Catalyst is the premiere Emergent conference for young leaders to learn how to teach people about Jesus how to shift the purpose of the church from Bible-centered to celebrity-centered themes. To understand this, you’ll need to explore three questions:
- What are the red flags with Brian Houston?
- What are the red flags with Craig Groeschel?
- What is the Catalyst Conference really about?
The real issue of course is that churches large and small continually pump their members’ financial offerings into the Catalyst empire, and they also send their young sheep to the slaughter at these conferences that they assume are about Jesus Christ, but are not. In the Catalyst link above, you can see for yourself that this franchise is showing youth a very different jesus and different gospel. You should be concerned.
Here is an example of the content you’ll get in the latest one-day leadership conference for Seattle and Pennsylvania this fall. Two famous celebrity pastors, zero Jesus Christ:
It is often said that change is the only constant and we know that our world is constantly advancing, shifting, and adapting, but how do we lead in these new realities?
Join Craig Groeschel and Brian Houston as we examine how to anticipate coming change before it arrives, create a strategy for transition, and map a compelling vision for the future.
Bring the entire team! Together you’ll learn to:
Foresee problems and opportunities before they arise
Create and communicate a strategy for change
Understand organizational life cycles
Establish a different way of thinking
Foster a culture that embraces change and fuels progress
See related links, and protect your church from this ungodly carnal nonsense.
Do you think that its not so much just what they are promoting at these confereneces, as it is what they are leaving out? A lot of these guys are gifted motivational speakers, giving great practical advise and are also accompanied by tremendous giftings in administrational expertise. Its the simple gospel that is getting lost in all of this talent and ability. I guess that sin, repentance, confession, self-denial, temptation, persecution, the gift of discernment, etc. are not “motivational” topics that will sell a lot of tickets.
Well said. The preach a false, make believe Jesus…one that tickles the itching ears of the hearers and enriches the false teachers. If they preached the true gospel of sin and repentance through the cross, they would lose 90% of their audience and 100% of their prestige (and merchandise sales). If one wants practical advice on life, go to a Dave Ramsey or Tony Robbins conference. Do not use the Jesus, who redeemed us with his own blood, to enrich yourself and build your brand. They are preaching a false gospel and a fake, American style Jesus by having an allegedly Christian conference…while not preaching about the very reason Jesus came to earth…sin.
This what Paul says about preaching a false or watered down Jesus:
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.”
Galatians 1:6-11
This is nothing more than a ponzi scheme, get local churches to join the parasitic organization, throw around some Christianese phrases and let the undiscerning sheep run for the entry gate.
“It is often said that change is the only constant and we know that our world is constantly advancing, shifting, and adapting, but how do we lead in these new realities?”
God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We as Christians are commanded to trust in Him only, to follow Him only and to rely on Him FOR ALL THINGS! This is something these wolves can’t understand! God is our leader and our shepherd, follow Him not the hucksters of Churchianity!
“Join Craig Groeschel and Brian Houston as we examine how to anticipate coming change before it arrives, create a strategy for transition, and map a compelling vision for the future.”
They’re augurs and foreseers, they can predict coming change! I would advise them to read Revelation, these blind dolts can’t see they are the problem. Brian Houston is rife with heresies.
“Bring the entire team! Together you’ll learn to:
Foresee problems and opportunities before they arise
Create and communicate a strategy for change
Understand organizational life cycles
Establish a different way of thinking
Foster a culture that embraces change and fuels progress”
Marketing gobbledygook, this is utter nonsense, if these blind false teachers would read their bibles, they would see how a congregation is to convene and function. Pastors should stay away from these two, they will run down your congregation and bleed you dry, parishioners that see their pastor/leader get mixed up with this should admonish them or leave. Don’t get involved with Hillsong, Houston or Groeschel.
For these men, and those who would be like them, the Lord Jesus Christ is not good enough for them. This is evident in their perpetual mockery of Him, the blaspheme employed to advance themselves in their own kingdom, and the lack of humility (except the false variety). They CANNOT preach the Gospel because they are not born again. If you deem that to be “judgmental” on my part it is a good sign that you, too, love their lies instead of the Lord Jesus. These men and those that follow them have had their minds blinded, darkened, closed to the truth of the Gospel and will find no escape from their predicament by their own doing. Read Isa. 6:9&10 and then find how many times it is referenced and quoted in the NT. Jesus repeated these words (Matt. 13:11-15) and states without doubt that it has not been given to them to be able to understand (V.11). These are only ‘hard words’ for those who have not had these things (the real Gospel) revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.
Notice one other thing this sort of man will never speak on, the Resurrection. That is because they do not belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, for if they did the Resurrection would be an integral part of any presentation. When the crucifixion is mentioned in the NT sermons, the Resurrection is always spoken of, mostly in the same breathe. [But of course, these men and those like them seldom, if ever, speak of the crucifixion.] Speaking of the Resurrection only during the pagan celebration of Easter does not qualify and in fact is nothing more than a mockery of the Crucified and Risen Savior.
Yes, Hellsong’s where SEX, drugs and Rock & roll are RELEVANT
just ask Frank Houston!!
Ben if you listen to all of their albums up until about 2004 , they were very worshipful, godly, scriptural based lyrics. A lot of the songs were taken right out of the Psalms. Reuben Morgan in particular was a tremendous author of deeply devotional songs. Darlene Zschech was one of the most gifted worship leaders I have ever seen. But then the new generation took over with the lights, smoke and driving guitar sound on most of their albums after that. There was some good music after that, particularly the songs of Brooke Fraser ( Hosanna, etc.). But overall there was a rapid decline in reverent, inspiring music. Its been very disappointing to watch. The Holy Spirit is not going to be able to do much to pull people out of the world in the environment created by most of their later music. All great revival movements eventually peter out ( the Welsh revival of the early 20th century only lasted 2 years!) Hillsong helped many people worship God for about 10 (1993-2003)years but now the fire is gone.
Hey John,
You said, [Hillsong helped many people worship God for about 10 (1993-2003)years but now the fire is gone.] While I agree that the more recent music is less worshipful/Biblical than the earlier music, that doesn’t mean the earlier music bore the marks of “true fire.” Pentecostalism has always had it wrong because they are always looking for the Holy Spirit to come again and do more. When Darlene Zschech sang, “Holy Spirit, Come,” for example, it was clear to me that these folks were playing with “strange fire.”
The Spirit already came in fullness on the day of Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago. We have all of the Spirit we are ever going to get. And it’s enough, it’s plenty, it’s abundant, it’s overflowing. So many modern “worship” lyrics beg the Spirit to come and do more. What a horrible thing to say!
Hi B!,
Yes you’re correct, it’s as if His ministry is not complete! That we need “more” of Him! This sounds like Romanism in which Christ’s complete and fully finished work on the cross is questioned and denied. Experience after experience!
Too right. Problem with the songs is one can sing one – we learned one a few months ago in our former church Oh praise the name (anastasis). I would have little issue with the words. But I went home and looked at the album and there is ‘Open heaven/wild river’. I know from the title what it means. And the words I could not sing.
The ‘good’ songs are introduced in more conservative churches but it puts approval on the rest for young people if there is no explanation or caution. Best to avoid all together.
Well I have to just disagree with your statements about praying for and desiring the power of the Holy Spirit to revive the church. That’s what the desire of the early Hillsong movement was all about. The songs were filled with the cross, the blood of Jesus, crying out for salvation, the desire to see the world know Jesus. All throughout the Book of Acts and all throughout the history of revival movements these themes return again and again. And then the fire goes out just like it did when Eli was priest in Israel. The whole history of Israel and of the Christian Church is filled with the ebb and flow of Revival followed either by legalism or moral degradation. Paul said eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. He also said ( original Greek) Keep on being filled withe Holy Spirit. To say that it is wrong to want more of God, or for God to have more of you is just wrong in and of itself. Read the writings of Charles Spurgeon, R.A. Torrey, A.W. Tozer. Those were great men of God who knew the need for the continual power of the Holy Spirit, they prayed for it. and they saw it in their ministries. This isn’t just a “Pentecostal” thing. Have things gone off the rails, in this case, Hillsong ? Yes they have have. But so did they in the Second Great Awakening, the Welsh Revival, and many other movements of God that were either quenched or descended into fanatacism or heresy by Satan to keep them from having a long term effect. In college I did extensive research into the writings of John Wesley, who wrote about the misdirection of Satan in all revival movements. John listed 4 things that happen in all revivals. 1) There is the genuine work of the Holy Spirit that converts sinners to Christ, which can often be accompamied by unexpected manifestations that often involve emotional reactions to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 2) Then there are always people of a highly emotional, unstable nature who are easily set off in a highly, emotionally charged environment. They act out of their own disturbed emotional nature. 3) Then there are the attention seekers. These are people who have a deeply flawed desire to be seen and perceived as important and specially favored by God. They are always the first to go forward at altar calls. Eventually everybody figures out who they are and what they are doing. 4.) Finally there is the actual Satanic imitation of the work of the Holy Spirit. Its all hype, smoke and mirrors and results in no lastiing change in people’s hearts. Often gross immorality can be also seen on the fringes of revival movements. These were John Wesley’s observations. Did this stop Wesley from preaching and seeing revival? No, he didn’t live in fear of what could go wrong. He went out into the harvest field knowing that Satan would always sow tares among the wheat. But Wesley already knew that because his Lord had warned him ahead of time. But John Wesley had a calliing ( as we all have) to seek and to save those who are lost. All we can do is be witnesses and leave the results up to god. Do we expose error when we see it? Absolutely. We have a responsibility to the flock. Have nothing to do with the evil works of darkeness, but rather expose them. So you see, as Christians we have a multifaceted callling. But living in fear that every unusual manifestation during ministry is always from Satan is just wrong.
John, you said, [Keep on being filled withe Holy Spirit. To say that it is wrong to want more of God, or for God to have more of you is just wrong in and of itself.]
There’s a difference between the believer being continually filled by the Spirit and the believer asking/begging the Holy Spirit to come. The Holy Spirit came in fullness. We have all of the Spirit we are going to get. The only thing to question now is whether the Spirit has all of the believer. That is the filling and it is dependent only on the believer being in right adjustment to the Spirit and yielding to the Spirit.
The filling of the Spirit is not the same as the gifts of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit results, among other things, in the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. The sign gifts of the Spirit to which you refer, such as prophesying, ceased in the first century AD (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Hey Berolac. I respect your opinion but I think there are clear cases where more of the power of the Holy Spirit was asked for in the NT not just for personal infilling to release more of what was already there but for outward acts of power, You may say those things died out with the apostles but there is no slam dunk scripture to prove that . Both sides of this issue have their favorite texts and see them from a certain perspective. Acts 4: 23-31 is, in my opinion a clear case of this. Prayer was made specifically for acts of power (vs. 30) to be performed. Immediately afterward they were annointed to preach with power. Are there dangers of getting obsessed with the outward signs and missing the one who gives them? Yes. But we are specifically exhorted to eagerly desire spiritual gifts. And most of the ones listed in that chapter of Corinthians are of the miraculous variety. Our message is always Jesus, first and last. Eternal existence, virgin birth, sinless life, Lordship and authoritative teaching, miraculous power over life, death,health, nature and the demonic. Substitutionary penal sacrifice, bodily resurrection, coming on the clouds and the eternal kingdom. Salvation offered by God’s free grace and mercy, but dependent on our faith and repentance for its effectiveness in our personal lives. But for 2000 years there is testimony after testimony of miraculous, unexplainable intervention in people’s lives to bring salvation to the lost, healing them and protecting them. God still answers our prayers for him to express his power when it is needed. And we need it now more than ever.
Foresee problems and opportunities before they arise – the problem is if you preach sinners in need of a Savior, your congregation will shrink, so take the opportunity to market prosperity in the name of Jesus so tithes and offerings will flow in to cover the enormous expense of operating a huge organization.
Create and communicate a strategy for change – the leader expresses the “vision” given to Him by God that everyone must line up with and cannot oppose without experiencing isolation to force conformity.
Understand organizational life cycles (notice the use of the word “organizational” – they actually admit how they’re functioning!) – its the younger generation in charge now, so let’s accommodate them with lights, music, entertainment, cool clothes and cool language because the stuffy old hymns and boring preaching of the older generation won’t draw a crowd, so lets proceed our way until the objectors leave.
Establish a different way of thinking (are they bold in exposing themselves or what?!) – we are smarter with our new ideas and technology, and cooler with our casual, entertaining, worldly atmosphere than with the archaic method of presenting a boring gospel from the Bible when we can utilize movies, Starbucks and the Beatles to enhance our worship experience.
Foster a culture that embraces change and fuels progress – God’s ways are old-fashioned, so we need to re-invent Him as loving and saving everyone, and bring Him into our century that has so progressed far beyond what scripture records from thousands of years ago. Join with us and God will give you a dream destiny that will change your life so you can change the world.
This is my interpretation of what their points mean and the poison their conference will consist of. But it will be ingested because they’re just so cool.
I just noticed something in that picture of Brian Houston. It looks as if that light is illuminating from around his head. Think that’s by accident? Looks intentional to me.
This sermonette is what all young people NEED to hear, and all Christians as well – http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopupvideo.asp?SID=32111144592
Thanks for that Lyn! Excellent!
Hey Manny,
You might like this one as well, from Albert Martin, it is absolutely excellent – http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=6290383510
Have a blessed evening brother :^)
Again, thanks! Marvelous!!!!
That was back in 1983, look how far down the slope this nation has fallen since then! When was the last time anyone has heard a sermon such as that! Amazing! The hairs on my arm were up on end!!!
Lyn,
Tolerance, acceptance and militant take over, being preached 34 years ago! Here we are! The law of the land! This sermon brought into focus the judgement this nation is under!
Manny
It is the LACK of this kind of preaching that is partly to blame for what we presently see. I was so blessed to hear this sermon, one of four in a series. You may want to listen to the other three as well , go to www DOT sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sourceonly=true&currSection=sermonssource&keyword=tbcnj&subsetcat=series&subsetitem=God%27s+Word+To+Our+Nation
I plan on listening to them over this holiday weekend. I look forward to them and am hungry for this type of Spirit-empowered preaching. It’s nothing like the compromising ear ticklers of our day is it?
Oh amen to that sister! Think how politically incorrect this is labeled today! Unbelievable how far the apostasy has come! The division between Churchianity and the bride is very evident today! What are the odds Brian Houston would ever preach like that?!!! Or for that matter any of the so-called rockstar-idol-preachers? Just amazing how a sermon of “yesteryear” can bring such focus into the current terminal condition of Churchianity!
Indeed brother – just think how much worse things have gotten since Martin preached that sermon back in ’83? That was NOT that long ago was it? Our Lord said the signs would be like birth pains, which intensify in frequency as the mother gets closer to the delivery date. Things have certainly escalated haven’t they?
Yes!!!! The birth pangs have certainly picked up speed and intensity! The fall, has been fast and hard! How big can the bride be today? I would the majority of Christianity is apostate, what’s left?
“After serving at Hillsong Church for 25 years alongside Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston, renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech will be leaving the megachurch to assume a senior pastor role at a nearby Pentecostal church.
She will be leading Church Unlimited, near Syndey, with her husband, Mark, beginning in January 2011.” (Christian Post, 28 October 2010)”
“It is important for Christians to grasp just how dangerous Darlene Zschech has become in light of her allegiance to Rome and her condemnation of Christians who have spoken out against her worship for the pope. While this article is long, it will be worth your time reading to see how much Zschech has aligned herself to Roman Catholicism by examining her theology.”
https://churchwatchcentral.com/2015/07/28/hillsongs-darlene-zschech-condemns-christians-and-aligns-herself-to-roman-catholicism/
I don’t believe Darlene Zsech was ever grounded in scripture…….. neither was Brian Houston. Birds of a feather…………..