DISCERNING THOSE 'WITHIN'
Were it so simple as some artist put it with the painting of the mask of a likeness of Jesus, no believer would be trapped, because masks don’t change - you immediately know, that there must be something quite different beneath.
Our spiritual adversary is a master of deception and lies: we really need to live in soberness and truth, guided and admonished by the Holy Spirit.
Also, do take in this stern warning regarding the completely unbiblical practice of placing oneself into or ‘under the covering’ of someone regarded as leader! This is like walking out a plank bridge into the ocean.
With our human abilities alone, we shall never be able to discern the dangers and pitfalls of this warfare at the right time. We must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit and to become overflowing with HIS presence.
STEVE HILL
One of three chief ‘pastors’ at the ‘Glory Barn’, or ‘Faith Assembly’ in Indiana, which made headlines because of a number of deaths of mostly young mothers, who stood under the teaching and influence of the founder, Dr. Hobart Freeman, who had very strong hierarchical notions and must be regarded an apostate after all.
His son-in-law, Steve Hill, preached the same kind of ‘faith messages’, but disappeared out of sight after Freeman died during court deliberations and the group was dissolved. Today, he has established himself once more, as proud as ever, but diligently avoiding any indications of his deep involvement in that movement. One picture shows him at his wedding with Pam, his bride - the other is a recent one, in which the typical salamander like eyes are obvious. Once such eyes are recognized in any person, they are a strong warning in itself. Steve has changed a lot since I got to know him in the early times of the Glory Barn, first in 1975. These eyes don’t lie: Steve must have become a member of some worldly society utterly estranging him from the walk in the light of the Scriptures.
DICK REUBEN
Famous, allegedly Jewish, pastor at the Brownsville congregation in Pensacola, preaching and writing books about the similarities between the ancient temple in Jerusalem with all its objects and the contents of the New Covenant.
During what was then called the ‘Pensacola revival’,
he was invited to a large pastors’ conference here in
Japan, when his personal body guard attacked me
from the outside, behind those beautiful doors
without any reason, even preparing to kill me on the
spot (!!!), using a nylon chord, which he suddenly
held stretched out between his hands, before a
number of Japanese pastors present at the scene obstructed him. This happened in 1997, on the premises of the Disneyland, on the 2nd floor of the Hilton Hotel in Urayasu city, close to Tokyo.
After the meeting and ever since, Reuben kept himself completely unavailable and the leaders of the ‘church’ in Pensacola excused themselves, but took no independent action regarding such criminal behaviour.
RICK JOYNER
Well known member of a group of ‘international prophets’ around Wagner (right). Apart from their clearly fabricated ‘messages’, Joyner (second from left) is not the only one among top leaders associating himself with secret societies, which all, of course, use an empty biblical verbiage to catch those, who wish to veneer their appetite for success and influence.
MAX RANDENGER
Former Protestant Swiss state church pastor, who split off in the late seventies, leading a group of church goers into his own assembly, in which he reserved for himself a unique position of papal authority ever since. The obvious darkness on his eyes are due to the fact, that he very consciously refused to let go of his many occult books, even after his personal commitment to Jesus Christ. He then also became known in the so called Charismatic Movement, seeking closeness to Yonggi Cho,
the chief ‘pastor’ of the most hierarchical church in South Korea and probably the whole world, whose money scandals and an extramarital affair brought him down.
During the whole time, when I was in the pastoral training year in that Swiss congregation, starting in the spring of 1978, Randegger typically never showed any kind of appreciation of spiritual fellowship, let alone brotherly correction.
DAVID WILKERSON
Internationally well known pastor, founder and leader of ‘Teen Challenge’. In my own youth, I was moved by the dramatic events reported in his best selling first book ‘The cross and the switchblade’, which let David Wilkerson become an actual model in my walk as a disciple. I got personally acquainted with Teen Challenge and directly involved in rehabilitation work for former drug addicts.
After many years had passed, one day, I was suddenly confronted with the circumstances of David Wilkerson’s sudden death in a terrible traffic accident, which was quite a shock and made me search intently for spiritual orientation in prayer: the Lord led me to this photograph - again, pointing to this man’s eyes full of anxiety and darkness, which
stand in stark contrast to the expression on his face in the early times of that book, I immediately discerned, that something crucial was amiss spiritually. Finding the strange you-tubes of his condemning criticism against his ‘ministry’, as well as others related to his passing away, my conviction grew, that Wilkerson must have compromised with the adversary in fundamental issues — how serious, having to witness someone ripped out of this life by the fierce anger and righteous judgement of the Messiah!
How important to watch and pray, in all decisions, day by day, until that very last day and moment, when HE calls us home! How necessary to discern, to strive for good, spiritual judgement, not to have a regard for humans, but to listen carefully and investigate according to the clear and unveiled truths found in all the writings of the Holy Scripture.
And here is some true encouragement: if we do so within the field called ‘Christianity’, then discerning worldly affairs will be very simple, indeed.
