DiM | “That Was Then, This is Now” by Josh Wilson

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ApprovedToday is “Discernment in Music” (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)).

July 09, 2015. Today we’ll be taking a look at “That was then, This is Now” by Josh Wilson which currently sits at #13 at 20theCountdownMagazine.

We’ll continue using this top 20 song list until I find a better list. Your feedback in this would be greatly appreciated.

I am so happy to review this song today. It has been a while since I could happily recommend a song. There are a couple of points of discussion, but overall this song stands head and shoulders above the rest of what is on the top20 chart. I’ll have to keep my eyes out for Josh Wilson’s work. I hope you find this song to be a blessing.

VEVO Music Video

Lyrcs (via KLove)

That Was Then, This Is Now

We used to hide from the light
We made friends with the night
We were headed the wrong way on a one way track
Going nowhere fast

We got used to the dark
We thought this is who we are
And we figured that we were just too far gone
But we were wrong

‘Cause love came running like a river
And we got washed in the water
Then He said you’re forgiven
Your sins are gone

That was then, this is now
You’re bought by the blood, saved by the Son the saints all sing about
That was lost, this is found
And it’s time to say goodbye to the old you now

So go ahead, put the past in the past
Box it up like an old photograph
You don’t have to go back
‘Cause that was then and this is now

We’ve been remade by grace
We’ve all got new names
And nothing we do could ever change
What He did that day

When love came running like a river
We got washed in the water
Then He said you’re forgiven
And you belong

That was then, this is now
You’re bought by the blood, saved by the Son the saints all sing about
That was lost, this is found
And it’s time to say goodbye to the old you now

So go ahead, put the past in the past
Box it up like an old photograph
You don’t have to go back
‘Cause that was then

If we turn and confess every unrighteousness
He is faithful and just to forgive
Oh, so turn and confess every wrong and regret
And see what it means to live

That was then, this is now
You’re bought by the blood, saved by the Son the saints all sing about
That was lost, this is found
And it’s time to say goodbye to the old you now

So go ahead, put the past in the past
Box it up like an old photograph
You don’t have to go back
‘Cause that was then and this is now
‘Cause that was then and this is now

Publishing: © 2015 Meaux Jeaux Music / Rock And A Harding Place / 9T One Songs / Ariose Music (ASCAP) (Admin. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)
Writer(s): Josh Wilson and Ben Glover

Discussion

There are a couple of points I’d like to discuss in this song’s lyrics that bear mentioning. The first point is the wording of the second stanza of the first verse:

We got used to the dark
We thought this is who we are
And we figured that we were just too far gone
But we were wrong

Since the chorus of this song is clearly one of being born-again / regenerate / saved, this verse is depicting our state before we’ve been granted redeeming faith. Before our ears are opened up to the Truth of God’s Word. We didn’t get used to the dark, we were born in it. We didn’t just think that was who we were, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. Let’s look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) | By Grace Through Faith
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Now, once we heard the Law of God faithfully preached, and the Holy Spirit opened our eyes and ears to the Truth of God’s Word, that we were sinners, condemned to death by a righteous, just, and Holy God… we might well have figured that we were too far gone. That is the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Once the Law crucified our flesh (for the letter of the Law kills) compelling us to repent of our unrighteousness, our ears and eyes were opened (by the Holy Spirit) to the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who lived the perfect life, died in our place on that cross bearing the full wrath of sin upon Himself so that in Him we might be clothed in His righteousness by faith in the substitutionary atonement. We, having been regenerated by the working of the Holy Spirit, were granted faith so that by faith we might be born again in Christ Jesus, adopted as sons and daughters into the Kingdom of Heaven.

What makes this song so wonderful, is its inclusion of repentance.

If we turn and confess every unrighteousness
He is faithful and just to forgive
Oh, so turn and confess every wrong and regret
And see what it means to live

Praise the Lord! He is faithful and just to forgive those who repent and confess of sin. This is so refreshing, and what an important, life-giving, reminder of God’s faithfulness. This is something that should find its way into every song, hymn, and spiritual song we sing to one another for encouragement. There is forgiveness at the foot of the cross, for our sin, our daily sin, until at last when we are finally rid of this fleshly body in the Resurrection.

Whew… okay, now this next point is small by comparison, but please bear with me. Dear Christian… don’t make a keepsake of your sinful past. Don’t Box it up like an old photograph. Get rid of it. The focus shouldn’t be on the sin; rather, on the Grace of God who has forgiven you by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a small point, but our sinful, deceitful hearts find ways of reveling in the sinful desires of the past, or offering up to the enemy ammunition to heap on condemnation over your head. Confess, repent, and be forgiven in Jesus’ Name.

Conclusion

This song is a breath of fresh air. I hope to hear it more often on the radio. I hope you find it equally encouraging.

Romans 8:33-39 (ESV)
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

Friday Sermon | Substitutionary Atonement by Mike Abendroth

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RefMT15Today’s sermon comes from this year’s Reformation Montana Conference in Billings, MT. My wife and I had discussed attending this year’s conference. Sadly, there were several competing events for that same weekend, so we’ll have to try to catch a later conference. Mike Abendroth, host of No Compromise Radio, presents the concept of Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement as central to the Scriptures.

Pastor Mike Abendroth

Mike’s passion is preaching the Bible in a verse-by-verse fashion and training other men to do the same. He graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 1996 (M. Div.), received his doctorate in Expository Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2006 (D. Min.), and is an adjunct professor of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pastor Mike is also the author of Jesus Christ: The Prince of Preachers (DayOne, 2007), The Sovereignty and Supremacy of King Jesus (DayOne 2011), Things that Go Bump in the Church (Harvest House, 2014) and Discovering Romans (Zondervan, 2014). He is overwhelmed at God’s grace in his salvation and for his family (Kim, Hayley, Luke, Maddie and Grace). Mike has been the Senior Pastor at Bethlehem Bible Church (BBC) in West Boylston, MA since April 1997 (ref: No Compromise Radio Host Bio)

Sermon Audio

Sermon Text

Revelation 5:1-10 (ESV) | The Scroll and the Lamb

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and withseven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

DiM | “Touch The Sky” by Hillsong United

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Today is “Discernment in Music” (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)).

July 07, 2015. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Touch the Sky” by Hillsong United which currently sits at #16 at 20theCountdownMagazine.

I’d like to begin by openly admitting that I have a negative bias against all things Hillsong, due to their false teaching, bible twisting, and repeated failure to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully. I will do my best to give this song a fair evaluation, but I wanted to clearly acknowledge my bias up front. Having said that, this song has some powerful production power, wonderfully mastered and hypnotic vocal dynamics. Lyrically… the song is self-indulgent, mystically emotional, nonsense. I look forward to the day when Hillsong United puts out a theologically sound piece of music that makes it onto the top20 charts. Not so much for their sake, but for the sake of the millions who blindly follow them.

Lyric Video

Lyrics (via KLove)

Touch The Sky

What fortune lies beyond the stars
Those dazzling heights too vast to climb
I got so high to fall so far
But I found heaven as love swept low

My heart beating
My soul breathing
I found my life
When I laid it down
Upward falling
Spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

What treasure waits within Your scars
The gift of freedom gold can’t buy
I bought the world and sold my heart
You traded heaven to have me again

My heart beating
My soul breathing
I found my life
When I laid it down
Upward falling
Spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

Find me here at your feet again
Everything I am
Reaching out
I surrender come sweep me up in
Your love again and my soul will dance on the
Wings of Forever

Find me here at your feet again
Everything I am
Reaching out
I surrender come sweep me up in
Your love again and my soul will dance on the
Wings of Forever

My heart beating
My soul breathing
I found my life
When I laid it down
Upward falling
Spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

My heart beating
My soul breathing
I found my life
When I laid it down
Upward falling
Spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

Find me here at your feet again
Everything I am
Reaching out
I surrender come sweep me up in
Your love again and my soul will dance on the
Wings of Forever

Upward falling
Spirit soaring
I touch the sky
When my knees hit the ground

Publishing: © 2014 Hillsong Music Publishing (APRA)
Writer(s): Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas & Michael Guy Chislett

Discussion

As I said in the introduction, these lyrics are self-indulgent. The focus of these lyrics are not on God they are on the singer. Not focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ but on the piety/discoveries of the singer. As with most Hillsong material, there are allusions to or themes from scripture. No doubt the creative writing process might have even begun with some of these passages (most likely taken from the Message parody). Let’s look at a couple that I could recognize while reading through the lyrics.

“I found my life when I laid it down”

Mark 8:34-36 (ESV)

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

So, once we look at the reference we see a glaring difference between what is being sung and what we find in Scripture. This statement is recorded in each of the Gospels, and in each Jesus is talking about losing your life for His sake. Hillsong United has turned this idea into a mystical discipline not unlike “emptying oneself” as we see in the eastern religions.

“Find me here at your feet again”

Luke 10:38-42 (ESV) | Martha and Mary

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Mary chose to sit and listen to Jesus’ teaching, and it was the good portion that will not be taken away from her. This passage is sometimes misrepresented as an appeal for Christians that vocation, hard work, and discipline are distractions from so-called spiritual living. In contemporary services, often times allegory invoked places “praise and worship” as the good portion and the faithful, exegetical teaching of the scriptures as the “anxious and troubled about many things”. You’ll see this whenever a church leader describes his service as “relevant”, “relatable”, “young”, or “young” (The Man Behind Hillsong: Brian Houston).

John 12:1-3 (ESV) | Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

For this song, I think this is more the imagery they are going for, which moves us into the mystically emotional quality of the lyrics. This is a very intimate moment, one of deep thanksgiving (Lazarus was there after having been risen from the dead by Jesus) and it leads directly into death and burial of Jesus Christ. That is the focus of this event, because Jesus would have to be buried before His body can be properly anointed and washed… the very reason the women go out to the tomb on the third day, finding it empty… Christ had risen. But the song lyric doesn’t go in that direction… instead, it gets a bit indulgent, almost emotionally romantic… Everything I am, Reaching out, I surrender come sweep me up in, Your love again and my soul will dance on the, Wings of Forever. We don’t have the singer sitting at the foot of Jesus in repentance, for teaching, or even out of thanksgiving; rather, the singer is invoking surrender language for being swept up in a loving embrace so her soul can dance on the wings of forever. Emotional drivel.

The rest of the song is a hypnotic poetry of nonsense verse. My soul breathing… upward falling… I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground… it’s artistic, but it doesn’t convey any real meaning, not in any Biblical sense. The hearer is free to interpret these lines in any way that seems to fit at any given moment. That might be fine for secular music, but shouldn’t be a mainstay of Christian music.

Conclusion

This song shouldn’t be sung in any church because the object of the song is the self, not God. I would argue that it shouldn’t be on the Christian airwaves, because there is nothing in it directly identifying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This song could have been written by a Native American spiritualist, a Hindu Yogi, or Far-eastern Buddhist. The music quality is phenomenal, but that only serves to obfuscate its lyrical pablum.

To God be the glory, Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

CTT | Condemned Already

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John 3:16 is a common reference in Internet Memes and Sporting events (though the latter will see a decline in today’s antichrist climate). It’s a wonderful verse; however, I find myself unwilling to limit the citation to the singular verse. I prefer to cite John 3:16-18 or more. Let us look at the verse and discuss the impact of the fuller context.

John 3:16-21 (ESV) | For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

My favorite weekly segment at Wretched Radio with Todd Friel is Witness Wednesday. Todd does a great job of engaging young men and women on college campuses with Law and Gospel. A common response to the question of “do you think God will let you into heaven” goes along the lines of “I don’t think I’ve done anything too bad”. Many in the western culture who acknowledge there might be a God and that there might come a judgement once they’ve died have a picture of that judgement that they’ll somehow have an opportunity to make their case for admittance into heaven based on weighing the good they’ve done against the bad and most think they will come out positive in the end, if not at some sort of break-even. Sadly, many of these individuals consider themselves “Christian”.  These are quick to cite John 3:16, some might even echo a colloquial version of 17 (Jesus didn’t come to judge but to save), but few have ever read verse 18. Verse 18 makes it clear, those who do not believe are condemned already. What does that mean? It means they are already guilty.  Many who object to this truth of the Law (that we are already guilty) will make defenses that equate to “that’s not fair to judge me based on what I haven’t done”. They do not understand the nature of sin and the Law of God, nor of His Grace.

Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Satan tempted Eve and she ate, and Adam followed suit. When God sought them out, the investigation began (not for God’s sake, for He is all-knowing, but for the sake of His creation):

Genesis 3:8-13 (ESV)

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Each tried to assign fault with another, but confessed their action. They admitted the sin, but tried to assign blame elsewhere. We continue to do this to this day. God, in His Holy Justice and Grace, pronounces judgment.

Genesis 3:14-19 (ESV)

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
    cursed are you above all livestock
    and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
    and dust you shall eat
    all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
    and he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
    and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
    ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
    in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
    and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
    you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
    for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
    and to dust you shall return.”

Did Adam die in that day? Yes. However, by God’s Grace, man was given time. Adam would live to see his children, knowing they would die, knowing they would have to work the ground that is cursed by his sin. God also gave us a Promise, sometimes referred to as the protoevangelium, that He will crush the head of the serpent by the seed of woman. This points forward to Jesus, born of a virgin, son of the Living God, He who came to save the world by His substitutionary death on the cross.

In the case of mankind’s sin, the verdict is already in. Death is inescapable, the wages of sin is death. It has been appointed to every man to die once and then face judgement. You see, our temporal life is by the Grace of God, so that we might come to penitent faith in Jesus Christ who has already borne the full wrath of God against sin. We are born on death row…the delayed eternal punishment is by God’s Grace so that we might hear the Word of Christ and come to faith.

Romans 5:12-21 (ESV) | Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) | By Grace Through Faith

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It is good to share John 3:16, for it is a central truth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but without the Law, the Gospel seeks to resolve a need that is not acknowledged by the unbelieving. I, for one, am leaning more and more toward John 3:18 as the lead-in, but I digress. Mankind needs to hear both Law and Gospel, for only by hearing the Word can anyone be granted faith by grace.

Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

The world stands condemned already by their unbelief. Rather than seeking to sell them on “making a decision for Jesus” or even “asking Jesus into their hearts”… preach the Word of Christ. I like how the Apostle Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 1:17-21 (ESV) | Christ the Wisdom & Power of God

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

“Soaking”: An Old Unbiblical Game with a New Name

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Our youth are under attack. Please know where you are sending them for conferences/camps.

Tony Miano's avatarRepent Bethel Redding

Beni Johnson "soaking" with young people in Switzerland. Beni Johnson “soaking” with young people in Switzerland.

I came across this photo on Beni Johnson’s Facebook page. Beni included the following description with the photo:

“Oh you know just a little soaking with the youth today. Berne, Switzerland conference. That was fun.”

In this article, I will provide a definition of “soaking,” its roots, and how Bethel Redding’s engagement and promotion of the practice serve as yet more evidence that it is not the Holy Spirit at work in this cult.

“Soaking” or “Soaking Prayer” is defined as follows:

“Since the 1990s there has been an increased focus on mysticism within various segments of Christianity. Bordering on the esoteric, these mystical experiences broaden the division between a ‘factual faith’ and a ‘felt faith,’ and threaten to replace sound biblical teaching with emotion-driven response. Soaking prayer is one such mystical activity. It is described as resting in God’s presence…

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