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tpcwocattender
What would benefit most Christians today is a clear understanding of church history. Remember the game when you were a kid where you whispered something in a person’s ear and they whispered it in the next, so on and so forth until you get to the end and it is discovered that the original message was fouled up? This simple analogy can be applied to the church. How long has some of this doctrine been around? Can you trace it back to the original church? Did the church 1500 years ago teach Jesus was actually wealthy and therefore we should understand that wealth is part of salvation? Did the church 800 years ago teach that what we lacked was apostolic leadership? Can you go back 1700 years and find the church teaching that your words have great power and if you just speak life not death you can alter your life? The reality is most of this doctrine is less than 100 years old, some as recent as 50 years ago. Use simple logic, when you are taught this doctrine that has been pulled from the deepest meanings of the original apostle’s words or that is found between the lines of the bible just ask yourself, why didn't Paul teach it? We are 2000+ years removed from the unadulterated doctrine of the original apostles. We need to stop trying to reinvent the bible and find new ways of spicy up Christianity. The church needs to take off their blinders and see some of this stuff for what it is, crap! Why does the church today need John Bervere's special revelation from God that the bible doesn't contain everything we should know about pastoral covering (page 141 of his book)? Why can't the church see that adding onto what the bible teaches about anything is flat heresy? The truth is we are as the bible says, sheep. And anyone who knows anything about sheep knows they need a Sheppard. The problem with today’s sheep is they can't tell the difference between the real Sheppard (Jesus) and just another sheep who has learned to walk around on two legs and carry a staff.
Pastors and churches today are so caught up in the unity embrace that they no longer are willing to stand up for truth and call false teaching out. This is why teachings such as Beveres and others are allowed to flourish. Many pastors turn a blind eye to heresies such as Beveres because they are too busy building their own kingdoms or taking care of their "own" flocks to take time to really research and study the false teachings and teachers of their time, in their communities (its easier just to chant, "In the essentials, Unity; in the non-essentials, Grace; in all things love). This is why the questionable teachings found at Turning Point Church continue: Because area pastors are too concerned with their own well being and standing in the community. They would rather embrace heretical teachers in the name of unity than stand for truth and risk standing alone.
Church leaders at places like ACCC (as well as others) would proudly claim unity with Turning Point Church. Why would you blindly enter into unity with another if you did not know what the other stood for or taught? ACCC (and others) would claim that they can unite with Turning Point because they share the same essentials. Further more ACCC would claim that though they have different styles in worship and differing leadership styles this would still be no reason to not join in unity with Turning Point.
And yet if you were to ask leaders at ACCC if they have ever bothered to take time to listen to the sermons and teachings of Turning Point Church they most likely would say ,"No." So then one would have to ask what sort of discernment is at play here? How can you state that you are in unity with another if you are not aware of what the other teaches or believes? Do the leaders at churches such as ACCC support the position Turning Point Church takes on progressive revelation? Do the leaders at ACCC support Turning Point Church's teaching on Covering and unquestionable authority? Do they support Turning Point Church's teaching on honor and double tithing as taught and practiced by Turning Point Church? Does the leadership at ACCC support Turning Points practice of prophetic utterances and Words of Knowledge? Would these leaders uphold and affirm Turning Points teaching on Spiritual Parenting? Probably they would say, "We do not teach these things at our place of worship. But these are not the essentials of the faith." I believe the refrain one would hear is "grace in the non essentials".
And yet Turning Point Church leaders see these teachings as "essential" in the life of the growing maturing believer. They require those who go through discipleship class to read Beveres book on Covering. The pastors and elders believe that it is essential that every Christian be "under cover" of a pastor. Turning Point leaders would also claim that progressive revelation (i.e Words of Revelation from God to the Pastor) is essential. That these extra revelations are just as authoritative as Scripture. How could they claim anything different? If Turning Point were to say that the Revelation Mike and Cyndi receives from God is not "essential" revelation then why would anyone pay any attention to what they claim to be God's Word (this really is just another form of Gnosticism which the early church rejected outright as heresy)?
So how is it that pastors and churches can loudly proclaim "we are united in the essentials" when they do not bother to ask one another what each believes to be essential teachings of their respective churches? Perhaps its as simple as understanding that they are deceived by the Apostles Paul's words, "In the essentials, unity; In the non-essentials, grace; in all things-love."
Whats that you say? The Apostle Paul didn't say this? Hmmmmmm
Then why do you cling so tightly to it as if it were scripture?
Here is the word: Paul taught only the essentials.
He called those who focused on and taught so called "non essentials" false teachers.
In fact he rebuked the apostles who wanted to continue teaching traditional Jewish laws.
So did John.
As did Peter.
None of these would have ever uttered the phrase, "in the essentials-unity; in the non essentials-grace".
They realized that anything taught other than the essential was adding to the foundation that had already been laid.