10 reasons 'Jesus Calling' is a dangerous book

By Warren B. Smith "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5) On Nov. 12, 2015, Religion News Service posted an article titled "Jesus Calling and the Policing of Theology." It was a…

What is Yoga?

Reblogged from www.truthbehindyoga.com

Did you know yoga is not a series of stretches? It is actually an ancient religion with its own god, practices, and doctrine. The poses and breathing are only one aspect of the religion. These components have only recently become popularized, but the religion of yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. 

Yoga means “to yoke.” It is often explained that this means the goal of yoga is to yoke together mind, spirit, and body. But that is not the truth of the term. "Yoga" actually refers to the goal of the practice: to attain "ultimate knowledge" by losing one's sense of self and uniting with the Divine (or Supreme Consciousness, Godhead, or other names depending upon the tradition) in much the same way a drop of water loses itself and becomes one with a body of water, like an ocean or a puddle. 

The term “yoke” also explains the yoking of energies, or spirits, that are invoked to aid in the deepening of practice. These energies are invited into the practitioner and their practice in multiple ways: by the practice of worshiping deities and energies with poses of the body (for example, the sun salutation is a series of movements that pays homage to the sun god), by repeating mantras (each sound, word, and phrase invokes its corresponding spirit), of specific breathing exercises (Ujai breathing is one example, also called “Serpent Breath” or “Breath of Fire”), or by setting the intention to invite the spirit of a specific teacher, loved one, or deity to yoke with the practitioner and help deepen the practice. This is where Christians are encouraged to plug in Jesus and make it a practice for him.

But yoga is not a universal, religiously neutral practice that Christianity can be plugged into, as is being propagated. Yoga is an ancient spiritual pagan practice. The religious doctrine and the practice it outlines are completely opposed to Biblical teachings. Yoga was thought to have been practiced for some time before its religious text, called the Yoga Sutras, were recorded around two thousand years ago. This text explains paths of practices with the final goal of ultimate "freedom" from all attachments and sense of self--of becoming one with god and reaching "ultimate knowledge."

The Lord of the Bible repeatedly and strictly commands against having anything to do with pagan gods. He tells us that they are not gods at all (He is the only real God), but demonic forces disguising themselves as deceptive powers (see Bible). The pagan god of yoga, called Ishvara, is claimed by the Yoga Sutras to be the source of all knowledge (Yoga Sutras, 1.25). This god Ishvara is represented by the symbol and sound of "Om" (1.27). Practitioners are instructed to repeat this name (mantra repetition) to deepen their practice (1.28-29). Practicing the movements of yoga paired with breathing techniques and meditation are also said to deepen the practice (2.46-55). I was taught across varying New Age paths that meditation was necessary to develop in order to "open" oneself and to "progress" on the spiritual path. Yoga is one of these paths. The Yoga Sutras expands on reaching the goal of ultimate knowledge by practicing meditative exercises.

The Yoga Sutras outline a path of sorcery and divination through developing meditation. These practices are repeatedly and adamantly prohibited in the Bible. The Lord reveals that the truth behind these practices is that the "knowledge" and "power" are coming from demonic spirits, often masked to appear as esoteric experiences of light and goodness (see Bible). The Yoga Sutras explain that by following this yogic path, the practitioner can attain special abilities to tell the past and future (3:16, 3.22), discover spirits and communicate with master spirits (3:25, 3:32), enter into another person's body (3:38), levitate (3:40), speak with animals (3.17), discover knowledge of past lives (3.18), read the minds of others (3.19), not feel hunger or thirst (3:30), and other attributions of sorcerers and mediums. According to the Yoga Sutras, mastering of meditation lays the groundwork for these powers and leads to what is called "absolute knowledge of all that can be perceived" (3.5). It states that one can also open oneself to such "supernatural powers" with drugs, mantras, and yoga (4.1).

The possibility of supernatural powers and "wisdom," of earning one's way to ultimate freedom may sound exciting and appealing to some. It is supposed to sound appealing because it is a trap. Demonic forces are behind these supernatural experiences of seeming peace, light, and supernatural knowledge and powers. I both experienced this firsthand and discovered numerous scriptures in the Bible explaining this reality. It is the goal of these powers to keep people separate from the real and living God, the only God--the Lord--who says one can't earn his or her way to freedom no matter how hard he or she may try. It's something the Lord gives freely to anyone as a gift. One simply has to choose to accept by faith that Jesus is who is says he is: the only path, the only Savior, the only God. For more on this, see Salvation. 

What About My Yoga Class?
The yoga we know in yoga studios and gyms is one of the practices along this path outlined in the Yoga Sutras. The path encourages meditation to quiet and open oneself to the spiritual, esoteric realm. Yoga is a movement meditation. See Yoga "For Jesus" and "Exercise Only" for more information.

Quizás también le interese:

• Discernment about "Christian Yoga" and Breathing in contemplative, centering prayer.
• About Mr. Rob Bell. Kriya (Kundalini Yoga) and another Jesus
• The New Age Movement - Beginning in the garden of Eden

Read more: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/#ixzz3r4wx9Gbw

Covenant-Driven

Ten Years and Counting. . . 

"When you sign a membership covenant, you are signing a legal document.
Ask yourself if you were told that this is the case.
If you were not told this, ask why you weren't.
In every other venue outside of a church,
you would most likely get legal advice before signing a contract.
Why would you not do the same for a church contract?"[1]

An audio file has just been posted online of a talk given over 10 years ago at a Discernment Ministries conference. The presentation was by Discernment Research Group member Sarah H. Leslie, and it was an early refutation of the Purpose-Driven church covenant model being widely disseminated by Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California.

Early on we recognized and warned about the many problems that would develop as a result of the covenant church model which was based on the corporate business model introduced into the church by Peter Drucker via Bob Buford's Leadership Network. The purpose-driven brand name was the most recognizable, but many other networks within Leadership Networks' vast array of downline networks, especially including Acts 29, would also rely heavily upon this covenant-driven model. We anticipated that there would eventually be fallout in churches - particularly among women, children, handicapped, disabled, elderly and others - who would slip through the cracks, be damaged, or penalized for their imperfections. 

Listen to the audio:

https://archive.org/details/PurposeDrivenModel

The Herescope blog began posting 10 years ago, so if you listen to the audio file you will recognize the references to the many of topics that have been posted on Herescope. However, for those who seek additional documentation, and wish to research these issues further, below is a partial list of topics mentioned in this comprehensive overview conference report.

The audio talk was given shortly after the 2004 monograph The Pied Pipers of Purpose was published. This monograph is available for purchase at the Discernment Ministries office, 903-567-6423, and it is also available for download here: http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Purpose_Driven.pdf

The talk mentions education reform issues, specifically the book the deliberate dumbing down of america by Charlotte T. Iserbyt, available at Amazon.com or for a free download at: http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com.  Also read the 3-part article series about so-called school "choice" titled "The Choice Charade".

The conference talk specifically references an earlier article critical of church covenants published by Discernment Ministries. Recently this paper, originally titled "The Shepherding Movement Comes of Age," was republished on the Herescope blog: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-troubles-with-church-covenants.html 

Here is the issue of Leadership Network's newsletter NEXT that included the eastern religious Ying/Yang sign in its discussion about management guru Jim Collins. Notice the clock graphic and note that each subheading includes a ying/yang graphic. The use of such a well-known occult symbol has raised many questions about which faith Leadership Network promotes.

Leadership Network, NEXT, Vol. 3, No. 1, May 1997

Regarding Rick Warren, our early warnings in 2005 were sadly quite accurate. We believe that the most important post we ever wrote about Rick Warren is "Rick Warren - Is He Scary?" Most of the questions that we raised in this post have never been answered. Rick Warren took his entire P.E.A.C.E. "missionary" plan under the radar and the press has given him a free pass to work his global agenda without critical scrutiny. Below is a sampling of articles (including some that are part of a series) we wrote about Rick Warren's attempt to turn purpose-driven into a global movement:

• The Reinvention of Rick Warren
• PSEUDO-MISSION: Rick Warren's 3-legged Church
• 3-Legged "Health" Care: The Agenda of Rick Warren's "Daniel Plan"
• The Tyranny of 3-Legged Branding
• The Mental Health Church
• PyroMarketing Hagiography (see links to the Dopamine-Driven Church series)
• Foundation Imperialism
• Bill Gates Fund$ Rick Warren
• Rick Warren & the CFR Revisited
• A Back-Channel for P.E.A.C.E.
• Legged Stool Teetering in Rwanda
• When the 3 Legs Intertwine
• When the 3 Legs Intertangle. . .

Missionaries who were specifically told to NOT preach the Gospel is documented here: Africa Watch Update: Missionaries told "not to minister the Word"! Rick Warren's early partner, Bruce Wilkinson, experienced a failed venture in Swaziland: Breaking News! Mr Jabez's Dream Turns to Nightmare

The original 2-part article about Rick Warren's launching of his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan is archived in the Discernment Newsletters:

• May/June 2005: The Global Day of Prayer
• July/August 2005: The Second Reformation: Global Day of Prayer (Part 2)

For our writings on the recent Mars Hill debacle, and its connections to the Leadership Network organization and these same organizational structure and ideologies, see the series "The Culture Which Gave Rise to Mark Driscoll":

• Part 1: "We Are Not ABANDONED"
• Part 2: "Under the Bus" and "Off the Map" - The Out-of-Control Bus That Runs Over Sheep
• Part 3: The MegaChurch Transit Authority and How it Operates
• Part 4: The "Visionpath" Bus Route: The Road Most Traveled

Finally, we wish to point out that many of the topics covered in this 2005 talk were influential in the publication of Paul Smith's book New Evangelicalism: The New World Order.  Read about his book here: http://herescope.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-evangelicalism-new-world-order.html

Discernment Ministries has recently authorized Dr. Martin Erdmann to post a number of our current and older, but still relevant, conference files on the Internet. As Dr. Erdmann puts up more of the Discernment conference videos and audios online, we will post notifications and links for Herescope readers.

Endnote:
1. "The Village Church/Matt Chandler: The Problems With Membership Contracts," 6/1/15, http://thewartburgwatch.com/2015/06/01/the-village-churchmatt-chandler-the-problems-with-membership-contracts/ For another recent covenant horror story, see "Do Acts 29 Churches Share the Same DNA as the Mothership – Matt Chandler’s The Village Church?" 1/3/15, http://thewartburgwatch.com/2015/06/03/do-acts-29-churches-share-the-dna-of-the-mothership-matt-chandlers-the-village-church/

Note: The audio file may experience problems in the Firefox browser.

Wide is the gate - Volume 2 - Caryl Matrisciana

The One - Pastor Mike Hoggard

Jesus Calling Inspired by a Channeled New Age Book!

January 14th, 2014 | Author: Lighthouse Trails Editors

 

 

God Calling is a book of messages reputedly delivered by Jesus Christ to two women in England in the 1930s.(1) The women referred to themselves as “The Two Listeners,” and the messages they received from “Jesus” were conveyed through an occult process known as spiritual dictation. This is when a spiritual entity conveys information from the spirit world to willing people who act as “channels.”

The Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs published by Harvest House Christian Publishers describes God Calling as a channeled New Age book. It explains that channeling is a form of mediumship and that this practice is expressly forbidden in the Bible (Deuteronomy 18: 9-12).

In the Encyclopedia chapter on channeling, in a section titled “Impersonations and Denials of Christianity,” the reader is warned that God Calling is “replete with denials of biblical teaching.”(2)
Numerous examples are cited. However, in an interview with the the Christian Broadcasting Network, Sarah Young clearly states that her journey into receiving messages from “Jesus” began with her reading of God Calling:

My journey began with a book (God Calling) written in the 1930s by two women who practiced waiting in God’s Presence, writing the messages they received as they “listened.”(3) (parenthesis in original)

In her Introduction to the original 2004 copyrighted edition of Jesus Calling [still on the market today], Sarah Young writes that she was inspired to receive personal messages from “Jesus” after reading God Calling. She describes God Calling as “a treasure to me” and emphasizes that her journey began with this channeled New Age book:

During that same year [1992], I began reading God Calling, a devotional book written by two anonymous “listeners.” These women practiced waiting quietly in God’s Presence, pencils and paper in hand, recording the messages they received from Him . . . [T]his little paperback became a treasure to me. It dove-tailed remarkably well with my longing to live in Jesus’ Presence.
The following year I began to wonder if I, too, could receive messages during my times of communing with God . . . I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more. Increasingly,  I wanted to hear what God had to say to me personally on a given day. I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying.(4) (emphasis added)

Because of Sarah Young’s endorsement, God Calling has resurfaced in Christian bookstores and is now a popular “Christian” book in its own right. It is grievous that as a longstanding Christian, Sarah Young did not discern God Calling for what it is—an occult/metaphysical book filled with false teachings and advocating a number of spiritually dangerous New Age practices like channeling and spiritual dictation. Instead, she began to channel her own messages from “Jesus”—many of them with serious New Age implications. Now Jesus Calling and God Calling—often sitting side by side in Christian bookstores and other retail outlets—are bringing meditation, channeling, spiritual dictation, and New Age terminology into the church. Both of them with messages similarly arranged as a Christian devotional.  
           

Notes:
1. Two Listeners; Edited by A.J. Russell, God Calling (Grand Rapids, MI: A Spire Book published by Jove Publications Inc., for Fleming H. Revell, 2005), p. 5.
2.  John Ankerberg & John Weldon, Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1996), pp. 80, 103-104.
3. Q&A with Sarah Young, Author Profile, The Christian Broadcasting Network (http:www.cbn.com/entertainment/books/JesusCallingQA.aspx).
4. Sarah Young, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2004), pp. Xl-Xll
To understand more about Jesus Calling and God Calling, read “Another Jesus” Calling by Warren S. Smith.

Posted in Book/Film Reviews, Book/Music Excerpts, Contemplative Practices, Contemplative Spirituality, New Age movement, Spiritual Deception, The New (False) Spirituality | Tags: "another jesus" calling, channeling, deception, emerging church, god calling, jesus calling, mysticism, New Age, sarah young, thomas nelson, Warren B. Smith

Other Related Posts

• Thomas Nelson Deletes Controversial Material From Jesus Calling
• “Another Jesus” Calling Has Gone to Press
• On Jesus Calling: Contemplative Prayer, the New Age, & Psalm 46:10
• About That Jesus Calling – 10 Things You Might Not Know
• Jesus Calling Devotional Bible?—Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth—And in the Bible

Who is this Jesus?

Continuation of About Mr.Rob Bell. Kriya Yoga and another Jesus

Written and posted by Jean-Louis 

Who is this “He” the scriptures talk about?

Let us look at the claims the Man Jesus made concerning Himself in John´s Gospel to gain insight as to His identity.

These claims were confirmed and verified by Old Testament prophecies, His birth, His miracles, His sinless life, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead and His ascending to Heaven, all being the essence of the Gospel.

On several occasions Jesus identified himself using these characteristics inherent to His divine nature:

John 6:51: "I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;"
John 8:23: And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
John 10:9: "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
John 10:11: "I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:36: "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
John 11:25: Jesus said to her, "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father r except through Me.
John 15:1: "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 19:2: Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I AM the King of the Jews."

 We would do well to heed these words uttered by Jesus-Christ and not attempt to usurp His authority and power by declaring with the breath that God grants us every morning to praise Him, submit to Him and bow down to the only God and King who alone is worthy of our adoration.

If we choose to believe the lies of Satan  and walk on a spiritual path that leads to blindness, and destruction, we will reap the consequences of our choices and actions, exactly what we have sown (divine retributive justice, not Karma), for God is a loving God who loves His creation, but also a Holy and Just God who will execute Divine judgment.

^[a]Praise ^[b]the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty ^[c]expanse.
² Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

³ Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
⁴ Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. ⁵ Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise ^[d]the Lord. ^[e]Praise ^[f]the Lord!