"Jakes
& Jones, Nothing But Dry Bones"
Written & Edited
By Pastor John E. Coleman AA, BA, MA
The following is an article that I wrote a while
back. I am in the process of editing some of my original
work and placing it on this site in order that you the
serious searcher of God's word might be able to read
up and make some serious changes in your Christian experience.
Noel Jones is a local minister here in the Los Angeles
area. he has purchased a large facility in South Los
Angeles and frequents BET (Black Entertainment Television).
A while back these two men T. D. Jakes and Noel Jones
came together and had a conversation on "40"
(TBN) The trinity Broadcasting network. Both men entertained
the masses by displaying a strange communicative process
that I became aware of as I watched. I realize that
it is going to take a while for you to read this article.
Good. We need to read more.
For
the past hour I have been surfing the Internet. Most
of my time is spent as I research of new Christian web
sites. As I read through many of the new age religions
I could not help but see that many people have polluted
the true message that comes from the bible. I was not
only surprised at what I saw, I was also amazed at the
lengths that these people have taken in spending money
as they communicated their false views of Christianity.
While surfing the web, someone called me on the ministry
phone and ask me to tune into BET. (Black Entertainment
Television) To my surprise and disgust I witnessed Noel
Jones; a local preacher in Los Angeles; and T.D. Jakes
the teacher of the Potters House Church in Dallas Texas.
These two men were providing for the viewing audience
a new age positive thought technique that proposed the
idea that Christians could seek fulfillment by means
of self help. I could not believe what I was hearing
and seeing. These two men were attempting to mix into
Christianity a blend of secular holistic religion; a
form of false teaching that I am very familiar with.
Now
I did not expect the TV host to react to Jakes and Jones
communication with a Godly answer but I did ask myself
this question, "could and would the church of Jesus
Christ pick up this false teaching?" What would
the answer be from those of us that profess true biblical
Christianity? Would we be bold enough to speak a word
in defense of what the bible says about such teachings
from these so called men of God?
But there is a greater question. Could or would the
average Pastor in the inner city, or that Pastor in
the quiet suburbs be able, or yet willing to challenge
these men? The future of Christianity rest upon the
shoulders of serious saints that must be willing to
give the correct answer in a world full of foolish ideas.
I
realize that most unsaved people are not interested
in this conversation. But I would be willing to admit
that the non Christian would have more success arguing
against what Jakes and Jones profess, in that intelligent
non-believers realize that there is no God in self help
programs.
If one is truly able to find within themselves these
smart ideas, this way to guarantee financial success
or success in every endeavor of their lives; what need
is there for God? Would it not be safe to say that if
one is able to produce all of these positive effects;
which I might add that Jakes and Jones seem to manifest
by the rich lifestyles that both preachers display every
time they appear on a live forum, could one imply that
the church ought to receive the same benefits? By the
way, have you seen their homes, cars and the other things
that accompany this new age of church thinkers as they
process the minds of their followers? Indeed, these
are the benefits of positive confession.
But
if one does not know the difference between the right
and the wrong when the question of correct doctrinal
teachings arise, what must one do?
Lets leave those men alone for a minute. I would like
to focus on your reaction to my words. Allow me to stimulate
the discussion with a few important questions. I would
hope and pray that these questions causes many of the
readers of this forum to come to a state of seriousness
about the Christian faith. I will premise these questions
by stating that Jakes and Jones deny the faith by their
venture into "new age" practices as a vital
part of their Christian experience.
Question
# 1
Do you know what you are listening to when you listen
to people like Jakes and Jones? I do. I listened to
what is called "New Age Inner Works:"
"New Age Inner Works involves the turning inward
to see the "wisdom" of alleged inner guides,
"sanctified" or empowered imagination, the
power of the unconscious mind. These concepts are at
times from Jungian psychology in particular they are
employed in this New Age Inner Works."
How
Does This Work?:
"For New Agers, every person has a divine "inner
core" or "higher self" that can be contacted
by the methods (meditation, visualization, dream work,
yoga, Jungian active imagination, shaministic practice
and so on) This inner core is said to be a reservoir
of wisdom and information on any number of subjects."
Taken from the Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs:
Pg.449
Question
# 2
How do you know for certain that these methods work?
Do others that profess Christianity seek to practice
these satanic self help methodologies? First of all;
the scientific community discredits these practices
as a valid means of knowing anything about reality.
Secondly; the true Christian community uses the scriptures
to validate life's experience. The method and means
that these tricksters use is nothing less than psychic
development or some other strange form of spiritism.
Question
# 3
Why are these techniques so successful as well as popular
in the church today? Why are they so popular in communities
where the poor and needy may be inclined to respond
with overwhelming affirmation? Unless you read up on
the subject matter, or have attended institutions of
higher learning which has as a part of its academic
programs courses in Psychology, Philosophy, or the Humanities;
one would be more inclined to believe the report if
they have never heard about it before. Spiritism can
be cloaked or masked as the proponent used neutral categories.
Let me give you an example; "You must be able to
reach deep into your inner self to capture all of the
good that God has given you, you can not attain this
without work, and tenacity."
These
various techniques can be later defined as human potential.
This new thought has over taken the church in that Christians
do not believe in trust, dependence, or reliance on
God as in the past when Christians sought to give reason
for their experiences. We have grabbed after, and hold
tightly to the artificial. Jakes and Jones are excellent
examples of persons that sell their fantasy land Christianity.
The problem that I have is not Jakes and Jones; rather
those brothers and sisters who have followed them without
thinking with the brain that God has given them.
Institutions of higher learning have always taken pride
in ones ability to think. The motto of the Black Colleges
is; "A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste".
I believe that many in today's church have not only
allowed these charlatans to walk into their sanctuaries,
but they have started a new group of practitioners that
have no mercy as they spread their wares out for the
unsuspecting church to choose and pick.
Question
# 4
Please tell me, what was wrong with the old way of doing
Christianity? You see my friend, when the Saint is called
to trust and obey, for there is no other way, God is
the one totally in control. There is no need for us
to look within ourselves. We already understand what
the scriptures says about that area in the first place;
Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing,
and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we
all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the
wind, have taken us away." I think that one clearly
sees what God's estimate is of human ingenuity. I do
not believe that the Lord is putting us down as He is
seeking to communicate the limits of humans to accomplish
anything of value without His Divine intervention or
involvement in that human experience.
Lets look further into the matter; Isaiah
55:7 "let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may
have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.
The Lord does not stop there; please look further and
see the word of the Lord:
Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says
the LORD. We need to come back to the bible. It is plain
and simple. If most of the Believers that watch Jakes
and Jones knew their bibles, they would never follow
such madness. By the use of these texts, I have defeated
"New Age Inner Works" philosophy. God has
spoken, I will not listen to Jakes and Jones as they
continue to delude Christian thought by the use of their
strange new theories.
I
would also pray that many of you leaders that claim
to be led by God study just a bit more. The Pastor has
the obligation to protect the flock by means of their
personal study and research as they prove what is true
or what is false. This responsibility rest on the shoulders
of the Biblical Pastors. The time has past when the
local Pastor acts as just a cheerleader in the worship
service. He must take on the whole armor of God; Ephesians
6:11; "Put
on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil." Christian, we
are engaged in a fight as we come into the new millennium.
I
have said before and I shall repeat myself; if you are
not serious concerning the Christian Pastorate get out
of it. The song goes like this if I remember it correctly;
Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war! With
the cross of Jesus marching on before! Lets get on the
offense this time.
Do not wait until it is too late! Don't allow
the Jakes and Jones of this world to sweep under foot
all of the truths that God has given to His beloved
church. Never allow these so called Bishops to represent
you with false words. The Lord strictly warns the church
about all such behavior; See; 2nd
Peter 5:8 "Be
sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour."
The writer goes on and share just a little more with
us in terms of what we need to know about the world
that we live in; See; 2nd
Peter 2:1 "But
false prophets also arose among the people, just as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly
bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master
who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."
You know, I just thought about something, why
don't you ever hear these teachers teach from this text?
Want to know why? Right, you figured it out. They know
who they are, they are just hoping that you don't find
out.
For
this reason Into The Word Ministries is operational.
I am praying that many of you that have been caught
in the grips of false teaching by this devilish doctrine
of so called prosperity will come back to the sound
firm teachings of the Holy Scriptures. If you are saved,
you cannot continue to follow these false teachers.
Please look at this next text; John 10:27 "My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"
Is there any problem here? Jesus makes it plain, clear
and to the point. He has people that only hear him.
In John 8
Jesus speaks with a few of his contemporaries and questions
their ability to here properly; See; John
8:31-51.
These verses teach that many cannot understand
even to the point of what they just heard. Who is the
real church following in the first place? Note the following
verses; John 10:16
"And
other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them
also I must bring and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Jesus
speaks of a group of individuals that will continue
to listen to Him as he speaks through the blessed word
of God. We are fully cautioned not to listen to that
deep inner self. This is madness for those that profess
to be Saints. Come to it Brothers and Sisters, Jakes
and Jones got "their thing going on" and it
is not biblical Christianity.
I'll say it, it does not matter to me. I have been called
by God to give a hard message. These words are not difficult
for me to express. We need to come to a state of mind
in which our minds are under the control of biblical
precepts. We constantly need to listen to Jesus; see
John 10:5
"And
a stranger will they not follow but will flee from him:
for they know not the voice of strangers." Come
on now my Christian friends, I love you enough to ask
of you this one thing. Weigh the words of these false
teachers. Think before you give in to their devilish
words. Never, I repeat, never be caught up in what you
see them dress in, where they live, how much money they
have. Beware of the Creflo Dollars out there posing
as ministers of the good news.
Use
the God given brain that He has given you. Never look
deep inside yourself for some gift that you might boast
about. What a joke, Jesus saved me from me didn't He?
I do not have the need to look deep within myself to
find the good in me. Let me leave you with one more
scripture. I can only pray that you allow God's word,
and not mine to influence you as you conclude reading
this article. See these three verses; Hebrews
12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise
not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when
thou art rebuked of him: The Lord is rebuking those
of us that forsake His word. It is easy to listen to
Jakes and Jones, it is more difficult to listen to the
word of God.
Hebrews
12:7
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with
sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not? If you allow the Lord to do what he desires
to do with your life, your life will produce a corresponding
Christian absolutism that must be displayed on a day
to day basis. We are not to get caught up into this
mind set that so many Saints have followed for the past
twenty years.
Hebrews
12:11
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous,
but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are
exercised thereby. This verse ask you to analyze not
only how you feel about me, It also does not ask how
you feel about the word of he Lord. It does demand of
you an obedience response as you decide today whom you
will believe. These are serious questions. Each must
be answered by you from the depths of your heart.
John E. Coleman
Sr. Teacher Into The Word Ministries / Anselm Bible
Fellowship
M. A. Pastoral Ministries Talbot Theological Seminary
La Mirada, CA. 1990
B. A. Philosophy Cal State University Dominguez Hills,
Carson, CA. 1986
A. A. Supervision & Management ELAJC Los Angeles,
CA. 1976
Call
me in the office: 1-800-872-4309
intotheword1@ca.rr.com
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