" As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:9)
“This book will become a standard text that we will use to train every mission team we have in 196 countries. It should be required reading in every Christian college and seminary, by every relief and mission organization, and by every local church pastor.”
"It's a book that can change the world."
-Rick Warren, New York Times best-selling author, The Purpose Driven Life; Pastor, Saddleback Church
What book?
Well, it's not the bible. The book that "can" change the world is,
The Poverty of Nations, A Sustainable Solution, by Barry Asmus and Wayne Gruden, with foreword by, Rick Warren.
Rick Warren is all-about "sustainability."
At the Saddleback Church website, it tells us who Pastor Rick is. It reads,
"Rick Warren was born in San Jose, California and earned a Bachelor of Arts from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife Kay founded Saddleback Church when he was just 26 years old and he continues to serve as the senior pastor. To many, he is Pastor Rick, but to his church, he is Papa Rick—a voice of wisdom, hope, encouragement, and vision."
"God gave him a vision for The P.E.A.C.E. Plan, a mission to fight the five giants of spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, pandemic disease, and illiteracy that devastate the lives of men, women, and children around the world. He and Kay consider it their life’s’ work to empower local churches and local leaders to create sustainable change that gives a voice to the voiceless and help to the helpless." Saddleback.com
POP QUIZ!
(Fill in the blank:)
_____ gave Rick the Vision for the P.E.A.C.E. Plan.
Is it then safe to say that if you are not under the tutelage of Rick, then you are not listening to "God." Seems logical. But seriously. If God gave Rick this vision for the P.E.A.C.E. plan as it says then, thats pretty serious business.
The webpage also says of Rick, that he is a voice of wisdom, hope, encouragement... and of course, vision. (After all God gave him a "vision.") And note how Rick is referred to as 'papa.". This is a curious thing, for Jesus, taught his disciples to call no man on earth "father" for you have one father, in heaven. Calling Rick "Papa," publican like this .... Is just notably odd.
So, maybe he is "like a father." Maybe calling him Papa is just a term of endearment, after all we all have fathers that we call "dad" or "papa. " Let's ignore that for a moment.... and consider this other talk of Rick being a voice of wisdom, hope, encouragement and vision. It's nice that the writers of this webpage for Sadleback have such a high regard for their pastor, but there's a problem: Rick is habitually twisting the scripture, wresting them to say what he wants them to say.
audio from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVth6gtHBNk )
Rick says:
Sermons don't work, according to Rick... but:
Rick also says that prayer and preaching doesn't work to "grow a church." These are strange things to say in the light and importance of the scriptures, (which are to be alight unto our path and a lamp unto our feet,) don't you think? But there's Rick, a pastor to pastors, saying such things. According to him, it's his Purpose Driven Life books, or his vision from God,... the P.E.A.C.E. Plan that Christians, and others should be desiring.....
and God is going to do great things... through Rick.
Is it then safe to say that if you are not under the tutelage of Rick, then you are not listening to "God." Seems logical. But seriously. If God gave Rick this vision for the P.E.A.C.E. plan as it says then, thats pretty serious business.
The webpage also says of Rick, that he is a voice of wisdom, hope, encouragement... and of course, vision. (After all God gave him a "vision.") And note how Rick is referred to as 'papa.". This is a curious thing, for Jesus, taught his disciples to call no man on earth "father" for you have one father, in heaven. Calling Rick "Papa," publican like this .... Is just notably odd.
So, maybe he is "like a father." Maybe calling him Papa is just a term of endearment, after all we all have fathers that we call "dad" or "papa. " Let's ignore that for a moment.... and consider this other talk of Rick being a voice of wisdom, hope, encouragement and vision. It's nice that the writers of this webpage for Sadleback have such a high regard for their pastor, but there's a problem: Rick is habitually twisting the scripture, wresting them to say what he wants them to say.
Rick says:
"The biggest mistake that churches make is we think that sermons will produce spiritual maturity. If people don’t take notes, they forget 95% of what they hear within 72 hours. That is not going to produce spiritual maturity." - Rick Warren Interview at Exponential Conference
Sermons don't work, according to Rick... but:
"The Purpose Driven strategy is not a church growth strategy. It is a spiritual maturity strategy. It’s bringing people closer and closer to Christ." - Rick Warren
Rick also says that prayer and preaching doesn't work to "grow a church." These are strange things to say in the light and importance of the scriptures, (which are to be alight unto our path and a lamp unto our feet,) don't you think? But there's Rick, a pastor to pastors, saying such things. According to him, it's his Purpose Driven Life books, or his vision from God,... the P.E.A.C.E. Plan that Christians, and others should be desiring.....
and God is going to do great things... through Rick.
The scripture doesn't work... sermons don't produce maturity but Rick's P,E.A.C.E. Plan is what God will use, (according to Rick,) for "revival!" One could only wonder what will be revived as he announced it to the world, it was "only the beginning" of something new that God was about to do...
“You may have already heard about the PEACE Plan we're developing...It is a local church-based paradigm for missions in the 21st century, and we believe God will use it to bring worldwide revival.”The task before us is enormous, but God is equipping us by Rick Warren
“This weekend, I will begin teaching the most important series of messages we've ever taught in 23 years…We believe it is part of the beginning of a Spiritual Awakening, a Global Movement, a New Reformation.”Rick Warren, Nov. 2003 Peace Plan Letter to Saddleback Church
God breathed scripture is apparently obsolete. If Rick had his way, the scripture which testifies of Jesus Christ, and all he said and did is out. Churches are built on the cornerstone of "purpose" and he is busy as a bee, creating and passing out his own masterful platitudes, like:
But, then while Rick says such creative things, he also likes to say, "It's not about you." and one can note how each of these statements is about..."YOU.""We were planned for God's pleasure
... so your first purpose is to offer real worship.
We were formed for God's family
..... so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship.
We were created to become like Christ,
.... so your third purpose is to learn real discipleship.
We were shaped for serving God
.... so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry.
We were made for a mission
....so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism "
And what do you think about his verbal emphasis here on "real" ....(verses fake?) Apparently, following Rick and his instruction is "real," on the other hand, the sermons and prayer and preaching that once produced all thie things in the life of church, ....worship, and fellowship, and discipleship, and ministry and evangelism.... is not.
There is no doubt about it.... Rick has lots of little sayings. Like invisible balloon sculptures, his twisted scripture-sounding sayings go out to to delight a crowd. Contorted into ambiguous shapes and forms, they have the magically ability of saying whatever the hearer (or the speaker) wants to hear be said. Inflated with lofty notions, big numbers, huge crowds and radical endeavors, it is as if "BIG" is somehow a measure of how great THOU really art. With scripture silenced, twisted, and tied up lin knots like a street clown's balloon what results is a uniquely crafted marvel, one with little or no substance. Purpose Driven church goers leave church holding not their Bible, but books written by Rick and friends.
Sadly, as fine sounding as Rick may be, he does not preach the gospel so that people listening can be saved,. (Click on "Rick" and watch the video.) And contrary to what he telling audiences, all major religions do not "point to truth," and when you become a christian, Jesus is not merely a "manager" or "C.E.O." of your life. Sadder still, as emotional about "the gospel of Jesus Christ", as close to the verbal truth as he gets, all he says quickly lends itself, not to give you eternal life through faith in Christ, but to change your thinking and get you on his program. It's bait and switch.
Thinking are doing a wonderful work of the Lord as they dismiss warnings from friends and family, and get into small groups doing community service projects as they strive to live out our their dreams doing what Rick defines as a "Purpose Driven Life," in a Purpose Driven Church" with a focus on being in community and loving and serving.... the world., people tune out the real study and proper use of scripture and rely on Pastor, "Papa" Rick
Thinking are doing a wonderful work of the Lord as they dismiss warnings from friends and family, and get into small groups doing community service projects as they strive to live out our their dreams doing what Rick defines as a "Purpose Driven Life," in a Purpose Driven Church" with a focus on being in community and loving and serving.... the world., people tune out the real study and proper use of scripture and rely on Pastor, "Papa" Rick
" Why would God pour more maturity and wisdom into a stagnate reservoir? Following the same thought, the last thing many believers need is to go to another Bible study; What they need are opportunities to serve - where they can exercise their spiritual muscles. Your example will teach the members of your congregation to shift from an attitude of “serve us” to "service."Transform your congregation through service, by Rick Warren, June 2, 2004 here
"But as we mature in Christ, the focus of our lives should increasingly shift to living a life of service. The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who’s going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet?” Do you ever ask that question?" We Are Commanded to Serve God by Rick Warren, August 19, 2009
Are you so selfish and immature that you dare ask God to help meet your need? And by the way, whose needs are you going to meet today?
"As we seek to grow and become more like Christ, we need to learn how to live a life of service."
-Rick Warren, Living a Life of Service, May 21, 2014
Daily Hope with Rick Warren, rickwarren.org
You know, Hebrews 11 is not refered to as the hall of service.... but the hall of faith. And not only that, Jesus, (aka God) is the only one who can meet the needs of people... not you.... and yes, we are needy people, relying on the Lord and others too for help in our need. Being without a need, is not a sign of spiritual maturity.
Jesus is the hope we have, but Rick says,
"Truly the church is the hope of the world!"
Rick Warren,
The Church, The Hope of the World by Rick Warren.
Who knew?
...." the church," (not Jesus) "is the "hope of the world."
The Bible warns Christians of "another gospel." (Galatians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 11:4) and another Jesus. Be warned. Rick Warren has some foreign ideas that are definately unbiblcal and move people away from scriptural truths of the Bible.
And his grandiose notion of creating "sustainable change" is simply not the gospel.
And his grandiose notion of creating "sustainable change" is simply not the gospel.
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