Author Archives: Stephen Sizer

Beware False Teachers

Beware False Teachers (2 Peter 2:1-12) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Twenty years ago this Summer, the Church in England was gripped with speculation about revival. John Arnott, the pastor of Toronto Vineyard church, was apparently searching for “a fresh spiritual anointing” and attended a meeting led by Benny Hinn, a neo-Pentecostal “Faith teacher”. Benny Hinn’s particular emphasis is upon a powerful “anointing” he is able to bestow simply by blowing on people. Arnott and Hinn had known each other for many years in Toronto and at that time Arnott had “longed for a similar kind of empowerment” as Hinn demonstrated. A year later, Arnott was also attracted to the “holy laughter” ministry of Rodney Howard-Browne. Randy Clark, another key figure in the Airport Vineyard Renewal apparently received his anointing through Rodney Howard-Browne at Kenneth Hagin’s “Rhema” church. The unusual manifestations which occurred in Toronto, occurred after a visit by Rodney Howard-Browne. Subsequently, the manifestations of hysterical laughter, growling, shaking, and falling associated with Howard-Browne and Hinn’s ministry were experienced by others who visited Toronto from around the world including the UK. Advocates of the Toronto Blessing implied, or explicitly stated at the time, that they believed this to be evidence of revival. Speaking at a Wembley meeting with Rodney Howard-Browne on 13th December 1994, Gerald Coates testified, “This is perhaps the greatest outpouring of God in our land ever.” Evangelicals Now, (February 1995, p.9).

Now it is important to note that the noun “revival” does not actually appear in the Bible. The verbs “revive” and “reviving” are used, in the Old Testament, to describe the action of God following his punishment, and His people’s repentance (Psalm 80:18; 85:6, Isaiah 57:15; Hosea 6:2). In Psalm 19:7 it is associated with the Law of God and in many verses in Psalm 119 with meditating on the Word of God.

As the manifestations of hysterical laughter, animal noises and uncontrollable shaking were causing a good deal of controversy and division, in December 1994, I was asked to debate with Sandy Millar and Nicky Gumbal before the Church of England Evangelical Council on the significance of the “Toronto Blessing”.

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Jesus on Children

Luke 18:15-17: Membership: To Care that Children are Nurtured in the Faith

Tom, aged 5, opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out. He picked up an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. “Mum, look what I found,” he called out. “What have you got there, dear?” With astonishment he answered, “I think it’s Adam’s underwear!”

Mandy aged 5 was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, “Daddy, you shouldn’t wear that suit.” “And why not, darling?” “You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.”

Zachary, aged 4, came screaming out of the bathroom to tell his mother he’d dropped his toothbrush in the toilet. So she fished it out and threw it in the garbage. Zachary stood there thinking for a moment, then ran to the bathroom and came out with her toothbrushtoo. He held it up and smiled, “We better throw this one away too then, because it fell in the toilet a few days ago.”

We have come to the final and perhaps most important affirmation in our Church Membership statement, “To Care that Children are Nurtured in the Faith.” Written in the 1950’s, The Short Guide to the Duties of Church Membership was intended to provide a summary of what is expected of church members. Our Creeds tell us what we should believe. Our membership pledge describes how we should behave. Once a year at Easter, we individually and collectively renew our commitment to Jesus Christ and to one another for the year ahead by reaffirming these disciplines or pledges. Since Easter we have been considering them one by one in our sermon series. I invite you to keep a copy in your Bible, take them seriously, and review them periodically to help you grow to maturity. Please turn with me to Luke 18:15-17 and let us allow Jesus to teach us about the place of children in his church. Observe three things:

To parents, children are a precious gift
To the disciples, children were a pain in the neck
To Jesus, children are a perfect model

The Nurture of Children from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Jesus on Marriage

marriagedifficultyThe secret to newlywed bliss? Irrational optimism about your spouse. If marriage is about compromise, as they say, then happy marriage is about self-delusion. So found scientists at the University of Buffalo, who followed 222 newlyweds through their first three years together. The ones who went into marriage idealizing their partners ended up happier together than those who went in with clearer eyes. …

The study is published in the April issue of Psychological Science, Dr. Sandra Murray, a professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York recruited 222 couples as they applied for their marriage licenses in Buffalo, N.Y. They were, on average, about 27 years old, with family incomes of about $40,000 to $70,000 a year. One hundred and ninety three couples “finished at least three of the seven waves of evaluation, she said. (Eleven separated or divorced.) Participants completed surveys about themselves, their partners and their marriages every six months for three years.”

“The couples who initially idealized their partner extremely, experienced no declines in satisfaction in their partner. As long as both spouses have a positive attitude about their partner, they have likely to have a successful marriage and be very happy together.” (Source: Contracept.org)

Is there an alternative to irrational optimism and rational cynicism in relationships? I believe there is. In our series on the privileges of church membership the last sentence reads:

“To uphold the standard of marriage entrusted by Christ to his Church and to care that children are brought up to love and serve the Lord.”

Jesus on Marriage from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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The Bible on the Bible

“You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2
“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (Psalm 119:10)

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

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Der Christliche Jihadist

christian-poker-crusade-v-jihad-2

Der Christliche Jihadist. Im Zeichen des Kreuzes im evangelikalen Christentum: Die Perspektive eines christlichen Jihadisten

A German translation of my presentation, The Christian Jihadist

Download a pdf version Der christliche Jihadist

See also Sieben biblische Antworten auf populäre zionistische Thesen

Die theologischen und ideologischen Wurzeln der Balfour-Deklaration

Sieben biblische Antworten auf populäre zionistische Thesen

 

 

Jesus and the World Cup

If you are fed up with the amount of media coverage devoted to the World Cup, it may just be because:

a. you hate football.
b. England has already been kicked out.
c. you are not English and your team has been kicked out too.
d. any combination of the above.

On the other hand you may be utterly ecstatic because:

a. football is your thing.
b. England is still in there with a chance.
c. You’re not English and your team is still in with a chance.
d. you hate football and England has already been kicked out.
e. any combination of the above.

For some, football is their life, indeed it is their god. Their football pitch is hallowed ground. Apart from the bathroom, it is the only other place on earth where they will sing at the tops of their voices.

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Church Membership 6: To Give Money to the Work of Church

1101060918_400Does God want you to be rich? It’s a straight question. When Time magazine asked the question, they found, 61 percent of those surveyed believed that God wants people to be prosperous. And 31 percent agreed that if you give your money to God, God will bless you with more money.

Of the four largest megachurches in the USA, three—Joel Osteen’s Lakewood in Houston; T.D. Jakes’ Potter’s House in south Dallas; and Creflo Dollar’s World Changers near Atlanta—are all Prosperity pulpits. For Osteen, the Prosperity Gospel isn’t a pejorative term: “I preach that anybody can improve their lives. I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think he wants us to be happy.” The pastor of the fourth largest megachurch, Rick Warren, however, sees things differently. “There is a word for that” he says, “baloney. It’s creating a false idol. You don’t measure your self-worth by your net worth. I can show you millions of faithful followers of Christ who live in poverty.”

Does God want us to be rich? from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Church Membership 5: To Receive Communion Regularly and Faithfully

When I travel abroad, I empty my wallet of all my extraneous plastic – there’s my Boots Advantage card, Tesco Club card, Waitrose, Shell and Nectar ‘you deserve it’ loyalty cards, my Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Caffe Nero cards, my Halifax Ultimate Reward Card, my RAC members card and of course, my Wentworth Club card. Into my wallet goes my British Airways Executive Club card and my Passport. I would be very surprised if you are not and never have been a member of various ‘clubs’ at some time in your life. It may be a trade union, professional association, community group, society or charity. Membership is universal. Some are more exclusive, and more expensive than others. But what may surprise you is that ‘Membership’ is actually a Christian word.

In the letter to the Romans it is written, “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5). That means ‘the Church’ is the oldest and largest club in the world. What makes membership of the Church unique however, is this – it is granted freely because Jesus has paid the price.

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