Has the Contemporary Prophetic Movement Lost Its Focus?
This is an article I
wrote in 2005 after a series of providential events surrounding my teaching of
Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This morning, 15 years later, I was drawn to read
Paul’s letter to the Colossians again. I was so deeply stirred that I decided
to republish the article I wrote in 2005. Paul's letter speaks powerfully to
the same troubling issues that continue to plague the body of Christ.
While driving to class one day, I asked God for a theme for
the class I would be teaching from Paul’s letter to Colosse. As I prayed, the
phrase "Don't Lose Your Focus" was strongly impressed upon my heart
and mind. This phrase remained in my heart as I prayed and worshipped during the
25-minute drive to the campus.
At the beginning of the class, I wrote across the board in
large letters "DON’T LOSE YOUR FOCUS" and announced it as the theme,
even through I had no idea how it would apply. I was then astounded at the
sequence of events that unfolded.
As I taught that morning the Holy
Spirit directed our attention to what New Testament scholars call "The
Colossian Heresy." Although I had taught on the subject before, on this
day, new and fresh insight unfolded as to the nature of this 1st century
heresy.
In essence, the believers in
Colosse had lost their focus on Christ, being distracted by other, even
legitimate, things. After the class was over, I went to a nearby auditorium to
hear a well-known guest speaker. As I listened to this individual, who is well
known in the revival/prophetic movement, I was astounded to hear The Colossian
Heresy that I had just delineated being propagated all over again.
The Colossians Had
Lost Their Focus
What was it that was distracting the Colossians and causing
them to lose their focus? They had become obsessed with how to be “spiritual”
and had become enamored with supernatural phenomena such as visions and angelic
visitations (2:18).
The Colossian Heresy was, in essence, an unhealthy
preoccupation on the part of the Colossian believers with their own
spirituality, which they based on the number of angels and visions they had
seen.
Paul’s answer was to direct their attention back to Christ
as the source and fullness of everything they needed. They did not need to look
to angels or any other source for knowledge of God, For in Him [Christ]
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (2:9).
Neither was there any need to look elsewhere for salvation
and healing for, You are complete in Him who is the Head of all
principality and power (2:10). They did not need to turn to other
avenues for obtaining special wisdom and knowledge, for in Christ, Are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3).
A Religious Fascination with Angels & Visions
In 2:18 Paul chides the Colossians
for the worship of angels and for dwelling
on visions (NRSV). The word “worship” in this passage is a translation
of the Greek word threskia and is not the normal word for
“worship.” Besides Col. 2:18 it is found in only three other places in the New
Testament, Acts 26:3 and James 1:26, 27, where it is translated as “religion.”
The point seems to be that the Colossians had developed an unhealthy
“religious” fascination with angels and visions.
Because of their fascination with
such esoteric, sensational phenomena, they are no longer, Holding fast
to the Head from whom all the body, nourished and knit together . . . grows
with an increase that is from God (2:19). This is serious, for only by
abiding in Christ and holding fast to Him can the Colossians experience the
fullness of salvation and arrive at spiritual maturity.
Spiritual Pride
Intrudes
To complicate matters, the spiritual experiences, with
which they are so enamored, have become a basis for pride. They consider
themselves a notch above other Christians because of their spiritual
experiences. They are an elite group. Although they purport to be humble, it is
a false humility that is betrayed by their attitudes and actions (2:18).
Perhaps referring to their most prominent teacher, Paul says that he, like his
followers, is vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind (2:18).
The Colossian Heresy
Today
As I sat and listened to this well-known “prophetic”
speaker, I was amazed at how closely their message coincided with the Colossian
Heresy the Holy Spirit had just delineated for us. Their message seemed to be
all about angels, visions, and prophecy with little or no mention of Jesus.
I suddenly realized that the Colossian Heresy was being
unwittingly propagated again under the guise of the “prophetic.”
I somberly realized that those, including myself, who long for genuine
Spiritual awakenings must guard against an unhealthy preoccupation with
sensational phenomena lest we too lose our focus on Jesus and, thereby, repeat
“The Colossian Heresy.”
A Lesson from the Azusa Street Revival
This
same sort of matter became an issue at the famous Azusa Street Revival
(1906-09) and the leaders took steps to make sure Jesus was not
preempted. The leaders at Azusa were mature believers who understood the
importance of the centrality of Jesus. Very early on they became concerned that
with all the attention on miracles, tongues, and Spiritual gifts, Jesus would lose His proper place of
preeminence in their midst. Frank Bartleman, a journalist and participant in
the revival, wrote,
In the beginning of the “Pentecostal” work I became very
much exercised in the Spirit that Jesus should not be slighted, “lost in the
temple,” by the exaltation of the Holy Ghost and of the gifts of the Spirit.
There seemed great danger of losing sight of the fact that Jesus was “all in
all.” I endeavored to keep Him as the central theme and figure before the
people.
William
Seymour and others in leadership continually directed the attention of the
people back to the Bible and to the One who is the center and goal of the
Bible. When a woman came to Seymour and asked him to pray that she would “get
the tongues,” he replied, “Now see here, Sister Sadie, don’t you go seeking
tongues. Seek Jesus. He is the One.” In the January 1907 issue of The
Apostolic Faith, the official publication of the revival, Seymour and the
leadership wrote,
We do not have time to preach anything
else but Christ. The Holy Spirit has not time to magnify anything but the Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are simply a voice shouting, "Behold the Lamb
of God!" When we commence shouting something else, then Christ will die in
us. If Christ be lifted up, he will draw all men unto Himself.
Suggestions For Not Repeating the Colossian Heresy
1. Keep
Jesus front and center. Hold fast (cling) to the Head (Jesus) from whom
all the body is nourished and knit together (Col. 2:19).
2. Stop seeking
spiritual experiences. Seek the Lord and you shall live (Amos
5:5). We are not to follow signs; signs are to follow us as we seek and obey
Him (Mk.16:17).
3. Build
your life and ministry on the word of God. Remember that Jesus overcame Satan
by saying, “It is written,” not by recounting the voice from heaven,
prophecies, or angelic visitations.
4. Let the
supernatural happen; don’t try to make it happen. When
Christians try to make the supernatural happen, they inevitably get in the
flesh and open themselves to “angels of light” who prey on the naive and the
prideful.
5. Stay humble.
Avoid an elitist attitude. Remember that “pride is the stronghold of
deception.”
Dr.
Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, Bible teacher and revivalist. If you would like to
read more about discerning the true from the false in revival and prophetic
ministry, check out his books Prophets and Prophecy and Angels of Light, both available from Amazon
and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. For
a detailed account of how America was birthed out of the Great Awakening, see
his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America.
This is an article I
wrote in 2005 after a series of providential events surrounding my teaching of
Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This morning, 15 years later, I was drawn to read
Paul’s letter to the Colossians again. I was so deeply stirred that I decided
to republish the article I wrote in 2005. Paul's letter speaks powerfully to
the same troubling issues that continue to plague the body of Christ.
While driving to class one day, I asked God for a theme for
the class I would be teaching from Paul’s letter to Colosse. As I prayed, the
phrase "Don't Lose Your Focus" was strongly impressed upon my heart
and mind. This phrase remained in my heart as I prayed and worshipped during the
25-minute drive to the campus.
At the beginning of the class, I wrote across the board in
large letters "DON’T LOSE YOUR FOCUS" and announced it as the theme,
even through I had no idea how it would apply. I was then astounded at the
sequence of events that unfolded.
As I taught that morning the Holy
Spirit directed our attention to what New Testament scholars call "The
Colossian Heresy." Although I had taught on the subject before, on this
day, new and fresh insight unfolded as to the nature of this 1st century
heresy.
In essence, the believers in
Colosse had lost their focus on Christ, being distracted by other, even
legitimate, things. After the class was over, I went to a nearby auditorium to
hear a well-known guest speaker. As I listened to this individual, who is well
known in the revival/prophetic movement, I was astounded to hear The Colossian
Heresy that I had just delineated being propagated all over again.
The Colossians Had
Lost Their Focus
What was it that was distracting the Colossians and causing
them to lose their focus? They had become obsessed with how to be “spiritual”
and had become enamored with supernatural phenomena such as visions and angelic
visitations (2:18).
The Colossian Heresy was, in essence, an unhealthy
preoccupation on the part of the Colossian believers with their own
spirituality, which they based on the number of angels and visions they had
seen.
Paul’s answer was to direct their attention back to Christ
as the source and fullness of everything they needed. They did not need to look
to angels or any other source for knowledge of God, For in Him [Christ]
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (2:9).
Neither was there any need to look elsewhere for salvation
and healing for, You are complete in Him who is the Head of all
principality and power (2:10). They did not need to turn to other
avenues for obtaining special wisdom and knowledge, for in Christ, Are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3).
A Religious Fascination with Angels & Visions
In 2:18 Paul chides the Colossians
for the worship of angels and for dwelling
on visions (NRSV). The word “worship” in this passage is a translation
of the Greek word threskia and is not the normal word for
“worship.” Besides Col. 2:18 it is found in only three other places in the New
Testament, Acts 26:3 and James 1:26, 27, where it is translated as “religion.”
The point seems to be that the Colossians had developed an unhealthy
“religious” fascination with angels and visions.
Because of their fascination with
such esoteric, sensational phenomena, they are no longer, Holding fast
to the Head from whom all the body, nourished and knit together . . . grows
with an increase that is from God (2:19). This is serious, for only by
abiding in Christ and holding fast to Him can the Colossians experience the
fullness of salvation and arrive at spiritual maturity.
Spiritual Pride
Intrudes
To complicate matters, the spiritual experiences, with
which they are so enamored, have become a basis for pride. They consider
themselves a notch above other Christians because of their spiritual
experiences. They are an elite group. Although they purport to be humble, it is
a false humility that is betrayed by their attitudes and actions (2:18).
Perhaps referring to their most prominent teacher, Paul says that he, like his
followers, is vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind (2:18).
The Colossian Heresy
Today
As I sat and listened to this well-known “prophetic”
speaker, I was amazed at how closely their message coincided with the Colossian
Heresy the Holy Spirit had just delineated for us. Their message seemed to be
all about angels, visions, and prophecy with little or no mention of Jesus.
I suddenly realized that the Colossian Heresy was being
unwittingly propagated again under the guise of the “prophetic.”
I somberly realized that those, including myself, who long for genuine
Spiritual awakenings must guard against an unhealthy preoccupation with
sensational phenomena lest we too lose our focus on Jesus and, thereby, repeat
“The Colossian Heresy.”
A Lesson from the Azusa Street Revival
This
same sort of matter became an issue at the famous Azusa Street Revival
(1906-09) and the leaders took steps to make sure Jesus was not
preempted. The leaders at Azusa were mature believers who understood the
importance of the centrality of Jesus. Very early on they became concerned that
with all the attention on miracles, tongues, and Spiritual gifts, Jesus would lose His proper place of
preeminence in their midst. Frank Bartleman, a journalist and participant in
the revival, wrote,
In the beginning of the “Pentecostal” work I became very
much exercised in the Spirit that Jesus should not be slighted, “lost in the
temple,” by the exaltation of the Holy Ghost and of the gifts of the Spirit.
There seemed great danger of losing sight of the fact that Jesus was “all in
all.” I endeavored to keep Him as the central theme and figure before the
people.
William
Seymour and others in leadership continually directed the attention of the
people back to the Bible and to the One who is the center and goal of the
Bible. When a woman came to Seymour and asked him to pray that she would “get
the tongues,” he replied, “Now see here, Sister Sadie, don’t you go seeking
tongues. Seek Jesus. He is the One.” In the January 1907 issue of The
Apostolic Faith, the official publication of the revival, Seymour and the
leadership wrote,
We do not have time to preach anything
else but Christ. The Holy Spirit has not time to magnify anything but the Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are simply a voice shouting, "Behold the Lamb
of God!" When we commence shouting something else, then Christ will die in
us. If Christ be lifted up, he will draw all men unto Himself.
Suggestions For Not Repeating the Colossian Heresy
1. Keep
Jesus front and center. Hold fast (cling) to the Head (Jesus) from whom
all the body is nourished and knit together (Col. 2:19).
2. Stop seeking
spiritual experiences. Seek the Lord and you shall live (Amos
5:5). We are not to follow signs; signs are to follow us as we seek and obey
Him (Mk.16:17).
3. Build
your life and ministry on the word of God. Remember that Jesus overcame Satan
by saying, “It is written,” not by recounting the voice from heaven,
prophecies, or angelic visitations.
4. Let the
supernatural happen; don’t try to make it happen. When
Christians try to make the supernatural happen, they inevitably get in the
flesh and open themselves to “angels of light” who prey on the naive and the
prideful.
5. Stay humble.
Avoid an elitist attitude. Remember that “pride is the stronghold of
deception.”
Dr.
Eddie Hyatt is an author, historian, Bible teacher and revivalist. If you would like to
read more about discerning the true from the false in revival and prophetic
ministry, check out his books Prophets and Prophecy and Angels of Light, both available from Amazon
and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. For
a detailed account of how America was birthed out of the Great Awakening, see
his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America.
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