Contending for the Faith

Topic: The Word of Faith Movement is Satanic and her Pastors Impostors
The Word of Faith Movement
Who Are They?
They are the 'believe it you'll have it' Christians. They believe in the power of positive confession which they regard as faith. This faith-force they claim operate outside the sovereign will of God. They believe that a Christian should not suffer nor face life problems. Hence Christians who suffer or face life challenges don't have enough faith. They are the prosperity preaching people who believe that Christians must enjoy the goodies of life: wealth, health and material/financial prosperity. Their pastors teach their followers to give money or other forms of gifts like cars, which they refer to as 'sowing seed' of faith to the church. This will make them have more money and take the poor among them out of poverty and make them rich and wealthy. They claim that the more seed a person sows, the richer he or she becomes. They also encourage their members to pay the tithe of the money they want to get from God in advance. For example, if you want God to bless you with £1000, then give a tithe of £100 in advance. Their messages are usually prosperity based and decidedly unbiblical.

There are presently a lot of high profile pastors and many television-evangelists that are part of this movement and teach her doctrines. Most unfortunately a very large percentage of Christians today can be described as adherents of this faith movement. Many otherwise genuine believers have backslidden from the true biblical faith and plunged themselves into this movement and are now towing their paths. As a result of their very large followership, Christianity is now seen through the eyes of this Word of Faith movement.

Are they Christians?
Although the leaders, pastors and adherents of this movement claim to be Christians because they call upon the name of Jesus Christ, speak in tongues and probably perform miracles. But there are three proofs to show that this movement is not of God. This implies that those who promote her teachings are equally not of God and are therefore not believers of The Lord Jesus Christ. The three proofs are:
1) the origin of this movement (2) their theology (teachings) and (3) the lifestyles of her adherents.

1. The Origin of this Movement
The Word of Faith Movement originated from E.W. Kenyon, who studied the metaphysical New Thought teachings of Phineas Quimby. Phineas Quimby on the other hand was a spiritual teacher who was into mystics and was adapt at administering mesmeric hypnotism. E.W. Kenyon, a Baptist pastor learnt and studied Quimby's teachings when he was a student of Emerson School of Oratory in Boston. He then combined these metaphysical teachings of Quimby with Pentecostalism to give birth to the Word of Faith Movement. However, it was Kenneth Hagin, one of Kenyon’s students (who many incidentally regard as the father of this movement) that popularised it.

Although this movement tend not to have a defined leader, however the most active of those who propagate the teachings of this movement today is Kenneth Copeland, who incidentally was a disciple of Kenneth Hagin and was also a student at the Oral Roberts University.

2. Their Theology
At the heart of the Word of Faith movement is the belief in the "force of faith." They believe that words can be used to manipulate the faith-force, thereby actually create health and wealth which they believe Scripture promises. Laws supposedly governing the faith-force they believe and teach operate independently of God's sovereign will and that God Himself is subject to these laws.

What the Bible says about faith
True Biblical faith is based upon God’s promises to His people. The faith-force preached by the Word of Faith movement is enshrined in the non Biblical power of positive confession. True biblical faith is subject upon God’s sovereign will. It does not seek to manipulate God by “doing or giving something to” God in anticipation of returns. In Biblical faith, God’s promises usually go beyond our earthly existence. Although God promised Abraham that He will make him a father of many nations and will give the land wherein he was a stranger to Abraham’s descendants as an inheritance for ever (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 17:, nevertheless, Abraham looked beyond this earthly land. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:10 that Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Biblical faith seeks to please God and promotes righteous living (Hebrews 11:6; Habakkuk 24; Galatians 311).

They also teach that:
i. Jesus Christ is God Incarnate - and so we are.
I recently watched a video of Kenneth Copeland preaching at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), 2016 North Carolina Convention. One of the statements that he made during his sermon at this convention was "Jesus is no longer called The only Begotten Son of God, both before His death and after His resurrection, but the first born from the dead." To which the General overseer of RCCG Worldwide, Enoch Adeboye and his wife nodded in agreement. This same Kenneth Copeland said that God told him that if he had known the Word of God as well as Jesus did he - Copeland - could have done what Jesus did in defeating the devil.
I ask you my readers; can persons who are of Christ belittle His Person? Can persons who have the Holy Spirit deny the Deity of Jesus Christ? 1 Corinthians 12:3 says “ Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” The above passage clearly defines those who have The Holy Ghost. These are people who do not curse Christ and at the same time acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour (John 20:28). One of the ways somebody can curse The Lord Jesus Christ is to belittle His Personality.

Brethren for anyone to say that Christ Jesus is not the only begotten Son of God is not just heretical, but sacrilegious and abominable. Christ being the only begotten Son of God is pivotal to the Person of Christ and by extension the Christian faith. His being the only begotten Son of God gives Him the privilege and relationship that He alone enjoys with His Father. This relationship nobody, no being can ever experience or have with God the Father. It is His position as God’s only begotten Son that makes Him the God-Son Who came as fully man to die for the sin of the world (John 1:18; John 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-3).

Believers becoming children of God by adoption does not provide a basis for us to equate ourselves with The Lord Jesus Christ. Our status cannot be compared with a far superior position of Christ as the only begotten Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-13; Colossians 1:15-19; Colossians 2:9).
Other beliefs of Word of Faith movement are that:
ii. Jesus died spiritually and became born again in hell.

Biblical Stand - This teaching is from the pit of hell. There is no passage of the Bible that says or suggests that Jesus Christ suffered in the hands of the devil in hell, nor did He die spiritually or became born again in hell. All that was needed for man’s salvation was completed on the cross at Golgotha. When He said “It is finished” (John 19:30), He meant all that was needed for the salvation of mankind has been accomplished: man’s sin propitiated for (penalty for sin paid) - 1 John 2:2; atonement (removal, remission or expatiation) of sin of the world done – John 1:29 and redemption (deliverance) of man from sin achieved - Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 3:8-9.

iii. Human beings are created to be gods

Biblical Stand – Brethren, God is God and remains God. Man is man and remains man. To equate God and man is an insult to God and to His Personality. God says in Isaiah 42:8 “ I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

3. The fruits they bear (their lifestyles)
One of the surest ways to confirm whether somebody is of God, or not is through the fruits the person bears, that is the person's mannerism and lifestyle. The Word of Faith pastors love extravagant lifestyles. They are the pastorpreneurs - jet owning pastors whose God is not poor. They enjoy wealth, fame and opulence. They are proud and very loud. They are attention seeking. They seek to domineer others and place themselves on pedestals where people would forever look up to them, tremble, bow and fall at their presence. They use satanic means to hold their church members hostage. Many of them use hypnotism, mind manipulation, intimidation and mesmerism, to hold their members in bondage. It is no surprise therefore that most of their church members have practically become robots obeying the orders of their pastors. Many of them seldom read their Bibles to know God by themselves; instead they read the books of these pastors and listen to their messages. Whenever they speak, they speak not the Word of God but the words of these pastors. This is the reason they can hardly take spiritual decisions and are always willing to do the bidding of these false teachers.

Our Lord Jesus Christ says the following in Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Conclusion
The foundation of the Word of Faith movement is definitely and emphatically not of God. Neither is it built upon the foundation laid by Christ Jesus The Lord. It is founded and shrouded in mysticism. Mysticism is of satan the devil. The foundation of any building defines its structure. When the foundation of a building is faulty or bad, then nothing good will come out of that building. True Christianity is founded on Christ Jesus. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
All biblical teachings and by implication true believers “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:20-22).
The pastors of the Word of Faith movement are not true ministers of God. They are impostors. They are all liars and antichrist. They deny Jesus Christ as the only Begotten Son of God, and thereby deny His Deity. 1 John 2:22-23 “2 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
Brethren, we have written this message because of our resolve to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) and to present the truth to the brethren who may not have known the evil inborn in this movement. As believers we must expose all unfruitful works of darkness, especially those that masquerade as angels of light using the platform of the church (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). The Holy Spirit teaches us that not only should we expose these false teachers, but also that we should not have fellowship with them nor promote their ministries via any means including social media or being members of their churches. He who disobeys this command becomes a partaker of their evil deeds.
Ephesians 5:11” And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Romans 16:17 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
2 John 9-11 “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”
My brothers and sisters, on whose side are you? Are you on the side of Jesus Christ or on the side of those who refuse to accept Him as Lord and Saviour, but see Him as their peer? The choice is yours to make. But remember that you came to this world alone, you will go back to meet The Lord alone and render your account to him alone (2 Corinthians 5:10). If you are in doubt of the truthfulness of this message, I strongly advise that you carry out your personal research to confirm its authenticity and veracity. Also pray that The Holy Spirit will open your eyes to the truth: because it is only the truth that sets free (John 8:32). Be like the Berea brethren who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11).
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15).
Till we meet again on this platform, I remain yours in Christ Jesus.

God bless you.

References

i. The Holy Bible King James Version

Retrieved from

ii. https://www.gotquestions.org/Word-Faith.html

iii. http://www.piratechristian.com/messedupchurch/2016/12/the-word-of-faith-cornucopia-of-false-doctrine

iv. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_Faith