Archive | August, 2022

Creflo Dollar: Tithing & Tongues

14 Aug

            In 2005, Pastor Pamela Shepard dreamt of televangelist Creflo Dollar. He had keloids all over his head and was wearing raggedy, old clothes so filthy that he looked like he had been sleeping in them. He ran into an elevator of a project ghetto that was drenched in urine, exited onto another floor and began knocking on doors. Creflo was trying to gather a choir of singers from the neighborhood for his next church project.

There was Creflo Dollar: multimillionaire pastor who had once fundraised for a private jet, stuck in a puddle of urine with worn out clothes, begging for help in a run-down building.

17 years later on July 3rd, 2022, Creflo Dollar made headlines for stating that his past teachings on tithing – his pride and joy of a doctrine for decades beforehand – were incorrect.

“I want to start off by saying to you that I’m still growing and that the teachings I’ve shared in the times past on the subject of tithing were not correct. And today, I stand in humility to correct some things I have taught for years and believed for years, but could never understand it clearly because I had not been confronted with the Gospel of grace, which has made the difference.”

“I won’t apologize ‘cause if it wasn’t for me going down that route, I would have never ended up where I am right now. But I will say that I have no shame at all saying to you, throw away every book, every tape and every video I did on the subject of tithing unless it lines up with this.”

The implications of both this confession and the dream need to be seriously evaluated because they raise the following question: if Creflo Dollar was in error about his teachings on tithing in relation to the prosperity gospel, what other false doctrines was his audience practicing?

How could one who is born again be portrayed as having keloids on their head and around the mind when they should be wearing the helmet of salvation? A keloid is a scar that has not healed correctly, and Creflo Dollar being in an elevator filled with urine and wearing raggedy clothes is symbolic of uncleanness and unrighteousness. The dream suggests that Creflo Dollar is not actually rich, but poor in a spiritual sense and that he is not born again.

What the Lord is saying with this dream is that when Creflo Dollar apologizes, do not accept it as it is a scam. He is not born again and is deceived, teaching in error and persisting in doing so despite the apology.

The Deception of Tongues

            Creflo Dollar’s doctrines of the prosperity gospel and tongues were inspired by Kenneth Copeland, a prominent televangelist in the Charismatic movement. In the video above, we see Copeland with Dollar at his side as he speaks of an experience where a spirit came over him. Copeland soon found himself speaking in tongues to Creflo Dollar and even saying they interpreted their words to each other.

Tongues as defined in the Scriptures meant the speaking of different languages by the spirit. The “tongues” we hear in the church today (and even other religious buildings) is not a human language, but one that is uttered by evil spirits. They are two different things, with the current iteration of tongues being a tool by the devil.

Satan’s goal with tongues is to use the speaker to make a mockery of God by speaking forth evil upon ourselves, our families, loved ones, friends and nations all whilst being unaware of what we are saying. One could be speaking curses onto their own families and not even know it because they don’t understand what they’re saying. The words one speak have consequences in the spirit realm. How much more will those words do when the person is channeling evil spirits to speak through them?

We do not know if tongues has totally ceased. It is possible that in some part of the world that it is used legitimately. That said, it is much easier to interpret and translate other languages due to modern technology and the ability to learn languages being much more accessible than it was when the church spoke in tongues in the New Testament. Seek through the records of the church up to the 1900s and you will find there is no evidence of tongues being used.

We are in the 11th hour. This false practice of tongues is a latter-day assailment by the devil through the twisting of scripture to get people to curse themselves. The enemy has used prominent televangelists and church leaders to normalize the practice. This leads to the average person trying to achieve these things for themselves and opening the floodgates to spiritual torment and deception. We know because multiple clients have reported coming here because they experienced torment after speaking in tongues!

Evaluate Yourselves

            This ties us to a vital point for any Christian: we must humble ourselves or we will be unfruitful in God.

Creflo Dollar failed to fully show humility here, making a point to say that he was not going to apologize because his mistakes got him to where he is today. When he said this, I was aghast at how he made the entire ordeal about himself. I wonder how many millions of people wrongly tithed and how many hurt their own livelihoods because of Creflo. I wonder how many went too far with it and lost their savings out of misplaced faith because of his teachings. And yet, he asserts that he does not even owe them an apology because those errors in teaching led him to where he is now.

There is no humility in this. I am of the opinion that one led by the Spirit would feel remorse for teaching false doctrines to whom they believed were the elect of God. I see no regard for the damage he has done to the people whose lives were hurt by excessive tithing.

Due to Creflo Dollar’s teachings on tithing and the prosperity gospel, the poor have gotten poorer. People went broke over this. The concept of tithing and giving was distorted into a lottery game, with people who had little income giving all they had. Tithing was taught as a necessity for holiness, meaning people were scared to not tithe and thought they would be cursed if they didn’t. This is more fear-based teaching in the church.

I state that Creflo Dollar and his followers would benefit from seriously reevaluating everything he has taught. The prosperity gospel and tongues are both prevalent in the church yet are false teachings that were warned about in Paul’s epistles.

When one persists in false doctrines and lies, they find themselves entangled in a tight web that permits them from growing spiritually, often without even realizing it.

The Godly reaction to learning that one is wrong in their teaching is to cease it altogether and diligently reexamine everything they know. Creflo Dollar has influenced millions of people into deception and falsehood yet is planning on continuing his teachings. He needs to examine himself and realize that he is not in the faith and give up teaching.

In Creflo Dollar’s case, it could take years to undo all the deception he has learned. It is because of cases like this that we must remain vigilant and examine ourselves, both for our own souls and the good of the brethren. Identifying these teachings and discarding them so one can follow a path of truth is the proper response to falsehoods like these.

Have you found yourself harmed by teachings you learned in church? Do you find yourself questioning some of its teachings or if God is even there? If you seek truth and want to guard your soul and spirit in Christ against the pitfalls and deceptions of the enemy, give EIC a call at 888-818-1117 or email rescueonfb@icloud.com.

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Discerning of Spirits: Is It God or the Devil?

4 Aug
What seems heavenly may be a snare from the devil!

It was decided the other week that I would begin writing for the ministry again. I had expected this to go smoothly, as I used to write on a consistent basis last year. After going a good amount of time without much in the way of significant attacks from the enemy, I had not expected him to assail me.

I was dead wrong in that expectation.

My last article spoke about the spirit of the antichrist, an evil spirit who acts as the antithesis to the Spirit of Christ that dwells within born again children of God. I have noticed that when something good happens in my life, often by the grace of God, that the enemy is right around the corner to try and down me after experiencing victory and peace in the Lord.

The Enemy Poses as God in Dreams

The same night where I had correspondence with Pastor Pam on what to write about, I readied for bed. Yet a strange happening occurred. I sat in bed when it seemed like things around me got foggy and dim, as in, existence itself got dark and blurry. It was spiritual in nature and I found it strange, then went to sleep where I dreamt.

I used to be in the Marine Corps. I have had dreams before where military life is used as symbolism, both by God and the devil. In the first dream, I found myself on the first floor of a school, roaming the halls, as if I was skipping class. Up on the second floor, I could hear one of my old sergeants, Sergeant Moore, speaking.

“I’m worried about George’s progress in class,” she said.

I remember Sergeant Moore. She was one of my best sergeants. I could hear how much she cared in her voice, which was consistent with her character as she had always gone out of her way to check on me when we served together. She was a woman who was brave, kind, intelligent, strong-willed and unintimidated by any circumstance. Sergeant Moore represented a reliable and loving leader in the spirit.

I walked up the stairs and went to attend her class after hearing her and saw her in the hallway. She sneered at me.

“Well, look who decided to show up after skipping class!” Her voice bellowed this time and was mighty as she mocked me.

I found myself in the classroom taking a test, where I hid the answers and had a second test on top of it, cheating and hiding my answers.

She shouted, “And he was doing so well, too!” I could feel the disappointment in her voice.

I woke up and interpreted the dream as Sergeant Moore representing God telling me that I was not applying myself to learning in the spirit, because classrooms represent spiritual growth in dreams.

The next night, I experienced the same dimness around me. I slept and found myself in a warehouse, a similar work environment that I have experienced in the natural realm. As I was working, a manager came up to me, stirred with anger so great that steam was fuming out of his head. He was telling me about all he did for his workers and every step he took to optimize their working conditions, and that I was messing it all up.

I woke up and interpreted the dream as similar to the first one, though with this one suggesting that I was being used to frustrate the work of the ministry.

I slept again the next night and found myself in a bus with a few passengers on a draw bridge. The bus crept up to right before the bridge split open, then backed up. Then, it roared forward and sent us diving off the bridge into the core of the earth, splitting open and sending us to hell. A city where instead of oxygen in the air, there were instead flames and lava.

I awoke and was cautious. These dreams had come in straight succession and I wondered if they were designed to create urgency in me. I went about my life.

As I went about my business, I peered into the spirit. And I saw a shadowy demon who has stalked me throughout my life, breathing and glaring at me. I would sometimes see a huge bull, ugly and in a position as if he was standing right next to me.

The Difference Between God & Satan

I took all these experiences to Pastor Pam and it was revealed that they were dreams designed to get me to fear and make me ineffectual.

Because my fear is not of the devil or any of his wiles, but of the Lord. The thought of God being disappointed, angry or thinking that I was a roadblock to His work was what I really feared and the enemy used it against me.

Since I had thought the first two dreams were from God, it actually stressed me out and made me doubt myself in a serious way because I did not want to do anything that would be displeasing to God.

Seeing the demon was an intimidation tactic, sending a message posing the question of, ‘if you can see me so easily, are you truly right with God?’ The whole week had been a barrage of assaults launched by the devil against me during a pivotal time where I wanted to sit down, lock in and do work for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Beyond that, the evidence that it was from the enemy was that the dreams were condemning in nature. I can tell you from experience that the Lord will lovingly correct His children for their betterment in a gentle, tender way that is sometimes even humorous.

I’ve learned that when analyzing a spiritual occurrence, that one’s emotions must be looked at. Are you feeling condemned, accused or even shamed? That’s the devil. God chastises those He loves for the nourishment of their soul and spirit, to make them more Christlike. Satan accuses those he hates.

As I said, when God moves, the enemy will often be right around the corner to counteract. This links back to my writing about the spirit of the antichrist versus the Spirit of God and how they interact with the children of God. I was fortunate to have Pastor Pam counsel me on these things, and it was good that I brought them to her. Revealing subjects that may be difficult to face is pivotal and key to spiritual growth and progress in counseling.

Discerning good from evil is a skill that takes time to develop, even a lifetime, but things worked out for the good of the Lord. I was reassured to stay the path of righteousness and service to God.

Exodus Internet Church is about gaining knowledge to discern what is from God versus what is from the devil according to the individual and their own unique experiences. If you find yourself seeking spiritual growth in Christ, give EIC a call at 888-818-1117 or email rescueonfb@icloud.com.

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Kim Burrell’s Judgmental Commentary: Empowerment in Christ

2 Aug

           

Kim Burrell, the 49-year old Gospel singer who has worked with musical artists like Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Frank Ocean recently went viral for comments she gave during a sermon at Kingdom City Church. Burrell received backlash online for referring to the attendees as broke, ugly and praising anti-vaccination ideas in favor of “walking by faith.”

Here are some of the comments she made:

“Sometimes before we get friends we have to do an interview: How long you been broke? How many times have you changed your name on your light bill? How many of your bills are in your little cousin’s name? Do you live in a trailer home or a house?”

“You understand. It’s not about status or material things. It’s just about choices.”

“We’re at church… those of us that are walking by faith without a mask and no vaccine,”

“Who likes to be told you’re just ugly? No one likes to be told that,” Burrell said. “Most don’t get offended until they know the bad thing about themselves… I haven’t chosen anyone to be ugly yet. God is good. God is great. You all look great. Most of you have on hats covering most of that anyway. Here’s to you.”

“I have a great personality.”

I want to notate three things in particular when analyzing these comments. 1) Luke 6:45 tells us, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks 2) There is a spiritual element to the words Kim Burrell spoke and 3) Sermons like these are evidence that the loving spirit between the brethren of the church is not there.

The Spiritual Agenda Behind Burrell’s Words

We live in a spiritual world. While we live here in the physical/natural realm, the truth is that there are invisible spirits all around us with their own agendas. Satan’s agenda for the churches across the world are to take them over and “slip in” his own deceptions into the sermons while masquerading as God.

I have gleaned into Kim Burrell’s sermon and the truth is that the spirit of the antichrist is at work behind what she said! The spirit of the antichrist acts as the antithesis to God and Godly things. The Spirit of God promotes love, joy and peace amongst brethren. The antichrist who counteracts these things looks to promote judgement, condemnation, strife and conflict between people.

Lies, judgement and condemnation are among Satan’s most effective tools at keeping people in bondage and Burrell’s words are laced with them. They are used to attack a person’s soul by lowering their self-esteem and instilling falsehoods in them. Once a person “accepts” these falsehoods and it becomes part of their soul, evil spirits around the recipient have more ground to attack, influence and even use them for their own wicked agenda.

When one goes to church, one should be uplifted, empowered or sobered spiritually because the truths of God are being sprinkled into their soul upon listening to the speaker. Kim Burrell’s message has instead been used to mock people for their lack of material wealth or belongings, judging others, and promoting the idea that one is walking by faith by not wearing a mask or getting a vaccine. Are all of these ideas not purely of the flesh?

Since becoming born again, I have become more sensitive to the impact that words have on others and the human soul. Kim Burrell’s words revealed her innermost beliefs on what makes someone worthy, whether it be by their financial status or how they “exercise faith,” in this case by not wearing a mask.

Yet, I have mercy for her because it’s clear her evil spirits have gotten such a stronghold on her that she can say these ungracious and unkind things to the people she should be uplifting in Christ. It is also a sad truth that she is not the first pastor recently who has denigrated their fellow churchgoers or spread the lie that neglecting to protect oneself from COVID-19 is a form of Godliness.

Be Uplifted at EIC

Here at EIC, some of the most important fundamental teachings are understanding God, having love for the brethren and differentiating spirit from flesh. Lately in our assemblies, we have been speaking about what makes EIC unique and one of those things is demonstrating what it means to be Godly towards others both in deed and speech.

I am someone who had many flaws that were brought to the surface while being counseled in EIC. In fact, I experienced the things that Kim Burrell mocked people for because I have lived as someone who was broke with a great many ugly things in his soul. I was narcissistic, selfish, self-absorbed, manipulative, cold-blooded, angry, and many more ungodly things!

Yet, not once when I brought the truths of myself to Pastor Pam did she judge, condemn or mock me. Not once did God’s chosen vessel for pastoring me make me feel like I was less of a person or unworthy for the weaknesses and deficiencies of my soul. Instead, she taught me that I had a narcissistic flesh that was not beyond God’s power to restore with His love and mercy. I cannot imagine anyone truly being born again in Christ make the denigrating statements Kim Burrell said so casually. Indeed, a born again person would be convicted of their harsh speech and God’s Spirit would call them to repent.

Beyond this, I was taught how important it is to exercise common sense and logic, both with making decisions for myself and while interacting with other people. I was taught to be courteous and kind to others because that is what it means to be Godly. I was taught that using the scientific advantages that we as a people have been blessed with in this day and age like the vaccine is something to be grateful for and use to one’s benefit.

When the assembly of EIC gets together for service, we are about spiritual empowerment, gaining Godly knowledge from each other and moving as a cohesive unit as different limbs of the Body of Christ. EIC is what a church assembly should be, a place where we see one’s confessed weaknesses made into strengths by the mercy, glory and brilliance of God.

To the reader: I lovingly urge you to not accept ungodly ideas into your spiritual life. Do not be complacent or lukewarm with giving someone a pass if they are preaching falsehoods, condemnation and judgement to your face in the pulpit. Because God is infinitely noble and cares for you! He wants one not to be bogged down by ugly and hurtful words from a false teacher, but to give you a new spirit and heart for Christ! If one’s speech evidences that the devil is speaking through them, flee from them and instead seek God!

Exodus Internet Church is about spiritual empowerment and gaining knowledge to discern what is from God versus what is from the devil. If you find yourself seeking spiritual growth in Christ, give EIC a call at 888-818-1117 or email rescueonfb@icloud.com.

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