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In the Hedge with David J

Message to my NewSpring Church friends who have stopped talking to me

One of the most baffling things I have experienced since I left NewSpring Church is how the people I used to talk to have all but disappeared. Anyone who has ever attended NewSpring Church knows how the volunteers go out of their way to make everyone feel welcomed.

When I first started attending NewSpring Church in Greenville, I made friends with some of the staff etc... I always enjoyed talking to them when I volunteered on Sundays and during membership class.

When I started digging deep into what Perry Noble was teaching and started speaking up against some of the things going on at NewSpring Church, problems began to arise.

I went out of my way to try to contact Perry Noble several times with questions about his teachings only to be intercepted by the campus pastor. I tried to e-mail Perry. I sent him messages on Twitter, etc... only to be completely ignored. When I decided to leave NewSpring Church I wrote two letters. One letter was sent to Perry Noble with my concerns based upon the Scriptures, and the other was sent as an e-mail to the Greenville campus pastor. In the e-mail to the Greenville Campus, I did not mention any of my concerns with Perry Noble.

I know some of you read my blog. I would like to say that my concerns and complaints with NewSpring Church have nothing to do with you. It is my prayer that you will read what I have been blogging about and go to the Scriptures as your final authority. All the good works, all the good intentions, and all the outward expressions of godliness do not pardon the errors being taught by Perry Noble. No matter how much you volunteer and see "x" number of confessions, it does not cover the fact the Perry Noble is giving you "sour milk."

In the Scriptures, we see that Jesus Christ did not come to bring harmony by ignoring errors. Many times Jesus and the apostles caused some problems by simply speaking the truth.

John 8:57-59 (New American Standard Bible)

⁵⁷So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"

⁵⁸Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."

⁵⁹Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

The Jews did not get angry because Jesus was a radical as Perry Noble likes to claim. Jesus Christ obeyed the Law, therefore He corrected the errors taught by some of the rabbis. These people did not get mad because they were religious as Perry likes to proclaim, but they got angry because the Word spoke against what they wanted to hear and follow.

The same thing is done by Noble when people try to point out his errors and his love of the world. He rants and raves calling us "pissed off" because we are "religious." His condemnation of people like me is based upon what? It is based upon the fact that I pointed to Col 3:8 and I Cor 13 when I tried to talk to him about his rant against being a pastor. Take a look at this blog where Perry defends a heretic named Joel Osteen and a false teacher named T.D. Jakes. Why does Perry defend false teachers like Rob Bell and rant against people like me who are sola scriptura, upholding the Bible as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice?

It really saddens me when so many of my NewSpring friends no longer respond to my e-mails, etc... All I can do is pray that God opens your hearts to the truth. What was my crime? My crime was exposing the problems with Perry Noble.

Matthew 10:33-36 (New American Standard Bible)

³³"But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

³⁴"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

³⁵"For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;

³⁶and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD."

Speaking the truth is never an easy thing to do. Pointing out the many errors in Perry Noble's ministry must be done because Noble is teaching a form of Christianity that is against the Scriptures. See "Did Jesus argue doctrine?"

It is my prayer that you will read my blogs about Noble and understand my concerns. My problem is not with you or anyone else who volunteers/attends NewSpring Church. My problem is with Perry Noble and his rebellious carnal leadership which make the Word of God out to be some sort of "hip" and "cool" relevant game of keeping a numbers scoreboard. See "Confessing Christ, false professions, and the numbers game."

The Bible is my final authority in my life. The Bible commands me to point out errors and warn people about false teachers and dangerous doctrines.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 (New International Version)

2 Timothy 4

¹In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ²Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

I truly hope that you understand my agenda and my reasons for exposing the errors taught by Perry Noble.

Romans 16:17-20 (New American Standard Bible)

¹⁷Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

¹⁸For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

¹⁹For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Romans 3:3-5 (New American Standard Bible)

³What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?

⁴May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written,
"THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,
AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."

⁵But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)

I stand by the Word of God as my foundation and my defense for my stand against Perry Noble and his false teachings.

Perry Noble twist the Scriptures to support his greed and "rock star" status

CEO Perry Noble all out twist the Scriptures in order to promote his multi-site church. Please go to Pajama Pages and watch this video "Perry Noble on the multi-site church"

I challenge any NewSpring supporters to defend Noble's blatant distortion of the Word of God to suit his own personal gain.

The Bible warns us about false teachers like Perry Noble.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

2 Peter 2

The Rise of False Prophets

¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

²Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

³and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

1 John 4:1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

1 John 4

Testing the Spirits

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Perry Noble does not qualify to be a pastor according to the Word of God.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Timothy 3

Overseers and Deacons

¹It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

³not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.

⁴He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

⁵(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),

⁶and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.

⁷And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Perry Noble is a hireling only seeking his own fame or fortune. I find it odd that Noble refuses to meet with his people, but he can drive to Atlanta to eat. See this video "A Purpose Driven Scolding" as Noble rants against being a pastor. When you watch this video keep 1 Cor 13 in mind.

John 10:11-13 (New American Standard Bible)

¹¹"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

¹²"He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.

¹³"He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

When I ponder all this information about Perry Noble it really angers and disgust me beyond what I can express on this blog. As a former NewSpring Church member, I fully understand how easy it is to be distracted by all the good works, the friendly volunteers, and the outward expression of godliness promoted by NewSpring Church. I fully understand that many who go to NewSpring are sincere honest people who have noble intentions as they work for the church. It is this sad truth that really angers me about Noble and how he abuses these people.

If you are a NewSpring Church member, I ask you to submit to the authority of the Scriptures. Ponder the Scriptures and ask yourself," Does Perry Noble actually obey the Word of God?" Please put aside the "no perfect people" defense that Perry Noble promotes and take a good hard look at his actions, his mouth, and his teachings.(See Perry Noble's bad advice and love of the world.)

It's one thing to have statements of faith like NewSpring, but it's another all together to follow these statements of faith. Perry Noble's antics are contrary to what God said that a pastor should be and contrary to how God commanded us to live as children of the King.

Perry Noble's defense of Joel Osteen and TD Jakes

CEO Perry Noble from NewSpring Church knows no boundaries when it comes to learning from other preachers. With Noble the evidence of God's blessing comes in the form of numbers rather than from actually teaching and following the commandments of God.

I have a philosophy of ministry that I used to not have–here it is, I can learn something valuable from any ministry that God is blessing–period!

I want to learn from people who do ministry differently than me…and it is amazing to me how stupid and insecure pastors and church leaders are when it comes to this.

For example–anytime I mention TD Jakes or Joel Osteen on this website we have idiots e-mail in with their “concerns” about issues in regards to their theology or teaching style. (As if the person e-mailing is perfect and has it all figured out!) (source)

Perry Noble resorts to his typical name calling and character attacks.What Noble fails to accept is that the Bible is the perfect Word of God and it is our final authority in matters of our faith. When heretics like Joel Osteen calls the Mormon Church Christian this goes far beyond Noble's blind-eye carnal defense. The Word of God condemns Osteen's defense of the false gospel of Joseph Smith.

2 Corinthians 11:3-5 (New American Standard Bible)

³But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

⁴For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

⁵For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.

Galatians 1:6-8 (New American Standard Bible)

Perversion of the Gospel

⁶I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

⁷which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

⁸But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

Why does Perry Noble scoff at the Scriptures? All one has to do is read the Scriptures and then listen to Joel Osteen to see that Osteen is a false teacher. Why does Perry Noble say that God is blessing Osteen? The answer is Noble only see's a big church and the dollar sign!

BUT, I’ve said it before and I will say it again…I have an incredible amount of respect for both of those men. God is blessing their ministries in an incredible way…and I know there are tons of things that I could learn from them. Just because you are trying to learn something from someone doesn’t mean that you believe exactly like them!

(And for those who feel like you can only learn from just like you…please repent to God for being shallow and ridiculous!) (source)

It's Noble who should repent and stop scoffing at the Scriptures. It is Noble that said that God is blessing heretics like Joel Osteen and false teachers like TD Jakes. TD Jakes said that all religions lead to Heaven (John 14:5-7).

Pay special attention how Perry Noble attacks people who speak out against these two false teachers and how Noble pardons the Satanic lies both Osteen and Jakes teach. Noble pardons the false teachers and attacks the Christians contending for the faith. Do you see a problem here?

#6 – What if pastors spent more time focusing on God’s Word and their own church rather than attempting to be watchdogs of everyone else’s ministry?

Dang…that was good…even if I say so myself!!!

I’ve got to be honest…I really don’t have time to tear down the ministry efforts of others. Seriously, I’ve got enough to be concerned about in trying to be a good husband, father and pastor. The day I have the time to rip apart other people’s ministry is the day that my ministry will be fruitless and dead.

(That’s the only way I would have the time…you see, if a vineyard is producing fruit then you really don’t have the time to peak at the perceived fruitfulness–or unfruitfulness–of others.)

I once heard TD Jakes say, “The problem with most pastors is that they never leave the locker room–they always feel the need to compare!” WHEW!

Pastors…you and I can experience TRUE freedom when we compare ourselves to our calling and God’s vision for our ministry and NOT the church down the road or across the country! We will not be held accountable for their ministry–we will be held accountable for ours! (Hebrews 13:17) (source)

Seems that Noble does not take his own advice. I'll list some Scriptures to help Perry Noble in his quest to focus more on God's Word. God considered it important enough to warn us about false teachers and false prophets.

Romans 16:17-20 (New American Standard Bible)

¹⁷Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

¹⁸For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

¹⁹For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.

²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Mark 13:21-23 (New American Standard Bible)

²¹"And then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ'; or, 'Behold, He is there'; do not believe him;

²²for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.

²³"But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

2 Peter 2

The Rise of False Prophets

¹But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

²Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;

³and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Birds of a feather flock together. When you look at the people Perry Noble wants to meet, you will see a common problem within all these people.

Refer here for more about Perry Noble's love of the world and poor discernment.

1 John 4:1-3 (New American Standard Bible)

1 John 4

Testing the Spirits

¹Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

³and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

The fruit of Perry Noble is poisonous and sour. His spiritual discernment is defiled by his love of the world. Beware of this false teacher!

Joel Osteen Biffs It On Mormonism

Here is Joel Osteen claiming that Mormons are Christians. Many from the Seeker-sensitive Purpose Drive Church for the Carnal Nature of Mankind like CEO Steven Furtick actually defend this heretic all because Osteen is popular and has a very large church. It seems that large numbers must pardon heresy and false teachings as long as the "church" is growing: see Furtick's blog about numbers.

You can watch the video here: Joel Osteen Biffs It On Mormonism

People following Furtick need to beware the poison water this false teacher is selling.

2 Peter 2:1-3 (New International Version)

2 Peter 2

False Teachers and Their Destruction

¹But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

Please Stop Pickin’ on Joel by CEO Steven Furtick

It seems CEO Steven Furtick has completely thrown spiritual discernment out along with Bible study groups(see this for Furtick's rant against those who crave God's Word). Now this CEO is defending Joel Osteen with his ever so loving methods of ranting against those of us who actually take the Word of God serious when it says to reprove and rebuke in 2 Timothy 4:1-3.

As in, Osteen.
As in, the pastor of the largest church in America.
As in, the guy that all seminary students seem to love to hate.

Yep, I hear it all the time. Guys take one systematic theology class, a semester of Greek, and all of a sudden they’re self appointed theological traffic cops.(source)

It seems that large numbers must mean something with the church in Furtick's world. Notice the attack upon those who truly study the Word of God in order to seek the truth.

But to all of you mean spirited name callers who have made a career of condemning celebrity preachers:
Who the heck do you think you are to criticize a man who is impacting a city like Pastor Joel is impacting Houston?
Or like Rick Warren is impacting the Saddleback Valley?
(Insert name of controversial preacher and city here… )

Osteen preaches to 40,000 people weekly…
You couldn’t get 40,000 people to come hear you preach if you gave away free Escalades at the door. (source)

Celebrity preachers? Name callers? Let's see what else Furtick has in store for us!

“Yeah, but Joel Osteen’s preaching isn’t Christ centered enough. And he didn’t make a bold stand for the exclusivity of the Gospel on Good Morning America that time. And, for crying out loud, he reads a stupid email forward at the beginning of every message before he does that �This is my Bible… ‘ thing… “(source)

It's seems that Furtick must have missed it when Osteen blessed the Mormon Church. I guess since the Mormon's have huge numbers then God must be blessing the Mormon Church!

If you’re concerned about a lack of cross centered preaching, then preach the cross yourself instead of wasting valuable time opining about how someone else should do it better.
If you think Osteen’s messages are too fluffy and lacking in Biblical content, then devote yourself to teaching God’s Word with passion and depth, and get after it. But don’t hate on a man you’ve never met and analyze the entire content of his ministry based on a 27 minute weekly broadcast. That’s illogical, narrow, and unfair, and you know it.
Don’t hurl insults at someone with a big church simply because you can’t make your church grow, and although you’d never admit it, you’re jealous.
That’s right… most of the time the motive isn’t defense of the Gospel… it’s jealousy and presumption.(source)

In other words, CEO Furtick is telling us not to let those pesky doctrines get into the way when it comes to the church. We should accept all who claim to be Christian no matter what twisted doctrines they teach as long as they are:

1. a celebrity preacher
2. have a large church

There you have it! CEO Steven Furtick's carnal knowledge at it's best.

You know, I think it’s absolutely essential that Christians think critically about what is being taught in Christian pulpits. We must preserve sound doctrine. We must guard against erroneous theologies.

But we must also guard against the kind of spiritual smugness that makes the world look at us and go:
“I thought they were wearing the same jersey… ” (source)

And the pot called the kettle black...

Steven Furtick: The man of change!

Steven Furtick CEO of Elevation Church rides more than the ever shifting sands of the seeker-sensitive purpose driven doctrine! In the above pictures(click for a better view) taken from the years 2006 to 2009, you will see how this seeker sensitive "hip" CEO changes with the times.

2 Timothy 3:1-8 (New American Standard Bible)

2 Timothy 3

"Difficult Times Will Come"

¹But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

²For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

³unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,

⁴treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

⁶For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,

⁷always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.

STEVEN FURTICK CALLS JOEL OSTEEN GREAT MAN OF GOD

CEO Steven Furtick decrees Joel Osteen as a great man of God.

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. (2 Peter 2:3)

Lust For Numbers Makes Strange Spiritual Bedfellows

A while back Apprising Ministries brought out that sadly today there are so many in the apostatizing evangelical community who are burying their heads within the spiritual sand of whatever offshoot—rooted in the semi-pelagian Church Growth Movement—it is that highjacked their particular brand of Christian sandbox.

So while apostasy sweeps through the landscape of the visible church they remain content to think everything is wonderfully progressing toward some utopian unity as they each follow their own personal Pied Pipers, whether it be PDL Pope Rick Warren or Rob Bell, the Elvis of Emergence Christianity, or Joel Osteen for his brand of Word Faith-lite.

The sad fact is that mainstream evangelicalism in America today is nauseatingly lukewarm. And far too many evangelical leaders have been unwilling to take serious theological stands that would require the Lord to back up His Word or else they would personally be destroyed. Yet to do so is not presumption, rather it is actually true Biblical faith that pleases God.(source)

Read more here: STEVEN FURTICK CALLS JOEL OSTEEN GREAT MAN OF GOD

Another language catastrophe

James Duncan from Pajama Pages asks the question,"Why can’t these Turnstile leaders use words from God’s Word when they describe the church?" referring to their poor choice of words to describe the body of Christ. He brings up some good points in his blog Another language catastrophe.

The typical defenders of these seeker-sensitive purpose driven CEO's always point to the numbers rather than the substance when questioned.

"Furtick tweets that 649 people chose to publicly declare Christ as their Savior"(source)

and

"Just wait what he posts or critiques when he hears about Newsprings 906 baptisms and their 276 salvations that happened today"(source)

My question is do these people even understand what salvation means? Are they even taught repentance? It's easy to repeat a prayer or buy into a mob mentality just to fit into these "hip" and "cool" seeker sensitive churches.

From sitting under Perry Noble, I can testify that repentance from sin is not explained at NewSpring Church. Steven Furtick is just as confused as Noble when it comes to repentance and salvation.

Just saying the name "Jesus" is meaningless without the drawing of the Holy Spirit. Every defender of Furtick, Noble, and Cooper always refers back to these huge numbers are proof God is working in this Churches for the Carnal Nature of Mankind. I deal with this issue in Confessing Christ, false professions, and the numbers game.

Furtick and Noble defenders really need to ponder this passage and ask these questions," How did Jesus not know these people when they did such wonderful works in His name? Clearly it seemed that Jesus was blessing them and working within them? How did Jesus not know them?"

Matthew 7:21-23 (New American Standard Bible)

²¹"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

²²"Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

²³"And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO

PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'