EXPOSING A DARK SPIRITUAL DECEPTION 1
Are these the last days spoken of in the Bible about a deceptive form of godliness that prevents the power of God from truly working in the lives of its followers (2 Timothy 3:5)? Is there a particular need today to expose dark spiritual religious deceptions? A born-again author said he was misled by this form of religion deception when he was into the New Age/Spirituality movement. And he now wants to help others, who truly desire to worship the Lord, to avoid such religious deception. Hence, born-again Warren Smith felt “compelled” to write to enlighten God’s true seekers about a popular book with a form of dark spiritual deception that is deceiving many people in the Church.
RECOGNIZING A BOOK OF DARK SPIRITUAL DECEPTION
Mr. Smith said he wrote his own book, Deceived on Purpose,to expose dark spiritual implications of New Age/Spirituality in The Purpose Driven Life, written by Pastor Rick Warren of the famed Saddleback mega-Church. The purpose Driven Life, published in 2002, is said to be “one of the bestselling nonfiction books in publishing history.” And by 2019 it was published in “more than 85 languages.”
Warren Smith said he initially decided to read The Purpose Driven Lifebecause it was being spoken of as a phenomenal Christian book. He only intended to do a quick reading of the book. However, he said when he began to read it, he noticed things that reminded him of Satanic deceptions he had encountered in the New Age/Spirituality movement. Recognizing the deceptive purposes of our spiritual adversary, Smith said he decided “to specifically address the New Age/Spirituality implications of these purposes.”
According to Mr. Smith, Pastor Rick Warren subtly inserts New Aged/Spirituality ideas into his book about God being in everyone, which are contrary to the Holy Bible–The biblical Word of God teaches that everyone is born in sin and separated from God (Psalm 51:5; Roman 5:12; Isaiah 59:2). Everyone is condemned by God unless they are born-again by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord–And it is only at this time they receive the Spirit of God. (Luke 13:3; John 3:16-18; Acts 2:38).
Mr. Smith said he was freed from the darkness of the New Age/Spirituality movement by the true Bible-gospel of Jesus Christ. The Word of God that freed Mr. Smith also enlightens and instructs us as people of spiritual light to be separate from those who persist on staying in spiritual darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). However, the Bible tells us to pray for and meekly try to teach those who are misled, that God may perhaps lead them to the truth of his Word (2 Timothy 2:25).
FEELING COMPELLED TO WARN THE CHURCH
Smith warns, “Rick Warren is in the process of leading the Church astray.” In writing about the Pastor’s deceptions, Smith said he felt like the Apostle Paul who thought that it is a shame we must talk about such things; but because the people of God are being deceived, we have to expose them.(Deceived, p 8; Ephesians 5:12)
In hisDeceived on Purpose,Smith specifically points out how Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life,uses similar concepts and teaching (from A Course In Miracles)that had deceived Smith when he was in the New Age/Spirituality movement:
- Smith says Pastor Rick teaches that God is everywhere – in everything – in everyone – in you; New Age/Spiritual defines “oneness with God” as meaning you are divine.
- He said Rick Warren is widely accepted as a “Christian” Pastor, and had a “magic” that causes people to trust him. And he has an exceptional ability to cryptically lace New Age ideas into his “Christian” teachings (p 113).
- According to Smith, in Pastor Warren’s mixing New Age ideas with Christian teachings he is being spiritually very deceptive:
- “Rick Warren is introducing New Age leaven in to the church” which can permeate the church and cause people to be deceived (p 85).
POINTING OUT FALSE QUOTATIONS FROM OTHER “BIBLES”
Mr. Smith continues to enlighten us by revealing that Pastor Warren quotes significantly from revised versions of the Bible that have New Age/New Spirituality leanings:
The Message Version
- According to Smith, in The Purpose Driven LifeRick Warren quoted extensively from a distorted paraphrased revision of the Bible—The Message, by Eugene Peterson. Of the fifteen translations and paraphrases of the Bible he used, Smith says his “favorite” was The Message.
- Smith said he had identified The Message as a New Age book when he worked for a radio station where he commented on books and issues related to the New Age.
- “Peterson took the carefully translated words of the Holy Bible and put them into his own words and idioms.” Continuing, Smith said “verses of Scripture often had their otherwise clear meanings obscured or altered” (p.24).
- Pastor Warren erroneously quoting from Petersons paraphrase Message “as if it were the word of God” (p.27).
Note:Eugene Peterson authored a rendition of the Bible call The Message. Justin Peters wrote an article on “Why is the Message (Bible) not Safe?” He comments on several passages in The Message (Bible) which he says “directly compromise fundamental tenets of Orthodox Christianity.”
New Century Version
- Smith said he was shocked when he noticed that Pastor Rick was citing a New Age translation of Ephesians 4:6, from an unfamiliar New Century Version of the Bible: “He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything.”)
- On pp 89-90 of his book, Smith spotlights Pastor Warren’s comments on the above citation of Ephesians 4:6, that is found in The Purpose Driven Life, p88:“Because God is with you all the time, no place is closer to God than where you are right now.”
FOLLOW THE TRUTH OF THE HOLY BIBLE ABOUT WHOM GOD LIVES IN
The Lord Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible says, you must be born again by believing in an obeying him as the Scripture says, for the Spirit of God to live in you. Without having been born again as the Scripture says, God says we do not have his Spirit, and are already condemned (John 3:1-21; John 7:38-39; Luke 6;46).
In others Scripture the Holy Bible says, if you keep my commandments the Father will give you the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot see or know (John 14:15-17; Acts 5:32).
Followers of the true Light cannot have true fellowship with those in darkness–the former have the Spirit of God; the latter, the spirit of the world (John 8:12; 2 Corinthians 6:14). The Holy Spirit separates the Lord’s true worshippers from false worshippers by the words of God in the Holy Bible (Revelation 18:4).
Are you following the light of the Spirit of Jesus Christ seen in the Holy Bible, or those who are in darkness and out of line with God’s inspired writings.
https://youtu.be/TPdTxSNcC5Y David Wilkerson—Last Days Deception
