NAR dominionist John Burton is at it again. Declaring wisdom and faith are in opposition.

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Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you,' and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" - Matthew 4:5-7 (ESV)

https://www.charismanews.com/culture/82163-how-the-covid-19-pandemic-has-exposed-an-unbelieving-church

The COVID crisis has wreaked physical havoc across the world and spiritual havoc throughout the church. The mega church model that worships cult of personality pastors was not built for virtual services. The unbiblical tithing model, which is usually less than 15% compliant during regular times, must dwindle to nothingness during times of such economic and health uncertainty combined with not physically being in church. The result is pastors across the land have banded together to violate Romans 13, mangle the Constitution and the bible all to argue that they should be allowed to hold services. This despite the fact that a church setting is a literal petri dish for the spread of this virus. Even the once revered John MacArthur has joined the cacophony of unreasonableness as he throws his sheep into the woodchipper of the Corona Virus. Then there are the NAR dominionists who willingly sacrifice their sheep on the altar of political expediency. Their singular focus is the reelection of the current president who has taken the position of essentially ignoring the virus. One such rabid dominionist is John Burton and his latest bible butchering can be found linked above. Let us reason once more together through his summation of how COVID has exposed an unbelieving church.

"Scrolling through Facebook, I happened upon a simple yet interesting post. One of the comments was even more intriguing. "Show me the verse in Scripture that says God heals everything but coronavirus." A sharp-witted respondent typed: "Matthew 13:58 (ESV): 'And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.'" That's the sobering answer I alluded to. Instead of boldly standing in authoritative opposition to a wicked threat, the common reaction of so many of today's American Christians seems to be unbelief. Those who are to be driven by fearless faith are instead shaken by the winds of the world." - John Burton

Burton's opening gambit is a sleight of hand. No Christian I have ever seen doubts that God CAN heal. The issue is if God WILL heal. Not according to John Burton and the mandatory healing on demand folks. People like Burton and Bill Johnson believe erroneously that God MUST always heal us. They do not understand scripture in concluding this and in doing so rob God of His sovereignty. God always decides what God is going to do. If God must always heal then why do Christians get sick and die? Burton would say that falls on the faith of the believer, which is a most insidious and odious accusation. Nothing like kicking the sick while they are down. The real sleight of hand however is Burton making an argument the wisdom of avoiding the virus is akin to a lack of faith for what God can do IF you contract the virus. Unless he is arguing that Christians should simply not care if they contract COVID because they know they have God in their back pocket to magically heal on demand. If that is the case, Burton needs to go back nine chapters in Matthew's Gospel, where he will find the key verses above. This is of course taken from the temptation of Christ where the devil suggests Jesus jump from the pinnacle of the temple because God had promised to bear Him up in Psalm 91. Jesus sharply rebukes by simply using the word - thou shall not put the Lord to the test. The same rebuke needs to be applied to the John Burton's of the world and this thinking that we do not have to be concerned about catching COVID because we have God in our back pocket. Not to mention this attitude shows callous indifference to who we might spread the virus to before we compel God to heal us.

'"Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at him" (Matt. 13:56b-57a, MEV). A lack of faith most certainly results in a lack of mighty works. Matthew 13 makes that clear. The preceding verse reveals the root of their unbelief: offense. In our current crisis I'm stunned and saddened by the reaction of supposed Christians to the few who are rallying the troops to arise in faith and healing. These cries for the church to confidently confront the spirit of the age and to believe without wavering in the healing power of Jesus are being met with resistance. How can that be? Where did this man get all these things? That's the question being asked by doubters when people of great faith proclaim the Word of God. Just who do you think you are? What type of hocus-pocus are you communicating? Don't you realize how scary this virus is? Your lack of concern is foolish. Your so-called faith is dangerous to our nation's health.

It's true; we are living in a day when many in the church are quicker to trust in science and medicine than in the Word of God. Facts trump faith in today's secularized society.' - John Burton

Let's separate correct biblical interpretation from leveraging the bible to support your dominionism. It is certainly true that faith is central to healing. No question. Every time Jesus healed He said it was because of their faith. What would be the point to praying for God to heal you if you do not believe He can? The difference is John Burton is selling that God MUST heal you and that remains rank heresy. In John Burton's world there is no room for wisdom with faith. The problem is that he is placing faith in a different Jesus. His Jesus serves him. His Jesus must do what he commands. Who is God in that scenario? Burton is. Is there room for belief in God and belief that this virus is scary because it has killed over 160,000 Americans? Can't we be wise and have faith? The bible certainly says so. Burton's rhetoric is dangerous. It convinces people that they are impervious where they are not. It is the kind of nonsense that leads a man to go to church with the virus and infect 91 people in one service, as was reported in Ohio last week. It is the kind of unbiblical bravado that leads a Virginia pastor to hold service when authority told him not to and he then catches the virus and dies. If your faith is in something you created then it is a danger to the national health. Facts are being portrayed negatively? Since when is faith the abandonment of truth?

"It would do us well to learn from the test that King Asa failed. "In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of Asa, he had a sickness in his feet until his sickness became grave. Even in his disease he did not seek after the Lord, but the physicians" (2 Chron. 16:12). The next verse displays very clearly what this strategy of healing results in: "And Asa slept with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign" (2 Chron. 16:13). If we allow fear to drive us, we will have no choice but to defer to the physicians in our search for health and safety. Fear destroys faith. The only way we can approach God for healing or anything else is by faith. Unfortunately, it's obvious that many in the church haven't learned from King Asa. Calls to stand in confident faith are rejected as a nonsensical threat to their safety. What they don't realize is a refusal to believe sets them up as easy targets of the enemy." - John Burton

The key in this story is Asa did NOT seek the Lord and only sought physicians. I would agree that is not a biblical or Christian strategy. Once again however, I have seen no Christian suggest that the virus is too big for the Lord to heal. Is Burton however actually suggesting that God cannot use physicians to heal us? Has his theology of healing on demand warped that badly? Seriously, look at the dichotomy Burton presents here. You either stand in confident faith OR seek medical assistance. That is not the definition of faith but rather folly. This reminds me of the story of a Kenneth Copeland congregant who came down with cancer. Copeland also preaches this nonsense of false faith over wisdom so much that this victim refused to seek medical help insisting to her family that it would show a lack of faith. She just kept increasing her tithe and standing on faith until she died from the cancer. If our faith is not grounded in scripture, then we know not what we are trusting. Do not trust calls to check your brain at the door because you are Christian. There is already enough brainless Christianity in the world.

"It truly is shocking that many Christians today don't live in the supernatural realm that is so obvious in the Word of God. As believers, we have access to mind-boggling benefits that few take advantage of. In fact, many fully reject these spiritual realities. They become offended when faith-filled Christians challenge them. "Where did you get all these things?" is the question they ask. Where did you get these bizarre beliefs that are contrary to common sense? The Bible. That's the answer to their strange, humanistic question. "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17b). The truth is that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for coronavirus. If we are afraid and default to human wisdom as we fight against it, we will lose. There will be no protection beyond what science can provide. If we live as supernatural people and expect miracles and wonders to surround us, we will thrive no matter what plague may befall us. Healing, authority, power, freedom, joy and absolute victory are all ours as believers!Fear, worry and defeat cannot stand against mighty, supernatural faith! The church should be sounding a universal proclamation that Jesus heals, and fear can't stand! The world should be amazed and provoked by a joyful, fearless and faith-filled church. Life for Christians is radically, wildly, supernaturally different than those who haven't surrendered to the Lord. No weapon formed against us can prosper! Instead, so much of the church is nervous, afraid and campaigning for worldly potions, provision and protection." - John Burton

Ahhh, now we come to the supernatural realm. The false signs and lying wonders heresies are always the source for the mandatory healing teaching. Instead of Christianity being about what God HAS done for us on Calvary, it is about all the goodies we can get now. All of the power we possess now. All of the "mind-boggling" benefits we have now. Christianity is about being saved from out of this world, not to be empowered to thrive within it. This world and this country will be judged by God. Burton then takes the spiritual healing Christ brings as prophesied in Isaiah and teaches that it actually means physical healing in this life. Before John MacArthur joined the "must open" movement he once taught against this usage beautifully:

"The belief that Christ's physical suffering somehow guarantees our physical healing in this life isn't merely an abuse of Scripture--it's a form of mental and spiritual torture to those who sit under such false teaching. It's a lie that has left many churchgoers disappointed with the gospel. Rather than longing for their heavenly home, they are gripped by unrealized expectations in the here and now. The sickness they struggle with leaves them feeling like failures who lack the necessary faith to claim the healing that's rightfully theirs."

Sadly, this was said truthfully and accurately. The sliver of truth running through Burton's false teaching remains within God's sovereignty. The blood of Jesus is always sufficient but the decision to heal always remains with a sovereign God. Consider how cruel this statement actually is from Burton - "If we live as supernatural people and expect miracles and wonders to surround us, we will thrive no matter what plague may befall us. Healing, authority, power, freedom, joy and absolute victory are all ours as believers!"

Really? For all believers in every case of sickness? The gnostic secret is to live as "supernatural people?" That's it? What does that even mean? The person who dies from their illnesses just wasn't living supernaturally enough? Are you kidding me? Let me ask you something Pastor Burton. Why do you wear corrective eyeglasses if no plague should be able to stand next to your ginormous faith? When you have a cold do you seek an antibiotic? If you break your arm would you have it set? Why? Shouldn't all of these instances be resolved with miracles and wonders brought about by your supernatural lifestyle? Or do you reserve that for global pandemics?

'"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Wash your hands. Wear a mask if called for. Go to the doctor if needed. Do your due diligence. But don't put your faith in such things. Our faith is in the miraculous. It's in the invisible wonders of a loving, omnipotent God. Don't get offended when someone challenges your response to the threat of a virus. Instead, admit your unbelief, repent and determine to live in a realm entirely different than where the world lives. As Christians, we should be experiencing supernatural power and incredible miracles regularly. The authority we have over the enemy is extreme. The promises of God open up a world of wonder to all of us who walk in the mysterious realm of faith. To think we are limited by science and human wisdom is silliness at best and blasphemous at worst. It's time for the supernatural, fearless church to arise! "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6).' - John Burton

John Burton is a dangerous man teaching dangerous false theologies that will shipwreck the true faith of countless people who may not know any better. He speaks out of both sides of his mouth when he says to do your due diligence but have no faith in it. The reality is we can have faith that wearing a mask slows the spread of this virus, social distancing slows the spread of this virus, and believe God can heal us if we still happened to come down with it. These things are not mutually exclusive. Having faith does not mean behaving like a fool. Being Christian also means we consider those beyond ourselves, preferably before ourselves. Not everyone around us believes as we do. Not everyone we come into contact with has faith in Christ at all. They still matter to God. The different realm we live in when compared to the world is one where we understand sin offends the Father. Not that we are imbued with power to defy logic and reason. This nonsensical attitude is how churches have thought handling snakes was a good practice.

The authority we hold over the enemy is only in direct correlation to our submission to Christ. You see, the authority is God's, not ours. The bible says we must resist the devil not challenge him to a fight. He can only tempt us and has no real authority over us but Burton is selling a false authority paradigm. It reminds me of the seven sons of Sceva who thought they had authority over the enemy too until a band of demons beat them so bad they ran away naked. How bad is your beating that your clothes fell off? No one is arguing that we are limited by science but thank God we are not limited by the horribly false teachings of John Burton. Beloved, follow the science and medical experts to try and avoid catching this deadly plague. That is called wisdom. Our wisdom is not in competition with our faith. Just always remember that our faith is in what God can do, not what we think He must do.

Reverend Anthony Wade - August 13, 2020

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.