Many of my readers have either written or asked me on social media, whether or not I've read or watched the movie based on the popular book, "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo. I have neither read nor watched it in full, but I am familiar with the contents of the book and movie.

I completely disagree with Todd's assertion that his then 4-year-old son Colton (who is now 15), did in fact go to Heaven and return with an accurate depiction of the Almighty's glorious throne (Is 66:1). 

Rather than reinvent the wheel and write an entire article/review about why I disagree with the book and movie based on its unbiblical content, let me share with you this video (below) from David Platt and a couple of links to articles written by Dr. John MacArthur and Phil Johnson. They all did a splendidly thorough job explaining the unbiblical nature of "Heaven Is For Real", and other books with similar content.

Please be sure to read ALL the Scripture references in every article so that you are not persuaded by the wisdom of men, but convinced by the powerful and living Word of God (1 Cor 2:5).

"Heaven Is Real; Hallucinations Are Not" by John MacArthur (April 28, 2014 excerpt from "The Glory of Heaven)

"Are Visits to Heaven Real?" by John MacArthur (March 10, 2014 in Answers Magazine)

"The Burpo-Malarkey Doctrine" by Phil Johnson (October 18, 2012)

If you'd like to read a soundly biblical book about Heaven and what it will be like, read your Bibles (I'm saying this with a wink and a smile because anyone reading this, would already know to do that).

If you have unbelieving family or friends who are confused about Heaven, share this book with them by John MacArthur, "The Glory of Heaven" and not  "Heaven Is For Real".

May God find us faithful as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity (2 Pet 3:18). Amen.

God crushed His Son; Christ relinquished His majesty; then gave Himself up for us so that we might be His people—holy and righteous (1 Thess 2:10), full of mercy and grace (James 3:17), and to proclaim His excellencies to the world (Ps 9:1-2, 40:5, 116:12-14; 1 Peter 2:9).

God didn't save us so we could be free to do whatever we want, knowing we're forgiven of all sins: past, present and future. Neither did the Father do this so that we could haphazardly wander around this earth, mooning over all we want and don't have (like the rest of this world).

Just as the honor of being assigned as an ambassador of an earthly country should not be taken lightly, so we also, who are in Christ, should not take our high calling as children of the Most High God lightly.

An earthly ambassador is chosen to live in a foreign land to represent their country, while maintaining every attribute and character of their homeland. An ambassador does not lose or forget who he/she is merely because they live in another country for a time, rather, they honorably and proudly represent their country and their people.

A good and wise ambassador never conforms him/herself to their visiting country or their customs, because they know this is not their home, but a temporary assignment. Instead, they proudly adhere to and keep the customs of their country; which they love.

As God's holy and dearly loved children, we have been recreated, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor 5:17). We are no longer of this world, but by God's grace have become citizen's of a new country; Heaven, our true and eternal Home (Philippians 3:20-21).

By washing us with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, God the Father made us something we could never make ourselves—children of the Most High (1 John 3:1). This high calling has also made us ambassadors of Christ Jesus; representatives and heralds in this world for the King of kings and Lord of lords. Therefore, let us walk in the new life we now possess (Romans 6:4) rather than revel in our old debased thinking and wallow in our old, self-absorbed ways.

I love this exhortation from John MacArthur (Drawing Near), "Biblical holiness (sanctification) is often misunderstood, but it needn't be. When the Holy Spirit delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you into the Kingdom of Christ, you became His special possession. That doesn't mean you're sinlessly perfect, but it does mean you're no longer a slave to sin, the Devil and death. That's positional sanctification. Practical sanctification is the decreasing frequency of sin and the increasing frequency of righteousness as you progress in your Christian walk...Sanctification should not be confused with false standards of holiness...attempt[s] to be holy through external means...True holiness begins with a love for Christ Himself. That's what compels you toward greater sanctification...In Him [Christ] you were saved, which is the beginning of sanctification, and in Him you have every resource necessary for progressing in holiness."

Thank God today for His extreme kindness, mercy and love demonstrated to you through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then resolve to diligently pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the name of the Lord from a pure heart (2 Tim 2:22). And rejoice in your holy calling knowing that without holiness, no one will see God (Heb 12:14).

"His [God's] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that though them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in this world because of sinful desire."

~2 Peter 1:3-4

Be mindful, that as a Christian, you're granted the glorious and magnificent gift of living coram Deo (latin for "in the presence of God").

About a decade ago, I followed John Piper and his ministry "Desiring God", with great joy.

I listened to sermon after sermon; purchased books for me, my darling husband, sons and sent them as gifts for friends and family. I shared links to their blog articles, retweeted their tweets, shared their materials over every social media platform I participated in, just to soak up and share what I thought at the time, was  entirely, soundly biblical wisdom.

Having decided to no longer be a Jonah or Moses when they were first called by God, I was hungry for the truth as I was coming to terms with the spiritual gifts God has given me (Faith, Exhortation, and Teaching).

With this hunger and resolve to have a heart more like Abraham and Isaiah, I wanted to obey God immediately—with joy, and use the gifts He so graciously bestowed upon me, for the purpose in which He gave them: For the encouragement and edification of those within the Body of Christ (Eph 4:11-16) without usurping God's authority of male headship within the church, and to go out to all the world preaching the Gospel, discipling young girls and women of all ages.

But in 2006, there was an uproar within the Christian community after John Piper extended an invitation to a young, filthy mouthed, unabashed preacher from Washington state, Mark Driscoll, to be one of the speakers at his Desiring God National Conference. And it didn't stop there. Though Piper was questioned and criticized (and by some, too harshly and unbiblically), he stood by his young protégé and extended two more invitations to speak at their national conference (2008 and 2009), though Driscoll proved to continue to get carried away by strange and unbiblical behavior like having pornographic divinations about other people's lives, and speaking harshly, including name calling to rebuke those within his church.

Unfortunately, Piper's lack of obedience to God's word in 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" continued to perpetuate his decline in discernment as he extended an invitation to Rick Warren (2010) and Louie Giglio (2011) to be speakers at his Desiring God National Conferences as well. Then at Passion 2012, Pastor John Piper condoned and participated in Louie Giglio's practice of a meditative, mystical type exercise that closely mirrors the heretical "Lectio Divina" where Catholic priests believe that God directly speaks extra-biblical messages to those who engage in this mind-emptying practice (click link to listen to Todd Friel's "Wretched" radio program on this topic).

I share all this to show you how much Piper and his ministry "Desiring God" has, in some ways (not all), been led away from sola scriptura (Scripture alone), so that you might be more discerning about following their ministry (writings, sermons, etc.).

I know I can be easily deceived just like Eve, and desire all that feeds my flesh and makes it feel good through emotional and sentimental hogwash. With that said, it would be unwise for me personally, to continue to follow John Piper or his "Desiring God" ministry as he/they continue to engage and condone unbiblical practices.

I've found the teachings from John Piper and "Desiring God" (after testing it with God's word) requires more discernment than I currently possess. And since there  are other Christian teachers/ministries I can learn from (e.g., John MacArthur/Grace to You, Alistair Begg/Truth for Life, R.C. Sproul/Ligonier Ministries) that don't give me tired-head, I've chosen to only follow those who are clearly and faithfully following the Lord (Heb 13:7).

Basically, it's like this: When I sit down to relax and enjoy a good meal after a long, yet productive, hard work day, I'd prefer not to sit down to a meal I know will have lots of bones in it because I know there's a good chance I could be injured. I'd rather sit down to a meal where there are either no bones or just a few bones, so I can truly enjoy my meal and keep from serious injury. Sitting under John Piper's teaching is like the former, and sitting under guys like MacArthur, Begg and Sproul, is like the latter.

The upshot of this entire post is this: As God's holy and dearly beloved children, be obedient to God's Word, test everything against it, and never put any man (for none are infallible, except for Christ when He was here) on a pedestal, and lackadaisically assume popularity, size of ministry, etc., qualifies a solidly biblical teacher. Let nothing deter you from diligently being a student of the Word.

I love John Piper and view him as a brother in Christ who has unfortunately let his guard down, and has been deceived into believing that God's grace and patience is demonstrated through condoning sin in others...all in the name of "love"...by the world's definition.

I pray for him and I encourage you to pray as well. Pray for his ministry. Pray for all who follow him without question. And pray for yourself—that God would give you a discerning heart to love Him and His Word greater than anyone or anything else.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I'll share with you, what I believe is a well-meaning, yet dangerous post, written by John Piper's son Abraham; an ex-prodigal, who came home.