Contemplative Prayer - False Doctrine

[Qnts2]

We hear God's voice through His Word.   He does not send us messages.  

 

Again, the difference between a cessationist and a continuist. I believe when scripture says we hear His voice, I take it literally.

 

When a person reads a book, they are not hearing the authors voice. With scripture, an unsaved person does not necessarily hear Gods voice, except when the Holy Spirit is using scripture to draw them to Jesus.

 

Uniquely different in a believers life is the indwelling Holy Spirit, who leads us into truth, convicts of sin etc. With the indwelling Holy Spirit (Who is a part of the Godhead), does He just indwell and then go to sleep? No, there is a communication. There is a revelation going on. There is a change going on, and a conforming to Messiah.  

 

In the OT, it was only the unique people, the prophets who heard from God. All others were dependent on the Priests and Prophets to share what they heard from God. God spoke thru His prophets to the common people. The New Covenant is uniquely different. We all hear His voice.

 

But, I do not want to take away from the topic of contemplative prayer. We all agree it is false. But obviously the definition of contemplative prayer is very different, with cessationists calling continuists engaging in contemplative prayer because continuists believe that the sheep really do hear His voice. That is very different then contemplative prayer.

[Guest shiloh357]

Charles Stanley isn't giving a course on Contemplative prayer, but the idea of getting silent and listening for God's "voice" is, again, the heart and soul of it.   God speaks to us through His Word.  I am not under any obligation to believe these big name teachers who say that God sends them messages, much less accept what these teachers say when they claim to have heard or received a message from God.

 

When people start relating messages they get directly from God, that sends up a red flag. 

[OneLight]

Charles Stanley isn't giving a course on Contemplative prayer, but the idea of getting silent and listening for God's "voice" is, again, the heart and soul of it.   God speaks to us through His Word.  I am not under any obligation to believe these big name teachers who say that God sends them messages, much less accept what these teachers say when they claim to have heard or received a message from God.

 

When people start relating messages they get directly from God, that sends up a red flag. 

 

Ah, so because you think he means contemplative prayer, then, according to you, he must.  Sorry, but that is wrong in so many ways.  I have heard Jesus talk to me before in the spirit.  I have also received direction from God while I waited for His reply.  I have also been shown the beauty of His creation while being silent in the wilderness.  All these are true and are from Him.

 

As for "big name preachers", I have found absolutely nobody who is 100% correct in their walk, present company not excluded, so why just tear down a very very small percentage of the body?  What is common among false teachers is that they think they are never wrong, that people have to hang on every word they say, even when they claim you can agree to disagree.  I do not see Charles Stanly as such a person any more than I see him teaching contemplative prayer.  It all comes down to if you believe what a writer says about the person, which I do not.

 

It is sad to think someone has not received any message from God, be it a message from scripture, or through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

[Qnts2]

Charles Stanley isn't giving a course on Contemplative prayer, but the idea of getting silent and listening for God's "voice" is, again, the heart and soul of it.   God speaks to us through His Word.  I am not under any obligation to believe these big name teachers who say that God sends them messages, much less accept what these teachers say when they claim to have heard or received a message from God.

 

When people start relating messages they get directly from God, that sends up a red flag. 

 

Again, you are a cessationist and are assuming thing thru a cessationist theology.

 

I think Charles Stanley is a continuist. He is not promoting or teaching Contemplative prayer, but is promoting the verse about the Sheep hearing His voice. So, again, your definition of contemplative prayer is not accurate, but is based on your cessationist theology.

 

By the way, while you description of contemplative prayer is wrong, there is actually something in the movement called contemplative journalling. In contemplative journaling, you contemplate something, and then write down whatever thoughts enter your mind about it. The assumption is, some of your thoughts might be from God. That is what you are speaking against, but that is something I am against also even though I am a continuist. Contemplative journaling just ends up being peoples thoughts but assigning them to God.    

[Guest shiloh357]

This is not about cessationism.  Cessationsim has to do with spiritual gifts.

 

I receive guidance from God all of the time and this has happened without me ever having received any "messages" from God.   He simply puts me where he wants me and guides my steps.  Everything he needs me to know is already in Scripture.

[Qnts2]

This is not about cessationism.  Cessationsim has to do with spiritual gifts.

 

I receive guidance from God all of the time and this has happened without me ever having received any "messages" from God.   He simply puts me where he wants me and guides my steps.  Everything he needs me to know is already in Scripture.

 

Yes it is. You deny that today, people hear directly from God, like the OT prophets. Hearing from God is not always prophesy. Sometimes the prophets gave teachings. There were also words of knowledge (knowing something about somebody you could not know naturally). etc. To say the our only message from God is in Scripture, is saying that God no longer speaks to people in that still small voice. Understand, for the majority of Jewish people in the OT, they did not hear Gods still small voice. They depended on scripture and the Prophets.

 

But again, this is about contemplative prayer. You are not correctly defining comptemplative prayer which really has nothing to do with the continuation or cessation of the gifts. Contemplative prayer is more similar to Eastern meditation with a Christian dress.

[Guest shiloh357]

No cessationism is about whether or not the sign gifts in I Cor. 12 are still in force.    This is different.   This is about people achieving an altered state of consciousness (though Christians don't frame it that way) in order to hear from God.   Many Christians are unaware that they are engaging in a pagan practice.  Some don't really care.

 

But Contemplative prayer isn't prayer.  It is a far eastern philosophy that has entered into the Church and it is coming from the top down.   They don't necessarily use  the same mystical terminology, but then if you want to make something palatable, you often have change the words you use in order to make into something that sounds, "Christian."   You have to use the same buzzwords and "Christianese" that is currently in vogue in Christian circles.

[angels4u]

 

Anyone familiar with the false teaching/practice of Contemplative prayer/worship?  It's also called "centering prayer."

You could check this out for more information:

http://www.wayoflife.org/index_files/contemplative_spirituality_dancing_with_demons.html

 

Thank you Ezra~~good link~~well worth reading~~

[angels4u]

Yes, it is based on eastern mysticism.    The book "Jesus Calling" is based on this.   If you have that book, destroy it.   Sarah Young admitted in earlier editions of Jesus Calling that she was inspired by two women who wrote "God calling" back in the 1930s.  They were channeling a spirit called "the living Christ"  and were writing down that spirit's messages.  In New Age speak, "Christ"  is not a reference to Jesus.

I just listened to Justin Peters about Sarah Young,she is deceiving~~~~~~she does channeling~~

Thank you for making people aware of this~~~

[other one]

 

Well Onelight, you didn't read the article very close.

 

In that article Stanley was talking about meditating and receiving messages directly from God.  That's the heart and soul of Contemplative prayer.   The whole point is to have a two-way conversation with God where He speaks to you directly and you receive messages in your mind from Him.

 

The article is accurate.  Stanley promotes this stuff.   God doesn't speak directly to us.   He speaks to us through His Word.   The Holy Spirit will always take you to Scripture when He has something to say to you.

 

I cannot speak for you, but when I pray and meditate on God, He does give me direction through His Holy Spirit.    That is NOT contemplative prayer, but waiting on Him.  Nowhere in the article does he tell us to empty our minds in order to be guided.  Apparently, you confuse the two far to quickly. 

 

Where in these words does Charles point toward false doctrine?

 

Stop for a minute and think about how you typically interact with God. If prayer time is dominated by your own talking, some adjustments may be in order. Just as the Lord spoke to David, God also has many things to say to you, if you’ll simply let Him speak.

 

In our normal everyday lives, we are surrounded by countless voices in need of our attention. Our children cry for it, our employers demand it, and our loved ones yearn for it. With all of these bidding for our attention, no wonder God’s voice at times seems so muffled or distant.

Effective meditation requires seclusion. Unless we make an effort to escape our daily demands for at least a few moments, our ability to hear God’s voice will be weakened.

 

At some point today, turn off the TV, cell phone, and computer, and simply listen for God’s voice. Your schedule won’t surrender easily, so make a decision to claim a block of time for the Lord. Then quiet your extraneous thoughts, and focus on Him.

 

Our Lord was well aware of this need for isolation. In teaching about prayer, Jesus told the disciples to go into their rooms and close the door behind them. He knew it was vital to take a break from the pressures of life in order to truly commune with the Father.

 

For me, I get this strong sense of feeling that’s so clear, so direct to me. Like this week, something happened and I thought, Well, I could do thus and such, and God said, “Don’t do that.” I don’t hear a voice, but it’s so crystal sharp and clear to me, I know not to disobey that.

I think that comes from early in life as you learn to listen. You make mistakes; after a while, you realize as you obey him, it turns out right, and whatever your reason was for not obeying him, it doesn’t turn out right.

 

The writer of the article surely wants to prove their point, which the writer tries to do as they take his words out of context and twists them to try and support their reasoning.  You see that enough on here when people discuss scripture, yet you cannot see this when someone tears down a brother?

 

I agree OneLight.