Dr. George O Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God (AG) Pentecostal denomination is said to be as important to the AOG as the Pope is to Roman Catholicism. The Assemblies of God was formed out of the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century, and was characterised by supposed manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Many people may have come to genuine saving faith through the Assemblies of God churches since its formation. However, there have been major problems associated with a number of AG "ministries" and their dubious practices. The AG have spawned many false prophets and questionable TV evangelists, including Benny Hinn, Morris Cerullo, Jim Bakker, Paul Crouch and Jimmy Swaggart to name but a few. Derek Prince who played a major role in the disastrous Shepherding Movement and taught the false doctrine that Christians are subject to generational curses was AG.{1} The infamous Hillsong is affiliated with Australian Christian Churches (AG in Australia). The counterfeit Toronto Blessing (Laughing Revival) at Toronto Airport Vineyard was a direct result of John Arnott's visit to Argentina in November 1993 where Claudio Freidzon, an Assemblies of God evangelist, prayed the "anointing" over him. The Toronto movement was also heavily infuenced by Benny Hinn. The counterfeit Brownsville Revival was the long running "outpouring" at Brownsville Assemblies of God in Pensacola, Florida. Both these so called "revivals" were blighted by a wide range of unscriptural practices. The progressive corruption of the AG plainly indicates that true revival will not come from that quarter.
The AG has grown to over 67 million members worldwide and is the largest Pentecostal Fellowship in the world.{2} That is 67 million souls who are at direct risk of spiritual deception through the ecumenical spirit of Antichrist! George O Wood showed his true ecumenical colours in July of last year when he attended Together 2016, an event endorsed by the Pope in Washington DC. This event was specifically engineered to unite Roman Catholics and various so called "Christian" denominations. Together 2016 formed part of the false unity amongst ecumenicals "Great Awakening", a phrase stolen from the series of revivals among Protestants in the American colonies during the 1700's. The ecumenical counterfeit "awakening" puts darkness for light and evil for good. (Isaiah 5:20). Speakers and performers included Francis Chan, Ravi Zacharias, Lou Engle, Christine Caine, Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd, Michael W. Smith, Hillsong United, Lecrae, Jeremy Camp, Lauren Daigle, Casting Crowns and Kirk Franklin, amongst others.{3} Wood's promotion of contemplative New Age guru Ruth Haley Barton raised a red flag in 2013.{4}
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the largest Lutheran denomination in the US. The Reformation was of course a single and divisive historical event based on scriptural principles. The ELCA have been progressively hurtling towards spiritual disaster for a number of years. The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification was agreed and hailed as a “breakthrough” between the Roman Catholics and the Lutheran Church in 1999. The process of betraying the gospel of Jesus Christ and undoing everything that Luther and the Reformers achieved is now reaching its final stage, the Reformation having been watered down to "a 500 year shared journey".{5} The Lutheran World Federation and The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity have released a joint document titled “From Conflict to Communion" in order to facilitate the Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation.{6}
"NEW ORLEANS (Aug.10, 2016) – The 2016 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly took several significant steps Wednesday moving forward the mission of this church as a church for the sake of the world." (emphasis mine-John 18:36!!!)
"By a vote of 931 to 9, the assembly overwhelmingly accepted the "Declaration on the Way," a unique ecumenical document that marks a path toward greater unity between Catholics and Lutherans. Following the vote, an emotional assembly stood to applaud the momentous decision. At the heart of the document are 32 "Statements of Agreement" that state where Lutherans and Catholics do not have church-dividing differences on topics about church, ministry and the Eucharist. More tentatively, the document also explores differences that remain."{7}
What has been achieved by the Reformation and the blood of the martyrs is being destroyed by worthless leaders, hirelings who do not care for the flock (John 10:13). Luther would be horrified by these ecumenical developments! Wood now seems set to steer the AG onto an irreversible course towards criticality. He is scheduled to join an international gathering of Christian leaders at The Wittenberg Summit in Germany in October/November this year, Luther 2017, the event that celebrates the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church.{8} Wood will be sharing a platform with co-host Leonard Sweet. Sweet is a significant player in the emerging church/New Spirituality movement and is a New Age sympathiser. Social gospel promoter, Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church will also be attending the event. In 2015 Lyon was appointed by Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.{9} "She also has signed many documents with the usual suspects and their names on it – Rick Warren, Bill and Lynn Hybels, Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, and the like."{10}
The Roman Catholic Church maintains that the Council of Trent still remains authoritative, binding dogma, and thus their position remains exactly the same as it always has i.e. faith obtained through the sacraments and not the biblical principles upheld by Luther:
- Sola Fide, by faith alone.
- Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone.
- Solus Christus, through Christ alone.
- Sola Gratia, by grace alone.
- Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.
The Council of Trent Is The Roman Catholic Catechism
The General Council of Trent (1545 -1563) is said to be the embodiment of the Counter Reformation: The Council of Trent made pronouncements on justification, the seven sacraments, the Catholic Eucharist, the nature of the Latin Mass, Transubstantiation, the sacraments of Catholic Penance, Extreme Unction, Marriage and Holy Orders, and numerous other topics of doctrine and discipline.
Canon IX: If anyone says that the ungodly is justified by faith alone in such a way that he understands that nothing else is required which cooperates toward obtaining the grace of justification . . . let him be condemned.
Canon XII: If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than trust in divine mercy, which remits sin for Christ’s sake, or that it is this trust alone by which we are justified, let him be condemned.
Canon XIV: If anyone says that a man is absolved and justified because . . . he confidently believes that he is absolved and justified . . . and that through this faith alone absolution and justification is effected, let him be condemned.
George O Wood "Shares his (worthless) thoughts" in a short video made in 2012:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/64909891
*Wood trots out the lie that six different groups calling themselves "Christian" are all true representations of Christianity: ".....The Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholics, the Assyrian, the Coptic, the Ethiopian and the Armenian, and they cannot agree amongst themselves....." Whilst it is possible that there may be some true born again believers amongst these denominations, the denominations themselves do not represent the truth as found in the scriptures. Wood therefore bases his whole argument on a false premise!
*Wood quotes an Orthodox Jew who observed: "You Christians cannot get your message across because you have so many differences. Your Jesus is the only one who has said 'Love your enemies' , but you don't follow your Jesus....." Scripturally those who do not follow Jesus are not his disciples: Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27).
*Wood condemns divisions in the church, but the scriptures say that there must be divisions:
.....for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognised. (1 Corinthians 11:19).
*Wood comes against free expression on the Internet, the minority who "air their views" in opposition to the course that he and other ecumenicals have determined. In other words, he seeks to diminish the credibility of those who maintain the scriptural position. Wood exalts himself above those who speak the Word of God.. there is nothing new under the sun. (Matthew 23:8-12; Ecclesiastes 1:9)
*Wood continues in his folly and trots out a scripture out of context: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). The inclusivism that Wood talks about is not found in the scriptures. The differences between true believers and the Roman Catholic Church and other false denominations are core differences and anything but minor as Wood would have us believe! To embrace the Roman Catholic Church is to deny the gospel of Jesus Christ - it is that serious: .....what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).
*Wood "forgets" to remind us of some critical truths about "vicious wolves":
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30)
*Wood also "forgets" to point out that love and truth are inseparable. (2 John 1:1; John 8:32). Unity depends upon truth... without truth there is no real love, just wishy washy emotional doctrineless ecumenism.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..... (2 Corinthians 10:5)
To summarise, George O Wood makes a very pretty sounding little speech, but it is devoid of spiritual wisdom.
By engaging in spiritual formation, Wood goes specifically against the AOG Statement of Faith:
".....salvation is received through repentance towards God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ." {11}
"The scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)." {11}
Pope Francis assures atheists: "You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven." {12}
The Roman Catholic Church gives authority to the scriptures, the pope, the church, and certain traditions of the church: "Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."{13}
Although the AG pose as an authentic "Christian" denomination, it is extremely doubtful whether the birth of Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement resulted from a genuine move of the Holy Spirit. The Church of God in Christ, The Assemblies of God, The United Pentecostal Church (UPCI) and The Pentecostal Church of God all have their roots in the problematic Azusa Street Revival:
"There is no question, Azusa street meetings had spiritualist mediums, hypnotists, and others who were interested in the occult. It was known that Parham who taught Seymour rejected several of the central tenets of the Christian faith." {14}
I am convinced that the AG is completely riddled with leaven. (Galatians 5:9). The very heart of the Reformation has received a blow from which it is unlikely to recover. The vital teachings of Jesus Christ have been set aside and biblical faith is crumbling before our very eyes. George O Wood is the man who will be held responsible by God for the Pentecostal betrayal. (2 Peter 2:1-3).
My local AG branch, Trinity Life Church Leicester UK, operates under the ungodly stranglehold of Hind family and their sycophants who care nothing for the scriptures. (Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4). Trinity Life Church is a striking example of how not to oversee a church.{15} Already suffering from spiritual blindness due to a progression of serious departures from the scriptures, incredibly, TLC have now gone one better; they blatantly display the number of the beast 666! (John 3:20){16} You could not make this stuff up!
Jesus' warning continues to ring out against Babylon the Great, the woman dressed in purple and scarlet. (Revelation 17:4):
“Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;
for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds;
mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.
As she glorified herself and lived in luxury so give her a like measure of torment and mourning,
since in her heart she says,‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’
For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine,
and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
(Revelation 18:4-8)
{1} http://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/the-curse-of-derek-prince.html
{2} http://ag.org/top/press/organization.cfm
{3} https://reset2016.com/confirmed/.{4} http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/contemplative-ruth-haley-barton.html
{5} http://religionnews.com/2016/01/13/catholics-lutherans-worship-together-reformation-anniversary/
{6} https://www.lutheranworld.org/sites/default/files/From%20Conflict%20to%20Communion.pdf
{7} http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7848
{8} https://cruxnow.com/rns/2016/08/16/us-lutherans-approve-agreement-catholic-church/
{9} https://cruxnow.com/rns/2016/08/16/us-lutherans-approve-agreement-catholic-church/
{10} https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=18459
{11} http://agchurches.org/Sitefiles/Default/RSS/AG.org%20TOP/Beliefs/SFT_2011.pdf
{12} http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-assures-atheists-you-don-t-have-to-believe-in-god-to-go-to-heaven-8810062.html
{13} http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a2.htm
{14} http://letusreason.org/Pent57.htm
{15} http://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/trinity-life-church-leicester-downhill.html
{16} http://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/trinity-life-church-leicester-satanism.html
Further Links:
http://www.ukapologetics.net/09/cerullo.htm
http://www.wayoflife.org/database/recent_pentecostal_scandals.html
http://bewareofthewolves.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-circus-comes-to-town-false-prophet.html
https://truedsicernment.com/2008/07/12/david-wilkersons-warning-for-the-assembly-of-god-sadly-unheeded/
http://www.bible.ca/tongues-pentecostal-errors.htm
