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Paul Washer

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SolaSaint

SolaSaint

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I like listening to Paul Washer, he truly does not pull any punches. However I was listening the other day to one of his sermons on sermonaudio.com and he said something that hit me hard. I usually always agree with his getting people to check their salvation to make sure they are in the faith. This time he was speaking to a group of Jehovah Witnesses about experiencing the presence of God. He says he sometimes gets this experience for hours and hours and it is so awesome he has to ask God to remove Himself before he dies. He said this to the JWs to get them to realize they don't know God.

Now I'm not sure about you all but have you ever experienced God like that? I haven't. I have experienced God when in prayer or especially when reading scripture, but not to that extent to where I had to ask God to remove Himself because I couldn't take it any more. I have felt His peace and reassurance many times, but I'm wondering if Paul was exaggerating a little here? Or maybe I'm not where I need to be with the Lord. What say you?

http://www.monergism.com/search?keywords=witness&format=25&=Search

About the 1:06:30 mark on Washer's audio. Listen and see if this is what you have experienced before and get back to me. Thanks!
 
SolaSaint

SolaSaint

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Thanks C4K. I have heard of Christians having mountain top experiences but nothing like what Washer experienced. I think he may have been exaggerating to the Jehovah Witnesses, but that isn't being honest unless he really did have this closeness with God. I anyone did it would probably be him?
 
Thousand Hills

Thousand Hills

Active Member
SolaSaint said:
I like listening to Paul Washer, he truly does not pull any punches. However I was listening the other day to one of his sermons on sermonaudio.com and he said something that hit me hard. I usually always agree with his getting people to check their salvation to make sure they are in the faith. This time he was speaking to a group of Jehovah Witnesses about experiencing the presence of God. He says he sometimes gets this experience for hours and hours and it is so awesome he has to ask God to remove Himself before he dies. He said this to the JWs to get them to realize they don't know God.

Now I'm not sure about you all but have you ever experienced God like that? I haven't. I have experienced God when in prayer or especially when reading scripture, but not to that extent to where I had to ask God to remove Himself because I couldn't take it any more. I have felt His peace and reassurance many times, but I'm wondering if Paul was exaggerating a little here? Or maybe I'm not where I need to be with the Lord. What say you?

http://www.monergism.com/search?keywords=witness&format=25&=Search

About the 1:06:30 mark on Washer's audio. Listen and see if this is what you have experienced before and get back to me. Thanks!
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Listened to the excerpt, and you may be reading in to much to what he was saying. I don't think he was necessarily being overly dramatic. I've never had experiences go on for hours and hours, but unlike PW I've also never been a missionary to the jungles of Peru, traveled oversees to Europe to preach the gospel, etc., etc. Of course most here in BB land haven't either.

I've listened to several PW sermons and he is pretty straightforward, which can come off as arrogant (as has been well noted here - you either love him or hate him there is no in between). But in my opinion I get the impression he is just passionate/sincere, and I'd venture he's a lot more humble and approachable than Furtick, Ed Young Jr., or the vast majority of the other SBC mega pastors.
 
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thisnumbersdisconnected

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Revmitchell said:
I don't believe him.
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Ditto. Washer reminds me of a story I read on the Internet a while ago.

The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes tracked muck and mud across a carpet belonging to Plato, saying as he did so "I am stomping down Plato’s pride."

"Yes," Plato replied, "but with another kind of pride of your own."
Thousand Hills said:
Where's TND to come along and say that we should never in any circumstance judge? How dare you Rev???
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If you think that's what I say, you haven't been reading my posts very closely, TH.
 
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Thousand Hills

Thousand Hills

Active Member
thisnumbersdisconnected said:
Ditto. Washer reminds me of a story I read on the Internet a while ago.

The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes tracked muck and mud across a carpet belonging to Plato, saying as he did so "I am stomping down Plato’s pride."

"Yes," Plato replied, "but with another kind of pride of your own."
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No worries, as my good buddy John Deere Fan said in another PW thread a few months back "That's more Paul Washer for the rest of us". :thumbsup:
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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If Washer really had such an experience perhaps he should have kept quiet about it, keeping it just between him and the Lord.

"3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; ) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities" (1 Cor. 12).
 
SolaSaint

SolaSaint

Well-Known Member
John,

Good point. I really enjoy listening to Washer and I get great encouragement from his sermons. However I sometimes feel he is embellishing or exaggerating to get his message across. Is this OK in preaching?

And then again as someone stated in here, he is very obedient to God's call and may get a closer glimpse of His majesty than the rest of us do.

I don't know which it is, so I'll assume he is experiencing what he says until I hear differently.

Thanks for the reply.:wavey:
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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SolaSaint said:
John,

Good point. I really enjoy listening to Washer and I get great encouragement from his sermons. However I sometimes feel he is embellishing or exaggerating to get his message across. Is this OK in preaching?

And then again as someone stated in here, he is very obedient to God's call and may get a closer glimpse of His majesty than the rest of us do.

I don't know which it is, so I'll assume he is experiencing what he says until I hear differently.

Thanks for the reply.:wavey:
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I don't know much about Washer, since I'm over here in Japan. I did listen to the rest of the message and I think his approach delineated after that of challenging the JWs about the Gospel is much better than saying, "Hey, I know God really well and you don't!"

I've talked to many JWs in both the States and Japan, and believe in the power of the Scriptures in their lives. A Japanese pastor friend came out of the JWs years ago with 69 others down in the city of Kobe. What brought them out? It all started with an "elder" studying the Bible for himself and comparing it to JW doctrine!
 
John of Japan

John of Japan

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Site Supporter
SolaSaint said:
I'm teaching on JW's this next Sunday, any good works you can suggest for me?
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I haven't bought or gotten anything in a long time on cults in English, since the situation is quite different here in most cases--though the JWs are a quite similar situation. However, I have the classic The Chaos of Cults by J. K. Van Baalen, which has a good 20 pages on them.
 
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thisnumbersdisconnected

New Member
C4K said:
Just that I don't have grounds not to trust my brother's word - but I don't.

It may very well be that the reason I have never had it happen to me is that I am too consumed with my flesh.
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OK, gotcha. :thumbsup:

I don't go so far as many of Washer's critics and say he's a "heretic," but I think he is a man lacking considerably in grace. That makes for the appearance of arrogance, even if he is not.
 
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