Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s movie, Son of God, is set to open in theaters this Saturday. I am completely opposed to the film for several good reasons. I believe it to be a work of two New Age mystics that have twisted the word of God to fit their personal belief systems. Just the fact that Ceelo (Mr. Vulgar) Green is singing in the movie is a red flag that every true Christian should be concerned about. Matthew Hagee goes beyond endorsing the movie to attacking everyone who opposes it. The following is my response to his statement of support.

A NOTE FROM PASTOR MATTHEW HAGEE: This weekend over 500,000 people, whether Believers or Non-Believers will attend the film “Son of God”. This film is an effort to make people aware about a Savior who died in their place, and gave His life that they might be redeemed. I am personally saddened at the state of the body of Christ in America when we cannot celebrate that fact. What an awesome thing to have a half million people line up to see a major motion picture made with excellence about Jesus, and hear about what He ultimately has done for all men everywhere. There are not a half million people pre-purchasing tickets to go watch the regular trash that is sold to us and corrupts our culture and destroys our families. They are going to see a production companies effort to tell others about the Son of God.

Response: While Hagee sees a half-million people lining up to watch a heretical film produced by two New Age false Christians as a good thing, I view it as an indictment of pastors who sold this sordid bill of goods to their congregations. I also view it as very disturbing that so many professing Christians have so little discernment. I am also saddened by the fact that Christianity is under an aggressive attack of New Age mystics and individuals such as Matthew Hagee are doing nothing to expose it.

The reason that I write this is because I have had plenty of emails and inquiries sent to my office, asked to me in passing, and pushed through the “grape vine” about what some people have been able to pull up about the Burnett-Downey family or the actual actor who plays the role of Jesus. Let me make this clear, “That is a waste of time, and I don’t care to read it, or hear it!” Why you ask?

Response: I find it amazing that Hagee refuses to research or accept information essential to informing his congregation about heresy and the diabolical individuals that are promoting it. It is never a waste of time to present the truth and warn people about heresy. Why do we ask? Because when another gospel and another Jesus are presented, the ones who do the deed are accursed. It is a matter of love and duty to God and our fellow Christians that we warn them about supporting the unfruitful works of darkness with their money and credibility.

1. You can’t believe everything you read. Believe it or not, not all that stuff floating around on the world wide web is true. I have plenty of personal experience in this.

Response: Certainly not all “that stuff floating around on the world-wide web is true”. However, Hagee has a presence on the world-wide web. Should we believe what he writes? He made his post in favor of the film and its producers on the world-wide web. Are we to gauge his words by the same measurement that he gauges ours? If it is true, it does not matter whether or not it is on the world-wide web.  Therefore, his point is invalid.

2. Even if what you have to present or argue about is based in a measure of truth, ask yourself this question. Do you take the same time to investigate the person who volunteers to play Jesus in the Christmas pageant or walk out of the dry ice with a dove on his finger at Easter? Do you look into the dating history of the girl who played Mary in the pageant of ’96, or question if all that was portrayed on Dec. 25th was true and accurate in its exact detail about “The Day” that our Savior was born? Or…do you enjoy an individual’s effort to bring others to a moment of awareness about who Jesus was and what He has done?

Response: I have never attended any of those events. However, his points are like comparing the indiscretions of a child with the purposeful crimes of an adult. If that standard is to be used, then why should a pastor ever check the credentials of anyone that he invites to minister in his church? Would Hagee invite a Mormon or Muslim that also claims to be a Christian to preach in his church? Why not book a homosexual quartet on Sunday morning as long as they sing gospel music? Go ahead and allow a New Age mystic to teach a Sunday School class. As long as they add the title Christian, should we toss out all discernment and welcome them to feed the flock of God?

My point should be pretty clear. Stop arguing about what doesn’t matter and celebrate what others are trying to do. One of the reasons that we are losing the battle for our nation is because we are wasting our energy tearing each other apart instead of supporting those who are attempting to reach the lost. I am not concerned as to whether you agree or disagree with the above, I have aligned myself with the Word and I am looking forward to going to the movies with more than 3500 of our Church members this Thursday.

Response: First, if it doesn’t matter that Downey and Burnett are heretics that spread heresy, then nothing matters and discernment is useless. Christianity would have an open door for any demon that adds the title of Christian. Hagee should practice what he preaches. He is using what he believes is discernment in attacking me and other Christians for exposing heresy and heretics. If he means that Christians are tearing each other apart, he is engaging in the same activity that he condemns. Christianity is rife with heresy and heretics. That is the reason it is weak and has no power to change this nation or the world. The evil is rapidly advancing because highly visible leaders such as Hagee not only refuse to confront the problem, but attack anyone who does. One thing is perfectly clear; he is not aligned with the Word of God in this matter.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

I give you the words of Jesus from Luke 9:49-50, “Now John answered and said, Master we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” (50) “But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us in on our side.”

Response: I find that an incredible misapplication of that scripture.  Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are not casting out demons or doing any other works of God. In fact, they are doing the work of heresy and have a demonic individual singing in their film. By Hagee’s standard, he is declaring that we should not oppose the New Age Movement, necromancy, vulgarity, and any of the cults and false religions. Here is a better verse than the one he posted.

“These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (Jude 1:12-13)

The harvest is many and the workers are few, PRAY FOR THE HARVEST!!! Stop throwing rocks at those who are working in the fields.

Sincerely,
Pastor Matt

Response: I implore Matthew Hagee to stop throwing rocks at God’s watchmen. Roma Downey and Mark Burnett are not working in God’s harvest, but they are attempting to harvest souls for the kingdom of darkness. There is a widespread spirit of ecumenism with New Age mystics occurring in Christianity that could quite possibly destroy it. The Assemblies of God leadership, in spite of many detailed warnings, chose to invite a New Age mystic to speak at their General Council. The reasoning was exactly as Matthew Hagee’s reasoning concerning the film, ‘Son of God’.

Christianity is apostatizing from the head down. Downey and Burnett’s film will further soften Christians at the grass roots level to accept New Age heresy. We are seeing the formation of a Global religion and there are no highly visible leaders attempting to expose it. Like Hagee, they are instead embracing it. It is a sad day for Christianity. This is not a game! It is a deadly contest for your eternal souls. Guard your hearts and minds, because no one else is going to do it for you. The only way to survive this period is by prayer, reading and studying God’s Word, abstain from association with evil, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

In Christ Jesus,

C. H. Fisher

A number of professing Christians are alarmed by what they view as fatal heresy and even apostasy occurring in Christianity.  Please allow me to make a distinction here.  The Body of Christ is composed of people.  However, Christianity is composed of various churches, denominations and movements, and people.  The Body of Christ is pure, but Christianity is riddled with heresy.  Many of these factions have been heading down the road to apostasy for quite some time.  I have observed a common paradigm that is woven through all of them.  There are a number of members in each faction that will rise up in protest and oppose the invasion of the heresy.  It does not seem to matter because heresy eventually takes over.  That may be due to the fact that some of the protestors either die or capitulate to the heresies.  There is another reason that I will relate later in this article.  In any case, the result is that the churches, denominations or movements become apostate to a significant degree.  In some of these apostate entities, there are still people protesting even though the organization has become so spiritually decrepit that it appears beyond help.

The question remains; “Why do they stay?”   It is a paradox of sorts.  Although they claim to want purity in their relationship with God, they are willing to associate with an impure entity for no good reason(s).  Some would protest and declare that they have invested their lives in the organization and they are not going to allow Satan to destroy it.  But Satan mocks them and their feeble protests, and then goes on and does what he wishes.  Other ones will not admit it, but they stay because they are fearful of leaving.  They are afraid of the unknown, of losing fellowship with friends, of suffering, and ministers are fearful of losing income and position.  All the reasons amount to an insufficient argument for remaining in fellowship with a religious entity that has been overcome by apostasy.

In my 36 years of following Christ Jesus I have never witnessed an entire church, denomination, movement, turn back to God after reaching critical mass with heresy.  I have witnessed a few churches recapture their former vision and position, but not without conflict and painful upheaval, plus loss of membership and leaders.  The only cure for apostasy seems to be preventative measures.  The moment a heresy knocks on the door, people must rise up and vehemently reject it.  If it has been accepted to a degree and then exposed, they must spew it, as it were, out of their mouths.  There is a good reason that does not occur.  It is because there are a certain number of people in every church, denomination, and movement that view a heresy as an alternate point of view that needs to be heard.  They give place to Satan while they marginalize the protests and insist on being “reasonable” and “rational”. “Reasonable and “rational” translated is, “Give sin a chance.”  The only rationale is to reject heresy in every form no matter how gaudily it is clothed in claims of truth or promises of beneficial worth.

Heresy always comes from very convincing people that appear well-intentioned and even godly.  You can observe these tares most clearly in Internet venues such as forums, blogs, and Facebook pages.  They are the ones who immediately rise in strong opposition when someone points out a heresy.  You would think that they had been poked with the hot iron of a personal insult.  They go off on tirades about accepting other points of view.  Many of them speak in ethereal terms of being loving and kind, or about being thoughtful or considerate.  They accuse the messenger of getting his or her facts from dubious sources, of being ignorant, of leaping to false conclusions, and of being judgmental, legalistic, or even hateful.  However, you never witness them speaking out against any sin or heresy.  All their effort is focused on individuals that dare to challenge a work of darkness.  I have observed them attending church meetings with no outward sign of participating in worship, no reaction to the preaching and teaching, and no outward show of support for anything good that occurs in the church.  However, when a heresy is exposed or prevented from entering the church, they rise up as if they are God-ordained ombudsmen for doctrinal diversity.  Professing Christians that are unstable or dependent on the externals, words and appearances, are easily swayed by such individuals.

True Christians must face the fact that every generation of Christians are infiltrated by individuals that are deemed as mere nominal Christians.  In appearance and action (or lack thereof) they resemble wilted or malnourished wheat.  However, if they were nominal Christians, there would be hope for reviving them to vibrancy.  They are not nominal Christians; they are tares.  These tares will grow and mingle with Christians long enough to assume many of the outward qualities.  However, they will come to life the moment a move of the Holy Spirit occurs, or a heresy approaches for entrance. The Holy Spirit is a threat to them, heresy is an attraction.  It isn’t that they have no discernment, but that they do not have the mind of Christ.  Therefore, they are not alarmed by approaching or invading heresy.  Instead, they become agitated when someone opposes heresy.  They deem heresy as progress, as a natural extension of the thought process that operates in them.  Thus, they make the individual pay dearly that dares to expose or reject what they believe is an increase of God.  I seriously doubt if most of them are even aware that they are in league with Satan.

There is another preventative measure that cannot be neglected without dire ramifications.  A church, denomination, or movement, must have a steady stream of new converts to counter the influence of such people.  In fact, if they are not infused with new converts and periodic revivals, no matter how strong their doctrine may be, that church, denomination, or movement, will die spiritually.  They will become infested with heresy and individuals that cannot discern good from evil.  Nothing righteous can grow in such an environment.  Anyone attempting to remain will use most of his or her spiritual resources resisting the contamination of apostasy.  One has to consider if it is worth such an expenditure and waste of spiritual energy simply to meet with root-bound tares in a particular building.  Is that really what it is all about…a building? Is it worth the massive waste of spiritual energy to remain in a tare infested denomination or movement?  Of what benefit is it to waste all that energy just to have a title in front of the term Christian?  I am more in empathy with ministers whose income is tied to a denomination or movement.  However, it is better to be in poverty, or to work at a secular job, and to have fewer places to preach, than to wade around in a cesspool pouring out fresh water.  Please accept my word of honor that I do not make that last statement from an ivory tower of abundance.

I left the denomination that I was ordained with over much less apostasy than the amount that has infected it today.  I did not wait for the New Age Movement, Roman Catholicism, and etcetera, to infiltrate the leadership.  I witnessed the quenching of the Holy Spirit. It was manifested as disdain and condescension toward ministers that preached with demonstrations of the Spirit and power.  I observed the marginalizing of the anointing, underhandedness, the flagrant lying, and other wickedness in leadership.  I made my exit.  It has not been an easy path, but easy was not what I signed up for when I gave my life to Christ.  God never promised me a cozy and comfortable life with all the perks and benefits of being a “clergyman”.  He called me out of darkness, drug and alcohol addiction, bondage to hatred and violence, and other wicked vices.  I owe Him everything.

Have I suffered?  Yes, but the spiritual benefits of that suffering are priceless.  Did I become financially and materially impoverished?  Yes, but I am spiritually rich.  Was I rejected?  Yes, many times and to great degrees, but I am accepted by God.  That’s really all that matters.  Was I fearful?  Yes, often, but I learned how to hold His hand.  It has always been extended, but I often trusted too much in my own abilities.  Did I feel alone?  Yes, many times.  But I learned how to hear the still, small, voice, and how to embrace the fellowship of His sufferings.  Did I lose my confidence?  Yes, and I have no confidence in the flesh.  Did I endure other hardships?  Yes, but I learned how to pray.  And it was not pagan contemplative praying, but communicating with God for long periods every day.  Have I regretted my decision?  I would be lying if I said that I did not at times regret it.  But each time I thought of going back, I would shudder to the depths of my soul.  Did I have any pity parties?  Yes, many.  I even made some of them last for days.  But they ceased after I re-read Foxes Book of Martyrs and reflecting considerably about the persecuted church.  I’m no martyr.  I would be too embarrassed to relate my woes in heaven before that blessed throng who loved not their lives unto death.  I just thank God that I left before the door closed on my exit.  That door will eventually close on anyone who rationalizes that they can have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness and remain a viable Christian.

Finally, God has a book.  It will not have recorded in it some of the things important to us in the temporal realm.  Instead, in it is recorded the names of people that love Him and their righteous deeds.  When His pen has ceased to move regarding your church, denomination, or movement, it is time to shake the dust off of your shoes and leave.

“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord”
And who meditate on His name. (Malachi 3:16)

According to the insights on my Facebook page, TruthKeepers, my articles are read mainly by individuals in the age group 55-64 years old.  That’s the difference between Cheryl’s and my age.  Hmmm…I wonder if there is some correlation here. Maybe so.  Maybe we are just a couple of old fashioned folks from a fading generation that does not know how to change or accept current trends in Christianity.  A case could be made for such an assumption if we were against harmless changes in methods, style, music, and etc., and I stress the word harmless.  Every Christian generation has resisted the transition in leadership to the next generation.  The elders get “stuck in their ways” and feel as if they are being pushed out of the way, made irrelevant and useless. 

Sometimes they have a legitimate complaint.  The next generation does not always know what it is all about.  They did not fight the fight of faith, pray, work, give, and make all the other necessary sacrifices to establish a church in a community.  They merely step into the roles being vacated due to age and death. It can become a game or an experimental process to discover how far they can stretch their power and the time-honored rules.

Regarding this issue, a friend once asked me what the solution might be.  I replied that when the last of the generation that made the church possible is on his or her deathbed, someone ought to be standing by with a can of gasoline and a match.  As soon as that soul passed into eternity, they ought to set fire to the facilities, give all the money to a worthy charity.  The younger generation could start afresh and experience the joy of fighting the good fight of faith.  Of course, that is unlikely to occur.  But if there is no knowledge of the history, no understanding of the price that was paid, then there will be little respect for the elders and the legacy that they bequeath to the next generation.  Thus, there will not be a continuum from the ministry of one generation to the next.

However, my articles on TruthKeepers Facebook page, website, and blog, are not necessarily about the inevitable transition of the younger generation with their “new” ideas and methods.  Instead, I inform and warn Christians about the final deception and great apostasy.  Most discerning Christians believe that we are in the last days and the final deception and great apostasy is now in full force.  It is an insidious evil invasion of doctrine and practices that attempts to hide behind the guise of “God is doing a new thing” and the “old people don’t like it”.  In fact, some synonymous terms are, “A new way of doing church”, and “Church for people who don’t like church”.  They (“they” meaning heretics) make their case by pointing to the deadest, most boring, uneventful, unproductive, and in some cases hypocritical churches and make them collectively the icon of what’s wrong in Christianity.  Then they turned to the cults, the New Age Movement, and ancient heresies, for help in making church more interesting and relevant to secular society.  That is a bit like observing the worlds system with its evil and failure, and running to Satan for help instead of turning to Christ.

They purposely ignored and still refuse to consider churches with Christians that are responsive to God, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and where spiritual life flows and lives are being changed.  The conspicuous absence of any references to those churches reveals the true motive behind their diabolical plot to invade and eliminate true Christianity.  Their motive was not to make a deteriorated generation of Christians alright with God, but to deflect them from a focus on God and to a foray into the mystical realm of the demonic.  They play the “out-of-touch-generation” card, and the “church-as-usual-is-wrong” card, which led to them playing the “God-is-doing-a-new-thing” card.  Of course, the last few Christian generations are greatly distracted by the sensual offerings of the world system.  Every night of the week and weekends there is deemed a must-watch event on television.  They leave precious little time left for God or Bible study.  Life can easily snatch that time away with the numerous, grasping, boney, little hands of perceived priorities.  Additionally, the contributing faction of youth has now been split into young and younger.  Technology has made the very young relevant and even active in the scheme of life.  Some toddlers learn how to text before they learn how to spell.  And they may never learn how to spell if texting becomes the standard communication.

The fact is that God does not text.  If you want power, you have to pray.  If you expect to text God with a “Hi Dad” and then go on your way, then you walk away from a wealth of power and knowledge that cannot be sourced by any other way or means.  Satan knows that very well.  Further, if you worship God it must be in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  Relying too heavily on the iPod, smart phone, high tech visuals, worship band, the worship leader and singers, and etc, is like relying on cheerleaders at a football game to inspire you to get interested in the game.  Have you ever noticed that the parents of the players do not need cheerleaders? What I’m saying is that it used to be all about God.  Then somehow, in gradual increments, it became all about us.  Once that paradigm shift occurred, people quit checking with God for direction, purpose, activities, and even doctrine.  They insisted something new was needed, that the old doctrine and ideas just were not working anymore.  I guess not since it is now all about us.  Most everything worked just fine when it was all about God.

In each generation where Christians lost their focus on the center, Christ Jesus, and refocused on self, apostasy has occurred.  Whatever happened to, “I died, and my life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3)?  We do not need new ideas and new paradigms in Christianity.  We simply need to return to the ones that worked for every generation that focused on Christ and fully surrendered to God.  Methods may change, but truth can never be altered without dangerous consequences.  The truth is; there are no worship bands, no slick, charismatic, articulate, preachers, no video or sound systems, and gimmickry, no Contemplative Spirituality, no New Age practices and other evil, in the jungles, in the house churches in China, or in the underground churches of Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and etc.  Instead, there is violent opposition to Christians simply gathering and sharing the word of God.  However, people are more intimate with God and their spiritual lives are full and vibrant.  While the American Christian may run home from church whining over a broken fingernail, they meet with broken bones.

It is true that I am out of touch with the present generation and its successors that practice mysticism and are obsessed with self-gratification and sensationalism.  It is certain that I would not be accepted in an Emergent, Seeker Friendly, and probably the great majority of the Launch Churches.  I am content to go where God sends me, when He sends me, and not before.  I’m not mourning about that in the slightest and I am not fishing for opportunities.  Instead, I am as the rest of God’s remnant, deeply grateful that He has enabled me to recognize and hold onto truth.  Truth is considered by those factions at the least as a bizarre oddity and at the most repulsive heresy.  Is it only the 55-64 year old individuals, my generation, which agrees with me?  Maybe so, but that does not make it old fashioned.  The simple truth is that maybe they are the ones who have been through enough fire that they will pay attention.