THE UNSAVED PERSON CANNOT UNDERSTAND GOD...YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!
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Posted:Feb 27, 2009 3:28 pm
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2009 9:00 am 51608 Views
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The unsaved person cannot understand God...
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
1 Corinthians 2:14
The Bible teaches that man is created in the image of God. God manifests Himself to mankind in the Persons of God the Father, God the , and God the Holy Spirit. Likewise, mankind is composed of a body, soul, and spirit. Our body is the temple of the holy Spirit.
Our spirit is dead in sin when we are born into this world that is, we are born void of God. No person is ever born with God. The only exception is the Lord Jesus Christ Who came as God in the flesh 1 Timothy 3:16
Our spirit is dead in trespasses and sin the Bible says...
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the of disobedience"
Ephesians 2:1,2
The reason why you need to be "spiritually" born is because you have never been spiritually born to begin with. So when the Bible speaks of being "born again," it actually means "born for the second time." You were born physically into this world, but you were born without the Spirit of God in your spirit(spiritually dead).
To be "spiritually" born means that God's Holy Spirit "quickens" (or makes alive) your dead spirit. When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, trusting Him alone to forgive all your sins–then God the Father and God the come into your heart in the form of God the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). The "Holy Spirit" is "God within us."
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:1-7
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ARE YOU CLOTHED IN CHRISTS RIGHTEOUSNESS OR YOUR OWN BY LAW KEEPING?
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Posted:Feb 27, 2009 3:20 pm
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2009 9:01 am 52355 Views
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Many religions today falsely teach that a person is required to be baptized in order to go to Heaven.
Other religions falsely teach that a person is required to forsake their sins in order to go to Heaven.
Some religions falsely require a person to observe the Sabbath, tithe, partake of Sacraments, or join a certain religious denomination to go to Heaven. These are all lies of the Devil, who is the father of all liars SIZE] (John 8:44).
Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 6:23).
The truth of God's Word is that we need Jesus' righteousness in order to be saved and go to Heaven.
This is because we have no righteousness of our own to offer God (Romans 3:10; James 2:10).
All we can offer God is our own self-righteousness, which is not acceptable to God (Isaiah 64:6).
We need Jesus' righteousness, which is by faith in Him alone for salvation...
"For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus the ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Jesus paid for our sins with His blood.We read in
Romans 10:3-4, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Salvation is found ONLY in Jesus Christ!
David J. Stewart
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ARE YOU A RELIGIOUS HUMANIST?
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Posted:Feb 27, 2009 10:13 am
Last Updated:Feb 27, 2009 7:33 pm 49412 Views
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Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world. Humanist Manifesto
Humanism is an ideological, political, and religious belief that denies the existence of God. Atheists are humanist, as are new-agers, and many others. The theory of evolution was developed by humanists to create a world devoid of God. Humanism today is prevalent in our media, schools, and government.
The religious humanist believes, as the Humanist Manifesto states, that the religions of the world are outdated due to a vastly increased knowledge and experience, and are powerless to solve the problem of human living in this time. Christians know the power of God, but to the humanist the human is divine and must be responsible for furnishing adequate human goals and providing for the spiritual needs of today.
From about A.D. 500 to 1500 Western culture experienced what is known as the Dark Ages. The Roman Catholic Church as a political and religious authority dominated Western civilization. It controlled what men thought. The printing press was invented only toward the end of that period, so the distribution of information was very restricted.
The Reformation changed all that. There was an explosion of independent thinking and the chains of Romanism were shattered. The invention of the printing press made large quantities of information available. People could see, study, analyze, criticize, and evaluate biblical and other issues. In the Enlightenment man moved away from theological issues and focused on himself. The Industrial Revolution confirmed man's brilliance through his creativity and invention. The of those developments was rationalism. Man came to worship his intellect. One example of that trend is Thomas Paine's Age of Reason, in which the eighteenth-century political theorist debunked the Bible and exalted the human mind.
Out of rationalism came liberal theology. Theologians examined the Bible in the light of human rationality and threw out the parts they deemed irrational. Man's mind became his own divine standard. When man focuses on his own achievements, he turns from the supernatural to the natural. We're in such a time right now, with achievements far surpassing those of the Enlightenment. Our present time has seen tremendous progress, and the result has been narcissistic self-worship. Many have come to believe that man has all the answers, a form of humanism that I call pragmatism.
Today's preaching reflects the pragmatic approach. So much of it is man-centered, dominated by a relational mentality that reconciles man to man, not man to God. It's directed at teaching you techniques to implement in your life so you can get what you want.
THEOLOGICAL ERROR CONSERNING
1) The sovereignty of God
Pragmatism is a failure to understand basic theological truth. The pragmatic approach to problem solving does not account for the sovereignty of God. Because He is sovereign, only God can solve problems.
2) The depravity of man
Pragmatic problem solving also fails to account for the depravity of man. Man can't solve his problems. His only hope is to get in touch with God. Two people working together will not help each other unless one has God working through him on behalf of the other.
Methodological error
1) The problem
Man is a fallen creature. Human depravity is so deep and pervasive that we cannot do anything for ourselves in the spiritual realm. So the use of human means to solve spiritual problems will inevitably result in failure.
2) The solution
However if you understand that God is absolutely sovereign and that man is totally depraved, then you're going to seek a supernatural solution to your problems. The weapons of your warfare will be spiritual not fleshly.
JOHN MACARTHUR. GRACE TO YOU!
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HUMANISM- END TIME APOSTATE C HURCHIANITY TRYING TO KEEP THE LAW FOR SALVATION
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Posted:Feb 27, 2009 9:56 am
Last Updated:Feb 28, 2009 10:10 am 52161 Views
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OH THE HOW THE SDA WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO TRY AND DECEIVE AND PUT PEOPLE UNDER THE LAW! GUESS WHAT? THOSE OF THE TRUTH WILL HEAR THE TRUTH AND THOSE NOT OF THE TRUTH WILL GO INTO PERDITION.....THAT IS GODS CALL....BUT I WILL SHOUT THE BIBLE FROM THE ROOF TOP! IF ANY DOCTRINE DOES NOT LINE UP WITH SCRIPTURE THEN CHUCK IT! BUT IF IT DOES AND ONE REJECTS IT THEN THEY ARE REJECTING THE LORD. THIS IS HERESY AND APOSTASY!
ANY PERSON WHO FOLLOWS A MAN (OR WOMAN) RATHER THAN JESUS CHRIST IS HEADED FOR TROUBLE BUT IF A MAN (OR WOMAN) PREACH ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE WE SHOULD TAKE HEED. WHY? THE LORD USES HIS SHEEP TO PREACH HIS WORD! TEST THE SPIRITS, SEE IF WHAT THEY SAY IS IN THE BIBLE. IF IT IS NOT THEN FLEE FROM THAT PERSON BUT IF WHAT THEY SAY IS SCRIPTURAL, TAKE HEED THAT YOU LISTEN, FOR THE LORD USES WHO HE USES AND WHETHER YOU LIKE THEM OR NOT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE!
I DECLARE ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD THAT THERE IS NO SALVATION IN ANY OTHER NAME THAN JESUS CHRIST! SALVATION IS OF THE LORD...NOT OF THE WILL OF MAN BUT THE WILL OF GOD. TO DECLARE OTHER WISE IS UNSCRIPTURAL HUMANISTIC DOCTRINE THAT PUTS SALVATION IN YOUR LAP? ARE YOU SAVED BY YOURSELF OR BY GODS GRACE? DID YOU RECEIVE THE SPIRIT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW OR BY GRACE? IF BY GRACE THEN YOU DID NOTHING AT ALL TO EARN IT!
NOTHING MEANS NOTHING! THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD AND HEARING(THE ABILITY TO HEAR) BY GOD!
SO WHERE IS YOUR FREE WILL IN ALL THIS? YOU CANNOT HAVE FAITH OUT SIDE GODS ABILITY AND YOU CAN RECOGNIZE YOUR STATE OF SIN WITHOUT GODS ABILITY SO WHO SAVES YOU? GOD BY HIS WILL OR YOU BY YOURS?
JOHN 1: 10-14
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came to his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
JOHN 6 (READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER)
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the , and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day......
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
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ARMINIANISM-Humanist Liberal Christianity
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Posted:Feb 27, 2009 9:17 am
Last Updated:Feb 27, 2009 7:53 pm 49462 Views
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ARMINIANISM is a teaching regarding salvation associated with the Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius (1560-1609).
Shortly after his death, the followers of Arminius (later called Arminians) presented a statement to the governing authorities of Holland in which they set forth five articles of doctrine. These were: (1) that the divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute; (2) that the Atonement is in intention universal; (3) that man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith, but requires God's help to attain this faith; (4) that though the grace of God is a necessary condition of human effort it does not act irresistibly in man; (5) that believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace.
In essence, the Arminians maintained that God gives indispensible help in salvation, but that ultimately it is the free will of man which decides the issue. After a period of sharp theological controversy the Dutch government convened a National Synod of leading churchmen, which met in Dordrecht in the years 1618-19. At this "Synod of Dort" the members adopted five articles in direct opposition to the five articles of the Arminians AND REJECTED ARMINIANISM AS HERESY!
Pelagianism is the basis for Arminianism. Pelagianism is also the basis for humanism. Austin Cline, an atheist states of Pelagianism, "Pelagius may have been condemned and persecuted for his views, but they never entirely died. The idea that we can choose to do what is right is an essential part of humanism and could have been an essential part of Christianity. Their loss is our gain."
In other words, Pelagius teaching against the doctrine of original sin is a gain to the atheism. Romans 3:10, 11, 23 and many other Scriptures prove Pelagianism to be pure heresy. We are sinners by nature and sinners by choice. Psalms 51:5, Ephesians 2:5
Pelagius “denied original sin, the doctrine that we have inherited a sinful nature from Adam.” The Bible teaches that when Adam died we all died. Romans 5:12. Pelagius “taught that people can choose God by the exercise of their free will and rational thought.” This denies the total depravity of man.
Before we are saved, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. A dead person is not able to anything and therefore not capable of “rational thought.”
Our thought life prior to salvation is carnal and centered upon this sinful world. Our wills are in bondage to sin. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 4:23b. Prior to salvation we do not have the gift of faith, so everything we do prior to salvation including think is enslaved to sin.
Romans 6:16, we are totally unable to please God or choose Him without Divine help. Hebrews 11:6, Romans 7:14. Our ability to choose comes only after salvation not before. Prior to salvation our wills are in total bondage to sin. Romans 7, John 15:5. Without God we are unable to choose Him. He gives us the faith needed to believe.
Arminianism teaches that man has a free will just as did Pelagianism; both of course are complete heresies. As was shown earlier, we do not have a free will prior to salvation. Our wills are in bondage to our sinful natures. Arminianism denies the doctrine of Total Depravity or Original Sin just as did Pelagianism, proving Arminianism is a heresy. Pelagius opposed Augustine’s teachings on the Sovereignty of God. Arminius opposed Calvin’s teachings on the Sovereignty of God. Both Pelagius and Arminius tried to elevate man and bring down God. They remade God into the image of man. Both Pelagius and Arminius made salvation hinge on man, whereas the truth is salvation hinges on God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who draws us to salvation by the Holy Spirit according to the will of God the Father.
Since, Arminius held some of the same views as the heretic Pelagius, Arminius is also a heretic. Those who are pure Arminians deny the truth of God’s Word and make salvation hinge on man. Wide is the path to destruction, but narrow is the gate to life everlasting. Pelagians and their current followers the Arminians are following the wide path, by not entering in at the narrow gate. Humanism goes against the truth of God’s Word and must not be tolerated. We are totally depraved, dead in our sins prior to salvation. Only God can save us, we can not save ourselves.
Humanism is a philosophy, an approach to life, and a movement that focuses on creating a human-centered, value-oriented society.
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THE DRIFT TOWARDS APOSTACY- GETS WORSE IN THE END TIMES-ALL THE WORLD WILL WORSHIP THE BEAST
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Posted:Feb 26, 2009 10:26 am
Last Updated:Feb 26, 2009 8:12 pm 51717 Views
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The Drift Toward Apostasy
The true church of Jesus Christ has always been plagued by apostasy, but nothing like the present. The bible makes it clear that doctrinal confusion will rise to a crescendo in the latter days, leading many to depart from the faith as they eagerly follow deceiving spirits and willingly adopt doctrines of demons. It has been well established that many of the false religions and cults of history have grown out of deceptions or apostate branches of Christianity.
B]Though the centuries whenever the church permitted theological error to creep in, God raised up reformers to call His people back to the foundational doctrines of Scripture. Or He raised up others who led movements to separate themselves according to the Scriptures; that is how many of our present denominations were formed.
In the middle of the nineteenth century certain individuals educated in Europe and influenced by German rationalism began teaching in denominational seminaries. The devil knew the best way to inject his apostate doctrine into the churches was to infiltrate the seminaries, indoctrinate young ministers, and send them into the churches to spread his false concepts across the land.
Tim LaHaye tells of a now deceased seminary professor that for more than 25 years occupied "the chair of Christian ethics" in what was the largest seminary in the nation. He helped to orient the thinking of thousands of present generation ministers. Several years ago this man was identified under oath as a member of the Communist party. Is it any wonder that his denomination is the most radical and unbelieving in Christendom?
( READ ABOUT Communist infiltration IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH )
In some big denominations, local congregations have little to say about the calling of a minister, and power is centralized in the hands of a few. Under These conditions, aggressive apostates have gained much influence. Millions of members have faced the decision whether to stay in the denomination or pull out and start a new church. Most of those who have "stayed with the ship" have been unable to stop the continual drift toward apostasy.
The Religions of the World Unite.... One world religion?
However much we may agree with Pope Paul II on his stand against abortion, homosexuality, and other aspects of morality, we must oppose his promotion of unity among Christ denying religions of the world. In 1986 he convened a conference for 130 religious leaders of the world in Iccese, Italy, to "pray for world peace." In attendance were Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Pantheists, the Dalai Lama, and a host of others who reject Jesus Christ. Who can they all pray to? They don't agree on who or even what, God is or in whose name we should pray. Of one thing we are certain; You can't reject or ignore God's and still expect to have your prayers answered.
(Pantheists) Most people also have a deep need to belong to a community AND this is perhaps the main reason why people join or stick with religions they may privately doubt. The WPM aims to provide a spiritual and social "home base" for people who love Nature and the Universe but do not believe in any supernatural entities. A home base that provides the community support of local groups, and facilitators to help celebrate natural weddings, funerals and other special occasions in the style that people really want. A base where you can share your beliefs and your enthusiasms without fear of being ostracized or considered an outsider.
The idea that all religions point to the same god is blasphemy. So is the idea that there are many ways to God. Buddha, Mary, Gaia, Mohammed, and Christ are not in the same category. They do not all carry equal weight with the triune God of the Bible. Just one was God's "only begotten ," and only He gives us access to God through prayer.
How Close are We ?
All it would take for the world's religions to unite under the leadership of Rome would be the Rapture of all true Christians. That would successfully strip the Catholic Church, the Orthodox church, liberal Protestantism, and the evangelical church of any true believers and would make religious unity without respect for doctrinal differences instantly possible.
What is interesting is that the only religious group not tolerated today is Bible believing Christians. They are seen as intolerant because they insist that "Jesus is the only way."
Once removed by the Rapture, nothing on the religious horizon would impede the idolatrous worshipers of the world from uniting and becoming the Babylonian that has for centuries been "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus". (Rev 17 v.6) It is clear from Revelation that these idolatrous religionists will continue to hate Jesus Christ and His followers right into the Tribulation.
On the basis of John's prophecy of the rise of Babylon the Great and on the basis of the latest evidence of current events, I believe the stage is set for the resurrection of this great occultic religious system. Eastern culture has always been open to various forms of the occult, but now the West is also experiencing a great fascination with the black arts and dark religions. This truth really threw me for a jolt when I saw how prevalent the occult is in the lives of our , our future leaders says Hal Lindsey. But its not just the . A whole generation which grew up in the 60's seems to have been brainwashed with an anti biblical world view. Now even the Christian churches are being targeted for conversion by pagans.
A group called the Temple of Understanding, affiliated with the Gaia Institute and the UN Global Committee of Parliamentarians on Population Development, is behind a new push to inundate Christian churches with nature worshipping propaganda. The effort is organized under the auspices of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, which works with the U.S. Catholic Conference, the National Council of Churches, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life and the Evangelical Environmental Network. The 5 million dollar program, funded by Ted Turner and other liberal foundations, attempts to politicize 100 million Americans in 53,000 congregations.
"It is unmistakably clear that the new partnership is the brain of anti Christian New Age pagans who promote an environmental religion known as Gaia," say Tom DeWeese, president of the American Policy Center. The partnership has sent to 53,000 congregations, including every Catholic parish and every Jewish synagogue in the nation," education and action kits." The kits contain Sunday school and sermon resource material carefully planned to fit into the doctrine of the particular denomination targeted.
A pillar of the Temple of Understanding is a man named Maurice Strong, who was secretary general of the first UN Earth Summit, which called for 50% of the land in each of the 50 states to be turned into wilderness areas where no humans would be allowed to enter. Strong, a millionaire proponent of one world government, owns a ranch in Colorado where he has built a Babylonian sun god temple which serves as the center of New Age religious activities.
Pheasant Point Baptist Church
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APOSTACY-DEPARTING FROM THE TRUTH-FORSAKING THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST
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Posted:Feb 26, 2009 10:11 am
Last Updated:Feb 27, 2009 10:19 am 52585 Views
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Apostasy means falling away, defecting, forsaking or departing from the faith. Revelation Chapter 2 Paul explained that there were certain events that would precede the introduction of the Antichrist.
In particular, he warned that before the Antichrist could come on the scene, there would first have to be a great apostasy. The word apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasia which means, literally, "to defect, or to forsake the faith".
"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed. (2 Thess 2 v.3)
In this generation, we have set the standard for apostasy. There have always been heretical views, of course, just as there have always been earthquakes, famines, and wars. But this generation has elevated it to an art form.
What would you think of an Episcopal bishop who loudly championed the views that:
The resurrection of Christ was not a real event but a legend
There was no empty tomb, no angels, no appearances
No reasonable person could believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible
The virgin of a literal Bible, the virgin of annunciation, Bethlehem, and the manager "will have to go"
The church should actively endorse and even celebrate hom ose xua l behavior, as well as hete rose xu al liaisons outside of marriage
John Shelby Spong, the Episcopal bishop of Newark NJ has enthusiastically promoted all of those heretical views in his many controversial books. He states: that the first century ideas that shaped the New Testament are hopelessly outdated and provincial and must be discarded if Christianity is to survive in the modern world.
A reviewer of this book wrote, "Oddly enough, Spong's views do not seem particularly new. In fact, his views seem very much in keeping with the religious humanist variety of Unitarianism. What is remarkable is not the beliefs themselves, but that an Episcopal bishop would be the one to embrace them.
The Great Departing
The apostle Paul predicted that a time would come when men and women would turn away from the faith and instead embrace heresy. He wrote this to the young Thessalonian church: Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs. (2 Thess. 2 v.1-3)
What he is saying is before the day of the Lord and the revelation of the man of sin, there will first be a "rebellion" or a "departing". (Meaning "apostasy" which is a defection or departure from that which was given at the first) The plain meaning of this Prophecy is that before Christ returns, many who were entrusted with the truth will depart from it. (I understand this to mean those who are currently preaching the word will depart from the Word of God as given us by the Holy Bible)
After the "catching away" of those in Christ (1 Thess. 4 v.17 Rapture) all who are truly in him will be gone. Conditions will be ripe for people, especially those who call themselves Christian but are not really such, to turn their backs on God in what they do as well as in what they already have in thought. Then their insincerity will demonstrate itself outwardly. This worldwide anti God movement will be so universal as to earn for itself a special designation: "the apostasy."
Another biblical passage that speaks of departing is found in (1 Tim 4 v.1-2) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (1 Tim 4 v.1-2)
In the seven churches in Rev 2 & 3, Laodicea, the final church in the series, illustrates what the church will be like just before the Rapture occurs. Here is what the Lord says about that apostate church. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Rev 3 v.15 18
Does today's church look and smell like the church at Laodicea? Tim LaHaye states that he believes the church at large today is in the same plight as those religionists described by Jesus in Mat 7 v.22-23: "Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
Pheasant Point Baptist Church
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ONE WORLD RELIGION- APOSTASY OF THE END TIMES- Ecumenical Church Unity
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Posted:Feb 26, 2009 9:36 am
Last Updated:Feb 26, 2009 3:19 pm 52272 Views
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Ecumenical Church Unity IS A Plan of the Devil
We are living in a day of ecumenical propaganda calling on the churches of the world to amalgamate. Church unity is moving at a breathtaking pace. This is the apostasy that the bible tells us will happen in the end time and the false prophet when he comes, will ensure this happens.
Many years ago, Tim LaHaye states he preached a sermon in his church entitled "The Ecumenical Church A sign of Our Lord's Return." During that message he stated that the day would come when Roman Catholicism and liberal Protestantism would begin moving together and make overtures to unite.
That statement struck many in the church like a bombshell. He was accused of being radical and extreme. When he makes that statement now, he finds overwhelming agreement. The newspapers are filled with accounts of such strange things as Catholic and Protestant churches working together with the Jews on a common translation of the Scriptures.
A Baptist minister participating with a Catholic priest in a marriage ceremony, and a Catholic priest participating in the ordination of a Baptist minister, after which he was quoted as saying, "It was a rich and meaningful experience."
"As we approach the end of the Church Age, we can expect to see liberal Protestantism, in the form of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, being swallowed up by the Church of Rome. This unity movement should not, however, be limited to apostate Christianity.
We can expect to see it move toward amalgamating all the religions of the world under Rome's headship because our text states that the religious system at the end time will be a one world religion: "Where the sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages" (Rev. 17 v.15)
This can only mean a one world religious system.
One World Religion
Before considering the plaques and judgments of the Tribulation, we would do well to understand something of the reason for the ferocity of God's judgments. One of the majority causes of His divine wrath is the corrupt one world religion that will arise at that time.
Rev. 17 v.5 gives us a graphic picture of this global "church." John calls it "Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth" He said she committed fornication with the kings of the earth, clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She also held a golden cup full of "abominations and the filthiness of her "fornication" v.4
Mystery Babylon the Great
All symbols of her great wealth and corrupt influence. John tells us in verse 3 that she sits on a "scarlet beast", the same beast identified in Rev 13 as the Antichrist. And he adds this in verse 16. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the , make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. Ten Horns
The Charming The word "" was also connected with the practice of witchcraft when the prophet Nahum pronounced judgment upon the great ancient city of Nineveh: "Because of the multitude of the harlotries of the charming , the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her harlotries, and families through her witchcrafts." (Nahum 3 v.4)
Isaiah also called the city of Tyre a . In the Tribulation period, it won't be a city or a nation that is practicing this spiritual adultery. It will be the entire world, or "world system", as James called it. The world system is the organized system of world attitudes and institutions that exclude God's way and is under Satan's control. We can see the beginnings of this system in our own world today.
That Old Intoxicating Spell
In Israel's history of seductions, each time she was lured away from her Jehovah God it was by a perversion of religion. And so it is with the great which John sees. She symbolizes an enormous false religious system that is so appealing that she has been able to seduce all the kings of the earth with her deceptions. Not only will this seductive religious wield control over the leaders of the nations, but even the common man will be intoxicated with her.
What kind of religious system can we expect under the ? What powerful secrets will she hold that permit her to bring together atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and cultural (but unbelieving) Christians? Most interpreters of this chapter have simply updated the thinking of the Protestant reformers who believed that the Pope would be the Antichrist and the Roman Catholic Church the of Babylon.
In the opinion of Hal Lindsey, this is inaccurate, a little to simple. The Catholic Church has been steadily declining in popularity and its difficult to imagine any Pope, even one as popular as John Paul II who was able to rein in Muslims under his leadership. The main question is this: How could any false brand of Christianity get all the other religions to join it?
The religious system of the Tribulation period will have to offer more than some watered down brand of false Christianity to muster an appeal on the broad scale described here. Many churches today have already learned through their declining attendance that watered down Christianity bores people to death.
Pheasant Point Baptist Church
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DIVISION AND UNITY - WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY?
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Posted:Feb 25, 2009 8:14 pm
Last Updated:Mar 4, 2009 9:40 pm 55846 Views
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When people in the Church stand up seeking to test things by God's Word, an accusation often made against them is that in doing so they are "dividing the body of Christ" and "bringing disunity". But how can upholding the Truth bring disunity? Is it not error and unrighteous practice that divides? To understand these issues we need to turn, not to our preconceived notions of unity but to the Scriptures and allow God to show us the true notion of Christian unity and what it is to 'divide the body of Christ'.
1) The True Nature of Christian Unity: Union in Christ through faith in the Truth
Scripture has much to say about Christian unity. At the most fundamental level all true believers are united in Christ by a spiritual union with Him as a result of the work of the Spirit in our hearts through faith in the Truth of the Gospel. The Scriptures command us NOT to create unity (which is there and real already) but to preserve this unity through acts of love in the context of local churches. (John 17:22-23; Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:3-6,13; Colossians 3:13-15; etc.)
Because Christian unity comes through faith it involves a unity in Truth. This is why the Scripture constantly urges us to preserve our unity by upholding the knowledge of the truth in both doctrine and deed (eg: John 8:31-32). Growth in knowledge and understanding of the Gospel is seen as a key for expressing our unity. Indeed, love is even defined in terms of obedience to the Truth/Word (John 14:15,21,23-24; 1 John 2:3-6). The wider our agreement in the Truth, the stronger our basis for visible unity and the better for our spiritual growth. This is why we are urged to seek the ideal of "one mind" despite remaining differences (1 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Ephesians 4:13).
2) True Division: Preservation of Christian unity by rejection of error in doctrine or deed
If we are united through the truth of the Gospel applied to our hearts by the Spirit it follows that division stems from error or heresy a denial of truth in teaching or practice. This is indeed the clear teaching of Scripture. We are warned to test everything in order that our unity be preserved (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 1:9-11; 1 John 4:1) On minor matters on which the Scriptures do not directly speak, there is room for difference within our fundamental unity. (1 Corinthians 11:19; Romans 14) However all teaching is to be subject to the test of the Word. Where it falls short, people are to be lovingly corrected through the discipline of the church. Where people deny their faith by heresy or immorality, the Scripture insists that we separate from them, NOT because we are causing division - but in order to preserve the spiritual unity we have that they now deny. It is always error that divides truth unites. This is why Evangelicals cannot 'unite' with Roman Catholicism, for they latter still deny the central issues of the Biblical gospel and expounds a unity alien to the Gospel. This is also why the "Word of Faith" movement, with its denials of Biblical atonement must also be rejected and all cults. (SDA, Mormon,JW, ect)
3) False unity: An outward unity at the expense of Truth
Having briefly surveyed the Scriptural notion of unity and division, it becomes apparent that much of the notions concerning unity in the church today need to be seriously questioned. There are two common false notions:
Organizational Unity
Firstly, there is the ecumenical notion that 'unity' is to be found by having all 'Christians' under one organizational structure. Historically, this has been the position of the Roman Catholic Church which has sought to have all 'Christians' 'united' within its structure under the authority of the Pope. This is also the position of many cults who deny salvation to those outside their group. Sadly - there are many Charismatics and Evangelicals who seem to be suggesting a similar thing by arguing that there can only be 'one church in any city'; or for everyone to be 'under Apostolic authority' - some even arguing that until such external unity is realised there will be no revival (such as in Acts 2).
The problem with this view is that it fails to realise that unity is fundamentally Spiritual as a result of conversion. Any organization that comes about as a result of this Spiritual unity is at best an expression of it (eg: Acts 2:41-42). At worst mere organizational unity can eventually encompass a mass of people who are but nominally Christian - who have no real unity in Christ at all and bringing his Name into disrepute.
Unity as Unquestioning Tolerance
A second common view errs in thinking that 'unity' is expressed through 'being tolerant' by not disagreeing with anyone. On this view anyone who seeks to challenge or test someone else (at least publicly) is breaking the unity of the Body of Christ.
This is a sad and fragile unity indeed! It is completely alien to Scriptural unity - as the Apostles were willing to publicly rebuke and correct individuals and churches and urged the churches to do likewise, in light of the Word (eg: 1 Corinthians 5; Titus 1:9-11; 2 Peter 2). Scriptural unity is not a superficial tolerance but a deep spiritual bond based on truth and committed to upholding that truth. This means that at times a Christian or group may have to be lovingly challenged if they are denying (in doctrine or deed) the unity they profess to have with us (like in the warnings in the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 cf 1 John 2:19).
4) False Division: Embracing error and rejecting Truth
If true division is to separate from error for the sake of the truth, then false division is to embrace and promote error at the expense of truth and thereby divide the body of Christ. It is false teaching and practice that divides churches. False teaching ultimately arises from reading Scripture in light of extra biblical traditions, experience or reason. This is why the scriptures urge us to test these things (see "True Division" above). The severest warnings of scripture are directed at those who so divide Christ's body (Matthew 18:6; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:25-31; 2 Peter 2).
Other forms of division which are forbidden are those over minor issues stemming from personal preference in areas of freedom, ethnic differences, personality of leaders, etc rather than Scriptural criteria. Taking such things and making them into laws or factions is legalism and to be avoided. Rather in such cases we are to express our unity in love by putting the interest of others and the church first over our own liberty (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17).
Conclusion: Error divides but Truth unites who are you to cause division?!
So often those who cry the loudest "unity! unity!" and accuse others of "dividing the Body" by daring to question their teaching or practice are the very ones who are dividing Christ by the introduction of new and unbiblical teachings and practices.
We have a responsibility to preserve our unity by testing all things (including ourselves) according to His Word. We are called to express our unity through obedience to the Truth, especially the central and saving truths of the Gospel by which we are saved. It goes without saying that in carrying out such a task we are to do it with a humble attitude of loving concern for the cause of Christ and His people.
Romans 16:17-18
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Biblical Discernment Ministries
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THE DANGERS OF THE GOSPEL ACCOMMODATION BY DAVID WILKERSON
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Posted:Feb 25, 2009 7:52 pm
Last Updated:Feb 26, 2009 8:51 am 54924 Views
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I am not coming to you as a pastor but with a prophetic word. God so shook me recently with this message that I should bring it somewhere, sometime in Springfield. This morning the Lord, by His Spirit, spoke to my heart that this is the time. He has called me to be one of His watchmen, and I have wept over this and prayed that He will help me deliver the message in a spirit of love. This is not a chastisement but a warning for the Assemblies of God.
A New Gospel
Accommodate means to adapt, to make suitable and acceptable, to make convenient. A gospel of accommodation is creeping into the United States. It's an American cultural invention to appease the lifestyle of luxury and pleasure. Primarily a Caucasian, suburban gospel, it's also in our major cities and is sweeping the nation, influencing ministers of every denomination, and giving birth to megachurches with thousands who come to hear a nonconfronting message. It's an adaptable gospel that is spoon-fed through humorous skits, drama, and short, nonabrasive sermonettes on how to cope Called a seeker-friendly or sinner-friendly gospel.
To begin with, those terms are unscriptural. The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been confronting, Where is no such thing as a friendly gospel but a friendly grace.
This new gospel is being propagated by bright, young, talented ministers. They have come upon a formula which states you can go into any town or city; and if you have the right formula, within a short time you can raise a megachurch.
If you are a young man and have certain skills, you find those skills and a part of the city that would best suit you. You move into that area, poll it, and find out what the nonchurchgoers want:
"You don't like choirs. Well, would you go to a church that didn't have a choir?" Yes.
"You don't like to wear suits. Would you go where it's informal?" Yes.
Then you go to your computer and design a gospel that will not confront but will shoot out the desires and the needs of the people. After you have gathered a handful of people, you keep interviewing them to find out what they want; then you design your message to help people cope with their needs. The program you design is intended to make the church comfortable and friendly for all sinners who wish to attend.
This gospel is fast becoming the most prosperous and flourishing of all religious movements. Thousands attend these churches. The pastor is the CEO, and it becomes a business. They make no bones about it: They are following Madison Avenue tactics and can make a success of it. Their formula for quick church growth is cleverly packaged and is being sold especially to young ministershose who want to be a part of the big boys and what's happening on a fast track. They want it to happen quickly.
Paul's Warning
Paul warned of the coming of another gospel and another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). He warned the church that it's really not another gospel but a perversion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. If you hear any other gospel, he said, let that preacher be accursed. In other words, no matter how pleasant, how pious, or how sincere, if the message is not the death of sin through the cross of Jesus Christ, let it be accursed.
I tremble when I read in the Scriptures that in the last days Satan is going to come right into the church posing as an angel of light. He's going to take ministers who, at one time, had the touch of God, and he's going to transform them into angels of light to become his tool of deception. That's frightening. It causes me to fall on my face before God for such false, deceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. No marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's no great thing if ministers also are transformed as the ministers of righteousness whose end shall be according to their works.
Paul said they are going to glory in the flesh, in their bigness, their numbers, their influence, and their contemporariness. They will boast they are contemporary, that there is a gospel that is out of style that doesn't reach human need anymore. They will glory in the world's acceptance. Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). The context of that warning was: "Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it" (verse 14).
His warning was to beware of the wolves who are going to say it's really not that narrow and straight. They are going to come posing as submissive sheep. Jesus put His finger on the cause: ambition Ambitious ravening wolves. In the Greek it means "starved for recognition and quick gratification, quick growth."
Jesus left no doubt about His meaning. For example, He was addressing a struggling pastor who has worked for years and hasn't seen the kind of growth he wants to see. A young man with an accommodating gospel moves into town and and within a very short time has a megachurch. People are flocking there because there is entertainment; it's a gospel of fun. I've been in some of them. It's the gospel of entertainment that has no conviction whatsoever. There is very little in their gospel that speaks to sinners of repentance, brokenness, and cross-bearing. A Christ is preached, Jesus' name is mentioned, but Paul said their's is another gospel, another Jesus.
Paul warned that if you are caught in this trap, if you want that hook of entertainment, that hook of sudden growth, this is the hook: The enemy will put in your path a teaching.
I have two preacher sons. One of them confessed to me, "Dad, I was that close to being sucked in because I fasted and prayed and didn't see the growth I wanted to see, and I saw these others grow. That hook was there, and I almost bought it."
That is something this Movement and every movement is going to have to look at and deal with: It is possible, through unholy ambition, to be transformed from a man of God, who has been seeking God and getting a word from heaven, to an unholy ambition and a tool of Satan. Let every pastor heed this warning: The moment you begin to consider the "competition," seeds of accommodation will be planted in your heart. Suddenly, Satan will put in your path a wolf in sheep's clothing. A man who will try to seduce you into ungodly ambition and achieving church growth at any cost. Yet the truth is, it could cost you your soul.
The Right Formula
If you find the right formula, according to the accommodation gospel, you can succeed in any field of endeavor.
An editorial in the New York Times (March 1, 199 was entitled, How To Manufacture a Best-Seller. It told the story of John Baldwin, a 53-year-old carpenter and a would-be writer, who had struggled for years to make a living from writing. He determined to become famous and rich overnight by writing a best-selling medical thriller. He studied five or six best thrillers. After 7 years' research he found 10 steps to producing a best-selling medical novel. He honed it with some Hollywood writers and agents, and here is the 10-step formula he used:
The hero is an expert.
The villain is an expert.
You must watch all the villain's activities over his shoulder.
The hero has a team of experts behind him, working in various fields.
Two or more on the team must fall in love.
Two or more on the team must die.
The villain must turn his attention from his initial goal to the team.
The villain and the hero must live to do battle again in the sequel.
All deaths must proceed from the individual to the group.
If the story bogs down, just kill somebody.
John Baldwin had the formula but no story, so he read of research by John Marr who was studying the epidemiological causes of the 10 plagues, hoping to explain their causes scientifically. The two men formed a partnership, and using Baldwin's 10 Step formula, together wrote a 640 page manuscript called The Eleventh Plague. Harper Collins bought it for almost $2 million.
Baldwin, who has no passion for writing, said, "If I get the formula, I'm going to be a multimillionaire and famous." Well, he's going to make another $3 million on the movie rights, and he's laughing all the way to the bank. His philosophy: "If you have the right formula, you can be a success at anything."
You see, this is the gospel of accommodation the formula. You get the formula, you get what people want, and you can be a success. I am here to tell you that a formula-based, accommodating gospel is contrary to everything in the Scriptures.
God's Method
Certain men of God met at Antioch to send out men to preach the gospel and establish churches (Acts 13). Here is God's method:
1. They ministered to the Lord and fasted. This was their planning session Worshiping, fasting, waiting on the Lord, and calling for direction from the Holy Ghost. They did not move until the Holy Ghost spoke. There were no formulas, no surveys, no door-to-door asking people what they wanted and then serving it to them.
2. They prayed To strategizing, no network, and not one step until the Holy Ghost spoke His mind. Then and only then did they lay hands upon them, anoint them, and send them out in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost.
Paul lived his whole religious life on religious formulas, and he said they didn't work. He gave up on formulas and said, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul boasted unashamedly, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23). He was saying, "Gentlemen (he was talking to his peers), they want us to accommodate. The Jews are looking for signs in our gospel. The Greeks want the wisdom. They want to know how to cope, but I'm not compromising. There's only one message. Our gospel has been and will be the Cross and its demands as well as its victories. As for me, I'm determined to preach nothing among you but Christ and Him crucified."
I see three things in the gospel of accommodation:
1. It is the accommodation of man's love for pleasure.
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers...of pleasures more than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:1?). The Greek for pleasure is "sensuous, lustful, voluptuous, exciting, gratifying, sensual pleasure." If you move toward this gospel of accommodation, you are going to have to accommodate the people's lust because they are not going to give up their love for excitement. They've made gods of sports, pleasure, and lust. Unless that is confronted by the gospel of Jesus Christ, unless there is a truth that comes forth, you have to accommodate this lust that is in the American lifestyle.
I was shocked by an article in the New York Times.1 Philip Wogaman, President Clinton's pastor, said, "Sexual misconduct does not automatically render a leader immoral. Morality should also be judged by indicators like courage, concern for the poor, fostering world peace, running the economy responsibly, and furthering racial equality. Heterosexuality and homosexuality are merely cultural expressions." In other words, Mr. Clinton has been told that he has enough good indicators to overrule another that would be immoral in his life.
God said that men who preach doctrines like these resist the truth; they are men of corrupt minds counterfeiting the faith.
In disbelief I watched a televised Sunday night service of a seeker-friendly church seeker-friendly by its own admission. To a packed church where thousands attend, the pastor said, "This is fun night, a David Letterman night." The youth pastor came out and did his monologue as David Letterman. Then they showed 10 of the most boring things teenagers do during preaching. Three of the 10 were throwing spitballs, yawning, and picking their noses. The crowd went crazy. After the service, the pastor brazenly announced, "We're not here to offend people, but to make church comfortable for everyone." I wept.
I ask you, how long do you think that audience would stay in church if the pastor was gripped by the Holy Ghost, convicted for "entertaining" people toward hell, and suddenly preached a message entitled, "Be sure your sins will find you out"? How long would people keep coming back if a gospel of holy living and separation from the world was preached? Two things would happen: (1) Those who are misguided, hungry, and didn't know any better would weep and run to the altar. (2) Those who are judiciously blinded by their pleasures in madness would flee from the church and never come again. The church doors would close.
I keep this foremost in my mind and before my eyes, because every minister of the gospel one day has to face it when he stands before the Lord. He will say, " of man, I made thee a watchman. You were to hear the words of My mouth and give them warnings from Me. You were to tell the wicked, 'Thou shalt surely die.' And you gave them no warning nor spoke to warn the wicked to turn from their wicked ways to save their lives. These same wicked men died in their sins, but their blood I'll require at your hands."
2. This gospel of accommodation accommodates all man's aversion to self-denial.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of self-denial. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Self-denial is not something you give. It's someone you give up The giving up of yourself, giving up everything you are. It's a living sacrifice to the Lord Jesus Christ to present your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. God has every right to say to His church, "If you expect to give Me your body, your resurrected body, all through eternity, I have every rightt's only reasonable of Me and your reasonable service To ask your body why you're here on earth. I want every part of you. I want you to be spiritually minded. I want to possess you."
The gospel we preach must bring people under the total possession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, it's a gospel of accommodation.
The seeker-friendly gospel accommodates the body. The human body belongs to Him. What we see in America is a neognosticism where you take your physical body on one side and do as you please as long as your spirit is right with God. This is coming even out of the White House, this dividing of personality. No, we are one personality, and it all belongs to Jesus Christ. This neognosticism is destroying the faith of many throughout the nation.
3. There is an accommodation of man's offense to the gospel.
The Scriptures state, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumblingstone and rock of offense." Paul spoke of the offense of the Cross. This is the heart of God's anger. We're not called to the Cross but to go through the Cross To experience the same thing Jesus did, not only coming to the Cross but dying and going into the grave with Jesus Christ and then being raised from the dead to a newness of life.
It's cruel, pastor, to lead sinners to the Cross, tell them they are forgiven by faith, and then allow them to go back to their habits and lusts of the flesh, unchanged and still in the devil's shackles. If the preaching of grace doesn't have as its goal the producing of a walk of righteousness, then it's another gospel, another Jesus.
I listened in horror to a man, who attended one of the largest seeker-friendly churches, being interviewed by CBS. He said, "I come to this church because I'm comfortable. I'm never made to feel uneasy. I bring my Jewish friends and my business friends, and I know nothing will ever be said that will offend them. The best part of it is, the whole thing only lasts an hour."
Take it from me: You can get your big church and be one of the big boys, but it's going to cost you your soul if you preach with a focus only on earthly things, rather than on the things of God.
I've lived in New York City 35 years. We have 103 nationalities from all walks of life From the poorest to the richest. Probably 300 or more from the United Nations live there. But I look over a congregation (so does my dear friend, Jim Cymbala, in Brooklyn) and see men who have just walked in from the porno shops and are wild animals. I see a businessman friend who was CEO of a multimillion Dollar company, but he started snorting coke, lost everything, and is now a bum on the street. He sits in the congregation. A little 14-year-old girl with AIDS is up on 8th Avenue performing lewd acts before dirty old men. She comes to church and keeps saying, "Pastor Dave, I've got to get out. I've got to get help."
I'm not about to put up a silly skit and preach a 15-minute message on how to cope to a multitude of people who are dying and going to hell. I tremble at the thought.
People don't like to hear this, but we're headed for perilous times IN Just a few years away from a collapse like the world has never known. When that happens, all who preached prosperity are going to disappear because the people will say, "Your gospel has failed me." When that time comes, I want to grasp onto Jesus, and I want everyone I've preached to to have faith in the keeping power of Jesus Christ. I want them to know Him in His fullness. I want to know that I've done it in love, in grace, that they would know the difference between the holy and the profane.
May God, in Jesus' name, spare the Assemblies of God forever. If I have ever given a prophetic message in my lifetime that God intended for a purpose, it is now.
Many are being deceived. If they are not awakened, what I warn you about will happen.
I pray that God will keep the Assemblies of God in its original purposes. In New York City, He has proved that the people come to hear a straight gospel, and thousands will come where the Word of God is being preached without compromise and yet with grace. May the young men who are discouraged in the Movement not try for a shortcut but be broken and on their faces before the Lord.
May we get our eyes off growth and onto a new revelation of who Jesus is.
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