Deception In The Evangelical Church
Be careful of what you hear even in the churches, because demonic lies are everywhere, including all church denominations.
Here are some of the demonic strongholds (Lies from demons) I have witnessed in common evangelical church setting, because I am an evangelical myself so I am familiar with our own faults.
UPDATE: 2010 Nov 4. I am no longer an evangelical. I would call myself a biblical Christian and that’s all.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying every evangelical Christian believes in these demonic lies, but I am saying that these lies are infiltrating our rank, so beware evangelical believers. This is a spiritual warfare. Those who see the truth must stand strong.
I generalized some discussions I had with certain pastors over the years to sum things up: (I reply in green. If I enclose the green with * *, that means I didn’t really say it out loud. It was in my head. If there is no* but just green, I did say it out loud)
1 Typical Christian: Hearing God’s Voice is for special people, or the deceived people.
2 Pastor: You can’t understand the Bible without going through our approved seminaries, and if you happen to know the Bible very well, you are either Pharisees or you are thinking too much. A lay Christian shouldn’t know his Bible unless he wants to show off.
3 Pastor: Don’t ask for the gift of Tongue, it’s dangerous.
4 Pastor: If you sin but you don’t repent, then you are not a Christian to begin with. But you can’t lose your salvation if you are really saved!
Sai Kit: Pastor, what if I sin and not repent?
Pastor: You can’t!!
Sai Kit think: So I can sin but I cannot refuse to repent? Why doesn’t God work me the other way around so I can’t sin but can repent?
5 Pastor: Go see a psychiatrist if you have any sign of mental problem. Don’t come to me! Thinking too much about bible prophecies is a sign of mental problem. A normal Christian won’t think about anything in the Bible as much as you. They don’t ask these question! You must have a problem.
6 Pastor: Your parents’ sin, generational curses (What!?), or verbal curse don’t affect you in any way
7 Pastor: If you believe otherwise on #6, then you are deceived by the Pentecostal.
8 Pastor: No one ask for help to cast out demons in this church, so there are no demons in our church.
Sai Kit murmur in his mind: Who are going to ask for help if you will either label us as being deceived by the Pentecostal or send us to the doctor?
9 Pastor: If you tell me a Christian is demonized (demons live in him), then he must be weak in faith. But since no one ask for help, no one has demon in this church.
Sai Kit think: So no one in your church is weak in faith in your church then? All elites, wohoo! But how come I don’t see anyone moving the mountain or healing any disease in your church if everyone is strong in faith?
10 Re:#4, Sai Kit: but pastor! I know so and so, they did this and this but they don’t repent.
Pastor: They are not Christians to begin with!
Sai Kit: Pastor, more than 90% of Christian brother watch porn… and more than half the church sin and not repent. Rationalization and refusal to repent are so common!
Pastor: I don’t know about this. No one told me that.
11. Pastor: If you belong to a church fellowship group, attend every Sunday service and Sunday school, then you are doing fine.
Sai Kit: But pastor, like I said in #10, 90% of brothers watch porn or many sin without repentant even though they did the whole nine yards you told them to
Pastor: They are not real Christian then.
Sai Kit: But they believe the Bible cover to cover!
Pastor: It’s just head knowledge!! Head knowledge doesn’t make a person a real Christian!!
12 Re:#11 Sai Kit: I did all you have taught me to do, but I still struggle with this, this, and that sins. What’s my problem? My buddies sin too but some of them don’t repent for a long time.
Pastor: Doing good works doesn’t mean you guys are real Christians!! All you have are just head knowledge, not genuine experience with God!
Sai Kit think: I guess I am going to be labeled as a false Christian if I keep asking…
13: Re: #12 Sai Kit: But why do I still struggle with sins after I repent? What if I can’t stop myself and one day fall into a heavier sin?
Pastor: A mature person won’t ask that question!
14 Pastor: The more money you have the more sorrowful you will become.
Sai Kit: But the Old Testament says God loves to bless us with prosperity!
Pastor: Old Testament is in the past. We are in the New Testament era.
15 Pastor: God doesn’t guarantee your Christian life will be dandy, rich, peaceful, successful…
Sai Kit: But Pastor, my life sucks too much, walking around poor and fail everything, (Thought: something must be wrong with our teaching)
Pastor: The Bible never guarantee your life will be happy and easy!!!
Sai Kit: But Pastor, the Old Testament says… (back to #14)
16 Typical Christian: If it’s God will, brother Ken’s will recover from cancer.
Sai Kit: But brother, what’s God’s will?
Typical Christian: Who am I to say?
17 Pastor: If you don’t devote your entire days to do job search *randomly like God has nothing to say about your career* just like everyone does, but take time to pray and seek God’s will for your job and wait for Him to speak before you take any job, then you are lazy. God doesn’t tell His people which job to take, it’s too small for Him. *Go back to #1*
18 Pastor: Stop talking about the Bible so much and asking pointy questions about it, and don’t talk to people about these things, otherwise you can’t bring them to the church because they would think you are weird. Talk about “casual” things instead.
19 Pastor: Christians are supposed to be poor and lowly. Get a 9-5 jobs so you can fit in with our church. 90% of our church members are 9-5 employees, who are you to think that you are called to start a business? Don’t be too ambitious and conceited! *Update: Now that I think of #11, maybe 90% of our church members aren’t even Christians!* Don’t forget that “I told you so”, your so called entrepreneurial projects will fail in two years and you will get stuck at where you are now. See what happen after 2 years at #34
20 Pastor: Don’t mention demons. Why ALWAYS [loud] talk about demons? You are worshiping Satan if you talk about him SO MUCH! Just talk about Jesus!
21 Bible Study leaders: This is the New testament era. The Old Testament was past and it was so difficult to read. Let’s just stick with the New Testament in our Bible Study.
22 Pastor: The Old Testament was in the past. The Four Gospels were before Jesus’ crucifixion, and Revelation is about the future,
Sai Kit think: so let just focus on the New Testament books that remain?
23 Lay Christians: Don’t talk about the Bible too much in the church, it’s too heavy for lay Christians. Let’s balance our prayers and Bible studies with fun activities.
24. Re#5 Sai Kit: But pastor, I thought we are supposed to pray and read the Bible to find out the cure from God if we have any problem with our mental health?
Pastor: It has nothing to do with prayers. Don’t talk to your therapists about the Bible.
25. Pastor: Idols, statues, charm, and occult objects of any kind cannot affect you in any way. We are Christians. We can put any object in our home, even if it has spell on it. Go watch any horror movies if you want, The Exorcist, Harry Potter, whatever. They have no ill effect on us!
Sai Kit: But Pastor! Some people saw real demons and real occult magic in these things? If they have no ill effect, why would Satan put these real evil messages in them?
Pastor: Stop talking about Satan! You are worshiping demons if you talk about him too much!! *Back to #20
26. Re:#4 Sai Kit: But pastor, like I told you in #15 I walk around poor, I just don’t have money to see doctor, therapists, and psychiatrists.
Pastor: …
27. Pastor: Regular fasting is legalistic. It hurts your body. Regular fasting is just good work, it might not help you spiritually.
Sai Kit: So what helps? I did everything you told me but still struggle with sins.
Pastor: … [Repeat what he says in #11, 12, 28, 29]
28. Pastor: Don’t talk to me about the problem of porn or *Dread Word*! [I used a tiny voice when I say the *Dread Word*, but he increased his volume when he mentioned the dread word, even though some Christians sisters are chatting next door. Thanks Pastor!] Don’t you know it’s wrong to walk around and ask EVERYONE question like this?
Sai Kit think: But Pastor, when did I ask EVERYONE this question? I was asking you
29. Pastor: You sin because you choose to sin. Addiction is an illusion; an excuse!
30. Re: #3 Pastor: If people in this church have gift of tongue, fine, but don’t use it in the church because it would disrupt others. No one knows what they talk about if they pray in tongue.
Sai Kit think: Can’t we design some programs and meeting that allow people to pray in tongue? Why should we restrain the gift of God to accommodate the tradition of men? Why don’t we seek the gift of Interpretation so we can interpret the tongue? Won’t they disrupt their family if they pray in tongue at home? [Too bad I didn't think of this rebuttal at the time]
31 Pastor: People won’t read your Christian blog, because you are not a certified, approved-seminary trained pastor! See #2
Sai Kit: But pastor, I got 2000 visitor per month and it’s only beginning. People don’t care who you are as long as what you write is good.
Pastor: …
32 Pastor: Stop writing journal about your walk with God, it only make you think even more (See #5), go see a doctor instead and don’t forget #24. You have already mentioned prophecy, salvation, church living, demons, and the whole nine yards in such a short meeting with me. All you talk about is pointy question. People would think you are weird. See? you have a problem. (Go to #18)
33 Re:#26 Pastor: You walk around poor because you lack focus. You think about the whole nine yards in #32 too much that you fail to land and keep a good job!!!
34 Sai Kit: Pastor! 2 years ago you said that all my entrepreneurial projects will fail. They failed! What do you think? *Now I had failed to make 1 cent from most of them. Only one project made me $3.17 and I can’t even cash it in. Even my younger brother did much better than that, I guess it’s because he doesn’t have a pastor who cursed him with Pastoral authority. He doesn’t go to church. Curses are real! (See #6)*
Pastor: [sheepishly, with a "gentle, kind, typical pastor look" on his face] Give it another try!
Me: …
35. Re# 27 Sai Kit: Since I can’t find the answers from you in #11, 12, 27, 28, 29, I went out and read such and such books. I sensed that the Holy Spirit was leading me to read those books. What do you think about their teaching?
Pastor: You are doing too much that you confused yourself… [repeating #32]…and remember head knowledge doesn’t help you! [repeating #12]… but if you do the list on #11 within our church you will be fine… those books you read were written by famous preachers… On the judgment day you will see many nameless pastors, evangelists, and ministers who will get their rewards in heaven..
Sai Kit think: So that means you are one of those nameless pastors then?… hm… I also read of many testimonies by Christians whom God had led to heaven and hell, and they reported that many pastors ended up in Hell even though they believed in #4 …hm…
36. Pastor: So few people come to our prayer meeting!
Sai Kit think: you forbid praying in tongue (#30), you refuse to pray for healing (#16), you discourage us from praying for prosperity (#14), you discourage us from battling demons (#20), you don’t let us confess our sins (#28), we don’t even know whether fasting or prayers is useful (#27), you say prayers are useless for psychological problems (#24), you don’t let us keep watch and prepare for the end time (#5), you tell us not to seek God’s face (#37), and you told us not to seek God’s will on something that occupies us 8 hours per day 40 hours a week such as career (#17), then why should I go to your prayer meeting?
37. Pastor: Don’t seek God’s face. If He shows up, you will either drop dead on the spot or you will be bossed around by Him so much you would rather die.
Conclusion:
I am lucky that I am in an evangelical church. If I have been in the medieval Catholic Church, they would have labelled me as heretic and burn me on the stake for criticizing the church.
UPDATE: (2010 Nov 4) Wait, John Calvin burned someone on a stake for disagreeing with his theology before too, so hm… maybe I shouldn’t be so sure.
Demonic lies are everywhere.
See: Restoring the Early Churches for the REAL answer to building the true Church of God.
See: Form of Godliness? To find out who are the modern Pharisees, the hypocrites in Jesus’ time.
