The "Jesus Culture" - a petri dish for growing young new heretics?

We've gone from ministering and serving to releasing. Yes, words matter

Reposted from Elizabeth Prata´s the-end-time.blogspot.com
Release the hounds!

The phrase 'release the hounds' comes from fox hunting. Photo source

Release the Kraken!

“Release the Kraken!” is a catchphrase and image macro series based on a memorable quote uttered by Zeus in the 1981 fantasy adventure film The Clash of the Titans as well as the 2010 3D remake. Despite the dramatic delivery of the line in the reboot, the quote was perceived as unintentionally funny and quickly became a target of image macro jokes on the web.

You've heard the word "release" applied to many different cultural contexts, above are two examples. The word 'release' has also been used more frequently these days in Christian situations. "Release" is a frequently used word. It is a very bad word in Christianity. I don't like it.

Why? It isn't used to say that prisoner Barabbas was released. It isn't used to say that Paul was released from jail. It isn't used in the Old Testament way to indicate a release from debt in the Sabbatical Year (Deut 15:1).

The word 'release' is used as a substitute for ministering or serving. When we minister or serve, we are under someone or under an authority. When we release, it means we have the power over something or someone. Here are some examples.

Compassion International has edited their mission statement to say, "our mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name."

What they are saying is that they have the power over poverty and the authority to release from it the people whom they choose, in this case, 'children'. They are not saying they are serving or ministering to children in poverty. They are saying they have the power over poverty.

False teacher Joseph Prince preaches how to "release the anointing into your situation."

Prince is slyly saying that we have an anointing but there is a trick to releasing it. Most false teachers strive to tell you some kind of secret or action or trick to releasing it. However, this mysterious anointing isn't mysterious and it isn't laying dormant until you learn the secret password to having power over it. The anointing is the Holy Spirit in us, and all Christians have the Spirit. (1 John 2:27, more here).

What Prince is saying is not that we submit to the Spirit, or minister in the Spirit, but that we can obtain a certain kind of power that we wield as we wish, for ourselves, into ourselves.

Word faith false prophetess Joyce Meyer tells us "What words you choose will reveal what you believe and release the power of that belief."

She is not saying submit to Jesus in faith and belief, she is saying we have the power to choose certain words that have power in and of themselves, and moreover, these words can release certain powers over myself at my behest, timing, and choosing.

And so on. There is a big difference between ministering and releasing.

Do we have power to release anointings, blessings, beliefs, finances, health, cures, or anything else? No.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1)

Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:10b-11)

To suppose that we have any power on our own is unbiblical.

Now, some might argue that these teachers are not false, that they are saying we are releasing power that God grants us. Not so again. We are His servants ... His slaves. Any power in us is from the Holy Spirit. We submit to that power. We serve that power. We minister in that power. God decides when and where His power in us is released, and to what degree. We do not decide when or how to use His power and certainly NOT for our own ends, like to get a bigger house, or a better parking space.

While the false teachers tell you that you have power over things, power enough to release "into your situations", the truth is actually the opposite. The weaker we are, the stronger we are. God shows His power through weakness. Paul wrote,

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Be aware of the word 'release' and how it is used. It isn't always used in unbiblical contexts. But more and more often, it is.

Hillsong’s Gospel

Reblogged by Jean-Louis

Posted by Simplicity In Christ on July 3, 2010

Todd Friel, of Way of the Master Radio, was in London and talked to a couple of guys about their church Hillsong London. He had several questions about their beliefs which they answered to the best of their abilities. Listen to the MP3 here.

They spoke of the Hillsong Europe conference, for which they were filming a promotional video. Read part of the transcript below:

[...]

TODD: What’s the theme?

MAN #2: The purpose of the conference is to empower the local church. That’s the whole goal behind it all.

[...]

TODD: Empower them to do what?

MAN #2: Empower them to reach/influence the world…

TODD: Influence the world. In what way?

MAN #2: Day to day, life as Christians, just being around, living how Jesus would, I guess. And the purpose of the conference is to, I guess, for Christians who are involved in churches throughout Europe … to share the message of Christ.

TODD: What is the message of Christ?

MAN #2: It says to go in all the world, you know.

TODD: That’s the command. What’s the message?

MAN #2: the message… ?

MAN #1: The message is Eternal Life, Prosperity, Hope, Self-Love, Salvation, Healing… It’s really to equip people and give them the resources to affect the lives of the people around them in the community in which they live in.

TODD: What’s the best way I can affect the lives of people in my community?

MAN #1: Well, it all comes from love, doesn’t it, really at the end of the day. And the conviction you get from love.

TODD: Helping people?

MAN #1: Yeah! I mean, sort of doing all you can…

TODD: Hold on. You said two words that kind of jumped out at me. Prosperity. What kind of prosperity?

MAN #1: Well, prosperity in life, prosperity in the workplace, and prosperity in your family life…

[...]

TODD: The other word that you said was something about self-love? What was that about?

MAN #1: Well, there’s a lot of people who harm themselves on a psychological , emotional, and on a deeper level, a spiritual level. Uh, which perhaps you’re not aware of, uh, on your own efforts. I think having a relationship with Christ reveals these things to you and through his strength, again coming back to Christ, you’re able to tackle them hand in hand. I don’t think being, uh, sitting around presuming that becoming a Christian all of a sudden means you’re in the land of milk and honey because our Savior was One Who wasn’t alien to sufferening, to temptation, to being rejected by His friends, and ultimately torture. … As Christians we go through the school of hard knocks, we just remember that if it’s good enough for Him, it’s good enough for us.

TODD: So Self-Love. I should love myself, why?

MAN #1: Um, if you love and respect yourself and you are equipped to love others. … If you can’t love yourself, then how are you supposed to love others?

[...]

TODD: I walk up to you guys and instead of putting a microphone in your face, I’ve got a knife in my back. And I’m going down, it’s a bloody mess, I’m gasping for air, I’ve got 30 seconds, I’m scared to die. You’re a Christian; what do I need to do to go to heaven?

MAN #1: Well, I suppose, uh, salvation [unintelligible] is a good one. Just accept somebody loved you enough to step into all this mess and ultimately, you know, we all know that the deepest act of love is to die for somebody. That’s obvious. It’s a huge unconditional love and to accept that, the rest of the work is done. I mean, again, it’s a transcending question, it’s a difficult one, but I suppose if you got a knife in your back, Christ had nails in His hands, nails in His feet, and a spear in His side, and thorns on His head, and dogs around Him, mocking and spitting in His face. So I supposed if you can accept His pain and your pain, then you’re on your way somewhere special.

–End of Interview–

TODD: I think what you just heard was a very, very eloquent presentation of what is very, very typical of the, well whatever prosperity you want to assign to it, but just the feel-good evangelicalism. That Jesus will help you through your life, He’ll help you through your days, He can relate to us because He went through really tough times and our job on this earth is to love our neighbors.

Theologically, frankly, that was a dog’s breakfast.

[...]

Where was witnessing? Where was the sharing of the Gospel? Where was helping people understand that there’s a Savior? And their NEED for a Savior?…