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Prayer Rally Tainted with Ecumenism
The call to prayer for the culture's drift away from God is resulting in huge rallies. One recently drew over 100,000 participants to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The event was held on the 110th anniversary of the Pentecostal Azusa Street revival. Organizer of this and similar events worldwide is Lou Engle of The Call ministries. Promotional material for the event stated: "...we will boldly ask God for the rain of revival. We will consecrate an entire day —15 hours— for the purpose of unity, miracles, healing and the proclamation of the gospel." In front of the rally, Lou Engle kisses the shoe of Roman Catholic Matteo Calisi in a gesture of "reconciliation" between Catholics and Protestants. Unity at any price! Most believers will agree on the need for revival and rejoice at any sincere effort to proclaim the gospel and bring the nation to repentance. Yet Satan cannot allow such effort without deviously infiltrating it. This event was not without his infiltration. Such events invariably carry a flavoring of ecumenism introduced by the Charismatic movement of the last century. A focus on miracles and spiritual gifts ignored those who expressed concern about being unequally yoked with those who hold unbiblical beliefs. Because they exhibited these gifts, Roman Catholic leaders were welcomed disregarding the fact that the popes have always held to a works-based gospel. The Los Angeles event was no different. Engle's inclusion of "unity" in the meeting's purpose was followed through by his inviting members of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to, "Come join your brothers and sisters at the Memorial Coliseum believing for a move of unity and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit." One of the speakers was Mateo Calisi, a member of the Pontifical Council and the Pope Francis's front man in selling unity to the Protestants. Calisi told the audience that it was a "diabolical sin" for Catholics and Christians to be divided. He also declared that Jesus "doesn't care" about disagreement on biblical doctrine. "We are not going to be known by our differences...but for the love we have for one another," he said. Several things are wrong with this picture. During the Charismatic Renewal, as long as you had the spiritual gifts of miracles, speaking in tongues, and prophecy, Jesus "didn't care" about doctrinal differences. Today, love is the unity factor —again claiming that Jesus doesn't care. Love does cover a multitude of sins, but we are counseled not to be yoked with unbelievers. Calisi claimed that "He [Jesus] doesn't care about our differences. We are not going to be known by our differences... but for the love we have for one another." But how can we ignore the multitude of unbiblical doctrinal "differences" like pagan wafer-god worship, a Virgin Mary goddess as an alternate advocate, and a different gospel of works-based salvation? What kind of love is he talking about? If it is just a squishy feeling, it doesn't fit the biblical definition. Biblical love speaks truth to those who are in danger of missing heaven. Jesus identified this counterfeit church in Rev. 17 and 18 and said "come out of her," not cozy up to her and kiss her shoe. Prayer meetings for revival are desperately needed, but repentance from dead works must be the result, not "unity" with those who pray to a Virgin Mary goddess. The pope is capitalizing on the ignorance of the Protestants, using a foggy definition of love to promote an unbiblical "unity." Chick Publications has many tracts, books and comics exposing the pagan basis of Roman Catholicism. Visit our Catholicism Resource Center for details why this false church is really anti-Christ, no matter how "loving" they are. |