Hyper-Grace Horror Stories

Hyper-grace teachers frequently emphasize that they do not condone sinful living and that God’s true grace will produce a holy life, and I believe they sincerely mean this. One hyper-grace author even states at the beginning of his book, “We are not propagating immorality, because if we truly believe in God and love Him there will be corresponding works (because faith without works is dead).” Absolutely!

There are boatloads of testimonies these teachers can point to, documenting how thousands of believers have found freedom and deliverance by embracing the message of grace. In previous years, these believers had lived under a weight of condemnation, thinking if they just worked a little harder God might accept them, feeling as if they never measured up. Then they encountered God’s amazing grace and were transformed.

This is wonderful news, and I rejoice in these testimonies too. In fact, that is the message of grace I believe in and preach as well.

Unfortunately, there are now boatloads of stories of believers who have been terribly injured by the hyper-grace message. In fact, since my article “Confronting the Errors of Hyper-Grace” was posted last week, I have not been able to keep up with all the horror stories that have been sent my way.

This one is typical, from Jessica:

“I have seen firsthand the changes that come with people who embrace this message.

“I joined a small group 3 years ago that went from having regular prayer meetings and living holy connected lives together to stating ‘prayer is a work and denies grace’ and ‘sin allows grace to do its great work.’ All of our prayer meetings and Bible studies were traded in for game-nights and nights out at the bar to ‘witness’ where many from the group got plastered ... all in the name of ‘grace.’

“My heart has been so broken for my dear friends who I walked so closely with. As a group, they have embraced sin as not only acceptable, but justified and desirable. I have been completely ostracized and mocked for my stand in holiness. They don’t even call me by my name anymore—they call me ‘Pharisee.’ Unfortunately, I have had to step completely away from these loved ones and am spending my life in prayer for them.”

Another wrote this:

“I had a loved one who was an intense follower of hyper grace start to lie and cheat in his business. … He was a different person before he started following hyper grace. … He wasn’t greedy, in fact he was selfless, humble and very much in integrity. Also I can’t mention to him the fact that he lied and withheld info in order to steer people to invest ... Why? Because he says there is no condemnation in Christ. So no one is allowed to mention that aspect of his behavior to him … or else.”

A worship leader wrote to me, describing what is happening among prominent worship leaders he knows, where “the drinking partying thing is rampant. Totally excused because they were under grace not legalism.”

Of course, my hyper-grace friends will protest: “This is not the fruit of our message. Our message produces love for Jesus and holy living. These people obviously misunderstood what we were teaching.”

But it’s not so simple, otherwise pastors and believers from around the country (and other countries) wouldn’t be contacting me day and night to talk about the destructive effects of the hyper-grace message.

Without a doubt, my colleagues who preach hyper-grace have discovered some wonderful truths that are liberating and transforming, and all of us should embrace those truths. Unfortunately, the hyper-grace message (in contrast with Paul’s message of abundant grace) is unbalanced and highly reactionary, to the real detriment of many believers.

Here are three major concerns (out of many more) that must be addressed:

1) Hyper-grace teachers (and their followers) denigrate those who differ with them, calling them legalistic Pharisees, branding them manipulators and tyrants who preach a counterfeit gospel, and sometimes even claiming that leaders who don’t preach hyper-grace are doing so for monetary gain (“sin management is lucrative;” there is an almost endless stream of quotes like this from respected hyper-grace leaders). This is destructive and divisive and needs to stop. (For the record, I use the term “hyper-grace” to be descriptive, not insulting, and some within the movement say, “Yes, we believe in hyper-grace!”)

2) In their zeal to exalt God’s grace, hyper-grace teachers often make extreme statements that lead believers to think that they are not responsible for their sins. After all, if we are always perfectly holy in God’s sight, we don’t really sin. Our bodies do! This is dangerous and unbiblical.

3) Hyper-grace teachers commonly claim that the words of Jesus no longer apply to us. Instead, they argue, Jesus’ teaching was for the Jews under the Law before the new covenant was inaugurated, whereas Paul brought the message of grace. If this false dichotomy doesn’t raise a red flag of warning, nothing will. Simply stated, any teaching that minimizes (or even ignores) the teachings of Jesus should be rejected.

I appeal to you, my brothers and sisters who are leaders in the hyper-grace camp (or, in your view, who are preaching the message of grace) to take these things to the Lord and make some serious course corrections before more lives are destroyed. Many have been helped by the truths you have taught, but many others have been damaged by your errors, and you cannot rejoice in the good without taking responsibility for the bad.

We don’t need any more horror stories.

Michael Brown is the author of The Real Kosher Jesus and the host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or@drmichaellbrown on Twitter.

Minimizing the Possibility of Becoming a False Prophet

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

By William Lau

Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. …21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

 

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.

The Elijah Challenge trains believers to heal the sick and cast out demons for the proclamation of the kingdom of God to the lost. Of course none of us who serve the Lord and perform miracles in His name want to be judged by Him as a false prophet on the last day. Yet Jesus foretold in Matthew that this will in fact happen to many. How can we minimize the possibility of a sincere servant of God falling away in this manner? 

In this article we will address two important ways by which we can protect ourselves from deception. The first involves following Scripture closely. The second involves living a holy life where the desires of the flesh are being put to death daily. It is clear that simply having signs and miracles in one’s ministry does not prove that one is in fact a true servant of God who will be rewarded by the Lord when He returns.

Protecting Ourselves from Deception by Following Scripture

There is one matter on which all born-again followers of Jesus Christ should agree regardless of their church or denomination, and that is the authority of Scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Our ministry and its practices should be centered on that which is strongly supported by the word of God. Let me define what this means to me. There are today various practices in the Church which are referred to in some way or implied in Scripture. A potential problem with these practices and manifestations is that we do not see any record in Scripture where they actually took place in the context with which we are involved. When a practice is not explicitly found in Scripture---that is, there is no instance recorded of a believer actually performing the practice or of the manifestation actually taking place, especially in the New Testament---it would be better not to practice it or at least not to emphasize it. It should be kept on the periphery if at all. (See the article Major in that which is major; minor in that which is minor.)

Such practices and manifestations can include the focus on angels in healing and deliverance, and the practice of ministering healing to the infirm by using what appears to be physically violent actions on them such as striking or kicking them. They may also include spiritual warfare in which believers personally and directly rebuke territorial spirits; and the appearance of gemstones and gold dust and the like during services. In the meeting of one servant of God in Malaysia whose ministry is often accompanied by such manifestations, a diamond was found on the floor. When it was examined, it was found not to be genuine, but a fake diamond. One can draw one’s own conclusions from this.

A practice such as striking infirm people to heal them might actually “work” and appear at the time to bring glory and souls to God. However, outward “success” is not necessarily the stamp of God’s approval and His will. Since it is not found clearly in Scripture, we should not make it into a practice or a focus of our teaching. There are reasons for this.

When we engage in practices not explicitly supported by Scripture, we might run the risk of going “beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). When we do this, we might be going beyond what we have been authorized by the Lord to do. And when we go beyond our authority---for example, by directly and personally rebuking territorial spirits---we and our loved ones can be vulnerable to unnecessary and painful counterattack by the enemy. And we can also fall into the deception of false doctrine. Thus it is safer to be conservative in our interpretation of Scripture and in our practices. This does not mean that we cannot live “risky” for the Lord. If we want to be bold and take risks for the kingdom of God, let it be with wisdom and proper understanding of Scripture. Let’s obey the clear command of the Lord to heal the sick and proclaim His kingdom to the lost on earth instead of venturing unauthorized into the heavenlies. 

Moreover, it is risky to explain extrabiblical practices and manifestations under the rubric of the “greater works” that Jesus said his disciples would do in John 14:12. We cannot with a wave of our hands simply accept them all as “new” things that God is doing in the end times. It is risky because in doing this we are excused from exercising discernment. When that happens, then deception becomes a definite possibility. Certainly not all miraculous manifestations are from God. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

There is yet another reason for taking care not to major in “peripheral” and thus non-essential practices.

The Lord clearly desires unity for His people. What is the basis for this unity? It is the Lord Jesus Christ and the word of God found in the Bible. All born-believers stand in agreement that the word of God should be our rule for doctrine and practice. There are doctrines and practices that are universally accepted by the body of Christ; these are those that find strong support in Scripture. If in our ministry we emphasize teachings and practices that are not strongly supported in this way, we will run the risk of being rejected by some part of the body of Christ even as we are embraced by another part. There will be some believers who say that what we are presenting is not scriptural. And we will not be able to answer them satisfactorily from the word of God even though what we teach may actually “work.” When this happens we can in effect be encouraging division in the body of Christ despite our good intentions. This grieves the Lord since we are all part of His body for whom He suffered and died. 

This appears to be what is now happening among charismatic believers in the aftermath of certain practices and manifestations---not found in Scripture---which have taken place in the state of Florida. A deepening rift has formed over issues which involve among other things a relationship with an angel named Emma; the practice of striking or kicking the infirm who come for healing “as led by the Holy Spirit;” the tattoos covering his body which the evangelist seems to flaunt; and the lack of emphasis on repentance and conversion in the preaching. Accusations and bitterness on both sides are mounting. One internet commentator even identified the manifestations with 2 Thessalonians 2:9 where “the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.”

What I hope we learned from the "Lakeland Revival" by J. Lee Grady

Such a grievous situation might give us reason to be careful to base our practices and teachings closely on Scripture. Even more alarming is the verse quoted by the commentator from later in the same chapter referring to the counterfeit miracles: “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” When we do not follow Scripture closely we run the risk not only of fomenting such divisions within the body of Christ, we can also fall victim to a powerful delusion from God Himself and become false prophets. 

How can we tell which side of this controversy is the deluded one? The only arbiter can be none other than Scripture itself.

Ultimately it is the Lord who will judge each of us on that day, and not man. Other servants of God can only exercise discernment about us by what they see and hear; the Lord alone knows our heart. We are each responsible before the Lord for ourselves. Thus it is paramount to ask: how can we minimize the possibility that we ourselves will not be rejected by the Lord as a false prophet on that day? (According to Jesus, this will happen to "many.") The only answer must be by understanding and closely following the logos---the Word of God---with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Protecting Ourselves from Deception by Living a Holy Life

The second way by which we minimize the possibility of falling into deception is by living a holy life. Having the fruit of the Holy Spirit---love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control---is essential (Galatians 5:22-23).

Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 

The apostle Paul here mentions sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed. These first three sins are especially unbridled today even among servants of God with the advent of easy access to pornography on the internet. We must use the authority given to us as believers to put to death such evil desires of our flesh. (See the article Overcoming the sin of pornography and fantasy lust.) 

The fifth sin listed here is greed, which Paul equates to the sin of idolatry. Greed is also today rampant in certain circles of the charismatic movement, theologically justified by a false doctrine involving extreme and unscriptural prosperity. (See the article Extreme Prosperity Teaching.) Let us see what Scripture says about false prophets and greed.

1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. …9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 

Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. …20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The Greek word translated “ferocious” in Matthew 7:15 literally means “rapacious” or “ravenous” as in describing an extortionist or a robber. This kind of false prophet is likened to a wolf that preys on sheep---the followers of Jesus Christ---for personal financial gain. One possible sign of a false prophet is in the amount of time (and the pressure tactics) devoted to the taking of offerings and to the hawking of products in the meetings. Even if these are not done for personal gain, the worldly money-making spirit in which they are done arguably should have no place in the Church of Jesus Christ. Other troubling signs are a full-time minister of the gospel who lives the life of the rich and famous from offerings he receives from God's people, or who demands exorbitant fees for speaking engagements and sets unreasonable conditions on his hosts as a condition for him to appear. It is also disquieting when such a minister must operate his own jet to fly to his engagements. Certainly Jesus did not behave in that fashion.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. …14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 

Jude 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error....

Let us then be careful to guard ourselves against the deception of greed. Instead of looking for our reward and comfort on earth or following the ways of the world, let us set our hope on the grace to be given us when Christ appears.

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Regarding our earthly needs, do not worry. “For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32-33).

If we take care to follow Scripture closely and to live a holy life, we can safely and fruitfully heal the sick and cast out demons as we proclaim the kingdom of God to the lost. On that day we will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Master!” 
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Rev William Lau is the founder and director of The Elijah Challenge - a ministry that teaches ordinary believers to heal the infirm in the context of sharing the Gospel.

How Can I Recognize A False Teacher / False Prophet?

Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.

Jesus said “a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). When looking for “fruit,” here are three specific tests to apply to any teacher to determine the accuracy of his or her teaching:

1) What does this teacher say about Jesus? In Matthew 16:15-16, Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and for this answer Peter is called “blessed.” In 2 John 9, we read, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” In other words, Jesus Christ and His work of redemption is of utmost importance; beware of anyone who denies that Jesus is equal with God, who downplays Jesus’ sacrificial death, or who rejects Jesus’ humanity. First John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.”

2) Does this teacher preach the gospel? The gospel is defined as the good news concerning Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). As nice as they sound, the statements “God loves you,” “God wants us to feed the hungry,” and “God wants you to be wealthy” are not the complete message of the gospel. As Paul warns in Galatians 1:7, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” No one, not even a great preacher, has the right to change the message that God gave us. “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:9).

3) Does this teacher exhibit character qualities that glorify the Lord? Speaking of false teachers, Jude 11 says, “They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” In other words, a false teacher can be known by his pride (Cain’s rejection of God’s plan), greed (Balaam’s prophesying for money), and rebellion (Korah’s promotion of himself over Moses). Jesus said to beware of such people and that we would know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).

For further study, review those books of the Bible that were written specifically to combat false teaching within the church: Galatians, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and Jude. It is often difficult to spot a false teacher/false prophet. Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and his ministers masquerade as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15). Only by being thoroughly familiar with the truth will we be able to recognize a counterfeit.

Recommended Resource: Basic Theology by Charles Ryrie.