Released February 23, 1995 Filename: TE08.TXT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Except where otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE AIRPORT VINEYARD IN TORONTO? Casting Prophetic Portions of the 10/14/94 Service Against the Plumb Line of the Whole Counsel of God's Word Do These Prophecies Line Up with Scripture? CRI - Toronto Support Group Research Team [CRI TSGRT] Electronic Email Addresses: Internet: 74241.3502@compuserve.com Compuserve: 74241,3502 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS: 1. --INTRODUCTION-- 2. --PRELIMINARY COMMENTS-- 3. --EXCERPTS FROM ATV 10/14/94 AUDIOTAPE TRANSCRIPT-- 4. --TWO POLEMICS-- How Are we to Evaluate and Validate Personal Experiences, Prophetic Words, Teachings and Doctrines? 5. --SHALL WE BELIEVE BECAUSE WE SEE AND HEAR?-- 6. --A RESPONSE TO A PROOF-TEXT OF LUKE 7:22-- 7. --DIVISION OF THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH? UNITY: AT WHAT PRICE?-- Would God Ever Affect the Division of the Unity of His People? What is the First Cause of Division? 8. --A CLOSING APPEAL-- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --INTRODUCTION-- Much of the attention of the Christian world has turned to the events which began to take place at the Airport Vineyard in Toronto [AVT], Ontario, Canada, January 20, 1994. Purportedly, 6,000 pastors from a variety of backgrounds from around the world have been to the AVT since this move, referred to as "holy laughter" or the "Toronto Experience" [TE], first began. [Specifics on pastors taken from AVT audiotape transcript of pastor's meeting on 10/19/94.] While we have at our disposal many recent AVT transcripts taken from audiotape recordings of services and meetings over the last year, in this particular article our focus is centered around the AVT tape transcript from Friday, October 14, 1994, during which Wes Campbell recalls and graphically details two prophecies originally given in 1984 by Bob Jones which are known as the "Cupbearer/Baker" and "Blue/Grey Civil War" prophecies, respectively. Stacy Campbell also follows her husband's recall on the tape transcript with a new prophetic word which she prefaced by stating: "This is very similar to what Wes has just said, you know, that Bob Jones and different other people have prophesied." Because Stacy links her fresh prophetic utterance with the recall of the 1984 prophecies and they definitively appear to overlap, we will address that as well. Although we will quote from specific parts of the recall/prophecy during the course of this article, the entire prophetic recall by Wes Campbell and new prophetic utterance by Stacy Campbell from the 10/14/94 AVT transcript are made available here following our "Preliminary Comments" to ensure the maintenance of contextual integrity and so the reader may have them to refer to in their entirety. After reviewing this particular transcript carefully, CRI began an intensive search in an effort to locate the original audiotapes and/or transcripts of the two prophecies as they were given in 1984. The first prophecy was reportedly made in April of 1984 by one of the "Kansas City Prophets." The prophecy described a ten-year "deprivation" of the church (Cupbearer/Baker) which was to be followed by a one-billion soul revival led by "Joel's Army," an elite "new breed" of apostle-prophets. The second prophecy, also of KCP origins in 1984, concerned an upcoming civil war in the church between the "Blues" and the "Greys," prophesying a division within the Body of Christ where sides were going to be taken similar to the the civil war of the 1800's. CRI has since learned that the Kansas City Metro Vineyard [KCMV], where both prophecies were given, does not believe the "Blue/Grey" prophecy was ever recorded on audiotape, although KCMV leadership has confirmed having a copy of the original 1984 audiotape and transcript of the "Cupbearer/Baker" prophecy in their archives. NOTE--A sidebar is in order here: because the KCMV leadership has expressed concerns about CRI possibly making "unfair uses of information" and taking quotations out of context, that is, any information, audiotapes, transcripts and so forth which they might provide CRI, KCMV leadership has refused to provide CRI with the original 1984 prophecy tape/transcript, or any other requested, related information which KCMV has available in its archives. This is a concern which we do not concede to KCMV, but we do respect the right of KCMV leadership to hold this view. All of that notwithstanding, CRI is still continuing to actively search for any original tapes or transcripts of these and other, related prophecies from any source which might be forthcoming. If you can contribute to our search for this information, even if only by directing us to it, please contact CRI by fax or mail at: Christian Research Institute Post Office Box 500 -- Dept.: Toronto Research San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693 USA FAX: (714) 855-9927 Or, failing that, please contact us directly via electronic means at either our Internet or Compuserve email address with any pertinent, related information. --PRELIMINARY COMMENTS-- There is considerably more documentation, along with other AVT transcripts, where such war-like comments are either alluded to or directly referenced. We will present those in subsequent articles as well as soon as we are able to meticulously sort through them to ensure we have taken the utmost care to present this information in an accurate, contextual manner. We ask--it is our earnest prayer--that you, the reader, prayerfully take what is presented here before God and search His Word to see "what sayeth the Lord" about these things. To see if such a war- like prophecy--a BLOODY CIVIL WAR *within* the Body of Christ, the blue against the grey--can *ever* be validated by the contextual, accumulative evidences of the whole counsel of God's Word. Please understand, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are *not* asking you to believe what *we* say, but what God has said in His Word. Above all, we ask, please, for your prayers for CRI as we continue to make every effort to evaluate this movement which has come out of the Airport Vineyard in Toronto, Ontario, solely in the light of God's Word and counsel, prayerfully and scrupulously. Be a Berean! [Acts 17:10-11] As we seek prayerfully to do His will, please join with us in praying for His Church and all the saints. It is not for us to attempt to "convince" you of anything. It is simply given to us to present the documentation accurately and contextually and leave you to evaluate it prayerfully before God in the light of His Word with the enabling of His beloved indwelling Holy Spirit. Psalm 138:2b: Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name. Psalm 36:9: For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light we see light. Psalm 119:105: Thy word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path. Psalm 43:3: O send out Thy light and Thy truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Thy holy hill, And to Thy dwelling places. Psalm 18:28: For Thou dost light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. Psalm 19:8: The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. Proverbs 6:23: For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life, 2 Tim. 2:15: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. ______________ "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." [Jude 23-24] In His Service, CRI - TSGRT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --EXCERPTS FROM ATV 10/14/94 AUDIOTAPE TRANSCRIPT-- [Recall of 1984 "Blue/Grey" and "Ten Year Deprivation" prophecies] Airport Vineyard, Toronto, Ontario Partial Transcript of Audiotape Friday, October 14, 1994 Speaker: Wes Campbell "In 1984 we didn't just have a vision about the cup bearer and the baker. He had another one, and that was about the church. And the church was gathered in a large civil war-type big stately mansion, a big ballroom, and they were dancing. And they were dressed in colorful clothes and happy, and they were moving and they were laughing and they were dancing and they were just having the wonderful party of their life. And he looked at that and Bob began to laugh and he said "Look at them dance, look at them have fun." And an angel came and said "Wait. Not yet." And then what happened is that strangely in the ballroom, the crowd began to change, and they began to take sides, and they began to have blue coats and gray coats, and in a moment civil war broke out. A bloody civil war broke out. James Ryle has had a similar vision. The Lord even showed him how the blue coats stand for the revelatory, the revelation, and the grey for grey matter, man's wisdom. And in this context the north fought the south and the south fought the north, and the south wanted to keep the people enslaved. They wanted their money. They wanted their bodies. They wanted their personhood to keep the system going. And the north said No! Freedom! Freedom! And they went into a terrible fight, and it was father against son, brother against brother, and a man's enemies were in his own house. And the angel said this: "There won't be a house that escapes weeping." We do not know how long this time of visitation will continue in this capacity. But when the time is up you run with all your might, because as this begins to be known throughout the entire Christian community of the world, there will come a polarization. There always has come a polarization. And there eventually will become wars. There will be wars in your household. Your own family may not understand what's going on. Your own family may turn against you. That doesn't mean they're evil. That just means as Christians they haven't seen this aspect of the Holy Spirit. 'Cause they're Christians. We're talking about Christians. But the end of the vision was this: that after the time of bloodshed, the Lord was going to heal the breach. And then the harvest will come in." END of QUOTE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A fresh prophectic word given by Stacy Campbell, Wes' wife, which followed Wes' recount on the same audiotape transcript. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Airport Vineyard, Toronto, Ontario Partial Transcript of Audiotape Friday, October 14, 1994 Speaker: Stacy Campbell "And, this is very similar to what Wes has just said, you know, that Bob Jones and different other people have prophesied. But I feel like the Lord would like to just prophesy afresh to you: And as Elijah spoke on Mount Carmel, immediately after, showing the power of God, immediately after, great displays of His power. He did not stop with the display of His powers. He said Choose, choose, choose this day whom you will serve. And in the days of power, and in the days of sight, when many miraculous things are being done around you, and many signs and wonders are happening, and many outpourings and much joy, and many good things are given, the Lord would say Choose, choose, choose. Will you be like Job, who said "Shall I accept good from the hand of the Lord and not evil?" Will you take both the good and the bad? For I am telling you, grab all you can while you can get it, take what you can while you can have it, for the days are coming, says the Lord, when a great division will begin in the church, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household, and your parents will criticize you, and speak evil of you, and say they have lost you to a cult. And your sons and your daughters will say My parents have gone crazy. And there will be mourning in the house of God. And I tell you there are those even among you now who are here simply to spread discord among the brethren. And there are seven things that the Lord hates, that are an abomination to Him, and one of them is a man who deliberately comes seeking to spread division in his church, seeking to destroy and to divide, who, in the name of truth abandons love and stirs up hate, who does not understand that love covers a multitude of sins. And the Lord says the word of correction is to be brought in love. And the Lord does correct, and the Lord does like correction, and He calls for it to happen, but the Lord hates, haaaatttteeeeesss division. And for the one who comes to bring division, to divide the Church of Christ, to cut off His arms from His legs, and the toes from His feet, the Lord says it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than it will be for that one on that day. But I tell you, nonetheless, that division will come, and it is even now brewing like a leaven in the church. For the Lord calls you right now, this day, seeing what you are seeing, hearing of the miracles you are hearing of, seeing the fruit of God that you are seeing, to call it God, endure to the end and be saved, or to follow after human wisdom and reasoning that kills the word of faith and brings division and justifies in self-righteousness the dividing of the church. The Lord wants you to purpose in your heart this night, is it God or isn't it, and to stand by your commitment as you are called to stand by your confession of faith." END OF QUOTE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Having made these two of these prophecy/vision references from the transcript available in their entirety so as to ensure contextual integrity, we would like to go over them in the light of Scripture. We'll take the liberty of pulling selected quotes out for purposes of discussion, secure in the knowledge the reader has the whole quotations in hand to verify context. We will focus on different aspects of these prophecies as we continue here. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --TWO POLEMICS-- How Are we to Evaluate and Validate Personal Experiences, Prophetic Words, Teachings and Doctrines? We have before us two polemics in validating spiritual experiences, doctrines, theologies and teachings. Whichever one of the two we elect to embrace as our method of authenticating our spiritual experiences will have a great deal to do with whether we find ourselves deceived or not. *Whichever* means the reader decides upon will, of a necessity, determine how s/he views what follows. The polemics are: (1) Do we know that we know that we know we believe as we do about spiritual experiences because: (a) We FEEL them; and/or (b) Highly visible Godly men and women say they are so and endorse them? ******_OR_****** (2) Do we know that we know that we know we believe as we do about spiritual experiences because they are REVELATORY in Scripture? Which is to say, they are substantiated by the accumulative evidences of the whole counsel of God's Word. Given what God has to say in His Word about how unstable and undependable our own understanding and hearts are, the author subscribes to polemic #2. We should not validate our spiritual experiences by feelings, *nor* should we invalidate our spiritual experiences where feelings are not evidenced. Deception is what we wish, at *all* costs, to avoid in matters appertaining to our faith: Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Psalm 119:97-98 O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --SHALL WE BELIEVE BECAUSE WE SEE AND HEAR?-- [Portion from 10/14/94 prophecy above] STACY: "For the Lord calls you right now, this day, *seeing* what you are *seeing*, *hearing* of the miracles you are *hearing* of, *seeing* the fruit of God that you are *seeing*, to call it God...The Lord wants you to purpose in your heart THIS NIGHT, is it God or isn't it and to stand by your commitment as you are called to stand by your confession of faith." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= First, in Stacy's prophecy, we are struck by *two* points right away. One is her prophetic appeal to the hearers to "call it God" because of the manifestations of what they are *SEEING* and *HEARING* and the other is to insist they purpose *right then*, "this night" that what they've heard/seen IS God. This is particularly troubling to me and appears to be manipulative, albeit possibly unintentionally. God doesn't mind us testing and trying spiritual experiences, prophecies and so forth and gauging them against the plumb line of His Word prayerfully--in fact, He *invites* and *exhorts* us to. He *admonishes* us to test the spirits in I John 4. God has already told us in His Word *NOT* to trust in our hearts--even more strongly than that, He has said the one who trusts in his own heart is a FOOL. Jesus Himself took great care during His incarnation to warn us there are *two* sources for signs and wonders, or, "sight miracles" and He further notes those of the false variety would be so impressive that if it were possible even the elect would be deceived: Matthew 24:24: For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Mark 13:22: for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray. Matthew 12:39a: But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; 1 Cor. 1:22-23: For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, ___________________ The second aspect of this which we find disturbing is the emphasis on *only* the senses of *sight* and *hearing* as the sole means of validating the experience and prophetic word as of God: 2 Cor. 5:7: for we walk by faith, not by sight-- 2 Cor. 4:18: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 10:38: But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him. John 20:29: Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." 1 Peter 1:8: and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. ___________________ Over and over again, throughout Scripture we are exhorted to prayerfully meditate on God's Word. Not only did Paul *not* mind the Bereans searching the Scriptures to see if what he said was so, he *commended* them for it: Acts 17:11: Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. 2 Tim. 3:15-16: and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Peter 1:19-20: And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. ___________________ Of the two polemics we have mentioned above, we shall have to choose us, if not this day, someday very soon I believe, which of the twain we shall embrace and, ultimately "serve". We are either going to "serve" our flesh by validating our spiritual experiences by FEELINGS or else we are going to serve God by doing as He has told us to in His Word and validating or rejecting each spiritual experience because they are either REVELATORY in Scripture or they are not. Psalm 1:2-3: But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --A RESPONSE TO A PROOF-TEXT OF LUKE 7:22-- [AUTHOR's NOTE: What follows is our response to a gentleman on Christian Interactive Network [CIN], which is a branch off of Compuserve. We have included it because it is germane to the issue of how we are to validate our spiritual experiences. In order to avoid naming the individual (original exchange of messages on file), We will simply note his original comments in his post by marking them with "<**>>". He is commenting on Stacy Campbell's prophetic utterance of 10/14/94. Our response follows his comments.] Dear **, <**>> First thing I thought of when I saw the "seeing" and <**>> "hearing" remarks were the words of Jesus to John the <**>> Baptists followers. <**>> Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell <**>> John what things ye have *seen* and *heard*; how that the <**>> blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf <**>> hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is <**>> preached. -- Luke 7:22 <**>> Jesus told them to confirm to John that he was the Messiah, <**>> because of the confirming works -- that He was the Anointed <**>> One -- the Christ the Messiah -- there was no need to look <**>> for another. Jesus Himself took great care during His incarnation to warn us there are *two* sources for signs and wonders, or, "sight miracles" and He further notes those of the false variety would be so impressive that if it were possible even the elect would be deceived. Why would He warn us so, **, if He intended for us to verify His presence solely by "sight miracles"? And look at what He says (it ties in to my following comments) about how such WILL ARISE, WILL SHOW, etc.--He is speaking of something which WILL happen at a future point (Scripture itself tells us when such things have become manifest): Matthew 24:24: For false Christs and false prophets *WILL ARISE* and *WILL SHOW* great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Mark 13:22: for false Christs and false prophets *WILL ARISE*, and *WILL SHOW* signs and wonders, in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray. _______________ Now, follow along here, **, and watch the *progression*. Paul, in Acts and I & II Timothy, and Peter in II Peter are going to warn us about an inherent LATENT danger already perceived by repetitive use of the word "WILL", just as our Lord did in the passages quoted above: Acts 20:29-30: "I know that after my departure savage wolves *WILL COME* in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men *WILL ARISE*, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 1 Tim. 4:1-2: But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some *WILL FALL* away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 2 Tim. 3:1-5: But realize this, that in the last days difficult times *WILL COME*. For men *WILL BE* lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. 2 Peter 2:1-3: But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there *WILL ALSO BE* false teachers among you, who *WILL SECRETLY* introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many *WILL FOLLOW* their sensuality, and because of them THE WAY OF THE TRUTH *WILL BE* MALIGNED; and in their greed they *WILL EXPLOIT* YOU WITH FALSE WORDS; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. _______________ Now, look at Jude--at the *progression*--he's going to tell us that what Jesus said would happen and what Paul and Peter saw LATENT is now MANIFEST and unmistakable by stating "For certain persons HAVE CREPT IN"...it's now apparent and readily visible. To that end, he is exhorting the church to *actively* contend for the faith: Jude 1:3-4: Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain persons *HAVE CREPT IN* UNNOTICED, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. _______________ <**>> So too, when you encounter the manifest presense of God, <**>> experiencing his anointing and manifesting wonders, we too <**>> are to confirm that the "Lord is in this place." there <**>> were those who missed that very thing -- the Lord was in <**>> this place and they knew it not. In light of the Scriptures above, even the words of our own Lord during His incarnation--His *repetitive* warnings about taking great care *not* to be deceived by false signs and wonders--"sight miracles"--how are we to *know* that we *know* that we *know* with *absolute* certainty that what we have encountered IS, in fact, "the manifest presence of God", **? What assurance has our Lord given us that we may rely ABSOLUTELY on to safeguard us *against* deception? Our feelings? Our thoughts? Physical manifestations? Because people we respect in the Lord endorse them? How? 1 Cor. 14:33: for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. _______________ We are also warned, for *very* good reason about the devil and his disguises and told that he will have his own deceitful workers who also disguise themselves--"wolves in sheep's clothing": 2 Cor. 11:13-15: For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds. _______________ Furthermore, let's go all the way back, briefly, to that moment in the Garden--Eve "*SAW* that the tree was good for food, and that it was a DELIGHT to the EYES...the tree was *desirable* to *make one wise*" [Gen. 3:6], but yet it was the worst thing *EVER*, the first, great, deadly deception of our adversary the devil, for which all of mankind would suffer. On a side note, while we daresay our actions won't ever affect the whole human race like those in the Garden that day, that *does* serve to remind me that our actions are likely to impact others--because someone, somewhere is watching us, even when we least think it so. What would have spared Eve and Adam from that deception, **? It sure wasn't what they *saw* and *felt*, was it? No, it was God's Word. Had they both *recalled* and ACTED wholly in keeping with His Word, they would not have rebelled and sinned against God. [Author's interjection: Has ever a sin, ANY sin, been committed by all of mankind since, and including, the fall in the Garden which could NOT have been prevented by heeding and obeying God and His Word? No, not ONE. That is something to ponder carefully in these times where leaning so heavily on one's own feelings and emotions is being stressed and amplified.] Are we so busy *seeing* what *looks* "good for [spiritual] food", that we, too, have forgotten God and His Word and simply reached out to "take and eat" indisputably, without question, or any regard whatever for what Jesus Himself warned and exhorted us to take great care about? If so, are those people we may not realize are watching us going to follow our lead--because they see us endorsing something as a "great move of God" based solely on what we've seen and heard--are we not then, albeit unknowingly, turning and "giving them also to eat"? If so, God have mercy. How then are we to avoid being deceived? That we *can* be deceived is unquestionable! How are we to be "wiser" than our enemy and, thereby, avoid deception? God's Word--He has magnified it and equated it with His very character--His name. Psalm 119:98: Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. Psalm 138:2: And give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; For Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name. __________________ Surely, given what God has said about leaning on our own understanding and trusting in our own hearts cannot lead us to believe WE are able to trust our sight, feelings and physical manifestations to authenticate such spiritual experiences? Nor that we ought to validate our spiritual experiences because *others* endorse and sanction them? Don't we, as Christians, have a personal, intimate relationship with our Lord? Aren't we supposed to go directly to Him and His Word and keep our eyes on Him? "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith." [Heb. 12:2a] Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. Jeremiah 10:23 I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. _______________ If God admonishes us *not* to trust in our own hearts and lean on our own understanding, He certainly doesn't want us to do likewise with others. After all, isn't trusting that something IS *_or_* IS NOT a manifestation of God because someone we respect highly in the Lord endorses *_or_* denounces it, as the case may be, a little like going down to Egypt--the flesh--for help? God alone is the source of all truth...and He amplifies that contrast by saying "CURSED is the man who trusts in mankind...BLESSED is the man who trusts in the Lord". Isaiah 31:1: Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, And trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! Jeremiah 17:5-8: Thus says the LORD, "CURSED is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. "For he will be like a bush in the desert, And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. "BLESSED is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. _______________ **, remember when Jesus' *real* message--the way of the cross, death to self--that there was a COST to be reckoned with in continuing after Him, began to be understood by the multitudes following Him? How as His message began to sink in, those who were following after Him for what He was doing--miracles, signs and wonders--withdrew and He turned to the twelve and said "You do not want to go away also, do you"? John 6:66-69: As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. "And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." _______________ **, every single time we are faced with validating a spiritual experience, whether the "sight miracles", or physical manifestations or otherwise, what shall we do? Shall we "go away also" from Him and His Word by choosing to substantiate and affirm our experiences because we FEEL them, see them and/or others endorse them? Or shall we prayerfully seek the Lord and His Word as the Bereans were commended--even called "noble"--for doing in Acts 17:11? John 8:31: Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; John 8:51: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." John 14:23: Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. John 15:20: "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. _______________ Are we prepared to allow God and His Word to adjust *our* beliefs as to whether something is or isn't of Him by what the contextual, accumulative evidences of His Word tell us--to see whether or not it is clearly revelatory in Scripture? Or are we going to go to God's Word with the presupposition that we must search only until we can *find* something there which might validate and authenticate our spiritual experiences? Are we going to have ALL of God and His Word, or just try to pick and choose, molding God's Word to suit ourselves, based on our feelings? There is a vast difference between a willingness on our part to accept what God reveals to us through the whole counsel of His Word, whether He tells us what we want to hear or whether He tells us what we do *not* want to hear and going to God's Word pre- determined to find validation for some spiritual experience and/or manifestation in the flesh. One way, we allow God to conform us to His Word--and He IS His Word..."and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us"--and, thus, see more of Christ formed in us and Him glorified: Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. __________________ The other way finds us trying to conform God and His Word to fit our experiences...and, should we continue in such a pattern-- refusal to heed God and His Word--there are consequences inescapable--He shall give us over to walk after the stubbornness of our hearts and He's already said we are fools to do that. Psalm 81:11-13: But My people did not listen to My voice; And Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, To walk in their own devices. Oh that My people would listen to Me. Romans 1:28: And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. _______________ It takes, by the grace of God and the enabling and empowering of His beloved indwelling Holy Spirit, a strong determination--a setting of our faces "like flint"--to resolve that we will not pay heed to what our senses tell us--feelings, physical manifestations, sight, hearing--IF they are not revelatory and attested to by the whole counsel of God's Word. IF, however, they are, we shall receive them thankfully. The bottom line here, is: are we going to prayerfully go to our Lord and His Word with the intention of allowing Him to conform us more into the image of Himself, or are we going to go to God's Word with the intention of conforming Him and His Word to fit our experiences and feelings? One way will lead us further along the way with the Lord, the other will lead us ever deeper into a spiral of error, deception and, finally, at the last, depravity of mind. It is time-it is PAST time--to choose us who we are going to serve: God, or our senses--that is, our flesh, feelings and emotions. Romans 13:11-14: And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. _______________ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --DIVISION OF THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH? UNITY: AT WHAT PRICE?-- Would God Ever Affect the Division of the Unity of His People? Because both of these prophecies speak of a coming great division *within* the Body of Christ--brother against brother, a division of the *unity* of *Christians*, not simply a separating of believers from unbelievers, the righteous from those continuing in a sin lifestyle and truth from error--we would like to look, among other things as well, at how Jesus Himself defined what causes "division" during His incarnation and examine from Scripture whether God has ever moved to deliberately divide or break the *unity* of His people...and, thus, whether He would *ever* affect the division of the *unity* of His people in these present times, or, for that matter, at some future point in time. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [Selected excerpts from 10/14/94 tape trancript] WES CAMPBELL: "And then what happened is that strangely in the ballroom, the crowd began to change, and they began to take sides, and they began to have blue coats and gray coats, and in a moment civil war broke out. A bloody civil war broke out....And they went into a terrible fight, and it was father against son, brother against brother, and a man's enemies were in his own house....Your own family may turn against you. That doesn't mean they're evil. That just means as CHRISTIANS they haven't seen this aspect of the Holy Spirit. 'Cause they're CHRISTIANS. We're talking about CHRISTIANS." STACY CAMPBELL: "...for the days are coming, says the Lord, when a great division will begin *in* the *church*, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household....But I tell you, nonetheless, that division will come, and it is even now brewing like a leaven in the church. For the Lord calls you right now, this day, *seeing* what you are *seeing*, *hearing* of the miracles you are *hearing of, *seeing* the fruit of God that you are *seeing*, to call it God..." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= What is the First Cause of Division? As both of the Campbells liken the coming division to the Scripture passages where Jesus taught on the issue, it seems judicious to begin by looking at them in context: ___________________ Matthew 10:34-36: "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. Luke 12:49-53: "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! "But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two, and two against three. "They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." ___________________ The context here, evidenced elsewhere throughout Scripture as well, is indicative of what has always been: contention and disparity ensuing between those who choose to follow Christ [God] and those who don't--particularly among members of the same household where there is an admixture of believers and unbelievers. This is the paradigm throughout Scripture--discord and division between God's people and those who have rejected Him and do not know Him, or who have turned aside from Him and the truth. Clearly, *most definitively*, our Lord is *not* referring to strife and division *between* Christians. He certainly did not come to set His own against themselves, ere He make Himself a liar, which God cannot be...and a liar is what He *would* be, given the prayer He prayed in Gethsemane, if He were to sanction and instigate the division of the *unity*, or "oneness" of His people. No, God divides and separates for one reason and ONE REASON ONLY: TRUTH and ERROR--but there isn't a shred of Scriptural warrant to suggest that God would EVER divide the UNITY of His people--it cannot be! He Himself draws the line between truth and error. John 17:11: "And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are. John 17:22: "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; _________________ Further, in Matthew 12:25 and Luke 11:17, while Jesus is addressing the charge that He is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of demons, He does not limit His proclamation to Satan's domain--He is saying *ANY* house, *ANY* kingdom divided against itself *shall not* stand. Matthew 12:25: And knowing their thoughts He said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. Luke 11:17: But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. ___________________ He is telling us His presence among us and our awareness of Who He claims to be, *demands* a decision one way or the other--"choose you this day whom you will serve"--and that there will be dissension and friction between those who believe on Him and those who do not--we will either follow He Who is all truth, "abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine" [John 8:31], or, we will follow the "god of this world", he who is the "father of lies", the devil [John 8:44]. There *is* no "middle ground" and the dividing line is quite clearcut: John 7:40-43: Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, "This certainly is the Prophet." Others were saying, "This is the Christ." Still others were saying, "Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him. John 9:16: Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, "This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." But others were saying, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?" And there was a division among them. Acts 28:24: And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. ___________________ God draws His own "dividing line" continually, from Genesis to Revelation, but it is not between believers, but between TRUTH and ERROR, light and darkness--between the righteous who heed and obey Him, continuing in truth--"I AM the way, and the TRUTH, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." [John 14:6]--and those who do *not* heed and obey Him, but continue in error and, thus, rebellion against Him. John 12:46: "I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. John 1:4-5: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 3:19-20: "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 8:12: Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." Acts 26:18: to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. ___________________ There IS no middle ground with Jesus--He did not leave us that option: Luke 11:23: "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Joshua 24:15: "And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 1 Kings 18:21: And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. Rev. 3:15-16: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. ___________________ During His incarnation, Jesus was not deliberately trying to drive people away with His teachings, He Who is all truth was merely telling the truth. At first the great multitudes followed after Him, but it quickly became apparent who was following after the miracles, signs and wonders He performed and who was following after *Him* because of Who He was/is. As they began to hear His real message, the more they divided into two camps--the ones who wanted to understand more, and those who rejected Him because they did not care at all for His message...the way of the cross--"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me". [Luke 9:23] This message of self-denial--losing one's life to save it; this was going to COST something: surrender of SELF--self-interests, self- centeredness, self-absorption. This was unpalatable to many, as it still is today, and so many turned back from following after Him. Thus, after many of His followers had turned back and deserted Him, Jesus turned to the disciples and asked if they were also going to go away. Peter, ever the forthright, candid one, replied "Lord, to whom shall we go?" He knew enough to understand that there IS no other way. Only Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. Herein is the *division*, NOT of the UNITY of the brethren, but between those who will search for eternal life another way, a way other than through the cross of Calvary and the Christ of that cross, and those who will come Jesus' way--the ONLY way--who "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. [Luke 13:24] John 6:66-69 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore. Jesus said therefore to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. "And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." ___________________ We need to understand that Jesus did not come to bring the shallow, superficial kind of peace which downplays the profound differences between truth and error just for the sake of some kind of false unity and harmony. *Any* kind of "unity" which calls for unanimity for unity's sake itself--strange as that may seem--IS a false unity, if it has compromised and tried to unite truth with error. Mark 8:34-38: And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? "For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." ___________________ Anything we compromise God's truth to get--*including* "unity"--we will ultimately lose. Of a truth, what compromise really means is that *nobody* gets what they want, doesn't it? God is not interested in providing solutions "everybody can live with", but, rather, with truth, holiness and righteousness. All of which is what separates God's version of "unity" and "oneness" from man's idea of unity. We seem to believe that if we could just get everyone to quit arguing about their different doctrinal beliefs, then "unity" lies just over the next horizon. Commonly heard is "Let's just all fellowship and talk about those things in the Bible we all agree on." Or, as RK said "Can't we just all get along?" There's one glaring, notable difficulty with that kind of thought- line--isn't ALL of God's Word, the Bible, true? What are we to do? Find the *lowest* common denominator Scripturally which we can all agree to and then tag the rest of it "non-essential for unity"? *Which* Scriptural truths shall we compromise to ensure we don't offend a professing brother or sister in order to facilitate "unity"? That is, which Scriptural truth are YOU, personally, willing to compromise to expedite "unity", when it gets right down to it? Let us HASTEN to interject something here. We do believe Christians should cease contending and quarreling about their "pet doctrines". We're talking about the obtuse arguments and wranglings over such silliness as "I KNOW the fruit Adam and Eve partook of in the Garden which precipitated the fall WAS TOO AN APPLE!" Straining gnats and swallowing camels. The essential truth obviously does not consist in WHAT the fruit was, but the fact that Adam and Eve *disobeyed* God and, thus, came the fall of man. So, now, are you inquiring, "Okay, YOU tell ME how every Christian can agree on doctrine--if THAT has to happen first, we'll NEVER have unity!!!" Doctrine is not the point. It isn't knowing *doctrine* that is the consequential thing--traditions made of men won't get it--it's knowing *God*. Mark 7:7-9: 'But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." He was also saying to them, "You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. ___________________ During a recent private online direct chat initiated by someone else, at one point we commented: "Do you not see that man cannot 'bring' about unity? ONLY when each individual believer is submitted to God's perfect will can unity flow outward from that naturally?" To which the other individual replied: " Then I submit you've committed yourself to an idealistic and lonely pilgrimage which ultimately leads to a complete and total breakdown of the Body of Christ since ultimately, you can't possibly find every practice of every Christian to line up fully with Scripture to your satisfaction. It makes me a little tired just to think of it." Which caused us, in retrospect, to ponder just how far off the mark the Church today has gotten herself if the general consensus is that believers who are individually walking before the Lord in obedience--that is, "if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another" [1 John 1:7]--will find themselves on "an idealistic and lonely pilgrimage" which will lead to the "COMPLETE and TOTAL breakdown of the Body of Christ"?? God, please, have mercy! We mean, folks, if we are daily dying to self and "present[ing] [our]selves to God as those alive from the dead, and [our] members as instruments of righteousness to God" [Romans 6:13], won't the Holy Spirit Himself bring about unity and oneness of purpose? The Lord Himself knows--and we should too--how miserably man's attempts to do so have failed these last 2,000+ years--which has never been more evident than in these present times. "That they may be one, just as We are one" [John 17:22] How is the Triune Godhead "one"? In *every* way--do not the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit agree on everything? The *only* way we shall ever find *unity*--our only hope of finding the oneness Jesus prayed we would be perfected in--"I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. [John 17:23]--is through entering into an intimate, personal relationship with the Lord and leaving *behind* traditions, doctrines and theologies made of men. Man's version of unity is not what God wants. He wants a holy people, separated unto Himself--this is what Jesus meant when He said "follow Me". We have long labored under the misconception that "unity" would bring about some kind of massive revival. Not so. We've got it backwards. Unity *cannot* bring holiness, but only holiness can bring about real unity. When God's people really start seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness--earnestly seeking to live our lives, worship and pray according to God's Word; "hating even the garment polluted by the flesh", loving His truth and loathing sin and error--then God Himself, by His beloved indwelling Holy Spirit will unite and knit together the hearts of them that love Him and His truth--THEN God's light and glory will shine forth from the midst of such a people and the world will know. We, the professing Body of Christ will never know true unity any other way. Church history lo these 2,000+ years tells us that. That God meant our unity to be so--hearts knits together as one by His beloved Holy Spirit--is so clearly evidenced in His Word. God does not give us a divided collective heart and purpose--man has done that, whether by striving in the flesh to bring unity, or whether by each man doing what is right in his own eyes, each pursuing his own agenda. My brethren, I submit to you, it ought not be this way. It ought to be THIS way: Jeremiah 32:39: and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good, and for the good of their children after them. Romans 15:5: Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus; 1 Cor. 1:10: Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. Ephes. 4:3-6: being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Philip. 2:2-5: make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, _________________ Our brothers and sisters in Christ, we adjure you, each one of you, ourselves included, to open our hearts before Him and honestly inquire as to whether it is OUR agenda or HIS agenda we are pursuing. How can we know such a difficult thing? By applying the Luke 9:23 test: by honestly, before God, asking ourselves if what we are pursuing is self-serving or self-denying. Once we know the answer to that, we will know what we *ought* to do...to be His true disciples and place no confidence in our flesh. To cease striving, trying to perfect in the flesh what only the Spirit of God can accomplish. Let everyone examine his/her own heart in the Spirit's light. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Meanwhile, back to the prophecy and the idea of some kind of "bloody civil war" between the "blue and grey", brother against brother within the household of God. We could see this prophecy, given the background documentation and information we have recently reviewed, as being a viable one internally within the movement itself. Whether it was/is an internal prophecy or not, we cannot say for certain without reaching Bob Jones, who originally gave the prophecy, and Wes Campbell, who gave the recent recall referenced herein, which we did, but after promising to respond several months ago, has not yet done so. We cannot, however, find Scriptural precedent for such a thing within the Body of Christ itself--it would decry and deny the last recorded prayer of our Lord we have-- "that they may be one..." and is thus contrary to God and His Word. That the evangelical movement is being shredded and torn asunder by all of this is equally evident, sadly. Churches splitting, brother calling brother "apostates" and "blasphemers" over all of this (multiple testimonies documented on file), while Wes Campbell recalls a prophecy purportedly given ten years ago, saying: WC: "A bloody civil war broke out....And they went into a terrible fight, and it was father against son, brother against brother, and a man's enemies were in his own house....Your own family may turn against you. That doesn't mean they're evil. That just means as CHRISTIANS they haven't seen this aspect of the Holy Spirit. 'Cause they're CHRISTIANS. We're talking about CHRISTIANS." How can THAT be so, when we, as Christians, have all been baptized by ONE Spirit into ONE body? Now, we are CHRIST's body [v.27]. Would He tear His own body asunder? No, God won't, but man may try to do just that if he sets his own agenda and doctrines above "Christ and Him crucified." Or, as Oswald Chambers once put it: "The one thing we have to do is to exhibit Jesus Christ crucified, to lift Him up all the time. Every doctrine that is not imbedded in the Cross of Jesus Christ will lead astray." Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain...mired in our own agendas, vanity and pride. 1 Cor. 12:12-27: [12] For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. [13] For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. [14] For the body is not one member, but many. [15] If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. [16] And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. [17] If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? [18] But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. [19] And if they were all one member, where would the body be? [20] But now there are many members, but one body. [21] And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." [22] On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; [23] and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, [24] whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, [25] THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO DIVISION IN THE BODY, BUT THAT THE MEMBERS SHOULD HAVE THE SAME CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER. [26] AND IF ONE MEMBER SUFFERS, ALL THE MEMBERS SUFFER WITH IT; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. [27] Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. ___________________ "Whenever an organization begins to be conscious of itself, its spiritual power goes because it is living for its own indoctrination. Movements which were started by the Spirit of God have crystallized into something God has had to blight because the golden rule for spiritual work has been departed from." [OC, Disciples Indeed, p.73] ___________________ We believe the deeds of the flesh and those of the Spirit are contrasted well enough so as to be quite evident without further comment in this regard by us: Galatians 3:3: Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Galatians 5:13-25: [13] For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [14] For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [15] But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. [16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. [17] For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. [19] Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, [21] envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the unexperienced, ridiculous as the expression may seem, more true than truth itself." [Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1:2] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --A CLOSING APPEAL-- There's a call we want to make in this matter of what appears to be, albeit unintentional and, perhaps, unintended, *manipulating* people into believing things either ARE or AREN'T of God because we can see and feel them and it seems needful to make that call here and now. We believe it runs to the crux of much of what is the dearth of God's Word in His own living temples today. [1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19] We have *only* what is being taught, preached and prophesied at the Airport Vineyard Toronto, via complete tapes and transcriptions thereof on hand presently, to look at in light of the contextual, accumulative evidences of the whole counsel of Scripture. We wish to make it further known that we will carefully and diligently consider *ANY* forthcoming original prophecies in their ENTIRETY, CONTEXTUALLY in the light of both current moves within the Body of Christ *and* the whole counsel of God's Word. In the present absence of that, there are some *serious* Scriptural issues and concerns we would *very* much like to see the Airport Vineyard leadership come forward and address. [Stacy Campbell, clip from 10/14/94 prophecy]: "For the Lord calls you RIGHT NOW, THIS DAY, *SEEING* what you are *SEEING*, *HEARING* of the miracles you are *HEARING OF,*SEEING* the fruit of God that you are *SEEING*, TO CALL IT GOD ...The LORD wants YOU to PURPOSE IN YOUR HEART *_THIS NIGHT_*, IS it God or ISN'T it and to stand by your commitment as you are called to stand by your confession of faith." We are compelled to ask the LEADERSHIP at the TORONTO AIRPORT VINEYARD, just *_WHAT_* manner of "spirit" is it behind a prophecy that bids us to make an "on the spot" judgment and validation as to whether a prophecy IS or IS NOT from God based SOLELY on OUR PHYSICAL SENSES of what we are seeing and hearing and feeling? Not only THAT, but *_WHAT_* manner of "spirit" is it behind a prophecy which FURTHER bids the hearer to make that validation on the spot with EQUALLY as much conviction as one's initial CONFESSION OF FAITH? That "fruit" hanging on the WRONG tree in the Garden was "a delight to the EYES", too, folks. Eve and Adam made an "on the spot" decision, too, didn't they? Just as there were *two* trees in the Garden that day, there are *two* sources of sight miracles, our own Lord Jesus told us that. We still have the same method of determining from which "tree" we are NOT to partake in the "fruit" of and from which "tree" we ARE--God and His Word. I implore you, the reader, to consider and weigh these things carefully and prayerfully. What IS "prophecy" anyway? It is speaking forth the MIND and COUNSEL of Almighty Jehovah God. Here, we commend to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, just that. God's OWN Word, which is "living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword...able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart", "inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" and "which is able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." [Heb. 4:12, 2 Tim. 3:16-17, 3:15] And we urge, we *EXHORT*, each and every one of you to prayerfully go before God and His Word and study each and every one of these passages in context of the whole counsel thereof. These ARE God's Words, equally as living and active today as any forthcoming prophetic utterance and they carry NO less weight because 2,000+ years have passed since they were first given. We am NOT asking you to take our word for anything, only God's Word...He IS His Word and there IS no other absolute, no other plumb line against which to cast ALL spiritual experiences, teachings, doctrines and theologies, BUT prayerfully before Him and His Word. God spare us from caring about whether we are "right" or "wrong" and leave us always care only about seeking after His Kingdom and His righteousness...and pointing others the same way-- to Him Who is able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him, our beloved Lord and Savior. [Hebrews 7:25] Jeremiah 2:13: "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, That can hold no water. John 4:14: but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." ___________ Isaiah 5:13: Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst. Isaiah 44:20: He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" Jeremiah 2:17: "Have you not done this to yourself, By your forsaking the LORD your God, When He led you in the way? Jeremiah 2:31-32: O generation, heed the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of thick darkness? Why do My people say, 'We are free to roam; We will come no more to Thee'? Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number. John 7:37: Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. __________ Psalm 146:3-5: Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God; Psalm 36:9: For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light. __________ Jeremiah 5:31: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? Micah 6:1-3,8: Hear now what the LORD is saying, Arise, plead your case before the mountains, And let the hills hear your voice. Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD, And you enduring foundations of the earth, Because the LORD has a case against His people; Even with Israel He will dispute. "My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? Answer Me. He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? Isaiah 55:2: Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. Proverbs 23:23: Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding. Rev. 22:17: And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=