Back when I was a young woman just leaving my teen years the Lord arranged a series of miraculous events. That domino effect of events took me to Christ For The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas.
When I informed them of where the Lord had placed me, my father and second stepmother wanted me to leave CFNI, where God had brought me via miracles, and somehow, without any financial assistance, immediately leave, (with no funds), to go to the staid Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, a place where no student would ever be caught in the act of "speaking in tongues". My stepmother sent me comical pamphlets on why Lynchburg, VA residents thought speaking in tongues couldn't be a proof of the Spirit of God operating in someone.
It didn't matter to the tract-writer that "prayer language" was the spiritual dynamo for the early church to set the world upside down. Didn't matter that it was a catalyst of change in the entire Western world. They still couldn't-wouldn't accept the divine power of "worshipping in spirit and in truth". It might just pour some "latter rain" on their dry and dusty doctrinal parade.
But this message isn't about "speaking in tongues", THOUGH that gift is a vital and necessary empowerment for true Christian believers everywhere. It is also a tremendous spiritual weapon that much of THE CHURCH refuses to touch, out of fear and ignorance. But more on that topic later.
THIS MESSAGE IS ABOUT THE ERRONEOUS DOCTRINE CALLED "THE MANIFEST SONS OF GOD".
At Christ For the Nations we had many classes in the mornings, after the 2000-strong assembly finished morning worship. During this early worship the Presence of the Holy Spirit would fall in great measure, priming us with eager ears and open spirits to learn the path of God.
Then every afternoon about one o'clock we'd have one speaker from around the world, teach us for one hour, all week long.
I had never previously heard of Norvell Hayes, the Faith Meister. I had never heard of powerfully anointed Jean Wilkinson, one of my favorites. Of course I had heard of Kenneth Hagen and Kenneth Copeland. To see them in person was thrilling. But I only found one teacher bizarre out of the entire succession of ministers I heard. His whitish blond hair made him very handsome, so I wanted to believe him, but had great difficulty.
I must admit, what he said initially made me want to walk profoundly filled with the Spirit of God every waking moment, hearing God's voice and obeying it every second, just as Jesus must have. of course I could only keep that up for so long. Then I'd forget for a while and be reminded later to try again. That was all well and good,as they say.
Despite the fact that I had been a Christian for 16 years up to that point, I had yet to succeed at quelling my carnal nature entirely. I had received the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" about three years previously.
Now, after a life-time of following the Lord, I have concluded that this is a continual ongoing process. Sometimes the actual process of sanctification takes a lifetime. Then of course the Lord may work differently with each one of us.
Perhaps it works according to your faith and circumstances. Maybe the extent to which you stay in the Word of God, continually communing with Him, to the exclusion of all outside influences, such as movies, the internet, TV, cellphones, and culturally-induced norms, determines the speed of your progress.
Now those of you in denial, suffering under a self-delusion of your own perfection, may have to come down to Earth now and then and recognize your human frailties...not cover them over, trying to hide them, fooling others and yourselves. At that point, assuredly as many times during our life times, we must confess our sin and ask the Lord Jesus to wash us clean again. A daily habit of keeping the slate clean works well.
For me, it has taken the gradual growth of almost a lifetime. I didn't have the benefit of family support for most of my life. My parents were divorced when I was young. I left my father's house when I was eighteen years old. I had to learn the pattern of following the Holy Spirit mostly on my own. Sometimes with dramatic results.
When I made miss-steps or wrong choices the consequences were equally dramatic and sometimes dire.
I would often forget to stay "filled" with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I would get overwhelmed with the calamities of life. But somehow, in the end, I would keep going, just as Paul spoke about in Philippians 3:14.
"I press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Some of you might castigate me and call me a "church hopper", but I moved many times throughout the years, always on the lookout for "more of God". He took me on a path from Pennsylvania to Delaware, to Texas, back to Pennsylvania, and to Florida.
I longed to be on "the cutting edge" of what the Lord was doing, because sometimes He would reveal things to me separately, that I didn't know He was also showing other members of the Body of Christ until I met them. Staying in one small spot would have rendered that impossible.
In addition, travelling to various areas of the country, attending churches in many places gave me a quality overview of what our God has been doing for the last several decades. The on-fire Church has not been stagnant. Having an overall picture means one can view positives and negatives in the various streams of doctrine emanating from the Body of Christ over many years.
Yet, I never met anyone in any church or any Christian institution that I could determine was "filled with the Fullness of Christ". Even those whose intellects and spiritual giftings I most admired disappointed me with their mundane preoccupations with sports or Hollywood.
It just seems like, because we are living so close to the time of Christ's Return that every waking moment should be about Him, for those serious about following Him, and representing Him. Many are so wrapped up in trivia that they fail to notice Jesus is coming soon!
If football fans turned into Jesus fans, and football stadiums were crowded with worshippers of Jesus Christ, with millions flocking to receive Him and His Baptism of the Holy Spirit...why America would recover its "Greatness" in no time at all.
It is extremely hard for me to focus on the everyday when signs continually erupt showing our ever more rapid progress toward the End Time also called "The Tribulation Period".
My experiences with the Lord have become deeper and more profound the longer I follow His Path.
I sometimes went to churches that preached "the Abundant Life" and magnified Christian prosperity. That was an easy lure since I lived on very little funds for most of my life once I left home at the age of eighteen. Any message that taught I could have a better life attracted me and others like a magnet.
That movement's validity ended for me on two days. One Sunday the church pastor, (who was accompanied by security guards everywhere he went), stood at the front of the congregation and said:
"The Lord told me to instruct you to carry your money up here to me at the front of the church and place it directly into my hand..."The statement raised alarm bells in my spirit as I saw hundreds of people blindly file to the front, eagerly waiting in line to pour piles of dollars into the minister's outstretched hands. Guess it had to be really blatant before I caught on to the absurdity of it all.
The very next time I attended that church in South Florida, the pastor said:
"Christ is NOT MOVED by compassion. He is moved by your faith!"
No wonder that preacher had to surround himself with armed security personnel. Not only was he taking advantage of his congregation, but he was also defaming the Word of God and the very character of Christ. I sent a note to the pastor later on. I just couldn't remain silent on departing.
I also left a large, mega-church in Ft. Lauderdale, after attending it for several years when I heard the short, successful pastor mock the prophetic movement. I walked out of that service sure that the man would reap what he had sown.
Since his unsaved background had been in Las Vegas nightclubs, the Lord even showed me the direction his fall would take. Fall he did. With a thud that resounded throughout the entire Christian community - coast to coast.
I tried churches founded on Vineyard fellowship principles. I also attended some schooled in Rhema teachings. I learned a lot as I visited churches across Texas, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Florida.
But when I heard church elders lifting up teachers like William Branham, whose original writings, I myself had read in the 1970's and discerned as erroneous, I had to wonder if any of these leaders actually practiced the gift of discernment.
I thought about the churches I had been to over the course of several decades. Had they simply passed down opinions of other men without checking the doctrines for themselves? Or were they so eager to accept signs and wonders that they would have accepted even a blue-haired, prickly alien who kicked people in the stomach to get them healed, if they thought the power of God was being manifested?
When I realized that some of the churches that had relied on the Vineyard-based theology helped along by that same blonde man whom I had heard back in the late 1970's and whose veracity I doubted..I started examining the overall picture more thoroughly.
Many of the students at Christ For The Nations during the time I was there could also not accept Paul Cain's doctrines. It spread around the school that CFNI brought in ministries they might not agree with so that the pupils could develop discernment. That seemed like a convenient excuse. Judging by other things happening at the time, my guess now is that there was a failure of leadership.
I have absolutely nothing against the man personally whatsoever. But when a pastor whom I had highly esteemed defended Paul Cain's Manifest Sons of God theology, I had to peer more deeply.
I was forced to analyze where my spiritual walk had taken me over the last five decades.
Much of the outflow of the Vineyard movement merged with mainstream Charismatic doctrine.
When I heard that Paul Cain had "fallen into sin" and was being "restored" by a major current ministry whom I know in fact to be partial to the Manifest Sons of God Doctrine, I was disenchanted.
But I was and still am convinced of the validity of the "Prophetic" and "Apostolic" movements which occurred in the Charismatic Church in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. I just believe some course corrections need made, based upon what I have learned over a lifetime of Bible study and following God.
"Cain launched his ministry at age 18 during the Pentecostal healing revival of the 1940's and 1950's. But he vanished from the scene for more than 25 years, then re-emerged in the late 1980's when [Mike] Bickle promoted Cain's ministry at his Metro Vineyard Christian Fellowship." From Wikipedia.PAUL CAIN - CLICK FOR LINK
"Cain, along with a few other early promoters of the MFS doctrine, like O.L. Jaggers, touted the misinterpretation of scripture that Christians could have non-perishable bodies in this life, becoming immortal Believers even before the time of Christ's Return." From the following link:
MANIFEST SONS OF GOD DOCTRINE
Cain also spoke about the "Manchild Company" of overcomers, which I believed for several years before realizing it to be unscriptural. He taught, as he did at Christ For The Nations, that the whole Body of Christ will manifest Jesus' power to such an extent that they will take over the world as Joel's army. [MORE ON THAT IN ANOTHER BLOG POST.]
I honestly don't have anything personal against this poor, broken brother in Christ - personally. But we as Believers in Jesus HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL TO AVOID END-TIME DECEPTIONS.
Jesus warned us there would be many as the End of this Age draws to a close. Can you see the signs?
I fear the Manifest Sons of God doctrine has become so embedded in some Charismatic circles that some leaders are using the doctrine to drum up false courage for the Body of Christ to overcome the upcoming challenges, when if they merely adhered to and believe Christ's very own words they would lose their fear.
"The doctrine of the Manifested Sons of God maintained that a select group of overcomers were to be chosen, purified, and brought through the necessary processes TO BRING IN A LITERAL AND MATERIAL MILLENIAL REIGN OF CHRIST."MANIFESTED SONS OF GOD DOCTRINE - link 2 [VERY ENLIGHTENING STUDY]
Paul Cain's suppositions are based in part on the following Bible passage. There is nothing wrong with the passage itself. It's very easy to interpret, and really vital to our Christian walk as well as our sanctification. But it could be subject to vast misinterpretation:
Romans 8:12-21
"Therefore brothers, we have an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of your body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry 'Abba, Father'. Verses 12-15
"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory." 16-17
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory THAT WILL BE REVEALED IN US. THE CREATION WAITS IN EAGER EXPECTATION FOR THE SONS OF GOD TO BE REVEALED. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that THE CREATION ITSELF WILL BE LIBERATED FROM ITS BONDAGE TO DECAY INTO THE GLORIOUS FREEDOM OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD." Verses 18-21
This passage is true, when taken in its proper context. When Jesus returns He has promised to restore all of creation to His original intention. That IS- if you view the promises of His Return in their entirety.
One must consider that Creation itself is experiencing birth pangs of expectation while awaiting Christ's Return. Ever-increasing earthquakes, volcanoes, unusual weather patterns, large animal and fish die-offs, holes opening in the earth. Matthew 24:30 is being fulfilled right in front of our eyes...if you have eyes to see and ears to hear.
Even as the King of Kings makes His approach toward Earth trumpet sounds and other loud audio phenomena occur regularly around the globe. Don't believe me? Google it!
The next passage is the most twisted part of Paul Cain's doctrinal error:
"...til we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT MAN, UNTO THE MEASURE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST." Ephesians 4:13Let's analyze that verse.
1) When will the Body of Christ (every Believer in Jesus/Yeshua who ever believed from a simple prayer of salvation and little commitment to the hardiest and mightiest of prophetic warrior intercessors with the Elijah anointing - ALL OF US COME INTO THE UNITY OF THE FAITH? Only upon Jesus' Return.
2) When will we ALL, every single Believer, come into the knowledge of the Son of God (who He IS) simultaneously? For all of us who reckon ourselves "dead with Christ, nevertheless we live", that moment of simultaneous understanding could only come WHEN JESUS RETURNS.
3) When will we ALL BECOME PERFECT (a "perfect man")? None of us are perfect in reality. There was only one Being who was perfect, our example, Jesus Christ. Therefore when we become like Him, upon His Return, we will all become perfect.
The reason He was able to be perfect was because He Was/Is a DIVING BEING. He had no earthly father. His conception was brought about by a miraculous combination of the Heavenly Father's DNA with a virgin, human woman's egg cell.
For that reason Jesus Christ was able to learn to control ALL of His human passions. And through a process of ever-unfolding realization He came to the point of understanding His Divine Destiny. Even at age 12 He had an awareness that He was set apart for Greatness.
He was God INCARNATE, WRAPPED IN HUMAN FLESH. EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US.
The Bible tells us to "put to death the deeds of the flesh" and to "die to ourselves".
As I said, this at least for me has and is being a lifelong process. For Jesus, because He was and IS GOD - He had an advantage over us. But He came as our example.
Being "GOD WITH US", He never made mistakes. We have to learn this Christian walk through trial and error.
We have to go from "glory to glory" looking at ourselves as though through imperfect glass, which makes it hard to see the changes within us as we grow in God.
If the truth were told, and not so many leaders in the Body of Christ were constantly jockeying for positions of power, and therefore an appearance of total Holiness was necessary for them to maintain their positions of power, there might be more honesty in the Church. Just because we aren't engaged in what someone terms "gross sin" doesn't mean we are yet perfect.
Learning to hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit is also a process that doesn't normally happen over night. It can sometimes be a continual learning experience that takes years by itself, let along how to walk upright and Holy before the Lord.
Oh, maybe there are a lot of you out there that are a lot better at hearing the Lord's Voice than I am. But I bet the full ability didn't hit you overnight!
WE HAVE TO KEEP ON TRYING DESPITE OUR FAILURES IN ORDER TO GROW INTO THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER INTENDS FOR US TO EVENTUALLY GROW INTO.
However, to become a PERFECT person one would have to totally "die" to everything that makes up our "self". That would include our own dreams, our own talents, our own loves, desire, rights, and time. How many people besides Jesus and Mother Theresa were willing to do that in human history? Even she apparently had her doubts as a book of her letters testifies.
Mother Theresa's "COME BE MY LIGHT"
Jesus Christ was the incarnation of God in a human shell. Our entire human personality would have to be put to death in order for the Holy Spirit to fill us to that extent. That does not mean we should not strive daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit and His power.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A GOAL OR STANDARD TO MEASURE OURSELVES BY AND ATTEMPT TO LIVE UP TO. I personally believe that the Church will come into the Full Stature of the Measure of Christ when WE SEE HIM FACE TO FACE. Timing is everything!
Paul Cain's basic premise is that WE HERE ON EARTH BEFORE THE LORD'S RETURN, CAN REACH THAT FULLNESS OF CHRIST, THE PERFECT "MANHOOD" is incorrect.
Consequently Cain's doctrine contends that we as THE BODY OF CHRIST, will bring about the fulfillment of the Lord's Return. Totally unscriptural!
When I read the verse about all of us coming into the unity of the faith I see a huge giant, fitted together of many people, many parts, with many talents...all coming together when Christ Returns to give us our immortal bodies. Then and only then will we be able to obtain the FULLNESS OF THE MEASURE OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST.
A person who has totally emptied themselves of all self..all desires of the flesh...even the normal desires to eat, drink, procreate , or do anything of their own volition, would have to be like an empty shell, a mere garment, that the Holy Spirit could wear.
There are only two people in End Time prophecies who will be filled with the Spirit and power of God to such an extent that nothing can overcome them. Revelation 11:3...
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days clothed in sackcloth."
These two individuals are the only ones I know of who could become the closest candidates for being filled with the Fullness of the Measure of The Stature of Christ. And they may appear on the scene sooner than you think...because we are well into the End of the End.
When the one world dictator requires everyone to take a mark/electronic tattoo/or other chip identifier on the hand or forehead, you'd better know how to live "underground" as they say. You would also be well equipped if you know how to barter whether it be goods or skills. You don't think it is coming?
Former Vice President Joe Biden told Chief Justice Roberts that he would have to rule in his lifetime on whether human beings could be microchipped(like cattle) "FOR TRACKING PURPOSES."
I do believe there is something called the "Elijah Anointing". There might also be a group of End-time Remnant Believers in Christ who exhibit some of the miracles that Elijah and Elisha did. But they better hurry up if they want to get in on the party. The party is almost over. We are at the 11th hour.
The Bible says that: (James 5:17)
"Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none the fell for three and a half years!"
Elijah was not perfect. He had his moments of fear and frailty. He hid in the cave from Jezebel thinking he was the only prophet of God. Does that sound like someone filled with the "Fullness of the Measure of the Stature of Christ?" No. But that holds out hope for us, who are also not PERFECT, who haven't yet reached that stature either.
Jesus said:
"Verily, verily I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS than these shall he do; because I go unto my father." John 14:12
Jesus DID NOT SAY whoever becomes perfect like me can do what I do and even more. He said "HE THAT BELIEVES IN ME". That's it!
That doesn't mean we have a license to sin either. It always stands to reason that we must stay in the Word of God, try to walk worthy of his calling, and display the love of Christ, being motivated by love, because that is what it is all about.
The Word of God says in Colossians 3:5:
"So put to death sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolator, worshipping the things of this world." (New Living Translation)
God has called us to live holy lives. To generate the kind of power of God it takes to walk like Elisha we need to be constantly walking in the presence of The Holy Spirit. Impure living will chase that presence away. Dwelling in worship and praise of Jesus will keep you walking on the right track, filled with His Spirit. You might not be perfect but as long as you believe what Jesus said and act upon it, you can see results.
You know...this whole idea that Christians can become so amazingly mighty that they actually help to bring in the fulfillment of Christ's Return is easy to understand. At least how it got started and caught on like wildfire - that is easy to understand.
Yes...the Bride does have to have a clean white wedding dress and without spot or wrinkle before His Return. This may come about through suffering.
The idea that we can actually speed the process of Christ's Return and the Rise of His Millennial Kingdom along is a fantasy born of the desire to control. When events spiral out of one's ability to change what is happening, one can easily become a "control freak". In fact, I see this in many people's lives. It is a psychological defense mechanism.
The desire to control comes from people who are frightened.
When you actually begin to realize what must occur before Jesus actually returns, all the war that will take place, strange earth and atmospheric phenomena that HAVE ACTUALLY BEGUN...IT MIGHT CAUSE SOME TO FEAR.
When you finally realize He is not coming twice, first to whisk you out of the fray, and then back again on Judgement Day, it might be a little frightening. We may have to endure much more than all the most recent generations of pop-culture preachers have led us to believe. Yes there will be a Rapture. But only one. That catching up will come when the LAST TRUMPET sounds, not the second, fourth, fifth, sixth. So many people have failed to study the Word of God to the extent that they can put the pieces of End Time Prophecy and God's Judgement together properly. It is very sad. So many cling to a hope of easy escape because it soothes their fear, helping them to think they will never have to suffer like other saints and martyrs throughout the millennia.
So I beg you pastors and Church, please take another look at the doctrines you have been relying on that will cause you to err from the truth. Truth is important to acknowledge and to speak. Having the Holy Spirit within one makes one want to seek the truth and speak the truth.
Truth has become a rare commodity in our current culture. In fact, the majority who rule are trying to quickly shut up the truth, and are trying to stop speakers of the truth from doing so any longer. Even now, many who have been bold enough to speak the truth have been killed for doing so. I can cite examples but don't at this moment have time to include corresponding links.
The Internet itself is becoming a place where truth is no longer welcome. Many algorithims and programs are being used, especially in social media sites to shut up anyone who dares speak something that is not politically correct. Web-bots are crawling the net to try to remove anything that the "powers that be" do not want spoken or written. It will only be a matter of years, if not months before even anything relating to true Christianity is removed. Mark my words.
Please never esteem any Christian leader so much that you allow him to take the Word of God out of context and convince you of something false because it satisfies a psychological need inside of you. Carefully discern what any leader is speaking in this present Age of Deception.
Meanwhile do not get weary in your walk with the Lord. We have high goals. But knowing that we are not perfect keeps us on our toes, trying to do better, trying to stay in touch daily with God's Spirit so that we can become more like Him, eventually to become PERFECT LIKE HIM on the Day of His Return.
Keep looking up! Someday we will become part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses!
