There is no creation of his that should be used because lies plus truth equal errors, equal lost souls, equal fake changes and returning to the past habits many times more than the opposite

Discerning Error

Throughout the Holy Bible we are given warning not to be deceived or led away with error.

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye be led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness” (2 Peter 3:17).

The Greek word for “error,” planē (πλάνη), means a “straying from orthodoxy” and to “deceive.” The “wicked” refers to those who would misrepresent or twist the Word of God in such a manner as to make it condone or excuse their lusts and sinful practices. The subtleness of Rick Warren throughout his books can be deciphered by believers applying the proper context to the Scriptures he uses. The other undoubted test of Warren’s misuse of Scripture is his obvious elimination of the Work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with a believer’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When the Lord Jesus Christ was on the earth, He was led by the Holy Spirit and did only the will of the Father. Likewise, we as believers are to be led by the Holy Spirit. He is to give us direction and wisdom.

“And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2).

Twisting God’s Word

Throughout his books, Rick Warren will try to make Scriptures apply to worldly principles. We may ask, why has he been successful at promoting his worldly appealing doctrine as scriptural?

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you…” (2 Peter 2:3).

The Apostle Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would tell us what the likes of Warren does, and others do, in order to get money to spend on their own lusts. They will fabricate their own doctrines and false theories through feigned words. In other words, fictitious (false) words designed to deceive by playing on covetousness. The entire “Seeker Sensitive Movement” preys on the “felt needs” of people by trying to satisfy their personal desires or needs. To the unsaved, their personal desires and needs are not in accordance to the will of God. In the case of Christians, their desires may be good desires given by God. However, if a believer attempts to satisfy their good desires through any other means than faith in Christ and the Cross, they may birth an “Ishmael.” For example, pastors have a desire to see their church grow. To address this concern, Warren offers worldly business marketing techniques and pawns them off as scriptural. It is not the pastor’s place to be overly concerned with the size of their congregations. However, the desire to see souls saved is a good desire, but that does not give the pastor a license to experiment with or use marketing tools of the world to satisfy his desire to see his church grow.

Target the Audience or Understanding God’s Plan?

Rick Warren: For your church to be most effective in evangelism, you must decide on a target, discover what types of people live in your area, decide which of those groups your church is best equipped to reach, and then discover which styles of evangelism best meet your target (The Purpose Driven Church, pg. 157).

Notice how Warren has reduced people to being spiritual consumers. There is only one message every church should be equipped to give: Jesus Christ and Him crucified! This must be the foundation and all doctrine must be built upon it.

“According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

Rick Warren: The practice of targeting specific kinds of people for evangelism is a biblical principle for ministry. It is as old as the New Testament. Jesus targeted His ministry. When a Canaanite woman asked Jesus to minister to her demon-possessed daughter, he publicly stated that the Father had told him to focus on the “lost sheep of Israel.” (see Matthew 15:22-28). Although Jesus went ahead and healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter because of her faith, He publicly identified His ministry target as the Jews. Was Jesus being unfair or prejudiced? Certainly not! Jesus targeted His ministry in order to be effective, not to be exclusive (The Purpose Driven Church, pg. 158).

God’s plan was to first offer salvation to Israel and then to the Gentiles. This was foretold through prophecy and was confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ and others in the New Testament: John 1:11; Matthew 10:6; Romans 1:16 (to the Jew first), and then to the Gentiles, Matthew 21:43; John 10:16; Romans 1:16; Romans 9:24-33; Acts 15:13-18; Ephesians 3:1-11. The true focus and object lesson of this story is one of faith. Israel did not exhibit faith in her Messiah yet the Lord Jesus Christ would not deny the “great faith” demonstrated by this humble Canaanite woman who was not in the covenant. The story of this woman’s faith is an example for us to believe God in what would seem to be impossible circumstances by persisting in faith. There was no occasion here for Jesus to make a “public” declaration of His “target market” since the only audience present was His disciples and the woman in need. A little contextual study of God’s Word would clarify and expose Warren’s unscriptural errors.

“And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet” (Mark 7:24-25).

Everything the Lord Jesus Christ did was under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. His “purpose” was to fulfil the law of Moses in His righteous living and then pay the debt of the broken law on our behalf. The Cross was His destiny. It was God’s purpose for us to be found in Christ by our faith in what He did for us in the finished work of the Cross.

“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephesians 3:10-12).

Our “purpose” is to be found “in Him.” Everything the believer needs, including proper desires, is found “in Him.”

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

When we find the Lord Jesus Christ and accept Him we have found our “purpose” in life.