Globalization of the Local Church

When we, as Christians, move away from the 'simplicity that is in Christ', we leave room for a prolificacy of "Christian programs", business acumen and world-based agendas to penetrate the Biblical defenses of the local church.

This is not a foreseeable agenda, IT IS HAPPENING NOW!

Here is how it has been allowed:

1. The pastor is pressured into being 'more relevant' to the cultural changes in the present world. So instead of teaching only from the Bible, he adds some 'relevant' teaching (i.e. non-offensive mish-mash) to his sermons.

2. Other churches are growing by leaps and bounds (so they say); the pastor asks himself "Why isn't my church growing?". So he trots off to another city with the pastoral staff and checks out what "they" (the growing churches) are doing. When he and the others return, a "new vision" has been given to them to pass on to the church!

3. Cell groups and home groups are formed; the leaders are encouraged to lead by consensus, not by the challenging Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The congregation is taught that this is the "The New Thing", "Vision from the Holy Spirit", "New Wine Skin". The pastor changes the music, brings in a "discipleship" curriculum (and I'm not referring only to the Purpose-Driven Church; there are many types of curricula out there that are just as insidious). The congregation is trained (brainwashed?) into accepting the new "cultural adaptability" of the church.

4. The pastor is approached by various organizations (i.e. Promise Keepers, Campus Crusade for Christ, Billy Graham Evangelistic Assoc., Women of Faith, Roman Catholic Church, Nat'l Assoc. of Local Church Prayer Leaders) to "unify" the "body of Christ". No one questions the Biblical validity of this "unity". The Bible does say that the body of Christ should be unified, but in SPIRIT, not in the physical aspect of unification. These groups believe in unifying at the expense of the doctrine of the Bible. They "sell" themselves to the unification theme because they don't want to be identified as being "intolerant" of other religions.

5. The pastor creates an atmosphere of false unity within his church by promoting these organizations and omitting the fact that they do not all believe in the core tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That part is ignored because it would cause "disunity". The congregation is encouraged to go to the conferences and seminars promoted by these "unifying groups". Books, tapes, CDs, videos, and literature are brought into the church and shamelessly merchandized. No one is encouraged to check the Bible, to ensure that none of these groups is part of the apostasy that Paul talked about in II Thessalonians 2 "...Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasy] first, and that man of sin [antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition."

6. Because the pastor and pastoral staff do not teach the identifying of apostasies in the last days, the congregation is led to believe that all is okay as long as everyone is "in the same boat"! The teachers and prophets on the Christian TV stations are free to do as they wish, say what they wish, and prophesy as they wish because "the people love to have it so!" Jeremiah 5.

Now be honest with yourself -Do you believe it's possible the apostasy may already be in our midst?

Take a look at this:

In Matthew, Jesus spoke regarding the last days. Did He say that a great REVIVAL would break out just before He comes back, or is it the APOSTASY that Jesus spoke about?

What does He tell us to beware of? "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matthew 24:11-12.

Why did Jesus say those things if in fact a great REVIVAL would be present and the church would be in UNITY? Obviously that isn't going to happen in the last days! So why are these pastors, teachers, preachers, prophets, authors, TV evangelists, ministry leaders all saying that we are working toward a great REVIVAL to take over the earth? With their own brand of WORLD EVANGELISM? Perhaps these leaders are jockeying for position in the new, unified World Church? Yes, they are!! And is this World Church the one that is unified in the Spirit according to Ephesians 4? That isn't possible, according to the Word of God!

If you look for the threads that unify almost all the major churches, parachurches and missions organizations in this world today, you will find that the threads are all intertwined with the Fuller Theological Seminary, along with USCWM. To name a very few of the people, ministries and organizations involved:

Paul & Jan Crouch, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN)C.
Peter Wagner, World Prayer Center
Matthew Barnett, Dream Center
Wendell Smith, City Church Kirkland,
WAPaul Yonggi Cho (David Cho)
Benny Hinn
Cindy Jacobs
Chuck Pierce
Winkey Pratney
Frank Damazio, City Bible Church Portland, OR
Tommy Tenney
Rick Warren, Saddleback Church
Richard Foster, Renovare
Ted Haggard, president of NAE

the list goes on and on and on. . .

We do know, don't we, that globalization of the world is the step before the antichrist appears.

But beware, in 1 John 2:18 it says "...as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. THEY WENT OUT FROM US, but they were not of us..." John is speaking of CHRISTIANS!
Tell me why these "Christians" today have ignored what Jesus has taught, and are selling their own doctrines??!

1 John 4:1-3Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are GONE OUT into the world. Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses** that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses** not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is THAT SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now ALREADY IS IT IN THE WORLD.**

In the original Greek, CONFESSES means: to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent; not to refuse, to promise;

If we align ourselves with those who do not DECLARE that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, then we are not of the Spirit of God. I would encourage, PLEAD with, every one of you who is reading this article -

USE THE BIBLE AS YOUR ONLY SOURCE of information.DO NOT believe any doctrine or teaching that is not substantiated by the BIBLE

http://simplicityinchrist.org/Globalization.html