John MacArthur DESTROYS Hillsong And Bethel’s Theology!

Fight For Truth

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Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where the Bible and critical thinking meet to give you real

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Christian commentary about the things that matter. Thanks so much for watching, let's get into the video. So before we get into the proper content of this video, let me offer you some background information.

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John MacArthur is the pastor of Grace Community Church in California, which, as far as I can tell, has

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Reformed Baptist theology and a strong emphasis on expository preaching and biblical accuracy.

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John MacArthur is truly one of the great men of the faith that we have in our time, and we should be very thankful for his ministry.

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Bethel Church is a charismatic church located in Reading, California, and it's led by Bill Johnson, who regularly preaches inaccurate doctrine.

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And Hillsong is a movement from Australia led by Brian Houston that often preaches the prosperity gospel as well as word of faith heresy.

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Now in a question and answer session at Grace Community Church, John MacArthur was asked several questions, as you might expect.

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One of which was a question about whether or not Christians should listen to Bethel or Hillsong music. But the music isn't the only part we're going to focus on.

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So let's go ahead and watch this clip of John MacArthur answering the question. Watch this. They are powerful movements, both of them.

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Bethel because of the Jesus culture music group. Hillsong because of Hillsong music. If they didn't have that music, they wouldn't have a movement, either of them, probably.

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But the theology of both, particularly Bethel, is taking the

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Holy Spirit's name in vain constantly. Constantly. So, you don't want to be a part of that movement, but again, the clock that doesn't run is right twice a day.

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So every once in a while, people will come across the truth. Okay?

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Thank you. So in this video, let's take a closer look at three points offered by John MacArthur in the clip.

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Number one, the first thing John says is that without their music, Hillsong and Bethel wouldn't be anywhere near as popular as they are now.

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And that is most likely true. I mean, if you look at Bethel or Hillsong, these are two movements that are not widely known for their preaching.

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Rather, they're known for their music. In other words, I'm willing to bet that if you've ever heard of Bethel or Hillsong in your life, you probably didn't hear about them through their sermons.

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Rather, it's more likely than anything that you heard about them through their songs on a Christian radio station or Spotify or Apple Music or whatever you have.

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So the first point made by John is that we should all be aware that these movements are gaining traction specifically because of their music.

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And therefore, much of their music is not an innocent, benign thing that's operating fully separately from the church's teaching.

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Instead, it's better to see their music as an outreach tool that they use to get people interested in their false teaching.

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But John makes a point of saying that this doesn't mean it's a sin for Christians to listen to that music. Rather, it's simply important that you are aware of the effect that their music is having and how it's being used to spread their false doctrine.

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And it's also important that you do not let your guard down if you listen to their music, lest you allow any false doctrine to catch you unaware.

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Once you know these things, it significantly lowers your chances of being sucked into these movements with aberrant theology, especially through their music.

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Hebrews 5 .14 says this, And this brings me to point number two.

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John then makes a fantastic point when he says, This is absolutely true.

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We know that the Holy Spirit is God. In Acts chapter 5, for instance, Peter tells Ananias that he has, quote, lied to the

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Spirit, and therefore he has, quote, lied to God. But in addition to knowing that the Holy Spirit is God, we also know that it is a sin to take the

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Lord's name in vain or speak of him in a flippant or irreverent way. Exodus 20, verse 7 says this, quote,

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So again, it is a blasphemous sin to take the name of the Holy Spirit in vain, because the Holy Spirit is

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God, and God deserves our highest respect, our admiration, and our fear. But Bethel Church constantly takes the

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Holy Spirit's name in vain, as John MacArthur rightly says here, with their unbiblical antics, which they ultimately credit the

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Holy Spirit for. When people in their congregation prophesy falsely, which they often do, or even when they say unbiblical things, they often do this by the name and power of what they call the

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Holy Spirit. And that is prophesying falsely in the name of God, and it is no laughing matter. Deuteronomy 18, 20 says this, quote,

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But despite the fact that prophesying falsely in the name of God is a grievous sin, Bethel Church participates in it all the time, and they even encourage all of their followers to do the same.

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And in doing so, they dishonor God and embarrass the body of Christ. So John MacArthur is absolutely correct when he says that they take the

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Holy Spirit's name in vain constantly, and that is something that all Christians should rebuke wholeheartedly.

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And this brings me to point number three. The last thing that John says, rather tongue -in -cheek I might add, is something to the effect of a broken clock is right twice a day.

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You've probably heard it before. That's an expression that means something that is utterly broken can still be useful or even accurate at times, but that doesn't mean that it's working properly.

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The point was made in response to the common objection against those who criticize Bethel and Hillsong. People often say,

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John MacArthur, you're just being nitpicky. Bethel and Hillsong, they've written some biblically accurate songs before, and they've had some good teaching in the past.

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First Timothy 6, 20 through 21, on the other hand, says, quote, End quote.

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If all irreverent babble and contradictions always appeared wrong and unbiblical on the surface, no one who claims to be a

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Christian would believe it, and therefore this warning would be irrelevant. The problem is that lots of irreverent babble and contradictory theology comes from people who sometimes get things right.

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Both Bethel and Hillsong will sometimes have proper theology on some things. But as John MacArthur rightly says, a broken clock can be right twice a day.

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Just because the clock is right twice doesn't mean it's not broken. Remember that. Jesus told us in Matthew 7, 15 that wolves will come in the clothing of sheep.

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False teachers aren't just going to come out and tell you, I'm a false teacher. They may not even know it themselves. They are deceptive because in some ways they will look like sheep.

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That's what Jesus says. They're going to look innocent, benign, righteous in some ways. But inwardly, they are ferocious wolves that must be avoided.

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So when someone tells you that Bethel gets a few things right or Hillsong have a few accurate teachings, you can say yes and amen to that.

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But that doesn't mean that those movements are faithful to Scripture or that you should follow them. In fact, there are really good reasons to avoid them at all costs.

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So in summary, John MacArthur rightly calls the theology of Bethel and Hillsong aberrant and unbiblical.

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However, Christians still have the freedom to listen to their music if they're discerning in which songs they listen to and in the level to which they agree with Bethel and Hillsong's theology as a result of listening to their songs.

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And if anyone from Bethel or Hillsong is watching this video, please know that I love you. And my goal in making this video is not to attack you personally, but to warn the church about false teaching.

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You can always repent of this and turn to the grace of Jesus Christ. So let's all pray for Bethel and Hillsong that they would repent and turn to the truth of God's Word.

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And until next time, fight for truth, never surrender, and keep your eyes open.