Pastor Jason Lim courageously preached against Pastor Kong Hee & Joseph Prince in a worship service – by Rev George Ong (Dated 20 Oct 2022)
Important Note: Pastor Jason Lim had rightly preached against the Prosperity Gospel teachings of Pastor Kong Hee in 2016. Since then, thankfully, Pastor Kong Hee had humbly repented of such teachings. But the same cannot be said of Joseph Prince. To this day, he has remained defiantly unrepentant.
And as I have always said, pride is Joseph Prince’s number one problem that is keeping him from repenting from his heresies.
In one of his recent sermons, Prince said he was planning to preach on humility. When I heard that, I almost fell off my chair. To me, Joseph Prince’s preaching on humility is like asking a duck to teach an eagle how to fly!
This shows how proud and deluded he is as his plan to preach on humility is obviously a defence mechanism and plain denial to deal with his number one problem – pride.
On the other hand, Pastor Kong Hee had undergone a mark change in his life and ministry because he had humbled himself to repent from his previous doctrine and wrongdoings.
His own church members have testified that Pastor Kong Hee’s current preaching is markedly different in content and style from that of the past.
One of my friends who attends City Harvest told me only today that Pastor Kong Hee’s love for God is deep and intimate.
I’m really excited about what God can do in and through a changed and repentant life like Pastor Kong Hee.
Sadly, what I found in Joseph Prince’s preaching is the opposite – full of pretense, theatrics, lies, double meaning, insincerity and hypocrisy. How do I know? – I listen to his preaching every week, not because I love to but it’s really a pain listening… you know lah!
Don’t miss another short one-page article at the end of this article of Pastor Jason Lim on the ‘Word of Faith’ teaching of Joseph Prince and his mentor, Kenneth Hagin.
And also, the Main Topic:
The Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament, is rather severe with Heretics and their Heresies. What then should our response be?
I’m glad to know of a preacher, such as Pastor Jason Lim, Senior Pastor of Gospel Light Christian Church, who has the spiritual dare to call out false teachers by name in a worship service.
I got connected to Pastor Jason Lim through Glenn Fong, who was an Ex New Creation Church member for 15 years. His testimony on why he left New Creation Church was featured on this website.
Glenn Fong is a member of Pastor Jason Lim’s church, and so is Asher Chee, another Ex New Creation Church member, both of whom were delivered from the damnable heresies (as described by Pastor Jason Lim) of Joseph Prince.
Asher Chee’s testimony why he left New Creation Church was also featured on this website. Asher, who is proficient in Greek and Hebrew, had contributed valuable articles in this website at exposing the lies of Joseph Prince, who abuses Greek and Hebrew to deceive people.
You may wish to view the following by clicking the link below if you haven’t done so;
I have chosen the above topic as it is directly related to what Pastor Jason Lim shared – on the Prosperity Gospel doctrine or the Health & Wealth rubbish that Joseph Prince is promoting.
Now for the article proper…
(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 the sermon in 2016, Pastor Jason Lim, had, besides speaking of Pastor Kong Hee and Joseph Prince, also highlighted the false Prosperity Gospel teachings of Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn and Creflo Dollar.
(The link to the full sermon of Pastor Jason Lim and the transcript that is provided by Gospel Light Christian Church is given at the end of this article.)
Pastor Jason highlighted in the same sermon (2016) that Pastor Kong Hee had preached on the Prosperity Gospel, and Pastor Jason was right, and I fully agree with him.
Although I hold the same view as Pastor Kong Hee regarding some of his other doctrines, his Prosperity Gospel doctrine was what I, like Pastor Jason, had firmly stood against.
But, thankfully, Pastor Kong Hee had since humbly repented of that teaching, amongst his other wrongdoings.
As I browsed through Pastor Kong Hee’s recent sermons, some time ago, especially those that were preached after he came out of prison on 22 Aug 2019 (was imprisoned on 20 Nov 2015), I discovered that they are discernibly different from those of before.
However, if Pastor Kong Hee still holds to the Prosperity Gospel doctrine, then I will certainly issue a public apology that I had wrongly said he had repented in my articles on this website.
But as far as I know, Pastor Kong Hee had sincerely and humbly repented (not the false and half-truth repentance preached by Joseph Prince).
And as long as someone has genuinely repented, we mustn’t be reticent about forgiving him or her.
The true grace of God (not the false grace of Joseph Prince), indeed, calls for it.
We must graciously and joyously embrace those who have turned their backs on their wrongdoings.
While we must be tough with unrepentant heretics like Joseph Prince, we must, at the same time, have the grace to forgive those, such as Pastor Kong Hee, who had humbly repented.
Let me share my provocative thoughts on the grace to forgive and the severity of unforgiveness:
“The real and greatest enemy is not the offending party but the unforgiving spirit that consumes the offended party.” (George Ong)
“The first crucial battle that must be won in the innermost of our soul is that of forgiveness.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ only works for those who are afflicted with the disease of amnesia.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ is an impossible chore for those who are blessed with a remarkable memory.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ is an unrealistic and impossible demand that has been needlessly placed upon man.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ is an ideal which is full of romanticism but devoid of reality.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ is morally impressive as a grandstanding statement but totally impractical for the common man.” (George Ong)
“‘To forgive is to forget’ is psychologically appealing but hopelessly discouraging.” (George Ong)
“The only accomplishment that the moral, ‘To forgive is to forget’ has brought about is that people will become more guilt-ridden for their failure to carry it out.” (George Ong)
“‘Well, I can forgive but I cannot forget’ – of course you can’t forget; the more you try to forget, the more you will remember.” (George Ong)
“What we mean by forgetting is that though we may remember the wrong that others have done, we should not hold it against them.” (George Ong)
“No one can forgive by forgetting but everyone can forgive by refusing to allow the memory of past hurts to haunt them.” (George Ong)
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting the pain of our wounds which is impossible but the refusal of allowing it to hurt despite the memory.” (George Ong)
“Although we cannot forget all the hurts that we suffer, we can choose to remember them in a forgiving way.” (George Ong)
“Forgiveness is not about forgetting the offence but about remembering it in such a way that it no longer hurts.” (George Ong)
“To forgive without forgetting is only human; to forgive by forgetting is pseudo-human.” (George Ong)
“Not forgetting what is forgiven heightens the forgiveness rather than cheapens it.” (George Ong)
“The burial of all our hurts and the closure of every door to their resurrection is the essence of true forgiveness.” (George Ong)
“Forgiveness is a holy compulsion for the strong, not an expedient option for the weak.” (Matt 6:14-15, 18:22-35, Mk 11:25, Lk 6:37) (George Ong)
“The brutal truth is starkly painted for our sober reflection – that if we refuse to forgive others, God will refuse to forgive us.” (Matt 6:14-15, 18:22-35, Mk 11:25, Lk 6:37) (George Ong)
“It is not that we could earn our forgiveness from God by our willingness to forgive others. But that if we refuse to forgive others, it only shows we have not comprehended the glorious message of the forgiving grace of God at the cross of calvary, and hence, the salvation which we claim to possess is only a farce.” (George Ong)
“The scariest and bluntest reason to forgive is that there is no heaven for those who don’t.” (Matt 6:14-15, 18:22-35, Mk 11:25, Lk 6:37) (George Ong)
“There is no choice to forgiveness – it is either you forgive and get to heaven, or you don’t and go to hell.” (Matt 6:14-15, 18:22-35, Mk 11:25, Lk 6:37) (George Ong)
The grace to forgive is what God expects us to grant, not only to Pastor Kong Hee, but to any believer who has genuinely repented.
Next, in the same sermon in 2016, this was what Pastor Jason Lim said about the Prosperity Gospel doctrine of Joseph Prince;
“How about Joseph Prince? Now, I want to quote what he says, not what he audibly said, because, it’s not sure. But, let me quote what he says in his book: Destined to reign- It’s also very popular, by the way, It’s called the national bestseller – ‘The secret to effortless success, wholeness and victorious living’ So this is his premise.
This book enables every follower of God, of Jesus to have effortless success, wholeness, includes healing and victorious living. So, God always wants you, if you follow the secret, to have victory, health, success.
And he writes: you are destined to reign in life. Now, I think this is true, we will reign with Jesus. But it is true for the future, but not necessarily so for every one today. But it’s very clever to say something that is partially true and applying it – apply something that is for the future and say it is for now. He goes on to say, you are called by the Lord to be a success, to enjoy wealth, to enjoy health and to enjoy a life of victory.
Now, let me be clear, again, I’m not saying that these things are definitely not for any Christian. No, there will be people who are called to such kinds of lives, I’m not against this, God can. But what I’m against is that blind blanket promised to anyone who comes and follows Jesus, that this is always going to be your case. That’s the problem.
So if you are a businessman, God wants you to have a prosperous business. Wah, this one – all the “Towkays” (businessmen) here must be very excited. But even though I’m talking about this like he’s a false teacher, you still feel: Wah this sounds very good ah, I want to listen some more. You want to hear more of this, so if you’re a businessman today, God wants you to have a prosperous business. You would do well in your whatever venture. I can understand why people would love to hear and believe this, it is very tempting.
Let’s be clear, you almost feel, you almost wish this is true, except that it is not. If you are a homemaker, you are anointed to bring up wonderful children in the Lord. If you are a student, God wants you to excel in all your examinations. How cool is that? Whatever your vocation is, you are destined to reign in life because Jesus is Lord of your life.
When you reign in life, you reign over sin, you reign over the powers of darkness, now this is very clever. It’s true, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. You reign, you have power, you don’t have to be defeated by sin, you’re no more a slave to sin, and what he is saying is true! And then he slips in this part, you have reign over poverty, over every curse, and over every sickness and disease. So what is right is now coupled with what is not correct and he sells it to you together, and you say: “I want it log, stock barrel.”
Actually, if this is true, New Creation Church should never have anyone who dies. Everyone should live on forever, because you have victory over every disease and every sickness, and it will never be too hard for God to reverse aging anyway, if you believe it.
There will be no need for doctors, there will be no need for hospitals, because God must heal every sickness and disease. Once you know that you have been forgiven of all your sins past, present and future, the healing of all your diseases follows. So no matter how long you have had the problem, no matter how bad the experts say it is, an explosion of healing and restoration will take place and you will receive what you are believing for.
I don’t know about you but when I hear this, it sounds very good ah, extremely alluring and tempting as I’ve said. So why do you settle for the curse of disease or sickness or even poverty, when the price for your healing and prosperity has been paid by Jesus.”
In one of Pastor Jason Lim’s concluding statements in the same sermon, he said;
Please click here to view a 30-second video:
“We as a nation have been swept. In fact, I think the world today is swept by this feel-good lie of prosperity teaching, it is so far removed from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is a damnable heresy because it leads people not to value God for who He is, but it leads people to chase after material things of this world, to lead people to idolatry.”
Pastor Jason Lim clearly stated that the Prosperity Gospel of Joseph Prince and other such preachers
“… is so far removed from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is a damnable heresy.”
If Pastor Jason Lim had proven that the Prosperity Gospel of Joseph Prince is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is a heresy that condemns, why is a Singapore Methodist Bishop and a Singapore Presbyterian Pastor defending Joseph Prince that he isn’t a heretic?
Unlike Pastor Kong Hee who had humbly repented, Joseph Prince has remained defiantly unrepentant of his heresies because of his pride.
The Bible, both the Old Testament and New Testament, is rather severe with Heretics and their Heresies. What then should our response be?
In case you aren’t aware, you ought to know that the Bible treats heresies and heretics very seriously.
Under the Old Covenant, God commands that all heretics and their cohorts be killed (Deut 13:1-11).
Can you sense the seriousness of how God wants His people to treat false prophets?
You may protest,
“George, are we to do the same to the false teachers of today? Kill them? You gotta be kidding!”
I would be mad if I were to teach that, but honestly, is that all you can ask, and is that all you can say?
Don’t you know that the way God treats the false prophets in the Old Testament is a picture of how we ought to deal with the false teachers today?
Yes, we must not kill them, but do we work hard at ‘killing’ their false teachings?
Do we sweat our guts out by refuting their false teachings aggressively and rebuking them sharply, and cutting off our fellowship with them if they are unrepentant?
Or do we pretend that the problem doesn’t exist at all because we don’t want the inconvenience of getting our hands dirty with controversies?
God commands that those who collude with false prophets by enticing the people away from God to worship other gods must also be put to death (Deut 13:6-10).
Just imagine the many in New Creation Church, who have been enticing their friends and relatives to attend their church, helmed by the false prophet, Joseph Prince – what would their judgement be like on the day of reckoning?
Nothing could be sadder if you too have brought many of your friends and family to be ‘converted’ at the same church that is helmed by the false teacher, Joseph Prince – not only will you suffer eternally in hell, but those whom you have brought to that church will share the very same destiny as you.
I have personally met some of those who have come out of Joseph Prince’s church.
The great regret of many of them is that they had brought their friends and relatives to Joseph Prince’s church, and sadly, they are still attending the same church.
Even though these friends of mine have come to their senses and left the New Creation Church, their friends and relatives are still there.
They also regretted passing Joseph Prince’s teaching videos and audios to their friends and relatives and encouraging them to listen to them.
What is done cannot be undone.
But thank God that they are now trying hard to make amends by alerting and warning their friends and relatives about Joseph Prince’s heresies.
Putting the Old Covenant people who violated certain laws to death seems extreme and unthinkable to us.
But God knew how seriously the heresies of false teachers can infect many and lead them to their destruction, and cause irreparable damage to the community of God’s people.
When God treated false prophets with utter severity, we have no right to shrug it off as a small issue that could be overlooked.
When God is greatly intolerant about false teachers, we cannot become carelessly tolerant of them.
Is there a more serious offense (for the false teachers) than falsifying the truth of the scriptures?
Is there anything more reprehensible than lying about the truth of the word of God?
Is there a worse evil than teaching the lies of Satan as if they were the truth of the Bible?
Is there anything more repulsive to God than saying one is speaking for God when in actuality, one is speaking for Satan?
Is there anything more damning than being a false teacher in the church who claims he is preaching a gospel that leads to heaven when in reality, he is leading the unsuspecting souls to the lake of fire?
“Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls, when in reality, he speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls.” (John MacArthur)
God treats the issue of false prophets in the Old Testament so seriously, that one who was confirmed to be a false prophet was put to death (Deut 13:5; 18:20).
Many Christians today are greatly concerned about the rising influences of humanism and secularism, and the threat of persecution.
Yet those evils, great as they are, do not together pose a threat to Christianity that false shepherds do.
Throughout the history of Christianity, the greatest threat to God’s truth and God’s work has been false prophets and teachers, because they claim to speak in His name.
That is why the Lord’s most scathing denunciations were reserved for the false teachers of Israel (Pharisees), who claimed to speak and act for God but were liars (Matt 23).
Yet, for some reasons, the evangelical Christianity of today is often hesitant to confront false teachers with the seriousness and severity that Father God Himself did, and the Lord Jesus and the apostles did, just as the godly prophets before them had done.
Under the New Covenant, the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul not only severely contended against false teachers; they even cursed and pronounced the destiny of hell on them (Gal 1:8-9; Matt 23).
In ‘Life in Christ, Volume One, Fellowship with God, Studies in 1 John’ by Martyn Lloyd Jones, he said the Apostle John was very harsh with the heretics;
“… they are of the devil, says John (the apostle), they are liars and they must be denounced and avoided at all costs.
There is a great tradition that has come down through the ages that John (the apostle) was one day visiting a public bath, and as he was about to enter the water he saw one of the most famous of these Gnostic teachers (heretic) coming out of the bath and he refused to enter – he would not bathe in the same water as such a man!”
If that tradition is true, this shows that the Apostle John would not even fellowship with heretics or shake hands with them but would stay far away from them.
In fact, I believe what John did to the heretic of his day is probably true based on what he Himself had taught in the scriptures:
2 John 9-11 NIV
9 “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.”
John teaches that any teacher who does not teach the teaching of Christ, is not only a false teacher, but he is considered an unbeliever who “does not have God;” (2 Jn 9).
What is the teaching of Christ?
It not only includes what is listed in 2 Jn 7, but I believe it also includes what Christ has massively taught in the gospels:
2 John 9 GW
9 Everyone who doesn’t continue to teach what Christ taught doesn’t have God. The person who continues to teach what Christ taught has both the Father and the Son.
The Great Commission, the cost of discipleship and many other teachings of Christ are stated in the 4 gospels.
Does Joseph Prince teach on the Great Commission and discipleship?
No, he doesn’t, and he even indirectly preaches against them.
This is because Joseph Prince do not consider all of Jesus’ teachings that are written in the gospels as applicable to New Covenant believers as these were written before the cross.
He teaches that the gospels are under the Old Covenant, and that what Jesus teaches is for Old Covenant people ie the Jews.
And the Apostle John clearly said that such a person, like Joseph Prince, who
9 “… does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God;”
What else did Apostle John say?
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.”
He commanded that we are not to associate with anyone who does not teach the teachings of Christ (2 Jn 10).
If we do, we are participating in their evil work and in their propagation of false teachings (2 Jn 11).
Yet, there are so many who are not only associating with Joseph Prince, but they are also helping to spread his false teachings to ‘poison’ many innocent others.
These people have clearly shared in the wicked work of Joseph Prince in the spread of false teachings, and they will have to answer to God for every of their ungodly actions (2 Jn 10-11).
Even John, the Apostle of love (whom Joseph Prince says he is but I don’t totally agree) strictly prohibited not only hospitality to heretics, but he stated clearly that we are not to even greet them as that would constitute active participation in their evil and wicked work (2 Jn 9-11):
2 John 9-11 NASB
9 “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
2 John 9-11 CEV
9 “Don’t keep changing what you were taught about Christ, or else God will no longer be with you. But if you hold firmly to what you were taught, both the Father and the Son will be with you. 10 If people won’t agree to this teaching, don’t welcome them into your home or even greet them. 11 Greeting them is the same as taking part in their evil deeds.”
2 John 9-11 NLV
9 “Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. 10 If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. 11 The person who does has a share in his sins.”
John’s warning about false teachers is no exaggeration.
He is extremely serious as he realises the grave damage and danger that false teachers can pose to the church.
John is firmly uncompromising in his treatment of false teachers.
He forbids the church to extend any form of hospitality, including welcoming them into their house (believers’ residence and/or house churches) and even greeting them.
To welcome false teachers would appear to others that you have tolerated or have accepted their teachings.
Welcoming and greeting them may send the wrong message that we are expressing solidarity with them, and we agree with their teachings.
Not to welcome heretics or to greet them is not about the issue of love, which Apostle John being the Apostle of love, is certainly aware of.
Love is to be extended to fellow believers and unbelievers.
But if the same hospitality is extended to false teachers, it is nothing but spiritual suicide.
It is nothing but allowing your spiritual enemies who have come with spiritual guns and bombs into your turf to destroy your territory and your flock.
Some less than perceptive believers will criticise you for being unloving to false teachers by not extending the hand of friendship to them.
The truth is, if you allow them to come into your fold, you are not showing love to your flock, knowing full well that the presence of heretics will undermine and contaminate the doctrinal beliefs of your sheep and destroy them spiritually.
It is also, in a sense, not showing love to the false teachers, as by not opposing their false beliefs and by welcoming them instead, you are so to speak giving them the false impression that you agree with their heresies, and thus, there is no chance to turn these heretics away from their doctrinal sins.
It is finally not showing love to God as by allowing the evil of heresies to perpetuate and penetrate the bounds of your spiritual territory, the truth of orthodox doctrine and the word of God would be undermined and immediately threatened.
John calls the work that false teachers are doing as wicked (other translations) or evil (NASB) work, and any believer who greets them is tantamount to sharing in their wicked or evil work (2 Jn 10-11).
What wicked or evil work? – The work of corrupting people with heretical truths and sending them to their eternal ruin.
This means that if you greet Joseph Prince, one of the world’s most popular heretics, you are sharing in his wicked or evil work of corrupting people with heretical falsehood and sending them to hell.
There is a true account of a Singapore Bishop who was told to greet Joseph Prince in a common meeting.
But that Bishop wouldn’t budge, he refused to do it knowing full well that Joseph Prince is a heretic, and he doesn’t want to share in Prince’s wicked and evil work by greeting him.
How do I know?
That bishop personally told me.
What is worse is that some sections of the contemporary church do things that are far worse than greeting.
They regularly listen to Joseph Prince’s teachings on videos to learn and apply his brand of grace that he says is the answer to everything.
They encourage others to attend his church.
They criticised those opposing him for the sake of so-called Christian unity, when there’s no unity to speak about as Joseph Prince isn’t a fellow shepherd but a dangerous wolf.
Paul, too, commands us to reject a heretic and have nothing to do with him after two warnings (Tit 3:9-11):
Titus 3:9-11 NIV
9 “But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. 11 You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.”
Paul is effectively commanding us to excommunicate a heretic if he has shown no remorse over his sin of heresy, and this is the case with Joseph Prince who is still preaching his heresies with reckless abandon.
And if we follow the Apostle Paul’s command to have nothing to do with an unrepentant and recalcitrant heretic which is effectively equated to excommunicating him, we are also effectively barred from greeting him as the Apostle John had instructed us to.
Just in case we swing to the other extreme, I don’t believe Apostle John is teaching that one shouldn’t show love to even people such as false teachers as the scripture clearly tells us to love our enemies, and that certainly includes false teachers.
If there is ever a scenario where I see that Joseph Prince is about to fall into a big drain, out of Christian love, I will, of course, try my very best to warn him.
And if I need to, I may suffer some injuries in order to save him from being more severely injured.
I hope Joseph Prince would do the same for me and not leave me to suffer in the drain. But I’m not sure if he will, given all the articles that I have fiercely written against him week after week, and calling him a defiant and an unrepentant heretic countless times.
But even if Prince chooses to walk away and leave me in the drain, it’s okay with me; my main concern is that he repents (not his half-truth and false repentance that he teaches) from his pride, as pride is his number one problem that is keeping him from repenting from his heresies.
In one of his recent sermons, Prince said he was planning to preach on humility. When I heard that, I almost fell off my chair. To me, Joseph Prince’s preaching on humility is like asking a duck to teach an eagle how to fly!
This shows how proud he is as his plan to preach on humility is obviously a plain denial or defence mechanism of his number one problem – pride.
Loving heretics doesn’t mean that we don’t strongly and vehemently oppose them and expose them and their destructive heresies and warn the flock from having anything to do with them and their false teachings.
“Charity has its limits: it must not be shown to one man in such a way as to do grievous harm to others.” (Plummer)
“If by showing love to a heretic would destroy your flock, the love that you have displayed is totally misplaced.” (George Ong)
But we must remember that John does not teach us to separate over minute differences and minor doctrines.
Nor do we refuse to greet heretics even though we have correctly discerned that some may have come to a point where they genuinely want to be open and to hear and learn from our views.
“We must avoid both extremes of either being so intolerant that we will denounce everybody’s views or being so tolerant that we will denounce nobody’s views.” (George Ong)
I believe it also doesn’t mean that one cannot have a proper discussion with a heretic by inviting him to a neutral location, eg cafe, especially if one has discerned that there is a very good chance of depositing some truths into that person who has shown some clear signs of repenting from his wrongdoings.
From another angle, I believe what the Apostle John is condemning and forbidding is not so much the act of greeting per se, but in discerning if that act would constitute being seen to be working or partnering with the evil works of the heretics, whether real or even imagined.
So if I am a Pastor, I definitely wouldn’t go to Joseph Prince’s office and greet him all because I am seeking to use or rent his church premises for ministry purposes, as I do not want to be seen as working or partnering with him in any way, whether it is real or imagined.
But, whatever the explanations and exceptions, this certainly does not include false teachers such as the unrepentant Joseph Prince:
– who has been peddling his heretical wares unrepentantly for about 25-30 years
– who has been craftily and systematically feeding people with lies and half-truths
– who shows contempt towards the word of God by frequently and blatantly twisting biblical texts
– who is persistently and recalcitrantly teaching against what Christ, Who is God Himself, has taught
– who is aggressively pushing his destructive heresies to the furthest parts of the world
– and most of all, for teaching a Gospel minus Sanctification, which is equally as bad as the Gospel plus Circumcision of the Galatians, which is a false Gospel that doesn’t save.
On which side of the extreme is the contemporary church in?
My reading of the contemporary church is that she is definitely not lacking in her love for her enemies, even false teachers.
But she is too lenient with heretics, too close with them, too accommodative to them, and too lax in guarding the flock against being contaminated by destructive heresies.
The church should have zero tolerance for unrepentant heretics whose teachings have destroyed the faith of the flock and brought eternal ruin to those who have been deceived.
For believers to be ignorantly shocked that we can even be barred from greeting heretics as that would constitute participating in their evil work, shows how far we have deviated from apostolic Christianity in the apostles’ combative and no-nonsense approach towards them (2 Jn 10-11 NASB).
What is really happening is that the contemporary church has not only greeted false teachers, such as Joseph Prince, with a warm smile and a friendly handshake, but some has gone on to embrace him with the arms of fellowship.
The church would even allow Joseph Prince free reign to spread his heresies, by their failure to contend against him.
Though the scriptures have given us strict protocol and an uncompromising stance on how we are to handle heretics, the church chooses to go the other way by tolerating them, by not combatting and opposing their heresies, and worse, by warmly embracing them with open arms (Rom 16:17-18; Tit 3:9-11; Gal 2:4-5; Rev 2:14-16,20; 2 Jn 9-11).
False teachers who are being exposed and singled out, may appeal to keep the peace of the church, brotherly love and Christian unity to avoid mutual confrontation.
Joseph Prince had used this tactic from time to time.
How do I know?
I listened to his sermons every week and Prince knows it.
Such deceptive tactics are usually very successful.
Most believers who are uninformed and biblically weak will usually side with false teachers because such men seem so nice, so friendly and so loving.
Believers who are standing on the sidelines would even be angry why these false teachers who are so nice are being attacked.
So, the people who take courage and risk to confront heretics would end up being hated and accused of being unloving and causing disunity.
What has really gone haywire with the church is that:
Those who are acting according to the scriptures by opposing heretics, such as Joseph Prince, are mocked for acting in a harsh and unchristian way, while those who violate the scriptures by embracing him in fellowship are praised for acting in a magnanimous and ‘Christian’ way.
Heroes who courageously warn the church of false teachers, such as Joseph Prince, at great personal risk are ironically being treated as villains for being judgmental, censorious and unloving.
Let me now leave you with a sober thought:
Many say that the God who had decreed the sentence of death on Old Testament false prophets (Deut 13:5) and those who collude with them (Deut 13:6-10), only belongs to the Old Testament but not the New.
But as I was meditating on this issue several years ago, the Holy Spirit prompts me that this isn’t really true, and I was led again to the passage in Revelation 2:20-23:
Revelation 2:20-23 NIV
20 “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”
“I will strike her children dead,” (Rev 2:23) – referring to the spiritual children of the false prophetess, Jezebel, which would also include members of the New Covenant Church of Thyatira who have embraced her false teachings.
Here again, Jesus takes the threat of false teachings so seriously that unless they repent of false teachings, He was prepared to cause intense suffering on His own children and even strike them dead.
When Jesus warned false teachers and believers who collude with them with such severe judgement in Revelation that could even result in death, the contemporary church has no right to go soft on Joseph Prince, and take the issue of guarding their flock against being poisoned by his heresies lightly. (Rev 2:14-16, 22-23)
People in the New Covenant Church in Thyatira, who got involved with the sin of false teachings, could be judged by Jesus with intense suffering and even be struck dead, would certainly be bound for hell, not heaven.
If such people are bound for heaven, then Jesus would be promoting the teaching that one could sin his way to heaven – which is preposterous!
By now, I hope you are convinced that Father God, the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul and Apostle John, are utterly tough on false prophets/teachers and their heresies.
That being the case, the church has no right to be so lenient to unrepentant heretics, such as Joseph Prince, and be complacent about dealing with him and his heresies.
For heretics such as Joseph Prince, who ardently refuse to repent, and continue to lead the multitudes to destruction, they not only must be contended, they must also be dis-fellowshipped.
If that is the case, why is Joseph Prince still part of the fellowship of the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS)?
Let me come back to the sermon of Pastor Jason Lim.
The full sermon and transcript can be viewed by clicking on the link below:
https://gospellight.sg/sermons/heroic-faith/
Pastor Jason Lim also wrote another short article on the ‘Word of Faith’ teachings of Joseph Prince as follows (the emphasis is mine):
My Will Be Done
Devotions with Pastor Jason Lim
The “Word of Faith” movement arises from false teaching. It is a lie that corrupts the true biblical meaning of faith. It twists biblical faith into a mutated “name-it-and-claim-it” positive confession. Word of faith adherents believe that one just needs to speak or declare the desired outcome and God will be “obliged” to fulfil that supposed “faith-filled” confession! God is reduced to a servant to do the bidding of man. It is often accompanied by the health-and-wealth or the prosperity false gospel.
Kenneth E. Hagin, the father of the “Word of Faith” movement, claims Jesus told him that with positive confession, you can obtain whatever you desire. More shockingly he said, it matters not whether you are a Christian or not, but by practising a positive confession of ‘faith’ you can receive health and wealth. Joseph Prince of New Creation Church openly acknowledges that his own ministry and preaching find their roots in Hagin’s Word of Faith teachings.
The Word of faith movement is abominable because it falsely teaches that faith is a self-willed positive confession that brings material success. It teaches that by making a positive confession, we can bend God’s will to serve our carnal cravings for worldly goods. The movement corrupts true faith into a false manipulative ‘faith’. It is espousing a false faith that presumes that God must always deliver well-being, wealth and my wants to people.
Real faith never presumes God must. It understands that God is sovereign in His choices. Real faith acknowledges that God gives and takes away (Job 1:21). He may supply health and material comforts one moment and stop it the next, but His name is still to be blessed! Real faith prays with Jesus, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42) God can be trusted for His will is always for our good and His glory. Let us say together with Job too, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
God is not our servant to do our bidding, but we are His servants to do His. Faith is believing that God can, not that God must, do what we ask. He knows best and faith rests in that blessed assurance.”
The entire article by Pastor Jason Lim is taken from this link below:
https://gospellight.sg/my-will-be-done/
A related article to Pastor Jason Lim’s article, which I had written on this website,
Joseph Prince is Satanically Empowered in his Ministry as his Mentor, Kenneth Hagin was – by Rev George Ong (Dated 2 Sept 2022)
can be viewed (if you haven’t) by clicking below:
Finally, may many more Pastors, especially from Singapore, arise to speak against the heresies of Joseph Prince, just as Rev Yang Tuck Yoong and Pastor Jason Lim had done, so as to save more people from falling into his damnable heretical lies.
Rev George Ong