The proroguing of Parliament provides a moment of sanity to stand back from the maelstrom of Brexit madness and undertake some calm reflection on how we have got to the present situation. In my own quiet times I believe I’ve been directed away from politics to the Church. As I’ve said before in these editorials, the biblical principle, particularly followed by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, is to hold the religious leaders responsible for the moral and spiritual state of the nation.
In last week’s editorial I spoke about the open letter published by bishops of the Church of England on the subject of Brexit. There was no Gospel in their message and they didn’t even mention the name of God! The Church of England has a huge privilege of having 26 bishops sitting in the House of Lords who could make a great impact on the moral and spiritual life of the nation - if they were Bible-believing Christians on fire with the Spirit of God! But there was hardly a peep from any of them during the Brexit debate last week and certainly no declaration of biblical truth to lift the tone of the debate onto a higher level.
These bishops are a disgrace to the name of God! In July when the infamous bill from the House of Commons forcing abortion and same-sex marriage upon the people of Northern Ireland came into the House of Lords, not one Bishop was there! Such dereliction of duty is surely a stink in the nostrils of God!
How dare they misuse the power and privilege they have been given in the nation! Have they no interest in the people of Northern Ireland who have fought steadfastly to maintain biblical standards in their part of the United Kingdom despite all the pressures of secularisation, atheism and cultural Marxism? Clearly the Church of England bishops not only do not care to make a stand for biblical truth but have no fear of God!!! In the words of Jeremiah, “They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves” (Jer 2:4).
The Church of England bishops have a huge privilege and could make a great impact on the moral and spiritual life of the nation - if they were Bible-believing Christians on fire with the Spirit of God!
Not Just the Church of England
But it is not only the Church of England that is rapidly becoming an apostate Church led by false prophets, whom Jesus warned us would be a mark of the days leading up to his Second Coming: “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time” (Mat 24:24-25).
Prominent leaders in some para-church evangelical organisations are also being led astray by powerful forces of deception presenting sugar-coated alternative gospels that have popular appeal and produce quick results, in line with the values of a consumeristic, instant-results society. I fear that my good friend David Hathaway, for whom I have great respect as an evangelist, is being drawn into these seductive circles. Many people have asked why I did not join in the recent Wembley Brexit Prayer Day. I felt in all conscience that I could not share a platform with those who I believe to be false prophets.
I am not referring to all those who took part in the Wembley Prayer Day. I watched the YouTube recording and there were many good parts, including the worship group which undoubtedly had a Holy Spirit anointing. But there were others who were not moving in the Spirit of the Lord. I have discussed this at length with David, face-to-face and on the telephone, so I am not saying in public anything that I have not said to him as a brother in Christ. You cannot mix wheat and tares and expect to have a presentation of Gospel truth that is pleasing to the Lord.
Biblical Truth vs. Pragmatism
The days in which we are living are far too significant and demanding to compromise with the truth! There are many similarities today to the days described in the New Testament as leading towards the end of the age. Reports show that more Christians are dying for their faith in Jesus than at any other time in history. Peter warns Christians to “be clear minded and self-controlled” (1 Pet 4:8). We should not allow ourselves to be drawn away from biblical truth by pragmatism, however attractive its presentation.
You cannot mix wheat and tares and expect to have a presentation of Gospel truth that is pleasing to the Lord.
This is what I fear is happening in London, where ‘The Turning’ mission is due to be launched on 21 September at Westminster Chapel. Yinka Oyekan and Bill Johnson are due to be the main speakers – both of whom I believe to be false prophets.1 Yinka claims that 17,500 people around the nation have “prayed the prayer of commitment to Jesus Christ” through a mission started by the people of his Baptist church in Reading,2 with over 7,000 in that town alone. But as we have reported previously on Prophecy Today, other church leaders in Reading have seen no signs of such a growth in Christian commitment.
The weakness of ‘The Turning’ lies in its presentation of the Gospel purely in terms of the love of God with little or no call to repentance. Of course, there are good things in it (deception is always close to the truth!). The involvement of ordinary Christians approaching their neighbours in the streets and their willingness to get involved in evangelism – that is much to be applauded! But if we water down the Gospel in order to make it attractive to people, we actually dishonour Jesus and the great cost that he bore upon the Cross for our salvation.
My other concern is that ‘The Turning’ is coming from the same false charismatic stable as the Toronto Blessing and other so-called ‘revivals’ that have plagued the Western churches for the past 30 years. I have personally endured much opposition for taking a stand on biblical truth in this respect. In July 1990, at Holy Trinity Brompton, I faced the wrath of John Wimber, Sandy Millar, David Pytches, Paul Cain, Bob Jones and other church leaders who demanded that I retract what I had published in Prophecy Today magazine that their prophecies of an imminent revival starting in London and sweeping Britain were false.
I said this because I knew that God was calling for repentance – he was not promising exciting times of revival when the Church was compromised with adultery, false teaching and unbelief. I knew that their declarations that they were going to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and present it to Jesus at his Second Coming was false teaching, because it gave all the glory to human beings and not to Jesus. That same ‘Kingdom Now’ teaching is at the root of ‘The Turning’ and if the root is bad, the fruit cannot be good: as Jesus said, you cannot pick grapes from brambles!
God does not promise exciting times of revival when the Church is compromised with adultery, false teaching and unbelief.
A Prepared People
The starting point of evangelism today does not lie in big, organised campaigns. It begins with recognising the need for repentance – starting within the Church. It also involves recognising what God is actually doing in equipping a faithful remnant of committed, Bible-believing Christians, often meeting in small groups for prayer, Bible study and fellowship.
Many of these are linked with local churches but others are quite independent. This is very much like the Church of New Testament times. This commitment to prayer/study/fellowship is what will really prepare the way for a fresh move of God.
For a long time, God has been telling us that he is shaking the nations and warning us not to pray against what he is doing. The day will surely come when God, in his wisdom, will discern that the time is right for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That time is likely to come when the nation is reaching breaking point and people begin to cry out to God for help. But God will also be watching to ensure that his people – the faithful remnant – are ready and prepared to reap the harvest.
Notes
1 I am using the term ‘prophet’ in its biblical context, as used by Jeremiah, to include those who declare their words to be the word of the Lord.
2 According to a recent circulation from David Hathaway.
