Rick Warren said "The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles."
A big reason why several false doctrines were able to establish themselves in the 19th century was because church Christians did not know scripture well enough to know the difference between truth and false teachings. Humanism, which is influences upon Christians from the world and reliance on that which is of the flesh, had even then conditioned them to accept man made theologies which contradict the doctrines of the Bible, especially Paul's revelation from the risen Christ (Acts 26: 15-18).
Now, in 2013 one of those 19th century man made theologies which took over a majority of the evangelical church denominations decades ago is better known to millions of Christians than are the scriptures themselves. But seeing how this man made theology is another Gospel and leads to worship of another Jesus, and coming out of its main starting doctrines - for example, one starting doctrine is that God now has two peoples, the church and physical Israel - is not enough to become born again (John 3: 1-7) and be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12: 2). Just coming out of that man made theology may not be enough to enable one to join Paul's Jerusalem which is above, is free and the mother of us all (Galatians 4: 25-26, and to become free of the Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children. Rejecting these starting doctrines of dispensationalism may not be enough to become born again, and to have something of the mind of Christ. Just rejecting the starting teachings of this now dominant man made theology may not be enough to become spiritually alive, to be one of the lively stones of I Peter 2: 5, to be a stone in the new rebuilt temple of spiritual Jerusalem, or the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven (Revelation 21: 2).
Another reason for the falling away of II Thessalonians 2: 3 and the leavening of the church of Luke 13: 21 is the revolt against the Textus Receptus and the three great English translations from it, the Tyndale, Geneva and King James Version. Having two main Greek texts, which have different verse wordings in many cases, and having a huge number of English translations, almost all from the Alexandarian Greek texts, rather than the Textus Receptus, has caused confusion about what is the authentic and absolute word of God, which diminishes faith that the Word is absolute.
There is another block to becoming those lively stones of I Peter 2: 5, that is, those stones which have spiritual life in them during the last days restoration of Israel reborn in Christ. This is something that is not easy to understand. Dean Gotcher has spent years explaining this block or stumbling block. Its the dialectic. But what is the dialectic? First, the dialectic is an argument against the doctrines of the New Testament, especially the revelation given to Paul, which, if not fully understood and accepted, leaves an empty place where the man made theology can take hold, and return in part to Jerusalem which is and is in bondage with her children, and to being one with the children of the flesh, which are not the children of God (Romans 9: 6-8).
The dialectic comes out of humanism, out of the worldly system, but its a specific kind of humanism which is more subtle and deceptive. It has diminished belief in absolute truth and absolute morality. Without absolute truth and morality, it is impossible to have strong faith in the doctrines of the Bible and to please God. Without a strong faith in the absolute truth of the Word of God, it is very hard to resist man made theologies. These man made theologies seem to simplify the complexity of scripture, but in that simplification the man made doctrines bring in man's flesh, that is, two part man, with only body and mind, and without man's spirit. The scriptures themselves seen as absolute truth can, with the Holy Spirit, inspire the regeneration of our spirit as our third part which is having some of the mind of Christ in us.
Begin to study the audios and writings of Dean Gotcher, who James Lloyd calls the Road Warrier, or the spiritual Road Warrier (Ephesians 6: 11-17). Dean is still on the road, speaking to small groups wherever he is welcome. Few churches will welcome him, because he brings a message that they cannot hear in their present spiritual condition. Yet he did speak on February 3, 2013 at the Victorville Valley Bible Church, California. See: http://authorityresearch.com/File%20Index%20page%20Speakers/IAR%20Audio.htm
Rick Warren Says We Do Not Need More Bible Studies
Posted : 25 Feb, 2013 02:05 PM
Rick Warren said "The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles."
To say this statement is of man made theology is pretty far out, I would say it is spot on.
the stement says christians need to be doers of the word.
Rick Warren Says We Do Not Need More Bible Studies
Posted : 25 Feb, 2013 03:44 PM
The online book, In the Name of Purpose: Sacrificing Truth On the Alter of Unity, 2006, by Tamara Hartzell, quotes Rick Warren:
"The last thing many believers need today is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles." Quote from The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, Zondervan, 2002, page 231.
Hartzell comments that: "This deceptive declaration provides insight into Rick Warren's light, not to mention a lack of discernment. A lack of the true knowledge of God and His Holy Scriptures has become a full-force pandemic which is growing by leaps and bounds, and which precludes having spiritual muscles. The growing Purpose-Driven Paradigm is itself evidence of this tragic pandemic. Yes, we do need to also be doers of the Word, but scriptural illiteracy has led to the opposite end of the spectrum:"
Rick Warren places size of a church and unity, or cohesiveness, of the huge broad way Christian group, above the truth of Scripture. As the dialectic process developed in the T-Group research of the National Training Laboratories, and within the Group Dynamics movement, during the fifties, and then in the encounter group movement of the sixties and seventies the facilitators found that a group must be cohesive in order for the group to exert pressure upon the deviant to change his attitudes and behavior.
So, a church group under a Rick Warren facilitator must have unity of belief in order for it to lead deviants - who have different theologies - to conform to the group.
Rick Warren in his purpose driven mega church movement has used small groups like clinical psychologist facilitators ran encounter groups in the sixties. This is the most obvious use of the dialectic process in changing beliefs and attitudes within the Christian churches.
The dialectic process of changing attitudes and behavior works better in small face to face groups where members can get into some dialogue with the facilitator and one another. But it can also work in non-face-to face groups and in a huge church congregation, and again the groups need to have some unity of beliefs for it to work.
Rick Warren Says We Do Not Need More Bible Studies
Posted : 26 Feb, 2013 06:08 AM
What does Rick Warren mean by "What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles."
One does not necessarily have to have a good understanding of scripture to help people in trouble who have physical needs. If Warren really means exercising one's spiritual muscles, according to scripture and not according to his supposed mix of Biblical Christianity with the New Age Occult, then what he could be talking about is found in Ephesians 6: 10-18.
One serves the Lord by proclaiming the truth, and when those who do not want the truth verbally attack and become nasty, one picks up his Cross and follows Christ, that is, he bears reproach.
Ephesians 6: 11 says "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
To have what Warren calls "spiritual muscles," that is, to be in Christ so that he gives you the whole armour of God, one needs to have the Holy Spirit, who leads us into truth, and love of the truth, which we get by understanding scripture, with the inspiration of and joy of the Spirit.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
You cannot stand for truth against the devil - his minions who attack you for proclaiming the truth - unless you know Christ, who is revealed in the Bible, and by help from the Spirit.
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness."
You don't stand against the metaphoric construct of Revelation 13: 11, the False Prophet, who represents many False Prophets, who looks like a lamb, but who speaks as a dragon unless you have Christ in you, who is again revealed by the Word of God, which you have to read and understand to some level. Looking like a lamb, but speaking as a dragon means this is deception, which the Lord himself and his Apostles warned us about several times (Matthew 24: 4-5, Mark 13: 5, Luke 21: 8, I Corinthians 6: 9, II
Timothy 3: 13, I John 3: 7, Revelation 18: 23, etc). Speaking as a Dragon is making an argument against the doctrines of the New Testament, within a dialogue.
A person who goes into an area or place where there are many people who do not want to hear the truth of scripture and nevertheless proclaims the truth is exercising what "spiritual muscles" he has, which Rick Warren seems to be talking about.
But Warren is deceptive in his statement that "The last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study. They already know far more than they are putting into practice. What they need are serving experiences in which they can exercise their spiritual muscles." He is being deceptive because his followers on the broad way do not know the scriptures very well and know man made theology instead, so that they, as the large number, do not "already know far more than they are putting into practice." They as the majority, the huge number, do not know the Word of God well enough to avoid deception and false doctrines, or to stand in the truth and whole armour of God against the Dragon and his human minions. Warren is speaking propaganda rather than from the Lord.
Rick Warren Says We Do Not Need More Bible Studies
Posted : 26 Feb, 2013 06:15 AM
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Rick Warren Says We Do Not Need More Bible Studies
Posted : 27 Feb, 2013 08:31 AM
It's hugely important to know God, more important than "works", perhaps even the most important thing for a christian, and the only way to know him is to study the scriptures.
