Today the devil has redefined a good Christian to mean "nice and quiet."
Jesus said he came not to bring peace, but division. Truth divides. Truth is getting more and more watered down and anybody willing to take a stand will likely stand alone. Or cut down. Mostly by other Christians because they want to sleep on.
We might have spurts of revival and we might get on fire for God for a moment, but our natural behavior is how God describes the end times church today. Full of the world, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Lukewarm to the core. Compromising. Ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. We have it both ways. We have one foot in the church and one foot in the world.
We are all addicted to the world, and you can probably put all of us Christians in 2 categories.
Category 1 is the Modern Christian, attending a Mega Purpose Driven church that has a drum set on the stage, and not a preacher, but an ear tickling comedian who tells funny inspiring stories, and wears shorts and a necklace. And it's not Pastor Steve, just Steve please. They have the Lord's supper with oreos and soda pop on a beach in their bikinis and speedos. They know the verse that Jesus made wine, and they are for any bible version --as long as it isn't the dreaded King James Version. They don't interpret anything by the Bible, but whether it builds a crowd. They are for any type of music, christian rap, christian rock and roll, the Christian groups Audio Adrenaline, Third Day, NewsBoys, Carmen, MercyMe, DC Talk, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Caedmon's Call, as well as the secular groups like the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Rolling Stones, Lady GaGa, R.E.M., Bon Jovi, Smashing Pumpkins, Run DMC, Madonna, and more. They like it all. Except the boring old fashioned hymns. U2 is a godly Christian band, and they love their message and buy their cd's. They meditate and study everything but the Bible for spiritual revelation. The Lord of the Rings. The Matrix. The Chronicles of Narnia. And they listen to U2's song, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" for deep spiritual insight, yet have yet to do that to 1 bible verse.
They accuse you of judging if you say anything about their sin. They "don't fornicate". They live together and since God looks on the heart he knows they are going to get married, and hence he is ok with what they are doing. Feelings dictate their heart, and God died on the cross so they can have a good time. Homosexuals are born that way they think, so who are we to push our beliefs on them. They think that Catholics and Mormons are just as christian as they are. Church is an option, baptism is ok for babies, and witnessing is offensive, but we are to let our light shine. What they mean is that we party it up and lost people who party along with us see the saved people that party and see they are missing something. Yes, they are missing the false Party Jesus who helps appease your conscience, and helps with your guilt. This "Jesus" is made for Michelob. Good works are saving the whales and helping the rain forest and going on a bike ride to raise money for diabetes. If your church is cooler than my church, I probably will join yours. Category 1 is apostate.
Category 2 belongs to a stronger church, one that still PREACHES, such as the Independent Baptist Church. Many Baptist churches today are already apostate --- Bill Clinton and the rest of the Southern Baptists for example have been in Category 1 for decades and have no intentions of moving. I can't help them. They are riding it out until the rapture, then they will have the market to themselves.
Category 2 has a form of Godliness but will be apostate soon if they don't wake up. They tend to have some standards, they state they are for holiness, they attend churches that from the pulpits tell the truth and preach against SIN, and they are taught to bring the gospel to the lost. Lost people do not come to church, so this is what Jesus commanded. They preach it straight from the pulpit, but our lives have so much world in us that we rarely live it. This makes it an easy formula to be a breeding ground for rebels. The older generation has dropped the ball, the younger generation sees a walking contradiction between WHAT THEY SEE AND WHAT THEY HEAR, and only play the part when there is external pressure on them. The second that mold is off, they head for the hills. Or the bars. Or the back seat. Or the beaches. Or to the Bahamas and vote for Obama. Or to the rock and rolling modern church.
This is one of the 2 reasons why "my" circles seem cultic. The first reason is if there is no inward change, there is only external control and you submit to the pressures around you, but it flies against your will. In the 1st category there is no need to rebel as there are no rules. Do what you want. Do as you please. Come as you are and stay as you were. Category 2 lays down the law after salvation, but if they used the law biblically before salvation, you would have true converts who had a heart change, had a fear of God, and desired to obey God. The first group attracts goats in the gates with its alluring smells and worldly pastures. The second group trains lost goats to act like saved sheep. And both groups boast how the grass is greener in their fields. The grasses are only green from all the manure being shoveled in! The 2nd reason is for another day.
Category 2 is for wearing skirts instead of pants for women, suits and ties on men. They have a bible reason for why they do what they do. The Bible says it is an abomination for women to wear that which pertaineth to a man. God created men and women differently and men are to look like men and women are to look like women. The Feminist movement deluded women to think they were being put down because they were forced to stay at home and forced to raise babies. First, men cannot carry children. I am not being a male chauvinist, but God designed women's anatomy to be able to carry a baby. It is not because God is mean, but I think because if we men carried them, we would not have had kids and the population would have died out. Or we would have forgot we had anything in there and not wanted to have it checked out and the babies would have died and the population would have died out. God is smarter than us. Women gain more respect and feel better about themselves when they look like a lady. Instead you look like Lady GaGa and wonder why men treat you like a tramp or a whore. Want to be treated like a lady, girls? Dress like one, then act like one.
Category 2 is for the King James Bible. They read it as little as Category 1, but they have the right book. Should they ever read it at least they would be in good shape soon. Category 1 wouldn't be helped reading the Bible because they only own counterfeits.Category 1 whines that they can't understand the King James so they cry out for easier to read follow the bouncing Bible versions. Yet as soon as they get one that is watered down enough that they can understand it without the Holy Ghost guiding them like he does with the real Bible, they wait for a better rendering.
But they won't read it anyway, so it doesn't matter. Category 1 are the soldier's at war with plastic bullets and against shooting anyway. They enter war with capless cap guns, and drained water balloons, and don't want to betray their stand on gun control. Enemies fire at them and they say, I don't want to hurt them, so they smile and encourage them to put their guns down and take one of their smile buttons.
Category 2 has real bullets, hand grenades, rocket launchers, long range heat seeking missiles, nuclear capabilities, and a full armoured tank. Problem is they are at home watching the NFL while the war is on. Don't want to get involved. Don't want to get my feet dirty, I have to work in the morning. Can't help, I'm off to church.
Category 1 are the carnal ones, Category 2 are the cold, compromising, hypocrites. Category 1 doesn't know the truth. Category 2 has the truth and doesn't care. The devils been busy in both camps the past 50 years.
Camp 1 is oblivious to the devil and doesn't even think he exists. Camp 2 won't do anything because of the devil. Camp 1 thinks if Jesus is coming it will be hundreds of years from now because they are having such a wonderful time fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Camp 2 thinks Jesus is coming this week, so there is no time to bother, and we might as well get as much out of this world while it is still here. Camp 1 flaunts it's sins. Camp 2 hides it or finds sins that are acceptable. Category 1 would not say anything bad if the Antichrist got behind the pulpit. Everyone who names the name of Christ is authentic, except those sin hating Baptists they say. Category 2 names names all over the place except where it is from someone within the Camp. Unless you are the one naming names. The bible warns about men crept in unawares. There are wolves in sheep's clothing devouring the sheep left and right. The Pastor should be looking out for his sheep but here he is busy warning about Joel the Wolf Olsteen down in Houston Texas, and Rick the Wolf Warren in California, and Benny the Wolf Hinn. Meanwhile, he won't say anything about two killer Jack O'Wolves, Schapp and Hyles that are in the sheep pen. And he was the one who let them in to boot!
I had been in Camp 1 the first few years after I was saved. There is nothing Camp 1 offers this world. It is apostate and like false religion it allows men to continue in their love of sin while having a form of religion to appease their guilty consciences. Camp 1 is the modern contemporary church, one that has CCM, the NIV, and won't preach against HIV causing sodomy.
I want to say I graduated to Camp 2, but I am disgusted at some of the even greater errors in this camp. Camp 2 needs to wake up, and do something with the truth. Camp 2 has picked up some bad habits it needs to repent of (addressed in earlier blogs, ex: the sinner's prayer, and unquestioning loyalty) but at least it has something to REPENT TO! God may be knocking outside Camp 2's doors, but at least he is knocking. He left Camp 1 already and won't even attempt to stop back.
So, CAMP 2, WAKE UP! Get your head out of the sand, and see how cold and dead we have become. We reek with pride. We boast of great numbers and thousands saved, yet this world is getting worse and worse and members are getting colder and colder, and we live oblivious that anything is wrong!!!! We preach it hot and heavy, but as soon as the sermon is over we go right back to the world!!! After the pizza fellowship, I mean. We need to get prayer meetings going where we beg for the forgiveness for dropping the ball, and beg sinners eyes to be opened. We can lead them in a prayer, so we don't think we need to pray for souls. We should be praying for the 2 fold children of hell we made and for TRUE Conversions to being happening!
We are rich blind and naked right now--- we have decisions to report so we could care less about real conversions. The mega churches get decisions too! Half dozen of my family made decisions at the Chapel at Cross Points, Living Singing Christmas Tree. They are all still lost today!!!!! Yet that mega church has the same sort of invitation that the Independent Baptist Churches have! Neither use the methods used during the Great Awakening or anywhere in the Bible for that matter! Both camps are high fiving each other over decisions, but blind to the lack of true conversions.
Real conversion letters are less impressive than false decision letters. Missionary A got 1000 decisions and 3 baptized in 2011! Wow, he must be the real deal. Missionary B only got 3 conversions and 3 baptized. What is wrong with him? Did he not read "Let's go soulwinning?" Camp 2 wake up! Honestly examine our methods. Our preaching is top notch. Why is our living so botched? Why don't we try practicing what we preach? Pastor, did you hand out a tract today? Evangelist did you witness to anyone? Evangelist, you are not obeying your callling if you just preach at a church at night and fellowship with the pastor the next day. You are supposed to be doing THE WORK of an evangelist. Preaching. Witnessing. Door to Door. Street preaching. Soul winning. Showing the church members by your example how to witness! Coaching others and watching them do it.
Missionary did you do anything beyond your 3 church services this week? And you say you are representing the Independent Baptists? Churches support you? WOW!!!! When I was visiting a church, the pastor took us all out for ice cream. He didn't even bother telling the cashier about the church or give out a tract. I witnessed to the girl. She didn't bite. I was filling in at a store once and a Pastor I knew came in. I said Hi, Pastor So-and-So. He was a regular customer there and knew the staff. They all after he left exclaimed they were shocked to find out he was a Pastor. He never witnessed nor told them. What are we doing?
Yes, I am a compromiser too, I don't witness much at work. At my old job, I made one small comment against their pro-sodomy conversation. Corporate marched down within 3 days and sat me down and slapped my wrists. I think they try slapping your wrists to try and make them limp. I am not this bold witness at work, yet I have had persecution every where I go. The churches look at me like I am this moron. They preach that if you live Godly you be persecuted. Yet reality says if you are persecuted they will treat you like you did something wrong. My friend Greg was arrested by a lesbian police officer for street preaching a few years ago and the Christians all distanced themselves from him and said he shouldn't have been arrested. If a sodomite has anything bad happen to him, his fellow queers all gang up and fight back. They sue anything that breathes to get their agenda thru. They won't give up. Christians think buying a Chick-Fil-A sandwich one time to show their support for American values is enough. They do something one time and go back to the ball game they were watching.
Sodomites have been working non-stop for 50 years day in and day out to achieve their goals. Muslims have a faith that lasts 24 7 and they are taking over the world. Christians in Camp A don't see anything wrong with NOTHING and Camp B CAN'T see because they are ASLEEP at the WHEEL!!!!! Wake up! I am disgusted with my own lukewarmness.
We need Camp C, the Mad AT Hell camp. They contend for the faith, are willing to take a stand, and WILLING TO PAY THE COST! We need Christians today to act like Muslims and Sodomites! Actually living what we claim to believe. You can spot a Muslim by their look. You can spot a sodomite by their act. They both will die for their cause.
Not the Christian. He removes his spine at the drop of a hat and his church uniform is bright canary YELLOW. He blends in with both those in Camp A and B and offends no one and is bolder behind a pulpit than on the street corner. He thinks persecution is not being allowed to order breakfast at McDonald's at 11:01. He hates anyone willing to take a stand because it makes him look bad. He tells people to check out the Bible to prove what he is saying, but God forbid you actually do and see he is pulling his doctrine out of thin air! Judgment must being in the house of God. Camp A? No they are a stadium of devils. The house of God needs to be revived. Camp B is all we have left. And if they don't change and wake up, they will be a Camp A in no time.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Don't Recruit with the Fatted Calf
Eternal life is a FREE yet CONDITIONAL GIFT!
The Bible says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Modern evangelism says that this gift is available to anybody and everybody, no questions asked.
Calvinists say it is limited to the "elect" and even if you wanted eternal life you can't have it if you weren't predestined to get it.
So who is right?
Answer: Neither.
The truth is God's gift of eternal life is FREE. You can't earn it, you can't work for it. However, a gift can be 100% FREE for WHOSOEVER...yet 100% CONDITIONAL that NO ONE will receive if they miss the conditions.
Example, if I were to say, Son, I will buy you a car when you meet 2 conditions: turn 17 and have a driver's license.
Is this a gift? Yes.
Did I put conditions on it? Yes.
Can it still be a gift with a condition? YES.
God's conditions for the free gift of eternal life are SAVING FAITH and BIBLICAL REPENTANCE. Saving faith goes beyond today's shallow "admit you are a sinner" and "acknowledge Jesus as your savior". Biblical repentance is not turning from all sin but it goes beyond just a "change of mind" as often is taught today.
Saving faith is not merely believing either. You can't "believe on the Lord Jesus" without Him being the Lord of your life, which means HE HAS THE RIGHT TO RULE YOU! True faith requires the True Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scriptures. Not the one on a crucifix. Not the long haired 98-lb white weak "Jesus" painted by Catholicism. Not the brother of Satan "Jesus" taught by Mormonism.
The Bible teaches true saving faith is in a person, not a prayer or performance. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the son hath not life. If your "belief" or "profession" DID NOT GIVE YOU JESUS, you are not saved!
Part 1 of the Condition is FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. (Acts 20:21)
Except you repent ye shall likewise perish.
Part 2 of the Condition is Biblical Repentance, which is Godly sorrow and a change of mind about sin, self, and the Savior, that produces or results in a changed life. In other words there will be FRUIT from Biblical Repentance and new desires and new direction to go with a new destiny. "Repentance toward God" (Acts 20:21).
You can't turn toward God without turning away FROM your idols. If not, that is Christian Hinduism. You can't be a Yankees fan and own Red Sox paraphernalia. You can't say you are a Grateful Deadhead and not own a Tie Dye shirt. Biblical repentance is shown throughout the bible, but two examples that stand out are in the Book of Jonah and with the Prodigal son.
Jonah 3:4-5 says, And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
In Jonah 3:9 the people of Ninevah reveal their attitude that went with their repentance.
"Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:9 KJV)
A "what must I do to be saved attitude" is a "WHO CAN TELL?". "A Heaven sounds lovely, and I don't want to go to Hell and this is too good a deal to pass up" attitude is a "JUST IN CASE!" Jonah preached "40 days!" until God's hand of judgment would fall!
The people of Nineveh believed God and put on sackcloth and ashes and had an attitude of "WHO CAN TELL?" Meaning, they did not think they were entitled to be forgiven, and by their attitude thought, 'we are not guaranteed of Heaven, we are not deserving of anything, but BECAUSE we have offended a Holy God and deserve his WRATH AND JUDGMENT, we will repent'!
God said He saw their works and was merciful. Jesus said in Matthew 12:41 that, "The men of Nineveh... repented at the preaching of Jonas;"
The prodigal woke up in the hog pen after wasted years of riotous living and said, "I will arise and go to my Father...and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants". The Prodigal says in Luke 15:18 "I have sinned against heaven, and before thee". The result from his Father was mercy and restoration, and it was not what he expected because his motivation in returning to his Father was from truly seeing the enormity of his guilt and transgressions and broken over his sin, and that his sin was against a HOLY GOD!
The main problem with today's evangelism is we are recruiting with the fatted calf. We are not preaching (when it comes to our evangelism and altar calls) and warning of the holiness, righteousness, and judgment of God where people naturally fled from the wrath to come. Look at the "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God" negative message during the Great Awakening vs. today's "Heaven is Wonderful" positive push. The fatted calf is the end result, the by product of restoration of the prodigal to his father. Heaven and blessings are by-products.
Today's evangelism is likened to a man going down the neighborhood telling people he is signing up adoptees into Bill Gates family because he has such a large inheritance that he can't get rid of. You'll sign up for it, and expect to be left alone and get a check in the mail someday without having to leave the house.
No one wants to go to Hell, but as I have said in earlier posts, if they are not convinced of the disease, the lost will have a JUST IN CASE presumptuous approach to God instead of a WHO CAN TELL humble attitude that causes the lost to run from their sin while embracing the Cross. The presumptuous attitude is "ok, Father, I will come home if you give me the ring and the fatted calf, but you better cook it up like you know I want it because I am very hungry after where I've been". We come demanding the pleasures and promises of Christianity and if God doesn't deliver we feel ripped off and demand our money back.
Our evangelism is mostly creating stony ground converts who spring up emotionally right away and delude us to think our modern methods are better than ever because they get a response and get "results" to write about in our next prayer letter. But do we want true, God glorifying new creatures? Or do we want to look like we are impressive to the brethren because we can trick, manipulate, or bribe folks to a stony ground decision that falls away the second any sun sheds any heat on it?
Why are we satisfied with such pitiful results in the last 100 years of our evangelism? Our average convert won't make it through this pruning of the church as America is taken down to it's knees. Maybe because flu shots are less demanding on our schedules and lives than giving chemotherapy.
Or maybe because the flu shot patrons are less controversial and care less about checking our methods against the Bible than someone who really got saved.
Do you see if the average NINEVITE instead today went up to the Preacher? People of Ninevah God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life! Won't you please get saved! Won't you please go to heaven? God is not begging sinners to go to heaven. God is commanding men everywhere to repent because he has appointed a day where all men everywhere will stand before him. God says salvation produces a new creature. God defines every creature he creates with certain unmistakable identifying points. God's definition for a CHRISTIAN are given in 1st John.
If you made a profession, and you show zero characteristics of some degree of what makes a Christian in the 5 chapters of 1st John, watch out. You don't have a biblical claim for your eternal life. You may have someone's false promises. But you don't have God's eternal promise. Watch out.
You may end up with the fatted calf. But you still may end up roasting in Hell.
The Bible says the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Modern evangelism says that this gift is available to anybody and everybody, no questions asked.
Calvinists say it is limited to the "elect" and even if you wanted eternal life you can't have it if you weren't predestined to get it.
So who is right?
Answer: Neither.
The truth is God's gift of eternal life is FREE. You can't earn it, you can't work for it. However, a gift can be 100% FREE for WHOSOEVER...yet 100% CONDITIONAL that NO ONE will receive if they miss the conditions.
Example, if I were to say, Son, I will buy you a car when you meet 2 conditions: turn 17 and have a driver's license.
Is this a gift? Yes.
Did I put conditions on it? Yes.
Can it still be a gift with a condition? YES.
God's conditions for the free gift of eternal life are SAVING FAITH and BIBLICAL REPENTANCE. Saving faith goes beyond today's shallow "admit you are a sinner" and "acknowledge Jesus as your savior". Biblical repentance is not turning from all sin but it goes beyond just a "change of mind" as often is taught today.
Saving faith is not merely believing either. You can't "believe on the Lord Jesus" without Him being the Lord of your life, which means HE HAS THE RIGHT TO RULE YOU! True faith requires the True Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scriptures. Not the one on a crucifix. Not the long haired 98-lb white weak "Jesus" painted by Catholicism. Not the brother of Satan "Jesus" taught by Mormonism.
The Bible teaches true saving faith is in a person, not a prayer or performance. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the son hath not life. If your "belief" or "profession" DID NOT GIVE YOU JESUS, you are not saved!
Part 1 of the Condition is FAITH TOWARD OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. (Acts 20:21)
Except you repent ye shall likewise perish.
Part 2 of the Condition is Biblical Repentance, which is Godly sorrow and a change of mind about sin, self, and the Savior, that produces or results in a changed life. In other words there will be FRUIT from Biblical Repentance and new desires and new direction to go with a new destiny. "Repentance toward God" (Acts 20:21).
You can't turn toward God without turning away FROM your idols. If not, that is Christian Hinduism. You can't be a Yankees fan and own Red Sox paraphernalia. You can't say you are a Grateful Deadhead and not own a Tie Dye shirt. Biblical repentance is shown throughout the bible, but two examples that stand out are in the Book of Jonah and with the Prodigal son.
Jonah 3:4-5 says, And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
In Jonah 3:9 the people of Ninevah reveal their attitude that went with their repentance.
"Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:9 KJV)
A "what must I do to be saved attitude" is a "WHO CAN TELL?". "A Heaven sounds lovely, and I don't want to go to Hell and this is too good a deal to pass up" attitude is a "JUST IN CASE!" Jonah preached "40 days!" until God's hand of judgment would fall!
The people of Nineveh believed God and put on sackcloth and ashes and had an attitude of "WHO CAN TELL?" Meaning, they did not think they were entitled to be forgiven, and by their attitude thought, 'we are not guaranteed of Heaven, we are not deserving of anything, but BECAUSE we have offended a Holy God and deserve his WRATH AND JUDGMENT, we will repent'!
God said He saw their works and was merciful. Jesus said in Matthew 12:41 that, "The men of Nineveh... repented at the preaching of Jonas;"
The prodigal woke up in the hog pen after wasted years of riotous living and said, "I will arise and go to my Father...and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants". The Prodigal says in Luke 15:18 "I have sinned against heaven, and before thee". The result from his Father was mercy and restoration, and it was not what he expected because his motivation in returning to his Father was from truly seeing the enormity of his guilt and transgressions and broken over his sin, and that his sin was against a HOLY GOD!
The main problem with today's evangelism is we are recruiting with the fatted calf. We are not preaching (when it comes to our evangelism and altar calls) and warning of the holiness, righteousness, and judgment of God where people naturally fled from the wrath to come. Look at the "Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God" negative message during the Great Awakening vs. today's "Heaven is Wonderful" positive push. The fatted calf is the end result, the by product of restoration of the prodigal to his father. Heaven and blessings are by-products.
Today's evangelism is likened to a man going down the neighborhood telling people he is signing up adoptees into Bill Gates family because he has such a large inheritance that he can't get rid of. You'll sign up for it, and expect to be left alone and get a check in the mail someday without having to leave the house.
No one wants to go to Hell, but as I have said in earlier posts, if they are not convinced of the disease, the lost will have a JUST IN CASE presumptuous approach to God instead of a WHO CAN TELL humble attitude that causes the lost to run from their sin while embracing the Cross. The presumptuous attitude is "ok, Father, I will come home if you give me the ring and the fatted calf, but you better cook it up like you know I want it because I am very hungry after where I've been". We come demanding the pleasures and promises of Christianity and if God doesn't deliver we feel ripped off and demand our money back.
Our evangelism is mostly creating stony ground converts who spring up emotionally right away and delude us to think our modern methods are better than ever because they get a response and get "results" to write about in our next prayer letter. But do we want true, God glorifying new creatures? Or do we want to look like we are impressive to the brethren because we can trick, manipulate, or bribe folks to a stony ground decision that falls away the second any sun sheds any heat on it?
Why are we satisfied with such pitiful results in the last 100 years of our evangelism? Our average convert won't make it through this pruning of the church as America is taken down to it's knees. Maybe because flu shots are less demanding on our schedules and lives than giving chemotherapy.
Or maybe because the flu shot patrons are less controversial and care less about checking our methods against the Bible than someone who really got saved.
Do you see if the average NINEVITE instead today went up to the Preacher? People of Ninevah God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life! Won't you please get saved! Won't you please go to heaven? God is not begging sinners to go to heaven. God is commanding men everywhere to repent because he has appointed a day where all men everywhere will stand before him. God says salvation produces a new creature. God defines every creature he creates with certain unmistakable identifying points. God's definition for a CHRISTIAN are given in 1st John.
If you made a profession, and you show zero characteristics of some degree of what makes a Christian in the 5 chapters of 1st John, watch out. You don't have a biblical claim for your eternal life. You may have someone's false promises. But you don't have God's eternal promise. Watch out.
You may end up with the fatted calf. But you still may end up roasting in Hell.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
The Romans Road to Salvation--- it is in the Bible --- but is it BIBLICAL?
The Romans Road to Salvation. Yes, it is from the Bible-- but is it Biblical?
Folks,
I am about to sacrifice one of the Baptist sacred cows on the altar tonight....I don't advocate using the Romans Road for leading people to Christ. A major problem with America today is lost and saved alike do not fear God. A major reason is everyone in America is "saved" but they were "saved" man's way. They are not born again, they are still in their sin, and they are still headed for hell. But they had an emotional experience, or trusted something someone did for them, or are blindly trusting their church.
A major error many folks are trusting in for their salvation is praying something called the Sinner's Prayer. The Roman's Road to Salvation ends with the Sinner's Prayer. It usually is a 5 minute quick and easy 1-2-3, repeat-after-me, 5-6-7, do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven, 8-9-10, I promise you are now born again gospel presentation. It makes grace cheap, and emphasizes going to heaven when they die. During the great awakening when men spent hours listening to preaching of the law and the holiness of God from men like George Whitfield and Charles Wesley, they did not have to be told what to pray. They clearly saw their offense against a holy God and saw they offended God by their actions. This naturally birthed repentance and turning to Christ and that supernaturally resulted in the new birth. A repentant adulterer will not have to repeat a Hallmark card to reconcile with his wife. His tears and trembling will shut his mouth. Where are the tears of repentance in today's evangelism? Where is the fruit like the great awakening?
The church in general for the past 100 years has promised heaven but there is often no hint they met the God of heaven. Jesus will say depart for me for I NEVER KNEW YOU to MANY in that day. (Matthew 7). If modern crusades boast of hundreds saved and the FBI cannot find them a year later, something is amiss. Yet modern evangelism boldly marches on to it's next victim to try and convert. Wake up evangelist! Wake up church! Wake up soulwinner! The statistics prove that the majority of your converts are going to wake up in hell!
Do you know if you died today, would you go to heaven? they ask. If they say Yes, then the presentation is unfolded like a expert sales pitch and it sounds easy and wonderful. It lets you get saved YET STAY IN YOUR SIN and it teaches salvation is in a prayer to anyone who will admit to being a sinner. That is the deal. If you admit you are a sinner and be willing to bow your head and repeat the master soulwinner's words ---and REALLY MEAN IT-- then you can go on with your life and when you die that moment you once prayed is your permanent ticket to all the eternal enjoyment you could ever want, free of charge. The only problem is there is nothing Biblical about this presumptuous presentation and it is cheap and instantly turns people into 2 fold children of hell.
People may think I am mean about this, but these false methods need to be exposed and it needs to be rooted out of our churches. Jesus is angry with it because it makes a sham of the gospel, it makes conversions nothing to shout about, and it makes the gospel powerless and phony. Salvation is not to get everyone to heaven, it is to bring glory to God. Saved sinners who act lost bring embarrassment to the cause of Christ and is why most of the world thinks Christianity is a joke and won't consider it's claims.
Part of the major problem of America today is there is no difference between saved and lost alike because most of the saved are "saved" by a prayer only and will still end up in hell despite the false promises of this man centered repentance-less gospel. But everyone around them too is lost but prayed the prayer so we tolerate this and write it off as normal modern evangelism. We expect it not to work. We expect everyone to backslide. We expect 90% of the flock to fall away. Is that what the apostles expected? Is that what you see in the book of Acts? Is that what you see during the great awakening?
You know a tree by it's fruit. 11 saved disciples turned the world upside down. Millions of professing Christians who prayed the prayer and have no other hint they truly know God have helped turn this once Christian nation of America into hell. There is no power in the churches because there is no power in our evangelism. There is no power because there is false promises and false proclamations and false prophets and pastors giving false fake performances and sales pitches. We need to root this stuff out now!
As catholics wrongly trust their baptism for salvation, Protestants and Baptists trust praying a prayer and asking the Lord to save them. A frequent way they do this is through the verses in the "Romans Road" that produces a formula for salvation. We must examine everything 1) by the Bible and 2) by the fruit it produces. If something sounds too good to be true it just may be. Salvation is easy, but it is not cheap. Salvation is a person, not a prayer or performance. The Bible says in 1st John, He that hath the Son hath life. Modern evangelism says He that hath prayed the prayer.
I am about to sacrifice one of the Baptist sacred cows on the altar tonight....I don't advocate using the Romans Road for leading people to Christ. A major problem with America today is lost and saved alike do not fear God. A major reason is everyone in America is "saved" but they were "saved" man's way. They are not born again, they are still in their sin, and they are still headed for hell. But they had an emotional experience, or trusted something someone did for them, or are blindly trusting their church.
A major error many folks are trusting in for their salvation is praying something called the Sinner's Prayer. The Roman's Road to Salvation ends with the Sinner's Prayer. It usually is a 5 minute quick and easy 1-2-3, repeat-after-me, 5-6-7, do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven, 8-9-10, I promise you are now born again gospel presentation. It makes grace cheap, and emphasizes going to heaven when they die. During the great awakening when men spent hours listening to preaching of the law and the holiness of God from men like George Whitfield and Charles Wesley, they did not have to be told what to pray. They clearly saw their offense against a holy God and saw they offended God by their actions. This naturally birthed repentance and turning to Christ and that supernaturally resulted in the new birth. A repentant adulterer will not have to repeat a Hallmark card to reconcile with his wife. His tears and trembling will shut his mouth. Where are the tears of repentance in today's evangelism? Where is the fruit like the great awakening?
The church in general for the past 100 years has promised heaven but there is often no hint they met the God of heaven. Jesus will say depart for me for I NEVER KNEW YOU to MANY in that day. (Matthew 7). If modern crusades boast of hundreds saved and the FBI cannot find them a year later, something is amiss. Yet modern evangelism boldly marches on to it's next victim to try and convert. Wake up evangelist! Wake up church! Wake up soulwinner! The statistics prove that the majority of your converts are going to wake up in hell!
Do you know if you died today, would you go to heaven? they ask. If they say Yes, then the presentation is unfolded like a expert sales pitch and it sounds easy and wonderful. It lets you get saved YET STAY IN YOUR SIN and it teaches salvation is in a prayer to anyone who will admit to being a sinner. That is the deal. If you admit you are a sinner and be willing to bow your head and repeat the master soulwinner's words ---and REALLY MEAN IT-- then you can go on with your life and when you die that moment you once prayed is your permanent ticket to all the eternal enjoyment you could ever want, free of charge. The only problem is there is nothing Biblical about this presumptuous presentation and it is cheap and instantly turns people into 2 fold children of hell.
People may think I am mean about this, but these false methods need to be exposed and it needs to be rooted out of our churches. Jesus is angry with it because it makes a sham of the gospel, it makes conversions nothing to shout about, and it makes the gospel powerless and phony. Salvation is not to get everyone to heaven, it is to bring glory to God. Saved sinners who act lost bring embarrassment to the cause of Christ and is why most of the world thinks Christianity is a joke and won't consider it's claims.
Part of the major problem of America today is there is no difference between saved and lost alike because most of the saved are "saved" by a prayer only and will still end up in hell despite the false promises of this man centered repentance-less gospel. But everyone around them too is lost but prayed the prayer so we tolerate this and write it off as normal modern evangelism. We expect it not to work. We expect everyone to backslide. We expect 90% of the flock to fall away. Is that what the apostles expected? Is that what you see in the book of Acts? Is that what you see during the great awakening?
You know a tree by it's fruit. 11 saved disciples turned the world upside down. Millions of professing Christians who prayed the prayer and have no other hint they truly know God have helped turn this once Christian nation of America into hell. There is no power in the churches because there is no power in our evangelism. There is no power because there is false promises and false proclamations and false prophets and pastors giving false fake performances and sales pitches. We need to root this stuff out now!
As catholics wrongly trust their baptism for salvation, Protestants and Baptists trust praying a prayer and asking the Lord to save them. A frequent way they do this is through the verses in the "Romans Road" that produces a formula for salvation. We must examine everything 1) by the Bible and 2) by the fruit it produces. If something sounds too good to be true it just may be. Salvation is easy, but it is not cheap. Salvation is a person, not a prayer or performance. The Bible says in 1st John, He that hath the Son hath life. Modern evangelism says He that hath prayed the prayer.
Here are the issues with using the Romans' Road and /or the Sinners Prayer I have found.
1. It is too generic. 99% of people will admit to being a sinner to get a free pass to heaven. People will crash planes into buildings to get to heaven, so people will be also willing to admit to coming short of the glory of God. What people can't see is how wicked, and hell deserving and UnGodly we are before regeneration. We may admit to be sinners, but we don't want our specific sin dealt with. God deals specifically with the sin. "Go and sell all thou hast and come follow me," was Jesus' response to the rich young ruler. Not "Do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven, then pray-this prayer". The Holy Ghost deals with the person at the point of contention. Jesus is not a generic flu vaccine just in case we might be at risk to get sick.
Look at it like this. A man found his wife leaving him so he went to a marriage counselor in a last ditch effort to save his marriage. The counselor took out his big marriage book and said, "Bill, here is the problem. My marriage book says you are a bad husband. There is no good husband, no not one. What you need to do is admit to your wife you are not a good husband, tell her you're sorry and mean it, and ask her to forgive you. Then my marriage book promises you a wonderful marriage."
See, that man is not convinced his wife knew what she was doing. He thinks he is Mr. Wonderful, and yet he wants his wife back. He will eat crow, and admit to something he is not convinced of for the return promise of a wonderful marriage. He will now feel entitled to a great marriage or he will feel ripped off. He better have a great marriage, after all he agreed to something he didn't believe to get it.
I was with a soul winning booth at our Erie County Fair and saw this in action. They didn't want you to mention hell, they didn't want you to deal with their false religion. They merely wanted you to ask them if they knew if they would go to heaven and if not, if they would want to know. It was implied this was a 5 minute never worry about it again sort of flu shot thing. Get it over with and it won't come up again. This is basically Christian Hinduism where you merely get a person to add Jesus to their collection of gods like we do with the latest shoppers discount card we put on our key chain. This one saves me on gas, this one saves me on my prescriptions, this one saves me from hell. Jesus is God and that gives him the right to rule. There is no hint of any type of repentance or teaching that once saved God will expect you to obey him. Not to be mean, but because before we are saved we obey the lust of the flesh and that is the path to destruction. Jesus came that we might have life, but it is a life controlled by Him.
2. It emphasises salvation is in a prayer not a person. Romans Road, 4 spiritual laws, asking Jesus into your heart, and the Sinner's prayer are all recent developments in Christianity. They are not how men were saved in the Bible, and they were not how men were saved in the Great awakening! Our evangelism today is why the church is still asleep!!!!! People can respond emotionally to a powerful presentation, but that doesn't mean their conscious was awakened. A wonderful salesmen came to our home and sold us a $2,000 vacuum. After he left I felt hood-winked. Anyone can sell you anything. It is what happens after that proves if it was just an emotional decision or something permanent.
I like to explain it like this. The Bible says salvation is faith and repentance. Evangelist prayer letters will boast about hundreds of people "saved" during their ministry. What they mean is hundreds of people made a profession and either asked the Lord to save them or prayed a prayer. We are like a burned wedding cake. Our hearts are black and wicked, and the bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Hatred is murder and lust is adultery. We are wicked and you just have to think of the wicked thoughts you had the past 7 days or think about how you feel about the person who cut you off in traffic or was promoted over you, and be honest with God. When you get saved, you are born again. It is like God rebakes your heart. You can't rebake it, and it takes a miracle. You are brand new. Now once the cake is rebaked, it is ready to decorate. If you decorate it before you are rebaked, it does no good. Religion is decorating the cake that is still burned. Looks good to man, tastes terrible to God. Now modern evangelism is the icing. Praying a prayer, asking Jesus to save you, asking Jesus in your heart are things one can do but they won't save them. They are saved when they repent and believe the Gospel. After they may pray a prayer. If your convert is saved who happened to also pray a prayer, don't take credit for it. A prayer cannot save. The prayer was the icing. God already rebaked him. Evangelism today takes credit for the icing.
3. It is man made, and worse it is something that came out in the last hundred years, which is the time of compromise and collapse of Christianity. The bible says there will be a great falling away and warns of false prophets and teachers. Jesus said Follow me and I will make you fishers of men....it is not learn the secret sales tactic and see how wonderful you will look to the brethren! A good salesman can sell something that someone doesn't need, but as soon as he is gone, the person wakes up and regrets the purchase. Especially when the person receives the bill. That's what modern evangelism does. It makes heaven sound like a 5 minute flu shot, just in case you are headed for hell, pray-this-prayer! It sounds wonderful and you don't have to lift a finger. I'm not talking works for salvation instead, but i am against this method that tempts God to save us in our sin, not from our sin. Again, it is fruit not works, but if we are new creatures after and the sinner's prayer produces folks who want nothing to do with God there is something wrong.
4. It makes salvation "unconditional". That sounds nice, but it is not biblical. A gift can have conditions. Son, I will buy you your first car as a gift when a) get your driver's license and b) turn 17. God's 2 conditions for the free gift of eternal life are A) Saving faith and B) Biblical Repentance. If you skip either of these, God will not give you eternal life. It doesn't matter if you don't want to go to hell. It doesn't matter if you want to go to heaven. It doesn't matter if you will ask the Lord to save you. You can ask all want but until you meet God's conditions, you won't get the gift of God. It is like someone who is drowning in a polluted lake saying, "Lifeguard save me!" and then the lifeguard rows over in his lifeboat and the person drowning refuses to get in the boat. He wants to be saved, but he enjoys the filth he is swimming in too much.
It is not a works based salvation, it is not something you grow into, but that criteria must apply. We instead give intellectual agreement now to 4 or 5 select verses and get a head knowledge of everything the old men of God preached on for hours and think that produces true converts. It doesn't.
After doing some research on it....I found this article:
"How do I know Jack Hyles originated the Roman Road to Salvation? Because he said he came up with it. Jack Hyles was a Independent Baptist preacher and evangelist who had churches in East Texas and DFW area.
I ran across a Sunday morning sermon that Dr. Jack Hyles did at Hammond First Baptist Church on June 28, 1970 which he entitled the sermon “There Remaineth Yet Very Much Land to Be Possessed.” He states in this sermon that he originated it and termed this plan of salvation the “Roman Road.”
Sarah this is what he said as he is addressing the congregation of Hammonds FBC and the sermon has been written down. And I quote (Jack Hyles is speaking to the congregation at Hammonds FBC):
“By the way, you folks who don’t come on Wednesday night don’t know this, but about twenty-two years ago, in a little East Texas Church, I came up with a little plan of presenting the plan of salvation called “The Roman Road” whereby you take Verses contained in Romans and show people how to be saved using Romans 3:10, and Romans 3:23, and Romans 5:12, and Romans 5:8, and on and on. I termed it, “The Roman Road,” and from the “Roman Road” I wrote the little book, “Let’s Go Soul Winning.” Over one hundred and thirty-five thousand copies of that book have been printed. It has been translated into several languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, and others, and has literally gone around the world.”
You may like some of Jack Hyles stuff, but it is time we break away from his evangelism techniques because most of the soulwinning churches today are blinded by decisions!!!!! His methods have produced more cult than church and he was more of a cult leader enthralled with numbers and getting men to worship him. His doctrine of unquestioning loyalty meant no one had a right to judge him. Please know I am not slamming Jack Hyles, but so many people would rather defend him than examine his teachings. I am not picking on Jack Hyles, but due to how much influence his teachings have had across America and beyond we have a Biblical command to question them. Are we blindly following the blind? Are we really following the Bible or are we just following a man, hook, line, and sinker, and assuming that he must be following the Bible?
The Bible commands us to prove all things. No matter who is the originator, we should not look to a decision-geared method generated in the 1900's just as we wouldn't trust a Bible translation in the 1900's....these are the lukewarm, shallow, stony-ground hearing generation and not the most fruitful time to take our techniques from.
We like these methods because they are easier than all the prayer, labor, sowing, and tears that produced the GREAT AWAKENING. And it's not as negative or harsh sounding, and it is more positive to tell people how wonderful heaven is, vs. telling them they have offended a Holy God by their actions. But folks, we must examine the fruit of what we are producing.
In summary, the verses of Romans Road may be in the Bible but the method is not biblical because it makes salvation a PRAYER and not a PERSON and it is too shallow and allows a false watered down repentance or no repentance whatsoever. We need to see it is a dead end street because the Romans Road is being paved with two fold children of Hell
1. It is too generic. 99% of people will admit to being a sinner to get a free pass to heaven. People will crash planes into buildings to get to heaven, so people will be also willing to admit to coming short of the glory of God. What people can't see is how wicked, and hell deserving and UnGodly we are before regeneration. We may admit to be sinners, but we don't want our specific sin dealt with. God deals specifically with the sin. "Go and sell all thou hast and come follow me," was Jesus' response to the rich young ruler. Not "Do-you-want-to-go-to-heaven, then pray-this prayer". The Holy Ghost deals with the person at the point of contention. Jesus is not a generic flu vaccine just in case we might be at risk to get sick.
Look at it like this. A man found his wife leaving him so he went to a marriage counselor in a last ditch effort to save his marriage. The counselor took out his big marriage book and said, "Bill, here is the problem. My marriage book says you are a bad husband. There is no good husband, no not one. What you need to do is admit to your wife you are not a good husband, tell her you're sorry and mean it, and ask her to forgive you. Then my marriage book promises you a wonderful marriage."
See, that man is not convinced his wife knew what she was doing. He thinks he is Mr. Wonderful, and yet he wants his wife back. He will eat crow, and admit to something he is not convinced of for the return promise of a wonderful marriage. He will now feel entitled to a great marriage or he will feel ripped off. He better have a great marriage, after all he agreed to something he didn't believe to get it.
I was with a soul winning booth at our Erie County Fair and saw this in action. They didn't want you to mention hell, they didn't want you to deal with their false religion. They merely wanted you to ask them if they knew if they would go to heaven and if not, if they would want to know. It was implied this was a 5 minute never worry about it again sort of flu shot thing. Get it over with and it won't come up again. This is basically Christian Hinduism where you merely get a person to add Jesus to their collection of gods like we do with the latest shoppers discount card we put on our key chain. This one saves me on gas, this one saves me on my prescriptions, this one saves me from hell. Jesus is God and that gives him the right to rule. There is no hint of any type of repentance or teaching that once saved God will expect you to obey him. Not to be mean, but because before we are saved we obey the lust of the flesh and that is the path to destruction. Jesus came that we might have life, but it is a life controlled by Him.
2. It emphasises salvation is in a prayer not a person. Romans Road, 4 spiritual laws, asking Jesus into your heart, and the Sinner's prayer are all recent developments in Christianity. They are not how men were saved in the Bible, and they were not how men were saved in the Great awakening! Our evangelism today is why the church is still asleep!!!!! People can respond emotionally to a powerful presentation, but that doesn't mean their conscious was awakened. A wonderful salesmen came to our home and sold us a $2,000 vacuum. After he left I felt hood-winked. Anyone can sell you anything. It is what happens after that proves if it was just an emotional decision or something permanent.
I like to explain it like this. The Bible says salvation is faith and repentance. Evangelist prayer letters will boast about hundreds of people "saved" during their ministry. What they mean is hundreds of people made a profession and either asked the Lord to save them or prayed a prayer. We are like a burned wedding cake. Our hearts are black and wicked, and the bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Hatred is murder and lust is adultery. We are wicked and you just have to think of the wicked thoughts you had the past 7 days or think about how you feel about the person who cut you off in traffic or was promoted over you, and be honest with God. When you get saved, you are born again. It is like God rebakes your heart. You can't rebake it, and it takes a miracle. You are brand new. Now once the cake is rebaked, it is ready to decorate. If you decorate it before you are rebaked, it does no good. Religion is decorating the cake that is still burned. Looks good to man, tastes terrible to God. Now modern evangelism is the icing. Praying a prayer, asking Jesus to save you, asking Jesus in your heart are things one can do but they won't save them. They are saved when they repent and believe the Gospel. After they may pray a prayer. If your convert is saved who happened to also pray a prayer, don't take credit for it. A prayer cannot save. The prayer was the icing. God already rebaked him. Evangelism today takes credit for the icing.
3. It is man made, and worse it is something that came out in the last hundred years, which is the time of compromise and collapse of Christianity. The bible says there will be a great falling away and warns of false prophets and teachers. Jesus said Follow me and I will make you fishers of men....it is not learn the secret sales tactic and see how wonderful you will look to the brethren! A good salesman can sell something that someone doesn't need, but as soon as he is gone, the person wakes up and regrets the purchase. Especially when the person receives the bill. That's what modern evangelism does. It makes heaven sound like a 5 minute flu shot, just in case you are headed for hell, pray-this-prayer! It sounds wonderful and you don't have to lift a finger. I'm not talking works for salvation instead, but i am against this method that tempts God to save us in our sin, not from our sin. Again, it is fruit not works, but if we are new creatures after and the sinner's prayer produces folks who want nothing to do with God there is something wrong.
4. It makes salvation "unconditional". That sounds nice, but it is not biblical. A gift can have conditions. Son, I will buy you your first car as a gift when a) get your driver's license and b) turn 17. God's 2 conditions for the free gift of eternal life are A) Saving faith and B) Biblical Repentance. If you skip either of these, God will not give you eternal life. It doesn't matter if you don't want to go to hell. It doesn't matter if you want to go to heaven. It doesn't matter if you will ask the Lord to save you. You can ask all want but until you meet God's conditions, you won't get the gift of God. It is like someone who is drowning in a polluted lake saying, "Lifeguard save me!" and then the lifeguard rows over in his lifeboat and the person drowning refuses to get in the boat. He wants to be saved, but he enjoys the filth he is swimming in too much.
It is not a works based salvation, it is not something you grow into, but that criteria must apply. We instead give intellectual agreement now to 4 or 5 select verses and get a head knowledge of everything the old men of God preached on for hours and think that produces true converts. It doesn't.
After doing some research on it....I found this article:
"How do I know Jack Hyles originated the Roman Road to Salvation? Because he said he came up with it. Jack Hyles was a Independent Baptist preacher and evangelist who had churches in East Texas and DFW area.
I ran across a Sunday morning sermon that Dr. Jack Hyles did at Hammond First Baptist Church on June 28, 1970 which he entitled the sermon “There Remaineth Yet Very Much Land to Be Possessed.” He states in this sermon that he originated it and termed this plan of salvation the “Roman Road.”
Sarah this is what he said as he is addressing the congregation of Hammonds FBC and the sermon has been written down. And I quote (Jack Hyles is speaking to the congregation at Hammonds FBC):
“By the way, you folks who don’t come on Wednesday night don’t know this, but about twenty-two years ago, in a little East Texas Church, I came up with a little plan of presenting the plan of salvation called “The Roman Road” whereby you take Verses contained in Romans and show people how to be saved using Romans 3:10, and Romans 3:23, and Romans 5:12, and Romans 5:8, and on and on. I termed it, “The Roman Road,” and from the “Roman Road” I wrote the little book, “Let’s Go Soul Winning.” Over one hundred and thirty-five thousand copies of that book have been printed. It has been translated into several languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, and others, and has literally gone around the world.”
You may like some of Jack Hyles stuff, but it is time we break away from his evangelism techniques because most of the soulwinning churches today are blinded by decisions!!!!! His methods have produced more cult than church and he was more of a cult leader enthralled with numbers and getting men to worship him. His doctrine of unquestioning loyalty meant no one had a right to judge him. Please know I am not slamming Jack Hyles, but so many people would rather defend him than examine his teachings. I am not picking on Jack Hyles, but due to how much influence his teachings have had across America and beyond we have a Biblical command to question them. Are we blindly following the blind? Are we really following the Bible or are we just following a man, hook, line, and sinker, and assuming that he must be following the Bible?
The Bible commands us to prove all things. No matter who is the originator, we should not look to a decision-geared method generated in the 1900's just as we wouldn't trust a Bible translation in the 1900's....these are the lukewarm, shallow, stony-ground hearing generation and not the most fruitful time to take our techniques from.
We like these methods because they are easier than all the prayer, labor, sowing, and tears that produced the GREAT AWAKENING. And it's not as negative or harsh sounding, and it is more positive to tell people how wonderful heaven is, vs. telling them they have offended a Holy God by their actions. But folks, we must examine the fruit of what we are producing.
In summary, the verses of Romans Road may be in the Bible but the method is not biblical because it makes salvation a PRAYER and not a PERSON and it is too shallow and allows a false watered down repentance or no repentance whatsoever. We need to see it is a dead end street because the Romans Road is being paved with two fold children of Hell
Saturday, August 11, 2012
What is YOUR LIFE?
What is your life?
It has been stated that if someone wants TRUTH he won't give up until he finds it.
If someone wants to STAY RIGHT it doesn't matter how nicely you package something or sugar coat it, he will not accept it.
I was a Hollywood nut before I was saved. Hollywood hates God so I try and avoid Hollywood as much as possible. I like the sermon illustrations and life lessons they unintentionally produce, but I don't like their stand or their sinful lifestyles. They literally sell their souls for fame, fortune, and fake empty lives. They basically teach that they are climbing, like most of America, on the ladder of "success", but those that reach the top find out it is facing the wrong wall.
Ultimately it leads to the wall of destruction.
I challenge you instead to want truth. My blogs are a bit long winded. I don't apologize, but I don't have that brief bone in my body. My texts freeze up Verizon when they are sent. My letters are books. I was allowed to give a 3 minute testimony at our wedding and I accidently preached for 8 minutes. My wife stood there in her high heels and almost passed out! All I am saying is if you want truth, it is here.
If you want the truth you will be willing to wade through the wording. Want the truth no matter the cost. I remember a movie called "A Few Good Men." A lawyer played by Tom Cruise shouted "I WANT THE TRUTH!" to a man on the stand. "You CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH" was his reply. True, we often can't handle the truth, but what is the alternative?
Hell is full today of men who couldn't handle the truth, so they stayed believing lies all their lives. God doesn't hide the truth. Maybe that is why mankind tends to run. The TRUTH is too authoritative. We like the beat around the bush way of living life. We love to live in the valley of decision. No commitment. Why promise something when you don't think you can keep it? However salvation is God keeping his promises. God keeps you from falling. If you could lose the gift of salvation you would. God keeps it and once you have it you cannot lose it. God changes your desires. You will love which you once hated, and hate which you once loved. Salvation is really becoming a new creature and doing what comes natural.
Don't be afraid of the TRUTH in salvation. Be afraid of Hell. Burning. Wasting your life. Facing the great and terrible God on judgment day and hearing DEPART FROM ME! I NEVER KNEW YOU! CAST HIM HAND AND FOOT AND CAST HIM INTO THE LAKE WHICH BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE! If you think you can't handle the truth, HOW WILL YOU EVER HANDLE HELL EVEN FOR A SECOND?
Men today need to be told things like it is. If you went to a doctor, do you want him to beat around the bush and make you come back 6 times before he has formed a relationship with you so he can tell you that you have cancer so you aren't offended? I trow not. TRUTH is TRUTH. WE need to grow up! MEN grow a spine!!
I care about you. I don't know who you are, how you got here, or whether you actually are reading this far or not--- but I want everyone to know GOD and avoid Hell and experience freedom from SIN, BONDAGE of addictions, and the pain of bad choices. Without God I would be dead, in jail, in hell, divorced, who knows. Instead I am blessed now with a wonderful wife, 4 children, a great job, a great church, wonderful home, but most importantly I KNOW GOD---and HE knows me!!!!
Consider the end. Consider your life. What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his own soul? A message was preached at our church last night on contentment. We Americans are spoiled brats, wanting wanting wanting and never satisfied. We want the next big thing, the next big gadget, the next toy. But he that dies with the most toys is still dead. You don't see a U-HAUL behind a hearse, but we live like there is one.
America, what are you living for? When our lives shall soon past, only that is done for Christ will last. That is why Jesus said to build treasures in Heaven. Start investing in something eternal. Your Wal Street 401K is built on smoke and mirrors. Most of them are fraudulent, most are like a 'house of cards' just waiting for the right breeze to topple it down to the ground. Our US economy has been bankrupt for years and yet our government continues writing bounced checks and just tells the world, "Don't worry about it! We can always print more!". Our economy is a shell game, but once the ride stops there will be no one there holding the shells!
Instead, invest in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Make sure you are saved, and spend time with God and find out what he wants you to do! Do it for Him, and let him do it through YOU! Consider the end!
What do you want to be doing in 500 years? BURNING IN HELL or WORSHIPPING GOD? Get saved and God will give you new desires, new direction, and a new destiny!!! Jesus saves!
What is your life?
Friday, August 10, 2012
The Solution
Christians need to fast and pray for America.
One day a week we need to fast.
We need to turn from our sin, and turn to Him.
We need to cry out against the sins of our nation.
We need to get back to the King James Bible. 100 versions in the past 100 years has only brought confusion and rebellion. THUS SAITH THE LORD said the KJV and that Bible had power because it is GOD's WORD! All the rest are altered by prideful men! They want to be the authority, not GOD! You know a tree by it's fruit. There is fruit in the KJV. Peace, strength, power, desire to turn from sin, hatred of evil, a fear of God. There is rotten fruit in the new versions. Burn them. and BUY a KJV!
We need to not bring the world into the church. Junk the DRUM SETS! Kick out the CCM! Get back to the old fashioned time tested hymnals, not the song of the week! The church should remind you of Heaven, not MTV. God is holy, and his music should not want you to jam for "Jesus".
We need to fix our destroyed foundation. We have a faulty foundation in evolution, and a faulty Christ redefined by Catholicism. The true Jesus is in the KJV. He is Holy, He created this world and preached on Hell. He always existed. Mary, the human vessel God chose, had other children after Jesus. She was not a perpetual virgin. She said, My soul doth rejoice in God my savior, to JESUS! The Bible says there is one mediator between God and man, the Christ Jesus. We don't need saints, or a priest to get to God. In fact, the Bible says we who are saved are Priests! Do not pray to me!!
Fast and pray, for there is no other way, to get right with Jesus, than to fast and pray.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2nd Chronicles 7:14
The Land of America needs healing like never before.
Christian, it is time to FAST. It is time to PRAY. It is time to WITNESS and take a STAND! It is time to TURN from idols, and TURN TO JESUS and to the BIBLE and RUN to A BIBLE PREACHING CHURCH THAT PREACHES FROM THE OLD KING JAMES BIBLE!
One day a week we need to fast.
We need to turn from our sin, and turn to Him.
We need to cry out against the sins of our nation.
We need to get back to the King James Bible. 100 versions in the past 100 years has only brought confusion and rebellion. THUS SAITH THE LORD said the KJV and that Bible had power because it is GOD's WORD! All the rest are altered by prideful men! They want to be the authority, not GOD! You know a tree by it's fruit. There is fruit in the KJV. Peace, strength, power, desire to turn from sin, hatred of evil, a fear of God. There is rotten fruit in the new versions. Burn them. and BUY a KJV!
We need to not bring the world into the church. Junk the DRUM SETS! Kick out the CCM! Get back to the old fashioned time tested hymnals, not the song of the week! The church should remind you of Heaven, not MTV. God is holy, and his music should not want you to jam for "Jesus".
We need to fix our destroyed foundation. We have a faulty foundation in evolution, and a faulty Christ redefined by Catholicism. The true Jesus is in the KJV. He is Holy, He created this world and preached on Hell. He always existed. Mary, the human vessel God chose, had other children after Jesus. She was not a perpetual virgin. She said, My soul doth rejoice in God my savior, to JESUS! The Bible says there is one mediator between God and man, the Christ Jesus. We don't need saints, or a priest to get to God. In fact, the Bible says we who are saved are Priests! Do not pray to me!!
Fast and pray, for there is no other way, to get right with Jesus, than to fast and pray.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2nd Chronicles 7:14
The Land of America needs healing like never before.
Christian, it is time to FAST. It is time to PRAY. It is time to WITNESS and take a STAND! It is time to TURN from idols, and TURN TO JESUS and to the BIBLE and RUN to A BIBLE PREACHING CHURCH THAT PREACHES FROM THE OLD KING JAMES BIBLE!
The Problem.
My Hope is not in Obama.
My Hope is not that we killed Osama.
My Hope is not in your mama.
My Hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.
Unfortunately, America is on sinking sand.
The Bible says, the wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that FORGET God.
America has forgotten God. The God of the Bible is who was the God this country was founded for. It was not founded for the catholics, or the Muslims or the sodomites. It was founded so Bible believers could have freedom of religion. Freedom to not be persecuted for rejecting the state church, and rejecting infant baptism.
Until the Bill of rights, true Christians were even persecuted in America. Preachers were jailed, people were banished, some were whipped. This is all hidden and our American history has been rewritten by revisionists, who make the founders out to be bible rejecting deists.
The devil has been attacking from within and without since 1776. Our country has become full of itself, and the true gods of America of materialism, and paganism, and humanism and socialism. Catholicism is nothing more than paganized Christianity, where pagan gods were renamed to make it the official state church, and pagan traditions were introduced so the heathen would "convert".
True Christianity rejects idolatry, false Christ, false religion, and goes against the culture of it's day. In our hearts we divorce ourselves from the things of this world, almost in a spiritual sense what the Amish do in a physical sense. We who get saved, have a born again experience and turn from our old lifestyle and embrace the calling of God. The Bible becomes our authority, heaven becomes our home, and we no longer fit in this Christ rejecting world.
What has happened in America is over time, true Christians have become powerless. They have lost their light that is to shine in a dark world. Preachers stopped preaching on the Fear of God, and America now flaunts it's sin, shakes it's fists at God, and wants to do it their way. God does not wink at sin, but he seems silent, only to bring up every act on Judgment Day, and give people opportunity after opportunity to wake up and get right.
Draughts? Wake up America!
9/11? Hurricane Katrina? Wildfires? Earthquakes? Wall Street crashes? Tornadoes? Heat waves? Job losses? Diseases? Mass shootings? Escalating violence? Threats and rumors of wars?
Wake up America!
Yet, the Christian who is supposed to engage the culture instead is absorbed into the culture. We who are believers are to distance ourselves from this world's sins, not join them.
American Idols are many. Anything you love more than God is an idol. And a god you make up in your own mind, to appease your conscience, is a false god. No idolator can enter heaven.
American Idols -- let's see.
Hollywood stars. TV actors. Budweiser King of Beers. Rock and Roll. Entertainment. ProSports. Movies. Pornography. Adultery. Fornication. Sodomy. Lottery. Casinos. Materialism. Junk Food. Fast Food. Money. 401K. Evolution. Science. Face Book. Exercise. Cell phones. IPods. Our pets. Travel. Cars. Boats. Fishing/hunting/little league. Nascar. Disney. Wal Mart. StarBucks. Texting. Yahoo/AOL. Chat rooms. Bars. Nightclubs. Strip Clubs. Feminism.
Christians are sadly just as guilty. They have one foot in the world and one foot in the church.
Jesus said No man can serve two masters.
What will control you? Sin or the Saviour?
Jesus saves. America needs to return to Him before America is destroyed.
My Hope is not that we killed Osama.
My Hope is not in your mama.
My Hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.
Unfortunately, America is on sinking sand.
The Bible says, the wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that FORGET God.
America has forgotten God. The God of the Bible is who was the God this country was founded for. It was not founded for the catholics, or the Muslims or the sodomites. It was founded so Bible believers could have freedom of religion. Freedom to not be persecuted for rejecting the state church, and rejecting infant baptism.
Until the Bill of rights, true Christians were even persecuted in America. Preachers were jailed, people were banished, some were whipped. This is all hidden and our American history has been rewritten by revisionists, who make the founders out to be bible rejecting deists.
The devil has been attacking from within and without since 1776. Our country has become full of itself, and the true gods of America of materialism, and paganism, and humanism and socialism. Catholicism is nothing more than paganized Christianity, where pagan gods were renamed to make it the official state church, and pagan traditions were introduced so the heathen would "convert".
True Christianity rejects idolatry, false Christ, false religion, and goes against the culture of it's day. In our hearts we divorce ourselves from the things of this world, almost in a spiritual sense what the Amish do in a physical sense. We who get saved, have a born again experience and turn from our old lifestyle and embrace the calling of God. The Bible becomes our authority, heaven becomes our home, and we no longer fit in this Christ rejecting world.
What has happened in America is over time, true Christians have become powerless. They have lost their light that is to shine in a dark world. Preachers stopped preaching on the Fear of God, and America now flaunts it's sin, shakes it's fists at God, and wants to do it their way. God does not wink at sin, but he seems silent, only to bring up every act on Judgment Day, and give people opportunity after opportunity to wake up and get right.
Draughts? Wake up America!
9/11? Hurricane Katrina? Wildfires? Earthquakes? Wall Street crashes? Tornadoes? Heat waves? Job losses? Diseases? Mass shootings? Escalating violence? Threats and rumors of wars?
Wake up America!
Yet, the Christian who is supposed to engage the culture instead is absorbed into the culture. We who are believers are to distance ourselves from this world's sins, not join them.
American Idols are many. Anything you love more than God is an idol. And a god you make up in your own mind, to appease your conscience, is a false god. No idolator can enter heaven.
American Idols -- let's see.
Hollywood stars. TV actors. Budweiser King of Beers. Rock and Roll. Entertainment. ProSports. Movies. Pornography. Adultery. Fornication. Sodomy. Lottery. Casinos. Materialism. Junk Food. Fast Food. Money. 401K. Evolution. Science. Face Book. Exercise. Cell phones. IPods. Our pets. Travel. Cars. Boats. Fishing/hunting/little league. Nascar. Disney. Wal Mart. StarBucks. Texting. Yahoo/AOL. Chat rooms. Bars. Nightclubs. Strip Clubs. Feminism.
Christians are sadly just as guilty. They have one foot in the world and one foot in the church.
Jesus said No man can serve two masters.
What will control you? Sin or the Saviour?
Jesus saves. America needs to return to Him before America is destroyed.
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