Faith – Benjamin Hoogterp

When A Worship Movement Turns

On December 16, 2014

Personally, I don’t think there is a line between the sacred and the secular,” she suggests. “If a person is living before God’s eyes, everything is sacred. All of life is sacred, as opposed to trying to make church songs in one box and love songs in another box. I think we need to get rid of the separation. I hope these songs will land somewhere between encouraging people and leading them to ask questions about what they really believe. I hope to stir up conversations in their soul. I love the mysterious elements of God, and again, not to separate the sacred from the secular, but see the story of God in our lives and in the dirt of humanity.

There comes a time when a movement comes to a decision and they go to the right or the left. But, what happens when they turn to the left, and not the right? To the side, and not straight on?

I didn’t intend to be an artist, but I originally started writing in the prayer room where I led two or three sessions a day,” she recounts of a multi-faceted role that dates back to her days as an intern at the International House of Prayer. “The songs that came out of those seasons had a very repetitive chorus type of feel to them and a lot of corporate singing off very scripturally-based themes. Not only have a lot of my past albums been centered around corporate worship songs, but the last record was recorded in the corporate live setting. I never want to walk away from that, but worship and creativity under God is bigger than just corporate expression exclusively, and in my heart, I’ve always had a singer/songwriter side. This project focuses more on lyrics than choruses and is not as repetitive as I may have been in the past, which has been a really fun process for me as a writer. The fact is I became an artist very accidentally and it all just evolved naturally, but because the Lord gave me a chance, I’m going to strive to do it with excellence.

It was only a matter of time… You post articles, you write books, you spend hours some days conversing with them, driving to meet with them, researching their ‘doctrines’. Eventually, they respond. I don’t intend to make any sort of a habit of honoring these with responses. I’ve tried, they’re just generally not interested. But, for the interest of study, it is sometimes useful to have a field specimen, of sorts. Occasionally, a piece is worth dissecting publicly, to see what is at work, for the interest of those observing.

As such, the following below is the latest response to my post on Biblically Confronting the False-Grace movement (here). The comment was too long to publish on that post for one, and, additionally, the format of comment and response does not allow for adequate interaction with the arguments.

But, when you choose to engage, you have to make a decision from the out-set. Even when studying and countering the religious spirit, you have to set some ground-rules, or boundaries. It must be agreed upon that if a subject matter is thoroughly proved wrong through a study of Scripture by one party, the other must question their position. Unfortunately, of every Grace-Whack we’ve ever come across, not one has cared that every point has been thoroughly contested and disproved.

Psalm 149

By Benjamin

On December 21, 2013

In Featured, Prophetic

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands,

Psalm 149:6

Some have laid claim to the idea that this is somehow, primarily, an End Times Psalm. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Failure to recognize the power and authority of the Kingdom leads one to bad exegesis. Remember, Peter was said to have the Keys of the Kingdom, and could bind and lose at will (and, hence, as a body, so do we). These are the already bound things in heaven, so it is the execution of the written judgments spoken of. Again, whether this is a prophecy of what was to come, or then experience of the tabernacle worshippers that was entirely a foreshadowing of the church age is also in question. It seems clear that the singers literally did this in their worship to God at the time, and, because David’s tent was a prophetic picture of the New Covenant, it is what we do every time we lift high praises to God.

How to Biblically Confront the Current False Grace Heresies

By Benjamin

On November 29, 2013

In Reference, Thoughts

Update (5/9/2014):

We have recently put together a short book available on Amazon related to confronting the hyper-grace issues in the church today, as summarized here. In this new 200+ page book, we cover topics such as the “Words in Red”, many of the false-grace heresies in circulation today, including inclusion, as well as solid Scriptural support for the truth.

Additionally, because there is a great interest in this topic, and the subject is urgent in many people’s lives, if you cannot purchase one or have any other reason, we have made the entire contents of the book available via PDF online as well.

If you would like more information, please click here .

Additionally, feel free to check out our other articles on the topic of Hyper-Grace.

The best way to debate anything is the Word. The Word is sufficient. The Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. Anything you need to defend or define must have as its ultimate authority to be God, through His Word, or it will always end in the shifting sands of opinion.

However, when it comes to certain groups, because their doctrine is so far beleaguered and strays so far from the truth of the Word, because its source is still rather narrow, whenever you debate with them, they more or less follow the same basic script. That’s right. They don’t rely on the full counsel of the Word, they use a few texts, here or there, pulled and shifted out well beyond reason, and, if you know where they’re trying to go, you stay out of their predictable traps.

Prayer At Its Best

By Benjamin

On May 21, 2013

In Thoughts

When Daniel Nash Prayed, Heaven responded. Charles Finney, whom Father Nash labored with, was quoted as saying that revival was like a crop of wheat–what was sown in prayer was reaped in harvest. Yet, it is not accident that within a few months after Daniel Nash died, Finney put up his regular preaching, because the power was no longer there. The power, and Charles Finney knew it, was in the prayer.

Daniel Nash was recorded to have rented out a root cellar one time, and prayed and fasted there for two weeks before breakthrough came, and word was sent to Finney. He knew when the right level of overcoming had been acheived, and, when it had, Finney preached, the Spirit fell, and many souls were saved.

The Road Ahead

By Benjamin

On January 26, 2013

In Thoughts

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

What many think of as “life” is not life at all. Jesus said He was the way, the truth, and the life, and no one came to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Jesus is The Life, and there is no other.

When we consider the many things in this world, from the eyes of Christ, we must conclude that since it is not contained within Him, it is not life at all. This is, in fact the truth, because without Christ, all are dead in their trespasses and sin. Theologically, we may even agree with this fact, but the truth remains that it is as true as salvation itself. What walks around before us are literally tombs filled with dead men’s bones.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

John 12:23-26

In The Beginning

By Benjamin

On November 25, 2012

In Thoughts

In the beginning, man walked with God, and God walked with man. There was no separation. Union and harmony existed between the two, though they were distinct. Sin came and changed all that, but that is what getting back to union is all about.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Genesis 4:26

So, in the beginning, prayer not, as we understand today, part of the package. Man began to call upon the Lord after the time of Adam, after the fall, and after the time of Abel’s more righteous sacrifice.

Relevant?

By Benjamin

On July 10, 2012

In Thoughts

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

1 Corinthians 2:12-15

We must be clear. We are not to judge those outside of the church, but we are called to judge those inside it (1 Corinthians 5:12). Those outside are sinners, and we expect them to act like sinners. If they sin, it is their nature to sin, and we do not do well if we point fingers at the unregenerate. Likewise, when we enter into soulish, or carnal, judgement against a brother, failing to discern the Lord’s body, we do sin. Jesus said, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30). He did not use His own mind or understanding to judge, but He judged according to the Spirit, and was right when He prophesied judgement on the Pharisees, on Jerusalem, and on the cities that would not hear His Gospel.

Pure and Simple

By Benjamin

On September 10, 2011

In Thoughts

You don’t have to be the biggest to be the best. You don’t have to have the most dynamic conferences, you don’t have to be 24/7 yet, you might not even have a night-watch running. But, you can still be the best.

There is a desire to excel and to “win” in the heart of a man. Basic competition isn’t the problem, so long as the heart is right. The formula for perfection is simple.

Mark 11:20-24
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

You see, Jesus had just cursed a fig tree and seen it wither from the roots–talk about power and authority! In another similar encounter, the disciples asked Jesus for MORE faith (Luke 17:5-6), and Jesus said it wasn’t the AMOUNT of faith that mattered, it was its PURITY.

If you believe, and do not doubt, you shall have whatever you ask for.

Standing In His Presence

Tag: Faith

When A Worship Movement Turns

A Grace Whack Responds

Psalm 149

How to Biblically Confront the Current False Grace Heresies

Update (5/9/2014):

Prayer At Its Best

The Road Ahead

In The Beginning

Relevant?

Pure and Simple