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This thread is to share info about dangers that lie within the Alpha Courses... In researching it, I came across some red flags. They include ecumenism and some questionable (unbiblical) behaviors. I hope this helps someone. It is not intended to spawn fighting. It is simply a warning to those considering getting involved with the Alpha Course. The Alpha Course was started in the United Kingdom, at Holy Trinity Brompton Church, by Nicky Gumbel and Sandy Millar in 1977. This Anglican church in London was the center of the holy laughter movement in England and Europe, and has been known for services that include being “slain in the Spirit” and behaviors such as uncontrollable laughter, spasms, loud animal-like noises and physical manifestations during emotionally driven services. While there is much good teaching in the Alpha Course, this extreme background sometimes finds its way into the teachings of the course. The Alpha Course begins with a solid presentation of the gospel message and progresses with some solid biblical teachings. It is interesting that the Alpha Course does not seek to teach about the person, character or attributes of God, and does not focus on doctrine, which may cause division among those whom they seek to include, New Age adherents and Roman Catholics, for example. The Alpha Course is ecumenical, and any course that can appeal to the wide range of traditions and denominations, as the Alpha Course does, has to sacrifice many essential Bible truths. A wide tent that is inclusive of those who hold teachings contrary to the tenets of the faith for which we are to contend (Jude 3) necessitates that the Word of God is sliced and diced into palatable portions, leading to error and following humanistic viewpoints rather than the revealed Word of the Lord. This sometimes results in the Alpha Course eventually working its way into error and ritualism, works-based salvation, and even occult manifestations. The push is for experience-driven evangelism while biblical doctrines are side-stepped or ignored (1 Timothy 4:13, 16). Some teachers have used the Alpha Course to teach “kingdom now” theology, which is also called “dominionism” or “triumphalism.” This is the idea that those who have enough faith can enjoy right now all or most of the physical and health benefits promised during the coming Millennial Kingdom of Christ on earth. This is nothing more than the “health, wealth, and prosperity” gospel repackaged with a new name. Wealth, health and good times are promised in the name of “faith.” This treats God like a spiritual ATM who must give what we ask, rather than a holy God deserving of our submission to His perfect will and His sovereign purpose. With a teacher from this persuasion, the Alpha Course can be used to promote the idea that the Holy Spirit can be called upon to perform His works in response to man’s demand. This, of course, is not biblical. It incorrectly applies passages such as John 14:12 where Jesus says, “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.” Jesus, in His incarnation, was limited to one space at one time as He laid aside the prerogatives of His divine nature (Philippians 2:6-8). The sending the Spirit to live in the hearts of the apostles and believers has brought untold millions to faith in Him, and that is the “greater” works referred to here, not the miracle signs that accompanied Jesus’ ministry on earth to authenticate Him as the Jewish Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ told the disciples and all who would believe upon Him through their testimony (John 17:20) that He had to go away to prepare a place for us but would not leave us comfortless or orphans but that the Father would send another Comforter. This Comforter is another of the same kind and quality as Christ Himself, and He would be with them and in them (John 14:17). Never is it said that He would come upon them and cause them to lose control of themselves. We are called to do “all things decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). Nowhere in Scripture do we see the Lord Jesus ever laying His hands on the disciples and producing manifestations of uncontrollable laughter, shaking, animal noises, the need to be restrained to protect oneself from harm, or the loss of bodily control. Rather, Jesus rebuked the demons or devils that caused these manifestations and healed those that were possessed of them (Matthew 4:24; 8:16, 28; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22). Peter warns us in 2 Peter 2:1 about false prophets and false teachers, who would “introduce destructive heresies and even deny the sovereign Lord.” Although there are many positive things about the Alpha Course, due to its ecumenicalism, it is easy for false and dangerous ideas to be introduced. The apostle Paul said, “a little leaven, leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). As believers, we are to test the spirits and to be informed and not deceived by the false teachers that abound today, whom the apostle Paul warned of in his day (2 Corinthians 11:13; 2 Timothy 3:1-7). And these valuable lessons are left for us to use and apply in every age. Again, as with any course or teaching, we must be diligent and discerning. We must diligently study God’s Word on our own and reject anything which contradicts the Bible. We must be discerning in evaluating the qualifications of the person or people teaching the course.

Who is the prince of the air in our world? I am sure Satan is very pleased over this.

I can't say I know much personally about the Alpha Course, ...what I know comes from men of God that I trust, ...however I do "know" about the so called "holy laughter," ...after I graduated from high school in '67 came the famous "Summer of Love," I tuned in, turned on and dropped out and became an Acid Freak, ...in my druggie group were heroin addicts, ...many a night I watched them shoot up, as they came on to the drug they would double over and start to hysterically laugh, mouth stretched fully open but no sound coming out of it, they would remain "paralyzed" like that for hours, ...holy laughter coming from the Holy Spirit, ...that's blasphemy, ...just like it has been stated above,the "church" participants were in an altered state of conciseness just like the junkies! Be careful folks, we've been in church worship services here in Tahiti where the name of Jesus was repeated over and over and over in a monotone voice, to hypnotize the people into an altered state of conciseness, ...then there was a ripple in the time-space continuum, ...just like when we would "come on" to acid, ...that's when the circus began and all sorts of weird and bizarre things were done under the so called "influence" of the Holy Spirit, ...hogwash, demons were now running the show. Test all things, ...hold on to what is good... Lord bless

Here is an article to point out further problems with the Alpha Course. Problems of the Alpha Course The Alpha Course tends to generalize Christianity and glosses over many of the distinctive doctrines of the many different denominations. For example, Roman Catholics have complained that there is no emphasis on the Virgin Mary. Baptist’s are upset that teachings on baptism are ignored. What is not ignored, and in fact is overemphasized, is the infilling of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit, tongues, and healing by prayer and therein lies some of the problems with this course. For example, the Book of Acts is taught as normative doctrine instead of its intended use as a historical account of the church. Conversely, the letters (epistles) of the New Testament are not so much normative but address specific issues that affect churches and are not construed as specific doctrines. This is just the opposite of the way the books in the New Testament were intended by their writers. This course tends to over emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit instead of Jesus Christ and His glorification. There is also a gaping hole where major doctrines are not taught, like sin, sanctification, glorifying Jesus Christ, and loving one another. The narrowness of these courses do little to allow an all-encompassing view of the story of redemption, the fall of man, the work at Calvary by Christ, and the duty of Christians in the church. What theologians say about Jesus is emphasized above and over His actual ministry and commands. It tends to completely ignore the Great Commission, even though Jesus’ imperative command was given 5 times just before His Ascension. The Alpha Course, by not defining sin properly, fails to give the emphasis of Jesus sacrifice, the reason for His sacrifice, and for His resurrection. These are the main themes of the Gospel, yet they are glossed over by the course and instead give ambiguous information about Christianity in general. The course is highly superficial and there are very few specifics except in the gifts of the Spirit. Actually the role of the Holy Spirit is over emphasized giving a slightly different view of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit in many cases, Whose purpose is to always point too and glorify Christ, is elevated in status and importance over Jesus Christ and the Father. The gifts of the Spirit are sought after, prayed for, and raised in importance above that of Jesus Christ’s rightful place in the church. The central focal point is not Christ but the gifts of the Spirit, which is contrary to what Christ taught the disciples in His High Priestly Prayer in the Gospel of John. Dangers of the Alpha Course The Alpha Course is now the fastest growing Christian education course in the world, according to Christianity Today, and it is growing at an exponential rate. Dangers are that the main message of the gospel is glossed over to make it have basically little or no effect. The crucial elements of Communion, Calvary, the cross, the reason for Christ’s sacrifice, and the inerrancy of the Word of God, and the Bible, are not emphasized. Even the importance of the Great Commission is missing. Also missing is the essential element of salvation by grace alone in Christ alone by faith alone. The tendency of the course is to speed through or do a fly over of the Bible in general. A crash course of the framework of the Bible can never replace the essential doctrines of the faith. For example there is nothing given of the desire of Christ to make disciples of all nations, to come out of sin, to repent and be baptized, to grow in grace and knowledge. A simple rote memorization of the Bible or of God is nothing short of being called the great omission. Even the Devil and his demons know God exists and Satan could quote the Bible. The demons believe in God and tremble but this doesn’t mean that they are acting on this belief. What is missing is the desire to be hungering and thirsting after righteousness or to have practical applications like loving and serving one another that is covered by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 12. There is a lack of focus on being regenerated, being renewed in mind, or growing in holiness through a lifelong sanctification process. The greatest problem may be the elevating of the gifts of the Spirit and the lack of not glorifying Jesus Christ, to Whom the Holy Spirit is to testify of, speak of, and Who strives to glorify. It seems to be more of a me-centered teaching. The greater proportion of teaching about the gifts of the Spirit indicates that the gifts are more important than the Gift Giver. Despite the Alpha Course’s best intention, it is overtly charismatic and under emphasizes the holiness of God, thus the “works” of the Spirit are seen as more important that true worship of God in Spirit and in Truth. The experiences are seen as a validation of the Spirit’s presence more than an inner conversion and the outward expression of that conversion. For example, there are testimonies of hundreds who have attended their conferences who have been “bounced” from them due to their lack of speaking in tongues rather than Jesus saying that we would know them by their fruits.

Yes, I'm sure the devil has this well planned out. It's odd though, thirty years ago, I would have never imagined our End Times would involve the Muslim Nation in which it apparently has. The assumption and from what theologists were presuming then, was suspect of Russia and China, due to the mighty military they had. They still do of course, but how things have taken a surprising turn since.

lets bask in this again .

LET us all know , understand one thing . Better it is for us to suffer for JESUS than to fall for a lie . Now , why do I bring this up . BECAUSE WE BETTER ALL WATCH OUT and BE ON GAURD as never before . I am seeing a dead end death sentence that is increasing , and the death sentence I speak of is not physical but spiritual . IF FOR ANY REASON you see other religions praying together with ours for ANY REASON DO NOT PARTICPATE . DO NOT BELEIVE IT . many jews , many buddist , many muslims and so called christains are now coming together , praying as one , for a cause which appears as holy and righteous . But to pray with or be in agreement with any other false religion or mindset for any REASON is but a death sentence and I speak of spiritual death . SATAN uses and will use this to bring together people for a cause to end the violence against any . BUT NOT TRUE APOSTEL of old , NO , NOR JESUS OUR LORD With pray along aside other false religions for peace , OR RELIGOUS TOLERANCE . DO NOT BUY THE LIE that causes one to die . JUST REMEMER THIS WELL .

God in our life’s. We, those that would want to be God’s, long to know we have God in our life’s. We cry out daily for Him and His presence to be made real to us. We have a degree of knowing Him revealed to us, but our hearts cry out for more. It is the cry of our hearts after God that is to be our lives. This desire, this hunger, this ache of our hearts after God. This continual desire of our souls turned towards God; the faith of the heart turned towards Him. This desire of Him to grow and become that which would control all that we do, say and think. This desire of our hearts after God. To know Him, to truly understand Him, to know that we know Him. For we have died and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. We read the words, but to know these words by experience. To truly know that nothing matters but the new creation. Access by faith into the grace wherein we stand. That these words would be opened up to our hearts to a degree we can’t even imagine, but our hearts tell us is real and we desire to be brought into the more. More of Him, more of God, to learn to please Him a little more today than yesterday, to grow into Him. That this gift of the new birth would grow and mature in us. Like a bride waiting for their bridegroom we would make ourselves ready. The desire of the heart turned towards God.... That He might become more and we less. Our hearts cry after the reality of this being made true in our life’s. That when Jesus died we died, to understand this truth to an ever increasing degree. To have one desire of life and that would be; “all of Him and nothing of me” Be blessed as He calls us deeper into the beloved. In Christ, Not me

http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/alpha.html The Dangers Of The Alpha Course. The Alpha Course is a course that has been used by many as a way to attempt to introduce the false doctrines and practices of the Third Wave into mainstream denominations. I was dumbfounded when I found out some of the people who endorse this course. Among them were the Salvation Army and, most notably, Luis Palau. Here is his endorsement that is featured on the Alpha Course web page: "Alpha seems especially blessed in that the Lord is using it to reach all sorts of people in all sorts of spiritual condition." (http://www.alphana.org/alendo01.htm) The Alpha Course, though teaching some truth, also lays truth alongside error. The wooing of people using the gospel message, only to later enslave them in ritualism, works salvation, and occult manifestations is one of the great deceptions of our time. One of the cleverest ploys of the enemy in our day is to allow "unprincipled" men to use the salvation message as an enticment to unsuspecting and untrained people, while they secretly introduce false doctrine, thereby giving "the devil a foothold" for fleshly manifestations and temptations in their lives. The men who designed this course are laying error alongside truth, introducing error secretly ("pareisaxousinin" in Greek) the result of which will ruin the faith of the believer in the end. The Bible says of this process: "But 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." (2 Pet. 2:1) Beware of the Alpha Course! Perhaps the preachers and evangelists who have endorsed this course need to take a longer look at their Bibles. Jesus NEVER laid hands on his disciples, the result of which were "manifestations" of uncontrollable laughter, mayhem, shaking, animal noises, vomitting, or any of the other demonic disorder of the Toronto and Brownsville "things". Luis Palau, of all people, had better wake up to this deception that is sweeping the churches of Europe and is now being used around the world. For a good critique on the dangers of this course, visit this web site: "The Alpha Course" by Chris Hand http://www.banner.org.uk/misc/alpha.html Also, ready this analysis at the same site: "Alpha Course Goes Nationwide In Britain" by Tricia Tillin http://www.banner.org.uk/news/9804.html#Alpha Following are two e-mails, then an article detailing the dangers of the Alpha Course. The first e-mail confirms that Luis Palau has indeed endorsed this dangerous course. The second alerts Christians to the fact the the Church of Rome is now using the course for its own purposes. The article following is a critique of the Alpha Course. We hope you will find this information useful when some member of your church attmepts to introduce this course into your church! From D. C. Alpha 10-3-98 Blessings! The foundations of the Alpha course were originally laid in 1979 through the work of Charles Marnham. During his time at Holy Trinity Brompton in west London (one of the main proponants of the Toronto "Blessing" and where Steve Hill of Brownsville picked up his ability to "slay people in the spirit"), he sought to devise a course to look at the basics of the Christian faith in a way that would be helpful to new Christians. After Marnham's initial input, Alpha gradually evolved. One of the key figures in this and the main architect of the Alpha course as it now exists is Nicky Gumbel, currently curate at Holy Trinity Brompton. It was through Gumbel's vision and work that Alpha grew to have the impact it has today. Alpha has some well-known champions and supporters...... George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury David Hope, the Archbishop of York Alistair McGrath of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Regent College, Vancouver Luis Palau, international evangelist J.I. Packer of Regent College, Vancouver The late John Wimber of the Vineyard churches R.T. Kendall of Westminster Chapel Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance Interesting to say the least...beloved let us discern the times! D.A.C. <@}}}>< From I.C. Alpha 10-2-98 Dear Friends, The plot thickens and yet becomes at the same time more clear. This note concerns what we already know about Alpha courses, and two recent reports in the Daily Telegraph. The first DT item was on 30th Sept. p10, about the World Council of Churches. The second on 1st. Oct., about the Church of Rome and the Eucharist. We all (I hope) know that Alpha has become a front for both Ecumenism and Toronto. It is therefore not surprising that its Theological content is lacking in many respects. Any course that can appeal to the range of traditions and denominations that Alpha does; must of necessity sacrifice many essential truths. It is to be expected, and yet sad to observe, so many "evangelicals" going happily and willingly down this "broad" road. This fact alone, of course, begs the question; just exactly what is an evangelical today? It is suggested by this aspect of Alpha alone, that every evangelical participating in Alpha, is betraying the very Gospel they claim to uphold. When people ask me how can I be so critical of something of which I have no personal experience; my usual reply is that I do not need to put my hand into a fire to prove if it will burn. The second aspect of my note is about the Roman Catholic position in ecumenical matters. Here again most evangelicals must be either blind or ignorant of Rome's way of doing things. Rome has never changed one iota of the articles of the Council of Trent. Her attitude has always been one of waiting and persuading all to return to the "One True Church". While everyone else it seems is only too willing to compromise in the ecumenical cause, Rome has steadfastly given nothing away. It never ceases to amaze me, that so many think Rome is somehow different since Vatican 2. This is the cleverness of the Roman system. She lulls everyone into a sense of false security before swallowing them up. Just look at how many of our institutional churches and others are making overtures to Rome, and you begin to see how successful Rome has been. She lulls everyone into thinking she is sharing, when all the time she is taking over. This is why Alpha is a ready tool for Rome to exploit. While everyone is enjoying a meal and warm company, totally unaware of what is really going on under their very noses. A futher point to notice since the Songs of Praise program devoted to Alpha, is the dishonesty of the propaganda. Did any of you notice how Alpha's history was glossed over in half a sentence; and how Nicky Gumbel was strangely absent in voice. You have to admit the propagandists have done a very skillful piece of work, but then this is precisely what you would expect from something that will be a major factor in the World Church scene. To speak against Alpha is being made very difficult, but is all the more necessary. We see churches and fellowships going headlong into this abyss, but some will listen and be saved, and so we carry on. Incidentally, I just received in today's post a leaflet from the Salvation Army promoting Alpha for young people. God help us all. God bless you all, I.C. Looking at - THE ALPHA COURSE by Tricia Tillin http://www.banner.org.uk/ms/ms2962.html The following article appeared in The Times, 11 May 1996, WOMAN LEADS CHURCH BOYCOTT IN ROW OVER EVANGELICAL PIG-SNORTING A WOMAN has walked out of her church and is holding services in her living room, because she says she cannot bring herself to "snort like a pig and bark like a dog" on a Church of England course. Angie Golding, 50, claims she was denied confirmation unless she signed up for the Alpha course, which she says is a "brainwashing" exercise where participants speak in tongues, make animal noises and then fall over. She has left the evangelical St Marks in Broadwater Down, Kent, with 14 members of the congregation and founded a church at home in Tunbridge Wells. She said: "I'll be a fool for the Lord any day, but I won't be a fool for man." However, the church last night denied that she had been refused confirmation, and course organisers said she had misunderstood the nature of the event... "St Mark's is running an Alpha course at the moment which a number of people are attending. Those being confirmed this summer are attending the course as well." Mark Elsdon-Drew, of Holy Trinity Brompton, said the Alpha course included lectures on the Holy Spirit. "It affects different people in different ways." He said the course had the "overwhelming support" of Church leaders and theologians: "The suggestion of animal noises in connection with the course is unwarranted and could not have been made by anyone who is familiar with the material." Everyone is asking "What about Alpha?" What is it, and what are we to believe about it? The Alpha course is an evangelistic initiative begun by Holy Trinity Brompton - perhaps better known now for its promotion of the Toronto Blessing. The official history of the Alpha Course begins 16 years ago when a member of HTB, Charles Marnham, set up an informal home group to present answers to basic gospel questions. However, HTB curate, Nicky Gumbel, transformed the course into what we see today. [see endnote] It is designed to appeal to non-believers, with every detail - the food, flowers, hospitality and questions - aimed at disarming the unchurched. The final weekend away is a vital part of the course - and this has attracted the most criticism, as it gives a chance for the leaders, if they are so disposed, to present the Holy Spirit in an experimental fashion to a captive audience. The course always ends with a Supper laid on to which more non-believers are invited, and so the process continues. Whatever else can be said about the Alpha Course, it has been a runaway success. In 1991 there were just four courses involving 600 people; in 1993 there were fewer than 10 courses being held in Britain. Now there are an estimated 3,000 being run regularly three times a year, more than 500 of them overseas. These are being run by every denomination, including Catholic. One difficulty in pinning down the problems with the Alpha Course is that each church running the course will use the materials in a different way. Thus it is feasible, in theory at least, that a church might avoid all controversy and simply use the course to preach the gospel to unbelievers. This does leave unanswered the question - why does any church need to buy a course to be able to preach the gospel? However, there are deep concerns. Below I present some thoughts on the Alpha Course by a Christian (i) who grew alarmed when viewing the course materials. It is a personal view but I believe it speaks for many. Alpha certainly starts by preaching the gospel; the first three talks on Video One focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ, and the three talks on video Two which cover fundamental steps for new Christians, such as 'How can I be sure of my faith?', 'Why and how should I read the Bible?' and 'Why and how should I pray?' are all good. But as the course progresses, some of the talks tend to wander off into lengthy accounts of HTB's experiences of the Toronto Blessing and associated ministries, novel exegeses of various Biblical passages common amongst pro-Toronto preachers, calls for unity despite truth and an over-emphasis on the Holy Spirit, all of which are less than helpful, to say the least, to potential Christians. Clearly the aim is to bring as many into God's Kingdom as possible but by the end of the course I cannot help feeling that the Toronto Blessing may have been the greater beneficiary. The Alpha course was virtually unknown until Eleanor Mumford of the South-West London Vineyard church brought the Toronto Blessing from the Toronto Airport Vineyard church in Canada to HTB, via Nicky Gumbel in May 1994, (ii) and Nicky Gumbel spends a substantial amount of time relating to Alpha participants in video 3 talk 9, exactly how it occurred: "Ellie Mumford told us a little bit of what she had seen in Toronto... .it was obvious that Ellie was just dying to pray for all of us.. then she said 'Now we'll invite the Holy Spirit to come.' and the moment she said that one of the people there was thrown, literally, across the room and was lying on the floor, just howling and laughing....making the most incredible noise....I experienced the power of the Spirit in a way I hadn't experienced for years, like massive electricity going through my body... One of the guys was prophesying. He was just lying there prophesying. . ." Gumbel's description of the antics that went on in the vestry of HTB after their invocation of the Spirit seems to me to bear no resemblance at all to what happened on the day of Pentecost. (iii) Yet Alpha participants are being taught all this as part of an evangelistic/Christian Living course as though it is normal and desirable, with absolutely no mention made of the need to test the spirits (1 John 4:3), and at the end of this talk are prayed for, corporately, to receive it. Thus, they are initiated into the Toronto Blessing without a whimper of protest amongst them. "I believe it is no coincidence that the present movement of the Holy Spirit [TB] has come at the same time as the explosion of the Alpha Courses. I think the two go together." [Nicky Gumbel, 'The Spirit and Evangelism', Renewal, May 1995, p15]. So one of my concerns is whether the TB, which is being experienced at HTB, can possibly be divorced from the Alpha Initiative. In view of the similarities of emphasis and content between the two, I'm not sure that it can. Alpha also promotes, as does the leadership of the TB, 'unity' between Protestants and Roman Catholics, with no consideration, or perhaps realisation, of the unreconcileable doctrines of the two Churches, and so another concern is its trend towards ecumenism. POWER EVANGELISM Heavily influenced by the 'Signs and Wonders' ministry of John Wimber in the 1980s, power evangelism has been one of the preparation grounds for the Toronto Experience. It focuses on a pragmatic/experiential rather than a proclamatory/doctrinal approach to spreading the gospel. As such it tends to shift the focus away from the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and onto the supernatural works of the Holy Spirit carried out by men. This is the method of evangelism favoured by Alpha. [Telling Others pp21-24;29-31]. ALPHA AND THE NEW AGE All of this heightened interest amongst Charismatic Christians in 'Signs and Wonders' and the supernatural experiences of the Toronto Blessing is a reflection of spiritual and cultural changes going on outside Christianity, in which New Age experiential mysticism predominates. Nicky Gumbel is aware of this paradigm shift from reason to experience: "In the Enlightenment reason ruled supreme and explanation led to experience. In the present transitional culture, with its 'pick-and-mix' worldview in which the New Age movement is a potent strand, experiences lead to explanation". [Nicky Gumbel, Telling Others, p19]. Post-Christian neo-mysticism is already so pervasive that virtually every non-christian participant of Alpha - or any other evangelistic initiative - will reflect to some degree New Age thinking. In New Age philosophy "experiences lead to explanation" yet, like the Toronto Experience, the thrust of Alpha is towards the experiential, not the written Word. One pastor who has made use of the Alpha course writes: "One of the problems of proclaiming the gospel in a post-modern world is that culture itself warms much more readily to lifestyle than to doctrine. But the Christian lifestyle is not Christian faith... .I am sure that many people are being converted through the Alpha course, but I have a suspicion that some of those people are being converted to a Christian lifestyle rather than to Christ.". [Ian Lewis, 'The Alpha Course', Evangelicals Now, Dec 1995]. The two testimonies given by Alpha participants at the beginning of the first Alpha video are prime examples of this. There are certain basic elements one would expect to hear in a classic conversion testimony: the conviction of sin leading to repentance and subsequent assurance of God's forgiveness and salvation through the death on the cross of Jesus Christ. But these are not there in any form in these two testimonies. A relationship with God is referred to, as is the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, prayer, an interest in Bible reading, church-going, Christianity and what Alpha has done for them. But Jesus and what He has done for them and a relationship with Him is not mentioned at all. Yet the Lord Jesus is the gospel, He is salvation, He is their new life so how can He possibly be so completely overlooked in a basic conversion testimony? Adherents of false religions claim a relationship with God, and a prayer life, but they are not saved. Many church goers read their Bibles and have an interest in church and in Christianity, but they are not saved. Likewise, more compassion/understanding at work, more patience, tolerance, confidence and deep feelings of contentment can equally well be produced by a sense of psychological well-being. Without the cross they do not constitute salvation. The attempt by Nicky Gumbel to bring Jesus into the testimonies by asking exactly what had made these differences, was met with a blank look and the response: "Just the relationship that I've developed with God. Simple as that." These testimonies seemed to me to be, as Ian Lewis suggests, only evidence of conversion to a Christian lifestyle, not to Christ. And when the "Christian lifestyle" is an endless round of blessings', supernatural 'experiences', spiritual 'parties' [see video talk 14] and 'play'-times (iv), then the transition from the counterfeit spirituality of the New Age to Christianity is really only one of degree, not kind. In which case I would echo the question of one evangelical minister who asked: "What is it they are converted to?" EVANGELISM OR CHRISTIAN LIVING? "Scripture tells us that salvation comes through hearing the gospel, and I would expect any course aimed at non-christians to concentrate primarily on the facts of the gospel. The Alpha course deals with the basics of the gospel in two sessions... While these are unequivocal gospel presentations, the remainder of the course deals essentially with what may be described as Christian living... When we used an adapted version of the course in our church, non-christians were left behind by about the sixth week. They still had very fundamental questions about what Christians believe, which were not answered by talking about how Christians live and for this reason the course seemed more suited to people who have already made a commitment to Christ." [Ian Lewis, Evangelicals Now, Dec 1995]. THE HOLY SPIRIT WEEKEND White Alpha training manual pp26-36/Video III talks 7-9 "We live in the age of the Spirit." [p29]. Christians have always referred to the period of time between the first and second advents as the age of Grace, or the Church age. That has not changed. Why encourage now, in such a precarious spiritual climate, the New Age concept of the Age of Aquarius (the spirit)? Continuing his observations on the New Age Nicky Gumbel writes: "I have found on Alpha that those from an essentially enlightened background feel at home with the parts of the course which appeal to the mind, but often have difficulty in experiencing the Holy Spirit. Others coming from the New Age movement find that rational and historical explanations leave them cold, but at the weekend away they are on more familiar territory in experiencing the Holy Spirit." [Telling Others, p19]. But it is the "rational and historical explanations" of sessions l and 2 which are the essence of the gospel (Acts 2:22-41; 6:9-7:60; 8:26-38; 17:16-33) and which the unbeliever must grasp and accept with his mind, under the convicting and illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, if he is to repent and experience salvation in his heart (Romans 10:13,14). Nevertheless: "At the end of the course I send out questionnaires... if there is a change I ask when that change occurred. For many the decisive moment is the Saturday evening of the weekend." [Telling Others, p120]. This is the time when Nicky Gumbel invites the Holy Spirit to come and participants are filled with the Spirit. [Telling Others, pp117,120,123; Blue Alpha training manual p18] I find this extremely worrying. The "decisive moment" should surely be the point at which a person steps over from eternal death to eternal life through the conversion experience (John 3:16; 5:24; Romans 10:9,10,13 and other refs). But most of the testimonies in 'Telling Others' seem to confuse the experience of conversion with the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit. But is this surprising when Nicky Gumbel himself seems to treat conversion as a preliminary to the main event? The breath of new life into a repentant sinner is taught in talk 7, but Nicky Gumbel does not make it clear that this happens at conversion (2 Cor 5:17). Rather, he suggests this is due to a second experience: the baptism in the Spirit. The following testimony is an alarming example of the confusion between conversion and baptism in the Holy Spirit, but it is by no means the only one: "....my wife encouraged me to read an article in a magazine about the Alpha course at HTB. What had stuck in my mind was how the work of the Holy Spirit was described as of paramount importance. I knew in my heart I had to have his power in my life at any cost. So I... enrolled on the course and focused on the weekend where the work of the Holy Spirit is discussed... .Never mind the weeks of pre-med, I just had to get into the operating theatre... .I looked at the order of play, saw that the third session on 'How can I be filled with the Spirit (which I identified as the main one) was at 4:30pm and simply hung on like a marathon runner weaving his way up the finishing straight with nothing but the finishing tape as the focus of his attention... .the prize was so near but we were getting there so slowly. I literally wanted to scream out 'Do it now! Do it now! I can't hold out any longer' I'm not exaggerating when I say I was in agony Then Nicky Gumbel invited the Spirit to come and oh, the relief." [Interview in Renewal, Oct 1995, p16; Telling Others pp36-37]. Though the prayer at the end of these talks includes repentance, the gospel talks are not at this point uppermost in participants minds, and the corporate request "inviting the Holy Spirit to come and fill us" is then made by all in the room. HOW CAN I RESIST EVIL? Session 9 White Alpha training manual pp39-45/Video IV Talk 10. In section II of this session Satan's tactics are listed: destroys; blinds eyes; causes doubt; tempts; accuses. All of these Gumbel applies to the area of Christian behaviour. Deception, the tactic focusing on belief, is omitted. This oversight can be deadly. Deception concerning doctrine is Satan's most powerful weapon against the Church and new Christians need to be made aware just how practised Satan is at deceiving Christians through false doctrines and false spiritual experiences. (v) Gumbel points out in this talk that occult activity "always comes under the guise of something good". The Toronto Blessing is seen as "something good". How strange then that neither he nor anyone else at HTB thought to test the Toronto spirit before accepting it and then passing it on to everyone else. (vi) HOW DOES GOD GUIDE US? Session 10 White Alpha training manual pp46-51/Video IV Talk 11 The "Guiding Spirit" and "more unusual ways" of guidance referred to in this talk, especially guidance by angels, need thorough testing against Scripture in today's religious climate in which false prophets and occult 'spirit guides' masquerading as angels of light abound. A testimony in HTB in FOCUS: ALPHA NEWS, Aug 1995, in which Jesus is referred to as "a guiding light" (p14), is just an inkling of what may be to come. DOES GOD HEAL TODAY? Session 12 White Alpha training manual ppS8-62/Video V Talk 13 During this talk Nicky Gumbel tells Alpha participants of the visit by John Wimber to HTB in 1982 to demonstrate God's power to heal. He says: "John Wimber then said 'We've had words of knowledge' these are supernatural revelations, things that they couldn't have known otherwise about the conditions of people in the room... specific details were given, accurately describing the conditions... .as the list was responded to, the level of faith in the room was rising." Gumbel says that he still felt "cynical and hostile" until the following evening when he was prayed for: "So they prayed for the Spirit to come....I felt something like 10,000 volts going through my body....The American had a fairly limited prayer. He just said 'more power'....it was the only thing he ever prayed. I can't remember him ever praying anything else... Now we've seen many kinds of these manifestations of the Spirit on the weekends... these manifestations... and the physical healings themselves are not the important thing... .the fruit of the Spirit... these are the things that matter, the fruit that comes from these experiences. So we began to realise that God heals miraculously...." Nicky Gumbel gives no indication here that he or anyone else attending that meeting tested the spirits to ensure that everything came from the Holy Spirit. And, of course, the fruit of the Holy Spirit does not come from "these experiences" but from the daily sanctification by the Holy Spirit through obedience to the Word (John 14:15;21;23-26;15:l-7;10;14-15). Once again Alpha participants are not being warned of the very serious dangers of accepting anything and everything from anyone and everyone. So they will walk out of the cocoon of Alpha and straight into the path of the "enemy the devil [who] prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8). WHAT ABOUT THE CHURCH? Session 13 White Alpha training manual pp63-68/Video V Talk 14 (1) ROMANISM "The Alpha course is... adaptable across tradition and denominations... .I know of its uses in Catholic... churches." [Martin Cavender in Telling Others]. Adaptable in what sense exactly? Alpha's publications manager advises that, while presentation of the material can be adapted to suit, the content should be followed exactly. (He makes particular reference to the weekend dealing with the Holy Spirit in this respect) [Christian Herald, 9:12:1995]. If the content of the course teaches the fundamental historical and theological facts and doctrines of the Christian faith as recorded in Scripture, then, having tested and proved that to be so, any Protestant church using Alpha could follow the course exactly. But could a Catholic church do that? In talk 8 and in section II of this talk Gumbel teaches Alpha participants that the differences between Protestants and Catholics are "totally insignificant compared to the things that unite us... we need to unite around the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus; the absolute essential things at the core of the Christian faith on which we are all agreed. We need to give people liberty to disagree on the things which are secondary." I agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence but that is not the issue here. It is on the essentials that Protestants and Catholics do not have unity. That was the whole point of the Protestant Reformation. Discussing the price of unity in the Church, Bishop Ryle wrote: "Our noble Reformers bought the truth at the price of their own blood, and handed it down to us. Let us take heed that we do not basely sell it for a mess of pottage, under the specious names of unity and peace." [Warnings to the Churches, 1877, p128]. Still Gumbel says: "We need to unite... there has been some comment which is not helpful to unity. Let us drop that and get on. It is wonderful that the movement of the Spirit will always bring churches together. He is doing that right across the denominations and within the traditions... we are seeing Roman Catholics coming now... Nobody is suspicious of anybody else... People are no longer 'labelling' themselves or others. I long for the day when we drop all these labels and just regard ourselves as Christians with a commission from Jesus Christ." [Renewal, May 1995,p16] 'Adaptability' of the Alpha course to include Catholics, not necessarily to convert them, is referred to in Alpha as 'unity' and I am concerned that Alpha is contributing - albeit unintentionally - to the undoing of the Protestant Reformation through the promulgation of ecumenism disguised as Christian Unity. (2) UNITY AND FALSE DOCTRINE/TEACHERS "A disunited church, squabbling and criticising makes it very hard for the world to believe". [Gumbel, Renewal, May 1995, p16]. Consequently "we make it a rule on Alpha never to criticise another denomination, another Christian church or a Christian leader." [Telling Others, p114; and this talk, section II]. Yet there are times when failure to 'criticise' - or rather to rebuke and correct (2 Tim 3:16; 4:2-5) - is actually to be disobedient to the Word of God. Although in talk five Gumbel only applied the rebuking and correcting to Christian behaviour, it also applies to false teaching. We must certainly not judge one another's sins or their hearts (e.g. Matt 7:1-5), or their personalities, but we are to test all teachings prophesies and practices against Scripture and judge whether they are true or false (1 Cor 2:15;16; 1 John 4:1). According to Ephesians 4:3-6 Christian unity comes through our being baptised through one Spirit into "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all". Unity is also essential to Latter-Rain doctrine, to enable the incarnation of Christ into His physical body (the Church), because He cannot incarnate a divided body. But Latter-Rain is a "different gospel" (Gal 1:6-7) with a faulty eschatology which is insinuating itself into Charismatic fellowships these days; one of its most successful routes being the Toronto Blessing (vii). It is vital that we "earnestly contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). If not, we may find ourselves, and those new believers we have nurtured, part of the Apostate church. (3) THE PARABLE OF THE PARTY In section IV, Gumbel says the Church, though God's Holy Temple, so often loses "the sense of the presence of God in its midst". He is making reference here to the Sunday meetings of believers rather than to the Church as the body of Christ and uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to explain that Sunday services should be like a 'party'. "Jesus was saying that....the Church is like....a feast and a celebration, and at a party everyone has a good time. There's fun, there's laughter... .Why shouldn't there be laughter at the biggest party of all? and that's what we're seeing today, laughter and fun, and people getting drunk - not with wine, Paul says 'don't get drunk with wine - be filled with the Spirit, Come to a party where you can get drunk on God... .I was at a party like that last night. It was a whole load of church leaders, and we invited the Spirit to come... It was a party thrown by the Holy Spirit. It was a fun place to be. The Church is meant to be a party..." The Church will celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb when the Lord Jesus returns, but I find no references to "fun" or "parties" anywhere in Scripture, except in denunciation. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-11 for example. Until Jesus returns and we attend the marriage feast of the Lamb, there is no place for "parties" or "festivals"; not even "to the Lord". CONCLUSION It may only be part of Alpha's teaching which does not accord with Scripture, but I would say with Paul: "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." (Gal 5:9). Every Christian and every fellowship is able to witness to the gospel. Many fellowships create their own evangelistic courses under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It should not be necessary to rely on the methods and techniques of another fellowship when we have all the instruction and teaching material we need in Scripture, all the experience we need in each of our relationships with the Lord Jesus and are each empowered by the Holy Spirit to go and do it. But if leaders do decide to use the Alpha course they should at least consider the following points in light of the concerns above: That they ensure non-believing participants have fully understood the meaning of the cross and are saved (sessions I and 2) before propelling them into a course on Christian Living. (sessions 3-14). That they ensure converts are fully aware of their conversion experience and are becoming stable in their daily relationship with the Lord Jesus before thrusting them into the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for which they are not yet ready and which could allow into their lives the influence of an alien spirit through ground given, albeit unintentionally. That they ensure participants understand the different nature of the work of each person in the Trinity. That they ensure the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and his convicting and sanctifying work in a believer's life is not submerged beneath the gifts and the power of the Holy Spirit. That they ensure participants are taught to proceed from the Word to experience, not from experience to the Word. Following from this, that they ensure participants understand that deception regarding doctrine and supernatural phenomena has always been Satan's main weapon against the Church and that knowing and standing fast in the Word is our weapon of defence, as it was for Jesus (Matt 4:1-11). That they ensure participants are taught to become Bereans (Acts 17:11) able to test everything against Scripture for themselves, not relying on leaders, who are not infallible (e.g. Gal 2:11-14), to do their thinking and living for them. That they revise the booklist on pp72-75 of the white Alpha training manual as it tends to display a bias towards writers sympathetic to the Vineyard/Toronto Experience/Restorationist persuasion, while omitting other sound and more obvious choices in several of the sessions. In 1877 Bishop Ryle wrote: "The Lord Jesus Christ declares, 'I will build My Church'....Ministers may preach, and writers may write, but the Lord Jesus Christ alone can build. And except He builds, the work stands still....Sometimes the work goes on fast, and sometimes it goes on slowly. Man is frequently impatient, and thinks that nothing is doing. But man's time is not God's time. A thousand years in His sight are but as a single day. The great builder makes no mistakes. He knows what He is doing. He sees the end from the beginning. He works by a perfect, unalterable and certain plan." [J.C. Ryle 'The True Church' in Warnings to the Churches, 1877, pp13-14]. [Note: Nicky Gumbel dates his call to evangelism (Tape Five of the video set) to the 1982 incident in which he received prayer from John Wimber. On that occasion, he experienced such supernatural power that he had to call out for it to stop. Wimber gave a "word" that Gumbel had been given "a gift of telling people about Jesus".] A much expanded version of this paper is presently available from Jo Gardner, price £1.25 incl. postage. Write to: Adullam Register/Alpha, 86 Manor Way, Croxley Green, Herts WD3 3LY. This paper and other material will also shortly be produced in the form of a booklet. Enquiries to Jo Gardner, not Banner! FOOTNOTES (i) Letters to the author should be directed to Banner Ministries. (ii) HTB in Focus: Alpha News, Aug 1995 p9. See also Wallace Boulton, ed., The Impact Of Toronto, 1995 pp2O-24. (iii) See Richard Smith, "Spiritual Drunkenness", Sept 1994. (iv) See Wallace Boulton, ed., The Impact Of Toronto, 1995, p19. Also David Noakes, Dealing With Poison In The Pot, audio tape, CFCM 95/04, side 1. And Johannes Facius, 'Laugh? I Nearly Cried' in Prophecy Today, May/June 1995, p25. (v) See for example, Robert M. Bowman, Orthodoxy And Heresy: A Biblical Guide To Doctrinal Discernment, 1993. And J.C. Ryle, Warnings To The Churches, 1877. (vi) During the Leadership Consultation held in January and March 1995, by the Centre for Contemporary Ministry, it was noted that Wm Branham also practised impartation of the Spirit, which others could then pass on. Arnott has likened the Toronto Blessing to a virus. (See Haggai 2:10-14). (vii) See 'Birth of the Manchild' in Mainstream, Spring 1995, ppi-5 for the eschatology being taught at some Vineyard churches.

Years back and only once did I speak with tongues . and rest assured NO MAN had to TEACH ME HOW TO DO SO . that should be a RED FLAG ALERT . If men are teaching men HOW TO DO THE GIFTS , rest assured it cometh OF MEN and NOT GOD . Number two . PAUL said ARE ALL APOSTELS . OF COURSE NOT ARE ALL PROPHETS , of course not DO ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES ................ SO THEN how come they trying to force or entrap folks into DOING SOMETHING . EITHER GOD GIVES or HE DONT . AND NOT all have the same GIFT . Not everyone has the gift of healing , not all will be a prophet , or an apostel , GOD giveth AS IT PLEASES HIM . AND its not for the personal gain and glory of the man BUT FOR the building up of the saints and FOR HIS GLORY , that HE ALONE is exalted , honored , ,praised . THE GOOD LORD GIVES , and most better watch out and be on guard , for THE GOOD LORD takes away too . Rather odd these circus leaders of a ten ring circus of entertainment that allures , speaketh so little of all THINGS JESUS said or the apostels wrote . But then it aint odd , if a lamb has eyes and ears , It wont take long to whiff em out for what they truly are , ENTERTAINERS and their prophets are in it for a PROFIT . and now a word from jeremiah . For among MY PEOPLE are found wicked men . They lay wait as one that sets snares , they set a trap and they catch men . As a cage is full of birds so are their houses full of DECIET therefore they have become GREAT and they have WAXEN RICH . And this is why the false prophets have waxed SO RICH and BECOME SO GREAT AMONG MEN TODAY. cause their houses are full of deceit and they teach lies for reward and for gain . And the people who sit under them ENVY THEM and love to have it so and thus THEY GIVE THAT MONEY and these HEAP IT UP MAN .

I let a pastor in our area know of it's troubling teachings, as he was thinking on teaching this 7 week Alpha course to his parishioners. Upon seeing it up on his church bulletin board for a pre-start date a short time later, I had typed up much more thorough memo on much of Alpha's anti-biblical content and wished to hand it to him in person. Upon seeing him out front a a bit later, I pulled over to give it to him. He quickly walked inside, and locked the door. I knocked on the door, no answer. So, I taped it on the outside of his door, in prayerful hopes that he might read it and walk away from the Alpha Course . Didn't happen. But the ear tickling Ecumenical, Roman Catholic like message that was intertwined throughout did nearly triple his numbers in church for the next 7 weeks. This particular Alpha Coarse taught at the end, you would "experience" holy spirit "laughter..." A portion from a ministry that researches these things often times far beyond what I do: "Author and lecturer Roger Oakland offers some insight: (On the Alpha Course) ...When Vineyard pastor Randy Clarke came to the Toronto Airport Vineyard in January of 1994, he held several nights of meetings and then lit “the fire.” Randy Clarke had received his “anointing” from the “Holy Spirit Bartender” from South Africa, Rodney-Howard Browne. For years afterwards, the transferrable anointing spread around the world. “It” was also called “it.” Once someone got “it” they were able to give “it” away. “It” was transported to the UK by Nicky Gumbel from the Holy Trinity Brompton Anglican Church in England." "...When we look at the background and what influences the “spirit” behind Alpha, there is every indication that this is not the Holy Spirit of the Bible, who does not ask us to do all kinds of weird and crazy things. We are not to seek visions and dreams or other things typical in Alpha-style hyper-charismatic circles. While some might perceive Alpha’s teachings on the Holy Spirit to be biblical, the problem lies in the clear beliefs and practices of the founder and how it is and has spread throughout the churches in practice thanks to Toronto and Brownsville. The kinds of manifestations that Gumbel promotes have nothing to do with the Comforter leading us into all truth and making us more like Jesus. It will more likely lead the participant into altered states of consciousness and occult practices common in New Age and emergent circles. Alpha Endorsers So who are the endorsers of the Alpha program? Probably the most influential supporter of Alpha (at least within the evangelical church) is Rick Warren. Warren was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Alpha Global Conference. For the fee of $190, one could catch him at Royal Albert Hall or get a seat at Gumbel’s church in Brompton (HTB)—remember, the site of the birth of the Holy Laughter movement." Believer or whoever he spells his name , BROUGHT THIS . May all read it .

I let a pastor in our area know of it's troubling teachings, as he was thinking on teaching this 7 week Alpha course to his parishioners. Upon seeing it up on his church bulletin board for a pre-start date a short time later, I had typed up much more thorough memo on much of Alpha's anti-biblical content and wished to hand it to him in person. Upon seeing him out front a a bit later, I pulled over to give it to him. He quickly walked inside, and locked the door. I knocked on the door, no answer. So, I taped it on the outside of his door, in prayerful hopes that he might read it and walk away from the Alpha Course . Didn't happen. But the ear tickling Ecumenical, Roman Catholic like message that was intertwined throughout did nearly triple his numbers in church for the next 7 weeks. This particular Alpha Coarse taught at the end, you would "experience" holy spirit "laughter..." A portion from a ministry that researches these things often times far beyond what I do: "Author and lecturer Roger Oakland offers some insight: (On the Alpha Course) ...When Vineyard pastor Randy Clarke came to the Toronto Airport Vineyard in January of 1994, he held several nights of meetings and then lit “the fire.” Randy Clarke had received his “anointing” from the “Holy Spirit Bartender” from South Africa, Rodney-Howard Browne. For years afterwards, the transferrable anointing spread around the world. “It” was also called “it.” Once someone got “it” they were able to give “it” away. “It” was transported to the UK by Nicky Gumbel from the Holy Trinity Brompton Anglican Church in England." "...When we look at the background and what influences the “spirit” behind Alpha, there is every indication that this is not the Holy Spirit of the Bible, who does not ask us to do all kinds of weird and crazy things. We are not to seek visions and dreams or other things typical in Alpha-style hyper-charismatic circles. While some might perceive Alpha’s teachings on the Holy Spirit to be biblical, the problem lies in the clear beliefs and practices of the founder and how it is and has spread throughout the churches in practice thanks to Toronto and Brownsville. The kinds of manifestations that Gumbel promotes have nothing to do with the Comforter leading us into all truth and making us more like Jesus. It will more likely lead the participant into altered states of consciousness and occult practices common in New Age and emergent circles. Alpha Endorsers So who are the endorsers of the Alpha program? Probably the most influential supporter of Alpha (at least within the evangelical church) is Rick Warren. Warren was the keynote speaker at the 2014 Alpha Global Conference. For the fee of $190, one could catch him at Royal Albert Hall or get a seat at Gumbel’s church in Brompton (HTB)—remember, the site of the birth of the Holy Laughter movement."

To the hurting one out there reading this right now: Jesus loves YOU... more than you know. Reach out to Jesus. He is reaching out to you.

In days gone by, in Great Britain, a flaming preacher named John Bradford was out on the commons. He was preaching to a throng of villagers about the goodness of God and the saving knowledge of Jesus. During his sermon, the sheriff and the bailiff, with their henchmen, passed by. They were escorting a man who had a rope around his neck. The poor fellow was to be hanged. John Bradford stopped preaching, and with his eye he followed the officials leading that man with the rope around his neck. Then John Bradford lifted his right hand, pointed to them, and said, “My brethren, there, but for the grace of God, go I.” Why is it that we have not fallen into some of the unthinkable sorrows and heartaches that afflict others? It is not because we are any better, though we think we are. It is not because we are superior, though we suppose we are. It is not because they are the dregs of the earth and we are the angelic elect of heaven. It is only because God has mercy upon us. He somehow chose in His sovereign grace to be good to us. That is why it behooves us who name the name of Jesus always to be humble in His presence and compassionate, understanding, and sympathetic in our attitude toward others. We are all sinners alike, saved by the mercy of God. There is no limit to the heights and depths of the love and the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and it reaches even to me. …..Pastor Criswell James 4:10 (NIV) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

It is quite possible that this sort of thing will increase---even here in the USA. Its much easier for cells to do these kinds of attacks and all it would take was for the word to go out---lone wolf nut cases notwithstanding. As the general spirit of antichrist increases, its not difficult to imagine the targets shifting to both Christians and Jews specifically, rather than simply public soft targets.

No of course not. 9/11/2001 ended any naivety regarding the nature of the threat.

can scripture true pure and holy , back this up . YOU BETTER BELEIVE IT CAN . I asked the LORD to remove this thorn three times , and HE TOLD ME my grace , strength is perfected in weakness . EX and ACTLY . DONT NEVER LET A SOUL buy into the lie of men , who condmen a soul who suffers . FOR HIS STRENGTH is made PERFECT IN OUR WEAKNESS . MOST GLADLY THERFORE will I REJOICE IN .........................MY INFIRMITIES ......................... EXACTLY . MMLS is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED .

MMLS IS HERE . I came back from feeding the neighbors cats and seen MY DEAR SISTER had arrived . U r loved dear sister .

The lambs of JESUS shall never hold their peace . Lambs look out for lambs and do all to POINT ONLY TO JESUS and not to men .

The blind Fanny Crosby, was probably the most prolific hymnist in history. Though blinded by an incompetent doctor at six weeks of age, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. About her blindness, she said: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." But she did write many great hymns of praise to her Redeemer which believers have sung to the praise of God over the years. Here are the lyrics to one of her hymns which brings praise to the one who was Prophet, Priest, and King - our Redeemer. (1) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim! Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His holy Name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children, In His arms He carries them all day long: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness. Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song! (2) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died. He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong. Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness. Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song! (3) Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever. Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King! Christ is coming! over the world victorious, Pow'r and glory unto the Lord belong. Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness. Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

Nor do I. From my understanding, it's a devious plan for complete devastation. Basically, global annihilation. Pretty scary when you think of it. Thanks for your input. My topics never seem to go very far. It does concern me, or I wouldn't post them when they occur. Annihilation [əˌnīəˈlāSHən] NOUN complete destruction or obliteration. "the threat of global annihilation" synonyms: destruction · wiping out · extermination · extirpation · elimination · [more] eradication · killing · decimation · liquidation · demolition · zapping total defeat. "a show of independence is its only hope of avoiding annihilation in next year's elections" synonyms: defeat · beating · conquering · vanquishment · vanquishing · trouncing · [more] overpowering · overthrow · subduing · subjugation · rout · mastery · crushing · victory (over) · triumph (over) · hammering · clobbering · thrashing · drubbing · caning · murder · massacre

Attack church Burkina Faso, 14 people were shot dead This was an apparent invasion of Jihadi terrorist assassins. It's tragic. Do we as in our own separate and supposedly safe nations feel this can't possibly happen in this or any other country? They've converged upon every wealth organized nation the world over, and they've got plans for global annihilation. Think this can't happen in your corner of the world? Think again. What say you?

My best friend back in the States, we were both saved in our late 30's, ...Father placed me in a church that grew out of the Jesus People Revival of the late 60's, while he went to a church that was stared at the same time by one of the pastors mentioned above; Thirty years later he's deep into NAR, his god is C. Peter Wagner, his wife is divorcing him, his two boys are heroin addicts and his girl doesn't know who she is.... Folks, please, please remember: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 Like my pastor said, "All false teaching has 10% Truth mixed in with it!" It's the Word, the Word and nothing but the Word, we are living in perilous times, ...the "only" place we will find abundant life, ...the "only" safe place for us is "in" the WORD... Lord bless

See how its really an hybrid of the faiths which is in turn starting to become a hybrid that will fit all religions and even the secular . This was all about bringing folks together with FEELINGS and thus they are entertained with what seems as signs and wonders . Repetitive chants , which I know what that does , cause personally as a teenager I did this and it put me into a euphoric state and uncontrollable laughter too . I did this on my own , not even following Christ , yet had folks seen it some would have called it holy ghost laughter . And the word we chanted , me and my brothers was Spoon . Don't even begin to ask me why we even did this , but that was the effect . The repetitive chants , ALSO OPEN the mind , IT opens something up inside of a person and makes the mind very subjective to what is next taught . Secular would call it a state of mild hypnosis or altered conscious in the new age , or in evangelical circles they think its of the Spirit . In truth , lambs know it for what it is . Its a doorway in to spirits all right , but not THE HOLY ONE , rather SEDUCING ONES . While all true lambs know the gifts have never ceased , they would also know how to rightly divide the word of truth . JESUS told his own desicples something real clear . THEY were making the power into a ministry , RATHER than just being focused on JESUS and then using the power as needed when its needed . Many a folk , a person , a man or a woman has either long forgotten or never knew something , SO I will remind us of what some of us know . LUCIFER was given great gifts , great wisdom , great power , To receive such is not a sin . TO BECOME ENAMOURED WITH IT , IS SIN and leadeth to PRIDE which causes HIS OWN DOWNFALL from heaven . Now back to the example in the gospel . And they returned REJOICING in that they had POWER over the demons and etc . AND JESUS SAW IT , AND JESUS SAID THESE VERY WORDS BEHOLD I saw satan FALL as lightning from heaven . YES I have GIVEN YOU POWER over serpents and to cast out demons , BUT IN THIS REJOICE NOT . REJOICE RATHER that your names are wrote above . YET the charismatic movement , has turned the entire FOCUS on the gifts , so is it any wonder that they sit around as though some great thing , and holler TOUCH THOU NOT GODS ANNOINTED , TEST THOU NOT GODS ANNOINTED and all they do is sit around and talk about the signs and wonders and wait for the next big EXPERIENCE , and SPEAK so little on sound doctrine . Here is something else they forgetting . WHEN phillip had told the eunach about JESUS and then the eunach said , what does hinder me from being baptized . PHILLIP said , IF YOU believe with all your heart you may be baptized . NOTICE phillips heart was ENSURING he BELIEVED ON JESUS with NO DOUBT at all in his heart . Rather odd that today , when folks come on into these wild events , they don't FIRST even ask anyone if they have heard the gospel or if they even believe , ITS LETS LAY HANDS and SLAY THEM In the SPIRIT , lets pray the baptism of the HOLY ghost on them . BUT the baptism of the HOLY GHOST , that is given ONLY UNTO TRUE BELEIVERS . SO WHERE ON EARTH is the real focus ABOUT THE REAL GOSPLE and ENSURING FOLKS are FIRST SAVED , before moving into the second phase .

Yes, stay away folks. Run the other way from this, and instead run to the biblical Jesus. The real, true Jesus. I did this alpha course, in my naivety, 20 years ago, when I was 25. Thank the Lord, I can’t remember a lot about it. Only the basics of having a meal, watching a video and then chatting about it afterwards. Until @frienduff thaylorde and @turtletwo brought it up the other day, I had forgotten about it. On reading up on it in the last couple of days, it is definitely not biblical and by trying to re-focus people away from Jesus and instead onto the gifts of the Holy Spirit is exceedingly alarming. The Holy Spirit indwells in us as the Spirit of Christ, to constantly point us to Jesus, to remind us of what Jesus said, to help bring scriptures to mind. He is our comforter, counsellor, advocate. But the main reason He is in us, is to keep pointing us to Jesus. To be able to have direct access to Jesus. As turtle said, when Jesus was down here, he was constrained by time and space, so He could only be in one place at a time. By sending us His Holy Spirit, we all have direct access to Him, all the time. We need to go back to the bible. The bible was written for all generations, right until Jesus returns. Trying to modernise it so that it fits in with the world culture, is not what the Lord teaches us. He wants us to live according to what He says in the bible and not the other way round. It all comes together with this false unity. Trying to unite false religions together, to water Jesus down so people won’t be offended by Him. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Flee away from this. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved.

Intimacy with God seems like the answer to all my problems and issues of life. If God is not first place, all else is futile. As scripture says; a striving after wind. But with God as first place; is actually having all things. Be blessed all that would desire it, Not me

Everyone join in with your verses and thoughts. These are my thoughts.... 16So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are [j]oppressed; 19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21 The above words of Jesus are such beautiful words and full of hope. All of us have been in one or more of these conditions at some time in our lives...poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind (usually spiritually) or oppressed. And then we heard the words of Christ, and found healing for our brokenhearts, eyes opened to spiritual things and realized peace with God, and relief from oppression as we realized that Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin and death. For any that are experiencing these things, Jesus can set you free. But don't come to a religion, come to Christ Himself.

In this scenario, are we pretending that this “Ne’er Do Well” is actually me? If it is me we are theoretically talking about, then “ I “ can do ALL of these plus a LOT more! Not everybody can, so let this stand as a warning for all you wannabe murderers out there! In addition - and let me MAKE CLEAR , going out the gate , that this scenario is theoretical horse- hockey that ain’t gonna happen in the real world- this pretend scenario is for debate and entertainment purposes only- please , no wagering! Lol..... While awaiting the “ paddy wagon” , if it ever arrives, I tend to agree with Luther...( paraphrasing) “ Though I commit a thousand murders and a thousand rapes every day, The Grace Of God has me covered” Grace sure is an unfair thing. “ where sin abounds ( and it sure seems to be abounding in our pretend concoction!) The Grace Of God abounds that much more. You strike me as one with a keen intellect .Now that I have shown you the light ( no “ thanks” is necessary ,btw ) there is much more I can teach you if you want to sit at my knee and bask in my wisdom ! Lol......that last bit there was a little bit of B. S. I have a playful nature and I love to kid people. I am sure you and many others have brought out the smelling salts by now and are praying for my poor, deceived soul......lol.....Don’t bother, I sleep like a baby..... I have never considered this before , but I find myself intrigued by and attracted to your kindness and intellect — I would like to keep this back- and-forth private in one of those “ Stump Speech “ thingies.I am almost as old as you are and I hope you relished those “ Lincoln-Douglas” stump debates as much as I did back when we were younger! You would not happen to be that cute little filly with the long, frilly skirt that was getting a drink of cider down there by the ........uh......sorry ,got a little distracted there...... Anyway.....let me know what you think about my “ blasphemous” take on Scripture and about my idea of keeping it to ourselves ......I think an on- looking World might just pick up a thing or two from two Old Codgers that might benefit them in their Christian Walk.....May God Bless you, fine woman....

Back in the states I owed 10 acres in the country, we brought home a small adorable puppy that my girls fell in love with on first sight, she had two different colored eyes, they named her Tizzy, since the land was on the eastern side of the coastal mountains it was hilly where we lived, ...a good place to ride three wheelers, ... as she grew and matured, when we took off on them, she would run along side of me and jump up on the gas tank and go for a ride, ...one day the neighbor came over to talk and he spotted Tizzy, ...told us she was an Australian shepherd, ...we didn't know, ...then one day another neighbor's milk cow broke down the fence and roamed about on our land, I watched Tizzy as she went on "full alert," watching the cow and turning her head and looking me in the eye, just like you said, ...I said, "go Tizzy," and off she went, ...she herded that cow back through the hole in the fence right up to the neighbor's house, ...I was in total amazement, where did she learn that? Certainly not from running and jumping onto a three wheeler gas tank!

That is why the Passover lamb is taken into the home for several days to be inspected before it is slaughtered. It teaches just how much it cost the Father to see His own innocent Son to be tortured and slaughtered as He was going to and upon the cross.

Sheep scatter without their Master They are dumb and they stink; those shepherds that sleep with their sheep smell like them, too. They were not allowed in the Jewish temple without a ceremony of cleansing. They needed a bath! But little lambs are so cute and like to play "king of the mountain" and stand on top of their moms. Jesus was also the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Like the scapegoat, the sins of the people were placed on His head and He was led outside the camp and away from Jerusalem to die. He was also the Passover Lamb that was inspected for several days to be sure it was without flaw, innocent and pure. Then one was sacrificed for each family, and it all had to be eaten quickly while standing as their forefathers had done before the exodus from Egypt, so the death angel would pass over their house having the blood of the lamb on the mantle and door posts. Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

@B3L13v3R Thanks, brother for posting this. It was helpful. (Frienduff re-posted it here in my thread.)

A special thankyou to our dear and loved sister , who loves to Point to Christ , and who is doing all for the sake of others . We warn out of love and great concern for all . Lambs don't let lambs do alpha course .

@Michael37 I went directly to their own site now (to do a fact check.) This is what they state about their origin. Alpha began at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London in 1977, it was taken by Nicky Gumbel in 1990 and repositioned as a course for those outside the church. The number of people attending Alpha at HTB grew quickly into the hundreds and attracted the attention of other churches across denominations seeking to find an effective tool for evangelism. This led to the first Alpha conference in 1993 at HTB where over 1000 church leaders attended to learn about Alpha and how to use it in their congregation. As interest grew Alpha conferences were organized internationally and the original Alpha Film Series was filmed in 1994 to make it accessible to the widest possible audience.

But I got wonderful news , the true lambs wont be taking it and rolling over to it . They will be doing all out exploits which point to JESUS and not men and exposing every evil work which tries to potray itself as good . And no marvel . We were warned satan himself can appear as an angel of .........LIGHT no surprise that his ministirs can lead many churches either . The attack in the times ahead will come against bible believing JESUS ONLY christains . IT sure will . BUT let that not once worry us or cause any to have fear . FOR TO LIVE IS CHRIST and thus to die is only gain . WE WIN , FOR JESUS WON . No fear of what is coming and is rising up even now . For whether we live or die , WE ARE HIS . Thanks to all who helped to show the dangers of this course .

I am going to bring what another brought to the other post . This needs to be seen too .

Margo.....sorry bout the slow response.....The response by Coloseum was very good and as I said, I was going to let it stand as my response because I really had nothing to add......so much has been said since your question was asked......please state precisely what you want me to answer and I will answer it....sorry for all the aggravation I must be causing you......if nothing has changed, just cut and paste and send it here.....thanks..

@Melinda12 I commend you for asking this question of frienduff. I'm starting a thread that sheds light on the dangers within the Alpha Courses. I hope it is helpful to you.

@Debp This is a great topic for a thread! Thanks for your caring . May hope be given to those who are hurting out there. My prayer is that they will find this and be ministered to by it.

@angels4u I absolutely love this! As someone who champions right to life, I can only say praise God, this is wonderful.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.Luke 1:41

When they say the Pope is closest to God, but then you've got popes throughout history known for promiscuity or putting corpses on trial. Can't forget the time where there were about four popes at once fighting and denouncing one another, either. A real chin stroker how anyone buys into the practice.

GOTTA LOOK OUT for those I love . FLEE THIS THING and never look back .

Gumbel, of Holy Trinity Brompton, the heart of Anglican church growth in the diocese of London and the nation, told a gathering of nearly 900 Catholic bishops, priests and laity: "I love the Catholic Church - she is leading the way in evangelisation." He spelled out his Alpha recipe for success, but said key to his current thinking was the 2013 encyclical of Pope Francis on evangelisation and the joy of the gospel, Evangelii Gaudium. Everyone, not just Catholics, should read the encyclical and put it into practice. He said he was reading and re-reading it. "If every Christian in England put Evangelii Gaudium into practice the nation would be transformed," Gumbel said, adding that the Church would also be revitalised and transformed. I FOUND THIS IN FIVE SECONDS FLAT . its all a scam to get us linked together as one under the harlot . I did research this course long ago . Its all bad news just sold in a way to seduce folks right into it .

That's a difficult question to answer, ...I raised sheep in High School, ...it's a choice between being the most stupid creature Father ever created or, ...being the most stubborn creature He ever created, ...now we need to plug that into the answers already given to honestly evaluate ourselves... Lord bless

Knowing You Jesus. All I once held dear, built my life upon All this world reveres, and wars to own All I once thought gain I have counted loss Spent and worthless now, compared to this Knowing you, Jesus Knowing you, there is no greater thing You're my all, you're the best You're my joy, my righteousness And I love you, Lord Now my heart's desire is to know you more To be found in you and known as yours To possess by faith what I could not earn All-surpassing gift of righteousness Oh, to know the power of your risen life And to know You in Your sufferings To become like you in your death, my Lord So with you to live and never die Christian lyrics - KNOWING YOU JESUS LYRICS - GRAHAM KENDRICK

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies. Refrain: Christ, our Lord, to you we raise this, our hymn of grateful praise. 2 For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light, [Refrain ] 3 For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child, friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild, [Refrain] 4 For yourself, best gift divine, to the world so freely given, agent of God's grand design: peace on earth and joy in heaven. [Refrain] SongwritersFolliot S. Pierpoint