Noel Stanton, senior pastor of the Jesus Fellowship interviewed Ed Silvoso about revival and evangelism in Argentina, for Jesus Life magazine, which posted an extract on their website (http://www.jesus.org.uk/talking.html). The first part of that extract was reproduced in our 09/25/99 newsletter; here is the second part.
Noel: You emphasise reconciliation between Christians.
Ed: Yes. Our unity is essential for the world to believe. The anger that Christians have against each other, that's what gives the Devil room. It's like a policeman taking bribes from a drug dealer. The policeman has authority to arrest the drug dealer, but he has lost the moral authority to do so because the drug dealer will accuse him before the judge. And the Devil accuses us before the Father and our effectiveness is destroyed.
Noel: And that would also mean social or national reconciliation?
Ed: Eventually, yes. The problems the nations have are nothing more than a reflection of the problems inside the church. If the church is divided racially, like in America, the society is divided racially. If we are angry, the society is angry. So we have to clean up our act so that our nation can be clean. When that happens, people come to the Lord by the tens of thousands.
Noel: This city-wide prayer evangelism goes on for months and years?
Ed: Yes. What we present to the church is a lifestyle rather than a programme. If each one in the church adopts 100 people that they pray for, your sphere of influence jumps from say 1,000 to 100,000 immediately. Now, as people go into their homes they look to the right and bless the people on the right, and look to the left and bless them. They look across the street and they bless them. They go to work, they do the same thing. So we talk about a lifestyle of evangelism in prayer, rather than an event.
Noel: Do you have failures?
Ed: We have about two or three cities that looked very promising at the beginning and are doing very poorly right now. What we found in one city is that they look at unity as the ultimate objective rather than a means to winning the lost. So they began to have celebrations of unity, and got drunk on that! We tell people time and again: unity is a means to an end. Unity without mission is terrible. In another city, one of the key leaders had a selfish ambition, and he just used the movement to promote himself. But there are hundreds of cities where things are going very well.
Noel: So Satan counter-attacks.
Ed: Absolutely. And it's always through anger. The opposite of love is not hate, but it is indifference. Murder is causing somebody to cease to exist. If I withdraw from you and don't talk to you, it's like I had murdered you. And this is going on in the church.
Noel: Do you recommend styles of worship?
Ed: When you're having your own church meeting, do what suits you best! When you go beyond that, go with high intense praise and worship, because that brings the presence of Jesus. When Jesus shows up, the unbelievers notice it - sometimes sooner than believers!
Noel: Has revival broken out in other nations as in Argentina?
Ed: Brazil is a very close second. Next month I'm going to a Brazilian city of a million people. It has 3,000 intercessors who pray every day for the city. Then every Friday 110,000 intercessors, that's 11 per cent of the population, pray together via radio for about two hours, and you should see how that changes the climate. Crime goes down, unity flourishes. Hong Kong is getting there. Hong Kong will revert to mainland China in 1997, but they want to reach the entire city by then. They came to Argentina for our conferences to seek the anointing, and are now seeing a tremendous breakthrough all over the city.
Noel: And the UK?
Ed: I see the UK like a nation soaked in divine gasoline and any time God is going to strike a match The moment you have two or three cities reached, it will happen all over the UK.
Noel: How do you see the future for Harvest Evangelism?
Ed: We are investing every ounce of energy this year in stoking the fires that are already going - in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK. We expect delegates from about 80 nations to our conference in Argentina in November. I sense that after that something will happen which will redefine our method.
Noel: How large is your team?
Ed: We have a total of 69 members on our team. Some are in Argentina and others are in other cities. We have a very small operation for the work we are doing, but rather than going to a nation and incorporating Harvest Evangelism, we look for a national vehicle that has the same philosophy of ministry and help them succeed.
Noel: How do you link with Toronto-style manifestations?
Ed: Well, we find the Toronto blessing in every city we go to. I believe that it is a blessing indeed. Having said that, I must say that every blessing is also subject to alteration by human flesh! My input is this: It is given not for the church but is given to the church for the lost. If the Toronto leaders miss that point, they will abort the blessing. If all we want is to be refreshed and renewed, there is a better way to receive that! Drop dead and go to heaven and you will get it there!
I turn people to Acts 2, when in verse 1 there is the picture of perfect order. They are sitting down. In four verses they have a noise, a wind, tongues of fire, babbling nonsense and the appearance of drunkenness - looks like the Toronto blessing, doesn't it! But because Peter stood up and preached and persuaded the people to receive the Lord too, the focal point was not the manifestations but the salvation of 3,000 people.
Noel: Yes!
Ed: So that's why the Toronto blessing has to be kicked out of the church - kicked out of the church into the world! If in each neighbourhood prayerhouse, there is a manifestation of Jesus, which I believe in its purest form that's what the Toronto blessing is, then the entire neighbourhood will flock to that house. The most dangerous thing coming out of Toronto is not the barking and the clucking and the roaring, but the statement that this is not for evangelism, it's for renewal. Because it's like trying to separate lovemaking from procreation! And you can't do that unless you are being selfish!
Noel: Thank God, Ed, for your soul-winning zeal!
Could it be that Lighthouses are actually intended to be embryonic "cells" of a single global Apostolic (and apostate) church? As crazy as it sounds, the plan is for them to be linked in some pyramid-type, cross-denominational, multilevel network (like an "Alice in Signs-'n'-Wondersland" version of Amway) to the 120 planned World Prayer Centers, and their executive directors are intended to be high-level Apostles, in other words, New Reformation cardinals. The existing World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs has its Apostle (Chuck Pierce), but its cofounder C. Peter Wagner is clearly in charge. This $55 million structure was designed with the electronic capacity to process and collate much more data than will be generated by the three to six million Lighthouses in the United States that are expected to "affiliate" with it this year.
Initially, individual homes were signed up as Lighthouses, many in what turned out to be successful test markets. Perhaps in part because pastors were afraid of missing out, or because they were easier to reach, the project seems to have shifted to signing up churches (an individual, family, or cell group could then elect to sign up under a church or other "designated group"), and then denominations. There are currently 70 to 75 denominations signed up in the United States, including many of the major denominations like the Assemblies of God (both the US General Council and the International Fellowship) and the Southern Baptist Convention. Hundreds of parachurch agencies have also signed up to promote and assist the project, many of them acting as entry points. Others perform specific support tasks.
Unaffiliated Lighthouses are being strongly encouraged to pay their $100 and affiliate. An affiliated Lighthouse can be assigned a group number, so that they can sign up other Lighthouses under them. Since one of the project's goals is to unite the churches, plans are under way (it seems) to connect Lighthouses into a geographic grid, across, rather than along, denominational lines. There are references in early Lighthouse material to "The City Church," a now fully formed New Apostolic Reformation concept:
"The Lighthouses produce in reality a mantel of prayer that opens the heavens over the city so that the light of the gospel begins to shine through to the minds of lost people... Watch for crime rates dropping, favor between the Church of the city and government, neighborhoods being cleaned up and improved economic conditions... all the spiritual IOU's that you have been collecting will be cashed in... putting the Lighthouse people in [a] privileged place of favor to become part of the personal discipleship process." [http://www.harvestevan.org/resource.html#7, previous edition (webpage download received by e-mail 07/24/99 on file), reproduced in part at http://www.praytwincities.org/howtobea.htm]
You must sign a series of covenants for your home to become a Lighthouse. Maintaining a detailed written record of your prayers, including your neighbors' names, addresses, personal problems, "felt needs" and current belief-systems; and e-mailing, faxing or mailing a copy of these records to the World Prayer Center on a regular basis, is a condition of being an affiliated Lighthouse, for which privilege you pay an annual fee of $100. There are additional costs for (and potential profits to be made on) materials, which include basic kits, books, audio and videotapes, prayerwalking pocket journals, and copies of the JESUS film (which is fatally flawed).
Three weeks ago, one of us wrote to a correspondent in the revival river, "Well, what do you think of Cho's teachings on the spirit world? Doesn't doctrine matter? Yes, I agree that Christians meeting in small groups for scriptural purposes per se is not the problem, not at all. However, what purpose is served by organizing all professing Christians into very small groups integrated into a rigid hierarchical structure (currently a network -- but evolving into a pyramid), which at the top level is lead by a relatively small group of self-appointed 'apostles' and assisted by 'it's-okay-to-be-wrong-50%-of-the-time-as-long-as-you-toe-the-company-line' prophets? Sounds like a more efficient form of Catholicism to me, except that the Roman Catholic Church has one 'chief apostle' at the top. With progressive revelation becoming the norm, what stops a future revelation (from the spirit behind this so-called 'church growth movement') from 'anointing' a chief apostle?
"The Anglican leaders have recognized the RCC chief apostle's authority, and many other denominational leaders are dialoguing with RCC officials, whose aim must be (as required by the Catholic leadership) to bring all professing Christians into 'the one true Church.' Those dialoguing with the RCC include Pentacostal-charasmatic (P/C) leaders, who are saying that there are more P/C Catholics than P/C Protestants. Many, many of the leaders of the World Christian Movement and the River Revival accept Catholics as true Christians.
"Many leaders of these movements believe that, once the Church is properly united and purified, Christ will incarnate Himself into His body, but especially into an elite corps of Christians. A few teach this 'incarnational model' openly, but it is a subtext found in the writings of many of these leaders. Not only are these teachings unorthodox to say the least, they are paving the way for a single chief apostle to declare himself the 'returned Christ' -- and a global apostate church will have been trained to accept him as such."
Of course, David was speculating (in part). This was written before we found out that Edgardo Silvoso (who first formulated the Lighthouse concept in the 1980's and who now is one of the movement's key coordinators) visualized "lighthouses" as embryonic cell churches. The following relevant excerpt is from Victor Lorenzo's "Evangelizing a City Dedicated to Darkness," a chapter in C. Peter Wagner's book, "Breaking Strongholds in Your City" (Regal Books, Ventura, CA, 1993). The parenthetical comments are in the original.
"Silvoso bases his strategy on four fundamental principles: 1. [t]he spiritual unity of the churches of a city, 2. [p]owerful intercessory prayer, 3. [s]trategic-level spiritual warfare, [and] 4. [m]ultiplication of new churches. Peter Wagner says, 'The most sophisticated strategy for evangelizing a city we have at the present time is Edgardo Silvoso's Harvest Evangelism.' To see how spiritual mapping fits into the whole evangelistic design, allow me to summarize Ed Silvoso's six steps for taking a city... [Step] 4. Infiltrate Satan's perimeter. Launch the 'air attack' of specific and strategic intercessory prayer through hundreds of thousands of prayer houses (prayer cells), having the objective of weakening Satan's control over the unsaved, claiming instead a favorable disposition to the gospel. At the same time begin to plant embryonic churches ('lighthouses') in anticipation of an abundant harvest. [Step] 5. Attack and destroy Satan's perimeter. Begin the 'frontal assault.' Launch the spiritual takeover of the city, confronting, binding and casting down the spiritual powers ruling over the region... Disciple new believers through the established lighthouses."
Here are some of the problems one of our corespondents has with the cell church philosophy:
(1) According to the Cell Church books I have read, the paradigm is shifting from program-based churches to the cell church If you don't transition to a cell church you'll be like the Swiss watch makers who ignored the paradigm shift to the quartz watch, and you'll be left behind.
(2) They claim that the cell church is THE New Testament church. If you are not a cell church, you are disagreeing with the way the church is described in the New Testament.
(3) The church is defined by its cells. Cells are not just a part of the church. They are the church. Everything that takes place in the church is in relation to the cells.
(4) According to the book "Cell Leader Intern Guidebook," a cell group leader should know and experience "signs and wonders" or "power encounters" (p. 12). There is a close alignment between cell churches and what is popularly called the "signs and wonders" movement (p. 27). Every additional structure of this church exists solely to service life in the cells. Nothing is allowed to compete with the cell (p. 28). All members of the church are expected to function as a part of the Basic Christian Community. It is not just a "small group;" it is the focus of life for every believer (p. 29). The cell is not a place for Bible study. The cell leader serves on a pastoral level (p. 31). The Bible is a tool and is not to become the focal point (p. 40). When the cell group has found meaningful relationships, it may decide it wants to close itself off, to remain undisturbed. If this is permitted, the cell group will turn into an ugly, selfish monster (p. 43).
(5) David (or Paul) Yang Cho's church in Korea has been used as an example of a growing cell church, being the largest evangelical church in the world with over 700,000 members. What has not been said is that Yang Ho is a Word-Faith teacher who said in his book, "The Fourth Dimension": "Claim and speak the word of assurance, for your word actually goes out and creates. God spoke and the whole world came into being. Your word is the material which the Holy Spirit uses to create." [E-mail on file.]
The following is the introduction to "Church Growth through Cell Groups," an excellent 21-page position paper on the Cell Group Church (available online and in Adobe Acrobat format at www.soundwitness.org) by Kevin Feaster and Greta Olsoe.
The following is an adaptation of a work concerning the church growth movement that was written to a specific audience in January of 1994. Much has happened around this topic since then though this adapted work does not fully express such. It is presumed that the reader has at least some knowledge of the church growth movement both pro and con.
Though the notion of cell group churches is really not totally new, currently there are several authors promoting what they call "a new move of God" in church growth methodology. It is known by many names: Cell Church, Cell-Based Church, Meta-Church, Open Church, etc.... For this discussion we will use the term Cell Group Church.
The Cell Group Church (CGC) is presented as a new paradigm for the social architecture of the church. In this new organizational system the cell group (up to 15 members) is the primary church; individual cells are connected through several levels of leadership which are ultimately accountable to the Senior Pastor; growth is realized as the cells divide, birthing new cells. According to CGC author Ralph Neighbor Jr. most churches are "Program Based Design" (P.B.D.) churches. A "P.B.D." church is one that is structured around specific programs/offices e.g., Elder board, Trustee board, Sunday school, V.B.S., Ladies Aid, etc... The CGC is not about simply adding small groups to the existing P.B.D. church; one must read carefully to discern the redefinition of terms.
We have carefully read the following: Prepare Your Church for the Future, Carl F. George -- 20/20 Vision: How to Create a Successful Church with Lay Pastors and Cell Groups, Dale E. Galloway -- Where Do We Go From Here?: A Guidebook for the CELL GROUP CHURCH, Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr. -- The Shepherd's Guidebook, Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr.. Hereafter referred to as PYC, 20/20, WDWG and SG respectively. As discerning Christians, we feel constrained to voice our concerns. This document, a critique of the principles taught by the authors of the books, is our response as Lutheran Christians who have a high view of Scripture and are committed to Biblical Truth.
For the sake of brevity we have narrowed our presentation to these five concerns:
1. This new paradigm is presented as a restoration of the church to a NT form of church life; current church organization is presented as carnal, ineffective and even offensive to the Holy Spirit.
2. It is claimed that this new paradigm empowers the laity by de-centralizing a power hierarchy that has crippled the church for 1700 years.
3. Word Faith and Third Wave Theology, present in this new paradigm, is not
compatible with an orthodox confession of Christianity.
4. This new paradigm promotes the de-emphasis of Theology expressed in church doctrine, and emphasizes subjective experience and meeting "felt-needs."
5. This new paradigm relies on humanistic philosophy, trends in the business community and modern social science research, i.e., Marketing, Sociology, Psychology.
Many of you are already familiar with the unscriptural flaws in the cell group church system in general, and its chief model, Yonggi Cho's church, in particular. If not, consider reading the full text of "Church Growth through Cell Groups." Should this project have any reasonable nation-wide or world-wide success (unlike the previous "Block Parties" project in the US), just imagine the size of the resultant mega-cell-church. It would make Yonggi Cho's 700,000-plus member cell-based church look puny in comparison, but would not be so different in terms of doctrine -- a cross-denominational, pagan-Christian mixture, with huge financial resources and political clout. (Did someone whisper, Whore of Babylon?)
One of our correspondents who serves as an entry point for the Lighthouse project, after reading Part II of this series, writes, "I read the article, but can't see what is alarming about the Lighthouse movement. Please help me identify what you find wrong with it. I am sincerely interested, but sincerely confused." [E-mail on file, author's name withheld.] This Christian's sincere confusion is completely understandable, if we assume that little or no effort was made to research the project before yoking to its underlying goals and agenda. Greta Olsoe's denomination has also signed up with the Lighthouse Movement, but so have most of the major denominations -- which Greta thinks happens almost without anyone making a real decision, a sort of side-effect of networking, if we understand her correctly. [E-mail on file.] We tend to agree with her on this.
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David and Linda Liben
Delusion & Apostasy Watch News
"Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day will not come, except there
come a falling away first..." 2 Thes. 2:3NEXT