Author Archives: takeheed

Tony Campolo to spearhead ‘HISTORY MAKERS’ initiative

tony-compolo

On Saturday 22nd January 2000, the Spires Conference Centre, Belfast played host to the launch of a large ‘ecumenical umbrella organisation’ known as ‘HISTORY MAKERS’. As you read on perhaps a more apt title for this alliance might have been ‘Reformation Wreckers’.

From their own web site we read the following –

1. What if every single student aged 14 and upwards could be given an attractively illustrated, jargon busting [has that expression triggered any alarm bells in you?] copy of St John’s gospel – the key to life and all its fullness.

2. What if young people from every background of denomination [how wide is ‘every’?] might rise to the History Makers Challenge – to see their lives and contribution count.

3. Could all the Christian [note the pre-supposition that ‘all’ the groups involved are ‘Christian’] organisations that reach out [with what for salvation? – God’s Gospel to be preached or Satan’s Sacramentalism to be performed?] to young people collaborate [“can two walk together except they be agreed” Amos 3:3] on a single project for just one year.

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News From The Front – March 2000

Dear praying friends,

Well, after all the hype surrounding the arrival of a new millennium [a debatable point by the way] things are continuing pretty much as before. There is still “a time to be born and a time to die…a time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace” [Ecclesiastes 4:2&8]. Nothing has changed because the heart of the natural, unregenerate man has not changed.

The only hope for a change of heart in man is still as it has been for the past 2000 years namely the true “gospel of Christ” [Romans 1:16]. With every passing day the darkness of error that would seek to snuff out “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ” [2 Corinthians 4:4] seems to intensify and gain even more ground in the professing church that is supposed to be “the pillar and ground of the truth” [1 Timothy 3:15]. Despite the advances and acceptance of the cults, new age, ‘prosperity peddlers’, non-Christian faiths and especially Roman Catholicism together with false ecumenism the Lord’s promise still remains “I will build MY church” [Matthew 16:18]. Margaret and I want to thank you for all your past encouragement and support and covet your prayers as we seek to encourage people to “take heed that no man deceive you” [Matthew 24:4]

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BRENDAN McCARTHY’S ‘ALTERNATIVE DECLARATION’ of fundamental religious principles

Christians in Northern Ireland are being asked to ‘sign up’ to a declaration “of fundamental religious principles” [see Belfast Telegraph 17 April 1999]. This “declaration” has apparently been drawn up by Brendan McCarthy of Omagh Community Church. Before looking at several points contained in the “declaration” I think it would be helpful for people to know a few things about Mr McCarthy. By his own testimony he was raised as a Roman Catholic who in his teenage years had a ‘charismatic’ experience. He has told publicly of  how people from the Protestant churches appeared skeptical at times concerning his ‘conversion’. He studied for the Church of Ireland ministry and back in 1994 was the rector of St Columba’s Church of Ireland church in Omagh. In July of that he year he partnered JESUIT priest John McDade in the Public Debate I organised on the topic ‘Should Protestants and Catholics Worship Together’?

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News From The Front – December 1999

Dear praying friends,

In a short time most of the world will be working itself into a frenzy as humanity prepares to bid farewell to the 1900’s. The world today is not overwhelmed by atheists – most people have an attachment to some kind of spiritual philosophy – but in reality they fall into the category of “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof” [2 Tim.3:5]. What is “the power” they deny – it is what is described as “the power of God unto salvation” in Romans 1:16. Most spiritual people today reject “the gospel of Christ”. Not only are these rejecters found amongst the non-Christian religions, false cults and New Age Movement but also amongst supposed Christian groups such as Roman Catholicism, Orthodox and Protestant denominations and the Word- Faith Movement. A grand coalition of many of these “gospel of Christ” rejecters is taking shape under the Primacy of the Pope and would appear to be gathering momentum and going forward in unstoppable fashion but their fate is assured. Through the preaching of the true “gospel of Christ” Christ’s true church will be built and the forces opposed to Him will one day be destroyed with the brightness of His coming. Until then let us “take heed” to our Lord’s instruction “Occupy, till I come” [Luke 19:13] and may our prayer be as we say farewell to this particular era “Even so, come Lord Jesus” [Rev.22:20].

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“Intoxicated”Evangelist [J.John] to Visit Belfast

According to the Belfast Telegraph of 4th December a United Celebration of Christmas being held in Townsend Presbyterian Church on 13th December is to be addressed by a speaker called J JOHN. The July 1997 issue of CHARISMA carried an article on J JOHN and the following are extracts from the article –

‘It’s not everyone whose ministry has been endorsed on the one hand by controversial revivalist preacher Rodney Howard Browne [as the promoter of ‘Holy Laughter’ at the time of ‘Toronto’ he described himself as God’s ‘Holy Ghost Bartender’] and on the other by the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey. Yet that’s the broad spectrum of support enjoyed by J JOHN, arguably one of Great Britain’s foremost evangelists…. Recently he preached to capacity crowds at Sunderland Christian Centre [a product of ‘Toronto’]…. J JOHN, who is Anglican himself was one of only 2 non-Catholic speakers addressing last year’s charismatic Roman Catholic conference.

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Dr Jack Deere [former assistant to John Wimber] to visit Belfast [12-14 November]

An advert in the Belfast Telegraph has announced that Dr Jack Deere will be speaking at seminars in Fisherwick Presbyterian Church from 12-14 November. [The wife of the Fisherwick minister, Mrs McKelvey spoke favourably a few years ago on local radio of her first hand experience of the so-called ‘blessing’ during her visit to the Toronto Vineyard fellowship].

In a little booklet called ‘John Wimber – Friend or Foe?’ [Published by St Matthias Press, London] we learn some interesting insights into Mr Deere’s pedigree. In chapter 3 called ‘The Signs and Wonders Gospel’ we read details of an interview between Mr Deere and a Christian called Graham Banister who paid $150 [Australian] to attend the March 1990 Sydney Spiritual Warfare Conference. Set out below are some extracts from this chapter:-

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News From The Front – September 1999

Dear praying friends,

We leave a summer marked by a number of unique events. Some happy, some breathtaking and some tragic. In July there was the happy reminder of man setting foot on the moon and no doubt many joined in the memory game of where were you when Neil Armstrong took his small step/giant leap? Then there was the breathtaking total eclipse viewed in wonder by millions around the globe. Not long after that there was the tragic devastation of the earthquake in Turkey when thousands were ushered swiftly into eternity. A pinnacle – man and the moon – a down to earth disaster – man and his mortality. One moment man can be ‘flying high but in the twinkling of an eye, like the one spoken of in Luke 12:20 it may be that “this night thy soul shall be required of thee”. Looking at large religious gatherings, whether held in Mecca, St Peter’s Square, Rugby Union HQ in Twickenham [JW annual convention] or Geneva [the Dalai Lama preached in Calvin’s former church on 8th August] one can see people who are happy and the sight can be breathtaking but the reality is that these are preludes to tragedy. Millions are perishing without Christ and are being eternally cut off from the blessing of God by a “great gulf fixed” – please pray that many will “take heed”.

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“An Evangelical Celebration” A Time to Celebrate or a Time to Repent?

Unlike “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (ECT I) and “The Gift of Salvation” (ECT II), a new document entitled “An Evangelical Celebration” (EC) is basically a biblically accurate presentation of the Gospel. In that, EC is eminently commendable and stands in stark contrast to the ECT I and II agreements, which remain under biblical condemnation since those two ecumenical documents give a false gospel.

Nevertheless, it must be questioned by serious Bible believers whether drafting yet another document is the biblical way to address compromise in presenting the Gospel–since following the biblical method is as essential as the Gospel itself. The Apostle Paul’s method in defending the Gospel is like that of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is to lay a charge against those who teach false doctrine, and in so doing to glorify the Father. After the Apostle pronounces the judgement of God on those who continued in a false gospel, he explained his guideline for doing so, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

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News From The Front – June 1999

Dear praying friends,

It is with mixed emotions that I come to prepare this latest issue of News From The Front. On the one hand I will be reporting on a very happy and blessed time of ministry and fellowship that Margaret and I enjoyed during our visit to America. Then on the other hand I will be voicing grave concerns on issues that I believe the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must seriously face up to and with courage address.

In addition “Take Heed” is about to totally ‘go it alone’ [purely of course from a human standpoint – see page 16]. However we move forward with words from Joshua 1:7 as our heavenly prescription “only be thou strong and very courageous” and words from Genesis 46:3-4 as our heavenly pledge “fear not to go…I will go down with thee”.

Margaret and I want to record our thanks to all who have been so faithful and encouraging in recent months and we can assure you that God has been responding to the many prayers that have been offered on our behalf. Humbly we ask you to pray on for His cause and for His glory.

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‘The Gospel of Jesus Christ – An Evangelical Celebration’

On 10 June I received details of the latest ‘agreement’ involving ‘Evangelicals’ to be publicly revealed in the June 14 issue of ‘Christianity  Today’. As I downloaded the details via The Internet I felt that if Solomon were here to day he might be tempted to write, “of making many agreements there is no end” – see Ecclesiastes 12:12. This latest agreement is entitled

‘The Gospel of Jesus Christ – An Evangelical Celebration’

Hereafter I would intend to refer to it as ‘EC’. What is intriguing about this document is that it has been endorsed by a number of ‘Evangelicals’ who signed the controversial ECT 1& 2 documents of 1994 and 1997 [such as Charles Colson, Bill Bright and JI Packer] and ‘Evangelicals’ who publicly challenged and criticised their endorsement of those ECT 1 & 2 documents [such as RC Sproul, John MacArthur and D James Kennedy].

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