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Friday 13 June 2014

DIVISIVE AND DANGEROUS: MIKE BREEN'S 3DM HUDDLES AKA MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES!

This is a follow up to my previous posts about 3DM. It has been written following concerning reports recently brought to my attention from within the UK which I hope to expand upon at a later date.

For the record, Mike Breen has re-named his infamous “huddles” - they are now called “Missional Communities.” http://missionalcommunitiesblog.com/ The 3DM website has also changed: http://3dmovements.com/

3DM and The Order of Mission (TOM) were developed by Breen on the back of the nefarious Nine O Clock Service in Sheffield. TOM is based upon Roman Catholic monasticism, a dubious movement which came out of the Dark Ages, having influences from Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. It is very telling that so many church leaders find it useful to go back to the Dark Ages rather than to the apostolic period and the early church. How perverse to put geometric shapes (lifeshapes) combined with Roman Catholic monasticism ahead of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as if these things can somehow improve on God's word.

The Church of England endorse 3DM. Perhaps the uninformed are impressed by this endorsement, but what credibility does the CofE have? They are apostates, blighted by false doctrines and tainted by ecumenism and compromise through and through. They are blind guides who are leading their followers to Babylon.

Breen describes “huddles” AKA “Missional Communities” as a discipleship vehicles, the aim being accountability.

“…..accountability is so crucial if we ever hope to make disciples.” http://weare3dm.com/mikebreen/we-are-3dm/discipleship-without-accountability/

For all of his rhetoric about accountability, this is something that seems to be distinctly wanting in Breen's own life. His so called “apostolic” position as “Senior Guardian” of TOM has continued for a period of eleven years since April 6th 2003, and not the six years specified on the Order of Mission website. Breen claims to be accountable to the Visitors of the Order, the Council (the Guardians of the Order) and the Chapter itself, but the anomoly is that he says that he also seeks to be accountable to a monk at a local Benedictine Abbey!

Apostles do not exist in the church in the sense of the New Testament apostles.  The New Testament refers to the "apostles teaching" (Acts 2/42);  in other words THE original apostles had the authority to define doctrine. No one can put themselves in that position in the church since doctrine has already been defined.  "Apostles" exist in a lesser role as church planters, but they should always be accountable.  Breen says that he is at the top of the “totem pole” and that he has no peers! Totem poles are associated with Shamanism and the occult – this is certainly not an expression one would associate with a Christian ministry!  In any event to describe oneself as an APOSTLE and put oneself at the top of anything as a disciple of Jesus Christ is pure arrogance. Jesus Christ made himself nothing; Paul said he was the least of the apostles etc. (Philippians 2/7; 1 Corinthians 15/9)

http://www.missionorder.org/about/leadership-and-accountability/senior-guardian/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hISHmABoC6Y

WOE TO THE HIRELINGS WHO SECRETLY INTRODUCE DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES AND GIVE FALSE TEACHERS A PLATFORM!

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2 Peter 2/1)

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (2 Corinthians 11/13)

I have to say that although I view Mike Breen as an out and out wolf in sheep's clothing, the blame for the devastation experienced by the churches who have incorporated 3DM must lie to a significant extent with the so called ministers (hirelings) who give a platform to false teachings. Without the hirelings, people like Mike Breen would not be able to peddle their teachings.

The terms false prophets and false teachers are interchangeable in the New Testament (2 Timothy 3/1-5). Jeremiah 23 is a polemic against the false prophets of his time. God holds the shepherds (pastors) responsible for giving a platform to false teachers/prophets:

An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:
the prophets prophesy falsely, 

and the priests rule at their direction;
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?
(Jeremiah 5/30-31)

“Woe to the shepherds (pastors) who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23/1-2)

The role of a shepherd is to feed the flock of God with the Word of God and to protect them from the wolves. As in Jeremiah's time, these days many “pastors” do the diametric opposite and feed the sheep to the wolves!

The secrecy surrounding the implementation of 3DM within many churches is very ominous. 3DM is often introduced insidiously via “Leader Huddles” often with little or no reference to church members, so that secret elitist groups come to exist, often leaving bewildered congregations feeling excluded and betrayed. So much for Breen's accountability!  http://www.schooleyfiles.com/2013/11/mike-breen-and-building-discipling.html

One thing we can be sure of, Jesus Christ did not do anything in a corner. (Acts 26/26)

THE APOSTOLIC PATTERN


3DM exclusive “huddles/Missional Communities” make a complete mockery of Jesus Christ's high priestly prayer: Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (John 17/22)

The very unity of the spirit that Jesus Christ prayed about in John 17 is negated by 3DM which creates “huddles” by invitation only for so called “people of peace” thus creating cliches of spiritually superior people. 3DM becomes the raison d’être and replaces the gospel of Jesus Christ. The thing that replaces the word is rooted in the spirit of antichrist, it is a pseudologon.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— (Ephesians 4/4)

The tabernacle was built according to the pattern that God gave to Moses (Exodus 25/9,40; 26/30 etc.) Similarly the church is built upon Jesus Christ and the apostles i.e. the God given pattern - not the pattern of any man. When God gives the pattern, it is pure arrogance if any man thinks that he can do any better.

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example (the pattern) you have in us. (Philippians 3/17)

THE 3DM PERSON OF PEACE:

“Moving towards discipleship community with 3DM's process begins with the senior pastor picking up to a dozen 'persons of peace' and inviting them into a regular huddle. Persons of peace are people whose hearts have been prepared by the Spirit to hear the invitation and challenge to deeper personal discipleship.” http://godsfaintpath.com/3dm-taster

“The 'person of peace' is someone who is open to spiritual conversations and going deeper spiritually.”

“The 'person of peace' is the one who God has prepared in advance for you to advance the Kingdom.”

“If someone is not a 'person of peace,' then we entrust them to God and (move?) to someone else so that we can invest in the one(s) God has prepared for us.” The assumption is that God prepares people for us! –---- God prepares people for himself surely? 

http://www.ericbryant.org/2013/02/28/mechanics-of-a-discipling-movement-3dm-mike-breen/

The implication of the above is that if you are not open to 3DM then you are spiritually defective; God is not working in your life and that you are not worth bothering with.

3DM is a highly manipulative appeal to pride as a tool to ensnare people into believing that they are spiritually superior to the other sad specimens in the church. They are in effect saying: “We are ready to progress to a higher level because we are the special ones God has chosen to prepare and are worthy to have the sought after designation of 'a person of peace' and to be part of 3DM.”  Others are denigraded as “not yet ready” and “not a person of peace”. This kind of inverted snobbery comes straight from the pit of hell.

THE SON OF PEACE IN BIBLICAL CONTEXT

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim (Greek κηρύσσετε) as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunicsd or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. (Matthew 10/5-15; Luke 10/9)

The twelve were to go to the Jews only i.e. “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Their greeting (accompanied by signs) was the same message preached by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ: Repent for the the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3/2; 4/17)

In Luke 10//1-12 the seventy two were instructed to first salute the inhabitants with the colloquial form of greeting “Peace be to this house” (1 Samuel 25/6). Notice also that it was directed towards households.

This was a proclamation directing the Jewish people to repent - it was not an invitation!

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands (Greek παραγγέλλει all people everywhere to repent.....(Acts 17/30)  κηρύσσω and ἀπαγγέλλω are much stronger words than invite. The ESV translates παραγγέλλει "command" – it is to proclaim declare announce direct.  παραγγέλλει is also used in Mark 8/6: And he directed the crowd to sit down.  By using this passage Breen has twisted and demeaned the message of repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom to a pathetic invitation to join an unholy “huddle”. 3DM is not directed towards those outside the Kingdom who need to hear the message of repentance. 3DM is "an invitation to a deeper personal discipleship” directed towards scripturally ignorant Christians with the aim of interpreting the Bible through the prism of geometric shapes whilst incorporating unbiblical oaths and vows!  This has absolutely nothing in common with sending out the twelve/seventy two!  Breen is an eisegate.

KAIROS

Breen:... "A Kairos moment is one in which the Spirit brings something into our consciousness."  http://godsfaintpath.com/learning-circle

"God presents us all with kairos moments of our own."
 http://scottengle.org/Background%20studies/Sep%204%202005.pdf

There are 86 occurrences of kairos in the New Testament, none of which are connected to subjective personal revelation relevant only to the individual. Breen has over-spirituaized kairos and tagged on the word “moment” hence:

“What is God saying to me? (What is the learning situation aka 'kairos moment')” http://rediscoveringdiscipleship.com/2013/11/13/learning-to-discern/

Instead of kairos being objective it becomes a personal “learning situation” based on subjective experiential revelation which is then transposed into the “kairos learning circle”.

Breen's kairos becomes experiential revelation at an isolated moment in time relating personally to the individual. Biblical kairos is multi faceted and refers to an event or period of time accompanied by other events or signs within a certain context pointing to objective truth and relevant to many. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit does not reveal things to individuals, it is to dispute the validity of reducing the use of kairos with moment tagged on as a formulaic tool for individual repentance and faith.

For instance:

And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8/29) This refers to the future time of judgement.

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (Matthew 11/25)
For the full context one has to read the chapter from verse 20– it refers to the unrepentant cities and the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah to babes (νηπίοις).

STRONGS NT 2540: καιρός 

a. universally, a fixed and definite time
b. opportune or seasonable time
c. the right time
d. a (limited) period of time
e. as often in Greek writings, and like the Latintempus, καιρός; is equivalent to what time brings, the state of the times, the things and events of time:
http://biblehub.com/greek/2540.htm


PEACE

The Bible tells us: “.....be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4/3)

How ironic that 3DM uses peace in order to bring the very opposite of what Christ intended i.e. disunity and division!

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11/3)

.....my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-4-5)

Apart from being very badly written and dislocated, the article below contains some very questionable values and statements which are attached to 3DM.

“Invite into your huddle the persons of peace in your life and those who are willing to do what you ask them to do.” Those who are willing to do what YOU ask them to do!!!

“The written Word helps us understand the living Word.” The written word (scripture) IS the living Word!!!

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4/12)

“Discipleship creates mission. Mission creates discipleship.”  Without love for one another Christians cannot hope to be a witness to the outside world. The creation of exclusive "huddles" inevitably involves the rejection of others - this is not love!!!

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

http://www.ericbryant.org/2013/02/28/mechanics-of-a-discipling-movement-3dm-mike-breen/

“And all ye are brethren. (Matthew 23/8) The kindliness and mutual helpfulness of brotherhood are not prominent in our Lord's mind at this time. He was rather thinking of the equality of the brothers in one family. All are sons. No one of them is any more than a son. No one of them has any rights over his brother. The variety of gifts, talents, and dispositions in no way affects the equal rights of the brotherhood. All who push themselves into chief places, bid for special greetings, or claim to be masters - if they presume to call themselves Christ's disciples - sin against the equality of the Christian brotherhood.” http://biblehub.com/sermons/auth/tuck/the_equality_of_believers.htm

I would suggest that Mike Breen himself is not “a person of peace” as the phrase is biblically defined!  I would also suggest that we re-focus Breen's rejection of others back onto to himself and brush the dust off our feet. i.e. reject 3DM for the spiritual claptrap that it is and move forward with Jesus Christ as a true disciple of His.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5/11)

Anyone truly following Christ cannot submit to false teaching and sooner or later they have no choice but to separate.

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;" (Revelation 18/4)

http://eliora.hubpages.com/hub/HOLY-TRINITY-CHURCH-LEICESTER
http://eliora.hubpages.com/hub/3DM-LIFESHAPES-HIDDEN-IN-PLAIN-SIGHT-IS-MIKE-BREEN-REALLY-SAYING-WEARE666

Dear Reader – Do you have questions about Jesus Christ and how to be truly saved? If so, then please read my post: GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
http://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/gods-plan-of-salvation-through-jesus.html

UPDATE: 3DM is now known as 5Q with Alan Hirsch, Cairn Network. Kairos network.

4 comments:

  1. I wanted to help by making sure you facts are correct 1st. I have seen 1st hand the way a UK church can be devastated by 3DM - a business, please don't forget that Mike and also the UK shareholders in Sheffield are profiteering from this church changing strategy.
    Huddle / missional community are not interchangeable terms.
    A missional community is a group of people who are trying to reach out to others by doing 'life on life' relationship evangelism. The leaders of the missional communities are fold chosen by the leadership to go on a huddling process. Huddles are a pyramid scheme of accountability (called a 'cascade' by the leaders)
    So Mike huddles a series of high up leaders - see network guardians of TOM and bigwig church leaders in Sheffield. These guys huddle other church leaders across the UK, Europe and Australia (3dm is paid quite serious money by these churches as part of their coaching program)
    The church leaders then look for people of peace within their congregation (which I personally hate as a term - everyone in your church is a Christian, many have different ideas about mission and evangelism - just because they think that paying 3DM for a rigid program is a bad idea, does not make them the enemy)
    These huddles usually start small, with the intention that these huddle leaders eventually huddle others, once they have the DNA (I kid you not - true term!) of the covenant and kingdom discipleship program...
    These people are then expected to run a missional community based on what God has said to them in huddle.
    Whatever happened to Christians being accountable to one another without money changing hands, I have no idea. It should not cost money to share your vision with someone, or to pray with someone, or to lead a small group / house group / missional community.
    The problem with the program is it isolates. There are elderly people in our church who don't want to meet in a community one Sunday a month, instead of worshipping in a regular service. Going for a walk / eating breakfast whilst sharing 'good news / bad news' or a quick pray for one another does not help people grow together by reading the word, hearing a biblical preach (not one skewed by a lifeshape - whole other story) or worshipping together in spirit and truth. It means that people feel left out and communities compete to do the best things on their 'community' Sunday. Honestly not a great idea folks. I can eat breakfast and share what God is doing 6 other days a week, I speak to my neighbours every day, I don't need to replace church with more of the same. If your church leader suddenly disappears for a week to a 'learning community' or 'pilgrimage' or starts meeting in an 'oikos' with a chosen few instead of leading a Sunday service, you will have begun the process.
    I have no problems with people choosing to waster huge %of church income to do this, if the body of the church has chosen to, if they realise the impact it will have on the ground of staff loses due to lack of finance, finance generally hard hit as people don't want to give to a business, of leaders suddenly having no time to tend the sick, pray with people in the congregation (who aren't in his / her Oikos), or lead church services - as they're very old hat now!
    The problem is that it is in by the back door, you can't get rid of it. It's very likely your leader has signed up to a 3 year 3dmearnjng community package (at best) or at worst vowed their life to TOM, which is in effect a vow to follow Breen's lifeshapes forever. No opt out clause. If there were to be a NOS equivalent in the next few years, the systems set up here would very quickly amount to a huge international church scandal. What if someone very high up decides he has an extra biblical revelation from The Lord - do you realise how quickly a network like this would unquestionably nod and follow. Very dangerous!

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  2. This is a great help Anonymous. Thank you so much for sharing these details I am sure it will be beneficial to others. I am so glad that these things are being brought out into the light. God bless you.

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  3. I'm so sad, my church is refusing to give up 3dm, I have been there 10 years along with my family and the new leadership team won't even meet us halfway and say we'll go to the last meeting and never go again but they won't.They're saying that if another course comes up they may go on that one too. It doesn't seem like the same church anymore, it makes me so sad that they can't see what 3dm has already done to our church.

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  4. Breen and his dangerous Christianity by elitism has been stopped in TOM, perhaps, and also 3DM seems to be under new 'leadership' (management as Jo is one of Breens worshippers from the old St Thomas days), but Breens own website is marketing gone mad for only $9.99 a month. Forget that Gods word is a free gift. Scandalous.

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