Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7/15-16)
Daniel Long and Steve Kozar have undertaken substantial historical research on the early Pentecostal movement, particularly in their examinations of figures like John Alexander Dowie, Frank W Sanford, Charles Fox Parham and John G Lake. Their research is genuinely useful, and I hope their videos offer needed clarity to sincere believers who are unknowingly drawn into the NAR. Their work also functions as an early warning system for those who haven’t yet been pulled into charismania.
Steve Kozar: "I want people to trust me, but more importantly, I want people to trust the content that I am giving them."
Kozar's content is accurate as far as it goes, BUT his theology is stunted, and it is incumbent that believers should test the spirits rather than blindly trust any teacher or influencer. (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11).
While no one with a morsel of spiritual discernment would argue that the NAR is not corrupt at its foundations, Long and Kozar overlook several significant issues. They consistently elevate Mike Winger for exposing “cover‑up culture” and calling out obvious false prophets. Yes—Winger has exposed wolves like Benny Hinn, Shawn Bolz, Todd White, and Che Ahn. But at the same time it is troubling that he has publicly described Bill Johnson as “saved", “sincere” and “someone he would fellowship with.” He has also claimed that Todd White is “saved". Even after reviewing roughly sixty hours of White’s material, Winger claimed he did not see a false gospel. Winger’s underlying premise—that false prophets can be restored to ministry, and that institutions like Bethel can be reformed—is completely alien to my reading of Scripture. False prophets are predators (wolves), not candidates for restoration. Scripture instructs us to mark and avoid them, not rehabilitate them. (Romans 16:17–18).
Winger's exposure of cult leader Steven Koko, the so-called "predator of Panama",involved close collaboration with hypercharismatic false teacher Torben Sondergaard, founder of The Last Reformation.1 Sondergaard is a "thus saith the Lord" leg puller and demon slayer who hijacks people into false repentance. No bona fide Christian "influencer" should collaborate with false teachers like Sondergaard > the means do not justify the ends.
Mike Winger throws up one red flag after another!
Winger appears unable to recognise the ecumenical drift or the overtly worldly tone of the Bless God Summit and TPUSA. At the Summit, he shared a platform with Ruslan, Gavin Ortland, Wes Huff, Sean McDowell, and Roman Catholic activist Lila Rose, among other questionable teachers who are effectively reintroducing elements of the Galatian error. In addition, Ortland, Huff, McDowell, Ruslan and others have expressed sympathy toward Kirk Cameron’s heretical annihilationist position. Cameron recently convened Ortland, Dan Paterson, Chris Date and Paul Copan for ‘Hellgate’, a two‑and‑a‑half‑hour discussion centred on the nature and duration of hell.2
Although he is praised for exposing false teachers, Winger aligns himself with individuals who are actively eroding the faith — and his own involvement contributes to that erosion.
Winger is part of a loose, self-reinforcing ecosystem of Christian YouTubers who:
appear on each other’s channels
endorse one another’s content
share platforms at conferences and livestreams
cross‑promote each other’s books, interviews, and debates
shape what becomes “acceptable” or “mainstream” in online Christian discourse
This creates a de facto establishment — not official, but influential.
Michael Grant refers to this as "one big swamp that needs to get drained".3
The other person Kozar praised in this video is Justin Peters. Like Long and Kozar, Peters is very accurate in his exposure of NAR false prophets. However, my huge concern is that he is a Calvinist. Limited atonement (TULIP) is unsupported by scripture and poses a spiritual danger on par with the NAR. It undermines the heart of the gospel by redefining soteriology itself. Those who promote Calvinism will be held to account for how they excluded vast numbers of people by insisting that Christ’s saving work was never intended for all who believe, but only for an exclusive elect.
Lutheran theology also retains serious doctrinal errors with profound implications for soteriology. The absence of the full counsel of God is evident in three key areas: baptismal regeneration, consubstantiation, and eschatology. (Acts 20:27). These positions remain rooted in Roman Catholic tradition rather than biblical authority. Ultimately, no defence will stand for those promoting these deviations from scripture. (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; James 3:1).
This is the second year of the three-day Bless God Summit organised by Ruslan KD hosted at the luxurious Seabird Resort and Oceanside Amphitheatre in California. According to the publicity, the summit aims to "encourage, empower and inspire attendees to live a life that blesses God".1 However, the summit has drawn controversy due to VIP tickets that include an additional $450 for a meet-and-greet with the speakers. The summit is ecumenical and includes Roman Catholic, Mormon and atheist speakers. Michael Grant has quite rightly spoken out in protest and has been rebuffed by Ruslan, Mike Winger and Mellissa Dougherty.
This summit should revulse genuine believers on a number of levels. The summit marginalises and dishonours the poor; its price tag alone ensures that anyone without substantial means is effectively excluded. Christ’s care for the poor is consistent, regardless of who attempts to corrupt it with status markers or commercial values. The choice of a luxury resort raises further questions about whether the event honours God or simply mirrors the culture it claims to critique. It gets worse. VIP access and paid meet‑and‑greets introduce distinctions scripture explicitly rejects and violates the second commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:39 and James 2 both condemn partiality. The elevation of “celebrity” speakers and the monetisation of proximity to them should trouble any believer committed to the teachings of Christ.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,”while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-9).
Ruslan's obsession with money reveals where his treasure really is. (Matthew 6:21,24; Proverbs 23:4-5; 1 John 2:15-17).
"How do I monetise these people?" "How do I build a business?" "What is my bank account going to look like in the next two to three years?"
"I have to make more than six figures.. I need seven figures."
"You will grow your audience, and then you've got to find a unique way to monetise them."
"I am not doing anything for less than $500 an hour."2
"I would love to be in a position someday where I have F.U. money."3
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-33).
Although Ruslan disputes Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox structures and practices, he still treats both traditions as doctrinally aligned with the gospel and draws no substantive line between their teaching and what he considers biblical truth. He refers to "Our respective streams of Christianity.. I love my Eastern Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters..We (Protestants) believe that you have a valid church and a valid communion."4
The heart of the ecumenical heresy is soteriological. Bible believers who trust that we are saved by grace through faith alone are at complete odds with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox premise is that we are saved by faith plus works. Although they share our vocabulary, they load those terms with different theological content. Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy diverge from one another in various aspects, yet they stand together in treating the sacraments as efficacious channels of grace and as necessary components of salvation. This is another gospel and is anathema biblically. (Galatians 1:8-9).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that three of its seven sacraments are directly “redemptive” in the strict sense of imparting saving grace for the forgiveness of sins. These are sometimes referred to as sacraments of initiation or sacraments of healing, depending on their function. The core contention of the RCC is that Baptism, the Eucharist, and Penance (Reconciliation) are the sacraments explicitly tied to redemption—meaning they apply Christ’s saving work to the believer in a direct way. This sits within the broader RC understanding of the seven sacraments as “efficacious signs of grace” instituted by Christ.
The motto of the Reformation is encapsulated in the five solas: "Sola Fide" (faith alone), "Sola Gratia" (grace alone), "Solus Christus" (Christ alone), "Sola Scriptura" (Scripture alone), and "Soli Deo Gloria" (glory to God alone). These principles emphasise that salvation is achieved through faith in Christ alone, through grace alone, according to Scripture alone, and for the glory of God alone. When sacraments are added to the gospel, then the lethal error of works salvation is introduced.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2: 8-9). For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Speakers at the summit include Mike Winger, Gavin Ortlund, Sean McDowell, Wes Huff, Michael Knowles, Lila Rose (Roman Catholic) and many others.
Mike Winger concerns me greatly. Despite his exposure of several false teachers within the NAR and "cover-up culture", inexplicably, he apparently fails to discern the threat of ecumenism or the blatant worldly values of this summit. His support of Ruslan, TPUSA, and his premise that false prophets can be restored to ministry are all alien to my understanding of the scriptures.*
Gavin Ortlund's stance on Roman Catholicism and the gospel aligns with Ruslan's view. He acknowledges that Roman Catholics are Christians and affirms their place within the Christian faith. As such, he is another dangerous teacher to mark and avoid. (Romans 16:17-18).
I don’t agree with Michael Grant about everything, but in this instance, I fully support his protest and his exposure of Ruslan and the Bless God Summit. The sobering reality is that while Ruslan and his associates are raking in money and engaging in ecumenical theatrics at a swanky resort, their actions ultimately betray the gospel of Jesus Christ!
