In our first (updated) article, we established that Phil Pringle heavily promoted that his ‘God-given’ 2020 Vision is to have “1000 churches planted by the year 2020 with an average attendance of 500 members”.

The Final Countdown: Revisiting Phil Pringle’s God-Given 2020 Vision Lie (Part 1)

In our second (updated) article, we demonstrated that even if Pringle believes he really heard from God, he is rebelling against the ‘God-given’ 2020 Vision he claims God already gave him and redefining it to suit his own purposes.

The Final Countdown: Revisiting Phil Pringle’s God-Given 2020 Vision Lie (Part 2)

As we continue with our third (updated) article in this ‘Final Countdown’ series, we once again remind our readers about the ‘false prophet and dreamer of dreams’ (Deuteronomy 13:1-5) we are dealing with. In the morning service on the 4th of March 2012, Phil Pringle ‘prophesied’ the following (Archived):

“On Wednesday morning, ah, we had our staff meeting (and because we were having a board meeting afterwards, Paul Macken was on our board). Ah, he ah. He was in the ah, staff meeting. And ah, he reminded me of something that ah,  I had apparently said three years ago in the middle of our seven year drought in New South Wales when Mr Flannery ah, announced that there was-  the Warragamba Dam would never be full again. We could only ever hope for it to get to about 70% and so we better build a desalination plant at huge cost to the tax payer. apparently it’s a hundred dollars a year for everybody in New South Wales, ah, added on.

He should have come to church amen because, apparently I uh, (and I can remember this), uh standing up and I saw ah, Warragamba Dam overflowing.

Just ah, not long before that, I had been in a situation where the Lord had shown me something. And it was just very challenging to say it, because I was in a- I was in a huge auditorium of one hundred and fifty thousand people and I was about to ah, pray in that meeting. And as I stood up to pray the Lord said, “Prophesy the sun is gonna to shine”.

I said, “Give me a break God! We’ve been sitting in this freezing rain for eight hours and it’s been raining for days and it’s pouring down”. Black skies. I said, “There is no way it’s going to shine”. And he said, “Say it’s going to shine”. You know I couldn’t get rid of this conviction. So I stood up and I kinda did a mealy-mouth prayer and said, “Oh Lord! Let the sun shine! You know I’ll, you know, [fist pumps] I’ll believe God You’ll- North Korea will have revival, amen!” It was a great moment but then the- but when I opened my eyes, the whole sky had parted and it was shining. And I thought, “Awww! I should have said “Shine!” Amen”.

So. They called me the prophet of sunshine from then on up in Korea because, [word fumble] you know the guy from Australia brings the sunshine. And a- and so umm.

I made a commitment, “Lord, I’ll just say the stuff that I see and” and uh. And uh – And so that, you know, prompted me in that meeting and I said, “I can see Warragamba Dam. It’s gonna flood over”. While I’m saying this I’m [like], “What are you saying? It’s like – we’ve been in this drought and it looked like it was never going to happen again”.

But on Friday, I think uh, Friday night, it overflowed. And uh- amen! That was- uh – got one hundred per cent full. And uh- we flowed over. Obviously if it hadn’t happened I wouldn’t be telling you this story but um… Haha. But thankfully it did.

But here’s the thing. Ok. So. Ah- You know occasionally- definitely- I see things and – it’s a gift that God gives to people, called the gift of prophecy and seeing things in the future. Ah, I find that most happens within individuals. I can see something going on in their future and whatever. But ah- with this, ah- that- the reason I tell you that is not for the sake of just telling you. You know like, “I said so”.

Because there was an addendum to that. Ah, that, ah, was quite ah, quite interesting for me. And, you know ah, in 1998 you’ll recall we had in an OZFIRE meeting, (Presence Meeting), I gave a similar thing about the two tallest buildings in the world coming to the ground and after that, a financial melt down. And ah- then streams of people would start coming into the house of God. And that actually happened in all kinds of ways.

But the point of the physical occurrence of these things was to indicate another thing that God was actually about to do. And I remember when I- when I actually announced that, that ah, “Immediately afterwards when that happens, when Warragamba Dam does spill over, that’s the time that the Lord will bring a fresh new move of the Holy Spirit all around Australia. And we’ll see a move of God like we have not seen before”.

And ah, with all my heart, I believe that we’re about to enter into all kinds of new days and a fresh anointing, a fresh oil- And I’m just so thrilled with you guys. Every week we turn up – you know seeing your faithfulness, your strength, you’re – we’ve been through so many different pieces of the landscape and the terrain of God that when we get to this point, when God’s about to do something He will build on, those who’ve come through all the stuff and being faithful to Him and being true to Him – in spite of difficult circumstances and- I’m believing that there is definitely a breakthrough day coming up ahead of us. And I think you and I have got to get ready in all kinds of ways. One of the new ways that will come upon us is the use of screen technology. And God will use that in all kinds of- and we’re getting ourselves very ready for that ah, in- which I’ll explain later in a later date. More about that.

But one of the things we are doing in our college, it would be one of the few colleges in Australia, (I don’t know anybody else, who’s got courses that train students in media and graphics and ah- short films and the acting and the presenting for all of that), so it’s such a great time to get ready, to actually uh, get ready for that new day. That new move of God. You might be watching on TV right now or ah, online and ah- just consider that. Think about actually getting yourself ready for- because, because God will be looking for people who are not gonna to get ready but who are actually in position, ready to catch the ball and run with whatever He’s gonna do.

We’re excited, man! I’m excited about you! I’m excited for all the great things that are gonna happen to some of you. Cos eventually, you gotta understand, trials finish. I know some of you have been in trials that seems like, forever. But eventually trials come over and  then the blessing- the day of blessing comes through, when you get your breakthrough. Eventually, God does answer prayer. And ah- eventually it does come through. You can’t keep praying and praying and praying and praying and praying and nothing ever happens. Eventually the day comes when the sun comes up! And your days of mourning are over and the turtle dove sings in the land, amen!” – Phil Pringle, Ps Phil Pringle: Heartbeat – Servanthood, 34:09-40:41,http://www2.myc3church.net/videos/ps-phil-pringle-heartbeat-servanthood, C3 Oxford Falls, Morning Service, 04/03/2012.

C3 Church Global Apostle Phil Pringle

Once again, we see Pringle prophesied falsely – yes, it rained and the Warragamba Dam overflowed but did the Lord “bring a fresh new move of the Holy Spirit all around Australia” immediately afterwards? And  did we “see a move of God like we have not seen before”? No – it didn’t happen. And now in 2019, are we to believe that within seven months God will bring to pass the ‘2020 Vision’?

The Final Countdown Part 3:

So what does Phil Pringle mean by ‘vision’? Where does it come from? Who gives it? How does it work? What is its purpose? How should people react or behave around someone with ‘vision’? Is it a biblical teaching? For some great biblical insight on the topic check out this link from Issues Etc. In this interview, Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller exposes the bible twisting that takes place in order to support the idea of vision and vision-casting and then he demonstrates biblically, how vision-casters are really nothing more than false prophets. What’s the basic danger or misuse of the term “vision” in the church today?

“It’s a shift, at least in the pastoral office, from the pastor being the servant of the Lord and of His people to being some sort of leader and this is a totally different thing.” Bryan Wolfmueller

IS PHIL PRINGLE ‘THE ONE’?

SPECIFIC ‘VISION’ QUOTES FROM PHIL PRINGLE’S BOOKS, BLOGS AND SERMONS:

Here we provide examples of Phil Pringle’s unbiblical ‘vision’ doctrine and it may help you begin to understand how ingrained this unbiblical doctrine is in the C3 Church movement and the man Phil Pringle. It’s also important to note that you will not find his bizarre ‘vision’ doctrine anywhere in the bible. If anything, Pringle’s pronouncements on faith and ‘vision’ sound more like spell-casting or spell-binding rituals with strong similarities to paganism.

Book: ‘FAITH’:

“I know that there are some people who are perpetually negative. I sincerely believe that if you want to fly with the eagles you cannot afford to walk with the turkeys. I will walk away from those people when they start to attack the vision.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Faith’, 2001, pg 75.

“There is a screen within our mind upon which three projections are jostling for prime time… But then there is God. He has a projector with a preset, wonderful destiny as the main feature. As we enter the Spirit through praise and worship, God will form His vision within our thinking. We pray the prayer of faith. The vision of the answer comes to mind and we see it, in living colour. Jesus himself gained faith from the Father through visions. He declared that He did nothing that He did not first see His Father doing. If Jesus could see His Father do it, He had no doubt that He could. Once the vision of the fulfillment of your dream has been planted in your mind, bring it in to your prayer life.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Faith’, 2001, pg 102.

“Once the vision of the fulfillment of your dream has been planted in your mind, bring it in to your prayer life. Each time you pray the picture to mind and meditate on it. Pray over it. See it happening. Destroy all the images of failure. Replace them with the image of success.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Faith’, 2001, pg 102-103.

Book: ‘YOU THE LEADER’:

“Warren Bennis, as quoted in In Search of Excellence, calls the leader a “social architect.” When a leader is a God-person, a God-seeker, vision is planted deep inside. God often speaks in pictures to God-seekers, especially to leaders. Pictures are the visual language of the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s blueprints for what He wants to build.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 34.

“Vision is the gift of faith in action. We see this principle lived out in the realm of church leadership quite frequently. C. Peter Wagner concludes that among all the leaders of growing churches that were studied by what is now known as the Fuller Theological Seminary, there is at least one commonality- the gift of faith. He writes,

A study of the largest churches in America has led to the conviction that the faith of the pastors was one of the main contributing reasons for the church’s growth. The spiritual gift of faith was a common denominator found in the pastors of the largest churches.

George Barna also conducted extensive research on church life in the last decade. He states, “My work with churches has led me to the conclusion that the single most important element in having an effective and life-changing ministry is to capture God’s vision for your ministry.”” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 35.

“No matter what the realm of leadership – the home, the workplace, the church, or the community – the vision is crucial. Leaders must funnel their faith into action so that life-changing results.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 35.

“Leadership is clear vision. Without eyes, or without light to aid those eyes, we grope in the dark, unsure of our steps, cautious, afraid, and moving slowly. This is not a leader. A leader is bold and can see the future. “Seeing clearly” is imperative for the leader.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 35-36.

“Faith is what God works through to effect the visions He has given us. He speaks to us, and then, with the faith we have, we believe what He says. Faith is the conception of what is possible before it is seen: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, for the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). By faith we believe in the impossible becoming possible.

This is what leadership is all about. Leaders see what no one else does. In Ephesians 3:20 NASB – “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think…” – the Greek word for “think” is noieo, which means “to exercise the mind or intellect in comprehending, heeding, considering, pondering, perceiving, thinking, understanding, observing, seeing, conceiving.” Leaders actually conceive a reality within themselves before the event happens. This is what a vision really is. It is not just a hope, a wish, or a desire. It is a knowledge that a certain thing is going to take place because of a number of factors:

•    God has spoken a strategy that works.
•    The strategy has been adopted.
•    Realistic plans have been made.
•    The team can see it happening.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 35-36.

“When we meditate in the manner described in Scripture, we take our minds into the realm of conception and the place of perception of the purposes of God. Great leaders of the bible, such as Joshua and David, thought deeply and continuously about subjects that were invisible to them until they became realities perceived by their spirits. We read in Joshua 1:8 and throughout the Psalms that they meditated on the Word of God until it became a reality within them, not just a theology. They meditated upon visions of the future until they knew that what they were seeing was more than just imagination.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 36-37.

“This same conceiving process is what God employs in church growth. We supernaturally see our churches growing; we sense the growth within our spirits. Growth is a reality we experience before we actually have it.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 37.

“Good leaders hold positive, views of the future. We believe God fulfills our dreams, and our dreams are enlarged. Our desires exceed what we currently have and where we currently are.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 37.

“We ask God to hear our prayers. As we read, meditate, study, and speak the incredible promises of God (2 Peter 1:4), our faith grows. God speaks to us at our level of faith (Acts 14:9-10), and we find ourselves believing what He has said (Romans 10:17). His truth becomes a reality within us until we can see it (Hebrews 11:1). Our organization is larger. It has grown. We speak it because it is real. We are not pretending. We know something that did not come to our consciousness by way of the natural senses.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 37.

“Another faculty has released this knowledge: our spirit. It is God’s Word in our spirit. It creates a reality that registers in our spirit. We live by this spiritual knowledge and walk in its light.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 38.

“Goal setting is another integral part of achieving any dream. It is what takes a supernatural vision into the material realm where we can see it being accomplished.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 40.

“Goal setting is another integral part of achieving any dream. It is what takes a supernatural vision into the material realm where we can see it being accomplished.

C. Peter Wagner has stated,
For reasons I do not fully understand, some power is released through setting positive goals that otherwise remain dormant. But although I cannot explain it as well as I wish it could, it is a biblical principle that God seems to honor. Goal setting is the modern biblical equivalent to faith, without which it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6). Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Things hoped for are, of course, future. Putting substance on the future is what happens in a faith projection (goal-setting) exercise. ” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 40.

“Dr. David Yonngi Cho, who pastors the world’s largest church, says of his church’s remarkable growth. “The number one requirement for having a real church growth- unlimited church growth- is to set goals.”” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 40.

“Remember, Those who have the gift of faith are growth-oriented, goal-oriented, optimistic, and confident. – C. Peter Wagner.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 42.

“Vision could be just as well described as “vibration.” The leader feels the vision as a vibration. He or she then imparts the feeling to others, who accept the vision and run with their leader to make it happen. The leader has seen something that ignites fire in their souls.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 43.

“A vision is something worth living for, and it is something worth dying for. In fact, if it is not worth dying for, it is not worth living for. Brave, godly martyrs throughout history have proven time and again that what we as Christians live for is worth dying for.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 43.

“The leader feels the pulse of a burning passion and communicates that heat at every opportunity. He or she lives the dream, breathes the vision, sleeps the mission, and eats the goals every day. The leader shares those goals all the time with everyone. It is a vibration the entire organization can feel.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 44.

“When you have to set down the rules all the time, you know people have not caught the dream. People who have caught the vision instinctively know what is appropriate and what is required. They don’t care what it takes; they live to make the dream reality. At the risk of sounding unrealistically romantic, I have to say that unless the hearts of the team members beat with the pulse of the leader’s dream, it’s never going to fly.”  – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 44.

“The leader is the bell ringer, the trumpet blower, the drum beater, the vibration maker, and the vision caster… A great leader imparts the burden, inspires commitment, and sets the pace for achievement of God’s purpose.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 45.

“A leader always has one major message, and this weaves into everything he or she does. It remains the primary focus. A leader is to some degree a  prophet, a person with a message. Great leader [sic] see things that others don’t. They preach it until others can see it as well. Their message supports the mission. A leader is a preacher, a person who communicates the fire of the mission. Not all preachers are leaders, but all great leaders will be preachers of one sort or another.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 204.

“The team members we choose need to be able to fight for us and for our vision. The people we choose must have the ability to fight and win. They need to have proven themselves in spiritual battles, and they need to have triumphed. They need to be overcomers. They need to display consistently positive attitudes. These people do not just attend, support, or watch, but they must fight-for us! They shouldn’t fight only for their own victories. They need to fight for the church. They need to defend the pastor when he’s criticized and fight for the church’s  reputation, spiritual health, and finances. They need to be genuine soldiers for God.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 265.

“Abraham’s method is far preferable to getting someone from elsewhere. If people do come from outside, give them time to be “baptised” into the church, so they “own” the vision like everybody else. To become true sons and daughters of the church they need to drink the milk (accept the teaching), imbibe the spirit (accept the attitude of the church), and accept the name (be proud of belonging to your congregation).” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 269. 

“The people we choose must display real unity with and affinity for the vision of the senior minister and the church. In the process of selecting people for roles in the church, we ask their opinion of the leadership, the rest of the team, and the church in general. We are not looking for yes-man, but if a person has problems with the senior minister and the church, then obviously he or she will cause problems on the team and in the church.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 289.

“Whoever buys into the vision God has for the congregation develops an affinity for all that is going on.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 289.

“The leader must constantly reinforce and restate the vision.

Though the team may have heard it many times before, restating the vision keeps everyone focused on the right things. Whatever the leader speaks on, the vision is woven into the topic so that every subject is viewed with the philosophy and priorities of the ministry in mind.” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 292.

“I will build my church. –Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus has a vision. He has a job to be done. He has determined to build His church. He calls men and women to work with Him to accomplish this dream. In the army of people He has enlisted are a creed called leaders.

Jesus raises up people as servants to Himself and as leaders of His people in order to fulfill His dream. He raises this army to lead His flock. He raises leaders to carry the plan of salvation to the world.

God has lofty reasons for raising leaders. Jesus has declared that He will build His church. The rock of manifest revelation is what Jesus builds His church upon.

Manifest revelation is the flash of light from heaven that pierces the souls of men and women. This is light, the life of God Himself. It is like a piece of God to us. It is food for our spirits. It is what faith is because it is clear knowing-not just thinking or hoping. It is a deep inner knowledge from heaven above.

God’s great leaders lead by revelation. Leaders must receive revelation from the Lord and take their people in that direction. It is vital that we understand what we are to preach, what we are to do, and what kind of organization we are to build through revelation from the Lord.

We must be motivated by the spiritual passion Jesus places within us. We need to build on the revelation God has given us, on our strengths, on who we are in Christ.

Good ideas are not good enough. They need to be God ideas. Just because someone else’s methods work does not mean they will work for us. God plants a unique set of gifts within each of us as leaders, enabling us to do a particular work for Him in a particular way. If we deny those, opting for something else that appeals to us, we forsake the means by which God wants to give us success (1Timothy 4:14).” – Phil Pringle, ‘You The Leader’, 2005, pg 305.

Book: ‘MOVING IN THE SPIRIT’:

“Visions from the prophets are given to motivate their hearers to action.

One of the most sensational things on earth is a vision from God. Vision ignites fire in our spirit. It births the ‘prayer of faith’. It is imperative we see in the Spirit so we understand the will of God.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Moving In The Spirit’, pg 59.

“The gift of faith is identified by unnatural boldness in prayer and preaching. It deals with others.

It is visionary. It views the future with absolute assurance and hope.
It thinks positively. It hates negativity.
It feeds on who we are in Christ and also our potential in Him.
It speaks to other people, to situations and often to itself.
Faith dreams and meditates on the finished results of prayer. It does not ponder anxieties.
It lifts others by injecting faith into their lives. It imparts the ability to believe and trust God.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Moving In The Spirit’, 1994, pg 90.

Leaders’ constant tasks are continually to bring our primary purpose to the forefront. Leaders’ pride can prevent us from repeating ourselves, casting the vision again and again. Yet this is the fuel of the organization. People are fired up by the vision. It reminds them why they are doing what they do, why they are going the extra mile, why they are making the sacrifices.” – Phil Pringle, ‘Top 10 Qualities of a Great Leader’, 2007, pg 76.

PHIL PRINGLE’S BLOG:

Isaiah 60:4-5 “Lift up your eyes and see: They all gather together, they come to you: Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant.”

“Many times God urges us to lift up our eyes – Upgrade our vision, see further, broader, bigger. Not negative & downcast but positive & uplifting. Not self-oriented but others oriented.

I thought I had already ‘seen’ in verse 4. The point is we ‘see’ before we ‘see’. What do you see in your future. Dream your dream everyday. Your imagination is part of the creative process in your life.

Can you see sons & daughters coming from distant places? Can you see clients, customers, friends, great people coming into your life?

The point is – what we ‘see’ is what is going to happen.” – Phil Pringle, http://philpringle.com/2009/09/13/lift-up-your-eyes/, 13/09/09. (No longer available)

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