by Lee Grady - http://www.charismamag.com
Editoral Comment
Lee Grady, long-time Senior Editor of Charisma Magazine, which has done as much as any and more than most to contribute to the corruption and perversion that has occurred within the Charismatic and neo-Pentecostal Church of our time, must have had a change of heart, or has he? We at CWM have issued numerous warnings about both Charisma and Lee Grady. So why are we giving space to an article by someone whom we have had concerns about and quite frankly still view with caution?
In the first place it is because we are in agreement with the article in its main emphasis and thrust. Ever since the Toronto and Pensacola fiascos there has most certainly been “strange fire” in the House of Lord. For someone who has promoted these things to now issue a warning which implicitly at least supports our long time view is worthy of note.
Then secondly clearly something is happening in the “camp” of which the author of this article has been a part. Lee Grady has written some articles in his series Fire in My Bones, which superficially at least indicate that he has been undergoing a change. Sadly at this point in time in our view he is continuing to act evasively and misleadingly
On September 30, 2008 Lee wrote in a personal email:Yes I got your email,
Philip. Regarding the ICA, I love and respect many of the men and women in that organization. I was a member for a while. I did decide to withdraw this year [2008]. I do not feel I have to agree with everything about an organization to belong. My decision to withdraw was a very painful and personal one. My views on the Lakeland situation put me at odds with some of the key leaders and I just felt it best for me to withdraw.
Then one day later he wrote further:The truth is that "I have chosen not to renew my membership in ICA for several personal reasons." I have NOT severed my personal relationship with these people. I am still in close fellowship with many of them. In fact many of them are very close friends. I love them and I will not end my relationship with them just because I disagree with some theological positions.
Whether this is part of a game that he and Charisma are playing remains an open question. Is Lee Grady trying to keep his platform opportunities open? He has had a public “fall out” with Rick Joyner over the Lakeland debacle. We hope that he and Charisma will eventually come clean on the whole thing.I recently did a Google search and was amazed and saddened to see Lee's name as guest speaker on a web site that is clearly heretical.
Our challenge to Lee Grady and to Charisma is:
How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him – 1 Kings 18: 21.Please pray for Lee Grady – Philip.
Republished with written permission from Charisma
No one fully understands what Nadab and Abihu did to prompt God to strike them dead in the sanctuary of Israel. The Bible says they loaded their firepans (KJV censors) with incense, ignited the substance and “offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them” (Lev. 10:1, NASB). As a result of their careless and irreverent behaviour, fire came from God's presence and consumed them.
Zap. In an instant they were ashes.
When Moses had to explain to Aaron what happened to the two men, he said: “It is what the Lord spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near to Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honoured’” (v. 3). Although we don't know the details of what Nadab and his brother did with the holy incense, we know they were careless and irreverent about the things of God.This ancient story has relevant application for us today. We don't use incense or firepans (censors) in our worship, but we are expected to handle God's Word with care and minister to His people in the fear of the Lord. In other words: No funny business allowed. We aren't allowed to mix God's Word with foreign concepts or mix our worship with pagan practices.Jesus do it “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor.
In some charismatic circles today, people are claiming to have spiritual experiences that involve communication with the dead. One Michigan pastor told me last week that some church leaders he knows promote this bizarre practice and base it on Jesus' experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. The logic is that since Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the day He was glorified, this gives us permission to talk to dead Christians and our dead relatives.
Although little is said about these experiences from the pulpit (since the average believer is not ready to handle this "new revelation"), people in some streams of the prophetic movement are claiming to have visitations from Aimee Semple McPherson, William Branham, John Wimber or various Bible characters. And we are expected to say, "Ooooooo, that's so deep" - and then go looking for our own mystical, beyond-the-grave epiphany.That is creepy.
Communication with the dead was strictly forbidden in the Old Testament (see Deut. 18:11), and there is nothing in the New that indicates the rules were changed. Those who seek counsel from the dead-whether through mediums and séances or in "prophetic visions" - are ta k i n g a d a n g e ro u s step toward demonization.
Not long after ecstasy became known as a recreational drug, someone in [our movement] got the bright idea to promote spiritual ecstasy as a form of legitimate worship. The concept evolved from "spiritual drunkenness" to the current fad in which people gather at church altars and pretend to shoot needles in their arms for a "spiritual high." Some preachers today are encouraging people to “toke the Holy Ghost” - a reference to smoking marijuana. I hate to be a party spoiler, but the Bible warns us to “be of sound judgment and sober spirit” (1 Pet. 4:7).
There is plenty of freedom and joy in the Holy Spirit; we don't have to quench it by introducing people to pagan revelry. Christian worship is not about losing control. Those who worship Jesus do it “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24), and our love for God is not measured by how violently we shake or how many times we fall on the floor.Recently I told a friend in Pennsylvania that when people get tired of this drug imagery it won't be long before we see some Christians having sexual experiences at the altar.
"It's already happening," my friend said. He described a recent "worship concert" in which one of the musicians simulated sex while stroking a microphone and whispering sensual phrases to Jesus. What is next-orgasmic worship?
God help us.
Yet as I minister in various churches around this country I am finding that strange fire is spreading in our midst - even in churches that call themselves "Spirit-filled." Pastors and leaders need to be aware of these trends: concert" in which one of the musicians simulated sex while stroking a microphone and whispering sensual phrases to Jesus. What is next-orgasmic worship? God help us.
Angels have always played a vital role in the life of the church. They are “ministering spirits” sent to protect, guide and strengthen believers (Heb. 1:14). But suddenly angels have become the rage in some segments of [our movement]. People are claiming to see them everywhere, and often the stories don't line up with the Word of God.
During the Lakeland Revival last year in Florida, a man from Germany took the stage and claimed that an angel walked into a restaurant while he was eating a hamburger, took his intestines out and replaced them with a gold substance. Others have testified that angels took them to heaven and operated on them. And many are claiming that angels are dropping feathers, gold dust and precious gems on worshippers.I know God can do anything.
He can make an iron axe head float, hide a coin in a fish's mouth and use a little boy's lunch to feed a multitude. Those were genuine miracles that He can still do today. But we still have to use caution here. There are counterfeits. If we promote a false miracle or a false angel in the Lord's house, we are participating in strange fire.I know of a case where a man was caught planting fake jewels on the floor of a church. He told his friends he was "seeding the room" to lift the people's faith.
I know of others who have been caught putting gold glitter on themselves in a restroom and then running back in a church service, only to claim that God was blessing them with this special favour. Where is the fear of God when Christians would actually fabricate a miracle?This is a time for all true believers with backbones to draw clear lines between what is godly worship and what is pagan practice. We want the miracles of God, but we also want the fear and reverence of God. We cannot allow this strange fire to spread unchecked.
