Why I'm speaking out against Church of the Highlands - Vision Sunday 2015-part 1

After being raised in a Southern Baptist Church for my entire life, I was determined to raise my kids the same way. However, after walking through an incredibly difficult season in our marriage, we became disillusioned by the people and left the smallish SBC church we had been active in for almost ten years. In our floundering we visited several churches around our town, but none of them ever "felt" right. To my shame we eventually stopped attending church altogether.

I don't know why exactly, but one Sunday we found ourselves headed to one of the campus locations of Church of the Highlands or COTH (several of my in-laws were already attending). The kids liked it well enough and honestly, it felt good that our family was back in church, and I especially liked that I could easily get lost in the crowd. After the experience at our previous church I was not interested in another "big fish/small pond" situation. We were pretty faithful for a while, then life got busy, the kids got older (and therefore no longer participated in the kids programs at COTH), and our regular attendance fizzled down to nothing.

Cut to Easter about four years ago...we didn't have any plans. My Grandmother, a godly woman if there ever was one, had passed away the summer before and since we had, in the years prior, attended Easter services at her church, I had no interest in going anywhere. Determined to do SOMETHING that would focus on Jesus I got up Easter morning, fixed a big breakfast, woke up the family and we sat in our living room and watched the COTH service on our big screen TV. It was nice. So we did it the next week. And the next. And it was pretty great. Until "Vision Sunday 2015."

Senior Pastor Chris Hodges shares his "vision" for COTH.

On the screen popped Proverbs 29:18 from The Message Bible, which reads: "If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed."

I was familiar with Proverbs 29:18, but not the version Chris was using. I was much more acquainted with the way the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation reads: "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law." To be honest, the two verses didn't even seem to be related, much less be the SAME verse. So I did a little investigating. I immediately headed over to BibleStudyTools.com and looked up Matthew Henry's commentary on the verse: 

Verse 18 See here, I. The misery of the people that want a settled ministry: Where there is no vision, no prophet to expound the law, no priest or Levite to teach the good knowledge of the Lord, no means of grace, the word of the Lord is scarce, there is no open vision (1 Sa. 3:1 ), where it is so the people perish; the word has many significations, any of which will apply here. 1. The people are made naked, stripped of their ornaments and so exposed to shame, stripped of their armour and so exposed to danger. How bare does a place look without Bibles and ministers, and what an easy prey is it to the enemy of souls! 2. The people rebel, not only against God, but against their prince; good preaching would make people good subjects, but, for want of it, they are turbulent and factious, and despise dominions, because they know no better. 3. The people are idle, or they play, as the scholars are apt to do when the master is absent; they do nothing to any good purpose, but stand all the day idle, and sporting in the market-place, for want of instruction what to do and how to do it. 4. They are scattered as sheep having no shepherd, for want of the masters of assemblies to call them and keep them together, Mk. 6:34 . They are scattered from God and their duty by apostasies, from one another by divisions; God is provoked to scatter them by his judgments, 2 Chr. 15:3, 2 Chr. 15:5 . They perish; they are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hos. 4:6 . See what reason we have to be thankful to God for the plenty of open vision which we enjoy. II. The felicity of a people that have not only a settled, but a successful ministry among them, the people that hear and keep the law, among whom religion is uppermost; happy are such a people and every particular person among them. It is not having the law, but obeying it, and living up to it, that will entitle us to blessedness. 

If you took the time to read the excerpt, and I hope you did, you would have seen that no where is the author (most likely King Solomon) of this Proverb believed to have been talking about having a "plan" for the future. It is all about the importance of Scripture, and ironically enough, having sound expositors of the Word to minister to the people. 

Chris twisted this verse to force it to mean what he wants to say. Scripture is very clear on the boundaries we are to take when preaching or teaching, from God's Word. Galatians 1:8 says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."

Even in our personal time of reading and Bible study we must be careful not to add to, or take away from what Scripture says. This point is reiterated again and again in Scripture.

Revelation 22:18-19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

 Deuteronomy 4:2 
You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.

Proverbs 30:5-6
Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.

And the list goes on and on. Rightly dividing Scripture is crucial to getting the Gospel right, and the difference between right and almost right Gospel, can literally mean the difference between heaven and hell. Discernment is of the utmost importance when it comes to who we allow to teach us, and our families, God's Word.

I want to end my first post with this caveat: I have no desire to take on Church of the Highlands, or Chris Hodges. I know how many devoted members and regular attendees COTH has; I use to be one! I have friends, family, customers, and co-workers who still are devoted and completely blind to what is happening. No question, there are preachers all over the country, some much more popular, doing the same thing every Sunday. And while others may be more popular than Chris, only one is more successful. A recent poll by CBS named Church of the Highlands the second largest mega-church in the United States. That fact spurred me to start this blog. COTH is too big to be ignored. Unfortunately, now that I know what is being taught (and more importantly what isn't being taught) to tens of thousands of people every week, my heart will not allow me to remain silent any longer. If you are currently attending COTH I pray that this blog will be edifying for you. My prayer is that even if you believe I am 100% wrong, your eyes will be opened and that you will come to see the truth of my assertions.

I do not claim to be anything other than what I am:  a discerning Believer with a Bible. I desire to be a modern day Berean, checking the words of the preacher against the Truth of Scripture. I have not attended seminary, or even a Bible college. I am currently taking steps to join a small congregation of Reformed Baptists. In the last year I have become a staunch believer in the Doctrines of Grace. I believe that Scripture Alone is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine. I believe we are saved by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, by Christ Alone for the Glory of God Alone. These beliefs make up the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. 

I fully intend to leave the comments open in hopes of having meaningful dialogues. The vast majority of people who read this (assuming anyone does) will most likely not agree with me. That's okay. However, I will not tolerate course language, or anything else that does not meet the standards of how believers (even those who disagree) should treat one another.

If you have a story about leaving Church of the Highlands, I would love to publish it. Type it up, email it believerwithabible@gmail.com and I'll edit it, and after you review and approve it, I'll post it on the blog. Until next time...

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:3