The Attack Of
The Enemy On Churches
by Sandy Simpson, 3/10/15
So much heresy is entering the churches these days. As you would suspect, sometimes it is due to a pastor attending a conference or reading a book and becoming diapraxed with unbiblical ideas. He then starts to weave those ideas into his messages and begins to invite speakers to the church who expound on those ideas. Then when confronted by someone in the church who has reservations about the new stuff being taught, they are told to not talk about it and just go along with the program. If that person does not they are ostracized, slandered behind their back, and often told to leave (which is what they should do in any case).
But my observation is that it is not only the pastor who causes unbiblical changes to influence a church. Often the pastor is blissfully unaware of influences coming into his church. They often come in through (1) the worship team (2) women’s groups (3) bookstore (4) children’s programs (5) interdenominational prayer efforts and (6) relief and mission organizations. If unchecked this type of infiltration is much more subtle and can become deeply rooted.
THE WORSHIP TEAM
As I dealt with in my two articles, worship songs rating page and DVD on the subject of “Testing Music in the Church” …
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/testingmusic.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/testingmusic2.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/worshipsongratings.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/testingmusicDVD.html
… one of the gates through which a lot of heresy is introduced to the church is through music. Here is a quote from “Testing Music in the Church”:
THE PROBLEMS
Too
many churches today are allowing music to be used in their services that is not
glorifying to the Lord and can actually be a hindrance to the teaching of sound
doctrine. Pastors and leaders should be using their leadership role to test
what is being played and sung in their churches. Though some are quick to test preaching
and teaching from their pulpits, many ignore the music being used in the same
services. This is a tragic mistake. Music is a powerful medium. It is something
that effects deeply the body, mind, and emotions. It
is a proven fact that music often stays with a person far longer than what is
taught or preached. Songs roam around in our heads, especially if the melody
appeals to us. What is often overlooked is the serious impression music makes
on people, and the teaching they are getting over and over again as they allow
the song to repeat in their minds and on their lips. Music teaches things much
more subtly yet sometimes far more effectively.
THE SOLUTION
That's
why the lyrical content of music in the church, as well as its effect on the
spiritual lives of those who perform and listen, should be vigorously examined
by the leaders of the church. I am not suggesting that it should be done in a
legalistic way. Church leaders do not want to discourage youth, for example,
from leading singing in church. But discernment in the area of music must be
done nonetheless.
Shepherds
have an obligation from the Lord to protect their flocks. It should be
established by the church leaders that any music done in the church will be
held up to the same scrutiny as any other teaching or materials used in the
church. If you donut allow just any book, any Sunday school material, any
magazine to be on display in your church, then why would you allow music that
has unsound doctrine and might cause people to sin?
STYLE VERSUS SUBSTANCE
Please
understand that I do not put down any particular instruments, style, or form of
music. Instruments are neither good nor evil in themselves. It is rather the
motive and intent in using musical instruments that gives the interpretation or
“spirit” to the music and lyrics. It is the musician that gives the instruments
and vocals the words and music that create any particular mood, message, or
atmosphere.
Musical
instruments have been around since before the flood (Gen. 4:21). All musical
instruments can be used to glorify the Lord or glorify something else. I
do not agree with the current teaching, in some circles, that drums and
percussion instruments were not used in Biblical times for worship,
therefore we should not use them now. Those who teach these things are ignorant
of Scripture. The “timbrel” or tof was “a percussion
instrument with a membrane. The drums varied in size and were played either
with bare hands or with sticks.” (Ralph Gower, The
Manners And Customs Of Bible Times, pg. 309.) The “timbrel”
or tambourine can be found being used for worship in the following passages:
Gen. 31:27, Ex. 15:20, Job 21:12, Ps. 81:2, 149:3, 150:4. Many noisy
instruments such as cymbals and horns were used in worship: Ps. 81:1-3,
150:3-5, 2 Sam. 6:5, 1 Chr. 13:8, 15:16, 15:28, 2 Chr. 15:13. So apparently it
is not the noise level but the motive and intent of the people playing the
instruments that count.
MOTIVE AND INTENT
The
motivation behind the use of music and lyrics are what Christian leaders should
be looking at seriously today. It may surprise you but, lyrically, I know of
old hymns that have bad theology. I also know of hard rock music that pictures
very effectively scenes like the death of Jesus Christ and is doctrinally
sound. So it is not always the style of music that is necessarily the problem.
The problem comes in the way it is presented and the lyrical content.
FLESHLY WORSHIP MUSIC
I
am sad to say that much of the modern “worship and praise” music tends to
appeal to the flesh. Much of it has lost focus on Christ, tends to be
humanistic, and has little or no beneficial lyrical content. Modern “worship”
music today is often way too repetitive and, in fact, tends to send a person
into a trance-like state. We are called to worship God with our whole mind,
body, and spirit (1 Cor. 14:14-15). Trance induction is an occult technique,
not a biblical one. The lyrics to much of the music
used today in churches is shallow theologically, and some teach downright false
doctrines. Much of it also tends to be so simplistic that it no longer contains
even the basics of good musicality. Thankfully there is also good modern music
out there to be found if churches make the effort to obtain it.
Please also check out the YouTube video for more information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEo4K2tsxew
WOMEN’S GROUPS
I have noticed in many otherwise biblically solid churches the tendency for women’s groups to be using unbiblical materials. Sometimes it is due to a woman coming in from an unbiblical church and using the women’s groups as a way to bring unbiblical doctrines into the church, making an end-run around the pastor and elders. Sometimes one or more of the women in these groups has been watching “Christian” TV and wants to bring in a study series from one of their favorites. I often see materials and books being used authored by false teachings like Joyce Meyer, Juanita Bynum, Marilyn Hickey, Paula White, Joy Dawson, Cindy Jacobs, Patricia King, Ruth Heflin, Gwen Shaw, Beth Moore, and many others. The names I have mentioned have hyperlinks where you can get more information on their unbiblical teachings. The ones in bold are women who produce materials that are most often used in some women’s groups. My advice is for good pastors to become more involved in checking out materials of any kind being used in their churches, and not be afraid to ask the leadership of women’s groups not to use certain women’s materials. I have seen way too many women’s groups branch off into studying books rather than the Bible. Many Bible study courses are excellent that could be used. I have a number on my site under the “Bible Studies” page.
BOOKSTORES
I have spent a lot of time trying to inform Christian Bookstores of heretical books on their shelves. In a few cases, those efforts were met with success. But more often, since the motive for selling books seems to be more financial than spiritual, those efforts are met with disdain and rejection. I challenged one Christian Bookstore to take Benny Hinn's books off their shelves by handing them a paper with several unrepentant false prophecies he had made. They thanked me but when I came in a few weeks later they had simply turned the books spine out rather than face out, reducing the physical bookshelf space of the books, but not getting rid of any of the books. The motive was financial as many people were buying them. You would be shocked to see what many major Christian Bookstores chains sell in their stores. The question occurs to me that they are not really “Christian” at all as they stock any book people want to buy just as secular bookstores do. I did a DVD and article on this subject that shocks a lot of people.
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/christianbookstoresdvd.html
http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/ChristianBookstores2.html
Books, along with music, are usually the initial way the
enemy can attack the belief systems of people who call themselves
“Christians”. I have had many people
hand me books that turned out to be heretical.
You need to carefully check any books people give you. You can find many of them reviewed on my site
under the page “Book
Reviews”. For our recommended reading list, go here for issues of
deception in the Church and here for
other book recommendations.
INTERDENOMINATIONAL
PRAYER EFFORTS
Be very careful of getting your church or allowing members
of your church to become involved in cross-denominational prayer meetings. These days these kinds of prayer initiatives
are often backed by the New Apostolic
Reformation which has taken over the National Prayer Day through its
RELIEF AND
There are many agencies, organizations, and missions that are under the leadership of the New Apostolic Reformation and false apostles C. Peter Wagner and Chuck Pierce.
The list of people involved in the New
Apostolic Reformation is far too long to list. But there are key players
and we would like you to know who they are. Some of these people are
listed as apostles, some prophets, some pastors, and some claim to hold all the
offices or new hybrid designations. Of course, the list has to start with
Apostle C. Peter Wagner of Wagner Leadership Institute who calls himself a
"super apostle". There are dozens of other organizations he is
the "apostle" of such as Global Harvest Ministries, Mission
Here is also a partial list of supporting organizations of NAR programs and who teach NAR materials.
Other
organizations that directly support the New Apostolic Reformation and its goals
are: Impact Network, Crusaders Ministries, Glory Of
Zion Ministries International, Christian International Ministries Network;
International Apostolic Team of Morning Star International, Generals Of
Intercession, Women's Aglow Fellowship, US Prayer Center, America's National
Prayer Committee, International Reconciliation
Coalition,
International Spiritual Warfare Network, The Sentinel
Group, Deep Healing Ministries; World Prayer Advisory Council, Harvest Evangelism,
Inc., Children's Bread; Barna Research Group, Ltd;
Open Church Ministries, World Vision. Of
special note is Youth With A
So as you can see there are a wide variety of organizations
involved and many more who signed on with Wagner and his Lighthouse and Mission