The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his075/newage3.lzh/NEWAGE3.TXT

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CUL:Who's Afraid of the Bib Bad New Age movement?  by Sound Doctrine Church

   Fear! Why does there seem to be so much fear about the New Age
Movement? Why, with all the seminars on what the dangers of the rainbow
are, does the church and average Christian seem to be so powerless? Why
do the New Age believers have no fear of the church? And most
importantly, what should we be afraid of?

   WHAT SHOULD WE FEAR?

   There should be absolutely no fear about the New Age Movement within
any Christian's heart! Indeed, as the New Age movement gains momentum
Christians will have a greater and greater opportunity to share the
gospel. How bright our Light will shine as the darkness increases! That
is, if we have learned to fear what we should really fear. Otherwise,
we will become part of the darkness. The reason so many Christians fear
the New Age Movement is that the Holy Spirit is convicting them that
they are not ready for the end to come. They are not ready to stand
before God. Those who teach against the New Age are not telling the
church specifically what they need to repent of. These teachers are
missing the greatest sign of all of the New Age Movement or end times.
They are not teaching people to fear the right thing. Let us not be
deceived like so many who think that knowledge about the New Age
Movement is enough to make us stand firm when they do gain power. One
can only weep at all the wasted time and money spent at seminars and
reading books that inform us about the New Ager. For once you know the
basics of Jesus you can confront any argument, even Christian
arguments, that sets itself up against God. For it is "divine power"
that enables us to deal with the New Age Movement. Why, oh why do
Christians continue to deal with the New Age in a worldly way, as if
seminars, tapes and books were the answer. The man who has a proper
relationship with God will know how to answer and fight the New Age
Movement.

   "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world
does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On
the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God." -2 Corinthians 10:3-6

   We do not fight the New Age Movement with worldly arguments of
knowledge about a movement. Ours is not a human debate. We have need
only to be in a right relationship with God and divine power will be
ours.

   In Acts 19:13-19 we read about an evangelism group trying to deal
with demonic forces only to learn that correct wisdom is not enough.
Repentance and revival are the only sure way to have "divine power" to
"demolish" strongholds. When these teachers that inform us about the
New Age learn this - when we realize what is really important - then we
too will have power to overcome the Big Bad New Age Movement. Notice
that at the end of Acts 19 people repent not by buying a new book on
how to cast out demons!

   "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke
the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They
would say, 'In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to
come out.'...One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know and I
know about Paul, but who are you?' Then the man who had the evil spirit
jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating
that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became
known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized
with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many
of those who believed NOW came and OPENLY confessed their evil deeds."

   Let us stop going to seminars and go to Jesus instead. For Jesus
says,

   "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him, who after the
killing of the body has power to throw you into hell. Yes I tell you
fear him." -Luke 12:5

   The simple truth is that the reason "Christians" fear the New Age
Movement is because they have not come to fear God. Do you really fear
God and so obey His Word? Or do you love lawlessness and so rightly
fear the New Age Movement because the Holy Spirit is trying to warn you
that you are not ready? Or are you self-righteous, thinking that you
are ready for the New Age Movement and so "slander" things you do not
understand? The reason the self-righteous have no respect for our
adversary is because they have not learned to fear God, {1 Timothy
1:19-20 & 2 Peter 2:10-11}.

   FEAR GOD'S WORK IN THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

   Most Christians don't seem to realize that God is going to use the
New Age Movement to rid his church of hypocrites. It is not the New Age
Movement that we are to be afraid of. Christians are not to fear the
"number" of the beast. We are not to fear the wars and persecution that
will come. And they will come!

   We are to fear God and the fact that most are not ready and yet
think they themselves are fully prepared to meet Jesus. Yet Jesus
warned us a long time ago that "...the love of most will grow cold."
-Matthew 24:12

   We should never be afraid of the New Age Movement. Indeed, Jesus
told us we are not even to be "alarmed" about the New Age Movement, let
alone to be afraid.

   "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to
him privately. 'Tell us, ' they said, 'when will this happen, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?.' Jesus
answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my
name claiming, 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many. You will hear
of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.'"
-Matthew 24:3-6

   "See to it that you are not alarmed" at all this talk about the New
Age. Let not the multitude of books on the topic cause any alarm in
you. Make absolutely sure that the seminar you attended did not lead to
any alarm in your church, but instead lead to what is really
needed..."repentance"!

   BEGINNING BIRTHPANGS

   Any women who has ever had a baby will tell you that the first
starting labor pains compare nothing to the last few just before the
baby is born. She will tell you this with conviction. She knows what
she is talking about. And believe it or not Jesus knows what he is
talking about when he says that the New Age Movement, wars, famines,
earthquakes and false prophets from pagan religions who say "I am the
Christ" are not the pains to worry about. Such things are only the
beginning birth pangs that Christians are not be concerned about.

   "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the
beginning of birth pains." -Matthew 24:7

   What Christians should fear and do not fear Jesus goes on to
explain. What these seminars and teachers that tell us to be aware of
the New Age Movement do not fear is what Jesus goes on to say. They
prove that they are not afraid by their unrepentance, {Titus 1:16}!
What we should be terrified of is what Jesus says in the rest of
Matthew.

   "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and
you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will
turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many
false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the
increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold, but he who
stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 24:9-13

   The greatest and most worrisome sign of the New Age Movement is the
"false prophets" in the church and the fact that the love of "most"
will "grow cold". The good news gospels of lawlessness and wickedness
will cause most people's love for Jesus to grow cold.

   GOD WILL CAUSE YOU TO FOLLOW THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

   How many are deceiving themselves into thinking they are ready for
the New Age Movement because they had a well-known speaker teach them
about it. Or they read a certian book and listened to a cassette tape
on the New Age teachings. How deceived such Christians and teachers
are! For no matter how much you know about the antichrist or the New
Age Movement, if you are not in a right relationship with Jesus you
will be the first in line to get your mark! You may be a virgin dressed
and waiting for Jesus, while you warn others about the sinister New Age
Movement. Yet your lamp may only be 1/2 full {Mat. 25:1-13}. You too,
will gladly follow the antichrist. You will preach that it is God's
will for others to get this anointed mark on their hand and forehead.
God will make you do it! Yes, God, not Satan, will make you follow the
lie.

   "For this reason G O D sends them a powerful delusion so that they
will believe the lie..." -2 Thessalonians 2:11

   If you are not someone who is delighting in the truth, and we will
take a test in moment to see whether or not you are, then God will take
hold of your mind and heart so that you will rejoice in the day the
antichrist takes power.

   Welcome to what you should really fear. God! Are you ready for the
great God Age Movement - the days before Jesus comes back and the love
of most has grown cold? By being alarmed and seeing New Age in
everything we are not ready for Jesus to return or to glorify his name
today. Let repentance be found in our hearts, churches and lives and
then we will be ready for anything.

   "The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly
unfaithful to me, " declares the Lord. They have lied about the Lord;
they said, 'He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never
see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in
them; so let what they say be done to them." -Jeremiah 5:11-13

   Notice again that God says that what you fear, the New Age and the
mark of the Beast, will come upon you. Without honest, crucifying
repentance you will gladly become a New Ager. God will make you do it
because you did not really fear him.

   "Hear this you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do
not see, who have ears but do not hear: Should you not fear me?"
declares the Lord. Should you not tremble in my presence?" Jeremiah
5:21-22

   SPIRIT OF LAWLESSNESS

   Whether someone claims to be Christian or not, if they have not
"believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness", they will be and
are converts to the New Age Movement. Indeed, the great sign of the
last days is lawlessness. Lawlessness in the world and in the church.
Wherever you find the Word not really, and I mean really, being lived
up to, there you find the New Age Movement. For all the New Age
Movement is is a spirit of lawlessness where man is god and where
whatever you want to believe is OK. Whatever pleases the sinful nature
is the spirit of the New Age. And that spirit is rampant in the church.
Lawlessness is the sign that you or a church have been taken in and
will "grow cold" and "hate" true Christians.

   "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one
who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of
the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus
will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor
of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with
the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs
and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are
perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be
saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they
will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not
believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." -2 Thessalonians
2:5-11

   It is the spirit of lawlessness or disobedience to God's Word that
qualifies someone as a member of the New Age Club. Most churches and
Christians fit that qualification without realizing it. For the one
sure thing that could save them and show that they love the truth is
missing. The one thing that is missing is the power of the cross. Oh,
they talk and sing of the cross but know not it's power. We say with
Paul,

   "Join with others in following my example brothers, and take note of
those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have
often told you before and now say again with tears, many live as
enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god
is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their minds are on
earthly things." -Philippians 3:17-19

   For most of the preaching of the cross is in the power of human
wisdom and design. Few there are that know the power of the cross in
their life.

   "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-
not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of
its power. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." -1
Corinthians 1:17-18

   For more information on the message of the cross you will have to
humble yourself and write for more information.

   TAKE A TEST

   "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test
yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless of
course you fail the test?" -2 Corinthians 13:5

   If you take the following test in a legalistic way you're already
doomed to hell. If you seek to discount this test you are indeed in
danger of the fires of hell. If however, the cross is alive in your
life then this test will be life to you. In "examining ourselves" to
"see if we are in the faith", we will take a simple basic test of
lawfulness. You remember that this is the spirit of lawlessness that
shows we belong to the antichrist or New Age Movement. In God, the test
of being in the faith by the power of the Spirit is by looking at our
obedience to the Word. Now, this is not law, but the examination to see
if the cross and Spirit are really alive in us.

   "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The
man who says, 'I know him', but does not do what he commands is a liar,
and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love
is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:." -1
John 2:3-5

   TEST

   [1] ARE YOU AFRAID OF MEN? {Proverbs 29:25 & Galatians 1:10} If you
are afraid of men, then you will never be able to obey the rest of this
test. Stop here and repent before God. Tell God that you will obey His
word no matter who it affects.

   [2] DO YOU "HATE" YOURSELF? {Luke 14:25-35}

   [3] ARE YOU REFUSING TO FELLOWSHIP WITH ANYONE WHO IS A CHRISTIAN
YET IS IN REALITY AN IDOLATOR, GREEDY, A DRUNKARD OR DISOBEDIENT TO THE
WORD? {1 Corinthians 5:11-13, Ephesians 5:3-7, Romans 16:17}

   [4] DO YOU "HATE" AND "DESPISE" MONEY? {Matthew 6:24}

   Remember the warning Jesus gave in Matthew 24:17-18.

   [5] DO YOU PROFESS TO GIVE ALL, YET ARE REALLY LYING?, {Acts 5:1-11}.

   [6] DO YOU GO TO A CHURCH THAT TEACHES THE PROSPERITY TEACHING? RUN
FROM THAT CHURCH AND BEG OTHERS TO LEAVE...TODAY!!!! SUCH CHURCHES AND
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN "ROBBED" OF THE TRUTH. {1 Timothy 6:3-5, Matthew
15:13-14}

   [7] DO YOU GO TO A CHURCH THAT A WOMAN IS THE PASTOR OVER THE FLOCK?
{1 Timothy 2:12}

   [8] DOES YOUR CHURCH HAVE EVERYTHING IN COMMON, CLAIMING THAT
NOTHING BELONGS TO ANYONE? {Acts 2:44-45}

   [9] DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A SHEEP READY FOR SLAUGHER?
{Romans 8:36}

   [10] IF YOU ARE MARRIED, DO YOU LIVE AS THOUGH YOU ARE NOT MARRIED?
{1 Corinthians 7:29}

   [11] ARE YOU WALKING IN THE LIGHT WITH OTHER BELIEVERS? DO YOU EVEN
KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? {1 John 1:5-7}

   [12] DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR LIFE "NOTHING"? {Acts 20:24}

   This test could go on, but these are the basics.

   TRUE TERRIBLE TIMES

   What we Christians should mark as terrible times is not the New Age
Movement, but the hypocrite teachers and churches that teach us about
the New Age Movement. The terrible signs of the last days are chruches
that love self and know not the power of the cross, churches that are
into themselves, self-righteous spirits, families, vacations, ski
trips, hallelujah parties, money, false teachings and showing the world
that we can be like them and still have Jesus. Those are the terrible
signs of the last days. That is the reason the New Agers do not fear
the church. Nor do they have any respect for the Christian church
because at best most churches and Christians are cold in their love for
Jesus. In fact, the New Age churches that we have visited put to shame
the cold hearted zeal the church has for Jesus. And the reason so many
feel powerless and afraid is that they refuse the cross of Christ and
listen to teachers that say "peace", everything is going to be OK,
{Ezekiel 13:10-12}. Do what the following scripture says to do, "mark
this".

   "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days People
will be lovers of themselves *{having good self esteem, enemies of the
cross } lovers of money {prosperity or being "good stewards"},
boastful, {numbers, college degrees etc.}, proud, abusive disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God - having a form of godliness but denying its power.

   Have nothing to do with them." -2 Timothy 3:1-5

   ( *{} These are our comments and are not in scripture. )

   You will either "mark this", having "nothing to do with them", or
receive the mark of the beast with joy when God sends the powerful
delusion into your heart. Indeed, the mark of the "terrible" end times
is a church with a "form of godliness" with all it's religious duties,
false teachings such as inner healing, prosperity, find your life
teachings, etc., which thinks it is ready for the big bad New Age.

   WHO IS AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD NEW AGE MOVEMENT?

   Open your eyes, the fields are "ripe for harvest".

   Yet how the church cries, "Take our children out of public schools",
"Establish our community", "Be more patient and loving and let sin stay
in the church." and "Woe for us, the New Agers are coming!". The reason
you hear these and other complaining cries in the camp is because no
one wants to lose their life for Jesus any more. Oh, I know you will do
your religious works...everyone does that. But God demands a cross that
crucifies self. Until you can rejoice in the rich opportunity that the
New Agers are giving you to preach the gospel you will never escape the
coming wrath of God. Until you show your children by your life that the
Holy Spirit will give divine power to demolish arguments, you might as
well not even call yourself Christian! Learn well the lesson of Acts 5.

   Learn the lesson that when men and systems tell you to keep quiet
you speak up all the more boldly. And when the school system puts
pressure on your children you will know that you raised them to "hate"
their own life and so they can stand against anything.

   DADS What a glorious time we live in to show by our lives that Jesus
is worth more than anything. That when the company comes along with a
program that requires a Christian to practice New Age techniques, they
can lose their job for Jesus!

   MOTHERS What an opportunity to shine and be different. To be the
salt of the earth. For mothers are to be "busy at home" {Titus 2:3-5}
while the world leaves it's children at day care centers to worship the
gods of silver and gold. After all, we who are good, Spirit-filled
Christians know that a woman who is married should not have an outside
job or be finding herself with higher education or a ministry . We know
all too well from the word that the "terrible times" are that "children
will not obey their parents" and will "betray them to the death", {2
Timothy 3:2 & Matthew 10:21}. Funny how you never hear these preachers
who tell us about the terrible New Age Movement call for the churches
to close their day care centers, and for mothers to go home and raise
their children to be soldiers for Jesus.

   CHILDREN Again, we ask, "Who is afraid of the big bad New Age
Movement?". I for one am not. For what a grand time we live in to
preach the good news! What an opportunity our children have in public
{yes, public} schools to shine the gospel out. Now, if your children
and you are not ready to "lose your life" at the public school sharing
Jesus I can see why you're so terrified of the New Age Movement. What a
grand opportunity to teach our children how to trust God and stand up
for Jesus - to answer all the "life-boat" questions with the truth of
the gospel.

   CHURCH Or, when the church begins to teach false teachings such as
past hurts, inner healing, prosperity, psychology, good self-esteem or
any number of damning teachings too numerous to list, we can leave that
church...all for JESUS!

   TRUE CHRISTIANS Who is afraid of the Big Bad New Age...not true
Christians.

   "They arrested the apostles and put them in public jail... Having
brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be
questioned by the high priest. 'We gave you strict orders not to teach
in his name.' "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are
determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."... They called the
apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak
in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace
for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to
house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that
Jesus is the Christ." Acts 5:12-42

   So what if the school system says you can't pray or hold a bible
study. Or if your boss says you can't talk about Jesus. You must choose
to either love your life or hate your life telling all men...

   "Judge for yourselves whether is right in God's sight to obey you
rather than God." -Acts 4:19

   Learn the power of the cross and how to lose your life and you too
will not be afraid.

   "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for
my sake will find it." -Matthew 10:29

   "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from
death." -Revelation 12:11

   SOUND DOCTRINE CHURCH PO BOX 460206 AURORA, COLORADO 80015