Dr. I.V. Hilliard is a FALSE TEACHER!!

Hilliard is a FALSE TEACHER!! Look at how he manipulates

scripture by using eisegesis of the Text.

Hi, This is letter written from Dr. I.V. Hilliard in Houston Texas

as a response to some great questions by Pastor Saiko Woods

Check out his response below and lets see how

Hilliard responds?

August 6, 2007


Pastor Saiko Woods
(E-mail) saikowoods@hotmail.com

Greeting in the precious and mighty name of Jesus! Thank you for writing.

Pastor Woods, the church has frowned on women in leadership for years. Of course, we know that it has been misinformed and my message on the Daughters of Destiny tells why. This message helps us clearly see from scripture that both women and men are equal in the eyesight of God and He calls women as well as men into the five-fold ministry or into leadership positions.

Now the attributes that Paul listed for a bishop in 1Timothy 3:1-7 were not to exclude women or to say it was wrong for women to be in that position or in any position of leadership in the church. Because if this were the case, he was contradicting what He stated earlier in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” This let’s me know that Paul understood that gender was not an issue for God. It was simply appropriate for him to address the office of bishop from a male perspective since it was the custom at that time that only allowed men in the position.

Even when Paul asked the women to be silent in church in 1Timothy 2:11-14 he was also basing his decision on the tradition for that time and not on a mandate from God. You see, during Paul’s day it was a tradition for women and men to sit on opposite sides of the church. If the women had questions about something during service, they did not wait to ask their husband’s later; they would just talk to their husband’s across the room. This interrupted the flow of the service and Paul’s passion for the gospel could not allow this to continue. Therefore, it was at this time that it became necessary for Paul to emphasize the need for the women to be silent so that the service could flow decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40).

How do we know that Paul were not against women ministers? Because of the women who were all in influential positions of leadership in the early church and also helped to expand his ministry.

Phoebe-Romans 16:1-2; Priscilla-Acts 18:26, Romans 16:3-5; Mary-Romans 16:6; Euodia and Syntyche-Philippians 4:2-3; Junia-Romans 16:17.

Another witness that verifies that Paul were not against women speaking in church or participating in the five-fold ministry is 1 Corinthians 11:5,

"But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven."
Paul expected women to speak in the church, or else why would he have given them the above directive? It would have been useless to give women instructions concerning the manner they should speak in church if they were never allowed to do so.

To reflect back even further, you will note that right after Jesus rose from the dead, the first person He appeared to and instructed to preach the good news of His resurrection was a woman (Mary Magdalene) (Mark 16:9; John 20:13-17). You will also note that prior to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, His encounter with the woman at the well expanded His ministry because she declared to the whole city that Jesus is the Messiah (John 4:6-29).

Additionally, today’s society has been impacted in even greater measures by women pastors, teachers, preachers, and evangelists. People are being saved, delivered, healed, and are prospering financially. Now in my many years of ministry, these types of results tell me only one thing: that God is working with them confirming His Word with signs following (Mark 16:20). If they were out of the will of God, then how can He manifest His power through them?

I am reminded of the story in Mark 9:38-40 when the disciples were complaining because there was someone who was not a part of their group casting out devils in the name of Jesus. Jesus let them know that it is not important who is doing the work of the Kingdom as long as the work is being done. Anyone who is carrying out the mission of God is certainly in the will of God, whether male or female.

It is our prayer that the eyes of your understanding are always enlightened to God’s perfect will.

In His Service,

Bishop I. V. Hilliard

Response from Woods

Dear Pastor Hilliard,


Thank you for your response to my letter. I know that as a Pastor you have a lot of responsibilities to undertake and I am appreciative of your time given to respond to my questions.

I wanted to respond back to your letter with some questions that after reading your response raised some questions with me that I hope that you can help me to better understand your position concerning the role of women in ministry. Let me say at the outset that I do agree with you that God has used women mightily in His kingdom and still does, but I believe that we disagree on the application of how God uses women in His church which I believe is an important issue if we want to see God glorified in our ministries and among our people.

There were several points that you made regarding this topic that for the sake of time I would not be able to address, not to a lack of understanding, but because of my attempt to address the main points that I believe to be of importance concerning this issue. I understand that we may not agree, but I pray that we may not agree because of what the Bible disagrees with, not because of our personal preferences or cultural persuasions.

Therefore, I would like to ask you some more questions regarding this topic and ask that we as men of God approach this issue from a biblical perspective that clearly teaches what God has said and only what He has said.


What reliable source(s) (i.e. books, commentaries, etc.) do you have that support the biblical view you have cited regarding 1 Tim. 3:1-7? Does the passage in the original language support such a view?

What was the historical setting in Gal. 3:28 that prompted Paul to make such a statement? Is he discussing salvation by faith w/o distinction? Or is he discussing the acceptance & approval of women to minister as Pastors?

If gender is not an issue of concern with God, why would He distinguish the roles of men & women in the home, church, society, etc. (Gen. 1:27; 1 Cor. 11:3)?

If gender is not an issue of concern with God, why does Paul in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 in the original Greek language use the noun for “man or he” in the masculine form & not the feminine?

What reliable source(s) could you refer that states that 1 Tim. 3:1-7 was a temporary command due to the culture and not a universal command given to all churches for all time as Paul so states under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Tim. 3:16)?

If gender is not an issue with God, why should we as Christians discourage the practice homosexuality, lesbianism, & transvestism in society and its consequences? Why not allow them to pursue whatever gender they decide to choose?

If gender is not an issue with God, should the wife be allowed to lead the home when there is a husband present? (Please provide scriptural support for your answer)

Where in Mark’s gospel does it state that Mary preached the gospel to the disciples after Christ’s resurrection? Wouldn’t the writer have made that point clear if that were the case? Why would she have had to preach the gospel to someone who already followed Jesus (Jn. 17:6, 9, 14, 20)?

According to scripture, when does God allow the culture to influence or determine His creative order? (Please provide scriptural support)

Where in the Bible does it clearly state that women led churches in the five-fold ministry gifts described in Eph. 4:11? (Please refer to the gender form of each word used in the original language)

Where in the Bible does it state that Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, Euodia, Syntyche, & Junia ever had pastoral positions of authority in the early church? (Please see the word for “servant” (diakonos) in the original language)[1]

I would like to set up an appointment with you to discuss these matters in person. Would you be able to meet with me to address these concerns? Who would I need to contact to arrange this?



We live in a pragmatic society that has now crept into the church. Just because a ministry is thriving, successful, or prospering doesn’t mean that it is healthy & God-honoring. Sometimes it could be God’s judgment or a mark of apostasy & apathy to the truth of God’s word as Paul explains to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:3). The apostle John tells us to “test” the spirits when we encounter any teaching that possibly may contradict what Christ or His disciples taught (1 Jn. 4:1 c.f. 1 Thes. 5:21). Even the Bereans examined “tested” Paul’s teaching when he spoke about Christ (Acts 17:11).
In conclusion, I pray that you would allow me the opportunity to speak with you so that what is stated in writing can have better depth and clarity in person and that we can as men of God strive to glorify God in rightly dividing and proclaiming His word in truth and love.



In His Service,


Pastor Woods
[1] 1249. διάκονος diákonos; gen. diakónou, masc., fem. noun. A minister, servant, deacon. The derivation is uncertain. According to some it comes from diakónis, in the dust laboring, or running through dust. Others derive it from diákō, the same as dié̄kō, to hasten, related to dió̄kō, to pursue.
Also used in the NT as a technical term side by side with epískopos (1985), bishop or overseer (1 Tim. 3:8, 12; Phil. 1:1). The deacons in this sense were helping or serving the bishops or elders, and this is why they were probably called deacons. They did not, though, possess any ruling authority as did the elders.[1] The only passage in which special officials of the church are mentioned is 1 Tim. 3:8–12. In verse eight it speaks of diakónous which undoubtedly refers to male deacons because the adjectives that are used in the verse such as semnoús (4586), grave, are in the masc. pl. and not in the fem.[1]
The only possible reference to a woman as a deacon is Rom. 16:1, 2, although the word diákonon may just as well be translated “servant.” In this regard we must note that the story of the early church significantly begins with the inclusion of women in the apostolic meetings for prayer (Acts 1:14). Their presence and activity are clearly illustrated by the references to Tabitha (Acts 9:36), Mary the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12), Lydia (Acts 16:14), Damaris (Acts 17:34), and Priscilla (Acts 18:2). The story of Sapphira (Acts 5:7f.) implies the comparatively independent membership and responsibility of women within the Christian community. Priscilla illustrates their active evangelism (Acts 18:26). Attention is expressly called to the “multitudes” of women converts added to the church (Acts 5:14). In Phil. 4:2, 3 Euodias and Syntyche (both women) are spoken of as fellow laborers of the Apostle Paul, and in 1 Cor. 1:11 Chloe is mentioned as having reported to Paul the condition of the church at Corinth. In Rom. 16:1–3, 6, 12, 13, 15 we have numerous salutations to women. Nevertheless, aside from the normal and expected involvement of women in a wide range of church activities and auxiliary ministries, they are never found to be holding ordained offices or engaging in the work of those positions.[1]

The Modern Day Judaizers
Law vs. Grace
By Tyris Horton Sr.
Edited by Lionel Woods

I will briefly examine the Heresy that Apostle Paul dealt with in the letter to the Galatians and how this same type of false teaching is notorious in the church today. Examples of this same insidious teaching are tithing, speaking in tongues as evidence of true conversion, coercion, intimidation, indoctrination, guilt and bondage, and many other types of legalism that pervert the liberty we have in Christ. The Law had a purpose and a meaning and needs to be reconciled with the teachings of the New Covenant so we can see scripture through the lens of Biblical Truth. In this we will focus on Tithing and Circumcision and how they correlate to our present day.
To begin let us look at examine some facts concerning this issue. There are 613 Levitical laws, which other of them do you follow along with your modern day 10% tithe? Did you know that the Israelites gave 4 to 5 different tithes totaling more than 23.3%? Did you know that the Lord told the Israelites to eat their tithe in Deuteronomy 14? Does not the Bible say concerning Tithes that they are only to be paid to Aaron or the lineage of the priests? Is your pastor a direct descendant of Aaron? Who was the book of Malachi speaking to? This could be why Paul did not mention paying tithes in the New Testament. I am not going to attempt to answer all of these questions but I encourage you to seek the truth of the matter!!! Read on what indulgences were about during the time of Martin Luther. You will find a startling resemblance to the modern day tithe and how people think we can purchase the blessing of God.

2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Hebrews 8:13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Tithing becomes an issue when charlatans use eisegetical manipulation to put money in their pockets. What is Eisegesis? Eisgesis is an interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text. In this there is a larger problem to be tackled; and that is a clear understanding of law and grace. If you are a faithful tither, there are many resources to clear up your ignorance and I suggest “Whose Money is it Anyway” by John Macarthur Jr. We are of a new and better covenant in Christ and are not required to adhere to any Mosaic or Pre-Mosaic ordinances. Please examine the scriptures and put the truth of scripture before the traditions of men. With that said I encourage giving and not tithing. This should be done according to the model laid in the New Testament. Ask your pastors why they endorse this teaching? Ask for exegetical expository teaching on the Tithe and the different types of tithes and listen how they try to manipulate the texts. Let us examine the use of the Law and its purpose from scripture.

Purpose of the Law
Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Galatians 3:19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
Galatians 3:24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. 26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
The law was a tool needed to point us to Christ. If the law was all that we needed to go before God then we have no use for the Cross and His death, burial, and resurrection was done in vain. So we think in some way we can assist the “I AM” in His unilateral, sacrificial, affectionate, rectifying, deed for the elect? May that thought be far from us. We owe God our all(Romans 12:2) So do not think your work, monetary gift, or deeds of the Mosaic Law can in any way help the salvific work of Christ alone.

Argument 1
Abram and Jacob Tithed before the law, therefore we must also tithe since we are their decedents. Genesis 14 & 28.
This argument at best is elementary. If we were to tithe as Abraham did we would have to win a war, take the spoils of it and present it to someone. Abram gave nothing from his own possessions to Melchelzidek and wanted nothing of the spoils of war because he did not want to give any glory to man for his riches. Jacob, it is agreed among scholars that his ambitions were from a selfish motive. These two illustrations are not models for us to follow verbatim. If this were the case why do we not do sacrifices? Surely in the day of Abram and Jacob sacrifices were very common and also were before the law but the book of Hebrews destroys our hope in any reputable sacrifice aside from the Lamb-Jesus the Christ.

Hebrews 10:1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.

Argument 2
Malachi 3:8 ."Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
This is the most quoted verse I see pastors use to manipulate the flock to give out of fear. This is what we mentioned earlier called eisegetical manipulation. They quote the text and say this applies to us today and it clearly does not. The text is speaking to the priest and people of Israel. Look at this previous example in the time of Samuel for a great example of why the Lord was angry.
1 Samuel 2:12 Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." 16 If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force." 17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt.

What and where are these storehouses that pastors always talk about? Is the church the new storehouse? Certainly not. Regardless of your theology whether it be dispensationalist, Covenant, or New Covenant we all can agree on the fact that giving to the storehouse was under the civil law of Israel. To go further we see Joseph in the book of Genesis being in charge of the finances in Egypt. He also did something similar and taking a fifth (Genesis 41& 47) of the peoples wealth to store for the famine. How shocking this is when we look at the Tithe of the Israelites and see that they gave around 23%-30% to their government the Levites and how we today give about the same for our taxes in our American culture.
There are many other common arguments I am not able to address in this setting but I hope this small simple truth may have wet your appetite to examine what you thought you knew concerning this issue. I encourage you to examine everything concerning the scriptures in this and even other issues with the same scrutiny. I at a time attended a church where they taught that if we did not give a tithe that we would be cursed. I saw God as some legalistic money hungry Father who would consume me if I had to feed my family over my tithe. A lot of Christians, as soon as something goes wrong they say, "Did you pay your tithes?" If we look in Galatians 3 we also see that we are cursed if we follow the law and even stumble in one point of the law we are cursed. So how do you reconcile the two? The answer is you read in context and understand how God wants us to be with all our possessions. We are to give from our heart not according to manipulation or fear. Read 1 Corinthians 8 & 9. This should clear up any confusion concerning money and read Galatians for a clear understanding of the law and grace. God Bless.

Do you know Him and does He know you?

Do you know Him and does He know you?

In a culture of all different types of Pseudo-Christian people who whole heartily deceive themselves into thinking they are the real thing we have to be extra cautious to separate ourselves from this infectious deception. I owe my all to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He and He alone rescued me from this subtle deception. As we delve into the reality of our condition from a Biblical perspective; please dig into the reality of the depths we have in Christ and search your heart to see if you belong to the Good Shepherd.

I deal with people daily on the job, within my family, and in my every day dealings. They say they are Christians but their lifestyle says something totally contrary to their profession. What is a Pseudo-Christian and do you know any of them or are you that one I am speaking about? A Pseudo-Christian is a individual who follows the beliefs of the Christian church but fails to apply them in his or her daily actions. Also can be defined as one who sincerely believes he or she is Christian and even has a level of "righteousness" in their actions but is really motivated by their own selfish interpretation of the Holy scriptures. The selfishness is deep rooted and they honestly don't see it. Christianity is more than a profession and this is clearly seen in scripture. Many hold to Romans 10:9 as the true conversion but simply this is just one of the many first steps.

Matthew 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

My heart sinks when I think of the reality of an eternal Hell in which the worm does not die and there is weeping and gnashing of teeth not for an age but forever. This should partly be our motivation and as we see in the scriptures Christ spoke more of Hell than He did Heaven. Heaven and Hell; we have never seen anything like it in this age. We are in this discombobulated world and we can maybe catch a glimpse of Heaven when we see a sunrise or sunset but regularly all we see are the effects of sin. I see Christians always talking about Heaven and no-one talks about judgment. Talking about getting crowns of glory but no-one mentioning condemnation for the wicked. Can you imagine Noah in his day warning the people about the coming judgment in which no-one had ever witnessed before. Do we not have the same task that he had but only with more tools and proof upon proof? Christ is coming back one day to separate His sheep from the goats and we have the foreknowledge of this truth that has been written for us in His Word.

Why then, do we call out names and give warnings about the false teachings? Well the answer is two-fold. 1) We are following our forefathers going back to Deuteronomy 13 and 18 in which Moses wrote and also the Apostles teaching that we have in the New Covenant. 2) We embody the love of Christ. In the Bible we always see love accompanied with truth (John 17), they go hand and hand like peanut butter and jelly, Joel Osteen and bad preaching, Creflo Dollar and prosperity, TD Jakes and emotion, or Rick Warren and ecumenicalism. Look at the intro in the book of Jude the brother of Jesus the Christ.

Jude 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jude wanted to just write about the joys we have in Christ but because of the culture they were in he had to warn them about this false teaching. Why? If he did not warn them about the heresy; could he have really said he loved them? Of course not just like if you had a friend who was driving to his demise off of a cliff you would in the same way tell him urgently about his forthcoming disaster. How much more should we feel about souls that will spend an eternity in Hell?

I would like for you to analyze your faith as Paul emphasized more than once.

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

And also in

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.

Let me ask all of the Christians a question. You give birth to a beautiful baby boy and he is the most joyful being in your life. Months and years go by and the baby still remains as adorable as he was when he was born but you see a major problem. The problem is he is not growing at all even though he eats like normal and has no apparent health problems. What do you do? I would hope that you would take him to get checked out to see if he is OK. So why will you not do the same thing for your professing only Christian(not really) brother or sister? Would you be worried about what they would think of you? Or maybe you might offend them. No of course not!! You see you are propelled by your love for them and should be even more when it comes to eternal affairs.

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

You see salvation is a progressive thing. Yes we are saved once and once only but Christ chastens those he loves as the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 12:5-6 until the perfect comes again. In our journey as a Christian we are to daily strive for the likeness of Christ.

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

I ask you again, “Do you know Him and does He know you?” Do not take the grace of our God fro granted or use it as a license to sin. The Truth the Bible has conveyed leaves us without an excuse and we will stand one day before a Righteous, Holy, and Infinite God and be either commended for trusting Jesus for the only acceptable propitiation or be indicted for our wickedness. I leave you with this passage from 2 Peter 3, but answer he question “Do you know Him and does He know you?”

2 Peter 3:1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The Temptation of Jesus
John 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

The other day I went on a journey to buy a cheap pair of jeans and a shirt which is rare because I rarely do things for myself in regards to self pampering. I went to a predominately black clothing store for youth or young adults since I like my clothes to fit a certain way, no sagging or anything insidious like that but just a little looser than the average joe blow. While there I realized something that my older brothers in Christ have told me.(Pastor John Coleman and Lionel Woods) They are always saying how they have a love for the black man and black culture and want to reach out to them. I on the contrary was opposed to what I thought was an ignorant view of the Gospel. My thoughts were that the Gospel of Christ is for everyone and if Christ is proclaimed accurately and with truth and love that sinners would repent and God's elect would show them self clearly. This is true and I still hold to that position.

My question is: Would I as a black man be more effective speaking to the lost African American brothers or would my wonderful Caucasian pastor? First and foremost; GOD is sovereign and He will save whom He will save. I would like to stop there because that statement is 100% true. After wrestling with this I think that I would have a better chance speaking to a 15-30 year old black man than my pastor. Let me explain why.

My experience while shopping was simply repulsive to me. Soon as I walked into the clothing store I immediately heard a bunch of ignorant, sinful, lust filled music and to accompany that they had videos of women shaking their butts, men flashing materialism, and everything hinged upon the 3 sins that all sins can be drawn from. These 3 things are also the same ways in which Christ was tempted. After searching for what I wanted I also seen shirts with money on them, shirts with all types of ignorant things on them and key chains along with jeans with the images of guns on them. The longer I was in there I saw all of the people in the store who were totally oblivious to the reality of their sin and have been blinded by our cultures constant push to desensitize us to the depravity of our sins.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

These sins and our sinful desires become more evident when we become more acquainted with the Word of God, otherwise we become unsalted in this world and began to blend like a chameleon within a Brazilian jungle. I see all these people like Jamie Foxx, Ciera, Beyonce Knowles, Usher Raymond, and many others who specialize in making sin look so great and black folks glorify them as if they are role models or something. Wait!! It does not stop there-In the black church we see money hungry pastors glorified like Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Marilyn Hickey, Tony Evans(yes tony fell off as well) Joel Osteen, Ken Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Rick Warren, Paula White, and others glorified as if they are Christians. The Black church especially is inundated with Word of Faith Teaching. 9 out of 10 times when you see a pastor on TV they are not Christians according to God's Word; not because I say so, but rather because God has said according to His Word.

My question is, "are there any reputable black pastors or black leaders?" No No NO-there are none. The ones who are preaching the truth are not exalted but rather suppressed. There are few solid black pastors that I know. I attend a primarily white church in which I love it to death because they are true Christians and their skin color means nothing because we share the same blood of Christ in our veins. Some people I know are too immature to attend a non-black church as if that matters but I seek to enlighten them to see beyond music, worship style, culture and see our common denominator and that is CHRIST and that sound doctrine is preached.

I realize that we don't need to look for these so called Idols or Icons in our culture to cling to but rather we should become that individual who seeks to please God daily with love coupled with truth. When I think of the great Pastors of our time I think of John MacArthur Jr., John Coleman, R. C. Sproul, Paul Washer, John Piper, Aleister Begg, Jim Elliff and many others. Will I be ignorant and not hold to the truth they expouse? No, I will take hold of that truth and proclaim it to whomever is willing to listen but in that I take on a larger responsibility knowing that God has equipped me to speak the language of my generation and with that I have a two way street to use to reach the lost because I know of the language my generation speaks.

Please, if you have suggestions leave comments. What is the problem with the black culture today? Or is there any difference at all? Is it just sin as the common denominator regardless of the culture or race? God Bless

Word of Faith-Revisited




Have you heard these things? "If I can confess it, I can possess it", "Name it Claim it", Speak those things that be not as though they were", "You have to speak those things." All these terms were coined over a century ago by E.W. Kenyon and made popular by Kenneth Hagin Sr.
Our modern day church has become inundated with the Word of Faith teachings and we can clearly see that the Son of Perdition has placed himself in what our American Western culture would call the Church. Our Pastors typically speaking are highly esteemed and are idolized rather than being that of a servant like Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." I have noticed that some people highly esteem their pastors words higher than that of the Bible. What is Word of Faith and how can I watch out for this heresy? Please look with me as I examine the teaching that we in our day call Word of Faith.


2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!


Galatians 1: 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.


Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears


To define Word of Faith, it is a teaching within some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches worldwide. The central doctrine is that health and prosperity are promised to all believers, and are available through faith. This is done by so many who take Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2:24 to mean literal physical sickness. In Isaiah in context it is clear that the sickness he is referring to is spiritual sickness-sin, not meaning physical healing. This teaching is no longer only bound to the typical Charismatic or Pentecostal church but has spread like cancer and has made the mainstream along with the Ecumenical(everyone one included) movement, Postmodernism(seeker sensitive), and a plethora of many other all encompassing movements. When we understand heresy we see that whenever a heretical teaching looms on the horizon, they must always attack three essential things.


1) The nature of God,

2) nature of Jesus,

3) Infallibility of God’s Word. If you examine any cult or heresy, you will see these three essentials distorted.


To summarize the core teachings of Word of Faith. Some teach that Jesus paid for our sins in Hell, we have the power to speak things into existence(as mentioned in Romans 4:7-who did this? Only God has this ability), Jesus was rich on earth and wants you prosperous and never sick, we are little gods, and it makes the Almighty God and Creator a weak 'faith-being' who is at the mercy of His own universal laws.


The History-Briefly, Essek William Kenyon [aka] E. W. Kenyon started this heresy we call Word of Faith. There is nothing new under the sun. These terms were started by a man named E.W. Kenyon. Who was he? E. W. Kenyon was a man who started of as a Baptist preacher who began to intermingle with people who were in to what we would call positive thinking or new age thought. E. W. Kenyon thought he would mix the Christian faith with this new thought positive thinking. He began to read papers and books by Phineas Quimby. He enjoyed Quimby's material and thought it would mix well with Christianity. He became a great tool in the hands of Satan to get us to where we are today with American Christendom. As documented in “A Different Gospel” by D. R. McConnell you will see that Kenneth Hagin Sr. or Dad Hagin plagiarized verbatim the teachings and writings of Kenyon. So unlike Hagin would say, he did not get this from God, but rather from a man.


Word of Faith in essence is nothing new. It is just like ancient Gnosticism. What is Gnosticism? Gnosticism-A group of ancient heresies, stressing escape from this world through the acquisition of esoteric knowledge. Also defined as the doctrines of certain pre-Christian pagan, Jewish, and early Christian sects that valued the revealed knowledge of God and of the origin and end of the human race as a means to attain redemption for the spiritual element in humans and that distinguished the Demiurge (A deity in Gnosticism, Manichaeism, and other religions who creates the material world and is often viewed as the originator of evil.) from the unknowable Divine Being. In essence it means they get secret knowledge outside and aside from the Bible. Sounds like Word of Faith Churches right. They will tell you that you have the ability to speak death and life based on a contortion of Proverbs 18:21.


Gnosticism and polytheism was very prevalent in the early Christian church and especially with the Greeks. Paul dealt with this on the regular basis; one example would be Acts 17 with the Greeks and in Paul‘s letter to the Colossians. History does repeat itself. You see many people are claiming they have more revelation aside from the closed canon-The Bible. What is Canon you ask? The Canon is the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired. Aside from the Bible their is no other revelation we can find, when find other revelation like the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Word of Faith Knowledge, Oneness Pentecostals, Bahai Faith, Scientology and a myriad of others. They are all derived from new revelation and we call this Heresy. Heresy is something aside from sound doctrine and contradicts the foundation that the Apostles already laid. (Eph 2:20)


In conclusion Saints, I cannot make my plea strong enough! It is almost scary how the words of Apostle Paul just jump out at us as if he was just born in 1950. Times are getting worse and worse by the minute when we look at the state of the church. We have guys like Tony Evans who we used to esteem, now merging with charlatans like Eddie Long. Pioneers like Charles Stanley speaking at the Potter’s House with T.D. Jakes. So we see how ecumenical (all inclusive) our pastors who speak the truth are becoming. I would not say that they are guilty by association but when I weigh what they do against Christ and the Apostle Paul, I see an astronomical difference. Look at Acts 17. Yes Paul spoke at places he did not endorse but it was for a purpose. That purpose was to proclaim the true Gospel of Jesus the Christ, not to preach a happy message and be silent about the heresy. You see I believe that some of these churches need to have someone come in and speak the truth about the gospel, but when we do this we are not to compromise the Gospel of Christ. Don’t ever think we have arrived since God rescued us from the madness of the typical church. Have mercy, God is sovereign and capable of pulling people from this heresy, just think; he got you away from it, or are you still there?




Recommended readings: John Macarthur-Charismatic Chaos and The Gospel According to Jesus. Wayne Grudem-20 Things every Christians Should Know. Knowing God-by J.I. Packer. Basic Bible Interpretation-by Roy B. Zuck