This is the second year of the three-day Bless God Summit organised by Ruslan KD hosted at the luxurious Seabird Resort and Oceanside Amphitheatre in California. According to the publicity, the summit aims to "encourage, empower and inspire attendees to live a life that blesses God".1 However, the summit has drawn controversy due to VIP tickets that include an additional $450 for a meet-and-greet with the speakers. The summit is ecumenical and includes Roman Catholic, Mormon and atheist speakers. Michael Grant has quite rightly spoken out in protest and has been rebuffed by Ruslan, Mike Winger and Mellissa Dougherty.
This summit should revulse genuine believers on a number of levels. The summit marginalises and dishonours the poor; its price tag alone ensures that anyone without substantial means is effectively excluded. Christ’s care for the poor is consistent, regardless of who attempts to corrupt it with status markers or commercial values. The choice of a luxury resort raises further questions about whether the event honours God or simply mirrors the culture it claims to critique. It gets worse. VIP access and paid meet‑and‑greets introduce distinctions scripture explicitly rejects and violates the second commandment to love your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:39 and James 2 both condemn partiality. The elevation of “celebrity” speakers and the monetisation of proximity to them should trouble any believer committed to the teachings of Christ.
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:1-9).Ruslan's obsession with money reveals where his treasure really is. (Matthew 6:21,24; Proverbs 23:4-5; 1 John 2:15-17).
"How do I monetise these people?""How do I build a business?"
"What is my bank account going to look like in the next two to three years?"
Although Ruslan disputes Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox structures and practices, he still treats both traditions as doctrinally aligned with the gospel and draws no substantive line between their teaching and what he considers biblical truth. He refers to "Our respective streams of Christianity.. I love my Eastern Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters.. We (Protestants) believe that you have a valid church and a valid communion."4
The very heart of the ecumenical heresy is salvific. Bible believers who believe that we are saved by grace through faith alone are at complete odds with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox premise is that we are saved by faith plus works. Although they share vocabulary, they load those terms with different theological content. Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy diverge from one another in various areas, yet they stand together in treating the sacraments as efficacious channels of grace and as necessary components of salvation. This is another gospel and is anathema biblically.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that three of its seven sacraments are directly“redemptive” in the strict sense of imparting saving grace for the forgiveness of sins. These are sometimes referred to as sacraments of initiation or sacraments of healing, depending on their function. The core contention of the RCC is that Baptism, the Eucharist, and Penance (Reconciliation) are the sacraments explicitly tied to redemption—meaning they apply Christ’s saving work to the believer in a direct way. This sits within the broader RC understanding of the seven sacraments as “efficacious signs of grace” instituted by Christ.For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:11).
Speakers at the summit include Mike Winger, Gavin Ortlund, Sean McDowell, Wes Huff, Michael Knowles, Lila Rose (Roman Catholic) and many others.
Mike Winger concerns me greatly. Despite his exposure of several false teachers within the NAR and "cover-up culture", inexplicably, he apparently fails to discern the threat of ecumenism or the blatant worldly values of this summit. His support of Ruslan, TPUSA, and his premise that false prophets can be restored to ministry are all alien to my understanding of the scriptures.*
Gavin Ortlund's stance on Roman Catholics and the gospel aligns with Ruslan's view. He acknowledges that Roman Catholics are Christians and affirms their place within the Christian faith. As such, he is another dangerous teacher to mark and avoid. (Romans 16:17-18).I don’t agree with Michael Grant on everything, but in this instance, I fully support his protest and his exposure of Ruslan and the summit. The sobering reality is that while Ruslan and his associates are raking in money and engaging in ecumenical theatrics at a swanky resort, they will actually betray the gospel of Jesus Christ!
1. Bless God Summit | Empower Your Faith - Join Today2. (355) Ruslan Is ALL About The MONEY - YouTube
3. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tvwLtZrDIh4?feature=share
4. The Real Reason I Won't Convert to Orthodox or Catholic Christianity
