God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. –James 4:6 (KJV)–
Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head. –Psalm 141:5 (KJV)–
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We are so tender—that a man can scarcely touch us but we are hurt. We are so high-minded, that a man who is not versed in complimenting and skilled in flattery, can scarcely tell how to speak to us, without us being offended at some word, which our proud hearts will fasten on and take as injurious to our honor…If we speak to ministers against their errors or their sins, if we do not honor them and reverence them, and speak as smoothly as we are able to speak, yes, if we mix not commendations with our reproofs, and if the applause is not predominant, so as to drown all the force of the reproof, they take it as almost an insufferable injury! –Richard Baxter
What God in His sovereignty may yet do on a world-scale I do not claim to know: but what He will do for the plain man or woman who seeks His face I believe I do know and can tell others. Let any man turn to God in earnest, let him begin to exercise himself unto godliness, let him seek to develop his powers of spiritual receptivity by trust and obedience and humility, and the results will exceed anything he may have hoped in his leaner and weaker days. Any man who by repentance and a sincere return to God will break himself out of the mold in which he has been held, and will go to the Bible itself for his spiritual standards, will be delighted with what he finds there. –A. W. Tozer
Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity, p. 154.
1:34:18 – This section preaches against contemplative prayer. I think this is an unnecessary cessationist bias. See Tom Schwanda’s Soul Recreation for a study on Isaac Ambrose, who was a Puritan who taught about contemplative prayer. It is endorsed by J. I. Packer. However his reference to Yungen in this video might be valid in that “centering prayer,” which is universalist in theology, is often mixed into the teachings on contemplative prayer by Richard Foster in particular. Contemplative prayer is worthless if is it not centered in the Bible and the Reformation. –J.B.
1:46:00 – This section is revealing. It shows that Rick Warren borrowed much of his ideas from Peter Drucker, who was largely responsible for creating the modern ideology known as Corporate America. –J.B.
2:20:54 – IF YOU ARE A GLOBAL BUSINESS LEADER, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD IS NOT SECULARISM, IT IS RELIGIOUS PLURALISM. YOU MAY NOT LIKE THAT, BUT YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT…TO MY ISLAMIC BROTHER HERE FROM ITALY, I WOULD SAY, “I’M NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE, I’M INTERESTED IN INTERFAITH PROJECTS.” –RICK WARREN
The point is that preaching the Biblical Gospel so as to save sinners from Hell through sermons on eternal punishment, repentance, and the blood of Jesus–to teach the nations everything Jesus has commanded us–fulfilling the Great Commission–all of this has been REPLACED by “trying to make a positive impact on the world,” through performing good works and watering down the gospel to the point of universalism and interfaith efforts. Cry me a river you bleeding heart flower children!
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
–Hebrews 3:7-19 (KJV)–
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Dr. Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God (Zondervan, 1996), chs. 16-19. Argues that cessationists don’t have charismatic experiences because of their unbelief and their stubborn pride of feeling they are right in their views (Acts 7:51); the same probably applies to most atheists, agnostics, and skeptics (Romans 1:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14).
Dr. Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Gifts (Zondervan, 2020).
Dr. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy (Crossway, 2000), Appendix 7.
Dr. Guy Chevreau, Catch the Fire: The Toronto Blessing, An Experience of Renewal and Revival (HarperCollins, 1995). Think what you want about that movement, but this book still explores Jonathan Edwards’ charismatic views very thoroughly.
Charles Finney, “The Self-Hardening Sinner’s Doom,” 1.3. Refers to belief in Hell dreams – adhered to by both Jonathan Edwards and Finney.
Jeff Doles, Miracles and Manifestations of the Holy Spirit In the History of the Church, ch. 7. John Knox and the Scottish Reformation preachers were all into dream interpretation and the gift of foretelling prophecy.
John Wimber, Power Evangelism (Harper & Row, 1986).
—. Power Healing (HarperCollins, 1987).
Robert DeGrandis, The Gift of Prophecy (1984). This is an 80 page booklet written by a Catholic charismatic priest. He relies on the Bible and personal experience. While he allows that dreams can be messages from God, he puts a stronger emphasis on mental voices, and “prophesying in faith” or when people in the context of a charismatic prayer meeting feel the urge to say two or three words, and go to say them, only to find that there are two or three more words to say, and so forth. I would call that a “prophetic impression,” and while I think this is a legitimate form of prophecy, it is not likely going to be anything dramatic. I agree with Dr. Deere when he said that impressions are “flimsy” experiences (The Beginner’s Guide to the Gift of Prophecy, p. 46). After years of experience and reflection as a charismatic Christian, I have come to almost completely disregard impressions, and will only take certain dreams seriously; and if I have a good one, in the context of a good strong season in my devotional life, then I will proceed down the road of Bible-based dream interpretation and sharing, or what I would call a dream-based prophecy.
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