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LearningPoint
Hi again, Attender.

I think it's easy when you WANT things to be OK to ignore or minimize glaring problems. I did that for quite a while at TP, until I just couldn't do it any more. I guess I'm really perplexed as to how you are able to hear Jackie's testimony and the testimony of others and still take the attitude of, "If it hasn't happened to me, it doesn't really apply to me." Sounds like Thomas. I mean, if you can discount our testimonies by chalking them up to malice and hatred, OK. I can understand your approach. But if you think our testimonies are credible, does what we're warning about have to happen to you for it to be validated? Can you really so calmly and "objectively" watch so many people being shot down, wounded, falling all around you, and not believe there's a sniper in the house?

Honestly, I think if leadership hasn't felt threatened by your questions, then you haven't hit a nerve. Or they're humoring you like they've humored others of us. You may be in "leadership," but from what your posts indicate, I doubt they truly value you or your perspective. You pose no perceived threat, so they're not concerned. I know I'm speculating, but I'd be willing to bet the farm on it.

And, bottom line, I will continue to contend for the truth in teaching. Sound doctrine is not merely a matter of "perspective" but of "rightly dividing the Word of truth." God wouldn't instruct us to do it if it weren't possible to do. I hope you'll be able to watch the Word-Faith movement video in its entirety, listening to what the guy is saying without trying to initially determine what applies to TP and what does not. Just to get the information first; then have it in mind when you're testing and weighing the teachings/sermons.

It's not a matter of Mike articulating every aspect of the doctrine from the pulpit, but rather his embracing them in his mind and then preaching the logical outcomes or applications of them, such as the belief/teaching that salvation and physical healing are inseparable, that you can't have one without the other. Mike preached this very sermon when I was attending TP. I did not know that he had changed his perspective nor retracted his initial stance. From what Mike has revealed about himself in sermons and in lifestyle, he loves material things, and prosperity doctrine is a convenient drum to beat if one wants to justify gratifying a personal yen for stuff. But the only drum any church should be beating is the drum of the true Gospel and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The focus on prosperity is an evil in itself. Jesus himself said, "The poor you will always have with you." We are to minister to the poor, but it is not God's mandate for us to work to aleviate poverty. It is our mandate to spread the gospel (even as we minsiter to the poor). Luke 6:20: Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

Also, Mike embraces Benny Hinn as an a-OK teacher. That shows a definite lack of knowledge of Hinn's well-known and well-documented heresies and demonstrates a lack of understanding of biblical content since Mike can't see why Hinn is dangerous. If Mike is unable to detect even the most obvious heretics of our day, and even looks to them as true men of God, how will you ever be able to trust that those heresies are not being slipped into the messages and little by little infecting your own perspective and your family's? Satan is subtle; he gives us lies in small doses until we can "handle" more, until our lie detectors are rendered ineffective.

Also, would you mind double-checking: is it United Global Ministries or Global Harvest Ministries that Mike will be assuming a leadership role in?

From your own words on here, it seems clear to me that your own thinking has already been infected with Mike's mantra, with Ken Ralston's thoroughgoing unbiblical prosperity perspective, to which Mike is giving credence and taking heed. The evidence is abundant, but you cannot see it. I believe your attempt to remain objective in the face of glaring evidence is hurting your ability to see things for what they are. (It's kind of like when the United States would not "see" what Hitler was doing and intending until Pearl Harbor happened.)

Finally, I find it interesting the way you preemptively say, "I know what you guys are going to say..." It's a kind of way to pre-discredit our responses. A person who is ready to listen will not sweep away an anticipated rebuttal in this way. It's saying, in essence, "I know what you're going to say, so don't bother saying it."

In the end, you'll either need to be OK with being led by a delusional, self-appointed apostle who will not or cannot discern true teaching from false, or you'll have to walk away. I don't see where secondary issues make much difference after establishing these primary things.

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Miki
Hey there LearningPoint,

Don't worry.... I was just explaining to others MY reason's for dancing. Just didn't want other's to Lump dancers all in one category. I definately know you understand the worship stuff. love ya! by the way, you're totally rock'n!