This post will probably be different especially if they grew up in a contemporary Christian environment. It may cause the reader to be angry or offended. However “…the truth will set you free.” (ESV) John 8:32 and it needs to be said.
If you had to get rid of all possessions but one, what would you keep? Your house? Your laptop? Your phone? Your money? What would you keep?
My answer would be my bible.
Christians, in this age, don't regard the bible as how God would want them to. Dear reader, are you one of them?
Do you believe that the bible is the true word of God, is God breathed and everything in it is written by God and is 100% true?
If you are a Christian, it is a must to believe that all scripture is not only true but, “all scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
Here are some more verses:
John 17:16-17 (ESV) In this verse, Jesus is praying to the Father and He is referring to His sheep: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word of truth”. Christians are called to be in the world, but not of the world (I'm not going to go into detail of what that means. That is for the another time).
Romans 3:4 “…Let God be true though everyone were a liar…”
Hebrews 6:17-18 (ESV) “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by the two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”
Here are some more:
1 Thessalonians 2:13
Numbers 23:19
1 Samuel 15:29
1 Samuel 15:29
I think you (the reader) get the point, that God is truth, His word is truth and He cannot lie. He is absolute. God is sinless and perfect, and therefore He cannot lie. He does not act out of character or who He is. Every professing Christian should know that the bible is completely perfect. It is God breathed and it is woven together so intricately where scripture backs up scripture and scripture interprets scripture. It will never contradict itself. It will never contradict God’s plan or will. It will never contradict God's attributes or character. It is the absolute truth. It is something we can always rely on and it is not just “some 2000 year old letters” as the American preacher, Rob Bell, calls it. Men can lie, prophecies can be made up, seemingly great men of God can fall, but the bible, the word of God will never fail you. And it is a rock for you to stand on.
In today’s age of Christianity, we undermine the bible, level it down and some think of it as a moral book. And even though we know it is God’s word, the Creator of the universe, the heavens and the earth wrote it, we don’t treat it as such a holy book. Most Christians don’t read it, for different reasons: they find it boring, they don’t have the time to read, they are simply lazy or they cannot understand it. For the Christians that do read it, some of their reasons to why they read it, is because they know it’s a good thing and read it for the sake of getting it over and done with. Kind of like cleaning your bedroom, they don’t want to but they feel like they have to. This may include people that follow daily bible reading; they do it because they have to. Of course not all Christians are like this. There are some that earnestly seek the word, because they hunger and thirst for more of God and want to learn more about Him and want for Him to speak to them through His word. But I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, can agree that most professing Christians don’t really read the bible or they don’t really want to.
On that note, the topic that will be discussed will be: foundations and basics of the Christian faith and following God or self examining to see if you are a true born-again Christian. It is in your best interest to read this, as we are discussing your eternal afterlife.
I’m going to start off with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we are all on the same page.
Let us first look at the nature of man.
Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it”.
Genesis 6:5 (KJV) “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Psalm 51:5 (ESV) “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceived me.”
Romans 3:23 (ESV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We are incredibly wicked, evil and sinful by nature.
We are incredibly wicked, evil and sinful by nature.
Let us now look at the nature of God. God is good. We all know this as it’s stated in the bible numerous times. God is merciful, gracious and all-loving. In fact, God is love, but do we realize that He is holy and just as well? Isaiah 5:16 "But the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness." Although most of us have heard of it, some people don’t know what that really means. What would a holy and just God do with wicked people like us? Can He just forgive us of our crimes and sins that easily? No, because if He swept it all under the rug, He wouldn’t be just.
I’ll give you an illustration: Say a man broke into your house in the middle of the night and stole all your precious belongings, trashed your house, tied you to a chair and beat you to a pulp. Not only that but he killed your pets and each and every family member in front of your eyes. And with that last family member with the tiniest bit of life left in them, you beg of him to stop. He doesn’t listen, but instead laughs and slaughters brutally, the last family member right in front of you. He runs for it, but is caught by the police and brought before the judge. The judge then says to him “because I’m a loving judge, I’ll forgive all your crimes, you may go free”. Immediately you can see how that is wrong and how unjust it is. In that same way, how much more will God not give us the punishment we deserve, and because we are conceived in sin we are legally bound to go to hell. We are meant to be separated from Him who is holy. We are not to be in the presence of God nor are we to fellowship or enjoy eternal life with Him. So why is it that we have the opportunity to? That is, of course, is in the Person, Jesus Christ.
Born of a virgin, lived a sinless and perfect life as the Son of God, hated by the religious, falsely accused, falsely put on trial, falsely condemned, beaten, crucified, died and rose again. This is our Savior who is 100% God and yet 100% man. But what was so significant about the cross and crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Hebrews 9:22 (ESV) “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin”. Jesus had to die, He had to shed His blood.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus Christ became sin.
Galatians 3:13 (KJV) “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”. Jesus Christ became the curse when He hung on that cross.
1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live in righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” He bore our sins.
Isaiah 53:5 (KJV) “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” All these things that Jesus did for each and every one of us. He paid the price with His own body. He became sin, He became the curse, and He bore it all.
When we examine what happened at the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was praying to the Father saying: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours, be done." and sweated drops of blood. (Luke 22:42-44). What was in this cup that Jesus was referring to? What made Jesus tremble and what made him sweat drops of blood? What was in the cup?
It was not whips, nails, a spear or even the cross itself. Many Christians (during the early church) have been tortured and killed, and some were even crucified! Some were crucified upside down, covered with tar and lit on fire! And many Christians sang hymns and rejoiced. Does one honestly think that whilst other Christians sang hymns to the same cross, Jesus would be in a garden fearing of it? This is Jesus Christ! He is our Savior and God in the flesh! It is complete nonsense to think that He would be cowering away because of some pieces of wood and metal. So what was in the cup then? It wasn't the physical pain he had to go through.
Jeremiah 25:15-16 “Thus the Lord, the God of Israel said to [Jeremiah]: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.””
Revelation 16:19 “The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great, was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of his fierce wrath.” Inside the cup was the very wrath of God. Wrath for all that is evil, sinful and wicked. Jesus drank the cup of wrath, which we were meant to drink. And when he bore our sins, the wrath of God poured out upon His only son. Isaiah 53:10 “…It pleased the Lord to bruise him…” Other translations say: “…It pleased the Lord to crush him…” “…It was the Lord’s will to crush him…” Someone had to pay the price. God is holy and just, someone had to satisfy the justice of God. The cup of wrath which we were meant to drink, Jesus Christ drank it for us and paid our price. God provided the lamb for Abraham when He stopped him from sacrificing Isaac. The lamb was representing Jesus and instead of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac, God sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16. 100% man and 100% God. He had to be man, because man had to pay the price. He had to be God, because who else but God can drink that cup, take the wrath of God and rise again. He had to be God, because out of the two parties, man and God, who else can intercede for man. Man, who is complete wicked and full of sin, can definitely not intercede for man. So the only logical option is God. God appeased His own wrath. 1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV) “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Are you beginning to see how wicked, how vile and how wretched we are, and how much we are in need of a savior? That it took the death of the Son of God to save us?? We sinned against an infinitely worthy, holy and just God. Whilst the stars and planets moved to exactly where God told them to, we rebelled against our Maker and said no against His laws and commands. We rebelled against our Master and Creator who created the heavens and the earth. Are you beginning to understand what a big deal this is? If you truly knew the penalty and the extent and severity of sin you would most likely have one of two reactions depending on where you stand with God:
1. Bow down in fear and trembling and be begging for forgiveness with all your might.
2. Rejoicing with all your might because He chose to save you when you are completely unworthy to be saved.
Jesus Christ died for us. We are unworthy to be saved yet he saved us with His amazing grace. The wrath of God came upon Jesus Christ. He died and rose again. And He is our way of escape from eternal death, He is our Intercessor and Savior, the Son of God.
On the third day He conquered death, rose again, showcasing God’s power, proving that His sacrifice was sufficient and proof that He truly is the Son of God and ascended to heaven forty days later. (He had to rise again, 1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain”. Read 1 Corinthians 15 for detail on the resurrection of Christ.) Telling all to believe in Him for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the Son of God and all those who believe in Him will be saved. There is no other way to be saved other than in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who want God to save them need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Most people have stopped there. There is more to Christianity than just being forgiven. It is also about living as a Christian. Let’s move to the life of a Christian.
Have you heard of the term lukewarm or lukewarmness or lukewarm Christian? Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Other translations say “vomit you out of my mouth” or “spew you out of my mouth”. What IS lukewarm? Well to define what lukewarm is, we have to see what hot and cold is.
Hot is the true Christian.
Cold is of the world or non-Christians.
Lukewarm are those who are professing Christians but acting like the world. If you are of the world and claim to be a Christian, you are lukewarm. MOST Christians today are like this. If you stand a lukewarm Christian side by side next to a worldly person, you probably cannot tell the difference. They talk like the world, they dress like the world, they act like the world yet they profess Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Why is this such a bad thing? Why would God rather you be a ‘cold’ person, a non-Christian, than a professing lukewarm Christian? Because the non-Christian is honest with how they act. They don’t follow Christ or His teachings and we know that the heart of a natural man is wicked. So naturally they are wicked. However a lukewarm Christians, professes to love the Lord, and yet misrepresents God and His teachings. They are insulting God, because they say 'I follow you with my tongue yet with my life I don’t.' They are liars and they misrepresent His name. If you think you can weasel your way into the kingdom of God by living your own life you are sadly mistaken even if you prayed a prayer to ask Jesus into your heart. Lukewarm people are being vomited by the Almighty. He is a holy God. Do you think He will accept someone once they are being spewed out?
Think about this: ‘What is the greatest commandment in the bible?' Now most of us know this: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (paraphrasing).'
You can say you love God with all your soul, heart, mind and strength, but that means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING if you don’t live it. Now think about this. Matthew 6:21 (ESV) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What do you spend most time thinking of? Where do you spend most of your time? Family? Friends? Gaming? Do you care only about happiness? Do you only care about living in the moment and having fun? Or maybe you are one of those people who care about your future and career above all? Is your only time spent with God at church and a little bit of prayer time? How much time do you spend with God ALONE? Do you even WANT to spend time with God alone? For what reason? For the sake of getting it over and done with it or for the sake that you love Him and want to seek Him? What is your god? What is your idol? If a man spends more time with his wife and thinking about her, more than God, that is his idol. Are you keeping the greatest commandment? If you don’t love to worship and seek God now, if you don’t love God, you are not going to like heaven because it is all about Him in heaven.
Does anyone honestly think they can break what the Lord decreed as the greatest commandment in the bible and make their way to heaven? Think about these scriptures: Luke 9:23 (ESV) “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”” Many don’t realize the heaviness of this verse. Those who follow Him have to deny themselves daily. You don't live for yourself anymore. Jesus Christ has purchased your body. He owns you. Who are we, mere vile wicked human beings, who are we to define the terms and conditions in which our Lord God will use us? How disgusting is a thought like that? Luke 9:62 (ESV) “Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”” If you think you can live your sinful life after the Lord has called you, you are not going to inherit the kingdom of God. Simple as that. Remember Lot’s wife? She fled Sodom and Gomorrah and yet she looked back at it, and the Lord turned her into a pillar of salt.
You might ask, 'How can God expect so much?’ or ‘How can I even do this? This sounds almost impossible a task to carry out to love God with everything in my being?’ And it is for the natural man. The bible calls us God-haters. We hate God naturally (Romans 1:30). We rebelled against him. It is impossible for the natural man, but whatever is impossible for man is possible for God.
When we are saved, we know that the Holy Spirit comes inside of us. Now think about this: if we wicked and vile humans who are naturally unholy, suddenly, when we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, we will change. We cannot be the same. We can’t. It’s impossible. A Holy Being is inside of us. We, who are spiritually dead, become born again, and now, spiritually alive.
Our flesh is naturally attracted to sin, but when we are saved and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we will start to hate sin and despise it. Not want to associate ourselves with it. The things we once loved (sin), we will start to loathe, and the things we once loathed we will start to love and seek. Things like goodness, righteousness, holiness etc. Not out of religious practice, but a true and new desire. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” A new creation, complete different and wanting to seek God and study His Word. A love for the Lord and a continuous life of seeking Him. A life of repentance, and a life of conviction due to the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV) “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The Lord puts His laws within us and writes it on our hearts. If there was a newly converted Christian who lived in a third world country and didn’t own a bible, they would still act differently, because they are made a new creation. You will live a different lifestyle. Examine yourself. Are you living a different lifestyle? This is evidence that you are saved and born again. Are you living a different lifestyle?
You may still be thinking ‘why should I serve God with my whole life?’ Maybe you are afraid of what people will think. Maybe you are afraid of what people say. Maybe you are afraid of friends and family who will turn away from you. If any of those reasons hold you back then let me answer your question: ‘Why should you serve God with your whole life?’
Because He is all worthy of being served with your whole life. He is all worthy of being worshipped and being glorified. He is God who saves you from eternal damnation. Who care about what other people think or say? You have the Almighty God at your side, and He is faithful even if people turn away from you. So who cares about what other people think, just care about what God thinks!
As servants and workers of the Almighty God, we are to give everything for Him. Our everything. Not a bit. Not some. Not most. Not 99%. BUT 100%. If you think, you can have Jesus as an accessory in your life, no matter how big or small that accessory may be, you do not know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is not an accessory in your life, He is the very sustenance of your life. He is what drives you in the morning and in the night, to strive on in life to do His will and giving all glory to Him.
If you think you can be of the world and of the living God, you don’t know Him. No one can serve two masters. James 4:4 (ESV) “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
1 John 2:15-17 (ESV) “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Are you beginning to see and understand biblical Christianity differently?
Are you beginning to see and understand biblical Christianity differently?
Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” What most people don't realize is that this verse does not just refer to Christians (narrow) and non-Christians (wide). However this is also referring to Christianity itself, and that many 'Christians' are walking on the wide path.
For those that are truly following Christ and are on the narrow path, do not be dismayed, that the path is narrow. Matthew 11:30 (ESV) “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Although we will go through trials. Although the narrow path is hard, understand that we are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37). Understand that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). And understand that if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?
Examine yourself. Are any of you living a narrow path that leads to the narrow gate? Those who enter by the wide gate are many. Those who find the narrow are few. Does you catch on to this? Most people go to Hell. If your life is cruising all fine and dandy, and you are doing whatever you want, no doubt about it, you are on the wide path to destruction. The wide path to destruction leads to Hell. Some people may think: “how can you say that?” I can say that, because this is what the bible teaches.
Does anyone think they can defy God’s word and make it to heaven? Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ did we not prophesy in your name and cast our demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” That’s pretty scary. These people, who Jesus said ‘depart from me’, were they professing Christians or non-Christians? They were professing Christians, lukewarm Christians. This is evident by how they called him ‘Lord, Lord’, however Jesus said not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
Does anyone think they can defy God’s word and make it to heaven? Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ did we not prophesy in your name and cast our demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” That’s pretty scary. These people, who Jesus said ‘depart from me’, were they professing Christians or non-Christians? They were professing Christians, lukewarm Christians. This is evident by how they called him ‘Lord, Lord’, however Jesus said not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.
1 John 2:4-6 (ESV) “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Do you keep His commandments? You are a liar if you do not. The truth is not in you.
I’ll give you an illustration of a scenario that fits this but can be taken out of context: I meet up with a friend who is a lukewarm Christian. And I go: “hey you have been skipping church, which is wrong, you need to attend church and learn about the word of God”. And his response is “yeah, I know it is boring, but yeah you are right I need to attend, because that is the right thing to do.” And I go: “You also have been hanging around the wrong group, and you don’t seek to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ.” And his response is “yeah, I know, it is because they always want to talk about God and Jesus, and I’m not really up for that, but yes I know it’s good, I’ll do it.” And I go: “you have also been flirting and sleeping around.” And he responds “Yeah, I know, it’s so fun and it makes me feel good, but yeah I know I should stop.” The person I am speaking to is not a sheep, but a goat just trying to do what a sheep does and fails miserably. Goats aren’t new creations. When you are a new creation you will have new desires. If you truly born again and you are a sheep, You will WANT to keep His commandments. Don't be like the pharisees who are like white washed coffins, clean on the outside but inside have dead bones. (Matthew 23:27)!
Can you identify with these points we are discussing? John 15:18-20 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”” I want to highlight: “a servant is not greater than his master.” And I also want to highlight 1 John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” If Jesus was hated by many, and persecuted by many, we who follow Him, will go through the same. Not necessarily death, but many will reject us and many will even hate us. Are you being persecuted? If you are not, be warned, and know that you are not truly following Christ. It is perfectly clear that we will endure hardships, sufferings and persecution. Mark 13:13 (ESV) “You will be hated by all because of my name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” You will be hated and suffer much tribulation, but evidence that you are saved and truly belong to God, is that you will endure to the end. 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Are you being persecuted? Do you desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus? Examine yourself!
Reader, please understand we shouldn’t seek to be persecuted. It will naturally come when we just follow Christ. If we do get persecuted, we give all glory to God for it, because He gets all the glory. Acts 5:41 and 1 Peter 4:12-19 talks about that we rejoice and glorify God when we suffer.
On a different topic, let me ask you a few questions: If a person ministers the word of God, does missions, feeds the poor and prophecies, are they considered right with God because of these things? Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like polluted garment”. Other translations say “are like filthy rags”. No, they are not saved because they 'do' these things. They can only saved through our Lord Jesus Christ. But let me ask this? Can such a person exist to minister the word of God, do missions, feed the poor and prophecy and not be saved? Yes. The bible mentions an incredible amount warnings about false teachers and false prophets. Matthew 7:22-23 (ESV) “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophecy in your name, and cast our demons in your name, and do many works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” So the bible is quite clear that people can do many works, bring forth their works before Him and 'perform miracles' and yet not enter the kingdom of God. Deeds and works means absolutely nothing if you don’t have Jesus Christ. People are saved by salvation of grace through faith not salvation by works. Let me get that very clear.
Let us discuss salvation now. How would we ‘get’ or 'lead' someone to be saved? Most people would go with the sinner’s prayer right? How does the sinner’s prayer go roughly? ‘Do you know you’re a sinner?’ ‘Do you want to escape hell?’ Or ‘do you want to go to heaven?’ ‘Do you want to ask Jesus into your heart?’ ‘Pray this prayer with me’. It will probably go something like “Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on that cross for me and paying for my sins. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of my sins and please come into my heart.” We may ask 'did you really mean it'? Were you sincere about the prayer?' Then that person is declared saved once they answered yes or least when they prayed the prayer. Of course, it is not always like that with those exact kind of questions with that exact word for word prayer. But I assume we can all agree that’s the main core of it (at least the prayer part). That is mainly how we ‘get’ someone to be saved in Christianity today.
It may shock you, but the sinner’s prayer is not biblical. You will not find it anywhere in scripture. You will not find that formula nor will you find that way of evangelizing anywhere in the bible. But people may say “but the principles in the sinner’s prayer is biblical”. This is incorrect, the sinner's prayer isn’t biblical...period. They are trusting and putting their hope in the sincerity of their own prayer, not in Jesus Christ. Do we not know that our own hearts can be deceived and fail us?
Some people may say: ‘hang on, I was saved by the sinner’s prayer.’ That may be so. It’s true that some people are saved in that moment. The Lord can work miracles even in the midst of this false teaching. But understand one isn't saved by uttering the sinner's prayer, but rather, in spite of that prayer.
The sinner’s prayer was being used widely in approximately the 19th century. So that means in the 18th century and before that, it was not used. Meaning the apostles didn’t preach or use it, Jesus didn’t preach it or use it and it is not in the bible. So who are we to use methods and teachings that aren’t found in scripture or supported by biblical evidence and apply it to salvation thinking we have found a loophole to get people saved easy and fast? We are basically saying ‘we know better than the bible.’ Christians need to humble themselves and don’t practice things that aren’t supported by biblical evidence and claiming it to be biblical.
“Do you want to ask Jesus into your heart?” Nowhere in the bible will you find Jesus telling others for them accept Him into their heart, nor will you find the apostles preaching this either.
A big heresy, lie and misconception in Christianity today is: ‘Jesus will definitely save you and come into your heart if you ask Him to’ and 'if you pray that sinner’s prayer, you are saved'. Millions of people around the globe think they are saved when they aren’t. Jonah 2:9 “Salvation is of the Lord” or “Salvation belongs to the Lord”. Salvation only comes from God. God chooses who He saves. We don’t ‘get’ people to be saved. A formulated prayer doesn’t cut it. He chooses those who are His.
Sinner’s prayers and altar calls in general in most cases just shouldn’t be used. In this modern Christian age, this is how it usually runs: The music plays when it’s the right time to assume a holy atmosphere. Sometimes the dimming of the lights. Sometimes counselors will be specifically placed in different spots in the auditorium so that when they come up to the front it’s not as scary to go up yourself. Everyone closes their eyes so no one looks to make it easier to raise your hand or go up to the front. This is psychological manipulation. And it’s done today because modern preachers today do not preach the truth. The Holy Spirit does not manifest and work within them. So psychological manipulation must be used to get people to pray a prayer. This isn’t how people are saved. Don’t do altar calls. Don’t rely on manipulation to get them to pray a prayer. Rely on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save souls. One person truly believing on the name of Jesus and being right with God is better than ten thousand people praying a prayer and finding out on judgement day that they are not saved.
If salvation is to get someone to simply 'believe' in the watered down Gospel and sinner's prayer evangelism today, and everyone who believes is completely saved, then the bible isn’t perfect and God is a liar. This is because this would contradict scripture after scripture after scripture. Here are some for example: Luke 13:3-5 (ESV) “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Note how it doesn’t say ‘unless you believe, you will all likewise perish’. Luke 5:32 (ESV) “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” Repent. Not just believe. Even the demons believe and tremble! Mark 1:15 (ESV) “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””
Acts 17:30 (ESV) “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” He doesn’t command all people everywhere to believe, but to repent!
Understand this though: It is through God’s grace alone through which we are saved. I’m not proposing a works-based salvation. However, when we are saved, we are made a new person in Christ Jesus. We will want and naturally call out to God and repent and ask for forgiveness. Repentance is a must. It works with salvation and is a result of salvation. If you do not repent, you are a false convert. John the baptist says to bear fruit worthy of repentance.
Another misconception of Christianity today is the fact that we know it is not a works-based salvation so therefore we don’t have to have works. That is a lie and falls under 'hyper grace'. It’s true that salvation is by the grace of God, however it is only natural to have works once we are saved. James 2:17 (ESV) “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” He is saying your faith is dead. You do not have the correct faith. He goes on in verse 24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” You see we will naturally do works when we are saved in Christ. When one is born again, they will naturally repent and works will follow. Works is not necessarily, being a preacher or an evangelist or a missionary. Works is simply doing the will of God. If He commands you to minister to thousands of people in a third world country, you obey. If He simply commands you to study His word, you obey. But know this, you will be ministering to people sooner or later. Not necessarily as a preacher or teacher, but maybe as a friend to a non-believer, to a lukewarm or to even a true believer. Believe, repent and work for the kingdom of God and for His glory.
Reader, if you are thinking ‘I want what this world has to offer: Games, secular movies, secular music, TV, sex, partying, clubbing, drinking, money etc. I want it all. I want to have fun. I’ll repent, cry out to God and follow Him when I’m older. Or if I’m on my deathbed, I’ll cry out to God.’ First off, there is nothing better than being in the presence of God and following Him. And if that is your plan, it will fail. Do you think you can manipulate the hand of the Almighty? Do you think you can choose when you are saved? What if you have a sudden death with no time to repent? Do you not realize the Lord gives us time to repent? Luke 13:6-9 “And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the group? And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’””
Revelation 2:20-21 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.” Don’t delay. Don’t play games with God. Stop playing church and playing religion. There is no more time. One of the most deceived people are those who have just enough religion to dim their moral conscience. Cry out to everything you have and repent.
The bible tells us to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12. The word of God also tells us to “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” 2 Corinthians 13:5. None of this ‘I prayed a prayer and I’m saved’ salvation. None of this ‘grab your ticket and come to heaven’ salvation. None of this ‘take your flu shot – sinner’s prayer edition’ salvation. Examine yourselves. But how do you examine yourselves? We know that our human minds and hearts can deceive us, so we don’t rely on flawed logic or wicked thoughts. We examine ourselves with the word of God, the bible, which always holds true and is always right. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Other translations say “…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the hearts”. Examine yourselves with the Scriptures.
Previous in other churches, I have heard sayings such as: 'come to God, He will accept you as you are, you don’t have to change, He can use you exactly as you are etc.’ It is true we can come to God as we are, however, He will change you. And therefore the statement: ‘He can use you exactly as you are’ is false. Let us take a look at what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:21 (ESV) “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonourable, he will be a vessel for honourable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” Examine yourself, cleanse yourself (obviously the Lord does that through sanctification) and God will use you. Pornography, for example, is dishonourable. This is just an example but if the Lord was to use you, he would cleanse you of such a thing first.
On the subject of pornography, (addressing mainly men), ‘do you think you can be addicted or watch pornography and go to heaven?’ The answer is no. Read to these scriptures because it is not just pornography in which is a definite no. Revelation 22:14-15 (ESV) “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters (remember those who love someone or something else more than God, we talked about that), and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9 (ESV) “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” If you are looking at pornography, you don’t even know what it means to follow Christ. You are on a path which does not lead to heaven. Repent. For those that are truly born again, they will not associate themselves with such dishonorable actions. Yes it is possible to fall and stumble, however they will get up after stumbling, they will seek to cleanse themselves, they will be disciplined by the Lord and they will be quick to repent. They have been made a new creation, and they will be free of bondage, chains and strongholds such as these.
If you don’t hear any of these sort of things in your church, then be wary, because it is possible you can mark your church as a false church. This is addressing the foundations and basics of the Christian faith. How can churches not talk about this? Churches that only talk about the love, grace of mercies of God, are afraid of men (and usually they talk about a distorted love, grace and mercy). They are afraid of losing their numbers. And they don’t want to preach the whole council of the word of God. They have to address sin, and call people to repentance. “All scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV).
Matthew 7:15-20 (ESV) “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This you will recognize them by their fruits.” Fruits are not miracles or prophesying or anything like that. Jesus says people do them and can yet still go to Hell. Fruits are the character of the person, the life they lead in accordance to God's will. To a preacher, it can be considered as the gospel and doctrines that they preach (or don't preach).
Half-truths are very convincing. The devil used a half truth in the Garden of Eden to deceive Eve. The devil still uses this tactic today. He is an active enemy. Half-truths are used in the church today. The devil is in the church today, which many people don't realize.
Have you heard of the Word of Faith movement (WOF) or the prosperity gospel? A summary of what they preach is about happiness, wealth, health, hardship-free lives and that Jesus will bless you with these sort of things. A lot of it is ‘living your best life now’ and speaking positive messages and spiritual things out loud so that it will manifest in the physical realm. Preachers that are in this ministry include (but are not limited to): Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, T.D Jakes, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Joseph Prince, Brian Houston etc. They are all TV evangelists. They are all multimillionaires claiming God has blessed them. They all have millions of people watching them. Just YouTube their apostasy and you will see the gospel they preach and how they are just using their millions of viewers for money. Even if they don't seem like the are trying to make money, they are the type of people that want the praises of men. They won't be 'offensive' (with the truth), they will try to meet the happiness and the (carnal) needs of those in their church. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” Most people in these churches only want to hear good things, which is mostly about that God wants to bless them with health, wealth and make them happy. Members of their congregation generally do not want to hear the truth.
Hill Song and many other churches in Australia (and around the world) are false churches as well. They preach so much on the grace, love and mercies of God. They mainly focus on one aspect. They do not focus on the holiness and justice of God. Nor do they address sin or calling people to repentance. They never rebuke with Scripture. They leave out so many Scriptures and they don’t talk about Hell. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching. The church services are mainly a comedy act with biblical principles, and in the end, a 'Christianized' inspirational moral speech. The truth can be offensive, the truth can hurt. Churches that don’t preach the WHOLE truth are afraid of men, they cater to the wants of men, and they do not look to God and make Him priority. They are deceived in their own hearts, because they think they are preaching the truth of the bible. It is better for one not to go to a church (that preaches doctrines of demons) at all and seek the Lord on their own, than to stay under false preaching and to be led astray (but, of course, search for a church that preaches the truth). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 (KJV). Many people don’t seem to take preachers and preaching the Word seriously. Understand that anyone preaching from the pulpit are meant to be messengers from the Lord. It is not taking about taking a passage from the scriptures and putting your own logic and analogies into it. It is not about taking a scene from a movie, preaching about it and applying that to your life. It’s not about what you want to preach or focus on. It is about what God wants you to minister to the church (and that of course is the Word of God).
Some philosophies of ministers are ‘they do not wish to offend others, and they have a ministry of love.’ What they are saying is Jesus, Paul and the prophets of the Old Testament did not have a ministry of love because they all addressed sin, rebuked many multitudes of people and called many to repentance. If you do not address sin in the church, the Holy Spirit does not work much in your church, because the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.
Is everyone under false preaching a false convert and not saved? No. There are still some sheep who are being deceived, but truly belong to the Lord. And they are spiritually being starved, because the church caters to the secular and carnal goats in the church. Yes, there are sheep still in these churches, however, if they truly belong to the Lord, God will take them out. God will take them out of the church that is teaching false doctrines. The Lord calls you to come out of your church if it is false!
Whenever you hear a sermon, whenever you hear anyone preaching or teaching, always line it up with the word of God. Do you line up the sermon you listen to with the bible? Or do you just believe everything that is being preached? You can be a preacher, you can be an intellectual, you can have a master’s degree in theology, and yet, you can still not be saved and teach false things. Do you just believe everything that is being preached to you? Do you just believe the preacher, because they are a preacher? Or maybe you believe what the preacher says, because you want to believe them. Examine yourself. Search up the Scriptures that been laid before you in this post and line it up in the bible (in context) to see if it true.
James 3:1 (ESV) “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” If you have been teaching something that is of wrong doctrine, you will be judged with greater strictness. Repent. If you are in leadership, let me ask you: ‘Did you even pray about whether you should be in that position? Did you decide on your own? Did you even seek the will of the Lord to know whether He wants you there?’ Many have no right to be there, because they don’t even truly know the Lord, let alone what the role requires. If you lead other people astray, the Lord will judge you. Repent.
This applies to me to. If what I am saying is not right and not sound doctrine. Then I have every right to be in fear and trembling before the Lord. Galatians 1:8 (ESV) “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” Preaching is a very dangerous thing.
Is it biblical to identify and expose those that are false prophets, false preachers or false teachers? Yes. How else are we meant to know who the wolves are? We are meant to warn others about them. Ephesians 5:11 (ESV) “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
Is it biblical to identify and expose those that are false prophets, false preachers or false teachers? Yes. How else are we meant to know who the wolves are? We are meant to warn others about them. Ephesians 5:11 (ESV) “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
1 Corinthians 5:12 (ESV) “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Purge the evil person from among you.”
1 John 4:1 (ESV) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Jesus talks about denying yourself. Jesus talks about few will enter the narrow gate. Jesus talks about not looking back. This is very possible, if you have Christ. He gives you a new heart. You will want to serve Him with everything. This is the foundations and basics of the Christian faith. Everyone needs to examine themselves and repent. The kingdom of God is at hand, the judgement of the Lord is coming. Repent.
The way we humans naturally think, is that 'we strive – to become'. For example: ‘we strive for a good career to become successful or to gain money’, ‘we strive to act like a father to be a father.’ If you think you can ‘strive to do good, to be good’ you will fail. If you think you can ‘strive to act like a Christian, to be a Christian’ you will fail. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and vice-versa. 1 John 3:7-8 (ESV) “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.” One doesn’t practice righteous because they are to become righteous, but because they are already righteous. “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
For those that knows that the Lord had worked in their hearts, keep seeking the Lord and repent. You will go through trials and tribulations. Friends will turn away from you, family will turn away from you. Do not be dismayed, continue to minister to them. Continue to seek God and grow in His word. You may need to throw out things out of your house. You will need to throw away habits. You will need to dress, talk, act and think differently. And it is through (and always will be through) God’s strength that you can do it.
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