Reformation Still Needed

Many are celebrating 500 years since Martin Luther posted (nailed to a door) a calling out of the non-Biblical practices of the Roman Catholic church with his 95 theses.
Sadly, many are still being deceived by Roman Catholics.
They still have another "gospel."

The churches of today now have additional deceptions that are equally dangerous.
Linked below are a few examples.

Prosperity preaching 

The heresy of Bill Johnson of Bethel Church 
(NAR - an example of false teaching, practice, & prophecy)

Acceptance of Immorality - What Is God's Plan? (GTY)

Mysticism, women taking leadership in the church, and contextualization are all wreaking havoc on the church.

Reformation is still needed, but then the Biblical Gospel is also needed.
If you don't have the Bible as your ultimate source of authority as the Word of God (and not just a self-help guidebook that can be interpreted by your own worldview), and if you don't accept Christ as the head of His church...you will have a mess.
The Bible must be rightly divided!

Shocking Bible verses that many who are being led astray do not seem to know. 

Is Contemplative Prayer Biblical?

In the past few years the mention of contemplative (or centering) prayer has come up in the Christian community.  It is of great concern to me and here is why:

Contemplative prayer is about emptying your mind and focusing on one word or thing and expecting God to give direction or make His presence felt.  So far some of you might think that sounds okay.
After all, the Bible says to Be still, and know that I am God, right?  Well, it may also be interpreted "Cease striving" which gives a whole other dimension to that verse.  There is nothing mystical about prayer when I read about it in the Bible.  We know God through His Word.  Apart from that, we are putting ourselves in the path of dangerous mysticism.

Just looking at some Scripture verses, I find that the contemplative prayer idea actually does not line up with what Scripture says about the mind.  Romans 12:2 talks about the renewing of the mind, Philippians 4:8 talks about what people should fill their minds with, also Psalm 1:2 mentions "...And in His law he meditates day and night."  1 Peter 1:13 mentions preparing your mind for action.  Yes, that may not be talking about prayer specifically, but the Bible never says to empty your mind.  I remember it talks about treasuring God's words  (Psalm 119:11).  When it talks about praying, it tells me to pray according to His will and with thanksgiving and to let my requests be made known to God.  The disciples' prayer gives one terrific example of prayer as well!

The thing that is frightening about the "contemplative prayer" or "centering prayer" idea is that I remember reading or hearing about transcendental meditation which is a pagan practice that involves ... guess what?  Emptying the mind and focusing on something.  Yes, this whole concept takes off of false religions rather than focusing on the truth of the Word of God.  Matthew 6:7 even talks about not heaping up empty phrases as the pagans do supposing they will be heard for their many words.

Sure, it's good to focus on something like a Bible verse and look at passages of Scripture.   I don't need to empty my mind (although sometimes I struggle to think clearly at all with my NCS).  I do realized that it is good to put past sin behind us and forget what lies behind, but this does not mean that we should not have our minds filled with the things of God from His Truth (from the Bible).   I need to be reminded of God's promises and cast my anxieties on Christ.  I need to remind myself to be thankful and to delight myself in the Lord and in His Word.

Who are some of the people connected to this contemplative prayer movement?  People like Beth Moore, Rick Warren, Mark Driscoll, Gary Thomas, etc.

Some links that describe "Centering Prayer" or "Contemplative Prayer" are:

http://carm.org/centering-prayer

http://www.gotquestions.org/contemplative-prayer.html

http://www.gty.org/blog/B121015 (This also has a series of posts on Steps To Successful Prayer that looks interesting http://www.gty.org/blog/B120502 .)

Beth Moore Examined

Beth Moore…
Many Christians have heard this name, and many women are encouraged to participate in
Bible Studies and simulcasts by her at their churches. My Dad has done some research on her, and I also have searched online scouring to find more information about her. Some troubling information has arisen, and we are quite concerned about it. I want to share some of the links that I have found over time.
I do not know if these are people who I would agree with on every issue…in fact I would likely not, but I definitely see red flags when it comes to Beth Moore.
This first audio clip is quite lengthy and may take some time. Perhaps you will find some of it reaches a bit, but there is still substantial concern here.
http://www.extremetheology.com/2010/03/beth-moores-dangerous-bible-twisting.html
Below is one of the earlier things I found which mentions about “contemplative spirituality and other dangerous and mystical practices.” It is by a lady named Yvonne.
http://firstjohnfourfive.wordpress.com/2009/02/05/believe-god-not-beth-moore/
This next site has a few articles off of it that I think may alert some of my Christian readers.
http://pfo.org/Beth_Moore.htm
Next is a blog post by a Lutheran woman named Edie that the following site borrowed from with the original person's permission:
http://www.purposedrivel.com/2010/01/why-i-dont-do-beth-moore-anymore.html
I’m not saying that Beth Moore isn’t a Christian woman, but watch out when people start going away from God’s Word into emotionalism, focus on self, and into mysticism.
While this verse was written to Timothy (women should only teach other women or children in the church), I think the following verse is a good warning to even a woman who wants to teach other women or children as well.
“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. “
1 Timothy 4:16