On Sunday, January 5th 2014, James MacDonald enticed his congregation with these words:
“…the biggest miracle that’s ever happened in the history of Harvest Bible Chapel is happening right now.”
But then he went on to say that ‘he couldn’t tell them for another three months.’
Then last week Harvest Bible Chapel sent out an email entitled ‘Big News You Need To Hear!’ This is what it said in the final paragraph of that email:
“Last, there’s some big news you need to hear! If Harvest Bible Chapel is your church home, we also have a special ministry update for you this weekend. I wish I could tell you all of it now, and can hardly wait till we share in it together. Trust me–you’ll want to hear this news first hand.”
Since I left Harvest Bible Chapel Rolling Meadows (my church for over 14 1/2 years) at the end of January 2012 right after I heard what took place during the ‘Elephant Room 2 Conference’ with T D Jakes, I was unable to discover what the “big news” was, and they didn’t include that information on their online service. However, last night I happened to notice the following tweet on Twitter which had the link that led me to the picture and information you see in the ‘quick capture’ that I posted above:
“Does anyone know if this is true?”
After reading the information at that link I was pretty certain that the information was true — as disturbing as it was — but I hesitated to write about it until I could confirm it with certainty. So I began my own Internet search and found the following video of a June 5th 2013 TBN program entitled, ‘Behind the Scenes’ in which you can see the ‘quick capture’ below of former president of TBN, Paul Crouch (who sadly died less than 6 months after that program), shaking hands with James. Upon playing the video I heard Paul Crouch say to James at the 23:13 minute mark:
“We’re gonna have lots to talk about with regards to Chicago Illinois, I have a feeling. You’re a great church there.”
You can watch the video by clicking on the word ‘SOURCE’ under the ‘quick capture’ below. The portion where James begins talking starts at the 8 minute mark:
>SOURCE< CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF JAMES ON TBN’S ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ PROGRAM
This definitely added to the certainty that James is becoming involved with TBN, and then just a few hours ago I noticed that a person who tweets in defense of James replied to the previously mentioned tweet by saying the following, and thus confirming the news concerning TBN and James to be true:
“yes, they talked about it at length in church this past weekend.”
“the elders are behind it and they seem to have thought it through. seems like a good thing for the word to go out.”
“They talked about it at length,” and “they seem to have thought it through. seems like a good thing for the word to go out.” But the question is, ‘Did they seriously pray about it and earnestly seek God for His will? Somehow I don’t think so, because God’s Word clearly warns us about those who preach ‘another gospel’ and ‘another Jesus’ which the prosperity teachings clearly preach.
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4)
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel– which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:6-9)
“Trinity Broadcasting Network — TBN is the world’s largest religious network, delivering the Christian message of hope around the world.”
So says the information that I found after clicking on the link I saw posted on Twitter. Yes, James can reach many people around the world through his program, for sure. And, yes, there are a few — very few– Biblical programs on TBN such as ‘Way of the Master.’ But associating with many pastors and teachers who are known for teaching ‘Word of Faith’ heresy, and airing his ‘Walk in the Word’ program on a station that is known for promoting heresy does not seem like godly wisdom to say the least! (I am assuming that’s the program that TBN will be airing).
**CORRECTION 3-24-14 9:49 A.M.**: It didn’t occur to me when I first wrote this post, but it will probably be their weekend services that are now being live streamed, which will be aired on TBN.
**UPDATE 3-27-14** While listening to their 3-23-14 online service, James confirmed by what he said that it will be ‘Walk In The Word Television.‘ This may, however, include their weekend services, because James had this to say:
“I announced last weekend in church that God has opened a miraculous door for ‘Walk in the Word Television’ to truly touch the world. Plant more churches in more places maybe than any church in our generation has done. Maybe. God knows. But aren’t you astounded –by His grace?”
“God is going to use us like that? You have got to be kidding me! It’s shockingly, outrageously gracious of God to take this thing that goes on between us every weekend and somehow get that to the ends of the earth. I feel immensely unworthy. I’m surprised that you don’t feel the same –if you don’t.”
Looking down at the pulpit, James also read off some serious questions with a sassy tone in his voice, giving the people at Harvest the impression that he was ‘being bombarded by these kind of questions’ from those who attend Harvest. Questions such as:
“How much money are you going to make from this, Pastor James?”
“Then how much do you make on your books?”
“What if I don’t agree with everybody on that channel you’re going on?”
But then as if James was trying to make light of the fact that he was going to be on TBN, he had this to say:
“I don’t agree with everyone in this church. I don’t agree with everyone in my own family.”
Those comments brought laughter from some people in attendance. Shortly after that he read 1 Corinthians 16:9 out loud, which says:
“A wide door for ministry has opened to me and there are many adversaries.”
Then, in part, he went on to say:
“Um good news? Ready for some good news? I made up every one of those questions. Not one single one; I made it all up. And our church is incredibly excited and positive about what’s happening. Isn’t that awesome?”
So for those of you who do have serious concerns about your church being involved with TBN, it’s time for you to express those concerns to the leadership at Harvest because your decision to remain silent is implying that you are in agreement. And if you have the courage to do so, be prepared for the possibility of being called ‘negative’ and ‘divisive’ and possibly labeled as an ‘adversary.’
As for me, even though I left Harvest 2 years ago, I will pray even more for James and for all of you who are still attending Harvest. (End of 3-27-14 UPDATE).
What happened to the Biblical discernment James once had? By associating with the many false teachers that TBN promotes, this can only damage his reputation further than it has already been damaged by the fallout of ER2. *And because T D Jakes was proclaimed at ER2 as having embraced a Biblical understanding of the Trinity, and since T D Jakes was not confronted about the heretical ‘prosperity message’ that he preaches, is James willing to take partial responsibility for those who may be led astray for his failure to properly confront T D Jakes if they also begin to watch T D Jakes and the many other false teachers that are on TBN? Besides T D Jakes, here are just a few of the many other pastors and teachers that are on TBN: Jesse Duplantis, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Steven Furtick, Brian Houston, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, and Marilyn and Sarah Hickey. All of those listed, except for Beth Moore and Steven Furtick have teachings that are saturated with ‘Word of Faith’ heresies. Although Steven Furtick does incorporate some ‘Word of Faith’ principles into his teachings, he is more known to distort Scripture and reads himself into many texts of Scripture as he preaches, which is just as unbiblical as the Word of Faith teachings. And Beth Moore promotes the unbiblical practice of ‘Contemplative Prayer’ and also teaches people how to ‘hear God speak,’ thus promoting the false teaching that we can ‘receive ‘direct revelation’ from God,‘ which can lead people to no longer believe in the sufficiency of Scripture. (*This paragraph was updated by just adding *this sentence on 3-27-14)
If you are not aware of what the ‘Word of Faith’ teachings are, I strongly encourage you to watch the following excellent series, ‘A Call for Discernment‘ by Justin Peters. He also has an updated series called, ‘Clouds Without Water.’
Though this is almost but possibly not quite an exact quote, I once heard James say on his ‘Walk in the Word’ program at the end of 2012:
‘The drift to compromise starts out slow and steady.’
And sadly, James is proving this to be completely true. What happened to the man he once was who strongly stood against all the “distortions of the gospel” which includes prosperity teachings?
There was a time when I believe he would have never considered partnering with TBN. But obviously his choice to begin to compromise has caused him to drift further than any of us ever thought was possible.
What kind of reaction did the members and those who attend Harvest Bible Chapel have to the “big news” that was announced concerning TBN? Were they caught up in the excitement that HBC was attempting to generate through their hyped up emails and hints about the “big news” to come? Or will many begin to leave in droves after coming to the conclusion that this decision to partner with TBN is not something that is honoring to God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Time will tell.
“He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:18)
“For they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” (John 12:43)
“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)
Mary Dalke - Living4HisGlory
Living4HisGlory 
I suppose my question is, If you left Harvest Bible Chapel, why do you still follow them? You articulate well why you left and that you don’t have a lot of use for them. If that’s the case, why spend ANY time even thinking about them, let alone writing? This is how divisions in the church start. People get hurt and they hold onto the grudge. Not to say there is perfection on both sides. No, that won’t happen until the Lord returns and we are perfected, however, you grudge against MacDonald and Harvest Bible Church is very apparent. And, those that are not Christians will read this and say, “More Hypocrisy from those people that call themselves Christians, just fighting with each other.” And another soul is won by the Prince of Darkness.
Thank you for stopping by, Sheumais…and thank you very much for taking the time to make your comment.
You ask some valid questions and raise some good points. First, I can assure you that my reasons for ‘still following them’ is not because I have a ‘grudge against MacDonald and HBC’ as you seem to think. The reason I am ‘still following them’ and ‘writing about them’ is not only because of my love for God and His Word and the people who are still attending Harvest, but also because I am concerned about the people who may just be starting to attend Harvest not knowing about the valid concerns that many of us have. I can honestly say that even though I left HBCRM over 2 years ago, I am still praying for James and those in leadership, as well as those who are attending there.
When I was attending HBCRM and first began having serious concerns not only because of how James MacDonald had changed, but also because of certain pastors he was choosing to get involved with, I felt like I was the only one who was concerned about these obvious changes. And if you read my ‘Warning You With Tears’ post you know that I didn’t go around talking bad about James and causing division, but instead I took time to pray for him after Sunday services on many occasions. However, when I searched online after Steven Furtick was asked to be the guest speaker on August 14th, 2011 and found some people who were also expressing their valid concerns about James, I realized I was not alone and appreciated the encouragement I received, as well as the opportunity to express my concerns, sadness, and disappointment because of the changes taking place at Harvest and with James with those I found online who had many of the same concerns as I did. So, I was hoping –and I am still hoping — that by writing about what is taking place there, when necessary, as well as what is sadly taking place in many other churches, that I will not only encourage those who are just as concerned as I was, and still continue to be, but also I hope to confirm the valid concerns they may have.
I believe my reasons for leaving HBCRM were entirely valid, and I just couldn’t stop caring for those who were attending and are still attending there. As Christians we have the responsibility of exposing error (Ephesians 5:11) and “earnestly contending for the faith” (Jude 3) regardless of what others may think of us and our reasons for doing so. I realize that God will be my judge, so I constantly pray for my attitude to be honoring to Him and my motives to be pure, as well. I’ll admit that I fail sometimes and my righteous anger comes out when I express my thoughts in my posts, but when a pastor swears at a conference where he is supposed to be teaching men how to “act like men” don’t you think that a Christian has a good reason to be angry when a pastor is not reflecting Christ to a group of men?
If I have a ‘grudge against MacDonald and HBC’ as you put it, then I could have chosen to write about something that I found out about but chose not to write about because my intention is not to bash James or Harvest…my main reason is to make people realize the importance of testing things in light of Scripture (Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:21,22) so they will not be deceived, and to make them realize that we as Christians are to be followers of Christ, and not James MacDonald or any other high-profile pastor.
If you read my post, entitled, ‘UNCHANGING,’ then you saw the comment that I ‘quick captured’ which was written by Chase C., a man who began attending HBCRM in the Fall of 2013 and who took the time to write a review on ‘yelp’ where he expressed his concerns about what went on that day in the service which “freaked him out” and caused him to never return. Spiritual discernment is given to a believer by the Holy Spirit. So why is it that some Christians cannot sense when something is unbiblical? It’s because many believers fail to test things in light of Scripture because they are following a man and his ministry instead of Jesus, and someone chooses to believe these men can do no wrong and that everything they say and do must be from God. That is simply not true!
I’m sorry, Sheumais, but I disagree with you…I believe that most divisions in the church today actually start when there are some who distort Biblical truth in some way, and it’s usually done by those in leadership. People who have attended these churches faithfully for years then come forward and express their concerns to the elders or pastors and they are made to feel like they are ungrateful and their concerns are invalid. Many are told to leave because they are “causing division,” when in fact they are just courageous enough to express their concerns hoping these pastors will realize they are wrong and repent and begin to preach solid Biblical truth as they once did.
The truth is we are living in the last days, and things are only going to get worse. The ‘prince of darkness’ will not win…those who are truly seeking God will continue to stay in His Word, and those who are temporarily deceived will appreciate hearing the warnings that people
like me will continue to send out hoping to awaken those who are spiritually slumbering so they will realize their need to get their eyes on Jesus and back into His Word.
God Bless You, Sheumais
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)
“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” (Romans 16:17,18)
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17)
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 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. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:26-31)
http://amos37.com/2010/05/29/why-expose-error/
I don’t know James MacDonald except I turned on the radio and heard him using black ops hypnosis techniques and twisting scripture on the radio. He embellished and changed the scripture. We should speak truth not fearing what some may say. If you don’t warn people that is worse than an unbeliever seeing a false teacher’s hypocrisy.
Hi Do8ug,
Thank you for stopping by, and thank you very much for taking the time to make a comment.
Could you please take a few minutes to back up the comment that you made with some facts so that those who read this blog can understand why you said these things? What techniques did you hear James MacDonald use that led you to believe he is using black ops hypnosis techniques? And what was the Scripture he twisted, and how did he twist it?
If, in your last sentence, you are telling me to warn people about James MacDonald, I’d like to share with you that I have done so quite frequently on this blog. To the point that, sadly, some people think I am “bashing” him. I agree with you…”we should speak the truth not fearing what others may say.” Because I wanted to warn the many people who attend Harvest Bible Chapel — my former church for over 14 1/2 years — I wrote numerous posts addressing my concerns so that they would realize the importance of testing not only what James says in light of Scripture, but also every teacher he places in the pulpit, and every teacher they listen to so that they would not be deceived. If you’d like, you can read the first one that I wrote in which I went into great detail to point out the many concerns I have with his teachings, and the many reasons why I left Harvest Bible Chapel Rolling Meadows.
God Bless You, Do8ug
Certainly,
I was listening to “Walk in the Word” “New Power for the Destitute, Part 2” by James MacDonald 570AM WMCA 8:40-9:10AM 3/20/15.
Here’s the archive link — http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/walk-in-the-word/player/new-power-for-the-destitute-part-2-455571.html
He defined “Destitute”. At minute 3:18-3:32 He said “Now IF YOU THINK I’M OVERSTATING IT I’m gonna TRY to JUST TELL THE STORY A LITTLE BIT. LET’S CALL THIS TELLING THE STORY, and WE HAVE THIS STORY here. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. How many here believe this happened? TURN TO YOUR NEIGHBOR AND SAY ‘THIS HAPPENED’” and you hear people repeating him though they haven’t heard what he’s going to say and don’t know — blindly following the preacher,
The banality of the words shows contempt for the ease he seduces his victims. This makes me suspect he is aware of what he’s doing. He gets people to agree before they even hear the story that it is true when, as you will see, it is clearly mostly conjecture and lie. The question is a dominance thing he uses before he gives the command to “Turn to your neighbor…” They teach police to use questions when they stop you “Sir, do you know why I’m stopping you?”
3:44-4:00 (he speaks quickly -) “Let me just try to create this scene. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you’re comfortable. Just kind of close your eyes” (a few pauses ahead -) “and and let your mind sort of imagine the scenario. Go ahead.” (short pause) “Go ahead. Just kind of imagine here, um …”
These are hypnotic techniques, guiding imagery and having to reassure – why should someone be uncomfortable? (they should) Why did he bring it up? He states a few facts about Galilee (called bypassing critical thinking in black op’s hypnosis — Obama does it all the time).
He adds a number of his own seeming innocuous assumptions such as around 4:25 – 32 “there’s Peter’s boat. They haven’t touched that boat for 3 years. It’s right there on the beach where they left it when Jesus said ‘follow me'” and other embellishments he adds. He’s gotten people to agree it’s a true story and he is actually making it up. It’s mockery of the people he’s seduced.
Then James MacDonald falsifies the scripture saying “a voice calls out from the shore — they recognize his voice”
5:10 – 5:37 “Just then a voice from the shore , Lads, you haven’t caught any fish? Have you? Jesus calls out to them and they recognize his voice. Something pretty miraculous follows. SO, open your eyes and lets now go into the content of this…”
John 21:4 says But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but THE DISCIPLES KNEW NOT THAT IT WAS JESUS. (accent added as all upper case)
Their critical eye has closed. He (and or it) is opening their eye to fantasy and a hypnotic state of bypassed critical thinking. This is the opposite of a truth state
Then he gives 3 principles and tells how to experience it personally and what to underline in their bible. He says he is comforted by Jesus’s presence on the shore. He continues to make up a scenario of how the disciples knew what jesus wanted them to do and were not doing it. He repeats “I am tremendously comforted by Jesus’s presence on the shore. (He’s adding a teaching not there that implies when we are willfully disobeying Jesus he’s right there with us ready to tell us what to do) He says “This is an immensely important truth”
This is what I’ve observed so far. I hope this helps and draws attention to our savior, Christ Jesus. Some call him Messiah Yeshua. Either way we are referring to the express image of our father in heaven, the uncreated creator of the the universe.
Do8ug, thank you so very much for taking the time to do such a thorough and detailed analysis of his teaching! I truly appreciate all that you shared here, and I agree with all the examples that you gave us, but I will listen to his actual teaching tomorrow to test what you said, as well as what James said, as a Berean is supposed to do.
It’s so true how some people “blindly follow the preacher.” Sadly, some people check their minds in at the door; they fail to use their critical thinking skills, and they also fail to test things in light of Scripture. (Acts 17:11)
As followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot be followers of any man or his ministry. To do so is to elevate man to a position where only Jesus Christ should be. Doing so also opens one up to being led into spiritual deception.
You have made some excellent observations! And, yes, what you have shared here definitely backs up what you said with some clear examples of how James twists Scripture and uses techniques to manipulate people’s thinking. That’s something I often witnessed as I listened to James preach during the final years before leaving Harvest.
Lord willing, tomorrow I will take the time to listen to ‘New Power For The Destitute.’ Thank you very much for posting the link.
Thank you again very much for the time and effort you put into writing your very helpful and informative comment!
God Bless You Do8ug
Black ops or “Covert Hypnosis” wikipedia definition — Covert hypnosis refers to an attempt to communicate with another person’s unconscious mind without that person noticing. As it often takes place in the course of a seemingly regular conversation, it is also known as conversational hypnosis or sleight of mouth.
Let me know what you think.
John 21:
5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. THEY CAST THEREFORE, AND NOW THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DRAW IT FOR THE MULTITUDE OF FISHES.
7 THEREFORE that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. (emphasis added all caps)
Clearly in John the disciples recognized Jesus from the large catch and not his voice.
I suspect they recognized him from what happened recorded in Luke 5:
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
Integrity of scripture is important. It’s not straining at a gnat. It isn’t one mistake. It is a whole context of evil. Looking him up I was not surprised at the lucrative business he’s made preaching.
Do8ug, I can’t thank you enough for not only taking the time to write your very detailed sermon review you shared here, but also for bringing this sermon series to my attention Sunday evening by leaving your comment. As I read your review of James’ sermon Sunday night, I just kept saying, “Wow…wow…! Praise God for the discernment He has blessed you with!
During the final five or so years when I was attending Harvest, I heard James twist Scriptures multiple times using them to manipulate the thinking of those in attendance, and towards the end of many of his sermons he’d somehow weave into his sermon something he personally wanted to say all along, therefore manipulating Scriptures for his own purposes. It was as if he would search for just the right passage of Scripture that he could use to bring into the text what he was really trying to say to them without actually coming right out and saying it. But, by the grace of God, even though I was the only one among my friends who noticed this, after I left Harvest God used the Internet to connect me with many others who either left Harvest, or who still attend Harvest and are hanging on hoping and praying for things to change. As we shared our thoughts on Twitter and other blogs, we came to realize that most of us saw through the manipulative tactics James was using and heard what he was really saying, loud and clear.
He used to strongly stand for Biblical truth, but things began to quickly change. I, along with many others, mark the beginning of his drift from solid Biblical truth as taking place immediately after he came back from going through his cancer treatments. So much could be said, but I’ll just say that he seemed like a totally different person when he came back, and that’s when the red flags began to pop up rather frequently from that point on.
With all of that being said, I now want to tell you that I listened to all three parts of James’ sermon series today (Monday afternoon), and listened to each part multiple times, and took notes, as well. I completely agree with your sermon review, and all the observations you made. James definitely used visualization/guided imagery techniques on the people in attendance that day when he told them to close their eyes and to “sort of imagine the scenario.” He also did that in Part 3, but didn’t tell the people to close their eyes. At the 1:32 min. mark, he simply said, “I want you to put yourself in the position of the disciples…” and proceeded to describe the scene to them.
Then at the 5:26 min. mark he declares, “I think you’ll see this in the text” (seemingly preparing the people to accept his interpretation by telling them what to think about this particular text) and proceeded to make his first point which was, “He reveals the futility of efforts without Him.”
While I listened to him preach, I had my Bible opened and listened carefully to what he said and how he interpreted this passage of Scripture. He clearly added to the text by saying things that were not there, such as saying ‘the disciples were fighting in the boat since they were fishing all night.’ He again added to the text by creating his story about how they knew what Jesus wanted them to do but how they chose not to obey him (as you pointed out) and how they went fishing instead. This passage of Scripture wasn’t about the disciples being disobedient. There is no indication in this passage of Scripture that they were being disobedient. The focus of this text was all on Jesus; He was revealing His deity to his disciples by showing them that after all these experienced fishermen had done, and yet were not even able to catch one fish, Jesus was able to bring 153 fish to them in a moment’s time! In verse 11 it says they were “large fish,” and God reveals to us in this same verse that “even with so many the net was not torn.” Yes, I agree…they knew it was Jesus because of the miracle He had performed bringing so many fish to the side of the boat as He had done in the past. To distort this passage of Scripture the way that he did, robs Jesus of His glory. (I may add more to this comment later today…it’s now after 1:00a.m., so it’s time for me to get some sleep).
Do8ug, thank you again so much for your very helpful, thorough, and insightful review of James’ sermon! I pray that God will give discernment to every person who will read your comments, and that they will come to realize the importance of testing the things that James and other pastors and teachers say in light of Scripture (Acts 17:11), and that they will also begin to use their critical thinking skills and keep all that you have said in mind so they will not be deceived.
To God be the glory!
Hi Living For His Glory!
I was wondering if you ever downloaded the link I expounded on on this post? I want to write some things about it but Walk In The Word removed it. I was going to make a transcript of it.
Hi Do8ug 🙂 No, I’m sorry…I didn’t. But when time allows I will try and see if I can find that sermon series somewhere. If I do I will let you know.
I’ll let you know if I find it first! Thanks.
I haven’t finished analyzing this teaching. I recognized the hypnosis techniques. It’s very different to how Jesus taught. I plan to write a a few pages in my book using this example but I need to do a little more work on it.
You wrote –“James definitely used visualization/guided imagery techniques on the people in attendance that day when he told them to close their eyes and to “sort of imagine the scenario.” He also did that in Part 3, but didn’t tell the people to close their eyes. At the 1:32 min. mark, he simply said, “I want you to put yourself in the position of the disciples…” and proceeded to describe the scene to them.”
It’s transitioning at a subconscious level. Satan is a master hypnotist. “closing your eyes” becomes “putting yourself in the position of the disciples”.
One other thing I noticed —
I’d posted —
“He says he is comforted by Jesus’s presence on the shore. He continues a false scenario of how the disciples knew what jesus wanted them to do and were not doing it. He repeats “I am tremendously comforted by Jesus’s presence on the shore. (He’s adding a teaching not there that implies when we are willfully disobeying Jesus he’s right there with us ready to tell us what to do and give us abundance) He says “This is an immensely important truth”.”
It’s a lie.
This teaching gives him great comfort for it justifies him in the many millions he’s making seducing people with his perversion of the gospel. When you are in rebellion, disobedient to Jesus, he’s on the shore telling you to cast in your net and make lots of money.
There are many clues. People listening love a lie or are ignorant and weak. It appeals to love of money. We are not dealing with flesh and blood.
A college psych teacher told me about a study. Most participants (I don’t remember if it was 90% but I think it was somewhere around that) did NOT believe in ESP. A magician tricked them and got over 90% believing. After the magician showed them how he tricked them I think it was about 70% continued to believe.
Yuri Bezmenov, ex KGB agent says once a generation is indoctrinated the indoctrinators don’t care if people find out the truth of how they were lied to. You could show them the gulag death camps and they still won’t believe it “until the door is broken down and the boot is crushing their testicles, then they’ll believe but it will be too late”.
For the above stated reasons the press and other media tell blatant lies knowing when they get exposed they will still come out way ahead.
Thank you for another insightful comment, Do8ug. Yes, James certainly focused on ‘Jesus standing on the shore’ in his message and made it into something far more and completely removed from what God intended us to see in that verse and passage of Scripture. As you know, and as I mentioned before and do so quite regularly on this blog, many are being led astray because they fail to test things in light of Scripture. Jesus warned about spiritual deception in His Word and mentioned it first on the list of the signs of His return. We are seeing spiritual deception entering many churches today on a massive scale, so Christians need to keep that in mind and not place their trust in men, but in Jesus Christ alone, and seek to know the truth in His Word so they will not be deceived.
“To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31,32)
We are not to allow any man to have control over us and our thinking. But sadly, many Christians today have placed their trust in certain Christian leaders as if they could never say or do anything wrong. God will judge James’ heart and his motives for why he preaches as he does when he stands before Him one day, just as our motives will also be judged. When the separation takes place between the sheep and the goats, one wonders just how many Christians, and Christian leaders — especially those in prominent leadership positions today — will Jesus turn to and say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” It is a frightening thought to ponder! James MacDonald is definitely a good speaker, but as far as a pastor who has been entrusted to preach and teach God’s Word, one must beware of how he sometimes uses manipulative, unbiblical methods, and how he twists God’s Word.
The very sad, but good illustration you used concerning the Gulag death camps reminds me of the analogy of placing the frog in the pot of boiling water that I am sure you have heard before: If a person would put a frog into boiling water, the frog would react immediately and jump out. However, if someone would place a frog into a pot of cool water and slowly heat it until it boils, the frog just sits there comfortably, unaware of the danger it is in and boils to death. If Christians sit under the teaching of a pastor or a teacher and fail to constantly test their words in light of Scripture simply because these pastors and teachers have been Biblically solid for many years in the past, and if they continue to ignore the warnings that many Christians have expressed about certain teachers and teachings, the day will sadly come when they will clearly see the truth. For some it will be to late. For others it will be a powerful wake up call to make them realize they must place their trust in Jesus Christ alone, and allow the Holy Spirit to teach them the truths in His Word. Therefore, while there is still time, we must continue to speak out and expose spiritual deception whenever we see it, whether people listen or fail to listen. We must pray and trust that God will open the eyes and ears of many Christians and give them discernment so they will be able to see and hear when some pastors and teachers are presenting unbiblical teachings and distorting God’s Word so they will keep their eyes on Jesus and study His Word so they will know the truth from a lie as soon as it is spoken.
Satan indeed is a “mass deceiver” and God warns us in His Word that we are to ‘be self-controlled and alert’ because ‘our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, and that we are to ‘resist him, standing firm in the faith.’ (1 Peter 5:8,9a)
It is my continued prayer that many more Christians will not only realize the dangers of blindly following men, but also that they will finally see the importance of thinking for themselves and ‘examining the Scriptures daily to see if what is being said (by those who claim to speak for God) is true.’ (Acts 17:11)
God Bless You, Do8ug
These are very wise and excellent comments. For those of us who are not drinking the koolaid, it is encouraging to know that the more we read and study God’s Word the more discerning we become. Thank you for the time you have put into developing this site as well as the many warnings to the rest of the sheep. Much needed in these times!
Hi Ma2rie,
Yes, in the midst of so much apostasy these days it’s wonderful to see by reading these comments that there are actually many Christians who can discern truth from error because they know God’s Word well and obviously test what ‘Christian’ pastors and teachers say against Scripture. (Acts 17:11)
Yes, amen! Just think of how many Christians would be spared from being deceived by all of these false teachings and New Age mystical practices if only they would read and study God’s Word more.
You’re very welcome, Ma2rie. 🙂 It’s truly my pleasure to write all of these posts and allow God to use me and especially allow the truth in the many Scriptures that I add to my posts to reveal truth and hopefully many sheep will wake up to the extreme importance of testing the teachings of pastors and teachers against the truth of God’s Word. (Acts 17:11)
God Bless You, Ma2rie
~Mary
I recently heard James M on WMCA with his condescending tone using thinly veiled hypnosis to guilt trip people out of money in Jesus’s name.
He was featuring keeping the sabbath with the subliminal mention of tithing as also being one of the commands that predated the law — James taught the sabbath was from Eden when God rested and tithing was done by Abraham way before Moses and the law. I guess Noah differentiating between kosher and non kosher didn’t matter nor sacrifice starting with Cain and Abel and done by Abraham too wasn’t important. But James is not pushing the law so those inconveniences would turn away many possible donators so he used the convenient made for man easy to follow sabbath as a decoy.
Hi Do8ug,
Thank you for making another comment. Sadly, as you well know, there are many pastors and teachers these days who distort Scripture in order to manipulate people. That’s why it’s so very important for us as Christians to be followers of Jesus Christ alone, and to test the words of every pastor and teacher in light of Scripture to see if what they’re saying is true or not (Acts 17:11). We must also make sure that we read the verses in context so that we are not deceived by those who attempt to twist Scripture for their own evil purposes. Things are only going to get worse, so I pray that many Christians will wake up and realize the importance of these things.
God Bless You, Do8ug
~Mary
Jame’s voice, his tone and mannerism, is vitriolic.
He doesn’t even pray at the beginning, middle, or end of his sermon. The campus pastor does a prayer for offering and that is usually the only praying that takes place. It has been an unfortunate and sad decline. 2/3rds of what goes on seems like a commercial for walk in the word and vertical church. The focus is less and less on Christ, which should be the only focus. I pray that people can hear the truth of Gods word!
Hi Matt,
Welcome! Thank you for stopping by, and thank you especially for taking the time to make your heartfelt comment.
By what you said I’m assuming that you attend Harvest. I remember that he used to kneel and pray before he preached…so sorry to hear what is now going on there, and that he is no longer praying for every aspect of his services.
Yes, amen! That’s a good prayer to pray! Continue to pray…especially for discernment for all who attend there. Continue also to pray for James and all those in leadership.
Even though it has been almost four years since I left Harvest, I am still praying for all those who are in leadership, and especially for all who are still attending Harvest. My heart goes out to all of you who pray and hope that things will change, but if any of you are finding yourself becoming discouraged and starving spiritually, then, for your sake and for the sake of your loved ones, it’s time for you to move on and find another church where God’s Word is faithfully being preached verse by verse, Sunday after Sunday.
Thank you again, Matt
God Bless You
~Mary/Living4HisGlory
Mary, Did you ever find a new Church. I am looking for one. I live near Lincoln Square Chicago. Love Your Blog.
God Bless You
G.C.
Hi Gorette! Welcome! Thank you for your comment and for your encouragement, as well! After leaving Harvest in January of 2012 I searched for another church for almost a month, and although I did find a church where the pastor preached verse by verse through each book of the Bible, and the people were very friendly, the pastor began to make compromises with Biblical truth so I had to leave after attending there for over five years. So I have been churchless once again for over a year now, but I have been reading God’s Word daily and listening to sermons online, finding very few who do not compromise with Biblical truth. If I find a good church in your area that I can recommend to you I will let you know, but I encourage you to check the Statement of Faith page on the website of any church you are considering trying, as well as listening to some of their sermons and praying for discernment as you listen so you can get a good idea of what they teach before you consider attending. I will pray for you! Please keep me posted on how you are doing!
God Bless You Too, Gorette
If you find one good friend in Christ you do well. I have not been to a Church since maybe 6-10 years ago when the pastor attacked me and herniated a disc in my neck — fellowshipping with a few brethren and getting attacked online is much safer for now. Plus now I’m working with a friend who is a believer.
Yes, even though I am still churchless, God has truly blessed me with some Biblically solid Christian friends that I have met online. Oh my! =O So sorry to hear that, Do8ug! Glad to hear that you have a co-worker who is a believer though…that indeed is a blessing!
PS — nice to see you posting Mary
Thank you very much, Do8ug…once my precious mom’s house is put on the market, Lord willing, I will get back to ‘earnestly contending for the faith’ by going back to writing more posts. However, I also need to start looking for a job soon, so I won’t be writing as often as I would like to.
God Bless You, Do8ug
God help you in your sale and search and bless you too Mary
Thank you so much, Do8ug…God bless you too!