ISAIAH 58 BROADCAST AND TRACTS CULT

By Ryan Hicks

The "Isaiah 58 Broadcast And Tracts" Web Site (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/) and the "Pioneer Tract Society" Web Site (http://www.pioneertract.com/) are some of the most cultic sites that claim to serve Jesus that I have seen in a while. The only thing they seem to love and exalt is speaking in tongues. God is not exalted. Man with the "holy Ghost" is. Note: I can only see the "holy Ghost" they speak about being the devil "holy Ghost," because God surely has nothing to do with it. What God does will bring glory to Him, and His true servants will do the same.

John David Clark Sr. is the pastor of a small church in Henderson, N.C. He writes most of the tracts found on both sites and is the leader of this self-proclaimed "non-Christian" cult. (His picture is below.)

When the holy Ghost falls in a meeting, oftentimes a spontaneous spirit of praising God can break out. Here we see the saints "dancing in the Spirit"...freely praising God for his goodness. One of the most encouraging testimonies we have to offer the world is to let them see in us the Spirit moving, and to let them hear how we received the holy Ghost baptism. It is important that God's children know that the REAL Spirit of God speaks in tongues when it comes in. The REAL Spirit of God confesses Christ! And what the church needs more than anything in this hour is the moving of the REAL Spirit of God. Friends, we need to know that speaking in tongues, is MUCH MORE than a gift. It is the life of Christ, and wherever it is absent, life in the Spirit is absent. Therefore, let us join together with those who are truly converted, and obey Jesus! That is what will save us in the end!

Speaking in tongues is not a religion - it is an "experience"! "Pentecost" is the "New Birth", and all who believe in Jesus receive it!

It is interesting that Jesus never said anything about Pentecost being the New Birth. He did not say, "Ye shall be born-again, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you," rather He said, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8).

BUT IT DOES NOT END THERE...

THEY ARE NON-CHRISTIAN!

According to them, "A non-Christian servant of the Lord Jesus [which they claim to be] is one who has rejected the religion of "Christianity" in obedience to the will of God." (What is a "non-Christian" Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ?, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/nonchristian.html)

I agree that they are non-Christian, because the word Christian means "Christ-like" or "a follower of Christ." The Bible uses the term "Christian" ONLY in a positive light.

Acts 11:26
26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Acts 26:28
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

1 Peter 4:16
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

THEY THINK YOU MUST SPEAK IN TONGUES TO BE BORN-AGAIN!

A tract entitled, "Ye must be born again" (http://www.pioneertract.com/yemust.htm) on the Pioneer Tract Society's Web Site says,

When Jesus spoke of the sound of the wind accompanying every new birth experience, he was obviously not discussing weather conditions with Nicodemus. As he was wont to do, Jesus was explaining a spiritual truth by using a familiar earthly phenomenon (in this case, the blowing of the wind). In reminding Nicodemus that winds produce discern able sounds, Jesus was saying that "every one who is born of the Spirit" is moved by the Spirit to speak in tongues when it happens.

What? Beyond the obvious errors in not rightly dividing the word of truth one must wonder what kind of logic this is? Apply this same logic to the rest of Jesus' saying and you have pure lunacy! The Bible is clear that we establish something by TWO or THREE witnesses (Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1)! Why do they need this one witness that is twisted and turned to say something it does not?
What Mr. Clark was referencing was Jesus saying, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:7-8). PLEASE compare this with Mr. Clark's statement above and see the erroneousness of such logic!

A BLOODLESS AND WORDLESS RELIGION

Mr. Clark teaches, "Many ministers mistake the receiving of the Seed to be the New Birth. They think that receiving the word of God and repenting of sin is the same as being born again. But cessation from evil - good as that is - is not the New Birth. Repentance neither atones for nor washes away sins; sins are washed away only by the Spirit, when it baptizes us into the body of Christ (1Cor.12:13; Acts 22:16). Only by entering into Christ do we become new, spiritually clean creatures." (Ye must be born again, http://www.pioneertract.com/yemust.htm)

Compare this with what the Bible says

1 Peter 1:23
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Romans 5:9
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Ephesians 1:7
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Do pay attention to Mr. Clark's failure to see the difference between Jesus baptizing someone with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit baptizing someone into the body of Christ. This also does away with his entire theological structure which is centered around speaking in tongues as being the new birth or sign of the new birth. When Jesus baptizes the 120 with the Holy Spirit the people spoke in tongues, but this was after they were baptized BY THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST! There are two different Persons doing different actions, but he refuses to see this and makes the Holy Spirit into an it and not God Almighty, and then blends Christ baptizing and the Holy Spirit baptizing into the same thing!

THEY HAVE NO DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

Whether one has a doctrinal statement or not is not important, but their reasoning is. Gary Savelli says, "No, we do not have a "doctrinal statement". We have found that when men adopt a "doctrinal statement" they in effect, cut themselves off from God. Every Christian group that has a doctrinal statement has gone, or is about to go astray, for they will rarely be able to change course once they have "set it in stone" and felt obligated to defend it. We believe God is still speaking, and the Spirit is still telling men things they don't know... and very few are righteous enough to say "we've been wrong about something all this time until God showed us the truth!" ESPECIALLY when it is contrary to their "doctrinal statement"!" (Questions and Answers, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/qa.html)

In other words they are saying, "We have no authority telling us what is right and wrong and waver too much to 'set it in stone.'" This is cowardly and is the mark of a cult. Truth does not change, so why not put up truths showing people what you stand for? Why pretend that wimpery is godly and standing up for truth is wrong?

NO WATER BAPTISM, JUST SPIRIT BAPTISM!

1 Peter 3:20-21
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

These verses are crystal clear! In the same way that the eight souls were saved by water so does the figure of water baptism save. Neither the water of Noah's flood or the water of baptism saved anyone, but they are signs. The ark saved the eight souls, and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves us! Water baptism is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but is the answer of a good conscience toward God. Thus, Spirit baptism is clearly not the idea, and if it was as Mr. Clark wants to believe, then it is just a "figure," thus still destroying Clark's theory that "the baptism of the holy Spirit" saves the soul.

THEY DO NOT BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE WORD OF GOD!

Here is a foolish and wicked comment from Mr. Clark's book Is the Bible the Word of God? (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/ISTHEBIBLEBOOK.HTM):

One of the slow-eating cancers which afflicts the minds of the religious in this century is the peculiar notion that the Bible is the very Word of God. This notion is as absurd as is this generation's habit of calling a building a church. The Bible never claims for itself the lofty title of "Word of God"; yet, strangely, multiplied thousands insist that the Word of God is what the Bible is. But holiness and truth are not contrary to common sense. If the Bible were the Word of God, then the Word of God can be bought and sold with earthly currency, and the more money one has, in that case, the more Word of God one can possess.

As much reverence as is due the Bible, it is beyond the limit of truth and good sense to call it the Word of God, as a simple study of the Scriptures themselves easily shows. That "the Word was in the beginning with God" does not imply that God had a Bible by His side during creation. And that "the Word became flesh and dwelled among us" does not extol the wonder of book making. It extols the wonderful love of God in Christ Jesus, the Word of the Father incarnate.

All of the cults and false groups have to destroy the word of God, the Bible, because it refuses to line up with their theories and doctrines of devils. This is always one of the first things the cults attack. When pretend Christians had a hard time matching their make believe semi-god or man-only-and-not-God Jesus with the Jesus revealed in the Bible they had to change the word of God by making new translations. Then when it was obvious people were not falling for their new translations they started deceiving people into thinking that the King James Bible has errors and their new "bible" corrects them, yet they can never prove any errors. This is always the way of the cults.

If the above attack on the Bible was not enough read this blasphemous, devil-inspired trashing of the Bible by this apostate, "Despite the reverence for God which appears to attend the somber declaration that the Bible is "the infallible Word of God", that declaration sprouts from the envious heart of Satan, who would rather glory in the works of men - even the Bible, the written work of righteous men - than to glory in the living power of God. It is Satan who inspired that unknown minister who first proclaimed the Bible to be God's Word. His evil purpose was to discourage fervent prayer, and to discourage men from expecting answers from God Himself; that is, to "read the Word" rather than humbly to prepare their hearts to receive it. That the Bible is the very Word of God is a wickedly cunning lie, the effects of which are discouragement, confusion, and death, even if its proponents boast of devotion to Christ and an ever closer walk with God - through the Scriptures, of course, rather than through experience with the power of God's Spirit. The Word of God is what God is saying this moment, not what He said two thousand years ago, or even what He said yesterday. It is true that He doesn't change; still, the Bible bears witness to the truth that His instructions to man have changed many times. God told Moses to hit a rock on Mount Horeb with his rod (Ex.17), but later when Moses hit another rock with his rod in Kadesh- Barnea God was angered, because His instruction this time to Moses was simply to speak to the rock (Num. 20)." (Is the Bible the Word of God?, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/ISTHEBIBLEBOOK.HTM)

THEY THINK THAT GOD APPROVES OF DIVORCE AND REMARRIAGE!

Here is a quote from Mr. Clark. With his defense of the wicked act of remarriage. I looked into whether or not he himself is remarried, and Gary Savelli told me, "No... he has never been through a divorce" (Personal E-mail Dated April 28, 1999). With this being said, he is kind and gentle on this sin and makes excuses for both divorce and remarriage. When I asked Mr. Clark about this he told me, "I hope that we are ever kind and gentle, to use your words, with all people in whatever situation in which they through sin find themselves. After all, aren't kindness and gentleness fruits of the Spirit?" (Personal E-mail Dated May 1, 1999). Kindness and gentleness in regard to sin are NOT fruits of the Spirit, but we are to be kind and gentle with men. Those that are weak and gentle on sin generally do so because they have it in their lives, otherwise why would you go easy on the transgression of our Lord's commandments?

After this he equated me believing the Lord Jesus' teachings about divorce and remarriage with the men of John 8:1-11. This is the way the cultists do it. They have to ty to get you thinking you are the bad guy when you stand up against sin. This is the work of devils and not the Spirit of God.

He said, "If the divorce occurred prior to conversion, it is only a part of that sinful life which is now, in Christ, done away. So far as permission to remarry is concerned, the wise and merciful church will not consider that previous divorce. A divorce, or ten of them, which took place when one was in sin is a dead issue, being part of the life of sin and rebellion which is now repented of and turned from. It is washed away by the blood of Christ, never to be remembered against the believer again. Paul wrote, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, ALL THINGS are become new." Every part of the old life of sin is gone. Unfortunately, some would say that in Christ all things are become new -- except one's marital history. But their unwillingness to forgive a sinner's previous marriage(s) is not a reflection of God's heart. When a sinner comes to Jesus, he is given a new life. Whatever failures occurred in the past are gone, completely and forever. A sinner who is washed from sin by the blood of Christ is free, and worthy, to marry in the kingdom of God, if he so desires. In truth, if a sinner suffers a divorce and then turns from sin and is converted to the way of the Lord, he really doesn't belong in the category of "divorced", for he is truly a "new creature", with no error of the past obstructing his pursuit of a quiet and peaceful life on this earth, and with no divorce on his record." (Marriage and Divorce Study Guide, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/MARRIAGE.HTM)

This is all too common. A believer has repented of all sin, but that repentance means they have done away with sin. Thus, for the sin of remarriage to be repented of you MUST stop the sin! You cannot say some pretend prayer of repentance and continue in the sin of remarriage. Either you will get out of that sin and stay out or you choose to stay in sin and refuse repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In order to become a new creature in Christ you must repent, thus no truly repentant person will remain in or get in the sin of remarriage! See Divorce and Remarriage.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE BLOOD OF CHRIST?

In His "Clark's Corner" article called "Purging Sin" (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/clark03_01_99.html), Clark teaches that the Holy Spirit is the blood of Christ. He says, "Sins are "purged" by the blood of Christ. But few today really understand how and when the blood of Christ is applied. The life of the human body is in the blood (Lev.17:11). Where blood ceases to flow in the body, life quickly ends. So, because the life of the church (the "body of Christ") is in the Holy Spirit (Jn. 6:63; Rom.8:10), the Spirit is often called the "blood of Christ". Where the Spirit ceases to flow freely among the saints, spiritual atrophy is certain." He also says, "As a result of ignorance of this truth concerning the blood of Christ, many believe that the blood of Christ washed their sins away before they received, or were baptized with, the Holy Ghost. But sin cannot be washed away before one receives the Spirit, because the Spirit is the blood that washes sin away."

Why does he teach such false doctrine? The simple reason is that this is needed to exalt the baptism of the holy Ghost and speaking in tongues. This has nothing to do with the Bible, God's gift of speaking in tongues, or the Holy Spirit of God. This only has to do with the pride of man, unclean spirits, fallen angels, the devil, and false "gifts" of tongues.

I urge anyone to find even one Scripture teaching such a thing. The Holy Spirit is not the blood of Christ, and teaching such is throughly erroneous!

COMMUNION BLASPHEMED

Clark teaches, "The only reason Jesus served the cup and bread to his disciples at the "last supper" was that the communion in spirit which he wanted them to have was not available. Jesus hadn't died yet, and so the Spirit hadn't come. Had the Spirit been available, the ceremony would have been pointless. If Jesus could have had fellowship with his disciples, as he did with his Father, there would have been no point in passing around a cup of wine saying, "This is my blood....drink ye all of it." When true communion, or fellowship with the Father, became a reality in Christ, there was no longer any need for a symbol of it."

Context, context, context! Read the Scripture below to see what Jesus said, in context!

Luke 22:15-20
15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

This is no mere ceremony that was done away with on Pentecost, rather it was to be done in remembrance of the Lord "TILL HE COME!" Where is any proof that we are no longer supposed to obey Jesus' words here, and where is any proof that the Holy Spirit is the blood Christ shed? This is theory and foolishness and has no basis in truth.

DO NOT GIVE TO THEM

If we are to believe the words Gary Savelli on the Isaiah 58 Web Site then we should not give to these people. He says, "If, in this covenant of the Spirit, you give your tithes to a person who is not teaching the truth, you are in danger of sinning also - and certainly if you KNOW that such a person is not teaching the truth. For instance: any minister who teaches one has repented without receiving the baptism of the holy Ghost is not speaking the truth, and to tithe to such a man is sin. We must worship "in Spirit and in truth". So in the main, to give your tithe to a Christian minister is "financing the enemy of your soul", though most of God's people do not understand this." (Questions and Answers, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/qa.html)

I KNOW that they are not teaching the truth and WILL NOT send any money to them. Do notice how they word this so that the only people you will want to give to are them. Thus, if someone teaches the Bible and says that someone can repent without receiving the baptism of the devil called holy ghost (not to be confused with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit of God), then you should not give to them.

SRAIGHT OUT OF THE HORSES MOUTH, SO TO SPEAK

Gary Savelli goes on in explaining why you should believe what he has said about giving by saying, "What scriptures do you use to support this"? All, and none! We are not to be led by the scriptures ALONE - we are to be "led by the Spirit of God". "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life", Jesus said - so we must be careful when justifying any position through the scriptures alone. There may be times when God commands things of us that are NOT in the scriptures, so we need to be willing to follow the Spirit in all cases. When the truth is told, ALL of scripture will support what God requires of us - and on the other hand, if one is not being led by the Spirit, the truth will seem to contradict what scriptures that misled person understands. We need the Spirit - and then the scriptures will have their work done in our hearts. Without the Spirit, and without being led by the Spirit, we can never do the will of God, no matter how many of the scriptures we try to obey. We need the scriptures AND the Spirit if we are to rightly divide the way of truth."

Although he would not claim to be Protestant, Gary Savelli is a Roman Protestant. He sort of accepts the Bible when it will fit his theories, but when he has no Scripture he goes with his traditions and vain imaginations.

THE SABBATH IS THE HOLY GHOST BAPTISM

Gary Savelli makes it clear that he thinks that the Sabbath for believers today is the baptism of the holy Ghost. He says, "I hope that sets you at liberty ... knowing that men's sabbaths are nothing. God's Sabbath is everything. Have you been baptized with it, and are you obeying it?"

JESUS IS A CREATED "GOD"

Clark teaches, "If the faithful old covenant servants were deemed worthy of the title, "gods", how much more worthy should be Jesus, the Son of God? Jesus is "God", with a capital "G", because it is actually he who, obeying the will of his Father, created this entire creation both in heaven and in earth. And certainly "he that built all things is God" (Heb.3:4). In the unknown of eternity past, the Father created the Son, then granted to his Son the power to complete all this creation. Thus, the Son is "the beginning and the end" of the Father's creation." (Jesus and His God, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5744/clark11_26_98.html)

This is what Clark believes, but what does the Bible say?

Isaiah 43:10
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

This destroys the theory that Jesus was a created God. It is foolish to act as if Jesus was somehow given the title God because of His rule, rather than just believe the Bible that there is only one God, and that God is in Three Persons (1 John 5:7).

OLD TESTAMENT KEEPING