False Accusations of FCNN Against PTM and Message Churches in Iran
August 16, 2010 by Jason DeMars
Filed under Missions Updates
http://www.fcnn.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2060:the-arrest-of-several-cult-leaders-in-iran&catid=127:iranian-christian&Itemid=593
They are stating it is false to say that Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani is the leader of the Church of Iran. In the broad sense, yes, he is not the leader of every evangelical church in Iran. But the Church of Iran is the name of this particular group of house churches that fellowship together. It is a non-denominational group that has several networks where each individual network is sovereign to itself, but as pastor Behrouz planted the majority of the churches they look to him as a person in a leadership position.
They charge that it is a cult. It is no different than the other evangelical non-denominational churches. They believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, that he is the Son of God and that salvation comes through belief in the Gospel. The hold to the bible is the final authority in all matters of doctrine and practice, not church creeds or confessions.
The main difference is that they do not hold to the immanent trinitarian doctrine that God exists in eternity as three separate and distinct persons. They hold to an economic view of God, that in time he has revealed himself as Father, in his Son and through the Holy Spirit. Father, Son and Spirit are three different dimensions or aspects of the one true God not three successive modes or persons.
They do not hold to the Jesus only or modalistic monarchian viewpoint. They believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that he was born through a supernatural birth and that as a human being he is the Son of God. He is not a second God or a second person of an immanent trinity, but he is the man in whom and through whom the fullness of God was revealed, he is the visible manifestation of the one true God in human flesh.
They write in the article in regards to their relationship to my ministry, “Those who claim to very close to the leaders of this cult claim that these titles and offices have been given to Mr. Khanjani and others like Behnam Irani and Yusof Naderkhani by a ministry in the Mid-western US city of Minneapolis called the Present Truth Ministries – A predominantly African American group. Others members of this cult, Yusof Naderkhani and Behnam Irani, who were active in the towns of Lakan and Karaj, have been arrested and still remain in detention.”
This is false on many facets;
1. I have never spoke with Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjnai, Benham Irani and Youcef Nadarkani.
2. I have never been to Iran.
3. I have no authority to grant offices and titles to a church anywhere.
4. I am a white American. I have no African-Americans involved with my ministry. Two Liberian brothers have accompanied me to Minneapolis in my mission work, but that is the only involvement of Africans of any kind.
Please tell us who the people are that claim this? Give us some names because it literally has ZERO basis in fact. It is based upon false accusations, conjecture and outright lies.
I ask for a response from FCNN to these false accusation and for them to print an article based upon facts. Please interview brother Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Behnam Irani and Youcef Nadarkani yourselves. Do not base this on reports from someone who is clearly a false witness. Speak with me, the founder of Present Truth Ministries directly before you print these things.
Please read John 8:44. Did you purposely lie in this article or was it a mistake?
God Empowers All
April 21, 2010 by Jason DeMars
Filed under Christian Living
In writing this article my hope is to inspire a new level of interaction and love expressed in the believers. I’m not seeking to come down on anyone, but to build up your faith and confidence that God wants to empower you to serve others. Every one of us is called to reach out to and be a blessing to others. Each of us are called to be a minister and called to a ministry.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
(1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV)
Frequently the term “minister” is used to describe someone who preaches or teaches the word of God. However, I have great disdain for using this terminology in this manner. The word minister means servant. Every believer is a minister of God. Peter writes that ALL believers are priests you are a “holy priesthood” built up “to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This can not in any way be limited to pastors or preachers. Each of us has a ministry to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. The word “sacrifices” should not be understood as in the English terminology as in we are really making a sacrifice to do this. As though we are sacrificing some kind of joy or job or whatever it might be. This is a type that Peter is using. The priests of the old covenant offered animals as a sacrifice to God. Sacrifices in the old covenant were used for two things, one way was to stand in the stead of the offerer to cover his sins and the other was in worship to God. Our spiritual sacrifices falls into the second category as the first category is fulfilled in Jesus Christ once for all. As priests we are to offer worship to God. Not merely through singing or praying though these play an integral part. I will draw further on this imagery using a writing of Paul to the Romans.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
(Romans 12:1 ESV)
As priests we offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice which is our spiritual worship. This is the spiritual sacrifice that Peter speaks of. We offer our bodies up as holy and therefore acceptable to God. This not only involves obedience to the commands of God out of a pure heart, but also offering ourselves for God’s use to serve and love one another. Each of us has a role to play in serving, helping and ministering to those who need the gospel, who are hurting in the body of Christ, who need prayer and loving our neighbor and enemy. There are so many ways that we can serve others. Just a call to tell them we love them and are praying for them means so much to people.
Sometimes we over spiritualize the gifts of the Spirit and don’t understand that a word of wisdom can simply be something that the Lord put on your heart for someone else or a word of knowledge could be you waking up in the middle of the night, knowing someone needs prayer and praying for them, then letting them know about it. Each of us who are in the body of Christ can operate in the gifts. A gift is not an office, but simply a purpose that God wants to use us for. The gift of the Spirit may come only once in a lifetime or it could come frequently. God divides to every person as he wills and purposes.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
(1 Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV)
To each and every believer that is baptized into the body of Christ (‘by one Spirit are you baptized into one body’) the manifestation of the Spirit is given. What is the purpose of receiving the manifestation of the Spirit. So you can glorify yourself? No, it is for “the common good” as Paul wrote. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every Spirit born believer so that we would be able to minister to and serve others for the glory of God. As in the old covenant when God gave the spirit of wisdom to men and women to build the tabernacle of witness so does he give the Spirit to us so that we can together build up the spiritual house of God, the church. (The church is not a building, the church is all believers.) God has gifts in his body for every man and every woman.
Every person can operate in the gifts of the Spirit for the good of others. Every person has a ministry to the other believers and neighbors around them. We cannot sit back and wait for the pastor and his wife to reach out and help every person. We must follow the leadership of the Spirit and be used of God to reach out and bless others. This is the purpose of the body, many members, one body. Every gift should be used in order as Paul wrote. There are varieties of service or ministry, but the same Lord and there are varieties of activities but it is the same God who empowers them in EVERYONE. It does not say it is the same God that empowers them in the pastor or the associate minister. No, it says in EVERYONE.
Doctrine of Christ Continued
January 20, 2010 by Jason DeMars
Filed under Biblical Teaching
This is another post from the discussion board on Facebook. I’m posting this because it is something that I feel is very overlooked, but also very important for us to grasp.
Francis wrote, “Tell me who was speaking to Moses from the midst of the Burning bush or at other times from the shekinah Glory, was it Jesus or God the Father? Or was it Elohim or the self existent one? Or could it be Melkizidek? Do you know or can you hazard a guess?”
It was the invisible, eternal God speaking, Yahweh or the self-existing one who reveals himself speaking to Moses, but scripture tells us,
“2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”
It was Yahweh speaking through the angel of the Yahweh or the angel of his presence. That was a pre-figuration of the Lord Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
This is speaking of the man that was born to Mary. Remember, they are gods to whom the word of God comes to. God told Moses, “you be God and let Aaron be your prophet.” God’s representatives are called God how much more is the perfect Son of God, who is the perfect manifestation of God. A Hebrew translation renders everlasting father as father of the age to come. Also, it is spoken of David that he was a father unto such and such people. That is, he is a provider. Jesus is the founder and the maker of the age to come. God created all things through and by his Son, his perfect image and manifestation.
When you look at Jesus you see God, also remember that the Jehovah of the OT is the Jesus of the NT. So the name of God has changed to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s important to have a scriptural balance to see both sides of the equation and understand the separateness of the Son and the Father as well as their unity. Both sides need to be there. What you are saying is correct, but it should be tempered with the other side of the coin, that there is a Father who is the invisible and eternal God and there is a Son who is the visible man who manifested God. The man has a relationship with God and because the fulness of God is in him he is God.
Jesus Christ is God, but that statement is understood differently than the Jesus-only, actually the majority of message believers are Jesus-only and the Trinitarian ideal. The truth of “Jesus Christ is God” is not in either of those ideas. It’s right there in the bible.
Jesus is the I AM, how so? God was in him, the Son. The Son is not the Godhead, but the Godhead is in the Son.
GODS_GIFTS_ALWAYS_FIND_THEIR_PLACES JEFF_IN 12-22-63
37 They said, “He couldn’t be Deity and die.” The man, the body was not Deity, but Deity was in the body.
How is Jesus God? He that has seen me has seen the Father…the Father dwelleth in me, He doeth the works… Jesus is God because God was in him in fulness manifesting himself without any hindrance. God was perfectly manifested through his Son so that when you see the Son you say, there is my Lord and my God. However, it takes a revelation to say that without a Jesus-only or a Trinitarian understanding.
The man is not the I AM, but the eternal Spirit dwelling in the man in fullness is the I AM. The Son began in the womb of Mary, the Godhead that entered him at the water baptism had no beginning.
As far as the Father being a dispensation is there a scripture for that?
God bless,
Jason
William Branham – Visions and Discernment
September 28, 2009 by Jason DeMars
Filed under William Branham
Watch as the Holy Spirit works through brother Branham to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. You are witnessing Jesus Christ on display to the world. This is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in a way that has not been done since the times of the apostles.
