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Deconstruction of faith 1/3

4/27/2024

Hi all,

Many of us have seen well known Christian musicians, pastors, and others 'fall away from the Lord'. The modern term is 'deconstruction' of their faith.

Notable Christians who have 'deconstructed their faith' include: Marty Sampson, former Hillsong worship leader, Kevin Max from DC Talk, Derek Webb from Caedmon's Call, Michael Gungor (worship leader).

Kevin Max (DC Talk) said he has been "deconstructing for decades" and he now follows "the Universal Christ", believing in the "presence of the divine in literally every thing and every one."

Deconstruction: "The process of dismantling one's accepted beliefs" (A.J. Swoboda in After Doubt)

Sometimes the lines are blurred
Sometimes a person who has deconstructed their faith thinks they are in a reformation. But deconstruction of anything is a tearing down of an existing structure, whether it be a building or a person's walk with the Lord. It isn't an active re-forming.

Reformation is the act of re-forming one's beliefs. That is a normal and good process.

Rapper Lecrae Tweeted:
"One type of deconstruction actually involves using scriptures to deconstruct unhealthy ideas and practices." This is good and a life-long process of renewing our minds to God's ways and truth.

But on the other hand, he observed: "Many millennials are using culture to challenge scripture. This often leads to culture taking the precedence over scripture, and sadly people begin to deconstruct themselves out of the faith. We begin to question the Bible because it doesn't line up with culture."

This is modern deconstruction: Believing more in popular culture than in scripture, or their walk of what they know to be the Lord. It is a state of confusion of emotions and thoughts that leads to deconstructing one's faith.

Dutch reformer Jodocus Lodenstein wrote in 1674: "The church is Reformed, and always being reformed, by the Word of God."

That is the key: Is the deconstruction happening for the purpose of re-forming one's faith by the Word of God, or simply deconstructing it? Are you un-learning false doctrine and error and replacing it with right and balanced understanding, or just deconstructing your faith in the Lord and scripture?

Popular culture and deconstruction.
When a person deconstructs their faith through modern culture, they see the Bible as a tool of oppression, old fashioned, and out of touch - not the standard of truth to be studied and lived by.

Going down that path then leads to the inevitable point of view that their truth is what matters, not the Bible's idea of truth. Each person therefore has their own truth, and my truth might not be your truth. "Everyone has to find their own truth" has been heard repeatedly in popular culture.

In other words, when you pull down scripture as one's final authority, all that is left is personal opinion. Truth is what each person makes it.

Objective truth vs subjective truth
A lamp is in the room.

That is a true statement. It doesn't matter if you don't believe in lamps, or don't believe the lamp is in the room. It is in fact, in the room. A person may not like it that the lamp is in the room. They may not like the style of the lamp. They may be of the opinion that lamp shouldn't be there.

But it doesn't matter what they think or believe, feel or opine; the lamp is in the room. That is called objective truth.

But someone had to put the lamp there. Truth must have a truth-maker. Someone put the lamp there, then the lamp is observed to be in the room. These two elements are required for there to be objective truth. Truth answers to the truth-maker.

A lamp is in the room. 1 + 1 = 2. If you jump out a window you will fall. Someone put the lamp there. Mathematics is the foundation that includes 1 + 1 = 2. Gravity is the reason if you jump out a window you will fall. There is always a deeper foundation to truth, a truth-maker.

Popular culture, even among Christians, defines truth in a different way.
When a person deconstructs their faith, they reject truth and the truth-maker. The individual is the truth-maker, therefore whatever they say is truth, is true. They will say of a (Bible) teaching: "What is true for you is not true for me." That's called subjective truth.

This allows a person to make emotional decisions based solely on their opinions and feelings. They will deny objective truth because their emotions don't agree with someone else's beliefs.

About the lamp
In subjective truth, the person is both the truth-maker and the observer stating something is true.
"I don't agree with the lamp being in the room."

They are the truth maker and determiner of what is truth: "I don't want a lamp in the room" and "I don't like the style of the lamp." Those 2 opinions form truth to them, so they feel they are right. Therefore the lamp is wrong. (subjective truth)

When applied to their faith in Christ, they deconstruct their faith because the Bible and teachings don't agree with their feelings and opinions. They believe teachings that are illogical and clearly proven wrong by scripture, common sense, even science. It is idolatry, placing their opinions above scripture, laying aside logic and objective truth, elevating self above all.

Next week, Deconstruction requires a crisis, and deconstruction seen in the New Testament.
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Drop formulas: How to worship purely

4/20/2024

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Hi all,

Some final thoughts about the real issues with those who seek answers with COH and other formula based teachings.

Cain is the father of false religions: They are formulas used to try to reach God
In Genesis 4:1-15 we have the story of Cain and Abel. Abel offered a blood sacrifice to the Lord, but Cain offered vegetables. The Lord God (Jehovah Elohim or Christ) who had breathed into Adam's sculpted clay body to bring it to life, also killed the first animals for blood sacrifice. He clothed them with animal skin, showing them the day He would become a man and be the final sacrifice for sin. Genesis 3:21

Abel and Cain were taught this of course. Cain however, rejected salvation and came to God on his own terms, offering some of the vegetables he had worked hard to grow. The Lord of course accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's.

No one can come to God on their own works.
I've shared before how in the OT when in God's presence a person had to remove their shoes as they were man-made. When building an altar they could not alter or work the stones in any way, but had to use them as they were found in the field. Exodus 3:5/Judges 5:15:Exodus 20:25/Dt 27:5

Abel accepted God's grace, Cain did not. He tried to come to God of his own works, of his own formula.

Therefore Cain became the type of all false religions throughout all time, for they also seek to approach God through their own works, based on false teaching.

A born-again Christian may wonder about those who crawl up steps on their knees.
Or make shrines, repeat the same prayers over and over, make pilgrimages to holy sites, or washing in holy rivers, but there are many Christian teachings that do the same thing - try to reach God on their own formulations.

Christian formulas seeking to manipulate or impress God fall under the category of Cain.

How many of us have fasted to move God? (I've been guilty of that early on in my walk) How many have gone to that church service with ulterior motives like showing God how serious you are, to remind Him of a bill that needs paid this week or some other reason than just going to worship Him? How many have repeated declarations of faith just like a Roman Catholic might say seven 'Hail Marys'?

How many have given money to get money? How many have given money to get healed? How many have gone to seminars looking for that one spiritual key that will unlock everything and make their life peaceful? How many have prayed to ask Him to appear to them?

Paul offered broad answers to specific questions
When we wonder if we are guilty of trying to come to the Father with sacrifices we have made, or formulas we have followed, we must look to our own hearts. You will know your motives.

In the first year Barb and I were married, I worked for a large TV ministry based in Charlotte, North Carolina. My weekly pay was about $111 after taxes. A popular teaching at the time was the '100 fold return' teaching. In practical terms it meant if you give $10 to the Lord you could expect God to give you 100x that, or $1000.

We very briefly did that. Prayed over our tithe of $11, asking the Father and proclaiming, declaring, confessing, a 100 fold return. Immediately Barb and I felt grieved in our spirits but didn't understand why.

She quickly pinpointed it:
"We used to give because we love the Lord and His work, but we changed our heart to give to get, and that is why the Holy Spirit is grieved." We repented and returned to giving out of love, appreciation, to meet a need - giving ourselves first to the Lord with the motive of love.

The realm of the heart is the Lord's, so only someone reading this will know if they did something for the Lord or unto the Lord out of any other motive than love.

In John 4:23-24 Jesus said:
"The hour is coming and now is, where true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks people like that to worship Him. God (Father) is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth."

The word 'worship' is 'proskuneo'. The word 'pros' means 'toward', and 'kuneo' is 'to kiss'. Worship is literally then, a kiss to the Father. In that day a kiss was a sign of covenant, as it should be today.

Today we see friends greet one another with a kiss on the cheek. A husband and wife will kiss each other on the lips. In purest form, a kiss is an affirmation of a covenant between the two. It says they will not betray or hurt but will defend their relationship.

This is why Judas' betrayal with a kiss...
...is so prominently documented in Matthew 26:48-49, Mark 14:44-45, and Luke 22:48.

Worship is a kiss to the Father, but with conditions: They that worship (kiss towards Him signifying you are in covenant with Him) must do so in spirit and truth.

Spirit refers to your heart, not from your head, but from your innermost being, and truth refers to motives. No ulterior motives, no hidden agendas. Just express to the Father your pure love with no requests attached, give Him your affection, devotion, love - Jesus said the Father seeks such to worship Him.

Drop all formulas, walk with and get to know the Father, and pour out your love to Him purely.
New subject next week, until then,
Blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Courts of Heaven error (COH). Wrestling, 6 of 6

4/13/2024

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Hi all,

Closing out this series on the error of the courts of heaven (COH) teaching, we find we wrestle against spiritual rulers in darkness, and ourselves. None of which happens in heaven.

COH says Satan has access to heaven. Ephesians 1:20-23, The Revelation 12:8-10 prove he was thrown out, defeated, and only accuses us here on the earth, NOT before our Father.

COH says there is a modern western style court system in heaven to which Satan has access and prosecutes, and departed believers in heaven take the stand to testify for you. We've shown an oriental court is not a 21st century western court system. God's court includes His children, against whom no one may accuse or lay a charge. Romans 8:31-34.

COH says the sins of your dead ancestors is the reason your life is messed up, but you can clear your name in the COH. Ezekiel 18 and the whole of the NT letters state nothing about past generations aiding sin in our lives, rather, we are responsible for our lives, no one else.

We stand individually before the judgement seat of Christ, and will not be able to blame granny nor the devil. We can't say 'granny opened that door in 1883' to explain why you didn't grow up and obey the Word. We will be 1 on 1 before Jesus to give account of our lives.

Satan has no power over us. Satan uses fear and lies to get us to give him our authority, then he uses our authority against us. That includes getting us into formulas, making us think we are weak and that we must be afraid of him, and focused on our own feelings of inadequacy.

Paul speaks of wrestling in Ephesians 6: 10-12:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Gk: methods). For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

In the city of Ephesus in Acts 19:23-41 a riot happened after so many believers publicly burned their occult books, and the sales of idols sharply declined. The city was divided, with v32 stating they were all confused and many didn't even know what it was all about.

To those believers Paul wrote that we wrestle with rulers in the heavenlies, which in judaism means in the spirit realm. Not heaven, but the spirit realm.

While some have made doctrine over the practice of 'pulling down demonic rulers' over a city, we don't see that in Acts or in any letter of the NT. No one prayed to bring down strongholds over Ephesus or Corinth before evangelizing there nor while meeting in the (home) churches. Cities and nations are changed one person at a time when they believe on Jesus.

We do get a glimpse of Satan's forces he places in charge of a nation in Daniel 10:13, 20. Remember, Satan only copies and perverts the true. So in these passages we see a 'prince of Persia' fighting against the angel Michael, who we are told in 12:1 is the angel in charge of Israel. Gabriel tells Daniel he will join Michael to fight against the spirit over Persia, and when they are done, the prince of Greece will arise. And more then 200 years later Persia was defeated and Alexander the Great of Greece conquered them.

We wrestle in prayer against the methods of the devil. Not in heaven, but here on earth, in prayer; We pray for people, we pray for rulers and all in authority, we pray for boldness, we pray that we may live quiet, peaceful, and godly lives - but these wrestlings have nothing to do with us going before the Father in a court trial to seek a favorable judgement from our Father.

Paul wrote in II Corinthians 10:3-6
Our wrestling is mostly about our thoughts and emotions:

...not according to the flesh do we war, for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful to God for bringing down of strongholds, bringing down reasonings, and every high thing lifted up against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Christ, and being in readiness to avenge every disobedience, whenever your obedience may be fulfilled.

It is a wrestling here on earth, with ourselves and with the methods of Satan in the spirit realm. Thoughts, emotions, brought into captivity within ourselves, forcing our old thinking out, and bringing in new thinking aligned with God's thinking. If you want your life transformed, there is no other way presented in scripture than renewing the mind - then your life will be transformed. Romans 12:1-3

What thoughts? What emotions?
Paul wrote in II Corinthians 2:10-11: "I...forgive all...lest Satan should get an advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." Here he states that unforgiveness can open a person up to the 'devices' of Satan, giving him an advantage over them.

In II Timothy 2:23-26 Paul writes of those arguing and in strife, who are therefore snared by the devil and 'taken captive by him as his will'.

Those are the forces, these are the thoughts and emotions we wrestle with, the demonic forces that entice and try us. We also wrestle with ourselves and are commanded throughout the gospels and letters to lay aside sin and walk in righteousness.

If Satan had authority to approach God to accuse us in times past, he no longer does. He used to 'accuse us before our God day and night', but was thrown out of heaven. Jesus is now far above all powers and rulers in the spirit realm, closing the door to the enemy. The Father says He has justified us, no one may bring a charge against His children. We are residents of the kingdom of heaven, and have direct access as members of the Court to come boldly to our Father's throne.

It is a place of safety, of rest, a place to find mercy and grace to help in time of need. Don't turn it into a western court system formula - "Come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and grace in a time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

Other thoughts next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
http://www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

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Courts of heaven error (COH), Access to heaven? 5 of 6, Wrestling

4/6/2024

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Hi all,

This is a summary of the Courts of Heaven teaching (COH):

1. There is a modern western style criminal justice court system in heaven.
2. Satan has access to heaven's court acting as prosecutor, from which he accuses us.
3. Your current sins and generational sins from dead relatives give Satan legal right to prosecute.
4. There are secret scrolls that have to be opened in COH for court to start.
5. These courts are secret, and require secret knowledge to discover how to function in them.
6. There are clouds of witnesses, dead Christians in heaven, who will speak on your behalf.
7. If we function in COH we grant Father God the ability to 'fulfill his fatherly passion'.

I've already shown the oriental court...
...the Bible talks about is not the same court system COH teaches. Does an oriental king hear cases and make judgments, yes. But it isn't procedural like a western court system. No.

As I've shown, the judgment has already been made on our behalf. "Who shall lay any charge against God's elect? It is God doing the justifying. Who condemns us?" Romans 8:33.

I've shown how Satan was cast out of heaven...
...who once accused us before God. But now he is on the earth, walking around as a roaring lion, accusing us here on earth - everyone of us has heard those accusations, and they are right here, on this earth. Not in heaven.

I've shared how there is no generational curse we must renounce, rebuke, repent of to be free. The soul that sins shall die. The soul that believes on Jesus is born again. Individual responsibility.

There are streams of the faith that make God our adversary.
If only we prayed enough He would send revival. If I fasted enough I could convince Him of my sincerity, or of my urgent need. There is another stream that is devil oriented. They feel if they don't do everything perfect the devil will have an open door into their lives. OR, he has an open door and they must find the way to close it.

From what I've seen in my life and others, and patterned in scripture, is that 99.9% of deliverances happen when a person decides to live right, and the demon leaves because there is no longer any place for them. Once a person realizes they have Christ in them AND the authority to use the name of Jesus against the demons, AND they are secure in their authority and place in the heavenlies in Christ, they decided to live for God and not sin. It is game over for demons.

Our will is stronger than any demon, or God for that matter
Christians can sometimes get so caught up in 'spiritual warfare' mentality they forget our will is stronger than any devil or God. Neither God nor the devil can make us do anything.

Every year millions of people all over the world, who don't know the Lord, quit destructive habits, overcome fears, and find their personal victories - just by their will. But there is big business in the Christian world marketing formulas which lead a person to believe they are weak, are continual victims of demons, and if they just find that one spiritual key, blessings will be unlocked and their life will run smoothly.

Satan tempts us that's true, and God works from within to empower and strengthen. But neither can make us do anything.

In John 8:11 Jesus told the woman caught in adultery:
"Go and sin no more." It meant break it off with the man she was caught in bed with. Jesus knew it was difficult emotionally for her. It didn't change his command. Maybe the man provided money or her own home, but she had to end the relationship. What Jesus commanded was difficult, and would mean emotional pain for her, but she had to do it to walk in righteousness.

That's tough love. No rebuking the spirit of lust or adultery here. Simply:"Go and sin no more." And certainly Jesus knew how difficult it would be for her. But He didn't spiritualize it. Just, stop sinning.

The COH teaches we must take back our authority through a heavenly court room with Satan as the prosecutor fighting to retain his will in our lives, while 'witnesses in heaven' - dead Christians - testify on your behalf. And if you do everything just right, you may win your case and your troubles will be over. Jesus said just do it. Just live right. Just decide for righteousness and walk it out.

Who do we wrestle with?
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers and authorities and world-rulers of darkness in the spirit realm and forces of evil in the heavenlies." Ephesians 6:12

We do wrestle, but not in a heavenly court patterned after modern western court systems. This verse is the middle of Paul's teaching in v10-17. It is about being strong in the Lord and the power of His might, putting on the armor of God. He states that with all these things we will be able to 'stand against the wiles of the devil.'

We are to put on the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel, the sword of the Spirit. It says this is the 'armor of God'.

If we were to say, "This is William's jacket" we understand William owns the jacket. So when Paul writes we are to put on God's armor, whose armor is it?

Isaiah 59:16-18, in a prophecy about Messiah, tells us this was Jesus' armor:
"And He saw there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore His arm brought deliverance (Hebrew), and His righteousness sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and salvation as His helmet, the garments of vengeance for His clothing, and zeal as His coat. According to their actions, He will repay..."

In our wrestling, we are wearing Jesus' armor that has already been tried in battle and found victorious. He faced temptations in the 3 areas (spirit, soul, body) and won. His friend insisted He not go to the cross. He rebuked that temptation. We wrestle from a position of having already won. Christ is in us. It is HIS armor. We have the authority to use His name. We are clothed with Jesus' armor so we can stand against the methods of Satan, and having done all to stand, stand.

Why does it say we wrestle against spirits in the heavenlies? That's for next week.

Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
Email me at [email protected]
http://www.cwowi.org

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