Another Jesus Calling

Transcription

1 Another Jesus Calling

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3 Another Jesus Calling How False Christs Are Entering The Church Through Contemplative Prayer Warren B. Smith Lighthouse Trails Publishing Eureka, Montana

4 Another Jesus Calling 2013 Warren B. Smith Published by Lighthouse Trails Publishing P.O. Box 908 Eureka, MT (see back of book for publisher and author contact information) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher. Excerpts and quotes may be used without permission as the US Fair Use Act allows. Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version. Cover design and interior design by Lighthouse Trails Publishing. Cover photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission. The author and publisher of this book have included quotes from copyrighted material in accordance with the U.S. Fair Use Act, which allows a copyrighted work to be reproduced for the purpose of criticism, comment, review, news reporting, teaching, or research. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Warren B. ANOTHER JESUS CALLING : How false christs are entering the church : through contemplative prayer / Warren B. Smith. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN (softbound : alk. paper) 1. Christianity and other religions--new Age movement. 2. Young, Sarah, Jesus calling. I. Title. BR128.N48S dc Note: Lighthouse Trails Publishing books are available at special quantity discounts. Contact information for publisher in back of book. Printed in the United States of America

5 Dedication For my friends in La Crete

6 Acknowledgments Thank you to all the people who had a hand in helping with this book.

7 Contents Note to the Reader Prologue PART ONE GOD CALLING: Ten Concerns Channeled Book From Jesus? Permeated With New Age Terminology God s Universal Spirit? God in Everyone? Name it & Claim it Experience Replaces God s Word Jesus Needs Us More Than We Need Him? New Truth & New Revelation The New Age & Psalm 46: New Age Christianity PART TWO JESUS CALLING: Twenty Concerns Inspired by a Channeled New Age Book Channeling Jesus? Test the Spirits Jesus Contradicts Himself? Jesus Tells Us to Laugh at the Future? The Flattery of Jesus?... 64

8 7. Who Wants Us to Rest by the Wayside? Visualizing Jesus? The Dark Night of Jesus Birth? Abraham Guilty of Idolatry & Son-Worship? Contemplative Prayer, the New Age, & Psalm 46: Practicing What Presence? Co-creating with God Quantum Leap, Quantum Christ Cocoon of Light The Great Work of Divine Alchemy Jesus is Above All & in All? Moving Toward a New Age/New Worldview Would Jesus Magnify His Presence Above the Word of God? Another Jesus Calling Epilogue Appendix A Ten Basic Warnings About Deception Appendix B The Gospel of the True Jesus Christ Appendix C Ten Ways to Be More Discerning A Note From the Publisher Endnotes Index

9 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 2 Corinthians 11:4

10 Note to the Reader In April 2013, I received a phone call just prior to traveling to Canada to speak at a prophecy conference. Two women from the La Crete, Alberta conference were concerned about a best-selling book titled Jesus Calling. The author, Sarah Young, had published personal messages she said she received from Jesus Christ. The two women had an uneasy feeling about the book and wanted me to look into it. I was aware of the book but didn t realize it had become so popular. So the next day when I went to our local Christian bookstore, I was surprised to see Jesus Calling piled high in two stacks on the floor in front of a shelf where it was already fully stocked. It was obviously very popular. I noticed that Jesus Calling came in a variety of sizes and styles. There was the standard compact, rust-colored, hardcover edition that I held in my hands. A small egg-shaped picture of an inviting outstretched hand was in the middle of the front cover. The title read, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. And a line at the top of the front cover read, Devotions for Every Day of the Year. Another edition of the same book had what

11 Note to the Reader was called a leather look, while another had a genuine cowhide cover. There was a sage-colored version, a pink-colored version, a special edition for teens, as well as a Jesus Calling (Bible Storybook) for children. Prominently featured on a display rack were numerous copies of the Jesus Calling Devotional Bible. Off to my left were more Sarah Young titles Dear Jesus, Jesus Today, and Jesus Lives. I would later discover there was a 40 Days with Jesus booklet and a Jesus Calling Devotional Calendar. The copy of Jesus Calling I was holding in my hands informed me that the book was now available for the iphone, ipod Touch, ipad, and all Android devices. It was also available on an audio CD. When I asked the clerk how many copies of Jesus Calling they had sold, he replied thousands. I said, Really? He said, Really. The copyright page informed me that Jesus Calling was originally published in 2004, and I would learn that over time it eventually became the number one best-selling book for Christian retail in It has already sold over nine million copies. And as I write, it continues to be the #1 best-selling book in Christian bookstores, as well as #3 on the Wall Street Journal s best-seller list for all non-fiction books secular and Christian. In the Introduction to Jesus Calling, Sarah Young said she had been inspired to receive personal messages from Jesus after reading a book called God Calling. I remembered God Calling because it was a book I had when I was involved with New Age teachings. I found it troubling that Sarah Young had been inspired by a metaphysical book like God Calling. So that afternoon after purchasing Jesus Calling at the Christian bookstore, I also bought a copy of God Calling at a used bookstore. I would later find out that God Calling was being featured along with Jesus Calling in another local Christian bookstore. The following day while traveling to Alberta, I started reading 11

12 Another Jesus Calling Jesus Calling. I learned that Sarah Young, the daughter of a college professor, majored in philosophy at Wellesley College and later earned her master s degree in counseling and biblical studies at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. Young related how she and her third-generation missionary husband served two four-year terms in Japan doing church planting work. Returning to the United States after the second term in Japan, she obtained a further degree in counseling at Georgia State University while her husband was employed at a local Japanese church in Atlanta. Later, after moving to Australia and while also continuing her counseling practice, Young assisted her husband in planting the first Japanese church in Melbourne. It was in Australia that she first read God Calling. By the time I arrived in Northern Alberta, I had finished reading both Jesus Calling and God Calling. Because of my concern about what I had just read, I made Jesus Calling the subject of one of my talks at the prophecy conference. I later felt that my concerns needed to be covered more completely, which is why this book was written. Because Jesus Calling contains personal messages that Sarah Young says were given to her by Jesus Christ, it is important to determine if these messages were really from Jesus. Are they consistent with the teachings of God s Word? Is anything new or questionable being subtly introduced? In short, can we trust Jesus Calling as a godly devotional book? Having been formerly involved in the New Age movement, I became immediately concerned when I read the book. It was troubling for me to see a number of New Age practices and concepts being presented as completely normal for Christians. Even more troubling, there were no warnings or disclaimers about what was being introduced. By the end of the book, Jesus Calling and its Jesus had subtly and not so subtly introduced occult/new Age channeling, spiritual dictation, creative visualization, meditation, 12

13 Note to the Reader divine alchemy, co-creation with God, and practicing the presence like it was everyday Christian fare. New Age terms and concepts were brought into the messages like they were no big deal. And added to this were indirect references to a pantheistic poet and two classic New Age books, along with a hearty endorsement of God Calling the channeled book that inspired Sarah Young to try and receive her own personal messages from Jesus. The unusual use of language by the Jesus of Jesus Calling was also disturbing. It seemed to run the gamut from everyday Joe language to strange word choice, unwarranted flattery, worldly clichés, repetitive phrases, disparaging comments, and not-so-subtle mockery. All in all, Jesus Calling seemed to be an obvious attempt by our spiritual Adversary to get an even further foothold inside the Christian church. While I was surprised that Sarah Young s devotional had become such a huge best-seller in the Christian marketplace, I was not completely surprised. Deceptive occult/new Age teachings are swallowing up much of what calls itself Christian these days. In this book, I have done my best to raise some of my questions and concerns. I am sure my conclusions will upset a great many people who are devoted to Jesus Calling. Obviously, what you do with these conclusions is completely up to you. But I couldn t imagine not bringing what I discovered to your attention. Hopefully, you will consider what I have presented here. Warren B. Smith 13