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Tag Archives: Latter Rain cult

The origins of Hillsong (Part 2): Hillsong founder under the “New Order” cult

31 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Nailed Truth in Associations, Bobbie Houston, Frank Houston, Hillsong Associations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

AOG, aog nz, Assemblies of God, Brian Houston, CLC, Frank Houston, Hillsong, Hillsong Church, houston, Latter Rain, Latter Rain cult, NAR, NAR cult, New Order of the Latter Rain

Many people assume that the origins of Hillsong originated from Charismaticism, Pentecostalism or the Salvation Army. This is not true.

Hillsong’s roots were founded in the Canadian New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult. Today, this is internationally recognised as the New Apostolic Reformation cult.

05_Code-Blue_NAR

This series of articles looks at the history of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) and how it overran the AOG in NZ, the AOG in Australia and how this was done through Frank Houston, the founder of Hillsong/Christian Life Center. In this article, we will provide more concrete evidence of how Hillsong’s founder, Frank Houston, became heavily involved with the NOLR cult teachings, specifically through NOLR ministers such as David Batterham and Ray Bloomfield (even though they believed they were Pentecostal ministers).

You can read our first article to see how Frank Houston was influenced by the New Order of the Latter Rain cult through the teachings of false prophet and fraudulent healer William Branham:

The origins of Hillsong (Part 1): The New Order of the Latter Rain

RECOLLECTION OF PENTECOSTALISM’S CONDEMNATION OF NOLR TEACHING

It is important to recall that the Pentecostal AOG denomination condemned the teachings and practices of the New Order of the Latter Rain, specifically:

1. The overemphasis relative to imparting, identifying, bestowing or confirming gifts by the laying on of hands and prophesy.
2. The erroneous teaching that the church is built upon the foundation of present day apostles and prophets.
3. The extreme teaching as advocated by the “new order” regarding the confession of sin to man and deliverance as practiced, which claims prerogatives to human agency which belong only to Christ.
4. The erroneous teaching concerning the impartation of the gift of languages as special equipment for missionary service.
5. The extreme and unscriptural practice imparting or imposing personal leading by the means of utterance.

Even though the American AOG condemned these teachings of the New Order of the Latter Rain, they did not scrutinise all of the NOLR teachings. The NOLR kept evolving in its theology and embracing new and often bizarre teachings.

Another aspect of the early Latter Rain movement was their emphasis on end times revival and church growth. Those would usher in this growth revival were “present day apostles and prophets” which the NOLR teach are governing and restoring the church and ushering in the Kingdom of God.

Oddly, Frank Houston also was known for passing the buck and responsibility of a pastor and carried an unhealthy desire to be a church growth leader. He was driven by results. Divine kingdom manifestation results.

In this article, you will notice how Frank Houston preached not the good news of salvation but the false ‘Gospel of the Kingdom’ good news of William Branham. The belief is that no one will believe the true gospel or believe God is alive unless they see signs and wonders. People in the end put their faith not in Jesus and his cross but in the person and the manifestations that around their ministry. You will notice this is what qualified Frank Houston as a minister in the Salvation Army and the New Zealand AOG, NOT his biblical or pastoral qualifications.

EYE WITNESS DETAILS OF THE NOLR INFLUENCING FRANK HOUSTON

 

Thankfully, Hazel Houston records Frank Houston (in her book ‘Being Frank’), practicing the New Order of the Latter Rain teachings in his ministry.

On pages 50-51, Hazel Houston captured a breath-taking event where Frank Houston tried to negotiate with a youth to not take his life. The youth eventually “flung his gun on the floor” and decided to sleep off “his bout of drinking” (pg. 50). Hazel records Frank complaining to God about ministry and whined, “I thought that ministry would be peaceful”. (Clearly Frank Houston neglected to read the lives of Jesus and His Apostles in the New Testament.)

And although a “sprinkling of converts gave their lives to the Lord in the twelve months” the Houston’s were at Hawera, this was “not enough” to Frank Houston who thought “this was not enough to satisfy a heart hungry to win souls” (pg. 50).

“Frank wanted more of God. He knelt at the altar at officers’ councils searching for the elusive experience called Holiness. He never found it.”

Hazel ended the chapter with this comment:

“In our next church God would give us a taste of His power. The full answer was still some years away.”

The next chapter is conveniently titled, ‘Blow A Strange Wind’. Indeed it was a strange wind the Houstons embraced.  It was in this chapter we wrote about the NOLR teacher William Branham influencing Frank Houston. But we wish to open up the chapter with another few people that influenced Frank Houston in their new church at Levin, New Zealand:

“We studied our people. Amongst them there were the Allisons, a mother and daughter who claimed to be Spirit-filled, and a seventy-year-old man who loved cricket and declared that silence always woke him up, and his wife. These people, with Ernie Hill, his wife and two sons, who moved into the town soon after we did, influenced the direction of our ministry. They, too, claimed to have an experience with the Holy Spirit.”
Source: By Hazel Houston, Published 1989 (UK: Scott Publications), Being Frank, pg. 52. [Emphasis ours]

While Hazel Houston said that she dismissed all of Pentecostalism from her mind, she informs her readers that, “Frank knew less about it until those four Pentecostal people talked to him” (pg. 52). She then goes on to describe that Frank had a supernatural encounter while he was praying in his empty Salvation Army hall. The experience frightened him and he called his church to prayer over the following days.

This is where Hazel Houston’s language get’s VERY interesting (see if you pick it up):

“Sixteen people turned up. Some stayed a short while and went on to work. Others were able to stay an hour and a half but all stormed the gates of heaven.
A week later the Holiness meeting throbbed with power.” (pg. 52)

The Houston’s saw a “hidden force” in this meeting at work and claimed “This was the Holy Spirit at work”. The following week,

“Sunday morning was even more powerful. This time the whole congregation was touched. There was no sermon, no altar call yet the people flocked to the front. Frank burst into weeping. He turned to me and asked me to carry on but I was also weeping. I turned to the organist. She was weeping. The Holy Spirit alone was in control as conviction swept the congregation. This was a totally new experience. We believed we were touching revival…

… One Sunday a group of Methodists walking past the hall on their way home from their own service sensed an unusual power emanating from our building.”
Source: By Hazel Houston, Published 1989 (UK: Scott Publications), Being Frank, pg. 52-53. [Emphasis ours]

Royal Commission - Frank HoustonHopefully you are recognising the AOG list of identifying features and teachings of the NOLR emerging in Hazel Houston’s language ideas:

  • “all stormed the gates of heaven”
  • “the Holiness meeting throbbed with power”
  • “the whole congregation was touched”
  • “there was no sermon”
  • “the Holy Spirit … swept the congregation”
  • “this was a totally new experience”
  • “we believed we were touching revival”
  • “sensed an unusual power emanating from our building”

This is not Pentecostal nor Charismatic talk – this is NOLR/NAR talk.

As you can see, it was Pentecostalism that condemned the Latter Rain Movement – but it was the confused New Zealand Pentecostals that were leading and influencing Frank Houston with the condemned Latter Rain practices. They thought that the teachings and practices of the NOLR were Pentecostal.

Nothing can be further from the truth – and yet no one from the Salvation Army or the established Pentecostal condemned the Latter Rain heretical practices happening as Frank Houston grew in prominence in the eyes of New Zealand Christians.

It was not long after these “Holiness” power meetings that a “Pentecostal” gave Frank Houston the books on NOLR teacher William Branham.

This all happened in their church in Levin, New Zealand.

When Frank Houston and his wife were moved to their next church, they were involved in a scandal and subsequently left the Salvation Army altogether. According to Hazel Houston, her husband backslid into depression, bad health, financial ruin and gave up on God and church altogether. At this time Frank Houston changed jobs from a door-to-door salesman to a “dry-cleaning man”.

THE LATTER RAIN INFLUENCE OF RAY BLOOMFIELD

A youth by the name of Tony Austin met Frank Houston on the job and invited him to his Queen St AOG church. In Chapter 5 (titled ‘Fire Falls), Frank Houston immersed himself in Latter Rain teaching in this so-called “AOG” church. Pastor David Batterham became a friend and mentor of Frank who then introduced Frank Houston to Ray Bloomfield.

Just like Branham, Frank Houston claimed to Dave Batterham that the Holy Spirit revealed to his heart that ‘healing was in the atonement’ (pg. 69). (This was a key scripture to the Healing Movement which was also fueled by the NOLR.)

Batterham’s response?

“”You can accept healing like you accepted salvation,” David assured us.” (pg. 70)

Because Houston was constantly sick most of his life, his relationship with Batterham and Ray Bloomfield flourished and was heavily discipled by their Latter Rain healing heresies. It was under Bloomfield’s leadership that he accepted the role of assistant minister at Bloomfield’s new church plant (called Ellerslie-Tamaki Faith Mission).

Both Frank and Ray supposedly preached the gospel and brought revival to the Maori communities in New Zealand. They were trying to continue in “revival power”. And when Frank heard Ray Bloomfield accepted missionary work in Canada, Frank felt that if he were to move in “revival power”, he “must move in the same way and with the same anointing as Ray did” (pg. 100). (Notice the dependency on ‘the man’ – and not on God?)

This is important. Consider what the AOG condemns the Latter Rain of doing while reading how Ray Bloomfield gave Frank Houston his “authority” to take over his church:

“On the last day before his departure, Ray publicly committed the church into Frank’s care. Placing his hands on Frank’s head he prayed, ‘Lord give your servant a double portion of my spirit and let my mantle fall on this your servant Elijah’s did on Elisha,’ Frank staggered backwards as he experienced the transference of faith from Ray into his own spirit. With it came a sense of divine authority. Ray burst into prophecy. ‘You shall keep your eyes on Jesus. Look not unto man but unto God.'” (pg. 100)

These apostles and prophets were building up their own spiritual authorities before men – and no one would dare question them.

If you are still convinced that Frank Houston was NOT influenced by the New Order of the Latter Rain, this is what he wrote about Ray Bloomfield in his book ‘The Release of the Human Spirit’, (conveniently published in 1999). Do you think Pentecostals or NARismatics believe in “walking in amazing supernatural realms”?

“… early in my Pentecostal ministry I was blessed to be linked with Ray Bloomfield… Ray ministered widely all across New Zealand, doing great miracles and walking in amazing supernatural realms– levels where no one else in the southern hemisphere was walking at the time. God brought us together, and I worked alongside him a couple of years in  a church he was pioneering. He mentored me and I witnessed the amazing things God was doing in his ministry… Building on this foundation, I established a pattern for break-out in my ministry.”

Source: Frank Houston, The Release of the Human Spirit, Published: 1999, pg. 7. (Emphasis ours.)

Our next article will look at how Frank Houston and the New Order of the Latter Rain infiltrated the NZ AOG and the Australian AOG and took over the Pentecostal denominations through unethical means.

The origins of Hillsong (Part 1): The New Order of the Latter Rain

30 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Nailed Truth in Bobbie Houston, Brian Houston's Beliefs, Frank Houston, Hillsong Associations, Hillsong Fascism

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Frank Houston, Hillsong cult, houston, Latter Rain, Latter Rain cult, Latter Rain revival, NAR, NAR cult, NARismatic, New Order, New Order of the Latter Rain, NOLR, NOLR cult, origins, The New Order

Many people assume that the origins of Hillsong originated from Charismaticism, Pentecostalism or the Salvation Army. This is not true.

Hillsong’s roots were founded in the Canadian New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) cult. Today, this is internationally recognised as the New Apostolic Reformation cult.

05_Code-Blue_NAR

The New Apostolic Reformation cult preach a false Jesus, false gospel and New Age metaphysical teachings and strategies in an attempt to bring heaven to earth.

This series of articles looks at the history of the New Order of the Latter Rain (NOLR) and how it overran the AOG in NZ, the AOG in Australia and how this was done through Frank Houston, the founder of Hillsong/Christian Life Center.

PENTECOSTALISM AT WAR WITH THE NEW ORDER OF THE LATTER RAIN

The NAR/NOLR cult is openly at war with Christianity and specifically targets and converts churches into its movement. In its early days, the New Order promoted aggressive ‘divide and conquer’ tactics in local churches while pushing the idea of ‘unity in the spirit’. For instance, in its early years in Canada, the New Order attempted an unethical takeover of churches in the ‘Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada’.

sharon-orphanage_1948

Sharon Orphanage, 1948, where the ‘New Order of the Latter Rain’ revival occured.

It is important to note that Pentecostalism (the American Pentecostal AOG) was the first denomination to denounce the New Order of the Latter Rain and its ‘revival’.

On the 3rd of September in 1949, the General Council of the American Assemblies of God condemned and rejected the NOLR.


They write,

RESOLVED, That we disapprove of those extreme teachings and practices which, being unfounded Scripturally, serve only to break fellowship of like precious faith and tend to confusion and division among the members of the Body of Christ, and be it hereby known that this 23rd General Council disapproves of the so-called, ” New Order of the Latter Rain” , to wit:

1. The overemphasis relative to imparting, identifying, bestowing or confirming gifts by the laying on of hands and prophesy.

2. The erroneous teaching that the church is built upon the foundation of present day apostles and prophets.

3. The extreme teaching as advocated by the ” new order” regarding the confession of sin to man and deliverance as practiced, which claims prerogatives to human agency which belong only to Christ.

4. The erroneous teaching concerning the impartation of the gift of languages as special equipment for missionary service.

5. The extreme and unscriptural practice imparting or imposing personal leading by the means of utterance.

6. Such other wrestings and distortions of Scripture, interpretations which are in opposition to teachings and practices generally accepted among us.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we recommend following those things which make for peace among us, and those doctrines and practices whereby we may edify one another, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit until we all come unto the unity of the faith.

The motion was made and seconded that this resolution be adopted. After brief debate it was adopted with an overwhelming majority. The motion was then made, seconded and it was adopted that in order that the entire constituency may have the benefit of this decision, the resolution be printed in THE PENTECOSTAL EVANGEL. [Source] (From ‘Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center)


SALVATION ARMY

The founder of CLC/Hillsong, Frank Houston, grew up in the New Zealand Salvation Army. It was the Salvation Army who expelled the Houston’s when church members of Avondale corps in Suburban Auckland accused them of stealing church money to buy themselves a car. It appears that Frank Houston brought the musical aspect of the Salvation Army into his new model of church in Australia,, using musical outreach to draw people in to hear the gospel or to attend the church. (This is one reason why Hillsong was very influential in their early years. They used catchy praise and worship music when they did outreaches into the hippy communes of Sydney.)

The Baptists and the Salvation Army in New Zealand were very cautious in avoiding the ‘Pentecostal’ AOG in New Zealand. Hazel Houston in her book ‘Being Frank’ revealed her conservative baptist judgment of New Zealand ‘Pentecostals’. At this stage , the Pentecostal New Zealand AOG was usurped and taken over by the New Order of the Latter Rain cult. Sadly, the NZ AOG embraced the ideas of the Healing Revivals in America that promoted Latter Rain teachings. One prominent figure was William Branham.

WILLIAM BRANHAM

One of the spearheads that largely influenced the New Order of the Latter Rain ‘revival’ and the Latter Rain movement was William Branham.

William Branham - Latter Rain heretic

William Branham heavily influenced Hillsong’s founder Frank Houston through Gordon Lindsay’s book ‘A Man Sent From God’. With Pentecostalism already condemning the Latter Rain movement and the New Zealand Salvation Army and Baptists distancing themselves from NZ AOG (which was infiltrated by Latter Rain reprobates), it is easy to see why Frank Houston rapidly climbed to the top of the NZ AOG: he was ticking all the New Order’s apostolic and prophetic boxes.

The fact is, Hillsong is a New Apostolic Reformation Church, influenced by the New Order of the Latter Rain cult. With this background in mind, Hazel Houston specifically writes about Frank Houston being influenced by Latter Rain teaching through Gordon Lindsay and William Branham in her book ‘Being Frank’.


 

“I was upset when Frank woke up utterly miserable with a soaring temperature, his body aching in every joint. Obviously this had to be a day in bed. Usually sickness turned him into a self-pitying invalid, bored to tears with time dragging. This turned out to be four days of revelation. One of  our self-confessed Pentecostals brought him a book with the interesting title ‘A Man Sent From God’.

Gordon Lindsay had captured what to Frank were amazing insights into the prophetic ministry of William Branham at the height of his ministry. From the moment Frank opened the book, Frank forgot to grumble about being sick. ‘This man could tell people all about themselves, even to where they lived and their phone number. Isn’t that marvellous,’ he said to me.

‘Sounds like fortune telling.’ I was sceptical [sic].

‘But he also healed the sick and he gives scriptural references for what he did.’

‘Frank, don’t get carried away with such things,’ I warned.

‘You should read it for yourself.’

‘Not me. I don’t like to read stuff like that. Those things don’t happen today.’ I closed the conversation and my mind but Frank pondered the possibility of New Testament-type miracles in the 1940s. Tears touched his cheeks at the thought of the possibilities. Next Sunday’s sermons contained references to the book. Statements concerning the possibility of Jesus healing without the aid of medicine stirred up some objections from the congregation, Ernie Hall latched on to every word…

‘Captain, ten minutes ago the doctor told me I can’t live more than two months. I want you to come round tonight to anoint me with oil. I’ll get some of the believing saints to join us and we’ll have a healing meeting.’ Frank was shocked. It was one thing to believe and preach about healing but another thing to act on his preaching.

It seemed that Frank couldn’t avoid the issue. He decided he wouldn’t tell me what he had to do. He didn’t want any unbelievers there and I was an unbeliever with a mind as tightly closed as a can of bake beans. 

By the time he arrived at the house, sixteen believing Salvationists gathered. After some enthusiastic chorus singing, sister Allison handed Frank a saucer containing oil. He stared at it. How on earth did you anoint someone? Should he sprinkle oil on Ernie’s head or pour it over him. [sic] He’d start by reading James 5:14. There was safety in that.

‘If any of you are sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil.’ Not much instruction there. He’d have to do something.

The Catholics would make the sign of the Cross. Perhaps that would do. Frank dipped his fingers in the saucer and drew two oily lines in the shape of a cross on Ernie’s forehead as he offered a prayer of faith. Without warning the power of God sent them all reeling backwards. Ernie fell on the floor with a big smile on his face. When he’d scrambled to his feet again he picked up a kitchen chair with his left hand, raising it high above his head, something he hadn’t been able to do for months.

Frank could scarcely believe his eyes. This was a spiritual dimension untapped by most Salvation Officers he knew.

[…] This forerunner of future events lent weight to the reasons some people gave for calling us Pentecostal.”

Source: By Hazel Houston, Published 1989 (UK: Scott Publications), Being Frank, pg. 54-56.


You can read the book by by Gordon Lindsay on William Branham in pdf form online for free.

A Man Sent From God by Gordon Lindsay

The next article in this series will look more at how the Australian AOG was influenced by the Latter Rain ideas from Frank Houston and the NZ AOG.

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