Could a lack of faith prevent Jesus from doing miracles

Article: Steven Furtick is the Most Dangerous Kind of False Teacher by Grayson Gilbert

original source here: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/chorusinthechaos/steven-furtick-false-teacher/

Steven Furtick has long been a bane to the Evangelical church on the basis of his own self-admission: he’s unqualified for the pastorate. He literally wrote the bookon it in response to MacArthur’s one word answer when asked what his thoughts were on Furtick. Yet, rather than reassess whether or not he would be qualified per Scripture’s own stance, Steven Furtick doubled down in his pride with a publishing deal.

While he may be unqualified in numerous areas, the key one that is readily apparent to those with an open bible is his striking inability to adequately teach (2 Tim. 2:15, 24). Regardless of his credentials, we know that any who teach shall incur stricter judgment than the standard Christian (Jam. 3:1). Indeed, we know that Steven Furtick wants to be a teacher, but he does not understand what he is saying or that which he so confidently asserts (1 Tim. 1:7).

If he is genuinely in Christ, the best he has to hope for on this trajectory is to be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire; he will lose all he has built (1 Cor. 3:15). It is no small wonder Paul gently instructs young Timothy to pay close attention to his life and doctrine, for if he retained sound doctrine, he would ensure salvation for both his hearers and himself. The issue here stems from the fact that Steven Furtick is not qualified to teach in any capacity, nor does he heed the harsh warnings for teachers. With respect to this, one can only conclude he willingly embraces his role as a false teacher.

Thus, I write this not for Steven Furtick – it is doubtful it would reach him, more doubtful he’d read it, and even more doubtful it would change his mind if he did so. I write to the fan of Steven Furtick. Flee from him, lest your soul also be ensnared to hell. He is not a sound teacher. He is not the most obviously damning teacher, but he surely is one I’d say is the most cunning in his deception of the flock. If super soakers, Lego props, and the like were not clues enough – surely, the words of his mouth will serve as ample witness.

In a recent sermon by Steven Furtick, he proclaims:

“The power of God was in Jesus, the healing power of God, the restoring power of God, the same power that made demons flee was in Nazareth, but Jesus could not release it. Because it was trapped in their unbelief. And there’s one thing that even Jesus can’t do. One thing that even the son of God can’t do. Even Jesus cannot override your unbelief. I see y’all looking at me like, ‘Is that true? I thought He could do anything.’ It said, ‘He could not.’ He wanted to. He was prepared to. He was able to. The power of God was in Nazareth, but it was trapped in their perspective.”

So why do I find this so particularly dangerous? Why write an entire blog post for 111 little words? He’s a winsome speaker. He has a means of captivating the undiscerning through his inflection, repetition, and word-choice, meaning he’s a good orator. This wouldn’t be an issue in the slightest if the content of what he preached was adequate, but given the fact that heresy has escaped his lips without him batting an eye, it makes him particularly dangerous. Yet the other manner in which he is particularly dangerous is due to his inability to draw out the basic meaning of a text.

There are two possible ways Steven Furtick reached his conclusion for the passage: he either used the NLT (a periphrastic translation) of Mark 6:5, or he intermingled the accounts of Mark 6:5 and Matthew 13:58. In either case, this is precisely at the heart of what I am speaking toward; it is literally the pastor’s job to exegete the passage, that is, to draw its meaning out. When difficulties of interpretation arise in the biblical text, it is the pastor’s job to clearly explain them, utilizing the tools necessary for the job. Instead of leaping to the conclusion that Christ was unable to perform the miraculous, the exegete ought to consider the internal red lights flashing. Even an atheist can spot the contradiction of terms: Christ cannot be fully God if He is thwarted by man’s unbelief.

One of the best tools a pastor has at his disposal are the biblical languages. The Reformers highly prized the languages, for in them, they grammatically traced the doctrines of the Reformation back to the Early Church. In fact, the biblical languages were so important to Martin Luther that he wrote, “In proportion then as we value the gospel, let us zealously hold to the languages… We will not long preserve the gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained; they are the casket in which this jewel is enshrined; they are the vessel in which this wine is held; they are the larder in which this food is stored; and, as the gospel itself points out, they are the baskets in which are kept these loaves and fishes and fragments.”

Primarily, the concerns then here are driven by the grammar and syntax of the passages in question – so into the Greek we go. The languages inform the meaning of any given text simply because the construction of a sentence dictates its interpretation. The constituent parts of speech in the sentence, “Billy did not kick the ball” inform us that “Billy” is the subject, “did not” is a negation of the action of the verb, “kick” is the verb, and “ball” is the direct object. However, if the sentence read, “Billy did not kick the ball hard” we would rightly understand the difference from the last sentence. Billy did kick the ball – he just didn’t put much energy into doing so. In that sense, the negation modifies how he kicked the ball, rather than if he kicked it. More clearly, it no longer modifies the verb, but the adverb.

The usage of the negative particle οὐκ in combination with δύναμαι in Mark 6:5 occurs elsewhere within the New Testament and does not always dictate inability. Luke 14:20 demonstrates this within the context of the parable of the wedding feast; the man is not literally unable to come, he is unwilling. In similar fashion, Luke 11:7 exhibits a man who is unwilling to offer bread, not that he is literally prevented from doing so. In yet another example, 1 John 3:9, contrary to other poor teaching circling the web, does not indicate a Christian’s inability to sin as a result of becoming a child of God. The phrase then reflects a range of meaning, in this case, presenting the idiomatic expression that Christ is choosing not to do something, even though He retains the ability to do so.Secondly, another concern is simply that his interpretation is not in concord with other passages of Scripture. There are several notable examples within the Scriptures that demonstrate faith had no bearing upon the recipient of Christ’s miracles. It should obviously be stated that a corpse cannot retain faith (Luke 7:1-16). Pretend the aforementioned objection of a corpse’s faith is a strawman and that Christ must simply have the faith of someone in order to perform the miraculous.

John 11 utterly refutes this notion as well, for both Mary and Martha conceived of His ability in proximity (vv. 21, 32). Martha confuses Christ’s promise to raise Lazarus as an eschatological promise (v. 24) and still objected to Him rolling the stone away after He corrects her (v. 39). Combine this with other instances of healing the multitudes and demoniacs who were restored without even the prior ability to ask, and we see faith is not a prerequisite for Christ’s miracles.

Furthermore, we know that the Lord does as He pleases – and people throughout the span of the Scripture acknowledge this without hesitancy (Psalm 115:3, 135:6; Daniel 4:35; Jonah 1:14). It is God who will specifically violate one’s unbelief; if this were not so, why would any individual cry out to the Lord, “Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Furthermore, there would be no hope for any sinner if Christ could not override unbelief, for we know that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the glorious gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). Are we so foolish to assume a puny God, bested by Satan and humanity? As a general, hermeneutical rule of thumb, if your interpretation of a passage contradicts other passages in Scripture, and basic lines of philosophical reasoning, you’ve yet to reach the proper conclusion.

Finally, preachers must have a concern for clarity. If the result of one’s sermon is a misunderstanding of the text, you’ve failed to do your primary task. If the result is confusion, it may not necessarily be tied to poor exegetical work, but poor presentation. The reason for this lengthy excurses is simply to highlight the pastor’s role as teacher. It involves a tremendous amount of work to dig out the meaning of the text and it is for an explicit purpose: to feed His sheep. Yet this brings us full-circle in understanding how one must feed His sheep. According to Titus 2:1, pastors are to speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Steven Furtick butchered the meaning of the text in order to suit his own purposes, which at this point, are a quasi-form of Word of Faith light.

The point of the narrative, however, has nothing to do with you somehow containing the power to override the miraculous due to unbelief. It is that in Christ’s own home town, he did not receive honor as the Son of God (Matt. 13:57; Mark 6:4; John 4:44). They did not believe He was the Christ and they would not, unless they would see signs and wonders (John 4:48). It was not that Christ could notperform the miraculous as a result of their unbelief, but that He would not because they did not believe. Both show cause, but drastically different purposes.

Thus, what we see is an intentional withholding of the miraculous due to their hardened hearts; the miraculous was not conditioned, per se, to their unbelief (read: they did not limit Christ’s ability to do the miraculous due to their lack of faith). Rather, he withheld the miraculous as a result of their unbelief; it was not within His divine will to heal them. Those two statements are radically different and depict a radically different Jesus, as different a Jesus as those in Nazareth perceived, for though they acknowledged His ability to do the miraculous and to instruct with incredible wisdom, they did not acknowledge the authority by which He did so.

By Christ’s own admission in John 4:48, they would have believed had they seen signs and wonders. The emphatic negation οὐ μή (a double negative, which in the Greek serves to strengthen the negation, not nullify as in English) is used to show the certainty of their unbelief in Him as a result of not seeing signs and miracles. Yet instead of relenting and demonstrating His authority and power, Christ withheld these as an act of judgment upon them. It was an at-will decision, not of man, but of God, to deny them the very thing they desired as validation to His claims to divinity.

The teaching of the passage is far more frightening than a preacher like Steven Furtick can endure. Surely, the possibility that not only can the God of this universe do as He pleases with respect to your unbelief – but also intentionally withhold the very means of your deliverance by His sovereign choosing, is a terrifying notion. Yet this is the God of the Bible. This is the dangerous God we serve, whom we are called to fear and revere. This is the God who conceals Himself in parables and as He chooses, does the one thing Furtick can’t imagine Him being capable of doing: He overrides your unbelief. Does not the potter have right over the lump, o’ man? Does not the Lord do with His creation as He pleases?

For the one following Steven Furtick – flee. Flee from him as fast as you can and surround yourself with those who preach sound doctrine. The only means by which you will begin to discern the true from the false will be to study the Scriptures routinely. The beautiful thing is that you don’t need the Greek to understand when a teacher has uttered blasphemies. It would be worthwhile if you learned Greek and Hebrew at one point, but it is not entirely necessary for you to discern truth from error. Simply take the time to read the Scriptures, book by book and verse by verse, and then read through them again, and again, and again. Seek Him by prayer and through the aide of the Holy Spirit, and you will undoubtedly begin to see where teachings such as these land in comparison to His Word.

Now, I do believe Steven Furtick is genuine, meaning that he legitimately believes he is doing well by his people – but of particular importance to note is that genuineness is not a biblical qualification for an elder. It is this flavor of “helpfulness” that makes him all the more dangerous to the sheep. Couple this with his inability to exegete a simple passage and draw out its focus, and you’re in for a bumpy, blasphemous ride such as this.

In the Word of Faith Garden…

A SUMMARY OF WORD OF FAITH TEACHING

(My personal reflections after two decades in the movement)

A long time ago in a garden far, far away, the “god” of the word of faith made man in his image and gave him two very special gifts. The first of these was something called “dominion.” This newly created being, formed out of the dust of the ground was made the “god of this world”, supreme lord over all he surveyed. This gift of dominion meant that man ruled over all his circumstances. Everything in his environment (including the weather) was now subject to him.

The second gift God gave him was seed for sowing. This came in two forms. The first type of seed given to him would be sown into the ground, producing crops of every imaginable kind. Man could determine the type and quantity of the crop he would have. He could have as much or as little as he wished.

The second type of seed took the form of faith filled words. Faith filled words dominate reality. Like His Creator before him, man could speak and everything he said would come to pass. He could have whatever he said. In fact, he not only could have, he would have all that came out of his mouth. Everything on planet earth was subject to man. Nothing was beyond his control. And he exerted that control through the use of his words.

Death and life being in the power of the tongue, no lack or sickness or poverty could continue to exist once man had spoken in faith. If there ever was lack, man could speak ‘abundance’ and everything would conform. All creation awaited man’s faith filled words to see what would be said – the seed of his words would come to fruition.

God was hoping that man would decide to speak words of life rather than death. Oh how he hoped for that! In this way, all would be well; all would be good.

But something happened that meant disaster for God and His plan. Man listened to the serpent and liked what he heard. He decided to get in league with the crafty snake and instead of choosing words that would bring life, health, prosperity and blessing, he chose the way of death. The curse of death now reigned. Sickness and poverty would gain the upper hand.

If we could imagine a father giving a new car to a son as a gift, so God, having given man the keys to His car (planet earth), He could only watch in horror as man drove the car at full speed into the ditch.

The first man had failed to use his dominion wisely. In obeying the serpent, Adam (and his race) had handed over the planet’s keys to the devil. The devil (not God) was now in charge – the ruling “god of this world.” There was now nothing God could do. His hands were tied. All He could do was hope.

Hopefully, yes, just hopefully, another man would arise who would make good decisions and restore dominion back to mankind. That was God’s hope anyway, in something called the plan of redemption.

HERESY
Here is what we know about heresy. It is almost always some truth taken to an extreme.
No one among us (or very few) would believe something that had absolutely no basis in reality. But if the one dispensing heresy can put some truth in there, like a good and wholesome sandwich, he can include healthy meat with just enough poison, and it becomes a lethal meal for anyone who partakes of it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the account you have read above here is heresy of a most pernicious and damnable kind. It is not true. It is error of the worst kind. And dear reader, this is the error taught in the word of faith movement.

Behind the words of the word of faith preacher lays a hissing serpent spewing out damnable lies about God, about man and about the nature of reality. These lies are damnable for the simple reason that if they are believed, they damn the human soul forever. Yet the serpent dispenses his lies with just enough truth included so as to deceive his prey.

Exposing the Deception of the Word of Faith

★SHOW 1: Justin Peters interviews Costi Hinn (who is Benny Hinn’s Nephew) about his testimony on how he LEFT the: Word of Faith Prosperity Gospel– AND they talk about the “Sovereign Grace of God” in his life of how the Lord mercifully opened Costi Hinn’s eyes (and his wife’s eyes) to the True Gospel of Repentance & Faith in Jesus Christ.

Charismatic Movement: Defining Key Terms | Justin Peters & Costi Hinn – SO4J-TV | Show 2

★SHOW 3: Justin Peters & Costi Hinn (Benny Hinn’s Nephew who LEFT the Prosperity Gospel) examine the New Testament “Gift of Healing”, and expose the false “Healings” happening in the church today that claim to be a work of the Spirit. They discuss some of the misconceptions of Cessationism, especially as it relates to the miraculous “Gift of Healing”. Justin then explains the purpose of the gifts and the true work of the Spirit in regenerating us and conforming us into the Image of Christ.

★SHOW 4: Justin Peters & Costi Hinn (Benny Hinn’s Nephew who LEFT the Prosperity Gospel) speak on: How can God be both GOOD & SOVEREIGN with so much SUFFERING in the world? This is one of the-age-old-questions but one of which followers of Christ need not be afraid. In this installment of their series, Costi Hinn and Justin Peters discuss how we are to understand God’s Goodness and His Sovereignty (Rom 8:28) in light of: Suffering, Persecution, and Sickness (2 Cor 11:23-30, 2 Cor 6:4-10). Trials are not meant to be enjoyed, but we as Believers may count them as Joy as they serve to conform us into the Image of Christ. (James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:12-14, Romans 8:29)

★SHOW 5: Justin Peters & Costi Hinn (Benny Hinn’s Nephew who LEFT the Prosperity Gospel) on: Are the Word-Faith/New Apostolic Reformation movements in error on secondary issues or do they actually qualify as heretical? In this program Costi Hinn and Justin Peters demonstrate that these movements actually teach a very different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. Christology is not a secondary issue. A different Jesus constitutes a different gospel. This program will show why you should be very concerned if you have a friend or family member in this movement. Souls are truly at stake.”

★SHOW 6: Justin Peters & Costi Hinn (Benny Hinn’s Nephew who LEFT the Prosperity Gospel) on: Problem Bible Verses— Scriptures that are often Twisted, Misinterpreted, and taken out of its proper Context. It is not that False Teachers never refer to the Bible– they do! The problem is that they Twist Scripture & take Bible Verses out of their proper Context and thereby distort their meaning. In this program Costi Hinn and Justin Peters discuss Bible Verses that are commonly misused by: Word of Faith / NAR [New Apostolic Reformation] preachers such as ISAIAH 53:4-5, “By His stripes we are healed,” and JOHN 14:11-12, “Greater works than these,” etc. that would SEEM to support that it is ALWAYS God’s Will to be healed AND that we as believers should regularly be performing incredible Miracles. Costi and Justin will show, HOWEVER, that these verses have been TWISTED to mean something they simply do NOT mean, and then they will discuss the TRUE meaning of these verses. When we know God’s Word rightly, we will know HIM rightly.

★SHOW 7: Justin Peters & Costi Hinn (Benny Hinn’s Nephew who LEFT the Prosperity Gospel) answer: What Tactics do Faith Healers use to manipulate people at Healing Crusades? How do Faith Healers use Music to manipulate people? Is anyone actually miraculously healed at a Benny Hinn crusade or is it Fake? Justin Peters & Costi Hinn discuss these Issues– as well as Costi Hinn also ANSWERS some of the CRITICISMS he has received since he LEFT the Prosperity Gospel and his Uncle Benny Hinn’s ministry.
★Justin and Costi also share that they BOTH wish they did NOT have to WARN about FALSE TEACHERS and would rather just talk about the GOSPEL, but as the Book of Jude rightly talks about in Jude 1:3-4 it is unfortunately “necessary to do so”. This last show in this series ends with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ as shared from Costi Hinn.

But You Are Rich

Article by Julio Rodriguez (original source here)

Are you rich? I am not asking unbelievers but Christians. I ask because some Christians have either forgotten or adopted an unbiblical measure of what makes a person rich. This outcome is a consequence of a popular theology that has penetrated the Western church known by two names: word of faith or prosperity gospel. The doctrine essentially teaches God’s will for Christians always holds financial blessing and physical well-being. There is a dire need to purge this heretical teaching and false gospel everywhere it is proclaimed. Not only does it lead Christians into idolatry and spiritual malnourishment but also makes God a liar. I aim to shoot down this heretical doctrine with one verse and testimony in hope to redeem or remind Christians “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!” (1 Cor. 4:8).

Revelation 2:9

Kenneth Copeland, an adherer to the word of faith movement, said: “You get spiritually rich, and you’ll get financially rich!” In other words, once you become a Christian (spiritually rich) you will obtain an abundance of wealth (financially rich). Nowhere is Copeland’s doctrine found explicitly or implicitly in sacred Scripture. On the contrary, there is an abundance of explicit and implicit verses that attest to Christians living in persecution and poverty. For example: In Revelation 2:9, Jesus tells the Church of Smyrna, “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)” Here we see Christians living (spiritually rich) all the while living in tribulation and poverty. From Genesis to Revelation, you will not find God saying, “You are poor and going through tribulation because you have not accepted Christ and believed in the promises of physical well-being and financial blessing.”

But It gets worse for Copeland: Not only does Jesus know that his chosen are in tribulation and poverty but he also tells them in the next verse “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you (Christians) into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death,”(Revelation 2:10). As former word of faith preacher John Samson said, “This doctrine of the word of faith cannot stand up to biblical scrutiny and biblical context.”

For Christians who follow the teaching of the word of faith movement or prosperity gospel, how do you reconcile Revelation 2:9 consistently? You cannot! One must begin mental gymnastics and twist Scripture in order to fit the heretical teaching consistently. For those who are not yet convinced by Scripture, here is some historical context that magnifies the Church of Smyrna’s exhaustive tribulation and poverty. Continue reading

Exposing the Word of Faith

B.R.I.D.G.E. Ministries writes:

John Samson joins BRIDGE Radio again to give the testimony of his time and immersion in the word of faith movement for many years before leaving. John was not only a prosperity preacher but also a TBN host who was friends with well-known figures of the movement. We address the word of faith’s false teaching of the “little gods” doctrine, faith healing (1 Peter 1:24), and the right to riches as a Christian (John 10:10; Romans 8:32). John says, “I feel so much regret over being so caught up in this thing for years… and it is a comfort to my soul to perhaps be used to pull even one soul out of this deception…” and “This doctrine of the word of faith cannot stand up to Biblical scrutiny and Biblical context!” You will not want to miss this episode!

Exposing the Word of Faith Doctrines

Julio Rodriguez, host of the B.R.I.D.G.E. radio podcast writes:

“John Samson joins BRIDGE Radio again to give the testimony of his time and immersion in the word of faith movement for many years before leaving. John was not only a prosperity preacher but also a TBN host who was friends with well-known figures of the movement.

We address the word of faith’s false teaching of the “little gods” doctrine, faith healing (1 Peter 1:24), and the right to riches as a Christian (John 10:10; Romans 8:32). John says, “I feel so much regret over being so caught up in this thing for years… and it is a comfort to my soul to perhaps be used to pull even one soul out of this deception…” and “This doctrine of the word of faith cannot stand up to Biblical scrutiny and Biblical context!” You will not want to miss this episode!”

Here’s the link.

Discernment Conference

Equip Conference, November 10-12, 2017 held at Grace Bible in Redwood City, CA (pastored by Steve Converse) with guest speakers Justin Peters and Costi Hinn.

Justin Peters – Session 1 – Discernment

Costi Hinn – Session 2 – Testimony

Costi Hinn – Session 3 – Matthew 10

Justin Peters – Session 4 – Do Not Hinder Them

Justin Peters – Session 5 – Catholic Doctrine – Reformation

Justin Peters – Session 6 – Expository Preaching

Exposing the Word of Faith

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” – Ephesians 5:11

For anyone wishing to know about the heretical doctrines of the Word of Faith and the modern day counterpart of the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation), the following two iron sharpens iron radio broadcasts (with Chris Arnzen) featuring guest Costi Hinn (nephew of Benny Hinn) are especially recommended.

1. Costi Hinn Testimony – Growing up in the Hinn family and an introduction to the heresies. (Show date: September 8, 2017)

2. Costi Hinn – Historical Survey – The Roots of the Word of Faith – how the heresies started. (Show date: November 7, 2017)

Costi Hinn Interview (Iron Sharpens Iron)

Costi Hinn’s recent interview on Chris Arzens “Iron Sharpens Iron” broadcast is now available to listen to at this link. Costi (the nephew of Benny Hinn) has much to say regarding the lifestyle and teaching of the word of faith movement. I’m involved a little in asking a few questions (as a former word of faith pastor myself), but I must say, Costi did an outstanding job and I am praying that this interview will be used of the Lord to help many people caught up in deception.