Rod Parsley’s father, James G. (Clyde) Parsley, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday. He was 80.

“The world lost a great man at 2:50 p.m. yesterday, June 27th… my beloved father,” Rod Parsley wrote on his Facebook page. “I’m thankful for your prayerful support for my precious mother, niece, wife and children. We will miss him deeply.”

The elder Parsley was surrounded by his family at his homegoing. He was a founding member of World Harvest Church. He and his wife, Ellen, known as Mother Parsley, have been the most loyal and fervent advocates of the ministry.

“While Mr. Parsley did not seek acclaim or recognition, his support was essential to the birth, growth and continuing success of World Harvest Church, Breakthrough and the many other ministry entities,” a statement on  says. “As a husband, father, grandfather, advisor, confidant and friend, his contributions have been inestimable and will be irreplaceable.”

Details of the memorial service are as follows:

Visitation: Monday, July 1, 2013 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

World Harvest Church, 4595 Gender Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110

Memorial Service: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:00 p.m.

World Harvest Church, 4595 Gender Rd, Canal Winchester, OH 43110

Interment Service: Wednesday, July 3 2:00 p.m.

Warfield Cemetery, Warfield, Ky.

If you would like to send a message of condolence to the family, please respond to the following email address: condolences@.

Let My faithful servants rejoice in My protection, for I take great delight in My people, and I crown their faithfulness with victory. I will honor your praises as they rise to Me. I have placed My two-edged sword in your hands so that you can inflict My vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them. See now that there is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life. I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of My hand. As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen My flashing sword and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.

Psalms 45:3–4; 149:6–9; Isaiah 27:1

Prayer Declaration

I release the sword of the Lord against the powers of hell in the name of Jesus. Send Your angels with flaming swords to fight my battles in the heavens. Let Your enemies fall by the sword. Take vengeance on my adversaries and rise up to stand victoriously over all of Satan’s demon warriors.

All of these are from Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare by John Eckhardt.

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The past several decades, we have seen a dramatic decline in doctrinal and biblical preaching. We have gone from theology to therapy in the pulpits. In the past decade, we went from therapy to motivational speaking instead of preaching.

In addition to this, whole churches and movements have oriented themselves to a distorted understanding of the gospel by espousing a “hypergrace” approach that trickles down to not only what they preach but who they allow to minister and teach. (I was told there is even a new television station devoted to this view of “grace.”)

Furthermore, many churches and preachers refuse to take a stand against sin and rarely if ever mention the need for repentance or topics like hell and judgment. Many of these same churches allow people to minister in music, as small group leaders and even as ministers with no personal accountability while looking the other way when they are living sexually immoral lives and regularly engaged in drunkenness!

This is nothing new. For centuries the body of Christ has wrestled with something called antinomianism (anti means “against”; nomos means “law”). This is the belief that the moral law of the Old Testament has been done away with and that, once we are in Christ, there is free grace in which we can almost live any way we want since we are not under the Law but under grace. Thus, according to this view, the Old Testament is not that important to read except for metaphors, types and symbols regarding the coming of Christ. The New Testament is all about grace and does away with the Old Testament Law!

Of course, Paul the apostle warned against this sort of thing in Romans 6:1-2 when he rhetorically asked, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? His response: God forbid! How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer in it?

The first thing Jude the apostle says in his epistle (in the context of contending for the faith in verse 3) is that ungodly men amongst them were turning the grace of our God into a license to sin. Evidently these free-grace preachers were twisting the Scriptures by teaching that “we are no longer under the Law” means “we are no longer under any obligation to obey the moral law of God once we are saved.”

This in spite of each of the Ten Commandments being directly cited or taught indirectly in the New Testament. Examples of exact citations are Ephesians 6:1-3, which quotes the fifth commandment; James 2:11, which quotes the sixth and seventh commandments (regarding murder and adultery) and says in verse 12 that believers will be judged according to the “law” of liberty; and Romans 7:7, where Paul quotes the 10th commandment regarding not to covet. Paul also says that we dishonor God when we disobey the (moral) law (Rom. 2:23).

Obedience to the Ten Commandments (the moral law) is also taught indirectly, as in 1 John 5:21, which instructs believers to stay away from idols (from the second commandment, regarding not making a carved image to worship); and when Jesus said that the greatest commandment in the Law is to love God with all the heart, mind and soul (Matt. 22:37-38), which corresponds to the first commandment regarding having no other gods before Him. 

Paul makes it clear in Romans 7:12 that the law is holy, righteous and good and that the purpose of being filled with the Spirit of Christ is so the righteousness of the law would be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4)—not so we can just float around as spiritual beings without any standards for obedience and disobedience!

Although we cannot be saved by following the Law (because everyone is guilty of breaking the Law, according to Romans 3:19), God uses the moral law as the standard of righteousness in which to judge us of sin. Thus, the Law doesn’t save us, but it sanctifies us when we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, because through it we have the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).

So, then, what does Paul refer to when he says that we are justified apart from the Law (Rom. 3:21) through grace as a gift (v. 24)? The context of these statements and the other teachings of the New Testament regarding the Law is clear: While the moral law doesn’t save us, it is still in effect as a guide and standard for righteous living, but the ceremonial law is no longer in effect and has been totally done away with. This we know because circumcision (Rom. 3:30; Gal. 5:1-2) and animal sacrifices (Heb. 9:12-14) are always brought up in context of Paul teaching that the Law has been nullified in Christ. Thus, Paul is affirming that the ceremonial law has been done away with in Christ because He was the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and in whom, by a single offering of Himself (Heb. 10:14), abolished the law of commandments and record of debt that were against us (Col. 2:13-14) because we violated them. In Him we are no longer obligated to follow the Levitical system, for although the old covenant terms are no longer in effect and faded away (Heb. 8:13), the new covenant clearly is a more perfect continuation of the old covenant because of its prophetic fulfillment in the Messiah (Heb. 10:1).

The following are signs of a hypergrace church:

1. The preachers never speak against sin.

If you are in a church like this, you will notice that the word sin is usually only mentioned in the context of forgiveness of sins in Christ but hardly ever in the context of taking a stand against sin, except of course when they condemn the sin of “legalists” and “Pharisees” who are the ministers they denigrate for preaching against sin.

2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.

When issues like abortion come up, these pastors will shy away from mentioning it because they are afraid of offending new people. I can understand this to a point. But I counter that we as ministers of Christ are obligated to at least mention our positions publicly so that we use it as a teaching moment for the sheep following us. Not saying anything about an issue like abortion is another way of condoning it!

3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.

In these churches, the Old Testament is treated as only types and shadows for sermon illustrations but has no real value regarding our standard of living today. As I show in this article, my position is that the New Testament and Old Testament are organically connected, with the New building upon the Old, not eradicating it altogether!

4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.

One pastor was telling me that sexual immorality and drunkenness is rampant in many evangelical churches—even amongst small group leaders and other leaders in local churches! This is because there is very little accountability.

5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.

Many hypergrace pastors constantly denounce churches that are conservative in their values because they believe those churches represent the “old school” that is no longer relevant to today’s culture.

6. The lead pastor preaches against tithing.

Although I believe tithing carried over into the New Testament, I believe it is more of a biblical principle that preceded the Law of Moses (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all tithed before Moses gave the Law), was taught by Jesus (Matt. 23) and was mentioned in other passages, like Hebrews 7.

These pastors denounce tithing as a law that was done away with in Christ. (For more on this, read my position paper entitled “Is Tithing in the New Testament?”)

7. The lead pastor only preaches positive motivational messages.

Those attending hypergrace churches only hear positive messages on health, wealth, prosperity, God’s love, God’s forgiveness and how to succeed in life. Although I also agree with and teach on these topics, we have to be careful to include in our preaching the whole counsel of God so that we feed the flock a balanced diet instead of just the sweetness of feel-good messages. We must do this so we are free from the blood of all men (Acts 20:26-27).

8. Key members of the church are regularly living sinful lives with impunity.

Those attending a hypergrace church will most likely find that, because of the strong emphasis on grace—with no teaching against sin or on repentance, judgment or hell—there is an atmosphere of loose living, with many involved in sexual immorality and drunkenness as well as other physical vices.

The reason for this is “the law is our schoolmaster that leads us to Christ” (Gal. 3:24) because through the (moral) law comes the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). If the moral law of the Ten Commandments is not preached or alluded to, then in ignorance the people will live foolish lives and will be like the blind leading to blind because “where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law” (Prov. 28:18).

In conclusion, there are many other things I could mention regarding hypergrace churches and their preaching, like how it is one step away from universalism (the belief that all people will eventually be saved, whether they believe the gospel or not, e.g. Love Wins by Rob Bell) and liberalism, because an increasing amount of Scripture is eviscerated because it is culturally offensive (like husbands being the head of the house, views on homosexuality, etc.).

I believe antinomianism is a dangerous trend in evangelicalism and is something we need to lovingly take a stand against with our brothers and sisters who espouse it.

Joseph G. Mattera is overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church, Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can read more on  or connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

Despite our fervent prayers, the gay agenda has won a victory in the rapidly degenerating land of the free, as the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

DOMA is a 1996 law blocking federal recognition ofgay marriage. With that ruling, and because the high court decided not to give its opinion on a challenge to a ban on gay marriage in California known as Proposition 8, the road is paved for same-sex marriage in the Golden State. And that may open the floodgates.

Clearly, our nation is seeing Romans 1 play out before its very eyes because although we know God, we have chosen not to glorify Him (Rom. 1:21).

Exchanging the Truth for a Lie

Our Supreme Court has “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (v. 25). A growing number of our citizens are fine and dandy with the fact that women exchange “the natural use for what is against nature,” and more are accepting of the fact that men have left “the natural use of the woman” and have “burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful” (vv. 26-27).

Many of our nation’s leaders have given in to a “debased mind” (v. 28). Our nation is marked by “all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness” (v. 29). Many of our citizens are “full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” (vv. 29-31).

Our Supreme Court just opened the door to more of the same. Could it be possible that one day marriage as an institution could be outlawed altogether? I believe that is part of Satan’s end-time strategy.

Recognizing the Signs of the Times

Paul hints at this in a prophetic letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, more than 2,000 years ago. Paul wrote, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry” (1 Tim. 4:1-3).

We are in the latter times. We are in the end times even now. And many are indeed departing from the faith. Less than 1 percent of 18- to 23-year-olds have a biblical worldview, according to a recent Barna Group survey. Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, LifeWay Research reveals. And the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life reports that half of former Protestants who left the church said they turned away from their childhood faith because they stopped believing in its teachings—and about 40 percent said they did so because they do not believe in God.

We are in the latter times. We are in the end times even now. And some are indeed giving heed todeceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Look at the likes of Rob Bell, with his “no hell” theology; John Crowder, with his distorted hypergrace messages; and Carlton Pearson, with his universalistic “gospel of inclusion.” Then there’s the false justice movement that talks about Jesus while holding Bible studies, worship meetings and performing good works—but it’s a different Jesus at the center. These are just a few of the doctrines of demons circulating through the church today that are leading us toward the end-time harlot church.

Forbidding to Marry?

We are in the latter times. We are in the end times even now. And some are indeed speaking lies in hypocrisy. Some are indeed living with a seared conscience. So the question is, Will 1 Timothy 4:3 be the next part of this prophetic Scripture to come to pass? Will we see governments forbidding marriage? I believe it’s inevitable as we get closer to the Second Coming of Christ. I believe the institution of traditional marriage will come under attack in parts of the earth as the deceptive gay marriage agenda continues to gain momentum.

Today’s rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court are about more than allowing gays to tap into federal benefits that, until now, were reserved for couples in traditional marriages. Today’s rulings set into motion a dynamic that could mainstream gay marriage in this nation sooner than later—and forward the satanic agenda to eventually end a godly institution that’s almost as old as the world itself.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at  @ or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Come to Me and I will teach you My ways so that you can walk in My paths. If you will walk in obedience to me and keep My requirements, then you will govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here. Because you delight in Me, I will make your steps firm. Though you stumble, you will not fall, for I will uphold you with My hand. Your steps have held to My paths, and you have kept yourself from the ways of violent men. Therefore I will show you the wonders of My great love and will save you by My right hand. I will keep you as the apple of My eye and will hide you in the shadow of My wings.

Isaiah 2:3; Jeremiah 7:23; Mark 4:11; Psalm 17:6–8

Prayer Declaration

Lord, I am blessed because I walk according to Your Word. You have laid down precepts for me to obey, and my ways will be steadfast in obeying Your ways. I will praise You with an upright heart as I obey Your decrees, and You will never forsake me.

All of these are taken from Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare by John Eckhardt.

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As you continue to take a stand on the promises I have given you in My Word, you will be able to demolish the satanic strongholds around you. My Word is more powerful than the raging fires that cause destruction and death wherever they rage. My Word is a strong fire that will burn up the works of wickedness. Do you hate every false way that Satan uses to sidetrack people from the path of life onto the path of death? Do you want to see changes in your city, region, and nation? I have given you the power to represent My kingdom and to even change geographic regions. You are a king in My kingdom, and your word is filled with authority and power against the kingdoms of this evil world. Stand firm in the power I have given you. Don’t suffer unnecessarily by failing to exercise your authority in Me.

Psalm 119:104; Jeremiah 23:29

Prayer Declaration