"Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." I Peter 1:8
POTTER'S HOUSE CHURCH
Brief History:
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Thomas Dexter Jakes was born on June 9, 1957 in South Charleston, West Virginia and grew up in nearby Vandalia. While still a young man he felt that the Lord was calling him to ministry so he enrolled at West Virginia State University and began to preach occasionally. Before long, though, he dropped out of school to work at Union Carbide, while continuing to preach on a part-time basis. Around this time Jakes, still eager to be a minister, founded Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith, a small, independent, Pentecostal congregation in Montgomery, West Virginia. The church quickly began to grow from the ten founding members meeting in a small storefront to two hundred and then three hundred attendees. Jakes soon came into contact with Bishop Sherman Watkins who had founded the Higher Ground Always Abounding Assembly, which at that time was an association of more than two hundred Pentecostal churches. Watkins ordained Jakes and suggested that he plant a church in the Charleston Area. In 1990 Jakes moved to Charleston and began to focus on the spiritual concerns of the women in his church, many of whom were in abusive or other otherwise difficult relationships. He called his class “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” and this later became the title of his bestselling book and the name of an annual conference. By 1993 he had moved his congregation to Cross Lanes, West Virginia, where the mixed-race congregation exploded to more than 1,100 people. The next year he established T.D. Jakes Ministries to produce televised sermons and conferences. In 1996 he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he founded the Potter’s House. The church’s name comes from Jeremiah 18, where the broken vessel is repaired.
The Potter's House is a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, United States, founded by T. D. Jakes. Outreach magazine ranked it the 10th largest in the US as of 2008 based on a weekly attendance of 17,000 and a capacity of about 8,000.
The church building was established by televangelist W. V. Grant as the Eagles Nest Family Church. It is located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas right next to Dallas Baptist University. After Grant was convicted of tax evasion in 1996 he sold the facility to T. D. Jakes, a fellow televangelist, who renamed it and relaunched it as The Potter's House. Jakes had moved from West Virginia with 50 families, who formed the nucleus of the new congregation. To handle expansion, the church built a 191,000-square-foot (17,700 m2) sanctuary at a cost of $45 million.
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The message of the "Prosperity Gospel," which The Potter's House teaches, is simple: "You can be rich, healthy and trouble free. T.D. Jakes is associated with several troublesome teachings including the prosperity gospel and 'positive' thinking. . Jesus was rich and God wants you to be rich." One look at the church's facility and they are sold! For many this is enough to convince them God is there.
The apostle John measures our relationship with God by whether we follow or deviate from Christ’s doctrine (2 John 9). We are warned not to allow false teachers to teach in our churches nor give them any encouragement (v. 10). And if we do, we share in their evil deeds (v. 11).T. D. Jakes has shared the platform at times with Benny Hinn, Richard Roberts, Rod Parsley, Joyce Meyer, Rodney Howard-Browne, and Roberts Liardon. Fisher comments concerning Liardon, “Any discerning Christian should want to stay as far away as possible from Liardon who claims he was transported to heaven and there he met Jesus face to face and that he and Jesus had a water fight in the River of Life! Liardon further claims he was shown a building filled with unclaimed body parts (hair, eyes, skin, legs, etc.). This heavenly warehouse of unclaimed body parts is overstocked according to Liardon simply because here on earth believers fail to appropriate them by faith.”
1. Mega Church
Today many are fascinated with large church crowds for various reasons, from the social popular aspect to a feeling that it must be right since so many people are there.
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2. The Potter's House Foundation ,
The Potter's House is a megachurch in Dallas, Texas, United States, founded by T. D. Jakes in 1996. Like many others, Thomas Dexter Jakes believes that he has the authority to start churches. Some of them believe that just because they attach a bible word or verse to it somehow that makes it right. Jeremiah 18:2 really?
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Jakes — who once made the cover of Time magazine, which asked if he might be the next Billy Graham —
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3. Prosperity gospel
Prosperity ministers preach that God rewards the faithful with wealth and spiritual gifts. Pastors such as T.D. Jakes, Dollar, and Joel Osteen have become the Prosperity Gospel's most well known preachers, building megachurches and business empires with a message equating piety with prosperity. While popular in the black church, it is not a solely black phenomenon, as seen in the ministry of Osteen, a best-selling author and megapastor at Lakewood Church in Houston.
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The Prosperity Gospel is a form of evangelical Christianity that largely grew out of the booming economy of postwar America, says Jonathan Walton, a professor of Christian Morals at Harvard and author of "Watch This! Televangelism and African American Religious Culture." The theology's emphasis is on God's promised generosity in this life and the ability of believers to claim it for themselves. If God loves us, it teaches, then God will reward us with a new home, a good job, or good health, Walton says. God wants us to be prosperous which becomes a unbiblical theology.
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4. Doctrine of the Godhead (Trinity)
Jakes has long been associated with Oneness Pentecostalism which holds to an unorthodox position on the Trinity. This position is known as Modalism or, historically, as Sabellianism. Modalism holds that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not refer to distinct persons in the godhead, but to different modes of existence of a single person. It teaches that in ages past God manifested himself as the Father, during the incarnation of Christ he manifested himself as the Son, and subsequently he manifested himself as the Holy Spirit.
As one of its key tenets it states that God cannot exist in more than one mode at a time. So while this teaching does hold to a form of trinitarian theology and while it does proclaim the divinity of Jesus Christ, it denies that there are three distinct persons who together make up the godhead. Hence the belief statement at the Potter’s House says, “There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (Formerly the statement was even clearer: “We believe in one God who is eternal in His existence, Triune in His manifestation, being both Father, Son and Holy Ghost AND that He is Sovereign and Absolute in His authority.”)
Jake said he was saved in a Oneness Pentecostal church. Oneness Pentecostalism denies the Trinity and claims that instead of God being three persons, He is one person. In Oneness Pentecostalism, there is no distinction between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. It is also called “modalism,” and it is embraced by the United Pentecostal Church International.
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5. T. D. Jakes as the Pastor
Bishop T. D. Jakes is a charismatic leader, visionary, provocative thinker, and entrepreneur who serves as senior pastor of The Potter’s House church located in Dallas, Texas.
T. D. Jakes daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Now based part-time in Los Angeles and married to Touré Roberts, with whom she co-pastors the Potter’s House churches in Los Angeles and Denver .
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6. Another "Non-denominational" denomination
Jakes, founded Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith, a small, independent, Pentecostal congregation in Montgomery, West Virginia.- a denomination.
Sherman Watkins who had founded the Higher Ground Always Abounding Assembly, ordained Jakes - a denomination. In 1996 he moved to Dallas, Texas, where he founded the Potter’s House. When was T. D. Jakes ever in the church we read about in the Bible?
Definition: Denominational churches are formally affiliated, to varying degrees, with a larger body comprised of other member churches. The Potter's house came out of the Eagles Nest Family Church and is affiliated with "a multicultural fellowship of economically diverse Christian pastors" (of various denominations) -The Potter’s House International Pastoral Alliance (PHIPA)
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7. Doctrine according to wealth
The ministry’s doctrinal statement makes it clear that Jakes adheres not only to the doctrine of guaranteed wealth for the believer but also guaranteed health: “We believe that it is God’s will to heal and deliver His people today as He did in the days of the first Apostles. It is by the stripes of Jesus that we are healed, delivered and made whole. We have authority over sickness, disease, demons, curses, and every circumstance in life.” This belief is reflected in Woman Thou Art Loosed! “Jesus has promised to set you free from every curse of the past. If you have suffered abuse, please know that He will bring you complete healing.”
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8. . The Potter's House claim of being "non denominational" but still "World of Faith
Potter's House connected to Word of Faith which is a worldwide Evangelical Christian movement which teaches that Christians can access the power of faith through speech. Its teachings are found on radio, the internet, television, and in many Charismatic denominations and communities. It teaches that the salvation won by Jesus on the cross included wealth and prosperity for believers.
Evangelist E.W. Kenyon (1867–1948) is usually cited as the originator of Word of Faith teaching.
Kenyon's writings influenced Kenneth Hagin Sr., the recognized "father" of the Word of Faith movement. Douglas Mcconnell has provided significant evidence that all of Hagin's major ideas came from the works of Kenyon
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9. Doctrine on Sin:
Jakes’s teaching on sin leaves much to be desired. In a three-hour video broadcast on TBN of his July 1999 WTAL conference in Atlanta, he addressed the women’s immediate emotional and social needs, but nothing was said on the issue of sin and the need for a Savior, nor on the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Loose That Man and Let Him Go! Jakes describes men who have extramarital affairs as doing what they do because they fear confronting unresolved issues with their spouses. He depicts men who carry weapons as living in fear that others will see the frightened little boy hiding behind the big gun. He characterizes men who beat their wives as little boys having a temper tantrum.
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10. Salvation:
Focused more on prosperity than the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are told to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. "Sinners Prayer"
In a Wall Street Journal article, which described Jakes as a country preacher with a multimillion-dollar religious empire, he was quoted as saying, “I am the power and the kingdom and the glory, and I think I kind of like it that way.”49 Even if he spoke these words in jest, he mocks God, who will not share His glory with another (Isa. 42:8).Jakes’s teaching on sin leaves much to be desired. In a three-hour video broadcast on TBN of his July 1999 WTAL conference in Atlanta, he addressed the women’s immediate emotional and social needs, but nothing was said on the issue of sin and the need for a Savior, nor on the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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11. Communion:
At World Changers Church Communion is taken during every Saturday and Sunday service as a reminder that His body was broken, and His precious blood was shed for us!
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12. Instruments in worship (Rock band):
Not denied
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WRONG TIME: 1996 A. D.
WRONG PLACE: Dallas, Texas
WRONG FOUNDER: Thomas Dexter Jakes
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1. God has always called for obedience to Him when it comes to acceptable worship. Even in the case of two brothers -Cain and Abel. God ONLY accepted Abel's worship because in OBEDIENCE Able offered it by FAITH. Hebrews 11: 4. (that FAITH comes from...read (Romans 10:17). Crowds can get you in trouble Exodus 23:2. It ONLY matters WHY you are gathered NOT if it is a crowd Matthew 18:20. (must be following the teachings of Christ / John 8:32-32).
2. The ONLY founder (Foundation) of the church of the SAVED is Jesus Christ. NOT T. D. Jakes or anyone else!
He is purchaser, Acts 20:28
He is builder, Matthew 16:18
He is head, Ephesians 5:23
He is lawgiver, Acts 2:36
He is Savior, Ephesians 5:23
For NO ONE can lay any FOUNDATION other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. I Cor. 3:11
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3. The Bible does NOT teach anything about a person becoming a Christian and promised "Prosperity"
In the Bible, there are several examples of people who are financially prosperous, but also of people who are financially poor.
Biblical blessing is primarily focused on the relationship one has with God. Principally, a person who is blessed is one who is the recipient of God’s protection, God’s holy pleasure, and God’s grace (cf. Genesis 12:2-3). We are blessed beyond measure when we become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). The inheritance promised to a faithful believer is spiritual, is future, and is eternal; God promises treasures in heaven (Luke 18:22). And yet, with all the blessings spoken of in Scripture, God’s pleasure and favor upon the Christian does not necessarily mean that He will make each faithful person materially rich.
Some experienced financial poverty because of their faithfulness to God, like Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus. Poverty and wealth happen to all kinds of people and Jesus teaches us that God causes the rain to fall on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45). In His sovereign good pleasure and providential control, God makes it so that some inherit or produce great wealth while others live without, choose to abstain from, squander, or fail to produce great wealth (1 Samuel 2:7).
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4. The doctrine of the Godhead.
Bishop T.D. Jakes says he has moved away from a “Oneness” view of the Godhead to embrace an orthodox definition of the Trinity — and that some in the Oneness Pentecostal movement now consider him a heretic.
First of all Mr. Thomas Dexter Jakes the Bible does NOT speak of "trinity" the biblical word is "godhead".
Praxeus, Tertullian (ca. 165-220) asserted the threeness aspect of God, being the first to use the word Trinity. However, he did not have a full and accurate understanding of the Trinity, his views being tinged with subordinationism.
The word "Godhead" is used three times in the English Bible (Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9). According to Greek dictionaries and lexicons, each of these places has a different word, but they are each related to the other, meaning divinity or having the quality of deity. When the word "Godhead" is used, we think of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit being the sum total of Deity. We must not think of the Godhead in human terminology. God is not three men. Jesus the Word occupied a human body and came in the flesh to dwell among men (John 1:14). Of the Godhead, he is the only one spoken of as man (1 Timothy 2:5). He emptied himself of the nature or form of God and became a man (Philippians 2:6-7). He alone died and shed his precious blood for man (Acts 20:28). He was the person of the Godhead that was born of flesh, died, was buried and rose again (Phil. 2:8-11). He was man but also God. "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:16).
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5. No man is a "Pastor" alone. In the Bible we find "Pastors, Bishops, Elders, Overseers, and Prebyterers, always with an "s"-plurality. Acts 20:28, I Peter 5:1-5, I Timothy 5:17. Wives of Pastors have never been called a "co pastor' . Woman are NOT Pastors, Bishops, etc according to the Bible. (I Timothy 2:11, I Corinthians 14:33).
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6. Non-denominational is the new denomination today. Many think just because they "relabel" the name of their denominational church and automatically fools everyone that their false practices inside have changed. We do not see the name "World Changers" nor any other denomination in the pages of Scripture. The church wears the name of Christ (Romans 16:16) or Christ as God (Acts 20:28).
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1. For years many in their efforts to vainly explain away denominations failed so now some are removing the divisive "names" of churches.
2. Taking the label off of Chicken Noodle Soup and putting Non soup labels on the can will NOT change what it really is. Each year companies are sued by consumers because of false and deceptive labels. Col. 2:4, 2 Cor. 11:3, Rom. 16:18
3. All you have to do is look at history to know that apostacy began in Leadership of the church. While World Changers claim to be "non-denominational" yet their leadership is rooted in a denominational group called "Word of Faith".
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7. It’s not disturbing that Jakes is wealthy and has this lifestyle, but it’s very disturbing that he portrays Jesus as being rich in order to justify his wealth. He describes Jesus as having been rich in order to support His disciples and their families during His ministry. Jakes says the myth of the poor Jesus has to be destroyed because it’s holding people back. Indeed, Jesus Christ owns everything and possesses all power, authority, glory, honor, and majesty. In His earthly life, however, He became poor for our sakes (2Cor. 8:9; Matt. 8:20). He laid aside His divine prerogatives and died on the cross, owning nothing, like a common criminal. In fact, archaeological excavations of Nazareth in the 1950s demonstrate that poor agricultural people occupied the village in Jesus’ day.
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8 . Countering Word of Faith teaching is a simple matter of reading the Bible. God alone is the Sovereign Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1:3; 1 Timothy 6:15) and does not need faith—He is the object of faith (Mark 11:22; Hebrews 11:3). God is spirit and does not have a physical body (John 4:24). Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 27; 9:6), but this does not make him a little god or divine. Only God has a divine nature (Galatians 4:8; Isaiah 1:6-11, 43:10, 44:6; Ezekiel 28:2; Psalm 8:6-8). Christ is Eternal, the Only Begotten Son, and the only incarnation of God (John 1:1, 2, 14, 15, 18; 3:16; 1 John 4:1). In Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). By becoming a man, Jesus gave up the glory of heaven but not His divinity (Philippians 2:6-7), though He did choose to withhold His power while walking the earth as man.
The Word of Faith movement is deceiving countless people, causing them to grasp after a way of life and faith that is not biblical. At its core is the same lie Satan has been telling since the Garden: “You shall be as God” (Genesis 3:5). Sadly, those who buy into the Word of Faith movement are still listening to him. Our hope is in the Lord, not in our own words, not even in our own faith (Psalm 33:20-22). Our faith comes from God in the first place (Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2) and is not something we create for ourselves. So, be wary of the Word of Faith movement and any church that aligns itself with Word of Faith teachings.
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9. After all of the glamour of crowds, big church buildings and big name preachers we must get back to the Bible. T. D. Jakes like many preachers today do NOT teach very much on the eternal consequences of Sin!
Jesus goes straight to the heart when He describes adultery (Matt. 5:28) and evil thoughts, murder, fornication, stealing, lying, and blasphemy (Matt. 15:19) for what they are. Jakes teaches that we have problems because we are victims of our environment or circumstances and minimizes the concept of personal sin. Along with victimization, he emphasizes self-empowerment; we can find the power to pull ourselves out of our problems. Yet Paul taught that all have sinned and come up short before God (Rom.3:23). The way out of our sins is Christ-empowerment, not self-empowerment (Phil. 4:13). New Age Influence!!
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10. World Changers does NOT teach nor believe what the Bible teaches regarding what baptism is for. Like their Baptist roots they teach a person is SAVED before BAPTISM. They practice baptism is just a "symbol" that one is already saved. Acts 22:16 and other passages does NOT teach that people were saved before they were baptized.
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11 The communion or the Lord's Supper is something that the Lord commands of His followers.
I Corinthians 16:1-2. God's people do this the first day of every week. (Acts 20:7).
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12. Not in Christian worship as revealed in Testament. Leading Baptists have opposed it, including Charles Spurgeon. See principle of exclusion in Pendleton,p.81, above. The Bible always says to SING. Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16,
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