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 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

DID JESUS ARGUE DOCTRINE?

To Earnestly Contend For The Faith Does Encompass Arguing In Defense Of It

The obvious answer to the question “Did Jesus Ever Argue Doctrine” is: Absolutely, yes. In fact, we see an example of this right from the text I just cited above from the Gospel of Mark, which is the end of a series of arguments Mark tells us Jesus had been having with Jewish religious leaders. It’s only because the visible church, fearful of conflict, has decided to follow the whimsical ways of our effete culture that Christ’s confrontational style has been hidden.

So instead people turn to fickle fools advancing the doctrines of demons spewed from the seducing spirits operating within the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)—like Adam Walker Cleaveland to tell them incredibly stupid things like Jesus Was Wrong. And they turn to EC dreamers like Samir Selmanovic, who’s a member of the Coordinating Group for Emergent Village. (Source: Did Jesus Argue Doctrine? by Ken Silva) See the full article for the rest of this excellent blog.

When the world’s your mistress. by The Pilgrim September 8, 2009

"Worldly preachers seem to go out of their way to put their carnal expertise on display—even in their sermons. In the name of connecting with “the culture” they want their people to know they have seen all the latest programs on MTV; familiarized themselves with all the key themes of “South Park”; learned the lyrics to countless tracks of gangsta rap and heavy metal music; and watched who-knows-how-many R-rated movies. They seem to know every fad top to bottom, back to front, and inside out. They’ve adopted both the style and the language of the world—including lavish use of language that used to be deemed inappropriate in polite society, much less in the pulpit. They want to fit right in with the world, and they seem to be making themselves quite comfortable there." John MacArthur(source)

Do words really matter? by James Duncan

James Duncan from Pajama Pages has another article called Do Words Really Matter? that deals with the seeker-sensitive purpose driven church's flirtation with worldly acronyms and how they are scoffing at the Bible's condemnation of using filthy language.

Colossians 3:8 (New International Version)

⁸But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

I'm not surprised how men like Perry Noble and Brad Cooper try to redefine(or in the case of Brad Cooper openly defend cussing See HERE ) because they are constantly redefining the Word of God in order to support their love of the world. They are held captive by their carnality and love of the world, therefore it is of no surprise that they would seek to use language that is worldly and contrary to what God would have us to use in our walk with Him.

Colossians 2:6-8 (New American Standard Bible)

⁶Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

⁷having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?

John MacArthur addresses tithing and how we are not under the OT Law. The way many churches teach tithing is wrong and it short changes the purpose of giving.

Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?

Pastor Steven Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church burning the NIV in Ignorance

"Pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful Word Baptist Church has made quite a name for himself of late. Getting himself arrested, preaching on how he hopes the President dies, etc., is all just part of a day's work for this King James Onlyist! He posted a video showing the burning of NIV Bibles. In it claims are made, and not a one of them can stand up to examination. Here is my response." James White(source)

Why Tithing is wrong

Puritan Belief pretty well sums up the problem with tithing as taught by the church today.

When I converted to Christianity at age 23, I started tithing because I was taught to tithe 10% by my church. The typical passages from Malachi was preached in regards to the tithe and how if we tithe then God will bless our giving.

Years later, I started researching the Bible seeking Scripture to back up all my beliefs. When I studied the tithe, I discovered that it is not taught correctly today. The book of Colossians chapter 2 deals with how we are free from the OT Law which also includes the tithe.

When dealing with the OT tithe, we must remember that when Jesus was walking the earth, He had not yet completed His atonement for sin. Because of this Jesus did instruct people to listen to the Rabbi and to continue following the requirements of the OT. After His sin atonement, Jesus gave us the new covenant of Grace thus abolishing the Law that was against us. If we are to tithe today are we also to bring sin sacrifices to the temple for our sins?

Here is the article from Puritan Belief http://puritanbelief.blogspot.com/2006/02/why-tithing-is-wrong.html

Would the Devil Do This?

Discernment Ministries has an interesting blog about the Devil's attack upon the church. You can read this at http://herescope.blogspot.com/2009/08/would-devil-do-this.html

EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY PASTRIX NADIA BOLZ-WEBER EXPOUNDS ON PSALM 45

Ken Silva from Apprising Ministries has been doing the grunt work for many of us by following the apostasy brewing in the emergent seeker-friendly movement.

Mr. Silva has another good blog about this problem.

The seeker-sensitive movement just keeps getting farther and farther away from Sola Scriptura. In their efforts to be relevant and inclusive, the seeker-sensitive emergent movement "moves" God out of the way.

The bible warns us about these types of false teachers and false prophets:

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.

Please visit EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY PASTRIX NADIA BOLZ-WEBER EXPOUNDS ON PSALM 45 and read Mr. Silva's article. If possible please donate to his ministry to help him continue his fine work.

JOHN MACARTHUR: WHEN BEING “NICE” IS WRONG By Ken Silva

The problem is that the needed reformation within evangelicalism won’t occur at all if false ideas that undermine our core theological convictions cannot be openly attacked and excluded. When peaceful coexistence “with our deepest differences” becomes priority one and conflict per se is demonized as inherently sub-Christian, any and every false religious belief can and will demand an equal voice in the “conversation.”

That has actually been happening for some time already. Listen, for example, to what some of the leading voices in and around the Emergent movement have said. Tony Campolo is a popular speaker and author who has a major influence in evangelical circles. He believes evangelicals should be in dialogue with Islam, seeking common ground. In an interview conducted by Shane Claiborne,Campolo said:

I think that the last election aggravated a significant minority of the evangelical community, believing that they did not want to come across as anti-gay, anti-women, anti-environment, pro war, pro capital punishment, and anti-Islam. There is going to be one segment of evangelicalism, just like there is one segment in Islam that is not going to be interested in dialogue. But there are other evangelicals who will want to talk and establish a common commitment to a goodness with Islamic people and Jewish people particularly.

Brian McLaren is perhaps the best-known figure in the Emergent conversation. He thinks the future of the planet—not to mention the salvation of religion itself (including Christianity)—depends on a cooperative search for the real meaning of Jesus’ message. In McLaren’s assessment, this means an ongoing dialogue between Christians and followers of all other religions. This, he is convinced, is of the utmost urgency:

In an age of global terrorism and rising religious conflict, it’s significant to note that all Muslims regard Jesus as a great prophet, that many Hindus are willing to consider Jesus as a legitimate manifestation of the divine, that many Buddhists see Jesus as one of humanity’s most enlightened people, and that Jesus himself was a Jew, and without understanding his Jewishness, one doesn’t understand Jesus. A shared reappraisal of Jesus’ message could provide a unique space or common ground for urgently needed religious dialogue—and it doesn’t seem an exaggeration to say that the future of our planet may depend on such dialogue. This reappraisal of Jesus’ message may be the only project capable of saving a number of religions, including Christianity.

Indiscriminate congeniality, the quest for spiritual common ground, and peace at any price all naturally have great appeal, especially in an intellectual climate where practically the worst gaffe any thoughtful person could make is claiming to know what’s true when so many other people think something else is true. Besides, dialogue does sound nicer than debate. Who but a fool wouldn’t prefer a calm conversation instead of conflict and confrontation?

In fact, let’s state this plainly once more: Generally speaking, avoiding conflicts is a good idea. Warmth and congeniality are normally preferable to cold harshness. Civility, compassion, and good manners are in short supply these days, and we ought to have more of them. Gentleness, a soft answer, and a kind word usually go farther than an argument or a rebuke. That which edifies is more helpful and more fruitful in the long run than criticism. Cultivating friends is more pleasant and more profitable than crusading against enemies. And it’s ordinarily better to be tender and mild rather than curt or combative—especially to the victims of false teaching.

But those qualifying words are vital: usually, ordinarily, generally. Avoiding conflict is not always the right thing. Sometimes it is downright sinful. Particularly in times like these, when almost no error is deemed too serious to be excluded from the evangelical conversation, and while the Lord’s flock is being infiltrated by wolves dressed like prophets, declaring visions of peace when there is no peace (cf. Ezekiel 13:16). Even the kindest, gentlest shepherd sometimes needs to throw rocks at the wolves who come in sheep’s clothing. (The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ, 17-19)

John MacArthur

The above article was taken from http://apprising.org/2009/08/john-macarthur-when-being-nice-is-wrong/ by Ken Silva

The Berean example in Acts 17:11

One of the most common criticism I get from fellow Christians is I spend a good deal of time talking about what is wrong with other churches and preachers. I'm often told by these people that I should spend this time trying to further the kingdom of God instead of tearing down other ministries. While this advice sounds good on the surface, making many in the seeker-sensitive movement applaud, it's not very biblical advice. The misconception is that by discussing these types of issues within the church, that I am trying to tear down another person's ministry. This is not the case nor is it my agenda. By pointing out problems within movements like the seeker-sensitive camp, shining the light of the Scriptures upon errors taught in the church, and calling people out by name is by no means tearing down these ministries. It's simply exposing problems in hopes these errors will be corrected in the future and also warning fellow Christians about the dangers of poor doctrine.

In the Scriptures, the Apostle Paul went to a group of believers in Berea. When Paul delivered the message these people were not quick to accept it as the truth. They dug deep into the Scriptures and examined what Paul said in order to verify his word as the truth.

Acts 17:10-11 (New American Standard Bible)

Paul at Berea

¹⁰The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

¹¹Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

This example encourages me to blog about dangerous teachings within the Christian faith. I cannot sit around and say nothing just because I might be perceived as tearing down the kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:1-4 (New American Standard Bible)

2 Timothy 4

"Preach the Word"

¹I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

The Bible tells us to reprove and rebuke errors with great patience. It does not tell us to remain silent and do nothing. In Galatians 2 we see a good example of this when Paul correcting Peter's error in public.

Galatians 2:11-14 (New American Standard Bible)

Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul

¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

¹²For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.

¹³The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

¹⁴But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

Paul did not remain silent just because Peter was in the same camp. Paul corrected Peter and contended for the faith.

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.

The Berean example encourages deep study and backing our beliefs with the Scriptures. There is nothing wrong with exposing false teachers, false doctrines, and errors in the church as long as we expose these errors in truth and love.

Perry Noble's bad advice and love of the world

NewSpring Church Senior Pastor Perry Noble is running full steam ahead with the "score" and "scoreboard" slogan lately. James Duncan from Pajama Pages has been discussing this "scoreboard" defense used by Perry Noble to counter or should I say ignore his critics.

I want to examine this Twitter post from Perry Noble and take a hard look at some of his more colorful antics at NewSpring Church. I will focus on his statement that "God did not call the church to withdraw from the world" and compare it with what God told us about the world in the Bible. I have already dealt with the "scoreboard" logic in my blog Confessing Christ, false professions, and the numbers game, so I'm not going to get into that part again.

The first bad advice from Perry Noble is assuming that pastors and leaders can run up a spiritual scoreboard. This is very flawed advice that puts the emphasis on the pastor and church leadership rather than on Jesus Christ. This type of advice leads to a cult of personality with heavy emphasis on the leaders and church culture. I would suggest that Perry Noble ponder the Doctrines of Grace a little more or think about what he is posting to Twitter before he posts it.

Let's move on to the subject of the church not withdrawing from world. I fully agree with Perry Noble that the church must not withdraw from the world (Refer to my blog "In the hedge and on the highway" for my thoughts on how we reach out to people). Perry Noble is big on outreach and numbers. He is always referring back to his slogan, "to make the name of Jesus famous one life at a time!" as his rallying battle cry. To me, this slogan is just another marketing tool used to promote NewSpring Church. It's not like Jesus needs us to make His name famous. I'll put aside my prejudice of this slogan for a moment to say I fully agree with it and Perry Noble's vision. In making the name of Jesus famous should we not focus on more than just saying the name and counting heads? In making Jesus' name famous we should show the world Jesus as Jesus is described in the Bible. Perry Noble's visions for making Jesus' name famous does not accurately reflect the outline found in the Bible for spreading Jesus' name. Let's dig a little deeper into Noble's rabbit hole and see what we find. As a former NewSpring Church member, I have some first hand knowledge of how NewSpring's rabbit holes work.

When Perry Noble gives advice that the church is not to withdraw from the world it sounds really good until you get to know what Noble is referring to with this statement. Perry Noble uses the hooks and snares of the world to bait and switch unregenerated people into visiting NewSpring Church. This tactic works, and it works well. The proof is easily seen in the numbers of people who attend NewSpring Church.

Let's examine some of Perry Noble's advice and actions from the past:

Last Easter Perry Noble used AC\DC's Highway to Hell as an opening song at NewSpring Church (see also Perry Noble's message from AC/DC Sunday). Perry has claimed people were saved because of using AC\DC's "Hell's Bells" . If you read the links, you will see how Perry Noble believed that God used worldly music to spread His Gospel. Perry Noble's severe lack of discernment is seen in his blog called I-Pod as he refers to Rob Bell (see link for Bell's heresy) as a preacher he listens to on a regular basis. Perry Noble also uses some very colorful language(cussing), crude language, prophetic visions , and bad advice. He promotes worldly songs like those by Usher (refer to Can I enjoy movies and culture and still be a Christian? around the 35-40 minute mark) that encourage people toward sinful thoughts, and uses lust- filled songs like "Crazy in Love" (refer to NewSpring's "Crazy in Love” by Beyonce) all in the name of making Jesus name famous. These antics are used by Perry Noble to help spread the the Gospel of Jesus Christ by reaching out and appealing to culture to draw those without Jesus into the church.

We can see in these examples how Perry Noble details what he means by "not withdrawing from the world" which is translated: "Use the world's music, tactics, and language to be relevant to reach the lost. As long as we worship Jesus this is all good because the ends justify the means." Perry Noble adds to his statement by saying, "Run up the score" which is translated: "When you are criticized for your actions, simply point to the number of members attending your church as evidence God is working in your ministry through your vision".

Now let's examine Perry Nobles's actions and claims using the Berean example found in Acts 17:11.

Acts 17:11 (New International Version)

¹¹Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

In the Bible it clearly tells us not to love the world (1 John 2:14-18 ,1 John 2:15, Romans 8:5-8) or to be held captive by it (Colossians 2:1-9).

The Bible tells us to abstain from evil (1 Peter 2:10-12 ,1 Thessalonians 5:21-23) and to be of good reputation (1 Timothy 3:1-7 , Titus 1:1-9 ,Titus 2:6-8, Philippians 2:14-16)

The Bible tells us to not have a filthy mouth (Col 3:8).

When we compare the Scriptures to Perry Noble, we see a problem with his ministry. Do we see Perry Noble when we read this passage?

Titus 2:11-13 (New American Standard Bible)

¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

¹²instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,

¹³looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

Lastly, I want to discuss Perry Noble's distortion of Acts 17:22-24 he presented in Can I enjoy movies and culture and still be a Christian? 08/10/08 from week 5 of the "You asked for it" series. This is a very good illustration by Perry Noble that shows us exactly what he means by not withdrawing from the world. The way Perry Noble twists and distorts the Apostle Paul is borderline heresy. Noble paints a picture as if Paul dug deep into Greek culture. I'm sorry, Mr. Noble, but in Greece Zeus was considered the god of the gods and many people knew about Zeus. It's not like the quote that Paul used was unknown except for an enlightened few who followed Greek culture. This did not mean that Paul spent his time partaking in the Greek culture. I challenge anyone reading this blog to listen to this message and simply study the Scriptures. One thing we must keep in mind is that Paul was dealing with a false religion and not popular culture as implied in this sermon by Perry Noble.

In this account of the unknown god in Acts 17, Perry Noble's carnal interpretation of this event fails the test of the Scriptures. One would think Paul studied and regularly used Greek pagan culture in his preaching to the Greeks according to Noble's presentation of this event. Paul did not bring this idol, Greek culture, or any relevant secular works into the church to draw the Greek people in. Paul did not use the relevant excuse to put worldly culture into the church like Noble uses to justify his antics at NewSpring Church. Paul warned us against these things in Romans 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 10:1-3, Romans 6:1-3, Romans 6:14-16 so why would Paul tell these Greeks they are the exception to the rule? If this was the case then why did Paul even bother writing 1 and 2 Corinthians?

I can explain the point of Acts 17:22-24 using myself as an example. If I walked by a group of Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses debating who God is and how we know who Jesus was, then this would be very similar to what happened in Acts 17. Because I have studied the Mormon and the Jehovah Witness faiths, I can answer their questions using their terminology about who Jesus Christ really is by simply leading them to the true Scriptures. If I took Perry Noble's explanation of this event as a guide to my walk with Jesus, then I would add Mormon/Jehovah Witness culture and literature: The Book of Mormon and the New World Translation, to my study and include them in my sermons. Taking Noble's advice a little further, I could go back to my church to add Mormon and Jehovah Witness books, study guides, magazines, lesson plans, etc... in the church to lure Mormons and Jehovah Witness into the house of God. I could turn right around and claim that because I used Mormon/Jehovah Witness culture that God used this "relevant" material to lead "x" number of people to Christ! Clearly this poor explanation from Perry Noble about the Apostle Paul is laying a foundation of foolish advice, worldliness, confusion, and carnality in the Christian faith. The bottom line is Perry Noble willingly twisted the Scriptures out of context in order to defend his love of the world and the world's culture that holds him captive. Noble jumps through hoops in order to make the Word of God sound as if it justifies Noble's rebellion and love of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (New American Standard Bible)

¹⁴Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

¹⁵Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

¹⁶Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
"I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
¹⁷"Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.

The Scriptures command those of us in Christ to separate ourselves from loving the world, abstain from any appearance of evil, to live a life striving to live godly for Jesus. The old Perry Noble "No Perfect People Allowed" defense does not justify loving the world and walking in carnality. When God inspired the prophets to write the Bible, God clearly understood that we are not perfect people which is why He gave us 1 John 2:1-3 as a reminder when we fall short and sin. God wants us to love Him above all. Mr. Noble, you cannot mix light with darkness no matter how many members you have, your church's good works, how many million dollar buildings you have, etc... and then say God is telling you to do so. God will never tell us to use sin as a tool to spread the Gospel. The father of lies will tell us that sin is not that bad as long as something good comes from it. In other words, Satan will lead us to believe that if worldliness leads to a profession of Christ then worldliness is justified because it helps make Jesus' name famous.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (New International Version)

¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

How people accept false teachers & their different messages

I really enjoyed this lesson on YouTube from hetgow. It's an great way to illustrate how people fall under false teachings from false prophets.

We all can learn something from this video about how false beliefs enter the church and who is behind these teachings.