#1 The Strange Theology Behind John MacArthur's Strange Fire - Jan 12, 2014

going to take the next number of weeks responding to John MacArthur's new book and conference strange fire where he you'll see is pretty adamant in his attack on the gifts of the spirit in a contemporary fashion in the church today John MacArthur's not my enemy and I've been going to a conference in Los Angeles California every year for about 27 years and I don't think there's a time when I haven't gone to John MacArthur's church I liked his church I liked his preaching I think he's mistaken on this and so in love and in humility that's what I want to address tonight I asked for a little more time that's why we started at 6 o'clock I don't mean to alarm you this morning I preached from 11 sheets of notes tonight I have 22 sheets pray Church I have a text I believe you have it in your notes by the way the notes work to be handed out as you came in and I saw the ushers doing that faithfully it's possible somebody slipped by if you're here with oak notes if you put your hand up and hold it up don't worry yes I see that hand they will come and hand you okay so just wave it so they see you and don't take it down until you've got your notes because just because you put it up once doesn't mean they see you right here down the middle on this side Bruce - right over here on my right Bruce they're at the front I'm on your side I'm trying desperately to get you notes right there now it's coming and we got them we all good now or at least we're all equipped the text is first Corinthians 401 to 6:00 we better get going this is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God moreover it is required of stewards that they be found faithful but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human Court in fact I do not even judge myself what Paul means by that sentence is explained in verse 4 for I am not aware of anything against myself but I am NOT thereby acquitted that is a very important sentence because all sorts of people say my relationship with Jesus is just fine I know you think I'm doing something wrong pastor dawn but I feel just fine about it I'm at peace with Jesus and we have a great relationship for I am not aware of anything against myself but I'm not thereby acquitted it is the Lord who judges me and that backs up that statement I've made many times I really don't care how you feel about Jesus what I'm interested in is how Jesus feels about you right I mean that's what counts sincerity and peace and all those soothing feelings aren't necessarily indicators that all is well in my relationship with the Lord that's what Paul's saying here ok 5 therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time before the Lord comes who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart then each one will receive his commendation from God I have applied all these things to myself and Apollo's for your benefit brothers that you may learn by us and this is the sentence that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written say that with me not to go beyond what is written that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another the details of this text have nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of the Holy Spirit and his gifts to the church but there is a principle in this text that does apply to the Ministry of the Holy Spirit and everything else we discussed from the scriptures and I want you to notice those two terms there are details that don't apply there is an overriding principle that does apply the details of the text a difficult text they have to do with Paul's response to the way these believers in Corinth were grouping around different leaders latching on to one specific teacher or another specific teacher and they were doing so to the point that they were quite proud that they were following so-and-so some would say Paul someone say Apollo's some would say this person some would say that person and so they tended then to despise any other teacher and automatically write off what he said and so if a teaching came from their designated teacher the one they had latched on to they placed that teaching on a higher plane not even caring maybe what the content of the teaching was so this is what Paul was referring to in that strange phrase in verse 6 that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another okay but how is this issue gonna be solved how was this error and pride and division how will it be arbitrated how will we figure out who's who and what should be followed and what shouldn't be and now we come to the principle that does apply to our discussion the key for these believers at Corinth just as it was Paul says for himself for Apollo's the key for us in the church today charismatic or non charismatic it lies in learning and remembering that phrase in verse 6 not to go beyond what is written so the governing principle is only what's written counts that means if some people go far beyond what is written we mustn't follow them no matter what tales of prosperity and blessing and anointing they might have if it goes beyond what is written I'm not interested I want to tell you that right up front I don't care how many people are raised from the dead I don't care how many people can fly through the air I don't care how many people see visions if it goes beyond what is written I'm not in it that surprises some people it also means that if other people discount poke fun explain away anything that is written we mustn't follow them regardless of their fame regardless of their influence or their cries of heretic or their cries of fanatic what's written Paul says don't go to this side don't go to this side just stay with us with written that's the principle john macarthur has published three books opposing the operation of the sign gifts of the Spirit in the church today I'll talk about that term in just a minute the first book the charismatic s' was published by Zondervan in 1978 after that came charismatic chaos and you'll notice the title gets a little more edge in it with each publication also published by Zondervan in 1993 his newest I think most extensive treatment in terms of sheer number of pages is strange fire and that was published by Tom and Nelson Baptist publishing you'll notice that the last two books unlike the first they pretty much condemned the movement right in the title itself I'm only dealing with the third book I have all the books I've read all the books my opinion when this goes on the web my opinion is that the arguments are pretty much the same in all three although the third probably represents the most current and expansive most detailed in terms of footnotes and quotes and back up material the most extensive presentation of the position known as cessationism you need to know that word you don't need to know a lot of terms but you need to know a few I should explain that cessationism say it with me cessationism throughout this series the meaning of cessationism is the theology that says the sign gifts of the Spirit and that's not a term used anywhere in the New Testament it's usually applied to the more outwardly manifested gifts of the spirit tongues the interpretation of tongues prophecy healing miracles cessationism says that those gifts have ceased and you can see it cessation siste right seest cessationism those gifts have ceased they are not available for the church today so so any and all apparent manifestations are counterfeit demonic at worst or merely foolish and mistaken and gullible at best without getting too much ahead of myself we'll study all of these points in detail these sign gifts according to cessationists were given as that non scriptural term sign gift implies they were given as signs they were given to validate the Ministry of the New Testament apostles people who would write our New Testament once the New Testament was completed we had a closed absolute revelation contained therein then these gifts were no longer needed and they ceased this cessationists argue like MacArthur this is simply a matter of factual church history you can check it out I'll talk more about that down the road and you'll notice I've four times already said I'll get to that down the road so we don't know how long this roads gonna be just to be clear and just to be fair most cessationists don't believe all the gifts of the Spirit have ceased all listed first Corinthians twelve predominantly first Corinthians twelve I think it's a mistake the way they include Ephesians four in Romans twelve we'll get to that down the road as well they don't believe that all the gifts have ceased they usually mean only these sign gifts those outward manifestations the visible ones the other gifts apparently aren't aren't as much of a threat to intelligent people and so the Holy Spirit is still allowed to distribute those gifts as he wishes I think that argument is deep deeply flawed and will eventually cover that as you can see the problem with the series like this is figuring out where to begin where do you start there's so much to cover my plan in future weeks I'll deal with what I consider to be specific I think scriptural misunderstandings that I'm convinced John MacArthur and many other cessationists make today I'm only going to deal with two introductory considerations and I've tried to think of the simplest way to state this here's what I want to talk about tonight I want to talk about what I liked about the book yes there were some things I liked about the book and then I want to talk about what I don't like about the book what I liked about the book I applauded as a Pentecostal I applaud the critique of many of the heretical extremes that he exposes in his book I know a lot of people wouldn't but as I read it I just said right on good for you I think MacArthur is right to say as he does that it isn't a loving thing to allow false teaching unhindered advance in the church predominantly through the media a principle I've stated from the pulpit a principle I take to be foundational throughout the Bible is this it is never a loving act to allow people to be deceived everybody got that it is never a loving act to allow people to be deceived and Boyle Boyle boy there's sure a lot of deception and abuse out there McArthur his book is a virtual Disneyland of idiotic charismatic s' false prophets false apostles word faith charlatans and believe it or not where I want to start tonight and as painful as it is I think it's important to look at some examples you have a lot of quotes there I think it's important for the point I want to make about one of the strengths of MacArthur's book so bear with me as I read through some of these things mostly I'm just gonna read and I'll make maybe just a couple of comments these are names that a lot of you know some are better known but most are pretty well known these are quotes that I've lifted right out of MacArthur's book all right where he cites these same examples so these aren't original with me evangelist todd Bentley this is Bentley speaking I said god I prayed for like a hundred crippled people not one God healed and he said I'm always leery of guys that have these conversations with God that leave you kind of wondering so did he write you a letter did he I prayed for like a hundred crippled people and not one got healed and he said that's because I want you to grab that lady's crippled legs and bang them up and down on the platform like a baseball bat I walked up grabbed her legs and I started going Bam Bam and I started banging them up and down on the platform she got healed and I'm thinking why is not the power of God moving and he said this is God no because you haven't kicked that woman in the face and there was an older lady worshiping right in front of the platform and the Holy Spirit spoke to me the gift of faith came on me are you kidding me the gift of faith came on me he said kick her in the face with your biker boot I ain't close sir and I went like this BAM and just as my boot hears that you know you don't have to be a genius to figure this out just as my boot made contact with her nose she fell under the power of God I guess she did what is wrong with people sometimes there's doctrinal stuff creflo dollar Jesus didn't show up perfect he grew into his perfection you know Jesus and one scripture in the Bible he went on a journey and he was tired you better hope God don't get tired but Jesus did if he came as God you see what we're talking about here the divinity of Christ if he came as God and he got tired he says he sat down by the well because he was tired boy we're in trouble and somebody said well Jesus came as God well how many times how many of you know the Bible says God never sleeps nor slumbers yet in the book of Mark we see Jesus and he's asleep in the back of the boat see Jesus asleep in the back of the boat god never sleeps ergo ya Kenneth Copeland pretending to speak for Jesus don't be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God they crucified me for claiming I was God I didn't claim that I was God really he didn't you seen me you've seen the father I'm the father or one I just claimed that I walked with him and that he was in me hallelujah that's what you're doing that's right heresy church that's not a little heresy that's a huge heresy any him the praise of thawne on Trinity broadcast network quote those who put us down are a bunch of morons you know I've looked for one verse in the Bible one verse that says if you don't like them kill them I really wish I could find it sometimes I wish God would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun I'll blow your head off it sounds like Jesus doesn't I think MacArthur is perfectly within his rights to point out Benny Hinn's crazy prophesies that Fidel Castro would die in the 90s that the homosexual community would be destroyed in a fire in 1995 stating on April 2nd 2000 that Jesus was going to appear physically not a vision but just like I'm here Jesus was going to be physically present at Benny's Crusades and then later claiming that Jesus did come but unfortunately they lost the videotape of that meeting where he showed up bummer every Christian should be upset when Benny says God told him there are nine members in the Godhead not three or the Kathryn Kuhlman visits him from the dead or that he gets anointing from the grave of Aimee Semple McPherson there's something wrong there Church Rick Joyner one of the now disgraced Kansas City prophets predicted that in 1990 in the 90s much of the state of California would be swallowed up in the Pacific Ocean you know since I was a kid one day an evangelist is gonna be right just hissed the law of averages let me keep going just for a couple minutes I want to make this point Ted Haggard 2006 Haggard resigned as the charismatic pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs after it was established he had procured drugs and homosexual favors from an escort service over a three-year period I've heard Ted Haggard speak on a number of occasions I've heard him at conferences he's a good speaker he's a dynamic speaker that was in 2006 he pioneered a new church in 2010 in February 2011 in an interview with GQ magazine Haggard said I think that probably if I were 21 in this society I would identify myself as by sexual and hundreds of charismatic sand non-charismatic SAR flocking to his new church hundreds I guess that was a page turnover point Peter Wagner and the New Apostolic Reformation I have all sorts of guys that I went to Bible School with pastoring churches in the PIO see that latched on to Peter Wagner and his new Apostolic Reformation Wagner's the recognized founder of the New Apostolic Reformation this according to Wagner began in 2001 which he describes as the beginning of the second Apostolic age so you had Peter Paul yeah those apostles now he's claiming that same role that same office in the new Apostolic age wagner's words we are now seeing before our very eyes the most radical change in the way of doing Church since the Protestant Reformation I think I could make a reasonable argument that it may turn out to be a more radical change apparently all of this began when to prophet 2 says declared that he Peter had received an apostolic anointing in 1995 so someone just came and prophesied and said you're an apostle and let's just start this and there was nobody with enough sense to say wait a minute that's not how prophecy works not long after Wagner claims that he ended mad cow disease in Europe quote I know that God wanted me to take the apostolic authority he had given me and decree once and for all that mad cow disease would come to an end in Europe and the UK which I did that was October 1st 2001 a month later a friend of mine sent me a newspaper article from England saying that the epidemic had broken and that the last reported case of mad cow disease had been on September 30th 2001 the day before the Apostolic decree and what's sad is this makes it such an easy target for a person with McArthur's sharp mind McArthur writes given his enthusiasm Wagner is apparently unaware of the fact that the disease still exists in Europe such that 67 positive cases of infected cows were reported in 2009 alone in 2009 Wagner formed the International Coalition of apostles as the presiding apostle that's what I need I need to be an apostle here's why and it's best if you're gonna be one to be the presiding apostle because new apostles could join for 69 bucks a month I'm not making this up this is this is all true macarthur writes this is right out of the book membership rates at the end of 2012 varied slightly depending on the Apostles nation of residency the base fee was 350 bucks for international apostles the fee for Apostles living in North America began at 450 bucks a year or 650 for married apostles MacArthur rights meaning apparently that a husband and a wife team could both consider themselves apostles for just the extra 200 bucks not bad enough examples those kind of things ought to be exposed the church ought to be both sad and angry but the fact that John McArthur is so rabidly anti-catholic in no way undoes the need to have the church especially of all churches especially the Pentecostal church aware and discussed it with unscriptural abuses like these and thousands of others so make no mistake about it we of all people we of all people ought to be aware of how these things quench the Holy Spirit we should be pointing these things out long before John MacArthur ever gets to them it should come from us they grieve the Holy Spirit one of the key teaching points for us comes right here and I want to just spend a minute having listened to all those examples and I'm talking now again about what I liked about John MacArthur's books it needs to be said the Holy Spirit is not just quenched by anti charismatic s' the Holy Spirit is also quenched by zany charismatic s' this is Paul's point in 1st Thessalonians 5:19 through 21 where he writes and says do not quench the spirit do not despise prophecies but test everything hold fast to what is good and I hope you can see there that what Paul does is he calls for a scriptural balance there are two ways not just one to quench the Holy Spirit there are people who despise prophecies they just eliminate them out of hand ironically I believe John MacArthur's one of them they admit no place for the prophetic gift today at all that's one way you quench the spirit I've had people say that I just I just hate it when stuff like that happens in our worship service Paul said don't do that don't despise it does everybody hear that that's not me that's Bible don't don't you do that and that kind of quenching of the spirit unfortunately leads to another kind of quenching the Holy Spirit because in reaction to what they perceive as spiritual deadness of those who despise certain gifts others say I'm not going down that road I'll embrace anything that comes along they don't want to miss anything that might be the Holy Spirit so they embrace everything Paul says don't do that either don't despise test everything hold on to what is good how are you gonna know what's good we studied it in that opening text do not go beyond what is written test everything check it out don't despise that quenches the spirit don't embrace everything that comes along that quenches the Spirit hold on to only some of it test all of it hold on to some of it embrace what is good and now we're in a better position to see the implication of the full title behind this teaching series the full title that you see on the posters was this the strange theology behind John MacArthur's strange fire yeah that's what you saw the rest of the title is why Pentecostals reject cessationism and charismatic extremism and embrace God's Word above all what I want for this church is a biblical scriptural based congregational life in the dynamic of the holy spirit that glorifies and exalts Jesus Christ as God's Son so yes something in me rejoiced that John MacArthur I wasn't surprised that John MacArthur would be the one who would come out and just go at it with all of these things needs to be done I think it needs to be done okay that's 31 minutes and we're about halfway done but will the last part we'll move along quicker are you all okay still what I didn't like about MacArthur's book what I didn't like at all in future weeks will study what I think are some serious scriptural blunders in MacArthur's argument I'm not doing that today I want to wrap up by looking at a few big picture okay kind of upper view foundational weaknesses in strange fire so I'm not analyzing texts here but I think there are some basic mistakes things I don't like first I think these are all in your notes as well I don't like the way MacArthur spiritually writes off those whom he criticizes I watched not quite all but almost all there are there are I think close to 20 lectures I read the book right through more than once and went through almost as much as I could time allowing all of the the videos on the conference here's what bugs me panel discussion all sharp guys one of the guys on the panel I heard speak the last Sunday that I was down there just in November he was wrapping up and he was the guest speaker in the church and he took another whack at at Pentecostals so I didn't feel compelled to stand up and give a prophecy I just sat there and kind of so John MacArthur's speaking different questions are asked place is pretty packed and he addresses some of the criticism he's been taking people charismatic sand non-charismatic who say John you're you're causing division in the body of Christ okay let's not fight about this stuff you're causing division in the body of Christ - which - which MacArthur says and I'm not making it up this is this is I'm not saying it's verbatim but this is almost word-for-word he said I've been criticized for being divisive in the body of Christ I want to tell you I'm not being divisive I'm not dividing the body of Christ with my criticism of the charismatic s' I'm not dividing the body of Christ I'm defining the body of Christ do you hear what's being said there you're not in the body of Christ I'm defining it well to me that's a really dangerous thing to say I can't see everybody's heart McArthur clearly states he was defining who was in and who was out of the body of Christ and what's so strange about that what's so strange about this judgment by MacArthur is he actually resents it in his book he actually resents it when the same kind of attitude is shown by charismatic s' toward himself and anti charismatic s' here's how he responds this is a quote here's how he responds in his book to the wacky accusations and their wacky accusations by the self-appointed Apostle Peter Wagner MacArthur writes now and is speaking those who reject the New Apostolic Reformation are in Wagner's view like the Pharisees now MacArthur quotes Wagner instead of a claiming the blessing and blessing God's new wineskin they resist it now MacArthur speaks he further asserts that those who oppose his new movement are under demonic influence no MacArthur quotes Wagner Satan tries to prevent new times and seasons from coming by sending evil demonic spirits and if they are successful we begin to think wrongly about the new wineskins that God desires to develop thus now back to MacArthur here's MacArthur MacArthur says anyone who takes issue with Wagner's premise is derided as legalistic demonized or just too scared to embrace the radical new age in the history of the church in other words John MacArthur is saying he resents it when a goofball like Wagner says you know what if you don't embrace the New Apostolic Reformation then you're just demon you're on the outside he doesn't like that he doesn't think that's the way it should be done please don't miss my point I'm not in any way giving any credence to Peter Wagner's condemned in words of his anti charismatic critics that's not my point I'm simply saying MacArthur would look more credible if he didn't do the same thing not dividing the body of Christ I'm defining it and I would just humbly submit it might not be as great a man as he is it might not be John MacArthur's job to decide who's in the body of Christ and who isn't why don't we just let Jesus do that we all agreed let's vote how many think we should let Jesus do that kind of makes sense doesn't it now true to be fair true some doctrines are deal-breakers I get it if you don't get certain things right then you're not a Christian at all but the gifts of the Spirit and their operation in the church today though I think very important that's not one of those deal-breakers and it's beneath John MacArthur to say he's defining the body of Christ in his strange fire book and conference ironically in a book where his main point is we're gonna look at this next Sunday night his main point is charismatic put all their focus on the Holy Spirit and they take their eye off of the centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ it's ironic in a book where that's MacArthur's main argument his judgmentalism does exactly the same thing you see the body of Christ simply isn't defined over the issue of spiritual gifts that's not what defines who's in or out he's taken his eye off of the saving work of Christ for charismatic sand non-charismatic s-- he should know better be the second thing I don't like I don't like the way MacArthur paints charismatic s-- and Pentecostals with such a wide brush there have been efforts now recently to backpedal on some of this but he still virtually puts all charismatic s' under one umbrella though he must know he's a bright man he must know there are huge differences in his book he calls people like and I'll talk about this in just a minute you don't you won't know these names but in his book he calls people like Gordon fee Wayne Grudem donald carson john piper he calls them either charismatic or here's another term i said they were just a couple you have to know cessationists macarthur calls these people either charismatic or were sometimes called continuationists i don't think it's complicated we believe that the gifts continue cease cessationist continue continuationists he states in restates that the word faith movement that dominates the television empires is the central core and the dominant majority of the charismatic movement and a recent blog this isn't in your notes anywhere in a recent blog Justin Peters who was one of the speakers at the conference he makes the same claim in an article called ignorant is not an option after pointing up the loony claims and prophecies of Benny Hinn he chides charismatic author of Michael Brown for his ignorance of hinz foolishness and Peter's eventually makes it clear that quote the errors are extreme to be sure but they are coming from and they represent the majority within the charismatic movement besides the repeated confusion of identifying the word faith movement in the charismatic movement MacArthur does it over and over in his book and so does Justin Peters those are not the same thing virtually all word faiths are charismatic but not all charismatic SAR word faith errs it's just a category confusion that that I can't believe someone of his brightness makes over and over again I'm Pentecostal I'm not even pleased I'm not even remotely word faith so besides that repeated confusion of identifying word faith in the charismatic but there's another strange thing in Justin Peters article in an article devoted to the thesis that the crazy thinking represents the core rather than the fringe Peters sites only Benny Hinn in his example of questionable theology I mean granted his audience is huge but does that make hen's theology the core of the whole mood that makes no sense there are a lot of other charismatic s' lots of them let me just introduce you to some of them that you may not have known I'm just gonna take a minute with this Gordon fee charismatic professor of New Testament studies at Regent College written exhaustive commentaries on 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus in the New International Bible commentary series first corinthians in the new international commentary on the new testament commentary on philippians in the new international commentary on the new testament he's the author of numerous books including pauline Christology these are extremely scholarly works I'm not saying this in a loveless way at all I mean no disrespect when I tell you that John MacArthur in a million years could never write works on the level that those that I just cited are written the scholarly work that's done by that charismatic often fee is a theological heavyweight Wayne Grudem charismatic he's professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary Phoenix Arizona he's the author of a massive systematic theology and general editor of the ESV Study Bible that a lot of you carried a church he's not a dud Donal Carson charismatic continuationist he's a respected professor author speaker he's currently research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School the president of the gospel coalition he has a PhD in New Testament from Cambridge University he served as the first Dean of the seminary of Northwest Baptist Theological College now known as Northwest Baptist Seminary Donnell Carson's written over 50 books 1997 received the evangelical Christian Publishers Association gold medallion Book Award for his book the gagging of God Christianity confronting pluralism Carson's written commentaries both in the expositors Bible commentary series and the pillar New Testament commentary series it's also the author of the New Testament commentary survey 6th edition here's the irony walk through MacArthur's bookstore on a Sunday night and you'll find these are the works on the Shelf of his students that are studying in the seminary because these are the best scholars that there are my point in all of this is that any umbrella that has under it Gordon fee John Piper Donnell Carson Wayne Gruden all of whom are continuationists along with Benny Hinn Joyce Meyer Kenneth Hagen and Joel Osteen is simply too big an umbrella that umbrella has no meaning to it at all McArthur has a response to that criticism he points out to be fair that all of these less extreme continuationists give credibility to the lunatics by allowing themselves to stay in the same camp macarthur states clearly page 232 quote i believe that continuationists position exposes the evangelical church to continuous danger from the charismatic mutation mutation see you people are like a fungus again page 234 the continuationist position gives an illusion of legitimacy to the broader charismatic movement and so macarthur actually scolds solid thinking continuationists for not condemning the wacky theology of the prosperity word faith charismatic movement and i got to tell you that's nothing short of confusing to me it's confusing because i have an endless selection of material from charismatic continuationists like john piper just to give one example where he specifically says he hates that's the word he uses hates the word faith movement saying continuationists have for years taken their stand against the zany fringe of the charismatic movement and it just makes me wonder how can someone like John MacArthur who says many of these continuationist theologians are his friends how can he not know their stand against these crazy teachings doesn't he know or is there something else going on here and here's my opinion he does know he does know that these guys for years have been barking after the lunatic fringe of the charismatic movement MacArthur knows that so what is going on here I think in spite of his words on paper I can't prove this it's my opinion I think in spite of his words on paper for John McArthur it isn't enough for these charismatic theologians to voice their critique of the word faith movement and other charismatic extremes MacArthur isn't content with that whether he says so or not he wants all thinking people to come out of any kind of charismatic theology he wants them out even if they think their theology is based on the Word of God he just wants them out we're almost done I want to wrap up this point by repeating word for word one of the opening paragraphs of this teaching so the governing principle is only what is written counts that means if others go far beyond what is written Kathryn Kuhlman visits me at night and gives me inspiration and anointing we mustn't follow them no matter what tales of blessing or prosperity that can recount it also means that if others discount or explain away anything that is written the mutations in the charismatic movement John MacArthur we mustn't follow regardless of their fame or influence or cries of heretic or fanatic what's written says Paul just stay with what is written see the third thing I don't like and this annoy take three minutes we're gonna be done by a boat when I said the third thing I don't like about the book I don't like the way MacArthur judges the biblical teaching on the present work and gifting of the Holy Spirit by the worst abuses of it a foundational principle to me is this you don't judge anything by its abuse you don't judge anything by its abuse case in point John MacArthur is a first-rate Bible teacher I think he has some biases that cloud his thinking on certain areas but I think he's a first-rate Bible teacher and yet there are by his own analysis many false teachers in the church today there are many pastors and leaders who abuse their teaching role and lead countless people into false doctrine and error who who could even tabulate the damage that's been done to the body of Christ over the centuries by false teaching I think John MacArthur has the gift of teaching would we say that we should ban all teaching in the church because there's been so much abuse of the gift of teaching in the body of Christ because there's so much false teaching maybe we shouldn't have teaching at all it just doesn't that it just exposes the church to all sorts of risk and the obvious answer to that ridiculous question is no the answer to false teaching is correct teaching sound teaching that's what you always do when something is abused and the answer to all the charismatic zaniness is the full scripturally ordered and informed use of the resources of the Blessed third person of the Trinity in the body of Christ and as we'll see we'll get to it that is exactly what the Apostle Paul urged for the church at Corinth for all the abuses that he saw we'll study them for all the abuses that he saw in Corinth it is still a simple fact that you will never see him once you will never see him once forbidding the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit in that church god grant us the same wisdom the same humility and the same biblical mindedness that walks never to this side or to this side not going beyond what is written and everyone said

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Length: 51min 16sec (3076 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 10 2014