Strange Fire Quotes

“It is a sad twist of irony that those who claim to be most focused on the Holy Spirit are in actuality the ones doing the most to abuse, grieve, insult, misrepresent, quench, and dishonor Him. How do they do it? By attributing to Him words He did not say, deeds He did not do, phenomena He did not produce, and experiences that have nothing to do with Him. They boldly plaster His name on that which is not His work.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“In 1 Corinthians 14:13–17, Paul mentioned that the gift of tongues was used in public prayer for the purpose of edification. Charismatics, however, have tried to redefine the gift of tongues as a special mode of supernatural expression for their personal devotions and private prayers. But notice how different Paul’s description is from that of modern tongues-speakers. First, Paul was not commending any form of gibberish, since he had already established that the real gift consisted of speaking in translatable foreign languages (vv. 10–11). Second, Paul would never extol prayers that bypass the mind, as many charismatics do. That was—and still is today—a pagan practice. In the Greco-Roman mystery religions, ecstatic utterances were commonly employed as a way to circumvent the mind in order to commune with demonic entities. So it is likely that Paul’s words in these verses include a sarcastic tone, as he rebuked the Corinthian Christians for their attempt to imitate the mindless practices of their pagan neighbors.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Benny Hinn hizo una serie de declaraciones proféticas célebres en diciembre de 1989, ninguna de las cuales se hizo realidad. Él con toda confianza le dijo a su congregación en el Centro Cristiano de Orlando que Dios le había revelado que Fidel Castro iba a morir en algún momento de la década de 1990, que la comunidad homosexual en Estados Unidos sería destruida por el fuego antes de 1995 y que un gran terremoto podría causar estragos en la costa este antes de el año 2000. Se equivocó en todos los aspectos,”
― John MacArthur, Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“Exulting in Christ is evidence of the Spirit’s work! The focus of the church is not on the dove but on the cross, and that’s the way the Spirit would have it. As J. I. Packer puts it, “The Spirit’s message to us is never, ‘Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,’ but always, ‘Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.”
― John MacArthur, Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Sin el Espíritu Santo, el sermón más elocuente no es más que pura palabrería, ruido”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“La Biblia es un libro sobrenatural que proporciona beneficios sobrenaturales. Se”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“The real Holy Spirit is not an electrifying current of ecstatic energy, a mind-numbing babbler of irrational speech, or a cosmic genie who indiscriminately grants self-centered wishes for health and wealth. The true Spirit of God does not cause His people to bark like dogs or laugh like hyenas; He does not knock them backward to the ground in an unconscious stupor; He does not incite them to worship in chaotic and uncontrollable ways; and He certainly does not accomplish His kingdom work through false prophets, fake healers, and fraudulent televangelists.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“None other than the Skeptic’s Dictionary points out an obvious and troubling irony: “When spoken by schizophrenics, glossolalia is recognized as gibberish. In charismatic Christian communities glossolalia is sacred and referred to as ‘speaking in tongues’ or having ‘the gift of tongues.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“God help us! We have turned the holy fire of God into a circus sideshow—and naive Christians are buying this without realizing that such shenanigans are actually blasphemous.21”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Bizarre doctrinal inventions, proclaimed by Hinn under the alleged influence of the Holy Spirit, only confirm his true nature. What should we conclude about someone who has claimed that the Trinity consists of nine persons;65 that God the Father “walks in a spirit body” complete with hands, mouth, hair, and eyes;66 that the Lord Jesus assumed a satanic nature on the cross;67 and that believers should think of themselves as little Messiahs?68 It is ludicrous to think Holy God would authenticate such egregious error by giving a false teacher like Benny Hinn miracle power. Such would make God a participant in Hinn’s deception. But that is obviously not the case.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“The advertising scheme is anything but subtle. If you want to be healed, send in your money; and if you don’t get healed, you didn’t send enough. Like the wicked religious leaders condemned in Luke 20, Benny Hinn devours “widows’ houses” as he hawks false hope in exchange for money;”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“In spite of their gross theological error, charismatics demand acceptance within mainstream evangelicalism. And evangelicals have largely succumbed to those demands, responding with outstretched arms and a welcoming smile. In so doing, mainstream evangelicalism has unwittingly invited an enemy into the camp. The gates have been flung open to a Trojan horse of subjectivism, experientialism, ecumenical compromise, and heresy. Those who compromise in this way are playing with strange fire and placing themselves in grave danger.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“As Philip Jenkins explains, “At its worst, the gospel of prosperity permits corrupt clergy to get away with virtually anything. Not only can they coerce the faithful to pay their obligations through a kind of scriptural terrorism, but the belief system allows them to excuse malpractice.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“En palabras de Benny Hinn: «Él [Jesús] que es justo por elección, dijo: “La única manera en que puedo detener el pecado es volviéndome pecado. No puedo pararlo solo por dejar que me toque; el pecado y yo debemos convertirnos en una sola cosa”. ¡Escuchen esto! Él, que es de la naturaleza de Dios, se hizo de la naturaleza de Satanás cuando se volvió pecado» (Benny Hinn, This Is Your Day, TBN, 1 diciembre 1990). De manera similar, Kenneth Copeland enseñó: «La justicia de Dios se hizo pecado. Él aceptó la naturaleza de pecado de Satanás en su propio espíritu. Y en el momento en que lo hizo, clamó: “Dios mío, Dios mío, ¿por qué me has desamparado?” Usted no sabe lo que pasó en la cruz. ¿Por qué cree que Moisés, instruido por Dios, levantó la serpiente en ese palo en lugar de un cordero? Eso solía molestarme. Le pregunté: “¿Por qué querrías poner allí una serpiente, la señal de Satanás? ¿Por qué no pusiste un cordero en ese palo?” Y el Señor me dijo: “Debido a que era una señal de Satanás que estaba colgada en la cruz”. Y agregó: “Yo acepté, en mi propio espíritu, la muerte espiritual; y la luz se apagó”» (Kenneth Copeland, «What Happened from the Cross”
― John MacArthur, Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“el papel principal del Espíritu Santo es exaltar a Cristo, sobre todo para lograr que Cristo sea alabado por su pueblo.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“«Los que hablan mal de nosotros son un montón de idiotas […] Les diré que he buscado un versículo en la Biblia, pero no pude encontrarlo. Un versículo que dice: “Si no te gustan, mátalos”. Realmente desearía poder encontrarlo […] A veces me gustaría que Dios me diera un Espíritu Santo ametralladora. Les volaría la cabeza».11”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“Ora por nosotros con gemidos demasiado profundos para ser expresados con palabras”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“The kind of praise the Father seeks is not a cacophony of mindless pandemonium. Worship is not mere frenzy and feelings. “Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). God “delight[s] in truth in the inward being” (Ps. 51:6 ESV). Therefore true worship (like authentic sanctification) cannot bypass the mind; it is all about the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:1–2; cf. Eph. 4:23–24). As Jonathan Edwards said, genuine, biblical worship should bring people “to high and exalting thoughts of the divine Being and his glorious perfections [and it] works in them an admiring, delightful sense of the excellency of Jesus Christ.”58 The effect is that we become whole new persons—“renewed in knowledge” (Col. 3:10). Scripture knows nothing of any type of spirituality that bypasses intellect and operates only on feelings.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“As one commentator explains, “It is not possible for God’s Word to dwell in believers unless they are filled with the Spirit; and conversely, Christians can’t be filled with the Spirit without the Word of Christ dwelling in them.”43 Being Spirit-filled starts with being Scripture-saturated; as believers submit themselves to the Word of Christ, they simultaneously come under the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who illuminates their hearts so that as they grow in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus, their love for the Savior deepens accordingly (cf. 1 Cor. 2:12–16).”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“The results of that charismatic takeover have been devastating. In recent history, no other movement has done more to damage the cause of the gospel, to distort the truth, and to smother the articulation of sound doctrine. Charismatic theology has turned the evangelical church into a cesspool of error and a breeding ground for false teachers. It has warped genuine worship through unbridled emotionalism, polluted prayer with private gibberish, contaminated true spirituality with unbiblical mysticism, and corrupted faith by turning it into a creative force for speaking worldly desires into existence.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Roman seal conveyed authenticity, security, ownership, and authority. And the Spirit of God represents those same realities in the lives of His children. Those who have received the Holy Spirit can rest assured that they are truly saved (authenticity) and that their salvation can never be lost or stolen from them (security). Moreover, the Spirit’s presence in their lives demonstrates that God is their Lord and Master (ownership). As they are led by the Spirit, they will manifest a life of submissive obedience to Christ (authority). All this is part of the Spirit’s sealing work.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Arthur W. Pink said it this way: “None will ever be drawn to Christ: savingly, by mere preaching; . . . there must first be the supernatural operations of the Spirit to open the sinner’s heart to receive the message!”5 As we proclaim the truth of Scripture, the Spirit of God uses it to pierce hearts among the unredeemed, convicting them of the truth and converting them from children of wrath into children of God (Heb. 4:12; 1 John 5:6).”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship

“Al ser la perfecta revelación de Dios, la Biblia refleja el glorioso carácter de su Autor. Debido”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“La santificación es la obra del Espíritu mediante la cual nos muestra a Cristo, en su Palabra, y luego progresivamente nos moldea según esa misma imagen. De”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“estamos llenos del Espíritu Santo cuando estamos llenos de la Palabra, la cual él inspiró y a la que le dio poder. Cuando”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“ser lleno del Espíritu no se demuestra mediante experiencias de éxtasis, sino por la manifestación del fruto espiritual. En”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“La glosolalia en su mayoría se ha limitado a los siglos diecinueve y veinte. Sin embargo, sin importar dónde y cómo apareciera, nunca ha sido aceptada por las iglesias históricas de la cristiandad. M”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“Exponer los errores no significa actuar sin amor, sino ser bíblico, lo”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa

“Una profecía proveniente de Dios fue siempre verdadera y congruente con las Escrituras. Por”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Fuego extraño: El peligro de ofender al Espíritu Santo con adoración falsa