You watch the video and decide for yourself, but if we are going to accept the Bible as our guide and basis for truth, then Weems is waaaaaay off base in his ever-growing tall tale.
“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8,9 (KJV)
As we reported to you this past Easter Sunday, Celebration Church pastor Stovall Weems
claimed he had a face to face encounter with Jesus Christ. Weems says he was physically 'transported to the heavenly realms', much like the apostle Paul was when he received his Third Heaven visitation. If true, that would put Stovall Weems in the rarefied atmosphere of saints from the Bible, and if true, his amazing account should be added to the Bible. Last night, instead of walking back those claims, Stovall Weems decided to double down.
Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida, is a type of church in the fashion of
Hillsong United, what they loosely refer to as a 'rock and roll' church. The worship music is an endless series of repetitive choruses designed to get the listener into an ecstatic state where feelings are in the forefront, and the critical thinking areas of the brain are disengaged. The music is loud, very loud, with laser lights and smoke machines to complete the effect of being in an MTV music video.
It is in this environment that the listener has now been made susceptible to whatever suggestions are coming from the "preacher". None of what you will see at a Celebration service is in line with anything you will read about in the Bible about how a New Testament church service should be run. Nothing at Celebration is done "decently or in order" as Paul commands. It is like a nightclub with its incessant pulsating and droning music, stunning the listener into submission.
"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV)
And speaking of the apostle Paul, Celebration is a church where women are given the rank of pastor even though Paul says this is not to be. In fact, Weems says that his wife is his "other Holy Spirit" as well as "co-pastor" of the church.
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law." 1 Corinthians 14:34 (KJV)
Celebration Church rarely, if ever, preaches or teaches on Bible doctrine. Instead, a typical service is all about...wait for it...you, and your feelings, your finances, yourblessings, and the list goes on and on. Before many of the services, they will play videos where someone is giving a "testimony" about how were "amazingly blessed" after "tithing" their income to Celebration Church. Really? Wow! Let me start tithing too...(rolling my eyes).
But I digress, let's get back too Stovall Weems doubling down on hiss miraculous "heavenly visit" from Jesus Christ.
After having a few days to soberly reflect on his claim of a "visit from Jesus", pastor Stovall Weems decided to double down. He had this to say about the encounter.
"I don't know if I was in the body, out of the body, I know that I was in the heavenly realm with Jesus. I don't know if, you know, Jesus came down or I went up but I was there".
You
watch the video and decide for yourself, but if we are going to accept the Bible as our guide and basis for truth, then Weems is waaaaaay off base in his ever-growing tall tale. Peter, Paul and John, in multiple places, remind the Christian in the Church Age that we do not see Jesus
now, but when the Rapture happens or we die,
then we will see Him. That is what the Bible teaches.
- “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18 (KJV)
- “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
- “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:18 (KJV)
- “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8,9 (KJV)
- “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)
Yes, the apostle John and the apostle Paul both met Jesus after His resurrection, but guess what? They were apostles. There are no apostles today, John was the last one. And with John went the apostolic gifts, signs, miracles, wonders and everything else including the possibility of being able to meet Jesus face to face before you die.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" 2 Thessalonians 2:;3 (KJV)
Paul says there will be a great "falling away" from doctrinal truth in the last days before the
Rapture of the Church, and Stovall Weems seems intent on doing his level best to make sure that comes true. But this type of Laodicean nonsense is not limited to the liberal, 'rock and roll' churches like Celebration, it's happening everywhere.
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