Article 1: Joseph Prince lied that he fasted & lied against the translators & his teaching against fasting is exposed by 20 top Christian leaders:
John Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, AW Tozer, Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, DL Moody, George Whitefield, Jack Hayford, Bill Bright, James Montgomery Boice, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, Michael Brown, Reinhard Bonkke, Warren Wiersbe, RA Torrey, Andrew Murray and Derek Prince.
Joseph Prince, who uses social media extensively to preach his heresies, is a serial liar – Lie No 8
Article 2: Joseph Prince is too proud to divulge the real reason why he preaches so often even though he is on sabbatical – By Rev George Ong
An Excerpt taken from Article 1:
These 20 leaders represent a cross-section
of the many different denominations.
They consist of key Reformation leaders:
Martin Luther and John Calvin.
They represent the founders of the 3 denominations:
Martin Luther (Lutheran), John Calvin (Reformed)
and John Wesley (Methodist).
They comprise world-renowned Evangelists:
Billy Graham, DL Moody and Reinhard Bonkke.
They also involve leaders whom God used
to initiate the major revivals of the Church:
George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards.
Friends, these are not just ‘ordinary’ Christian leaders,
but exceptional and top leaders who have made their mark
in what God has called them to do.
All 20 of them have stated
that there is an important place for fasting (and prayer),
except Joseph Prince, who spoke against fasting.
Another Excerpt taken from Article 1:
In conclusion, going through what each of these 20 top Christian leaders
have stated their position regarding fasting
would convince you that their views on fasting
and that of Joseph Prince’s view
are diametrically opposed.
This means if these 20 leaders are right,
then Joseph Prince is wrong.
If Joseph Prince is right,
then all 20 of these top Christian leaders are wrong.
Friends, how can all 20 of them:
John Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, AW Tozer,
Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
DL Moody, George Whitefield, Jack Hayford, Bill Bright,
James Montgomery Boice, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards,
Michael Brown, Reinhard Bonkke, Warren Wiersbe,
RA Torrey, Andrew Murray and Derek Prince
be wrong?
That is why I said Joseph Prince is a lone ranger
in most of his grace doctrines.
Think with me how can a lone ranger,
whose doctrines (not just fasting) are so different
from many Christian leaders (not just 20 of them),
be able to deceive millions of people
to embrace his grace doctrine?
It is no secret
– it is the devil who has empowered him
to do the job for him.
That is why many are so deceived by Joseph Prince
that they have treated him as a cult leader
– that nothing he does could be wrong.
And no matter what you say
or which Bible verse you may quote,
they are so blinded by the demonic powers of Joseph Prince
that they will always say Joseph Prince is right.
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
In a weekly Sunday sermon aired on YouTube 3 days ago,
on 13 August 2023, Joseph Prince said;
Please click here to view the 35-second video:
“For all this, you want the easy way or the hard way to find out.
I tell you the hard way is like this.
You gotta to; now, I’m not against fasting.
When I fast, I don’t tell people I’m fasting.
But they’d tell you, you gotta fast.
Kneel down, shut the door, pray, pray, pray,
until God speaks to you.
Okay, I’m not knocking that,
people are doing that.
But I’m telling you God’s way;
I always like to follow the word of God.
The word of God is safe.
Alright, it doesn’t tell me, New Testament,
it doesn’t say spend days and days in fasting
in the New Testament,
written directly to you, to the church.”
Joseph Prince said:
“For all this, you want the easy way or the hard way to find out.
I tell you the hard way (the hard way of fasting which he is against) is like this.”
This is so typical of Joseph Prince
– easy way – easy Christianity
– that is so different from the costly Christianity
that Jesus preaches.
In a teaching sermon, Derek Prince said;
Please click here to view the 3-minute video:
“When you pray, Jesus expects His disciples to pray.
How many of you would agree
that those words indicate Jesus takes it for granted
that we as His disciples will pray?
He doesn’t say if you pray,
but He says when you pray.
And I imagine that most of us here tonight would agree
that the Lord expects us as Christians to pray regularly.
Is that right?
Okay, now, we go on to the next stage
and He doesn’t say if you fast,
He says when you fast (Matt 6:16-17).
What does that indicate?
It indicates that He expects us to fast,
in just the same way as He expects us to pray.
Is that logical? Are you with me?
Even, maybe reluctantly but still you’re with me?
Well, don’t be reluctant.
I agree that the subject of fasting
is not easy to say praise the Lord about.
But I want to tell you
when you discover what’s in this subject,
you will say praise the Lord.
You’ll say thank you God for giving us this key.
See, Jesus words about praying and about fasting
are acts exactly parallel.
When you pray, don’t pray this way but pray that way.
When you fast, don’t fast this way but fast that way.
So, Jesus puts praying and fasting
on exactly the same level.
My conclusion is that if He expects us to pray,
He also expects us to fast.
And I’m so glad that
I have one great predecessor in the ministry
that arrived at the same conclusion.
Actually, there were many of them.
(Martin) Luther arrived at that conclusion,
but the one I have in mind is John Wesley.
And I read John Wesley’s journals years ago
and they stirred me and stimulated me.
And he said something to this effect:
‘I am persuaded that if a Christian
has understood the need to fast
and does not practice fasting,
he will backslide just as surely as a Christian
who has understood the need to pray
and does not pray.’
And John Wesley would not ordain
to the Methodist ministry
any man who did not commit himself to fast
every Wednesday and Friday till 4 pm.
That was a basic requirement
for being ordained to the Methodist ministry.”
Can you see how starkly different
are the views of Derek Prince
vis-à-vis that of Joseph Prince?
In Destined To Reign, Joseph Prince wrote:
“Pastor Prince, I would have you know
that Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights!”
Well, that was Jesus.
The question we should be asking is,
“Did Jesus tell us to fast?”
Now, I know that when Jesus’ disciples
were unable to cast out a certain spirit from a boy,
the NKJV (as well as the KJV)
Bible does record that Jesus,
in reference to the spirit, said,
“This kind can come out by nothing
but prayer and fasting.” (Mk 9:29)
So people have read this one verse
and concluded that
the secret to spiritual power is fasting.
But do you know that in the original Greek text,
the word “fasting” does not appear in that verse (Mk 9:29)
It was added by the translators!
And if you look at the NASB and NIV translations,
you won’t find the word “fasting” in that verse.” (Mk 9:29)…
Throughout the New Testament,
Paul hardly spoke about fasting.
Yet, the body of Christ has somehow managed
to make man’s own works (like fasting) the main emphasis.
Paul’s emphasis was the new covenant of grace,
but instead of focusing on understanding the new covenant,
people are obsessed with doing!”
In ‘Fasting,’
Derek Prince wrote:
“A lost key to successful Christian living
that is found throughout the Bible
has been set aside and misplaced by the church of today.
That key is fasting…
Not only was fasting practiced by Jesus,
it was practiced by the New Testament church.
In Acts 13:1-4, we read about the church at Antioch:
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. [Five men are named.]
2 And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4 NAS)
The leaders of the church were ministering to the Lord
and fasting together.
In the course of their fasting,
they received a revelation from the Holy Spirit
that two of their number were to be sent out
for a special apostolic ministry.
Receiving this revelation,
they did not send them out immediately, but they again
“fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them…”
Then it says of those two men
that they were sent out “by the Holy Spirit.”
After Paul and Barnabas had gone out on this ministry,
we read what they did
when they established their new converts
in various cities into proper churches:
23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (Acts 14:23 NAS)
Fasting was not just a single, unusual occurrence.
It was practiced regularly by the apostles
and taught to their new disciples.
After viewing what Derek Prince said and taught
as compared with that of Joseph Prince,
you would come to the conclusion
that both views on fasting are diametrically opposed.
Some of you may say
“Joseph Prince isn’t really against fasting;
didn’t Joseph Prince say he fasted?
Oh yes, he did.
In the sermon 3 days ago, on 13 August 2023,
Joseph Prince said:
“When (not if) I fast,
I (Joseph Prince) don’t tell people I’m fasting.”
Wow!
Joseph Prince seems so spiritual
as he said that he not only fasted
but he didn’t tell people he was fasting.
But do you wish to know
what kind of fast has Joseph Prince done?
In ‘Destined To Reign,’ Joseph Prince wrote:
“Now, do I fast?
Yes, I do, in the sense that many a time,
I am so preoccupied with the Lord in prayer
or with studying His Word
that I forget to eat.
He opens up my eyes to certain truths,
one verse leads to another,
and in my eagerness to read more of His Word,
I unconsciously miss my regular meals,
and I even find myself forgoing sleep
to be in His presence.
But I don’t consciously go on a fast,
believing that fasting would get me my miracle.”
Going by the definition of Joseph Prince
that if one has forgotten to eat,
then one is, in a sense fasting,
Joseph Prince should write a book
‘How one can fast by his forgetfulness to eat.”
Joseph Prince has, indeed, come up,
with a new theology of fasting
– forgetfulness to eat and he calls it fasting.
Friends, fasting is not because you have forgotten to eat,
but it is a deliberate decision by a person
to forgo food for a period of time
so he may focus on praying for some specific issues.
But what is most reprehensible
is that Joseph Prince has lied
about the fact that he fasted
in the most recent sermon 3 days ago on 13 August 2023.
In the sermon, Joseph Prince said:
When (not if) I fast,
I (Joseph Prince) don’t tell people I’m fasting.
But in ‘Destined To Reign,’ Joseph Prince wrote:
“But I don’t consciously go on a fast,
believing that fasting would get me my miracle.”
Do you see the kind of slimy and dishonest character Joseph Prince is?
Lies, after lies, after lies, after lies – from who?
From the so-called preacher of grace
who has hoodwinked millions of carnal people into his fold.
That isn’t the only lie that Joseph Prince has told.
The second lie that Prince told
was when he wrote in ‘Destined To Reign’:
“But do you know that in the original Greek text,
the word “fasting” does not appear in that verse (Mk 9:29)
It was added by the translators!”
The truth is different translators translate
based on their judgment
on which is to be the most accurate original text.
Because the original texts differ,
this account for why the word ‘fasting’
appears in some translations
while it may not be reflected in others.
So, it is not the case where translators
added words to the text.
They are faithfully translating
what is stated in the original texts that they are using.
So, Joseph Prince is not only lying
but he is falsely accusing the translators
for something which they didn’t do.
Furthermore, Joseph Prince was caught by me
to be double-talking many times
in what he said and wrote about fasting.
Please refer to APPENDIX 1 at the end of Article 1
and before Article 2 for the details.
Joseph Prince’s teaching against fasting
Is exposed by 20 top Christian leaders:
John Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, AW Tozer,
Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
DL Moody, George Whitefield, Jack Hayford, Bill Bright,
James Montgomery Boice, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards,
Michael Brown, Reinhard Bonkke, Warren Wiersbe,
RA Torrey, Andrew Murray (and Derek Prince).
These 20 leaders represent a cross-section
of the many different denominations.
They consist of key Reformation leaders:
Martin Luther and John Calvin.
They represent the founders of the 3 denominations:
Martin Luther (Lutheran), John Calvin (Reformed)
and John Wesley (Methodist).
They comprise world-renowned Evangelists:
Billy Graham, DL Moody and Reinhard Bonkke.
They also involve leaders whom God used
to initiate the major revivals of the Church:
George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards.
Friends, these are not just ‘ordinary’ Christian leaders,
but exceptional and top leaders who have made their mark
in what God has called them to do.
All 20 of them have stated
that there is an important place for fasting (and prayer),
except Joseph Prince, who spoke against fasting.
Here, we are not talking about 3 or 4
of such exceptional Christian leaders
but a massive 20 leaders,
whose teachings have exposed
the twisted and false teachings of Joseph Prince on fasting.
Let me unveil for you the views
of these 20 exceptional leaders one by one:
In ‘The John Calvin Collection, 12 Classic Works,’
John Calvin wrote:
“16. Fasting and prayer
Hence fasting, as it is a sign of humiliation,
has a more frequent use in public
than among private individuals,
although, as we have said, it is common to both.
In regard, then, to the discipline of which we now treat,
whenever supplication is to be made to God
on any important occasion,
it is befitting to appoint a period for fasting and prayer.
Thus, when the Christians of Antioch
laid hands on Barnabas and Paul,
that they might the better recommend their ministry,
which was of so great importance,
they joined fasting and prayer, (Acts 13:3.)
Thus, these two apostles (Paul and Barnabas) afterwards,
when they appointed ministers to churches,
were wont (accustomed) to use prayer and fasting, (Acts 14:23.)
In general, the only object which they had in fasting
was to render themselves more alert
and disencumbered (disengaged or free) for prayer.
We certainly experience that after a full meal
the mind does not so rise toward God
as to be borne along
by an earnest and fervent longing for prayer,
and perseverance in prayer…
Such was the fast of Nehemiah,
when with more intense zeal
he prayed to God for the deliverance of his people, (Neh. 1: 4.)
For this reason, Paul says, that married believers
do well to abstain for a season, (1 Cor. 7:5,)
that they may have greater freedom for prayer and fasting,
when by joining prayer to fasting,
by way of help, he reminds us it is of no importance in itself,
save in so far as it refers to this end.
Again, when in the same place
he enjoins spouses to render due benevolence to each other,
it is clear that he is not referring to daily prayers
but prayers which require more than ordinary attention.”
In ‘The John Calvin Collection, 12 Classic Works,’
John Calvin wrote:
“Accordingly, when our Saviour
excuses his apostles for not fasting,
he does not say that fasting was abrogated,
but reserves it for calamitous times,
and conjoins it with mourning.
“The days will come
when the bridegroom
shall be taken from them,” (Matth. 9: 35; Luke 5: 34.)
In ‘The Complete Works of John Wesley, Volume 1,
Journals 1735-1745, by John Wesley,’
John Wesley wrote:
“Fri. 17. — Many of our society met,
as we had appointed, at one in the afternoon;
and agreed that all the members of our society
should obey the Church to which we belong,
by observing all Fridays in the year,
as days of fasting or abstinence.
We likewise agreed that as many as had opportunity
should then meet, to spend an hour together in prayer.”
“Fri. 30. — I preached in the morning, on,
“Then shall they fast in those days;”
and in the afternoon spent a sweet hour in prayer
with some hundreds of our society.”
“Wed. 4. — Many of our brethren
agreed to seek God today by fasting and prayer.
About twelve my fever began to rage.
At two I dozed a little, and suddenly awaked
in such a disorder (only more violent) as that on Monday…
The blood whirled to and fro,
as if it would immediately force its way through all its vessels,
especially in the breast:
And excessive burning heat parched up my whole body,
both within and without.
About three, in a moment the commotion ceased,
the heat was over, and the pain gone.
Soon after it made another attack;
but not near so violent as the former.
This lasted till half-past four,
and then vanished away at once.
I grew better and better till nine:
Then I fell asleep, and scarce awaked at all till morning.”
“Fri. 20. — I had desired all our brethren to join with us this day,
in seeking God by fasting and prayer.
About one we met, and poured out our souls before him;
and we believed he would send an answer of peace.”
In ‘Sermons of Martin Luther Vol. 1, Sermons on Gospel Texts,
for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany, by Martin Luther,’
Martin Luther said:
“Behold, then we will truly serve God,
just as Luke says that
Anna worshiped with fastings and supplications
night and day.” (Lk 2:36-38)
97. Finally Luke says of Anna that
she worshipped with fastings and supplications night and day.
Here we see how good works follow faith…
Thus, after St. Paul has taught the Romans faith,
he begins in Romans 12:1
to teach them many good works,
exhorting them to present their bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,
which would be their spiritual service.
This is rendered to God in that the body
is mortified by fasting, watching and labors,
which is done by Anna.
98. All the saints of old have done this,
for fasting means all chastisement and discipline of the body.
Although the soul is just and holy by faith,
the body is not yet entirely free from sin and carnal appetites,
wherefore it must be subdued and disciplined
and made subject to the soul,
as St. Paul says of himself in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
“But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage:
lest by any means, after that I have preached to others,
I myself should be rejected.”
From a sermon on Matthew 4:1ff. in 1524 of fasting
Martin Luther said:
“It is right to fast frequently
in order to subdue and control the body.
For when the stomach is full,
the body does not serve for preaching,
for praying, for studying,
or for doing anything else that is good.
Under such circumstances God’s Word cannot remain.
But one should not fast with a view
to meriting something by it as by a good work.”
In ‘Alive in the Spirit, Experiencing the Presence and Power of God by A. W. Tozer,’
AW Tozer wrote:
“The church in those days also took great delight in prayer.
They met for prayer almost every day.
Today, the contemporary church gathers for dinner.
The early church gathered for fasting and prayer,
which may explain the difference we see today.”
In ‘Going Higher with God in Prayer, by A.W. Tozer.’
AW Tozer wrote:
“Another error we have slid into in our evangelical churches
is that we have become kitchen-oriented.
Instead of the cross of Jesus being the center,
with all of us gathered around Calvary,
praying and fasting,
we prefer to minister unto the stomachs of the multitudes…
In ‘The Dangers of a Shallow Faith, Awakening from Spiritual Lethargy,’
AW Tozer wrote:
“The greatest war is still being waged today
by every effective technique
created to get us to stop thinking for ourselves.
It is being waged by the media, in all its various forms,
from hard news reporting to “entertainment.”
If you could suddenly stand off objectively
and look at your mind
and see how much the media has fed into it
and how you have come to be more or less
a creature influenced by the media,
you would be shocked
and spend days in fasting and prayer
to get free from it.”
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare AW Tozer’s call
for spending days in fasting and prayer
with Joseph Prince’s flippant comment
in his sermon on 13 August 2023 on fasting:
‘Alright, it doesn’t tell me, New Testament,
it doesn’t say spend days and days in fasting
in the New Testament,
written directly to you, to the church.’)
In ‘Enduring Classics of Billy Graham,’
Billy Graham wrote:
“God has worked in a miraculous way
in our crusades down through the years.
Thousands of men and women
have made their decisions for Christ.
Their coming was not the result of one man’s work
or the efforts of a group of men
– it was the product of much prayer
by many people around the world.
God has said:
“If my people… pray…
then will I hear from heaven” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Before three thousand people
were brought into the Church on the day of Pentecost,
the disciples had spent
fifty days in prayer, fasting, and spiritual travail.”
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare what Billy Graham wrote about the fact
that the disciples had to spend fifty days
in prayer and fasting
with Joseph Prince’s comment
in his sermon 3 days ago on 13 August 2023:
‘But I’m telling you God’s way;
I always like to follow the word of God.
The word of God is safe.
Alright, it doesn’t tell me, New Testament,
it doesn’t say spend days and days in fasting
in the New Testament,
written directly to you, to the church.’
We begin to wonder what Bible is Joseph Prince using?
Is it the same Bible used by these 20 top leaders?
Why is Joseph Prince’s teaching on fasting so different
from, especially, AW Tozer, Billy Graham and Bill Bright, see below.)
In ‘The Sermons of Charles Spurgeon in Four Volumes,’
Charles Spurgeon said:
“Still, our Saviour added,
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out
but by prayer and fasting.” (Mk 9:29)
What does he mean by that?
I believe he meant that in these very special cases
ordinary preaching of the Word will not avail,
and ordinary prayer will not suffice.
There must be an unusual faith,
and to get this there must be an unusual degree of prayer;
and to get that prayer up to the right point,
there must be, in many cases, fasting as well…
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare what Charles Spurgeon said about Mark 9:29
with what Joseph Prince wrote:
‘But do you know that in the original Greek text,
the word “fasting” does not appear in that verse (Mk 9:29)
It was added by the translators!’
As you will read on for the views of other leaders,
Charles Spurgeon is not the only one
who has appealed to Mark 9:29
and never question its authenticity,
but here comes Joseph,
who tried to get Mark 9:29 off the Bible.)
And what is fasting for?
That seems to be the difficult point.
It (fasting) is evidently accessory
to the peculiar continuance in prayer,
practised oftentimes by our Lord,
and advised by him to his disciples.
Not a kind of religious observance, in itself meritorious,
but a habit, when associated with the exercise of prayer,
unquestionably helpful.
I am not sure whether we have lost
a very great blessing in the Christian Church
by giving up fasting.
(George Ong’s interjection:
Charles Spurgeon, in the last statement,
echoes the view of Derek Prince.)
It was said there was superstition in it;
but, as an old divine says,
we had better have a spoonful of superstition
than a porringer full of gluttony.
Martin Luther, whose body, like some others,
was of a gross tendency, felt as some of us do,
that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing,
in another sense than the apostle meant it;
and he (Luther) used to fast frequently.
He says his flesh was wont (accustomed)
to grumble dreadfully at abstinence,
but fast he (Luther) would,
for he found that when he was fasting,
it quickened his praying.
There is a treatise by an old Puritan, called,
“The soul fattening institution of fasting,”
and he gives us his own experience that during a fast
he has felt more intense eagerness of soul in prayer
than he had ever done at any other time.”
In another book,
Charles Spurgeon also said:
“Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle
have been high days indeed;
never has Heaven’s gate stood wider;
never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.”
In ‘The Cost of Discipleship,’
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:
“JESUS TAKES it for granted
that his disciples will observe
the pious custom of fasting (Matt 6:16-18).
Strict exercise of self-control
is an essential feature of the Christian’s life.
Such customs have only one purpose
– to make the disciples more ready and cheerful
to accomplish those things which God would have done.
Fasting helps to discipline the self-indulgent and slothful will
which is so reluctant to serve the Lord,
and it helps to humiliate and chasten the flesh.
By practising abstemiousness (abstinence or self-denial),
we show the world how different
the Christian life is from its own.
If there is no element of asceticism in our lives,
if we give free rein to the desires of the flesh
(taking care of course to keep within the limits
of what seems permissible to the world),
we shall find it hard to train for the service of Christ.
When the flesh is satisfied
it is hard to pray with cheerfulness
or to devote oneself to a life of service
which calls for much self-renunciation.”
In ‘Why God used D.L. Moody, by R.A. Torrey,’
RA Torrey wrote:
“Often times Mr. Moody would write me
when he was about to undertake some new work, saying:
“I am beginning work in such and such a place
on such and such a day;
I wish you would get the students together
for a day of fasting and prayer.”
And often I have taken those letters and read them
to the students in the lecture room and said:
“Mr. Moody wants us to have a day of fasting and prayer,
first for God’s blessing on our own souls and work,
and then for God’s blessing on him and his work.”
In ‘The Sermons of George Whitefield, Volumes One & Two, Edited by Lee Gatiss,’
George Whitefield wrote:
“Secondly, did our Lord by prayer, fasting, and temptation
prepare himself for his public ministry?
Surely then, all those who profess
to be inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost
to take upon them the office and administration of the church,
should be prepared in the same manner.”
In ‘The Sermons of George Whitefield, Volumes One & Two, Edited by Lee Gatiss,’
George Whitefield wrote:
“But I hasten to lay down a third means
for those who would overcome the sin of drunkenness,
to enter upon a life of strict self-denial and mortification.
For this kind of sin goeth not forth
but by prayer and fasting. (Mk 9:29)
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare what George Whitefield wrote about Mark 9:29
with what Joseph Prince wrote:
‘But do you know that in the original Greek text,
the word “fasting” does not appear in that verse (Mk 9:29)
It was added by the translators!’
George Whitefield never questioned
the authenticity of Mark 9:29, which Joseph Prince did.)
It is true, this may seem a difficult task.
But then, we must thank ourselves for it.
For had we begun sooner,
our work would have been the easier.
And even now, if you will but strive,
the yoke of mortification
will grow lighter and lighter every day.”
In ‘Walking the Path of Prayer,’
Jack Hayford wrote:
“But notwithstanding these points of misunderstanding,
the Bible speaks very clearly and pointedly about fasting
being a part of a Christian disciple’s practice.
Hear it from Jesus’ own lips:
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,
but Your disciples do not fast?”
And Jesus said to them,
“Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
But the days will come when the bridegroom
will be taken away from them,
and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:14–15
By this Jesus means, As long as I’m here,
this isn’t the time for fasting,
but when I am gone… yes.
He is referring here to the season from His ascension
until He returns again.
Thus, in plain words,
Jesus not only allows,
but seems to appoint fasting as a Christian discipline.
Further, Paul enunciates fasting
as a vital part of the life of a servant of Christ.
In describing his own practices
“in fastings often” (2 Corinthians 11:27),
2 Corinthians 11:27 NKJV
27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger
and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—
(George Ong’s interjection:
Jack Hayford stated that fasting
is often practised by Paul
based on 2 Corinthians 11:27.
The other versions, such as
ASV, AMP, AMPC, Darby, DLNT, DRA, ISV, JUB,
KJV, AKJV, MEV, RGT, WEB, WYC and YLT
also translate the same way as NKJV did.
Compare what Jack Hayford wrote
with what Joseph Prince wrote in ‘Destined To Reign’:
‘Paul hardly spoke about fasting.
Yet, the body of Christ has somehow managed
to make man’s own works (like fasting) the main emphasis.’
Do you trust Jack Hayford,
who is not only a well-respected leader
in the Pentecostal circles
but he is also highly regarded
by leaders in the other denominations,
or Joseph Prince, the serial liar.)
he verifies two things:
(1) He made frequent application of fasting, and
(2) he did not fast according to a calendar.
He conveys the rightness of the discipline
without a requirement of ritual.
In short, the Holy Spirit
can and will direct us to times of fasting.
The Bible shows fasting as having played a powerful role
in some very dramatic and dynamic situations.
The fact that many of these are Old Testament examples
should not in any way discourage our taking them seriously for today:
“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning,
that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).
Clearly, we are told in the New Testament
that Old Testament principles are for our instruction,
and we are wise to observe those
that apply to our lives as Jesus’ disciples.
Let’s look at four examples in the Old Testament
in which the faithful fasted in situations
similar to our circumstances today…”
In ‘7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting & Prayer,’
Bill Bright wrote:
“I believe the power of fasting as it relates to prayer
is the spiritual atomic bomb
that our Lord has given us
to destroy the strongholds of evil
and usher in a great revival
and spiritual harvest around the world…
I believe such a long fast was a sovereign call of God
because of the magnitude of the sins of America
and of the Church.
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare what Bill Bright,
who stated that a long fast was a sovereign call of God
with what Joseph Prince said:
‘Alright, it doesn’t tell me, New Testament,
it doesn’t say spend days and days in fasting
in the New Testament,
written directly to you, to the church.’)
The Lord impressed that upon my heart,
as well as the urgent need
to help accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission
in this generation.”
In ‘The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1,
The King and His Kingdom (Matthew 1-17),’
James Montgomery Boice wrote:
“For most of us, the greater issue about fasting is why we should fast.
Or should we?
Here we are assisted by examples found in the New Testament.
Two are conspicuous.
First, Peter was fasting in Joppa
prior to receiving the vision of the great sheet
let down from heaven,
which led to the opening of the gospel
to the Gentiles (see Acts 10:11).
Second, the Christians at Antioch were fasting
when the Holy Spirit directed them to send Paul and Barnabas
on the first great missionary journey (see Acts 13:2-3).
Those were probably the two most significant moments
in the history of the early Christian church,
and in each case, the believers involved were seeking God
and his will and were answered
by strong, unmistakable, and historically significant directions.
I do not know how this applies to your situation,
but I assume there will be occasions
when you will want to set aside time to fast and seek God.
I am fairly confident that God will answer directly.”
In ‘A Hunger for God,’
John Piper wrote:
“When Will the Disciples Fast?
But then Jesus said,
“The days will come when the bridegroom
is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
This is the key sentence: “Then they will fast.”
When is he referring to?
What then does Jesus mean when he says,
“The days will come when the bridegroom
is taken away from them, and then they will fast”?
He means that after his death and resurrection
he will return to his Father in heaven,
and during that time the disciples will fast…
Arthur Wallis is justified
in entitling the sixth chapter of his book,
God’s Chosen Fast, “The Time Is Now.”
Now is when Jesus says his disciples will fast.
He is saying:
Now while I am here in your midst as the bridegroom you cannot fast,
but I am not going to remain with you.
There will come a time when I return to my Father in heaven.
And during that time, you will fast.
That time is now.
“When you fast (Matt 6:16) …”
Like so many others, Dr. Lundquist noticed that it does not say,
“If you fast,” but rather, “when you fast.”
He concluded, as I do, and as most commentators do,
that “Jesus takes it for granted
that his disciples will observe the pious custom of fasting…
Jesus assumed that fasting was a good thing
and that it would be done by his disciples.
This is what we saw in Chapter One.
It’s what Jesus underlined when he said in Matthew 9:15,
“The days will come when the bridegroom
is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
So in Matthew 6:16-18
Jesus is not teaching on whether we should fast or not.
He is assuming we will fast
and teaching us how to do it…”
(George Ong’s interjection:
Compare what John Piper wrote that
‘Jesus is not teaching on whether we should fast or not.
He is assuming we will fast
and teaching us how to do it…’
with what Joseph Prince wrote in Destined To Reign:
‘The question we should be asking is,
Did Jesus tell us to fast?’
Do you trust John Piper, the excellent Bible teacher
or Joseph Prince, whose excellence
is in the twisting of Bible texts
and interpreting them out of context.)
In ‘Some Thoughts Concerning the Revival,’
Jonathan Edwards wrote:
“The state of the times extremely requires
a fullness of the divine Spirit in ministers,
and we ought to give ourselves no rest
till we have obtained it.
And in order to [do] this,
I should think ministers, above all persons,
ought to be much in secret prayer and fasting,
and also much in praying and fasting one with another.
It seems to me it would be becoming the circumstances of the present day,
if ministers in a neighborhood would often meet together
and spend days in fasting and fervent prayer among themselves,
earnestly seeking for those extraordinary supplies of divine grace from heaven,
that we need at this day.”
In ‘Whatever happened to the Power of God & It’s Time to Rock the Boat,’
Michael Brown wrote:
“Then in 1982, an awakening came.
God humbled me, stirred my heart,
and sent a refreshing wave of the Spirit.
The fire was back in my life!
I began preaching with a passion I had lost,
fasting, praying, and seeking the Lord.
And there was a renewed zeal for the Word.
Through the Scriptures,
God convinced me that many of the things I had questioned
– divine healing, the gifts of the Spirit – were clearly for today…
Prayer and fasting must be our portion.
Discipline must become a way of life.
(John Wesley wouldn’t ordain a man
who didn’t fast until dinnertime two days a week.)
We must learn to “afflict our souls”
and recover the blessedness of mourning.
Church meetings must become more than just one big celebration.
Not every service needs to end on an upbeat note!
We don’t always have to leave happy.
God never said, “You must constantly feel good!”
(George Ong’s interjection:
That’s what Joseph Prince promotes in his sermons
that believers should always be happy.
The key foundation that underlines all his grace doctrine
is to make you feel good.
This is why it is no secret
that Joseph Prince is able to draw the millions
to his camp
as the carnal majority who are false believers
are always looking for a feel-good Christianity
that Joseph Prince readily offers.)
He would rather we feel His heart.
Sometimes even God grieves.
Serving Him may be a great adventure,
but it certainly was not meant to be fun and games.
Let’s “prepare [our] minds for action
[and] be self-controlled” (1 Pet. 1:13).
Times of great evil lie ahead.
God’s army must be equipped and trained.
Then it can come forth.
A new breed of leaders must arise…
Rather than trying to pressure the ungodly into morality,
we should seek to pray them into ministry.
Instead of making efforts to get blind sinners to see things our way,
we should evangelize them until they see the Way.
Intercession is better than intimidation.
Fasting is more effective than fighting.
Weeping does more than voting.
Touching God is what really counts.
Then we can touch the world,
and touch the world we must!”
In ‘Daily Fire Devotional,’
Reinhard Bonkke wrote:
“After a crusade meeting, a lady came to me and told me
how she had been molested by evil spirits
for many years, and despaired of her life.
I was moved, and the Lord told me to fast and pray for her.
Next day, I was praying for her with all of my heart,
when at noon, I suddenly experienced a breakthrough.
The glory of the Lord filled my soul,
and the Holy Spirit said to me, “It is done.”
That evening, I met the lady again.
Before I could say anything,
she reported with shining eyes,
“God has done the miracle! Today at noon,
I experienced a mighty deliverance in my home.”
What God does on a small scale,
He will also do on the largest…
Jesus taught about fasting,
emphasizing the necessity of fulfilling God’s command.
Since the disciples’ mission was
to “preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2),
it was appropriate to explain that prayer and fasting
were critical elements to ministry…
[Jesus] rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:
‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you,
come out of him and enter him no more!’
Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly,
and came out of him.…
[Then] His disciples asked Him privately,
‘Why could we not cast it out?’
So He said to them,
‘This kind can come out by nothing
but prayer and fasting’” (Mark 9:25-26, 28-29).
Again, the revealed will of God was being performed
– and fasting contributed to their focus and ability to obey…”
(George Ong’s interjection:
While Reinhard Bonkke didn’t question
the authenticity of Mark 9:26,
Joseph Prince said translators
have added ‘fasting’ to the verse.)
In ‘The Wiersbe Bible Commentary,’
Warren Wiersbe wrote:
“Fasting is found often in the Old Testament,
but nowhere is it commanded in the New Testament.
However, the example of the prophets and the early church
is certainly significant for believers today.
Our Lord’s words in Matthew 6:16-18
assume that we will fast (“when,” not “if”),
and passages like Acts 13:1-3 and 14:23
indicate that fasting was a practice of the early church
(see also 1 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27).”
In ‘How to Pray,’
RA Torrey wrote:
“It is in this connection that fasting comes.
In Dan. 9:3 we read that Daniel set his face “unto the Lord God,
to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.”
There are those who think that fasting belongs to the old dispensation;
but when we look at Acts 14:23, and Acts 13:2,3,
we find that it was practised by the earnest men of the apostolic day.
If we would pray with power,
we should pray with fasting.
This of course does not mean that we should fast every time we pray;
but there are times of emergency
or special crisis in work or in our individual lives,
when men of downright earnestness
will withdraw themselves
even from the gratification of natural appetites
that would be perfectly proper under other circumstances,
that they may give themselves up wholly to prayer.
There is a peculiar power in such prayer.
Every great crisis in life and work should be met in that way.
There is nothing pleasing to God in our giving up
in a purely Pharisaic and legal way things which are pleasant,
but there is power in that downright earnestness and determination
to obtain in prayer the things of which we sorely feel our need,
that leads us to put away everything,
even the things in themselves most right and necessary,
that we may set our faces to find God,
and obtain blessings from Him.”
In ‘With Christ in the School of Prayer,’
Andrew Murray wrote:
“The Master proceeds to tell them ere they ask:
‘This kind goeth not out but by fasting and prayer.’
… And therefore, Jesus adds:
‘Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by fasting and prayer.’
The faith that can overcome such stubborn resistance
as you have just seen in this evil spirit,
Jesus tells them, is not possible
except to men living in very close fellowship with God,
and in very special separation from the world
– in prayer and fasting.
And so He teaches us two lessons
in regard to prayer of deep importance.
The one, that faith needs a life of prayer
in which to grow and keep strong.
The other, that prayer needs fasting
for its full and perfect development…
And prayer needs fasting for its full growth:
this is the second lesson.
Prayer is the one hand with which we grasp the invisible;
fasting, the other,
with which we let loose and cast away the visible…
fasting helps to express, to deepen,
and to confirm the resolution
that we are ready to sacrifice anything,
to sacrifice ourselves, to attain
what we seek for the kingdom of God.
And He who accepted the fasting and sacrifice of the Son,
knows to value and accept and reward with spiritual power
the soul that is thus ready to give up all for Christ and His kingdom.”
In conclusion, going through what each of these 20 top Christian leaders
have stated their position regarding fasting
would convince you that their views on fasting
and that of Joseph Prince’s view
are diametrically opposed.
This means if these 20 leaders are right,
then Joseph Prince is wrong.
If Joseph Prince is right,
then all 20 of these top Christian leaders are wrong.
Friends, how can all 20 of them:
John Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, AW Tozer,
Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
DL Moody, George Whitefield, Jack Hayford, Bill Bright,
James Montgomery Boice, John Piper, Jonathan Edwards,
Michael Brown, Reinhard Bonkke, Warren Wiersbe,
RA Torrey, Andrew Murray and Derek Prince
be wrong?
That is why I said Joseph Prince is a lone ranger
in most of his grace doctrines.
Think with me how can a lone ranger,
whose doctrines (not just fasting) are so different
from many Christian leaders (not just 20 of them),
be able to deceive millions of people
to embrace his grace doctrine?
It is no secret
– it is the devil who has empowered him
to do the job for him.
That is why many are so deceived by Joseph Prince
that they have treated him as a cult leader
– that nothing he does could be wrong.
And no matter what you say
or which Bible verse you may quote,
they are so blinded by the demonic powers of Joseph Prince
that they will always say Joseph Prince is right.
APPENDIX 1
Joseph Prince has no integrity and is blatantly dishonest
in what he wrote and said
because of his constant flip-flops.
His constant flip-flops can be explained this way:
Joseph Prince is well aware that what he teaches
is open to scrutiny.
Hence, the need for him to make constant qualifications
to the statements he wrote and said.
But in his qualifications,
he gets himself into a mess.
Let me quote you just 2 examples among the many.
First, in ‘Destined To Reign,’ Joseph Prince wrote:
“The question we should be asking is,
‘Did Jesus tell us to fast?’
“But do you know that in the original Greek text,
the word ‘fasting’ does not appear in that verse (Mk 9:29)
It was added by the translators!”
In his sermon 3 days ago on 13 August 2023,
Joseph Prince said:
“Now, I’m not against fasting.
When (not if) I fast,
I (Joseph Prince) don’t tell people I’m fasting.”
If Joseph Prince is so against fasting in what he wrote
in ‘Destined To Reign’,
why is he saying that he is not against fasting
in his sermon, 3 days ago on 13 August 2023?
Worse, he also said that he fasted (he lied).
Have some screws in his head gone missing?
There is something very slippery about him.
Second, Joseph Prince further said:
“But I’m telling you God’s way;
I always like to follow the word of God.
The word of God is safe.
Alright, it doesn’t tell me, New Testament,
it doesn’t say spend days and days in fasting
in the New Testament,
written directly to you, to the church.”
Joseph Prince also wrote in ‘Destined To Reign’:
“Paul hardly spoke about fasting.
Yet, the body of Christ has somehow managed
to make man’s own works (like fasting)
the main emphasis.
Paul’s emphasis was the new covenant of grace,
but instead of focusing on understanding the new covenant,
people are obsessed with doing!”
By what he said and wrote in the above,
Joseph Prince has come to the conclusion
that according to the word of God,
and the teaching of Paul,
fasting in the New Covenant is wrong.
If such serious doubts on fasting are raised by him,
why did he, in his sermon 3 days ago, on 13 August 2023
also say he fasted?
“When (not if) I fast,
I (Joseph) don’t tell people I’m fasting.”
One will only fast
if he agrees that the teaching on fasting
can be supported from the Bible.
But, if one, such as Joseph Prince,
has discovered that fasting
is not anchored on the scriptures
why would Joseph Prince go on to fast?
Do you sense the incoherence and self-contradiction
in what he wrote and said?
That is why I said Joseph Prince,
in trying to qualify his statements,
has gotten himself into a greater mess.
And the joke is, he is not even aware of it.
APPENDIX 2
Joseph Prince, is indeed, a serial liar:
For Lie No 1,
“Joseph Prince falsely accuses the Lord Jesus, who is God Himself, of being a false prophet,”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 2,
“Joseph Prince lied & made Jesus a liar when he said that Jesus doesn’t tell you about your faults,”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 3,
“Joseph Prince lied against Paul, Peter, Jesus & Father God for preaching a no-repentance gospel,”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 4,
“Joseph Prince double-talked & lied as he made Jesus & Paul liars when he said Christ could come back at any time”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 5,
“Joseph Prince is on sabbatical this year, repeats his sermons & lies 27 times that he preached every Sunday during COVID-19”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 6,
“Joseph Prince, called a fraud by John Stott & deemed not a Christian by Derek Prince, taught against the costly discipleship of Jesus & lied 3 times”
Please click on the link below to view
For Lie No 7,
Joseph Prince, on tithing, claimed that God spoke to him when it was the devil who did – he lied 4 times and made God a liar
Please click on the link below to view
Article 2: Joseph Prince is too proud to divulge the real reason why he preaches so often even though he is on sabbatical – By Rev George Ong
Before I even begin,
I want to allay the fears of people
who may think that I am focussing on the trivial
– about why Joseph Prince appears so many times
to preach in New Creation Church
even though he is on sabbatical.
For those who know me
I have no time for trivial matters.
I am a highly focussed person,
who won’t waste a single second
for inconsequential issues.
Friends, this issue is not a trivial matter
as it reflects the larger issue
about the character of Joseph Prince
and the slippery manner
in the way that he communicates,
just to bail himself out of a possible mistake he makes.
I am sure you already had a taste of this
in many of my previous articles, and especially, Article 1.
In one of my previous articles,
I said that this is the first time I have heard someone,
who had announced himself that he is on sabbatical
but kept coming back to work (preach).
And when he comes back to work (preach),
he doesn’t even bother to explain why.
I then offered 7 reasons
why this strange phenomenon had happened.
I added – let’s see if Joseph Prince would explain himself
the next time when he comes up again on pulpit to preach.
If he still chooses to remain silent,
than I can safely assume, that perhaps,
at least, one of my guesses (all 7 are not in his favour) is right.
Well, Joseph Prince has to respond (and he did last Sunday)
as this is a totally logical and reasonable question
that is asked not just by me but also many of his critics,
and many in his congregation
– why is he preaching so often
even though he is on sabbatical.
In the sermon 3 days ago, on 13 August 2023, this is what he said;
Please click here to view the 20-second video:
“I know I had to grab the railings and all that
in my hotel room
when I look at online (New Creation Church worship services)
and all that,
you know, the church and all that,
I want to be there (New Creation Church worship services),
but I got to observe my sabbatical this year.
That’s the reason why I didn’t go for sabbatical ever.
It’s my first time.”
His explanation is merely to reinforce the idea
that he is still on sabbatical
and he said that what he really misses
is worshipping with his congregation.
Well, by all means,
Joseph Prince could and should attend the worship services
with his congregation on Sundays,
even though he is not preaching on his sabbatical.
Who is stopping him from doing that?
Is Joseph Prince implying
that just because he is not preaching on those Sundays
during his sabbatical,
he doesn’t appear in the worship services of his church at all?
From what he has shared,
this seems to be the case, and if this is the case,
then where is Joseph Prince on those Sundays
he isn’t preaching?
But what remains is that
Joseph Prince has still not given
any answer to the question
about why he is preaching so often on Sundays
(counting 13 August 2023, this is the 8th time he has preached
since he went on sabbatical, twice on video)
even though he is on sabbatical.
This is the first time I have ever heard a preacher
announced that he is on sabbatical
and then he starts appearing for work (to preach) for 8 times.
And what is more puzzling;
and I am absolutely certain is that
Joseph Prince will appear many more times to preach
before this year ends,
even though he is on sabbatical.
Does this all make sense?
Let me make some sense to what has transpired.
I’d tell you my take about what has really happened.
After announcing that he is going on sabbatical,
Joseph Prince probably regretted.
This is because he is so used
to the gallery and the glare
of thousands and thousands of his fans,
admiring him, clapping and cheering for him
and waiting to hear him preach;
and he can’t do without that.
The second reason is that
he is probably addicted to preaching
– that he has to preach even though he is sabbatical.
Furthermore, he is the Type A personality
(imagine, he has been preaching against
the Type A personality for a few Sundays,
and the joke is that he is preaching against himself)
that he must do something
– one who cannot be at rest and know how to relax
even though he is on sabbatical.
He is not practising what he preaches
as he has been telling his people so often to rest and relax.
Last, but most important,
he cannot humble himself
to announce to the congregation
that he has probably made a mistake or changed his mind
announcing that he is on sabbatical.
As I have always said, pride in his number one problem.
Because Joseph Prince is too proud
to acknowledge the mistake he has made,
and that is why he has to churn out a puzzling explanation
– that he misses the worship services with his people,
and perhaps that’s why he is preaching
even though he is on sabbatical.
But this still doesn’t make sense
as the question remains
– why is he reporting for work to preach so often,
even though he is on sabbatical?
To tell people that he is on sabbatical
and yet appears so many times for work (preach)
during the period of sabbatical
makes no sense.
If Joseph Prince really misses the church,
why can’t he just attend the worship services
and not preach
because he is on sabbatical?
Why has Joseph Prince got to preach
each time when he appears during Sunday worship services,
even though he is on sabbatical?
Rev George Ong