God says that our thoughts are mirror images of what we truly are in our deepest innermost being.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, he says to you, but his heart is not with you. Proverbs 23:7)
My thoughts immediately went to this verse when I read Stephan Joubert’s latest contribution DO THE GRACE WALK on echurch’s website. He writes:
Never wait until you feel like doing nice things to mean people, because, frankly, you never will! Jesus never said you should wait until your enemies become your friends before you begin to love them. No, love them while you’re still angry at them! In other words: do good things to them and build a relationship with them while you actually feel like ripping their heads off their shoulders. Retaliate with love. Walk a second mile by giving them a glass of cold water when you’d rather want to give them a big dose of arsenic. The longer you do nice things to bad people and the more you lay the initial building blocks of new relationships, the more you’ll decipher the footsteps of God in front of you. You will become more and more like your heavenly Father.
Oh so, to become more and more like your heavenly Father you must learn the art of loving someone while you actually feel like killing him deep down in your heart. Is this what the English mean when they say: "love him to death?" According to Stephan Jobuert this is the way to decipher God’s footsteps ahead of you more clearly. We will definietly have to reprimand Jesus and call Him to account for his audacity to teach people things that are different from Stephan Joubert’s teachings. He actually had the nerve to say:
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24).
No, no, no, no Jesus. That’s not kosher at all. You must take some time to sit at the feet of Stephen Joubert and his buddies where you may learn how to love bad people while you actually hate them deep down in your heart and rather would like to kill them. Believe me, this is the new post modern way to be a Jesus follower. You can keep your cross and self denial to yourself. SHOCKING? Yes, of course, but this is exactly what these people are saying to Jesus while they claim to be his followers.
If ever there was a practical example of what Solomon meant in Proverbs 23:7, it is this outburst of Stephan Joubert. It perfectly illustrates the dangerous duplicity between your thoughts and your actions. Allow me to elaborate a little more on Stephan Joubert’s GRACE WALK. Most people are aware that is is prolifically, enthusiasitically, elatedly and boisterously promoting the EMERGING CHURCH in South Africa. His most utilized strategy is to attack, lambast, criticize and belittle the institutionalized church. You may be interested to read his most recent attack in the 3 February issue of Rapport.
While I was reading the article and the various commentaries my thoughts went to another verse in Scripture:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do you do? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:44-48)
Please note: Jesus never said you should love your enemies while deep in your innermost (your heart) you feel like murdering them (ripping their heads off their shoulders). He also never said you should build a relationship with them or give them a glass of cold water while you secretly (once again in your heart) would rather prefer to give them a large dose of arsenic. Stephan Joubert sounds exactly like Benny Hinn of the institutionlized Word of Faith movement who once said he wished he had a Holy Spirit machine gun so that he could blow the heads off of those who oppose him. (By the way: This is the man whom Angus Buchan praises and speaks very highly of.)
What! Has the EMERGING CHURCH and specifically the ECHURCH chosen to follow in the footsteps of God’s little Messiah and his institutionalized church known as THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT? What is the difference between Benny Hinn’s blasphemous comment "I hope God gives me a Holy Ghost machine gun. I’ll blow your head off" and Stephan Joubert’s equally blasphemous comments. " . . when you’d rather want to give them a big dose of arsenic “or “while you actually feel like ripping their heads off their shoulders.” Stephan Joubert just loves to use Jesus’ Name to emphasize his own unbiblical teachings. He often refers to Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:42 to hide his own sugared hatred of those who oppose him and expose his heresies in public. Jesus never said you should give a glass of cold water to every Tom, Dick and Harry. He referred to his “little ones," his disciples who preach the unadulterated Word of God.
Let’s admit it outright. Stephan Joubert is an enigma that our little minds can hardly understand. Think about it: While he calls everyone his enemies who is concerned about the dangerous pilgrimage he has taken and whose heads he would like to rip off their shoulders, he is constantly speaking very higly of and hugs (without a weapon in his hand) the enemies of God. Look again at the site on which he regualrly comments. If its not Echart Tolle whom they openly promote it is Briian McLaren whom they endorse and this is the man who openly and publically sides with men like Steve Chalke and Alan Jones who calls the crucifixion of Jesus a form of cosmic child abuse and a vile doctrine (See here).
South Africa, how long will you listen to people like Stephan Joubert, Johan Geyser and their friends? WAKE UP!
