CITY CHURCH, CARDIFF, AND THE SINCERE FACE OF DECEPTION!

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

(1 John 4:1)

On Sunday 19 November, Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong was the guest speaker at City Church, Cardiff. This gentleman is the founder and Senior Pastor of Cornerstone Community Church in Singapore, which owns and administers the Bible College of Wales in Swansea (which I've had occasion to previously write about - see Topics list). I record here my thoughts on this event, not only to again urge caution about City Church, but because they carry what I feel is a much more widely applicable warning concerning very real perils inherent in the complacency of the contemporary Church, viz:

1) Sincerity as a vehicle for the successful delivery of deception.

2) Our pressing need for perceiving not just what is presenting up front, but what is coming along on the back of it.

* * * * * * *

I have, of course, long had concerns about City Church and its disturbing "anything goes" approach to the Faith, with a great lack of wisdom and discernment being shown on the part of the leadership. They demonstrate on a local level what the Elim denomination from the top down has become, i.e. showing no distinction between the genuine and the counterfeit, and having a great willingness to play with hyper-Charismatic "strange fire" and an experiential "feel-good" Christianity which goes unchecked against Biblical standards. There's often very little difference now between attending a church or going to a rock concert. "Atmosphere" is created, emotions are whipped up, often to a frenzy, with the music in combination with the auditorium lighting conspiring to cause people to enter - usually unknowingly - into an altered state of consciousness, whereby no attempt is made to analyze the healthiness of what they are hearing and feeling. There is no room for questioning, only blindly receiving, and if they WANT it to be the Holy Spirit, then as far as they're concerned it IS the Holy Spirit! In such an unguarded environment, false spirits can easily enter and be freely accepted.

One of the big problems is that when leaders like Yang Tuck Yoong present as being sincere, this is usually taken as being sufficient in itself for ready acceptance by those they are leading, especially when they are saying exactly what the congregation really wants to hear. (As happens here in this service, re revival in Wales). But those leaders may unfortunately be sincerely deceived themselves, and that very sincerity is a weighty vehicle for passing on deception to others. Shallowness doesn't carry anything like the same weight! If perhaps we think of sincerity as an articulated lorry, a (literally!) weighty vehicle, that long lorry has two distinct components, the first being the cab unit which has the engine, gearbox, steering column and of course the driver, which pulls the whole thing along. This is what we see coming towards us first, and it could be very well driven and seem absolutely nothing to worry about. But behind it is its trailer, firmly attached, which carries the all-important payload. 

If we apply that analogy to the City Church meeting, what is most visible is the cab unit of the artic. But what matters, and matters very much indeed, is the payload in the trailer behind it. And what that payload consists of is, as is so often the case, very far from obvious, and no-one seems to consider that the load being hauled might perhaps not be nutricious foodstuffs, but deadly toxic waste. And even the driver might be blissfully unaware of what he is actually hauling, what exactly it is that he is carefully distributing. Which would ironically make him the most dangerous kind of driver on the road - not because of any lack of driving skills on his part, but because of what he is an essential party to delivering. It's vital that we perceive not just what is up front, but what lies behind.

So what is Yang Tuck Yoong's cargo? We have to look very closely, but just a key few minutes' worth of his message tells us all we need to know, provided we know what to look for. It's toxic waste. The absolute giveaway is the mention that he has just come to Wales after spending some 10 days with Bill Johnson at Bethel, Redding. They are great friends. They walk together. They are agreed: as the Word says, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" And this is immensely significant, for Bill Johnson is one of the most dangerous false teachers, and his Bethel "church" one of the most significant promoters of a different Jesus, a different gospel and a different spirit, on the planet today. His reference to Randy Clark of Toronto Blessing "strange fire" infamy, Roy Godwin of Ffald-y-Brenin who I've had cause to write about for promoting mysticism, and Dutch Sheets who is an "apostle" of the New Apostolic Reformation, underlines that he has enthusiastically embraced not that which is right and true, but that which is wrong and untrue. The NAR is intent on militantly pushing an entirely heretical Dominionist eschatology, where all areas of human endeavour are to be taken over by the Church (or rather what is imagined to be the Church) and ruled by (self-acclaimed) Apostles and Prophets in a "Kingdom" established on Earth PRIOR to the return of and quite independently of the King Himself. It's the exact opposite of Biblical eschatology; it is the doctrine of demons and in the spirit of Antichrist. Period. These are the people who Yang Tuck Yoong admires and aligns himself with, deluded men who are not faithful ambassadors of Christ but apostate corrupters of the Faith. Every year at Cornerstone Church in Singapore, NAR leaders like Bill Johnson are the headline speakers on the platform. 

A significant tie-up has occurred between the Swansea Bible College and Elim, with the College having appointed David Holdaway, an Elim minister, as Principal. (From 7/16 to 5/17). Elim has long been corrupted by its gratuitous involvement in the Toronto Blessing's blind drunkenness; City Church has had both Bill Johnson, and Steve Long of Catch the Fire (epicentre of the TB) as guest speakers; it's sadly no surprise to find them hosting Yang Tuck Yoong and his wife Daphne, who are joined at the hip to the hyper-Charismatic movement and the NAR. Noteworthy too is that Luis Palau is due to speak there (on 26/11/17); Palau is a personal friend and endorser of the Pope, which should speak volumes as to his unsoundness! Wales is indeed being targeted for a "revival" but it is not an Awakening brought about by the Holy Spirit, but a Satanically-inspired counterfeit revival engineered by the flesh, marked by a Dominionist worldview, the false unity of ecumenism, mysticism, and the seeking of signs and wonders which is the hallmark of an evil and adulterous generation. (Matthew 12:39). It would seem that City Church is to be in the vanguard of this move of a deeply unholy spirit to cunningly take the Welsh Church completely off the narrow Way and onto the broad road that leads to destruction. The Enemy is nothing if not subtle...

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, 

transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed 

as the ministers of righteousness;

whose end shall be according to their works."

(2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

STEVE LONG OF 'CATCH THE FIRE' TORONTO, AT CITY CHURCH CARDIFF - ELIM'S DETERMINATION TO OFFER "STRANGE FIRE!"

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, 
and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, 
and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not."

(Leviticus 10:1))

Strange fire. The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered here as "strange" is "unauthorized, foreign, profane." In some way, what these men did was totally improper, and utterly offensive to a holy God. It was an unacceptable action born of the flesh rather than of the spirit, and this episode continues to speak to us today about the rightness or otherwise of our actions and how our Creator views them.

And in modern times there can be few if any examples of "strange fire" more blatant and far-reaching in effect than what became known as the Toronto Blessing, which was in reality a curse of gargantuan proportions, the toxic smouldering of which continues to chronically affect us to this day.

The unrestrained drunken revelry which characterized this supposed "revival" should have been ample proof that the phenomenon had nothing whatsoever to do with the Holy Spirit and everything to do with an alien one, but wisdom and discernment were the two spiritual gifts that hardly anyone seemed to have any interest in exercising. It was party time, and the only thing that was unacceptable to the writhing masses was anyone daring to rain on their parade by telling them the truth about their demonic delusion.

Which brings us to Steve Long, and his imminent visit to City Church Cardiff (which until June this year was known as City Temple). So who exactly is Steve Long? Well, he and wife Sandra have been pastors at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, now re-branded as 'Catch The Fire,' since 1994, when they arrived at John Arnott's church where the Toronto Blessing's "strange fire" had broken out in January of that year. They were then commissioned by the Arnotts in 2006 as the Senior Pastors. Mr. and Mrs. Long also serve as Vice-Presidents of Catch The Fire (World) and Directors of Catch The Fire (Canada).

It must be emphasized that Steve Long came to prominence precisely because of his deep participation in and global promotion of the "strange fire" of the Toronto Blessing, for which he was rewarded by John Arnott personally by being given the leadership of his Toronto church when he stepped down from that position a decade ago. Steve Long is absolutely inseparable from the so-called Toronto Blessing, and this has to be clearly understood when evaluating his ministry.

The Longs' profile (http://catchthefire.com/media/profiles/steve-sandra-long) informs us that they specialize in inner healing, deliverance and physical healing. In this context, it will be more than relevant to here take a little look at a book that Steve Long has written on the subject of healing, entitled 'My Healing Belongs To Me' with a foreword unsurprisingly penned by John Arnott. Most tellingly, it is endorsed by some of the most well-known and utterly unsound ear-tickling "Christian" renegades on the planet, like Bill Johnson, James Goll, Wesley and Stacey Campbell, Rolland and Heidi Baker, and Che Ahn amongst others - of whom we might particularly note two British individuals, namely David Campbell and Kevin Peat, who we'll return to shortly.

With so many false teachers and prophets on board to boost sales  - you need to note the major New Apostolic Reformation connections! - it should really come as no shock to the system to find that the premise of Long's book is quite simply a lie. The ear-tickling pitch is this:

"GOD WANTS TO SEE EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, BECOME HEALTHY."

(Source: http://www.catchthefirebooks.com/myhealingbelongstome/)

The very title of the book is itself an untruth! When Long asserts that "my healing belongs to me" he is simply regurgitating the old Word of Faith deception. Our healing DOES NOT belong to US - it very firmly belongs to GOD, and to Him alone! Period. He is Sovereign, and it is He who decides on such matters, not us. He will grant, or NOT grant healing, as it pleases Him. He alone has ownership of such things, and while we can meekly ask for a dispensation of a measure of His healing grace, the answer is far from guaranteed to be a "Yes!" Even the Apostle Paul met with a firm "No!" when he asked three times for his "thorn" to be removed. Hard as it may be for us to understand, illness and weakness can indeed form an integral part of God's plan and purpose for our lives. And like Trophimus, we too can be left sick (2 Tim. 4:20) or like Timothy have stomach trouble and frequent illnesses (1 Tim. 5:23). Here is the Lord's answer to Paul's request and the Apostle's response to it, words that should really make us stop and think long and hard about these issues:

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, 
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

A little more reading and digestion of the Word will completely blow apart Long's claim that "God wants to see everyone, everywhere, become healthy." John 5 records an incident in Jesus's ministry, when he healed a disabled man at the pool of Bethesda. It should be well noted that this man was the only one in "a great multitude" so healed; all his fellows went home in the same condition in which they had arrived.

I have no doubt personally that God can and will accomplish miraculous physical healing if He wishes to. But it is not the norm, and definitely not His focus. His priority is not physical but spiritual healing, through our coming into a restored relationship with Him by honest repentance of sin and our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. This is the most important and fundamental healing of all, compared to which all other types of healing become only of the palest significance. Physical healing is temporal, whereas spiritual healing is eternal.

Let us remember that when by His grace we are saved, the spirit is redeemed but the flesh remains in a state of corruption. We remain subject in the body to the same ravages of disease, decay and death as everyone else in this fallen world. What is corruptible has yet to put on incorruption; what is mortal has yet to put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:53-4). And for such glorious and permanent transformation, we have to patiently wait.

Friends, we are not to be fooled by fables, and we are to firmly resist the seduction of what has but an appearance of righteousness. So many, even when they know in their heart of hearts that something is not right, go along with it anyway, rather than make a stand. So many simply have no desire to see the reality, preferring the illusion. There are none so blind as they who have poked out their own eyes, and lead the similarly sightless into the ditch.

Most regrettably, Elim have long had such leaders, men who should have known so much better. Men like Colin Dye and Wynne Lewis of the Kensington Temple, who dizzily danced to the Toronto tune and caused others to delightedly partner with them in the whole unfolding horror story. Men of the moment like the aforementioned David Campbell and Kevin Peat, both of whom are Regional Leaders in the Elim denomination and unashamed and determined error pedlars. For more information on this particular angle, please refer to: http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/rivercamp-2015-elims-accord-with.html

To the list of undiscerning Elim (mis)leaders can sadly be added Steve Ball, the current Senior Pastor at City Church Cardiff, for bringing Steve Long to his church, and also his predecessor Chris Cartwright, who during his tenure hosted Bill Johnson at the City Temple. Johnson - who as we've noted commends Long's 'My Healing Belongs To Me' - was Campbell and Peat's star guest at their Rivercamp Leadership Conference last year, and is one of the unsoundest "Christian" leaders in the world today! Please see: http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/rivercamp-leadership-conference-may.html

City Church Cardiff is playing with fire. And it is "strange fire" that they are playing with. The visit of Steve Long is not to be missed, they enthuse. But the truth of the matter is that anyone who has risen to prominence and power as a direct result of their very active participation in and promotion of the demonic delirium that was the Toronto "Blessing," should be marked and studiously avoided, not courted and connected with!

Dear reader, my hope and my prayer is that Thursday 13th. October will not find you anywhere near City Church Cardiff, supporting this travesty!

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, 

and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, 

saith the Lord Almighty."

(2 Corinthians 6:17-18)