Doug Pagitt, Norman Vincent Peale, Eugene Peterson, Frederick K. C. Price, Joseph Prince, Joel Osteen, Priscilla Shirer, Andy Stanley, Leonard Sweet, C. Peter Wagner, Dallas Willard, John Wimber, Robert Schuller, Rick Warren, Robert Tilton, Sarah Young, William P. Young

This list contains over forty names, but there are many more false teachers that could have been added. Also, the author believes there are several names that perhaps should be considered for inclusion on the list. However, the author did not believe his sole judgment was sufficient to make that decision because those teachings are so close to the borderline between false teaching and denominational differences.

Origins of false teachers

As mentioned in Part I of this three-part series on false teachers, we must remember that false teachers do not all have the same origins.

• Some false teachers started out as born again Christians who faithfully taught the truth of God’s Word. But over time their teaching gradually became questionable and eventually was unquestionably false.

• A second group contains those false teachers who never taught the unadulterated truth of God’s Word from the beginning of their careers. These cannot be said to be apostate (fallen away from the faith) because they were never a part of the body of Christ to begin with.

There is a third group of teachers who faithfully teach or have taught the truth of God’s Word throughout their entire careers but made their ministry a lie by their hidden, deep-rooted, and on-going moral failure. Upon exposure, they brought great shame to their followers, supporters, and admirers and great harm to the reputation of Jesus and the body of Christ. Since this series deals with inherent or basic false teaching, those that fall into this third group have not been named.

Reasons why the evangelical church tolerates false teaching in its midst

It appears that there is a deafening silence in most evangelical churches with regard to exposing and avoiding false teachers and false teaching. The following is not an exhaustive list of reasons and excuses as to why these leaders do not expose and avoid false teachers.

1. The evangelical church is in the time period of the lukewarm church as prophesied in the Bible.

The characteristics of the Laodicean period in the Church Age are found in the synonyms for lukewarm: tepid, warm, hand-hot, cool, unenthusiastic, half-hearted, unexcited, indifferent, subdued, apathetic, and uninterested. Because they are lukewarm, they aren’t excited about exposing and avoiding false teachers because such is disruptive and may interfere with their status quo of being comfortable, prosperous, and well-satisfied.

2. The evangelical church is also in the period of the Great Apostasy as prophesied in the Bible (the great falling away of many of the faithful at the end of the last days before the Rapture of the Church).

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. [2 Timothy 3:4-5. NKJV]

3. Worldliness

Because of an accommodation of the spirit of the world in many evangelical churches, Satan and his followers have been allowed to find a home in those churches. False teachers are messengers for their father, Satan, and there is no truth in his message for he is a liar and the father of lies.

41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. [John 8:41-44. NKJV]

4. An incorrect understanding of Matthew 18:15-17.

Many people point to Matthew 18:15-17 as the correct method to resolve differences between Christians with false teachers. However, this passage in Matthew does not deal with heresy but private and personal differences, grievances, and misunderstandings between two or more people that are Christians.

Christians should have dialogue with other Christians with whom they disagree about matters that concern denominational disagreements and other scriptural issues. These disagreements deal mainly with secondary issues that are not biblical doctrines, practices, and interpretations considered critical fundamental doctrinal issues and those that deal with one’s salvation.

Jesus never dealt with false teachers in the manner described in Matthew 18:15-17 for they were not brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus dealt with false teachers harshly, publicly, and immediately. He never pulled the false teacher aside for an amiable and pleasant private conversation about their differences of opinion or scheduled an appointment for a more convenient time. Paul and other disciples followed Christ’s example in these matters. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” [Galatians 1:8. NKJV] [emphasis added]

5. The unbiblical quest for unity through ecumenism (which is sought through compromise and consensus rather than truth).

Many evangelical denominations and churches fail to expose and avoid false teachers because of a fear of offending those with whom they wish to be unified. In this they have followed the path of Catholicism and the liberal-progressive Protestant churches in seeking unity through ecumenism. Under duress from a secularized culture heavily saturated with humanistic concepts of relativism, tolerance, and inclusion, many evangelical leaders and Christian organizations have embraced an ecumenism that reaches beyond the boundaries of the Christian faith. In their efforts to be ecumenical and culturally relevant, they have wrongly attempted to find common ground with organizations and false religions that stand in opposition to God’s word.

6. Other excuses for failure to expose and avoid false teachers

There are many other excuses that may be listed: cowardice; laziness; fear of retribution; fear of being accused as intolerant and judgmental; fear of being culturally exiled; desire for acceptance; etc.

The evangelical church’s failure to expose and avoid false teachers

Perhaps the principle cause or reason false teachers and false teaching has exploded in evangelical denominations and churches is the failure of many in leadership to expose false teachers and their teachings (identified, marked, noted) and failure to avoid false teachers and their associates (do not have fellowship or association with false teachers). This failure is occurring in almost every denomination and the majority of evangelical churches and associated religious organizations throughout America.

If one doubts this assertion, the author challenges the reader to research the internet and other sources. The reader will discover that almost every week there many denominations, churches, or other religious organizations that are having conferences and convocations throughout America whose programs feature a number of Christian speakers, many from solid, conservative Christian denominations and churches. But a closer examination of the featured speakers will usually reveal one or more blatant false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) that are sprinkled throughout the program. This is an unequal yoking of light and darkness that gives credibility to false teachers and brings confusion to the faithful. This mixing of the truth with the lie is an affront to God and a violation of the scriptural command to expose and avoid false teachers.

Preachers, pastors, evangelists, teachers, and laity—now is the time to repent and begin exposing and avoiding false teachers.

Larry G. Johnson

Series on the Modern Lukewarm Evangelical Church – No. 3

In Part I we learned:

• The modern evangelical church contains many high profile false teachers who call themselves Christians. These false teachers occupy various roles within the church including pastors, evangelists, teachers, missionaries, writers, and leaders of various para-church organizations. These false teachers are influencing uncountable millions of Christians in evangelical churches across America and around the world. This invasion has allowed many false teachings to infiltrate and lead astray the hearts and minds of individual Christians, the local church, denominations, and other Christian organizations from the lowest to highest levels.

• The source of false teachings (lies and deceptions) is philosophies and traditions of men, the principles of the world, and false religions.

• Finally, we looked at multiple warnings in the New Testament from Paul, Peter, Jude, and Jesus about false teachers and false teachings in the church. The essence of the warnings was that false teachings are a dangerous threat to the church and must be exposed and avoided.

Why should Christians be so concerned with false teachers and false teaching in our enlightened modern times?

One of the greatest dangers to the church recognized by the apostles and other leaders of the first century church was that of false teachers and false teachings. And one of the great appeals in the acceptance of false teaching is that many Christians have embraced the modern age of belief in man’s presumed enlightenment by which is meant that modern man is rational, progressive, open-mined, tolerant, informed, and educated. However, one’s supposed enlightenment is not a guard against false teaching. To the contrary, the various philosophies of the enlightenment era are the lures that Satan uses to draw millions of Christians into acceptance of false teachings that stand in opposition to God’s Word.

False teachers are addressed in almost every book of the New Testament. In Part I we saw that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the epistles of Paul, Peter, John, and Jude among others warned many times about false teachers and the infiltration of false teaching into the church.

Almost 2,000 years after the New Testament was written, many Christians seem to believe that the church ought to be well-schooled in spotting false teachers and false teaching. That is not the case, and as biblical literacy in evangelical churches continues to deteriorate, false teaching has become a much bigger problem. Jesus said that at the end of the age many false prophets would appear and deceive people, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” [Matthew 24:10-11. NIV] Jesus was speaking of the time in which we are presently living—the end of the last days just before the Rapture of the church. Therefore, recognizing false teachers and avoiding them are even more important today that in the first century church.

What is false teaching?

Most religions and philosophies have a set of ideas or beliefs that are taught or believed to be true. These are usually referred to as doctrines and are often called principles, canons, dogmas, creeds, rules, codes, or teachings. Biblical doctrines are teachings aligned with the revealed Word of God, the Bible. False doctrine is any idea that adds to, takes away from, contradicts, or nullifies the doctrines given in God’s Word. A doctrine or teaching is false doctrine if it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture.

False doctrines are those which opposes some fundamental truth or that which is necessary for salvation. The following are just a few of many examples of false teaching of certain beliefs that lead to the codifying or establishment of a false doctrine upon which false churches are built:

• Cheap grace that presents grace as a license to sin – This is a false gospel that leads to the doctrine of a divided work of Christ wherein one may accept Christ as their Savior but not
accept him as the Lord of their lives.

• Denial of the virgin birth of Jesus.

• Denial that Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross atoned for the sin of all mankind.

• Denial that Jesus arose from the grave on the third day after His resurrection.

• The Bible is not God’s Word.

• The teaching that there are many paths to God – This is the doctrine or teaching of universalism which means that there many paths to salvation other than Jesus.

• Teachings that change the nature and/or character of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

• Adding to or taking away from the Bible – Man’s philosophies, traditions, and teachings are often treated as superior to or to supplant God’s Word.

• Denial that there is a real Satan and a real Hell.

Just as there are false teachers within evangelical churches, there are evangelical churches that have been so corrupted with false teachings to the point that they must be judged as false churches along with the Catholic Church, the liberal-progressive Protestant churches, and those whose doctrines are fundamentally incompatible with the teachings of the Bible. That is not to say that all individuals attending those churches are lost and going to Hell. Some are truly born again and love God with all of their hearts. That is why God looks upon the heart and not church affiliation to determine who His children are. We can look upon their church affiliation, words and actions, and fruit of their lives, but we do not have the power to look upon the heart as God does.

Not all who disagree with us on some biblical doctrines and other issues are false teachers

Now, we come to what can be a more difficult assignment—the difference between false doctrine and denominational disagreements. These disagreements deal mainly with secondary issues which are not always due to false doctrine on either side of the disagreement. Some denominational disagreements are minimal (methods of baptism) and some can be very substantial such as eternal security (Calvinism) versus conditional security (Arminianism). All should be open for discussion and debate but not argument. Some denominational disagreements may be addressed in Scripture but are interpreted differently while some may not be directly addressed at all. These debates are between sincere, born again Christians who will spend eternity with each other in Heaven. Even those issues that are addressed in Scripture are often debated by equally sincere disciples, but differences in interpretation and/or practice are not necessarily evidence of a false doctrine, and they should not divide the Body of Christ.

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. [1 Corinthians 1:10. NKJV]

That is and should be our worthy goal as fellow Christians, but given our fallen nature, it will be one that is not likely to be universally reached throughout the body of Christ before we stand on those celestial shores in the New Heaven. Therefore, how do we conduct ourselves as we work toward that noble goal? Once again we look to the divinely-inspired writings of Paul.

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. [Romans 14:1-6. NKJV]

Identifying marks of false teachers

Jesus warned His disciples about false teachers fourteen times in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If Jesus was so concerned about false teachers in that day, ought we also to be very concerned about modern false teachers who mislead people by twisting the truth into a lie. As an evangelist (mentioned in Part II) recently said, it is not the obvious misrepresentation of the truth that seduces people away from Christ. Most people are deceived by Bible teaching that is 95% biblical and only 5% error. Rarely do they fall for teaching that is brazenly and profoundly in error. As evidence of the subtlety of false teaching, we again point to Satan’s whispered words in Eve’s ear. First, plant the doubt (Did God say…?”) followed by the lie (“You will not surely die…”).[1]

Donald Stamps wrote an article about false teachers in the Fire Bible-Global Study Edition which included steps that must be taken to test and evaluate church leaders and then identify, expose, and avoid those found to be false teachers.

1. Discern their Character: Observation points include active and consistent prayer lives; heartfelt and pure devotion to God; people of honesty, integrity, and moral discipline; show “fruit of the Spirit,” hate wickedness and love righteousness; and avoids and preaches against sin.

2. Discern their Motives: Observation points include (a) honoring Christ above all, and (b) leading the church into spiritual growth and holiness, (c) leading those who are spiritually lost into the light of forgiveness and a personal relationship with Jesus, and (d) proclaiming and defending the true message of Christ as revealed throughout the New Testament.

3. Evaluate the “fruit” of their lives and messages: People produce what they are. A person with an ungodly character will eventually show the fruit of ungodliness. Their message will hide the truth, confuse people, and cause division in the church. Sometimes the followers and converts of false teachers have little depth of character and are not totally committed to all of God’s Word.

4. Discern their level of reliance on God’s Word: This is the key factor in determining if someone is a false teacher. Is his or her preaching consistent with the Old and New Testaments? If not, their message should be rejected. Does he or she believe the entire Bible is fully inspired by God and that we are to submit to its teachings? If not, then their preaching and teaching can never be fully trusted.

5. Test their integrity (truth and honesty of character) in the handling of money: Do they handle all finances with the highest sense of truth and responsibility? Do they further the growth of God’s work in ways that are godly and in line with New Testament standards for ministry leaders? Do they take large amounts for themselves which reflects poorly on their integrity in handling of money?[2]
______

In Part III we shall examine:

• Examples of False Teaching and False Churches & Movements

• Naming names: Identifying and marking false teachers, both present and past, in the 20th and 21st centuries

• Origins of False Teachers

• Reasons why the evangelical church tolerates false teaching in its midst

• The evangelical church’s failure to expose and avoid false teachers.

Larry G. Johnson

Sources:

[1] Tiff Schuttlesworth, “What does the Bible say about Eternal Security?” Lost Lamb Association, LostLamb.org. https://www.facebook.com/115658798450688/videos/665661097591646 (accessed August 8, 2021).
[2] Donald Stamps, “False Teachers,” Fire Bible-Global Study Edition, New International Version, Ed. Donald Stamps, (Springfield, Missouri: Life Publishers International, 2009), pp. 1806-1807.