Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1
Associating with the likes of Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, and Christine Caine makes it evident that Lisa Bevere is not concerned about a well-credentialed, Biblically-sound reputation. One simply does not join with other false teachers unless, well … you get the idea.
Lisa Bevere and her husband, John, operate a ministry called Messenger International. The ministry’s website has a noble enough sounding mission statement: “Messenger International exists to help individuals, families, churches, and nations realize and experience the transforming power of God’s Word. This realization will result in lives empowered, communities transformed, and a dynamic response to the injustices plaguing our world.”
To go along with their lofty mission is the obligatory Statement of Beliefs …
Wait, there is no statement of beliefs. There’s no reference to the Bible as their authority. There’s no commentary about their allegiance to a historic confessional statement. Nothing. There is this, however, “Messenger International can be likened to a ship on a journey to see the eternal established on the earth.” Smells like dominionism, huh?
Adding to her collection of false teacher associations, Bevere, on her blog on the “ministry” website, “blog-swapped” with another heretic, Kris Valotton. She’s “been fascinated by his teaching.” (Yeah, uh-huh. I’m fascinated by yours too, but prolly not in the same way. Mine’s more like “shock and awe” than “wow, look what I found.”) The blog itself is a bonanza of Biblical disregard, but we’ll get to that in another paragraph or two.
Vallotton has a super duper impressive title. He is the “Senior Associate Leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California and co-founder of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry.” One single word in that title is sufficient for the prudent believer to beware: Bethel. As to the “School of Supernatural Ministry?” Yep, this guy teaches how to be a modern day apostle. For an extra donation, he presumably can teach you how to raise the dead, at least in a theatrical setting.
Bevere blog-swapped with Vallotton on her site on March 29. You can find the full dose of heresy HERE. Innocuously titled “Women Leaders In The Church,” the article doesn’t re-affirm the Bible’s teaching about leadership in the church or women’s roles in it. Rather it directly disputes the teaching of the Bible.
We could spend enormous amounts of digital ink disputing the downright diabolical teachings propounded in the article, but we won’t. Just a couple of quotes from Vallotton will suffice.
“Many believers have developed a theology that proactively uses the Bible to disqualify women from the most formidable roles of leadership, especially in the Church. I am appalled by the number of Christian leaders who are convinced that women are not as qualified, called, and/or gifted to lead as men are.”
Frankly, Mr. Vallotton, at this point, that same “theology” that believers proactively use should, indeed, be used against you too. Believers have not developed a theology that disqualifies women from “the most formidable roles of leadership” in the church. It was a Holy Spirit-inspired (actual) apostle who defined these parameters.
To consider an infinitely more reliable source than Vallotton, one who actually believes in the authority of Scripture, consider John MacArthur’s comments on the role of women in the church.
“From the very beginning, women fulfilled a vital role in the Christian church (Acts 1:12–14; 9:36–42; 16:13–15; 17:1–4, 10–12; 18:1–2, 18, 24–28; Rom. 16; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim. 1:5; 4:19), but not one of leadership. Although the Apostle Paul respected women and worked side by side with them for the furtherance of the gospel (Rom. 16; Phil. 4:3), he appointed no female elders or pastors. In his letters, he urged that men were to be the leaders in the church and that women were not to teach or exercise authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). Therefore, although women are spiritual equals with men and the ministry of women is essential to the body of Christ, women are excluded from leadership over men in the church.”
Vallotton, who is “appalled by the number of Christian leaders who are convinced that women are not as qualified, called, and/or gifted to lead as men are,” must surely find the apostle Paul to be a misogynist of epic proportions. He forgets a key point, however – God sets the rules, we don’t.
A few other snippets of Scripture-denying heresy from Vallotton:
The argument for disempowering women is illogical and unscriptural.
This false premise is itself powerless. Women aren’t being disempowered. Instead, according to the Scripture, they are empowered with a different divinely assigned role in order to glorify God.
There wasn’t a single female involved in the crucifixion!
Likewise, there were no silverback gorillas involved in it either. (Although bishops in the Anglican and Episcopal churches are called “primates,” hmm.) Anyway, how does the absence of a nail-wielding, female Roman centurion at Christ’s crucifixion justify disregarding Biblical teaching and appointing one to a pulpit today?
We have failed to realize that Jesus founded the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Honestly, I’m not witty enough to make this stuff up!
“the spearhead of demonic warfare is focused on women.”
If so, the Bevere-endorsed Vallotton is adding frenzied anti-biblical babbling as extra ammo in support of intensified volleys of evil against women, not for them. Both Bevere and Vallotton are clearly in the Devil’s brigade.
“The moral of the story is this: we need women to rise up as matriarchs along side of our patriarchs in every realm of society so that God’s full intention for the planet can be fulfilled.”
Skipping right over his “matriarchs lives matters” point, what’s this about “God’s full intention for the planet?” Another apostle has some rather foreboding, though authoritative words on that:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10-13
As believers, we know that Scripture is the source of God’s revelation to us. We know that it is clear and authoritative. Scripture teaches divinely assigned, unique roles for women and men. To step outside the boundaries of God’s defined parameters for us is to step directly into sinful disobedience. Instead, we seek righteousness in Christ through obedience to Him.
“Men and women stand as equals before God, both bearing the image of God Himself. However, without making one inferior to the other, God calls upon both men and women to fulfill the roles and responsibilities specifically designed for them, a pattern that can be seen even in the Godhead (1 Cor. 11:3). In fulfilling the divinely given roles taught in the New Testament, women are able to realize their full potential because they are following the plan of their own Creator and Designer. Only in obedience to Him and His design will women truly be able, in the fullest sense, to give glory to God.” John MacArthur
If we forget the purpose of our very creation, we fall into the kind of wickedness and heresy Bevere and Vallotton promote. As A.W. Tozer said, “That God exists for Himself and man for the glory of God is the emphatic teaching of the Bible.”
Our life, male or female, is not about empowering ourselves; it’s about glorifying God.
Therefore, let’s not empower the heretics who challenge His Word.
The head of that serpent has been crushed. Let us be firm in standing in and for the Truth.
[Contributed by Bud Ahlheim]
