SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/02/21/embracing-a-new-age-charismatic-worship-on-sunday-mornings/;
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
There was something peculiar about the old hymns that churches would embrace and sing together on Sunday mornings. For the most part, they were rich in doctrine — they actually communicated something to the congregation. They were exegetical, they told us who God is and about what He has done. It was in response to this rich theology and the knowledge of God that the congregation responded in praise and worship.
It was reverent and orderly — it was not a chaotic mess. That is, until, the charismatic movement began to grow. The charismatic movement has influenced the worship in the vast majority of churches in the world today. Charismatic worship focuses much less on biblical doctrine and much more on garnering an emotional response from the worshiper.
Charismatic worship music draws its foundations from the modern culture — and that culture is a mixture of Western technological advances in music coupled with Eastern mysticism. That is, through modern musical styles, often an emotional trance-like state can be achieved through repetitive beats and choruses. With a lack of concern for the words itself, in a sense, one is “under the influence” of the music, increasing suggestibility.
This is one of the hallmarks of the charismatic movement. Their focus is much more on the Holy Spirit — what they believe to be the Holy Spirit — than it is on sound doctrine. Consider what one of the pioneers of modern charismatic worship, Jack Hayford, states in his book, Worship His Majesty,
There is an unholy propensity in human nature to secure itself in history rather than open itself to simplicity–the simple touch of God, the summoning voice of the Spirit. Just as with the Reformation, ecclesiastical and theological resistance sustains its posturing against the new, the fresh and the childlike. The effort to “keep control” breeds the forging of new instruments of doctrinaire domination over the church…
The idea is that doctrine enslaves people to an inferior form of worship and does not allow one to “experience” the Holy Spirit through their emotions. In the same chapter, Hayford, writing about the effects of the Protestant Reformation says, “the shackles of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual slavery were cast aside and a renaissance of learning and social advancement was realized.” Of course, that isn’t exactly true. It is true that Christians were set free from the spiritual bondage of the Roman Catholic Church, which is a false church filled with false doctrine. However, as the New Testament teaches, being set free from the bondage of corruption actually enslaves us to Christ Himself, which, in turn, enslaves us to good doctrine. Hayford, however, continues, “I believe a new Reformation in worship will accomplish the same thing.”
The “Reformation in worship” to which Hayford points is the watered-down charismatic emotionally-driven worship we see in our churches today. When you walk into any modern Evangelical church, the airwaves are filled with the sounds of electric guitars, drums, and a multitude of instrumental riffs that tickle the ears of hundreds, even thousands of people who stand with their hands in the air swaying back and forth. Sadly, for the most part, it isn’t God that they are worshiping, but the music. Often there is no choir, and often, the music is led by one lead singer. The focus is often on that lead singer and rather than congregational, reverent worship, it’s an entertainment show that is designed to garner an emotional state to prepare one to hear and receive whatever it is the pastor, who follows the worship service, has to say. It’s, for lack of a better way of putting it, hypnosis.
And this is exactly how the Eastern mystics have worked throughout the ages, and now repackaged with a modern snare into the New-Age movement. Entrance your audience, indoctrinate them into your religion through seduction, and keep them through their emotions. The charismatic worship movement is simply New-Age mysticism enveloped with a veneer of Christianity.
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SEE ALSO:
https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/02/23/kari-jobes-sexualizing-of-gods-love-and-word-of-faith-heresy/
AND: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2016/03/17/why-hillsong-music-is-dangerous-for-your-church/
AND: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/04/14/why-do-so-many-worship-leaders-look-so-gay/
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Hillsong Music is a Gateway Drug to Apostasy, Your Church is Dealing it to You
SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/10/14/hillsong-music-is-a-gateway-drug-to-apostasy-your-church-is-dealing-it-to-you/;
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:
Last year, we watched a string of high-profile apostasies take place, including Marty Sampson, one of the most prominent Hillsong music artists over the years. Sampson is not the only one, though. Hillsong Church is not a church, but a breeding ground for false converts — and is filled with false teachers. Hillsong has practically merged with the Roman Catholic Church and has even held Catholic Masses at its conferences and it has completely embraced the Word of Faith heresy.
This is an updated article that seeks to explain why your church shouldn’t be feeding you this drug.
It is the bounden duty of every Christian to pray against Antichrist and as to what Antichrist is no sane man ought to raise a question. If it be not the Popery in the Church of Rome, there is nothing in the world that can be called by that name. . .It wounds Christ, because it robs Christ of His glory, because it puts sacramental efficacy in the place of His atonement and lifts a piece of bread into the place of the Savior and a few drops of water into the place of the Holy Spirit and puts a mere fallible man like ourselves up as the Vicar of Christ on earth. If we pray against it, because it is against Him, we shall love the persons though we hate their errors; we shall love their souls though we loathe and detest their dogmas. And so the breath of our prayers will be sweetened because we turn our faces toward Christ when we pray.
– Charles H. Spurgeon
By far, the greatest evil in the church are the works of darkness that creep in unaware to dilute the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, while building a false church that serves the interest of man. One of the major players in these days of iniquitous works is the world-wide organization known as Hillsong Church. Hillsong has fed much to the evangelical church in the way of wickedness through its many programs, especially its music production program. Hillsong’s music is played in nearly every evangelical church in the world, as well as many Roman Catholic churches. The purchase of every piece of “worshipful art” from them goes to support their works and pays homage to their apostasy.
Does your church worship service include Hillsong’s music?
Hillsong church is a breeding ground for false converts. Some of their New York campus’ flagship products include the homosexual couple, Reed Kelly and Josh Canfield, in which Canfield volunteers as a choir director 2 and Justin Bieber, who has continual run-ins with the law.
Hillsong Australia’s former worship pastrix, Darlene Zschech, has taken the apostate nature of Hillsong’s artisanship to the highest level.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. – Eph 5:11
Zschech has chosen instead to bear false witness to the world, blaspheming the Holy Spirit by attributing evil deeds to Him that he did not do. In a recent blog post, she wrote,
I am writing this mid-air on my way home from Singapore after an amazing time away speaking, leading worship, writing songs, being with dear friends. It has been wonderful. And, to see what the Holy Spirit is doing around the earth is completely breathtaking. Even in all the expressions that make us different as God’s colourful church, its incredible to me that when the Holy Spirit draws near, His role in our experience of following Jesus makes us so very similar.
What is she referring to? Her recent capitulation to Rome–the Vatican, at an ecumenical worship event lead by the Roman Catholic Church. Don Moen, an American “worship leader” with close ties to Zschech and Hillsong, who also participated in the event was quoted as saying in an article at Christianity Today,
This ecumenical event brings Protestants, Catholics, and Jews together as we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being martyred and persecuted all over the world today.
I find it extremely difficult to reconcile this mindset, the acceptance that contradictory beliefs can all be from the same God, as a work of the Holy Spirit. She refers to it as “different characteristics, faces, tastes, and giftings.. yet a DNA running through our veins that draw us together.” In Philippians 2:2, Paul teaches us to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” True Christians can only be united around the truth because God is truth. She goes on to say,
A few months ago a very interesting email turned up in my office inviting me to sing at a beautiful event called the ‘Catholic charismatic renewal’ at St Peters Square, to actually lead songs of worship with others as the Pope called people to prayer and unity…Most invites I receive, I am unable to say yes to, but when Mark and I feel a peace about it, I go…This invite to Rome was about many different denominations coming together to pray for the world…
The Holy Spirit does not lead Christians into an ecumenical, multi-god “praise and worship” event put on by the ancient enemy of the Gospel, the Roman Catholic Church. It’s quite the opposite. The Holy Spirit leads people out of Rome, and out of apostasy (Revelation 18:4). The Holy Spirit finds what Zschech claims she was led to do by Him as totally unacceptable (Eph 5:11).
Zschech has been deceived, as many from Hillsong have, that doctrine is of no importance in the Christian life, and that all who name the name of Christ–Roman Catholics, homosexuals, unrepentant sinners–as long as you name Christ, we are all united in that confession. She goes on to say,
I was not there to judge, I was not there to become a Catholic, I was not there to sightsee. But I WAS there to lift up the name of Jesus.. without any hesitation or compromise.. for as I have learned over many years, that once Jesus is the centre.. anything can happen.
Right Darlene, let’s not judge, let’s just jump on the bandwagon of feel-good music, man-centered pep talks, and motivational speaking, all while we judge those who truly want to hold to sound doctrine and see people come to a true saving faith in Jesus Christ. “Once Jesus is the center, anything can happen,” she says. The center of what? Your blasphemous, idolatrous event that mocks who he is, and what he has done? Jesus will not be mocked (Gal 6:7). You can rest assured that the Jesus of the Bible was not the center of that event–rather he was looking down at you, calling you to repent. You have more than compromised his name, you have outright denied him.
Nonetheless, she believes that the Holy Spirit has brought her together with the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, to lead thousands of lost people in an ecumenical worship service, united under a false Gospel, and a false Jesus. But this isn’t surprising considering apostasy coming out of the church she was brought up in. Hillsong has focused on a works-based gospel–a social gospel, nearly identical to that of Rome. She continues,
A message was preached about the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our midst, and about the great grace of God which we are all dependent. Pope Francis asked the crowd to declare loudly,’Jesus is Lord’ three times and each time it grew in confidence and intention. Worship was lifted up which had the many thousands of people who attended all singing in free-flowing moments which to be honest, was reminiscent of a time I sang on a John Wimber crusade in New Zealand many years ago.
So the Pope asks the crowd to repeat a mantra, and their “confidence and intention” grew with each repetition? Strangely, this sounds a lot closer to Eastern Mysticism than to Christianity. Besides the fact that vain repetitions are forbidden in Scripture (Matthew 6:7), we are taught to humble ourselves before the Lord. We don’t use him as a wishing well. However, this practice is nonetheless rooted in the heretical Word of Faith movement that teaches that our words have the power to speak things into being. Proponents of this heresy, such as Kenneth Copeland, have argued that since God was able to speak things into existence, that man has been endowed with the ability to do the same, equating faith to a “creative force.”
She closes her blog with some very troubling statements–statements that are indicative of the lost state of her soul, as well as many others. She says:
It all comes down to a seeking heart. And a God, who is seeking us, is NOT defined or intimidated by denomination, liturgy, age or preferences… the TRUTH of our hearts toward Him is what He is after. Not controlled or manufactured, outside in expressions of lives trying to present a Holy life. Jesus, only Jesus is the answer. He takes us as He finds us. He works with us every day, from the inside out, patient and kind in His love for us and His ultimate work in our lives, leading us daily in our life’s purpose.
She’s right that Jesus is the only answer, but which Jesus? The Jesus of the Roman Catholic Church is not the same Jesus of the Bible. The Roman Catholic Jesus is a Jesus who is summoned by a priest and dwells within the body of a wafer during his repeated sacrifice on the altar of the Satanic temple daily.
So yes, I did meet Pope Francis. And yes, I did witness something truly miraculous…Change is happening all over the planet. There is a hunger for the truth of being a Christ follower, and so Christ followers need to be found EVERYWHERE.. that we will be a witness BY OUR LOVE.
Change is certainly happening all over the planet, but it’s not for the truth. The Bible teaches there will be a great falling away, a rebellion against God in the last days (2 Thes 2:3), and we see it happening right in front of our eyes. The apostate church of Rome is leading the way, and Zschech and Hillsong are right behind them. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says that people like Zschech are “false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan, disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” Zschech is following a false path and teaching a false Gospel. Her ends will correspond to her deeds.
Finally, she has this to say,
C’mon church. Isaiah 60 says to ARISE SHINE Thy light has come that even as the earth grows darker, Christ’s light in us shines brighter. Let’s not be dulled down by a lack of understanding, or a judgmental attitude. I had to continually remind myself that I was there to announce and declare the Kingdom of God and not to fault find but to be aware and awake to something very precious. And so on we go, hearts and hands ready for all God is calling us into.
Folks, this lady is totally, and completely lost. She has absolutely no idea who Jesus Christ is, what he has done, or why he has done it. Yet, her music is played in solid churches and listened to by faithful people all around the world. Why do our churches continue to promote and support the rank heresy that comes out of Hillsong Church? Is it because we don’t any better? Arguably, most evangelical churches are on the same page as Zschech, but some would openly reject this false doctrine, and preach it back to the pits of Hell where it belongs, yet they are completely blind to the fact that they are supporting it, and feeding it, by purchasing the rights to this music to lead their faithful congregations in worship of the one true God. Can we not see the absolute hypocrisy here? Why?