Andy Stanley and His “Deep and Wide” Tour: What Happened to the Narrow Way?

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

I wrote in an article recently that I had contacted In Touch Ministries about Andy Stanley.  Dr. Charles Stanley heads In Touch Ministries. I have loved and respected Charles Stanley for years.  I simply wanted to find out what (if anything) he was doing about his son’s false teaching. I asked if Dr. Stanley was still inviting Andy to preach at his church.

I received this in response:

Dear Geri,

“Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and questions with us. It is a privilege to correspond with you.

Please understand Dr. Stanley does not critique other pastors, churches, or ministries; this includes his own son, Reverend Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Community Church. You asked if Dr. Stanley has disallowed his son from preaching at First Baptist Atlanta. We are not aware of any such ban, as Reverend Andy Stanley does occasionally join Dr. Stanley in taping special birthday or holiday messages. We hope this answer, though brief, has been helpful. Thank you again for contacting us. May the very best of God’s blessings be yours.” (Emphasis added)

So, evidently Dr. Stanley does not think that being a “Watchman on the wall” is of any importance.  The Bible does not support Dr. Stanley’s view:

 “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 3:18-19).

I wish to make clear that I am not judging the Salvation of Andy Stanley. I pray that he will understand that the slippery slope on which he finds himself is leading to all sorts of errant teaching.  His words are NOT from the Word of God.

I also pray that Andy’s father, Charles, will be convicted of his need to rebuke the false teachings of his son. For that matter, I pray that Dr. Stanley will see that he is called to be a watchman on the wall. All of us who are born again are called by God to be watchmen.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction (2 Peter 2: 1-3).

If the reader is not aware of the errant teachings of Andy Stanley of North Point Community Church,  Here are two articles I wrote about this:

The Apostate Teachings of Andy Stanley of North Point Church

Andy Stanley: The Virgin Birth is of No Importance – Charles Stanley Should Ban His Son From Preaching at His Church

Andy Stanley’s Deep and Wide Tour: “Reclaiming Irresistible”

My comments are indented

From deepandwidetour.com

ONCE UPON A TIME OUR FAITH WAS IRRESISTIBLE.

Was the Gospel ever “irresistible?” This infers that “once upon a time” all of mankind could NOT resist the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is simply not true.

I’m convinced it can be again, and last year during our inaugural Deep & Wide Tour, I discovered I wasn’t alone.

Thousands of church leaders showed up at each event to learn how to better navigate the complexity and opportunity of growing our churches and expanding our influence in a post-Christian culture.

A Post Christian culture?  I think that Andy Stanley is not studying the Word of God. If he was, he would clearly see that we are still in the “Church Age” but that more people reject the Gospel than embrace it.

So this fall, I’m going back out on the road to keep the conversation going and the adrenaline flowing. This time around, we will be discussing:

  • The New Jesus introduced for the world
  • The best-kept secret of Christian apologetics
  • New approaches to evangelism and evangelistic preaching
  • A fresh approach to preaching and teaching the Old Testament

The NEW Jesus?  Could anything be more telling about the heretical teachings of this man?  How completely arrogant to tell his followers that he has discovered the NEW Jesus?  There is ONE Lord of Glory, Jesus Christ, and He changes not!

A fresh approach to preaching and teaching the Old Testament?  Andy, I have recently read that you said that preaching from the OT is completely unnecessary for the believer!  Is that your “Fresh approach?”

As always, I can’t promise to fill your cup, but I will certainly show up prepared to empty mine. The day will be structured around these four talks along with two Q&As. The content will be practical, actionable, and field-tested. I’m confident you will find much to adapt and apply to your current ministry context.

Don’t worry about not promising to fill the cups of your attendees – your promise to “Empty yours” is scary at best.  But Andy, your people will surely fill your bank account at $129 a pop!

As a bonus, everybody who registers will receive a free copy of my soon-to-be-released book, Irresistible.

WOW!  Andy Stanley is not just raking in the money for his tour, but he is presenting his soon to be published book!  What an entrepreneur Pastor Stanley has become!

The church changed the world once. There’s still much about our world that needs to change. To be the catalyst it once was, the church must rediscover irresistible. If the thought of that makes your heart beat a bit faster, you’re the type of leader who will benefit from our day together. source

If the reader can stomach reading more from this promotional hogwash, here is the link:

Deepandwidetour.com

As discerning believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should be able to see clearly that the teachings of Andy Stanley are becoming more and more errant and heretical.

We should be praying for both Andy Stanley and his father, Charles Stanley.  We should pray that God will open the eyes of Andy, and will convict the heart of Charles to speak truth to him, no matter the outcome.

We must put God and His Word FIRST – over and above family and friends.

How Can I Be Saved?

A Sermon for Sunday

Shalom b’Yeshua

MARANATHA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Merciful Savior

I was just imagining us who adore our Lord Jesus, when we finally see Him face to face; all of the trials and the hardships of this world will melt away. I believe that we will not even remember our lives here.

I believe that when we see the Lord of Glory, the One who gave Himself for us, the heartaches we experienced in this fallen world will be gone forever.

Can you imagine that the Creator of the Universe – the One who spoke the heavens and earth into existence – the One who knows when a tiny sparrow falls to the ground – HE loves us and knows us. YES – each  one of us who have called upon His Name!  Hallelujah!

We will sing to Him in heaven!

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
 For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:1-3).

We will come before Him with thanksgiving, for He is Good and Merciful and True!

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5).

We will bless His Holy Name! He who forgives all of our sins and redeems us!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”  (Psalm 103)

Our hearts rejoice greatly; He is our strength and our shield!

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him” (Psalm 28:7).

We need not be anxious, but only come to Him, and He will give us Peace and will guard our hearts through our Lord Jesus!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”  (Philippians 4:6-7).

We must comfort one another until He comes

 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Brethren, when we grow weary in this world which becomes more evil with each day – remember His promises!  These promises are for us now – not just in heaven.

As we wait for Him to gather us away to be with Him for eternity; we should be thankful as well as watchful.

He IS our Wonderful and Merciful Savior!

How Can I Be Saved?

A Sermon For Sunday

Shalom b’Yeshua

MARANATHA!

 

UNITED IN HATE: The Love Affair Between Radical Islam and the Left

Three years ago I wrote an article about Islam. I was sick to death of hearing the Liberal press speak lies about Islam; defending it and presenting it to the world as “The Religion of Peace.”

After every Islamist terror attack, the Leftist journalists would write articles claiming that the attack had nothing to do with Islam.  They would insist that the perpetrators of the attacks were “fringe” elements of Islam and did not represent Islam and the Qur’an in any way.

That’s when I decided to find out what the Qur’an really said about terrorism. I found a credible website which offered the Qur’an in English. I began my research and subsequently wrote “The Truth About Islam.”

Original Article:

We hear so much about all of those moderate Muslims out there. Why aren’t they speaking against the jihadists? Certainly they don’t agree with the mass beheadings and terror, right?

For many, this article will be eye-opening to say the least. We have all heard of Christians in name only. Moderate Muslims are Muslims in name only, and they are hated by those who are true to the Qur’an and to their prophet, Muhammad.

Islam is a totalitarian ideology, cloaked in robes of religion to present itself as honorable to an unsuspecting world. We have heard imans (Muslim clerics) who describe Islam as: “The Religion of Peace.” Islam is in truth a demonically influenced regime of warlords, whose goal is world dominance.

The word Islam means submission. In this article I will take passages straight from the Qur’an which clearly show that Islam has nothing to do with peace. It has everything to do with beheading, raping, pillaging, and dominating the entire world. To those who practice Islam and are jihadists (the Qur’an commands this) their god Allah promises great rewards awaiting those who give their lives while fighting infidels.

Who are the infidels?  This term means anyone who does not believe the words of their prophet, Muhammad. In fact, the Muslims in name only are hated by the Muslims who are obedient to the words in the Qur’an. Are you beginning to understand why the so-called moderate Muslims do not speak out against the terror? They are fearful for their own lives!

Here is an example of a command from their false god:

Quran (2:191-193) – “And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief] is worse than killing…but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah [disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah] and worship is for Allah alone. But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimun [the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.].”

Muslim jihadists must obey the words of their book. They fear for their own lives if they do not live as terrorists, because Allah has told them in their book that they should be killed for not obeying. In fact, doubting Allah in the mind of a Muslim is terrible thing. We wonder how they can be so brutal and merciless. It’s because they must show their god that they believe him, and that they will bring terror against all infidels and slay them if they do not convert to Islam.

Quran (2:216) – “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.” (Here we see Allah proclaiming to his subjects that violence is virtuous. It even states that some may find it repulsive, but they must know that their god knows what is good for them.)

I believe that Allah is actually Satan. He fights primarily against Jews and Christians. He commands submission from his followers. Jesus is spoken of in the Qur’an, but it’s not the Jesus we know from the Word of God. Jesus – called Isa, is merely a prophet. It is emphasized that He is not the Son of God. On the roof of the mosque on the Temple Mount are inscribed these Arabic words: “God has No son.” That sounds demonic to me.

Quran (3:56) – “As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.”

Quran (3:151) – “Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority”. (This speaks of Christians, who say that “God has a Son” is joining companions with Allah).

Quran (4:74) – “Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.” (Unlike early Christian who were led meekly to their slaughter, Muslims are killed in battle for the cause of Allah. This is the basis for today’s suicide bombers.)

Quran (4:95) – “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward.” (Here we see Allah stressing that the jihadists will be rewarded, but not those who do not fight for the cause.)

Quran (8:12) – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them” These words are clear, and commentary here would be redundant. “

Quran (8:57) – “If thou comest on them in the war, deal with them so as to strike fear in those who are behind them, that haply they may remember.” I am reminded of the videos with beheadings that are posted for all to see. They love to put fear in the hearts of all infidels. “

Quran (9:5) – “So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them.” (Clearly, these words show that the only way to escape death is to convert to Islam.)

Quran (9:29) – “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (People of the Book refers to Christians and Jews.)

Now you have seen a sampling from the Qur’an of the terror that is commanded by its words. Religion of Peace? Hardly – more like the Third Reich, meeting in mosques worldwide, and planning the demise of all who will not convert.

So why do we not hear what the Qur’an really says on the news? Why do politicians avoid what is stated in black and white on the pages of this terrifying book? I can only guess that some refuse to believe that a religion could actually be so violent as the jihadists are. They have their heads in the sand, believing that the ones beheading and raping must be a radical faction of the religion of peace. Perhaps others are just plain scared.

Here is a paragraph of President George W. Bush’s commencement address to the Air Force Academy, on 3 June 2004, illustrating the problem:

“History is once again witnessing a great clash. This is not a clash of civilizations. The civilization of Islam, with its humane traditions of learning and tolerance, has no place for this violent sect of killers and aspiring tyrants. This is not a clash of religions. The faith of Islam teaches moral responsibility that ennobles men and women, and forbids the shedding of innocent blood. Instead, this is a clash of political visions.”

This is another reason that I believe that Allah and Satan are one and the same. The deception is so blatant and so complete—only the Enemy of God could pull this off. Some believe that Islam is in fact demonically influenced, but that Allah is not Satan. Be assured, that I am not saying that Antichrist will be Islamic. I believe that Satan manifests himself in many ways.

Now when you are watching the news and you hear someone speaking about the “radical jihadist” faction of Islam, you will know the truth.

I doubt that you will ever hear the phrase “Religion of Peace” ascribed to Islam, and not think back on the passages you’ve read here from the Qur’an.  source

Why the Left Defends Islam Every Time

This used to boggle my brain. But then it all made sense. The Left and Islam have a common enemy  – The West; and particularly, America.

Islam is not really a religion. It is an ideology.  It is a totalitarian political system. Mosques are merely fueling stations for Jihadists. Imams teach hate and terrorism to the Muslims.  I am not saying that ALL Muslims ascribe to this insanity.

There are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims.  There are around 500,000,000 radicalized Muslims. I typed the number of radical Muslims in numeric form for a reason.  500 million does not quite have the same effect on readers than seeing 500,000,000.  That’s A LOT of people who want to kill us!

United in HATE

So, what truly causes the “love affair” between Islam and Leftist Liberals?  One only needs to look at Antifa and all radical Lefty groups funded by, wait for it………..George Soros, to understand that Islam and the Left are in the same camp when it comes to America.  I understand the evil and hatred which comes out of Islam. Their prophet wrote their handbook.  The Left are simply 1960’s Hippies repackaged – rebels/America haters on steroids.

From townhall.com

Liberals’ Misguided Love Affair With Islam

Why do so many liberals praise a religion that, at its root, is quite conservative, if not fundamentalist? Why do they defend a faith that would not defend them? Worse still, why do they defend a faith that, in some cases, would do violence to them?

Last week, Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch and a New York Times bestselling author on radical Islam, was invited to speak at the University of Buffalo. But he was unable to say much because of the vocal opposition. He was shouted down and reviled, especially when attempting to read Islamic texts describing Islamic beliefs.

To paraphrase, “Not on our campus! We are progressive. We are liberal. We are enlightened. You will not bring your hate-filled bigotry here!”

In Spencer’s own words, “I spoke a few sentences and made a couple of points in between being screamed at by Leftist and Islamic supremacist fascists who think they’re opposing fascism.”

Did you catch that? Spencer was opposed by staunch liberals and staunch Muslims. What an odd couple they make, yet this has happened time and again in the recent past. Why?

A few years ago, I read about a pro-Hamas, anti-Israel rally led by feminists and LGBT activists, among others on the left. Why in the world would groups like this support Hamas, which would kill or imprison them for their beliefs (and their sexual or romantic proclivities)? And why would they oppose Israel, which would welcome them with open arms? (I’m not talking about religious Jews, who would certainly not welcome them. I’m talking about the population as a whole, which is quite “progressive.” Note also that it wasn’t the ultra-Orthodox Jews who were fighting Hamas, so the rally was not targeting them.)

This makes no sense, unless there is something deeper that unites these groups (such as anti-Israel animus) or a serious deception they are buying into (such as the idea that true Islam is always a religion of peace and tolerance;  in John Zmirak’s words, they are Islam’s “useful idiots”).

And why is it that the most liberal political leaders in the West are often the strongest defenders of Islam? Why are they constantly telling us that real Islam is neither radical nor violent?

Getting back to Robert Spencer (not to be confused with the alt-right leader Richard Spencer), he has “led seminars on Islam and jihad for the FBI, the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the Justice Department’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the U.S. intelligence community. He has discussed jihad, Islam, and terrorism at a workshop sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the German Foreign Ministry. He is a consultant with the Center for Security Policy and vice president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative.

“Spencer has appeared on the BBC, ABC News, CNN, FoxNews’s O’Reilly Factor, Megyn Kelly’s The Kelly File, the Sean Hannity Show,” among many, many others, which would lead one to believe that he was highly qualified to give an address on campus.

Not today. His allegedly bigoted views about a beautiful religion were not welcome. He is in violation of the progressive PC code, which includes, “Thou shalt not insult Islam.”

The University of Buffalo’s student newspaper reported, “Spencer planned to speak to students about ‘the dangers of jihad in today’s world’ but constant heckling from the crowd made it near impossible for him to complete a full sentence.”

Ah, the blissful beauty of tolerance! How mellifluous are its melodies. How sweet its sounds. Hardly.

Spencer wrote, “These students have been hoodwinked into thinking that ‘Islamophobes,’ rather than jihad terrorists, are killing people around the world.”

Yes, those are the really dangerous enemies, those “Islamophobes,” not those jihadi terrorists. And the enemies are not the Islamists who enforce a death penalty for “apostasy” (meaning, leaving Islam). The enemies are the ones who call this barbary out.

Yes, these days, if you expose something murderous or hateful, you are guilty of a worse sin – the sin of judging. And on campuses these days, there is hardly a worse sin you could commit.

I once spotted a comment responding to a YouTube video posted by a 12-year old boy who opposed same-sex marriage based on the Bible. The comment read: “You, just like everyone who is against gay marriage, is a mentally retarded bigot. No exceptions. Now go to hell.”

This is the voice of tolerance, the same voice that drowned out Spencer in Buffalo. And how interesting that “tolerance” reviles a 12-year-old boy who does not support same-sex “marriage” but then defends Islam that calls for a death-penalty for homosexual practice. How interesting that “tolerance” wants to silence Christians who peacefully oppose homosexual activism as well as silence those who draw attention to Islam’s violent opposition to homosexuality. What a laughable contradiction.

Yes, let that mob try pulling off the same stunt in strict Islamic countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan or in places like the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, and let’s see how far they get. In fact, let’s see how far they get carrying a sign saying, “Queers Against Islamophobia.”

The Left needs to end its naïve love affair with Islam. And may peace-loving Muslims help lead the way in working against radical Islam. source

I believe the “glue” that truly holds this ‘Alliance of Hate’ together is their common rabid hatred of Jews and Israel.  And I need to add that there are many “self-hating” Jews who take part in the Leftist madness.  Sometimes, self-hating Jews are more toxic that plain Lefties.

Do I think that the Left will come to their senses and pull away from supporting Islamist terrorists?

The key word in that question is “senses” because they clearly have no sense at all.

Shalom b’Yeshua

MARANATHA!

INSANITY: Releasing Terrorists Who Were Training Children To Be School Shooters

This story almost made my head explode.

From foxnews.com

Horrifying details released in investigation of ‘extremist Muslim’ compound that allegedly conducted school-shooting training

The children discovered at an “extremist Muslim” compound in New Mexico earlier this month were both trained to use firearms and taught multiple tactical techniques in order to kill teachers, law enforcement and other institutions they found corrupt, state prosecutors revealed on Monday.

The prosecutors provided more details about the accusations during a court hearing in which they asked that Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and four other defendants be held pending trial on child abuse charges.

But the judge in the case ruled against prosecutors’ request.

She set a $20,000 bond for each defendant and ordered that they wear ankle monitors and have weekly contact with their attorneys.

It was also announced Monday that 3-year-old Abdul-ghani Wahhaj, who had been missing since December, allegedly died amid a ritualistic religious ceremony intended to “cast out demonic spirits,” Reuters reported.

“It was a religious ritual carried out… a ritual intended to cast out demonic spirits from Abdul-ghani Wahhaj,” Taos County Prosecutor John Lovelace said.

Public defenders argued the boy’s father was trying to heal the child by reading passages from the Koran but prosecutors claimed he was denying the boy medication. One of the children taken into custody claimed that the boy had died in February.

The children said they were told the boy would be resurrected as Jesus and guide them on which “corrupt institutions” to attack, NBC reported citing investigators.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the remains of a child found on the grounds of the compound were Abdul-ghani Wahhaj.

The defendants were arrested and 11 children were taken into custody during a raid Aug. 4 on the compound near the Colorado state line.

Wahhaj and the others were seated with their public defenders in a Taos courtroom Monday as prosecutors presented books that were found at the compound, documents related to Wahhaj’s trip to Saudi Arabia and a handwritten notebook that appeared to be some kind of teaching manual. They also pointed to evidence that Wahhaj had taken a series of firearms courses while in Georgia.

Defense attorneys, meantime, argued that prosecutors were trying unjustly to paint their clients as armed militants. Public defenders also argued that the rifles and handguns found on the property were common guns that could be bought at retail stores and that their clients made no aggressive efforts to defend their compound.

Wahhaj is the son of a Brooklyn imam, also named Siraj Wahhaj, who was named by prosecutors as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the New York Post reported. The elder Wahhaj, who heads Masjid At-Taqwa mosque, was a character witness in the trial for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, the notorious “blind sheikh” who was convicted in 1995 of plotting terror attacks in the U.S. source

Just further evidence that the Leftwing liberals – in this case a “judge” are completely out of their minds.

How could anyone release Islamist terrorist criminals; while also knowing that they were training captive children to be school shooters??

COME LORD JESUS!!

How Can I Be Saved?