Category Archives: Christianity

Prayerful Praise: Practical Prayers About Praise

by Califgracer

(I hope that you enjoy the alliteration)

Precious Lord and Savior Jesus, I lift up the following prayers about praise to you . . .

  • Permeate my innermost being with praise.
  • Predominate my life with praise; let praise be pervasive.
  • Engulf me with a passion for praise.
  • Let the magnificence and inspiration of your grace prompt me to praise. 
  • Through your Spirit, partner with me in praise.
  • Lord, protect me in my praise.
  • With all of my will help me to pursue praise.
  • Please give to me great pleasure in praise; be pleased with my praise.
  • Keep my thoughts focused and pure in my praise.
  • Grant me peace in my praise.
  • Despite the busyness of life, help me to prioritize praise.
  • Give to me a plan for praise.
  • Supply me with plentiful provision for praise.
  • Let the life of Christ be my paradigm for praise.
  • Let the Cross of Christ be the precious predominate point of praise.
  • Please alleviate any pain or panic through praise.
  • Through your Word, grant me a peek into the palatial praise of heaven.
  • Guide me into the expansive parameters of praise.
  • Pardon my imperfection in praise; perfect my praise.
  • May my life personify praise.
  • Prohibit the prevention of praise provoked by groundless doubt, guilt and fear. 
  • Penetrate a lost world through your people’s praise.
  • Precious Spirit, assist me to persevere in praise.
  • Through my own words and thoughts allow me to express my personality in praise.
  • In my life, make praise passionate and pervasive.
  • Let the promulgation of praise predominate your church.
  • Disallow wrongful motives which pervert my praise.
  • Provide piety in praise.
  • Inspire and protect the praise of your people.
  • Let no legalistic penchant pollute my praise.
  • May your Word be a portraiture of praise.
  • Feed me a huge portion of praise.
  • May my attitudes be predisposed to be positive in praise.
  • Throughout your church, tinder an outpouring of praise.
  • Demonstrate the practicality and power of praise.
  • Please predetermine in me daily to praise.
  • Be always the prime focal point of praise.
  • In every circumstance, give me the propensity to praise.
  • When I am lonely, sick or sad, prescribe to me praise.
  • Preface my day with praise.
  • Prearrange my schedule for praise.
  • Deter me from becoming presumptuous in praise.
  • Precipitate my predilection for praise.
  • Dissuade me from all pretense in praise.
  • Over sin may I prevail through praise.
  • Let no obstacle prevent my praise.
  • May I ever prize the privilege of praise.
  • May your Spirit teach me proficiency in praise.
  • Allow me to glimpse the profundity of praise.
  • With vivid exclamation, punctuate my praise!

From Salvation to Doubt and Fear, Then Back to Biblical Assurance

Dear Friends,

A couple of days ago I received the following email from Matthew, who gave me permission to post it here. It is self explanatory. Even though we thankfully receive many encouraging comments and hundreds of daily visits we occasionally receive one that is especially notable such as this one from our new visitor, Matthew.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would just like to share with you all how helpful your site has been to me. I was saved years ago at age 14 and have certainly had my ups and downs in my walk but all in all I have been doing ok.
However, recently doubts have beset me about my conversion. Namely involving repentance.
I, like you, have always held to the change of mind view of repentance. That is, repentance is changing ones mind about Jesus, Who He is, what He did for us, and trusting Him alone for salvation. However recently I have been swarmed with repentance involving a deliberate turn from sin.
For example, I have a Holman Christian Standard Study Bible at home. One that has commentary on most all of the verses of the various books. It’s commentary on Mark Chapter 1 Verse 4 reads that repentance means to change one’s mind and involves a deliberate turn from sin. Imagine my distress!
What exactly is a deliberate turn from sin? For how long? Is a lifetime of winning battles against my sin nature now required? If I sin/fall into sinful habits was I never saved to begin with? All these questions!!
Then I found your site. The Good Lord sent it to me just at my time of need just like He promised.
I was encouraged in that I was not alone in these concerns. There were others like me. Through reading the various posts and comments, I have realized I worried for nothing. My salvation was secure all along. Just a SIMPLE belief/trust in Jesus and what He did for me.
Nothing I do good or bad will change my eternal destiny. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t think I can just live without any boundaries but I need not live in constant fear that if I do sin or ever fall into willful disobedience it means I haven’t deliberately turned from sin and wasn’t ever saved.
It really is just that simple and uncomplicated to go to Heaven. Thank you again for your site. It is a blessing. May God Bless you! Matthew
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I explained to Matthew that the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible has a false definition of repentance. This is not surprising since the publication was originally a product of the Southern Baptist Convention. Obviously Matthew had already come to the conclusion that the Holman Study Bible’s interpretation of “repent” is false.

We can be thankful that the Lord Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross of Calvary and rose bodily from the grave.. and Jesus is now our personal Advocate before God the Father:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [intercessor] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1

We are indeed eternally secure in Jesus Christ. Thanks Matthew for your encouraging note. —  Jack

Salvation IS God’s GIFT << Click

Justified by Jesus Christ or Justin Case?

By our friend John.

I want to believe in Jesus, but…

The evangelist said you have to say a prayer asking for salvation. I saw that on a couple of websites too. I don’t know why God would go to all of the trouble to do everything necessary for my salvation and then make me ask for it. But, I’ll pray the prayer to help insure my salvation — just in case.

I should feel worse about my sins. In the Bible study that I attend on Tuesdays, we are using a study guide which says that confession of sins is a requirement for salvation. I can’t find that anywhere in the Bible. Why would God need to be softened up by my remorse to be willing to save me? But, a great “Prince of Preachers,” who is favorably referenced by lots of Free Grace ministries, said that no one comes to God with a hard heart. So, I will cry and confess my sins to help insure my salvation — just in case.

My pastor says believing in Jesus isn’t enough – that even the demons believe there is one God and they tremble. My pastor says I have to repent of my sins to be saved. The Bible doesn’t say that anywhere, but if I don’t do it, maybe the deal will be off. I will resolve to give up my sins to secure my salvation just in case.

My denomination says that faith is an active verb. That a person needs to follow Jesus to go to Heaven. They say that believing with your head is not enough. You have to believe with your heart. I’m not sure what that means, but I read a tract that said you could miss Heaven by a foot-and-a-half. I don’t want to do that. I will resolve to follow Christ to help my salvation — just in case.

My church says that faith in Christ plus a public confession of Christ are required for salvation. Public confession seems like a work. It seems like if I have to make a public confession of Christ in order to be saved, that my confession would be that I don’t believe in Christ alone. But my Elder explained that public confession was a “spirit work” and not a “work of the law.” So, maybe God won’t know the difference. Besides, why wouldn’t I want to confess Christ before men?   I’d better do it to make my salvation secure —  just in case.

What about baptism? My father always said it was required to be saved. The Bible says we are saved by Grace, through faith. But, my father was a devout Christian up until the day he died. I know he wouldn’t have steered me wrong. Plus, you’re supposed to get baptized anyway. I’ll do it to let God know I’m serious — just in case.

Some people become Christians and fall away later. How do I know I won’t be like the second soil in the parable? I mean my behavior should change if I am saved, right? All of the testimonials I hear at church are about how the people’s lives changed as a result of their salvation.  I will wait and see if it takes root and my life changes dramatically — just in case.

But, what if I fall into serious, habitual sin? Won’t that mean I was never saved in the first place? I’d better guard against that or my salvation may be in jeopardy — just in case.

I heard a sermon today about a rich young ruler.  The preacher said he didn’t go to Heaven because he was selfish.  Am I selfish? Jesus said it was easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into Heaven. I know He also said that with God, all things are possible.  But, maybe I should give away more of my money — just in case.

I read a bestselling Christian book about how to take your “spiritual pulse.”  It gives a bunch of test questions to see whether or not you are a believer.  The Bible says that I can be assured of my salvation the moment I believe.  But, one of the leading Grace expositors says the truth lies somewhere in between, that an inventory of righteousness should be part of an ongoing inspection process.  I did OK on it yesterday, but today I’m not so sure.  I’d better take it again tomorrow — just in case. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And John concludes with:

I actually experienced and believed certain of the false teachings depicted above.  Some of the others were not part of my direct experience.  In either case, I was lost until a couple of years ago when I finally understood and believed that salvation was a free gift, available by Grace through faith in Christ alone. – John.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks John… for that chilling account of the Lordship “salvation” and “works” teachings of “religions” today. We are thrilled you finally understood and believed the Truth of the Gospel of the Grace of Jesus Christ.

Understand SALVATION by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone. << Click

No Guilt, No Fear! Living by Grace not by Doubt and Fear: Guilt-Free Christianity!

Grace robbers are everywhere today!  Their faces can be seen on “Christian” television; their voices bellow from the pulpits of large churches across the land; their best-selling books are widely featured in Christian bookstores.  It seems that at every turn there surfaces another voice in the Christian world who would steal the joy and assurance away from any believer who will listen to such voices and follow their unbiblical teachings.  True Hope in Christ Jesus and in his wonderful free gift of salvation through faith alone are replaced by doubt.  Doubt increases; it shifts one’s focus from trusting in Christ and his finished work on the cross alone to a fixation on oneself—What have I done for God lately?  Am I really doing enough?  This increasing introspection quickly begins to destroy confidence in Christ Jesus alone and assurance of one’s salvation.  Decimation of assurance morphs into fear and anxiety.  Fear of what?  Fear of not being sin-free enough to please God; fear of not reading the Bible enough; fear of not attending church often enough; fear of not witnessing enough; fear of not doing enough to help the poor; fear of not being “on fire” for Christ; fear of not being good enough to please God.  Fear leads to dread, often the dread of possibly heading for hell one day.  Grace-robbing preachers fuel this dread through their incessant unbiblical judgmental rants.  Dread destroys any semblance of joy remaining in the Christian’s life.  And what is the final result?  A miserable, defeated, guilt-ridden believer.  Yes, a believer to be sure:  one who has placed her complete faith in Christ Jesus alone for salvation—by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Ephesians 2:8-9.  But one who has allowed the joy-sucking assurance-thieving grace robbers to steal away the Grace, Hope, Joy, Assurance, Confidence and Guilt-Free existence that God would have for the true believer in Christ to experience every day.

Let’s make every effort to speak out against unbiblical grace-robbing teaching in the body of Christ.  And let us live and encourage other believers to live Guilt-Free lives of Confident Assurance through faith in Christ alone and through his wonderful gospel of 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ).

The Terrible Legacy of Lordship “Salvation” (Lordship “Salvation” Exposed)

By Jack Weaver

Just today I received an email from a dear new reader, Doug. He describes himself as a believer in Jesus Christ but is afraid that he may not be showing enough good works to prove it to himself (or maybe to God). Whether he is aware of it or not, he is describing the terrible legacy and symptoms of the Lordship “Salvation” teachers.

I know Doug will appreciate our readers’ and contributors’ help and comments in order to give him the assurance he so desires from our wonderful Savior. Your comments and help will be welcome. I have emphasized in bold what I believe are some very important points in Doug’s note.

Doug, we certainly want to help you with the assurance God offers so prominently in His Word.

Some of our wonderful friends/readers either know of others who have struggled with these same questions and emotions or have themselves been through the same torture.

~~ Doug’s Note ~~

I have been having some trouble concerning salvation and wanted to know if you could help me?

I think my feelings are getting too involved with my salvation, ie. I feellike I need to do something to be good enough to be saved. I know this is not what God says about eternal life but what this does is causes me to doubt if I have truly trusted Christ alone for salvation.

I believe the only way to be saved is to have faith in Christ alone and want to be sure I have put my faith in Christ alone for my salvation.

One thing I focus heavily on is my fear of being cast in to hell. An eternity in hell scares me to death and that’s why I am wanting to be sure I have my faith only in Christ. I guess the thought of adding works to grace scares me because then there is no more grace.

I think I’ve transferred all of my trust to Christ alone for salvation but get scared I haven’t because of the thoughts that come in to my mind sometimes about turning my life around or not doing that otherwise you’re not going to be saved etc… I know I should not do certain things but not in order to be saved. But the question makes me doubt my motives and I know God knows my heart better then I do.

Doug, we appreciate you and will pray for you. We are sure some of our dedicated readers will have great words of consolation for you from God’s Word.

Eternal Life Guaranteed by God << Click

Ray Stanford… Home to His Savior Today

By Jack Weaver

What a glorious time in Heaven for Ray Stanford today.. at age 95, taken instantly from this corrupt earth of pain and problems to the presence of our Savior he so loved. He will be meeting with hundreds if not thousands who are there because of his faithfulness and clarity in sharing the Gospel of salvation by Grace through personal faith in Jesus Christ alone.

I thank the Lord often, remembering that Ray presented the Gospel of salvation in Christ clearly enough for me, a former atheist to trust Christ as my Savior. It was December 15th, 1964 at a Florida Bible College (FBC) Christmas Concert at the old Grove Community Church in Miami, FL. I am eternally grateful to Ray, who founded and was President of FBC.

Ray was a dear friend. Now at almost 83, and relatively soon, I will  join him and the throngs rejoicing and praising our Savior. On this web site and via private emails, I regularly hear from folks all over the country who regret not having had the opportunity of attending FBC or having the privilege of sitting under Ray’s Bible teaching. He had the God given gift of a master soul-winner, evangelist  and teacher — which he used at every opportunity.

He will be missed by those who knew him and loved him and by those who were directly or indirectly under the influence of his Bible teaching. For those of us who have made the decision to trust Christ alone as our Savior, this separation is but temporary and we will sooner or later join him and our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in Heaven. And I pray we are all also looking up anxiously awaiting the coming Rapture. ^^^

Please be praying for all of Ray’s family as they reminisce and celebrate the life and graduation to Heaven of a faithful soul-winner and teacher. Please be praying that the Gospel and an invitation to trust Christ will be clearly explained at the services — for souls to be saved for our Savior.

For those who may wish to attend, the viewing will be Wednesday 5/23/2012 in the evening from 6 to 8pm. at the Shannon Maloney Funeral Home, 4084 Halifax Drive, Port Orange, Fl (near Daytona Beach)

The Only Way To Heaven – Guaranteed << Click

Mission Impossible “salvation”: Lordship “salvation” — Demanding the Impossible!

By Jack Weaver

Occasionally we are asked why we concentrate on exposing the awful and un-Biblical  theory called, Lordship Salvation [LS] or, as I prefer to call it, Lordship Probation. This false message is advancing at lightning speed through too many modern churches today.

Simply put, Lordship Probation (“salvation??”) demands the impossible from an individual who may sincerely be searching for God’s Amazing Free Gift of salvation. Our number one goal is to make the clarity and simplicity of God’s plan of salvation easy to understand and believe.

Our secondary goal is to expose the lies of false Bible teaching — whoever they are and wherever they be, especially the devious tragedy of Calvinism and Lordship “salvation.”

Before we go into detail, I would say that our number one reason for contending against LS is that it contradicts all of God’s Biblical teaching about His salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone by His Word. LS adds and demands good works for one to procure their version of salvation and then they add even more works for keeping one’s salvation. Tragedy!!

We have quoted many LS proponents in previous articles. I will mention some newer ones here to illustrate my point that LS is a growing menace. If you have some LS proponents to expose here, please do so in your comments.

We are thrilled to get to know some of our readers who have wonderfully come out from under the horrible yoke of LS into the Freedom that IS IN Jesus Christ through God’s Grace. You are welcome to comment upon your experience with LS or Calvinism.

Some LS/Calvinist names of disrepute are: Francis Chan, Paul Washer, John MacArthur, John Piper, RC Sproul, Rick Warren, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, Arthur W. Pink, George Whitefield, John Knox, Martin Luther, AW Tozer (from Charlie Bing),  etc.  (and we could name more and more).

Pearl, one of our long-time contributors and commenters found that Dave Ramsey (Practical Financial guru) and one of his “Team” members, Jon Acuff  (who recommends Francis Chan) fit into the same camp as those mentioned above. That is a shame because Ramsey and his folks have a great common sense method of helping rescue a family from financial burden. But, in the back reaches of the Ramsey domain, they preach a false doctrine to babes in Christ and the unsaved. So, as we do with others who preach a false message, we cannot recommend them. Please use extreme discernment if you use their services.

Some time back I questioned Dave Hunt at Berean Call Ministries about his recommendation of quotes from Calvinist Gresham Machen. Tom McMahon (Hunt’s assistant) answered me by justifying Machen and many other questionable LS and Calvinists. He declared that their quotes could apply to us today. (I prefer God’s Word that applies to us today!!)

It is nonsense to recommend a teacher, who preaches lies, in order to “enlighten” believers in any area. I recently received a newsletter from Berean Call. At one time they were a great resource against Calvinism. This newsletter article warned against believers getting involved with the politics of today. The article, “Influencing The Culture” was a wholehearted endorsement of an excerpt from one of John (Calvinist guru of Lordship Probation) MacArthur’s articles. No doubt Berean Call would justify such an endorsement in the exact same manner as they defended their endorsement of Machen and other Calvinists. One of Ed’s statements in his note to me reads, “Further, some of the resources we offer or have offered are authored by Calvinists such as C.H. Spurgeon, John MacArthur, Jay Adams (addressing psychology), Mike Gendron (former Catholic), and William Webster.”

This philosophy seems contradictory to Biblical Doctrine and a far cry from Dave Hunt’s excellent book exposing Calvinism, “What Love Is This?”

We believe none of these mentioned have any redeeming qualities worth recommending for study, even though they may occasionally speak or write “a truth.” The lies they propagate otherwise spoil the entire true issue of God’s Grace. As God’s Word says, A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9

The rules and dictates of Lordship Salvation and Calvinism or any other false teaching will never cure carnal Christianity — Their teaching only offers confusion.

What is God’s Real Salvation? << Click

ALERT: New “Bible,” “The Voice” Omits the Name Jesus Christ, etc.; The Voice “Mis”translation

By Jack Weaver ( thanks to good friend Shelle Davis for the tip)

Please beware — if you have been sold on the idea that you want a Bible for your kids — or yourself that is “easier to read,” BE VERY CAREFUL. Thomas Nelson Publishers has gone down into the depths, publishing a new “Bible” called The Voice which, from the following report, decimates portions of God’s Word by omitting the words, “Jesus Christ.”

Excerpts from Christian Post Article:

A new translation of the Bible into English does not contain the name “Jesus Christ” nor the word “angel.” It also prefers the word “emissary” over “apostle.”

The Voice, a Bible (sic) that replaces “Jesus Christ” with terms like “Jesus the Anointed One,” had its complete edition released by Thomas Nelson Publishing last month.

Frank Couch, Thomas Nelson’s lead editor on the project, told The Christian Post that the purpose of The Voice was to make the Gospel message easier to understand for modern audiences.

The Voice has not claimed to be more accurate than any other translation, rather it is more easily understood than any other translation,” said Couch.

“When translators are limiting themselves to conveying the complete essence of a word from the Hebrew or the Greek with one English word they have difficulty bringing in the nuances held in the original language.”

Because other translations have more literal renderings, Couch believed they are “why it has been necessary for commentators and preachers to spend so much time explaining what the words in the original language mean before the lay reader can understand fully a text of Scripture.”

So now we are to trust Nelson Publishers to interpret God’s Word for us?? I think not. There are already too many perversions of God’s Word on the market now.

Just beware. God’s Word tells us:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

How could anyone (except one who knows not the Bible) publish and market a “Bible” that eliminates the Name of Jesus Christ. We are to rightly divide [correctly dissect] the Word of Truth, not delve into a poor paraphrase of what some book salesman thinks is “easier to read.”

Heaven is FREE << Click

John MacArthur Changes His “Lordship salvation” Message??

By Jack Weaver

Dr. Tom Cucuzza tipped me off to the following interesting link from John MacArthur’s (JMac) Grace To You web site.

I’ll quote a couple of passages in which someone in JMac’s camp tries to “correct” JMac’s Lordship error.

Article title:

“Does John MacArthur teach salvation by works in his book Hard to Believe?”

One paragraph in the first edition of Hard to Believe contained a glaring error that has the potential to mislead readers about the book’s whole intent.

As one reads the original and the “correction” one sees very little difference in doctrine. Both ooze Lordship Salvation, just slightly different.

The Grace To You writer seems to try to blame everyone for the error.

The error was inadvertently introduced into the [original] manuscript in the late stages of the editorial process, when (in order to simplify the book) four chapters were deleted from the original manuscript and one of the remaining chapters was severely abridged. John MacArthur approved the abridgments.

…..Unfortunately, that [later] change was not submitted to John for approval. We believe the error was an oversight, and not anyone’s deliberate attempt to tamper with the book’s theology. The result, however, severely muddled the message of the book.

A revision was sent to the publisher for future editions of the book. In all subsequent printings, here is how the opening paragraph of chapter six reads (revisions are in bold):

Here is John MacArthur’s original Lordship “salvation” quote from the guru of the lie:  chapter 6 (page 93), (My emphasis in bold.)“Hard to Believe”– Original edition:

Don’t believe anyone who says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing. Salvation isn’t the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ as revealed in the Scripture; it’s the fruit of actions, not intentions. There’s no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile…The life we live, not the words we speak, determines our eternal destiny“ (John MacArthur, Hard to Believe, p. 93).

Here is the so-called “corrected” revision of the error in his original passage — from the opening paragraph of chapter 6 (page 93), The changed portions are in bold, according to JMac’s web site.

Don’t believe anyone who says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing. Salvation isn’t gained by reciting mere words. Saving faith transforms the heart, and that in turn transforms behavior. Faith’s fruit is seen in actions, not intentions. There’s no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile. Remember that what John saw in his vision of judgment was a Book of Life, not a book of Words or Book of Intellectual Musings. The life we live, not the words we speak, reveals whether our faith is authentic. Chapter 6 (page 93)

Not surprisingly, I see no substantial difference — Both preach a works based “salvation, probation” message. JMac has managed to survive an apparent internal controversy and continues preaching the same old Lordship probation message he has preached for years.

What say you?

Salvation – Not By “Commitment” But by Faith Alone. << Click

The 100th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic, April 15, 2012: Titanic Gospel Warnings About Rejecting the Gospel

One hundred years ago, today, April 14, 1912, the famous oceanliner Titanic struck an iceberg.  Hours later, in the early morning of April 15, the huge ship sank carrying about 1500 people to their death.

Over the years, analysts have studied what things went wrong leading up to the tragedy of April 1912.  Several facts have been chronicled which detail why this event occurred.  The following piece summarizes some of these findings:

Source:  http://www.39online.com/kiah-20120413,0,4594381.photo

1.  Substandard Rivets in Bow and Stern, containing iron and a high content of slag, which becomes brittle at very cold temperatures.

2.  Ship Steaming Too Fast in spite of repeated telegraphed messages from other ships about iceberg ice in the area.

3.  Lack of Binoculars:  some of the lookouts were not furnished with proper optical equipment.

4.  Repeated Ice Warnings disregarded by Capt. Smith.

5.  Unusually High Tides may have brought excessive icebergs into shipping lanes.

6.  Last Minute Manuever of Ship Failed, causing more damage than would have probably occurred in a strike with the bow.

7.  Watertight Bulkheads were not sealed at the top.

8.  Insufficient Number of Lifeboats:  Only enough to accommodate about 1/3 of the passengers and crew.

9.  Lifeboats Not Filled to Capacity:  some were launched half full.

10. The British Steamer “Californian” saw flares and could have steamed toward them, but failed to do so, some think because the wrong color flares were used, ones which would normally be used for celebrations, not for S.O.S. signaling. 

11. [added to article]  Rope Too Short:  It has been reported that rope used to drop buckets down to collect water temperature readings was too short to reach the water’s surface.  Crew members, instead, substituted water from onboard the ship to render the readings. 

“Titanic” Warnings About the Gospel:

The Gospel of Salvation is so straightforward, so clear in the Bible in many places, including 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus); Acts 16:30-31 (“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved . . .”); Ephesians 2:8-9 (We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, not by works); John 3:16-18 (Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.)

Why do so many people refuse to go God’s way, trusting in his Son, Christ Jesus, for salvation, and not in their own “good” works?

How similar are unbelievers today to passengers on the Titanic?

1.  Both were (are) sailing toward disaster at breakneck speeds.

2.  In the frenzy of the night, many failed to board the Titanic lifeboats which could have rescued them from death; in the hustle and bustle of life, many or most people fail to avail themselves of God’s gift of Eternal Life in His Son, Jesus Christ, who can save them from eternal destruction.

3. Up until the moment of the crash, people on the Titanic were going about their normal routines (business as usual):  crew members were observing their daily duties; passengers were laughing, dancing and dining; both were (are) oblivious to the imminent dangers that lay (lie) ahead.

4. Even after the Titanic struck the iceberg, for the first couple of hours many were in denial that they faced any danger whatsoever— “This ship is unsinkable,” some claimed.  How many people in our day live in similar blind denial:  “There’s no hell,” many declare.  “If there is a heaven, either we’re all going there or we ain’t,” others might retort.  On that sad early morning of April 15, 2012, dozens and dozens of scoffers faced reality head-on.  How many millions, in our generation, will, tragically and avoidably, come face to face with the legitimacy of death and an eternity in torment (Luke 16)?

5.  Some of the passengers on the Titanic, who failed to board the lifeboats which could have rescued them, sought, instead, to save themselves by strapping on life preservers and jumping into the ocean.  If the impact of the fall did not kill them, the frigid water would have finished them off in minutes [this observation is for the purpose of illustration only; obviously, in the frenectic scene of the night, many were not given the opportunity to board the lifeboats].  How many unbelievers, today, steadfastly refuse to accept God’s plan of salvation? (there is only ONE WAY, by grace alone through faith alone in his Son Christ Jesus alone).  They would rather go their own way, seek their own path, add to God’s plan, or devise their own plan, while attempting to please God through their own works.  Refusal to go God’s way will certainly lead to destruction.

Do Lordship “Salvation” Folks Deny the Resurrection and Christ’s Proclamation, “It is finished”?

By Jack Weaver

As Resurrection weekend approaches let us analyze the terrible lie and denial by those who teach Lordship “Salvation.” Do their false teachings deny the Resurrection and Christ’s very words?

God’s salvation requires no more than believing the Gospel and then believing in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Therefore we conclude that the Lordship “salvation, faith, probation” (LS) folks cannot sincerely believe Christ’s last statement on the cross, “It is finished…” John 19:30b

They must deny the death, burial and resurrection as being Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice for sin for every person in the world, past, present and future. The Lord God sealed His Promise of Christ’s words, “It is finished”  when He raised Jesus Christ from the grave three days later. The Resurrection is proof. LS folks therefore deny His Gospel of Salvation by Grace through their teaching. They demonstrate their misery not knowing that JOY that comes with God’s assurance.

Here is such a denial, according to the guru of Lordship “salvation” :

Salvation isn’t the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ as revealed in the Scripture; it’s the fruit of actions, not intentions. There’s no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile…The life we live, not the words we speak, determines our eternal destiny (John MacArthur, Hard to Believe, p. 93).

Heresy !!! Thus says JMac as he proudly denies the sufficiency of God’s Grace alone, our faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, to save all who believe in Him. He is claiming null and void Christ’s last words on the cross, “It is finished.”  (“Finished” is the Greek word Teleo meaning complete, executed, concluded, discharged (a debt) :- accomplished, make an end).

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain [useless, empty)]” 1 Corinthians 15:14

You may have “heard” the Gospel and you may have “come to the knowledge of Christ” or “know” the Gospel but you alone must, at some time, make the decision to believe in Jesus Christ, that He died and was resurrected as your substitute, in your place, for your sins, that He is your Savior. Then, He freely GIVES you the Gift of eternal Life (forever)..
Study John 3:16-18 “.. He that believeth is NOT condemned…”

Christ died, that’s history, Christ died for ME, that’s Salvation.

Christ IS RISEN and coming again!!!

But what if, after Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, He had not been resurrected from the grave? There would be no salvation.. There would be no proof that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh. That is Satan’s message. We see such a lie touted by “liberal” theologians from the time shortly after Jesus was put to death by the Roman court.

Matthew 28:1-8

  • “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers [guards] did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word.”

Luke 24:6-7

“He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

GREAT JOY” is an understatement!! Imagine yourself being there with them. Imagine their circumstances, the Person they trusted, worshiped and followed had just been humiliated, crucified was dead and buried. They visit the tomb expecting to complete their mourning. Then they see the tomb empty and hear the words, He is not here: for He is risen.” HE IS RISEN! Just imagine the JOY!

The following has been called “The Gospel in a Nutshell”:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.1 Corinthians 15: 3-6

Witness after witness after witness is certainly additional evidence of His resurrection.

Salvation by God’s Grace is understanding and believing that we are imperfect; that God calls this sin and that our sin requires a death penalty. But God with love beyond infinity, loved us so much that He sent His Perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to make that death penalty for the whole world. He came to the Jew first and then the Gentile so that all who would believe or trust in Jesus would have everlasting life in Heaven with Him. Jesus, He fulfilled the law and paid the death penalty we humans owe. He did that and arose from the grave just as He promised. Now the responsibility is upon us. Do we trust Jesus alone as our Savior, our complete and all sufficient Savior, apart from depending upon our good works, our promises, our commitment to serve or a life lived in obedience? If we do trust Jesus alone as our Savior, God’s Word says we HAVE everlasting life, guaranteed.

  • John 3:16-18
    “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Dear friend, at this time of year when we remember the death, burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, perhaps you do not know for sure you possess eternal life in Christ. If you are not sure, please believe Him and trust or rely upon Jesus alone as your Savior to deliver you to Heaven; to give you eternal life. It is not thorough an organization, behavior, church or your good works, but simply Jesus alone. I pray you will make this one time decision as it is the most important one you will ever make during your entire life on this earth.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope [guarantee] by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,“ 1 Peter 1:3

HE IS RISEN — GREAT JOY!!!

God’s FREE Gift of Eternal Life << Click

Francis Chan’s Latest Pronouncement: Failure to Help the Poor Could Send You to Hell; Latest Francis Chan news

Once again, Francis Chan, popular conference speaker, author and Lordship Faith Advocate, adds qualifications (good works) to the simple straightforward gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 4:5; John 3:16; Titus 3:5).  His latest pronouncement is shown in the brief excerpt of his article below (to view the article in its entirety, see, “Failure to Help the Poor Could Send You to Hell,” by Francis Chan—Churchleaders.Com).     

 

“Blessed Are the Poor

And what about the poor? Jesus is crystal clear about the necessity of reaching the poor. Yet many hellfire preachers are overfed and overpaid, living in luxury while doing nothing for the majority of Christians who live on less than two dollars a day. [2] Contrast that with Jesus, who in His longest sermon about judgment made helping the poor a vital criterion.

Put simply, failing to help the poor could damn you to hell.

I know, I know, everyone wants to qualify this. We want to add all sorts of footnotes to fix Jesus’ shaky theology in Matthew 25—justification is by faith, not by works; you don’t really have to help literal poor people, etc. [3]On the flipside, some want to keep the stuff about helping the poor but take hell out of the picture. Sometimes, people even take Jesus out of the picture—fighting poverty, they believe, is an inherent virtue whether or not it’s rooted in the gospel.  Let’s keep the teeth of both truths. There’s a literal hell, and helping the poor is essential. Not only did Jesus teach both of these truths, He saw them as necessary and interrelated.”

Is Francis Chan right; is what he describes the Biblical plan of salvation, or is he teaching a false gospel of faith PLUS WORKS?
see also: https://expreacherman.com/2012/07/22/francis-chans-latest-speech-to-5000-christian-youths-questioning-their-faith/

For updates on Francis Chan 2013, see:

Lordship “Salvation” Authors/Speakers Francis Chan and David Platt Team Up to Create the “Multiply” Discipleship Movement

We welcome your comments. 

Rick Warren’s Ecumenism. “Chrislam” and Lordship Salvation?

Is there a connection?

Most folks don’t necessarily think of Rick Warren as a big supporter of Lordship Salvation — but we have written and documented it here and here.

Think about this idea I propose that Warren may be at the forefront of a world wide ecumenical movement that attempts to incorporate Warren’s idea of New Age Mysticism and Evangelicalism in his humanistic world-wide “PEACE” movement. He is now reaching out to Muslims, not to win them to Jesus Christ but to explore the similarities between their god and the God of the Bible. That is called Chrislam.  An article in the 2009 Orange County Register (CA) shows Warren in full fellowship speaking to 8,000 Muslims at INSA, the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention in Washington D.C. (Side note, reports are that Warren did not share the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.. Picture below.)

Article Tab: Sami M. Angawi, left, talks with Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, right, at the Islamic Society of North America�s 46th annual convention in Washington, July 4, 2009. Evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren says America's largest Islamic organization showed courage when it invited him to speak at its annual convention.

Sami M. Angawi, left, talks with Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, right, at the Islamic Society of North America�s 46th annual convention in Washington, July 4, 2009. Evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren says America’s largest Islamic organization showed courage when it invited him to speak at its annual convention.

Luis M. Alvarez, (OCR)

There is NO similarity between Islam and the Christianity proclaimed in God’s Word, the Bible. Rick Warren is severely misguided, deluded or intentionally giving in to Islam thus aiding the Muslim push for an international Muslim Caliphate (rulership).

This quote below is from a Muslim “ecumenical” web site [submission.nu] — is an attempt to marginalize the cruelty of Islam by comparing it to Christianity and is an effort to merge the two. The word Islam means “Submission.” In the excerpt below, is an effort to make Islam acceptable to “Christian religions.” They carefully substitute the word “God” in place of their god Allah.

The time has come to purify and consolidate all the messages delivered by God’s prophets into one message, and to proclaim that henceforth, there is only one religion acceptable to God, [Allah] “Submission”  [Islam] (3:19, 85). “Submission” [Islam] is the religion whereby we recognize God’s [Allah’s] absolute authority, and reach an unshakeable conviction that God [Allah] ALONE possesses all power; no other entity possesses any power that is independent of Him [Allah]. The natural result of such a realization is to devote our lives and our worship absolutely to God [Allah] ALONE. This is the First Commandment in all the scriptures, including the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Final Testament. [Quran] [Brackets my emphasis]

How many of these dictates sound like the rules set by men for Lordship “salvation” (LS) and/or how many are the basis of LS, Calvinism? Without total submission to Allah the god of Islam, there is no hope for the adherents of Islam (or anyone else they say). And then, there is no eternal hope for adherents of Lordship “salvation” without total submission to the Lordship of Christ (contrary to God’s Word). It is odd how similar these two philosophies seem to be.

And further, to put it in a more personal perspective, why are we as American Christian citizens spending millions of our US tax dollars to save Muslim mosques in the middle east? Watch this short video from Atlanta news. WSBTV Atlanta

Islam does not desire coexistence with Rick Warren or any other religion — they want total Submission – Islam. Wonder what Rick Warren is thinking with his PEACE plan reaching out to Muslims, who ultimately want him to submit to Islam — either now or later? Can he have it both ways with Chrislam?

Do you see this coming to a church near you?

Is this push softening Americans to accept Muslim Shariah Law into our own courts? It is happening today – Shariah Law Cases by State. << Go here and find cases in your own state’s courts.

True Faith — From God’s Word. << Click

Sovereignty: Calvinist and Lordship “Salvation” Catchword or Crutch?

By Jack Weaver

First let me note that neither of the words “sovereignty” nor  “sovereign” appear in the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.  The words are simply inventions-with-a-purpose created by the Calvinist/Reformed movement and adopted by Lordship Salvationists (LS) through time. Unfortunately some supposedly clear “evangelical” teachers have likewise adopted “sovereign” and the Reformed meaning of the word into their own vernacular.

The Dictionary.com definition for “sovereign” is “a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.”
This is a quote from Chinstitute.org, an extreme Calvinist web site wherein they examine the origin of the word in their own ecclesiastical context from Calvin’s Institutes:

“This idea of the sovereignty of God was Calvin’s most central doctrine. It means that nothing is left to chance or human free will. This is what led him to put such emphasis on the doctrine of predestination – the idea that God, not we, decides whether we will be saved.” [Emphasis mine]

The erroneous concept that the “sovereignty” of God supersedes any idea or decision of man undergirds not only Calvinism and Reformed teaching but also Lordship “salvation” teaching as well. Lest you think LSers avoid the sovereignty issue, John MacArthur, the Calvinist king of Lordship teaching says, No doctrine is more despised by the natural mind than the truth that God is absolutely sovereign. Human pride loathes the suggestion that God orders everything, controls everything, rules over everything.[My emphasis]  From John MacArthur’s article, “God’s Absolute Authority,” Grace to You web site.

It is but a small step from proclaiming the sovereignty (as absolute rulership) of God to the false teaching that man is unable or incapable of making a personal decision to believe in or trust Jesus Christ as his Savior.

God is certainly the Creator and Ruler of the universe — but we as humans have always had the will, the ability if not the innate desire to disobey and dispute His Authority by our own free will (which fact Reformed teachers deny). The Bible chronicles countless examples of God’s people being disobedient and deciding to go “their own way” despite the desires, warnings and chastisements of God. Adam and Eve were the first. Another obvious example is represented by the Children of Israel in the desert after they fled Egypt. The Israelites were rebellious, disobedient and railed against God. They purposely did not obey God’s will for them:

They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:  But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:13-15

Question: Why, in the far reaches of anyone’s mind, would the Reformed, Calvinist and LS proponents need such a doctrine of “sovereignty” to support their teaching?

Answer: Primarily as justification for their out-of-context and unBiblical use of the words “chosen, elect and predestined,” etc. These concepts are, in their eyes, all wrapped up in (1) their false definition of the words “sovereignty of God” and (2) their false presumption of the inability of man to believe in Christ without such “faith” being caused, planted and finished by God in the individual “chosen by God” from eternity past.

Think seriously about this: Without their devised, invented and concocted understanding of the word “sovereignty,” the whole Calvinist/Reformed/LS theology has no core and falls apart.

Then imagine the conundrum that Calvinist LS folks have when their “believers” do not follow their dictates of behavior. Then, rather than the rule of Grace — it becomes the Rule of Rules such as that of John MacArthur, Francis Chan and John Piper, et al.

God’s Gift of salvation is absolutely FREE for the taking, not just for a “chosen” few but for every individual in the whole world. (1 Timothy 2:4, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15, 3-4). The just death penalty for our sin debt was made and completed by Christ Himself on the cross, He was buried, arose from the grave and is alive today. To appropriate that Gift is to trust in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and is a decision every individual must make IF he or she ever expects or desires to live eternally with the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. We are not talking about a church to join, it is not a matter of being “chosen or elected to be saved,” it is not being obedient to some religious guru’s set of rules to be saved.. Salvation is only by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone. Period. No good works required!

Yep, Salvation is Really FREE!! << Click

American Christianity / Christianity in America: What’s Wrong With the Term “American Christianity?”

A couple of years ago I heard the testimony of a young man who stated that he had been raised in a loving Christian home;  his parents took him to Sunday School and church every week; he intimated that he may have trusted Christ as Savior at a very young age, although he was not sure about that.  While he was attending a secular university, he met some students from The Master’s College (founded by and presided over by John MacArthur).  Through them he was led into what has been called “Genuine, committed” Christianity.  He then claimed to “realize” that his former beliefs of two decades were undoubtedly bogus, what he dubbed, “American Christianity.”

I have often heard the term “American Christianity” bandied about by Lordship Faith preachers as if it is some sort of an inherently-evil nomenclature.  Lordship Faith writers and preachers such as Paul Washer, David Platt, and Francis Chan use the term as a slam against all but whom they deem to be the most committed Christians in America.  Francis Chan in his book Crazy Love labels the masses of American Christians as “the lukewarm.”  Then in one fell swoop he consigns them all to hell.  Only the really on fire minority of churchgoers will make it to heaven, in Chan’s teaching.  Based upon what I read in Crazy Love, possibly even the Apostle Paul himself would not pass Chan’s “lukewarm” test. 

So why has the term “American Christianity” become so offensive in many Christian circles?  I find it rather hypocritical that everyone whom I have heard or read using the term, in such a negative way, IS an American as well as a professed Christian himself!  Doesn’t the derogatory utilization of the term “American Christianity” fail to acknowledge the great history of Christianity in America?  And doesn’t its use deny the fact that Christian churches and Christian mission organizations have been the most colossal senders of Christian missionaries and the Christian gospel worldwide?  And how about the fact that America possesses the most professing Christians and the highest per-capita church-going population in the world?  [Granting the fact that some are not really born-again Christians]

    

Calvinism >> Moderate << Lordship "salvation"

While web surfing yesterday I came across a church web site in which the well known Pastor claims he is neither a Calvinist nor a Lordship “Salvation” proponent — yet he promotes both on his web site. He indicates that he is a “moderate,” half way in between MacArthur’s (Calvinist) Lordship “salvation” (LS) and a Calvinist position (or even a Charles Ryrie position on Grace??). Our analyses in previous articles have pointed out that LS feeds on Calvinism and vice versa. But remember Calvinism feeds on “baby” Christians or church attenders (John Piper, John MacArthur, Francis Chan, et al). The Bible speaks of error as “leaven” and explains that a little error spreads and spoils the whole. Halfway between two errors is obviously — Error.

Yesterday, our web friend Jim F and I had a great exchange of emails where I expressed my position regarding Five Point Calvinism; I am a ZERO pointer, non-Calvinist — Jim agrees. We find nothing in God’s Word — in context — that supports any of the five points of the corrupt Calvinist TULIP nor do we find any support for the manipulation of God’s Word into the LS lie. Jim made an astute statement (which I quote without his permission) “There is also too much focus on what men have said about the Bible. Greater emphasis should go to what the Bible has said about itself.”  (Thanks Jim)

2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Just think about that verse. If we were all LS or Calvinists, we would have no need of reproof, correction or instruction in righteousness, because they say such would be “automatic” or granted upon “saving faith” or as long as we “persevere to the end.”

Most of you, our dear friends, have no idea of the words and thoughts we read from supporters of LS and Calvinism. We filter these so, if we find them abusive, they never appear. If someone is earnestly seeking Truth we will discuss the pros and cons of their position.. but we refuse to advertise their error.

In recent comments we have been labeled everything one can imagine including Arminian, Roman Paganism, etc. And this milder error prone statement: You folks need to get a grip! A faith that doesn’t produce obedience isn’t saving faith.

Discussion:

  • Is there a middle ground between LS/Calvinism and God’s Grace teaching?
  • Shall we preach the Truth of God’s Grace and compromise with LS/Calvinism or other error?
  • Is a false definition of Repentance (turn from sin for salvation) acceptable in a Free Grace environment?
  • Share examples (no links) of well known, published, blatant compromise with the Truth possibly outside of areas of any prior discussions.

Please discuss: Is compromise ever acceptable when using God’s Word? Are there any areas where compromise may or may not be acceptable? Let us discuss it amicably.

The Truth of God’s Salvation << Click

Was Whitney Houston a Christian? Whitney Houston Sings “I Love the Lord”

With the sudden tragic death of Whitney Houston, Christians across the Christian magazines, TV programs and internet sites are asking the question, “Did Whitney Houston know the Lord?”  Of course, this is the most important question, one for which this commenter does not have the answer.  Speculations are swirling on the question.  What we do know, however, is that she was raised in a Christian church, and by many reports, she had a devoted Christian mother.  If she trusted Christ as her Savior in her youth by faith in him alone, then John 10:27-30 promises us that God will never let go of her.  She cut her artistic teeth singing gospel hymns in the church choir.  And, in spite of her oft-troubled life, she continued to sing gospel songs into her adulthood.

I trust that you find this song to be uplifting:   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiCBOXOj9s0

Accursed or Innocent? Lordship “Salvation” Teachers.

By Jack Weaver

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8

Question: Is a Lordship Probation “salvation-by-works” teacher, preacher or proponent accursed when he perverts the Gospel of God’s Grace — on purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance? Does it matter?

Question: Why would anyone preach such if he knows and believes the true Gospel of God’s Grace? Should we assume therefore he does not know or believe the Gospel?

These are open discussion questions. I have my ideas but would like to hear yours.

SBC preaching, for the most part, “repent of sin or turn from sin salvation,” on purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance?

Paul Washer, among other errors, says:
The Gospel is to repent of your sins and believe the Gospel.” On purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance?

MacArthur, Chan, Piper et al knowingly preach Lordship “Salvation” that if one does not follow Christ — he can not become or is not a believer in Christ. On purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance?

Calvinist Teaching —  one must persevere to the end for salvation. On purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance?

Arminian teaching that one can never have complete assurance of salvation. On purpose, inadvertently or out of ignorance?

Our friend Eddy, in Bruce’s previous article Proceed with Caution: “ONE” Conference Coming to Miami,  has commented and compiled an exhaustive list of Conference teachers who pervert the Gospel. We have written scores of articles on this web site exposing teachers who spoil the Gospel of God’s Grace. It appears there is no end of “popular” teachers/preachers who are willingly or deliberately falling prey to the works based Lordship “salvation” (Probation) lie of Satan.

WHY?????

The list could go on forever.

Your thoughts?

God, By His Grace,, Offers Heaven Free To You.

Annual ONE Conference; Proceed with Caution: “ONE” Conference Coming to Miami

This is an alert for our readers:

A much-publicized Christian “impact” conference is coming to Miami, FL this weekend, February 10-12.  It is youth-oriented, having rock-style music and fiery preaching.  Some of the keynote speakers are quite well known in the Christian community.  Some come from churches and Christian organizations which have solid grace-oriented statements of faith and salvation.  But please be forewarned that some of the speakers are from churches or ministries supporting Calvinist/Lordship Faith teachings.

Here are some of the speakers speaking at the ONE Conference:

Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse, a worldwide help organization

Frank Harrison, a Coca Cola executive and well-known Christian conference speaker

Francis Chan, Conference Speaker, Author, radical Lordship Faith promoter (see any of the many articles on the Expreacherman site for more detail on his teaching). 

Bob Coy, Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale

Brian Houston, Hillsong Church, Sydney; Carl Lentz, Hillsong, NYC.  Hillsong Church has a troublesome LS type statement of faith regarding salvation:  “We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the ‘new birth’ we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.”  

James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicago.  The Harvest Bible Chapel statement on salvation is equally troublesome to the Hillsong statement, again, promoting a Calvinist/ Lordship Faith salvation plan.  It reads,

“We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before Creation, God chose those who would be saved and granted this unearned grace solely based on His sovereign good pleasure. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and places their faith in Christ alone by grace alone. At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end.”

Rich Wilkerson, The Rendezvous, Miami.  The ministry’s statement on salvation is more toward the Biblical Ephesians 2:8-9:  “This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone . . .”  However, “repentance” as a term is used but not defined and fruits of the spirit and a holy life are expected evidences of true salvation.

Britt Merrick, Reality Church, Santa Barbara.  The church is self-described as “missional” in focus, but does not appear to be connected with the neo-Calvinist movement.  Decent statement of belief:  “We Believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God’s grace through faith alone are we saved.”

Greg Laurie, Harvest Church, Riverside, CA.  Well-known radio Bible teacher and conference speaker (Harvest Crusades).

Scott Harrison, founder of clean water well-building worldwide help organization called, “WATER.”

Ed Young, Fellowship Church, Dallas.  Pretty solid statements of belief on salvation and eternal security:  “Salvation is a gift from God to man.  Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works.  Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty.  Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.  . . .  Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.  Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God [John 10:27-30], not by the self-effort of the Christian.  It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.”

Pedro Garcia, Calvary Church Kendall, Miami.  Statement of faith looks alright, but, sadly, the web site recommends books by Calvinist or LS writers like John Stott, Francis Chan and Timothy Keller.

Miles McPherson, Rock Church, San Diego.  Web site’s heading on its statement of belief regarding salvation bore the questionable wording, “Repent and Believe.”  But upon downloading the complete statement it presented a grace gospel message.

Christine Caine, Equip and Empower Ministries, Sydney.  Statement on salvation looked fine.   

That’s about it for now.  Feel free to check out these individuals on your own as well.  Please let us know if you have any additional information or warnings about the ONE conference or about any of its speakers.

MacArthur Type Lordship Faith Book with Amplified Ferocity: “Crazy Love”

From the Vintage Archives of Expreacherman we re-present this article (newly titled) which continues to garner substantial attention since its release in 2009.  As always, your thoughtful comments are welcome.

One of my readers who signs his comments “Stickin’ to the Bible” wrote a couple of comments which deserve more than just a cursory look.

He compared the doctrine of Francis Chan,  author of a new book, “Crazy Love,” to John MacArthur.

I have never read the book but did look up Chan and his ministries and find him to proclaim Calvinist doctrine (as does MacArthur).

My friend, Stickin’ then proceeded to offer another comment with details from the pages of Chan’s book. I will quote some below — so you may be forewarned about Francis Chan.

Stickin’ To The Bible said:

I have also heard that Chan is a graduate of Master’s College and Seminary, both are schools founded and presided over by John MacArthur.  In Chan’s book, “Crazy Love,” David Cook Pub., 2008, pp. 68-78, he creates a list of what he describes as his “Profile of the Lukewarm.”  His descriptions are along these lines:

1. People who say they love Jesus but only include him as a part of their lives; 2. People who are moved by stories about those who do what he calls, “radical things for Christ,” but they themselves do not do such things; 3. People who rarely share their faith with others for fear of rejection; 4. on page 78 he says, “Lukewarm People feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.”   After making his list of  what he calls “The Lukewarm,” he then discards them like matchsticks all in one fell swoop on pp. 83-84.  Chan says, “As I see it, a lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there’s no such thing.  To put it plainly, churchgoers who are “lukewarm” are not Christians.  We will not see them in heaven.”

Clearly, Stickin’ has pegged Francis Chan as a MacArthur type “Lordship Salvationist.” Chan’s statements above imply that one cannot be a Christian without good works — in direct opposition to multiple scriptures which state that salvation is free and complete apart from good works. Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 11:6.

Obviously Francis Chan has interpreted Scripture to suit himself or has never read the Book of First Corinthians about the carnal believers in Corinth.

Thanks to my reader Stickin’;… he has done a great job of research and reporting.

   

Good News. :”Secure Forever!…” Dr. Tom Cucuzza’s Great Book Now Available as an eBook.

Great News Note from Dr. Tom Cucuzza:

Good news! Secure Forever! God’s Promise or Our perseverance? is now available in ebook form from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Other formats, such as Sony and iBook for Apple are forthcoming.

Someone responded to Bruce’s review on Amazon and said this “I really enjoyed reading your review! This book was a tremendous help in restoring assurance of my salvation. I had fallen victim to the false teaching of Lordship Salvation and experienced doubts for many years as a result. The reason is because I kept looking to my works for signs of life rather than looking to the source of life….JESUS! Dr. Cucuzza’s book really cleared up a lot of my confusion. I can’t recommend this book enough to people! There is so much confusion in churches today, and this is precisely the book people need to read! God’s grace really does transform lives ) “.

This makes it all worthwhile.

~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~~~

Here are the Links:

The Amazon Link>>:  Secure Forever!..Amazon.
The Barnes and Noble link>>: Secure Forever – Barnes-Noble

 

Heaven, Eternal and Free << Click

The Truth LIES Somewhere in Between

Author, our regular commenter, John.

All of us have to make compromises in our day to day lives. This is because our interests, and the interests of the people we are trying to influence, are often different. We usually get to what we want through negotiation.

When we go to buy a car, we want the lowest price we can get, while the seller wants the highest price he can get. The way each party goes about this varies, but a typical approach is to try to get the other guy to tip his hand and to try to keep from tipping our hand about what our bottom line really is. The reason that a negotiation is possible in this case, is because each party to the transaction has something with which to negotiate.

I recently read a fascinating article entitled Deal or No Deal – the Art of Negotiation by Drew Stevens, PhD. Here are some excerpts

The most vital idea to comprehend about negotiation is definition. Negotiation is nothing more than an exchange of ideas and values between two or more parties with different interests&

Negotiation would not exist if not for the power and the reciprocity of compromise&

It is not easy to win friends and influence decisions in negotiation, yet if we understand motives, create a thorough plan and expect the unexpected, each negotiation we have becomes easier and more effective.

One thing we must never negotiate or compromise is the purity of the Gospel message. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) We are to be stewards of the Gospel, which does not provide for compromise under any circumstances. Here’s why:

First, the Gospel belongs to God. We do not have any authority to negotiate.

Second, once it is compromised, it is no longer His Gospel. It becomes just another false gospel, which robs us of His power for living and has no saving power for the lost.

Third, it is not in our interest to compromise the Gospel.

And, last, once we compromise, it gets easier to compromise further.

So, who wants to see the Gospel compromised? I ll give you a hint he is very old, loves the art of the deal , is very subtle, wants to devour us and he would make a great used car salesman (my apologies to my Christian brothers and sisters in that profession).

How does he do it? Any way he can! Consider this adage, which I recently saw used in a discussion of faith and works by a well-meaning church (Middletown Bible Church).

“The pendulum swings, ridiculous extreme, bypassing the truth which lieth between.”

And this from Middletown Bible Church’s quote “The so called “free grace” position and the Lordship salvation position are two extreme positions. The truth is to be found somewhere in between. This is common in theology. With most areas of doctrine, there are usually extreme and unbalanced views on both sides of the truth.”

The trick here is to make us feel like outliers, or extremists, for defending the purity of the Gospel. If the truth lies between, where in between does it lie?

Here are some thoughts on the art of compromise from the word of God

Matthew 7:13-15 (NKJV) Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Luke 12:51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.

John 7:43 So there was a division among the people because of him.

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  (Note: you will be accused of causing division and dissension by refusing to compromise – and this verse will be thrown in your face. But note that this refers only to people who cause divisions by teaching things that are contrary to sound doctrine – that is, the compromisers).

Here is a closing thought, from the article The Baptismal Regeneration/Believer’s Baptism Debate by Dr. J.O. Hosler

This ideal of oneness cannot be even properly attempted except through a consensus on the clarity of the saving gospel. Otherwise, we are not speaking of spiritual unity, but of mere uniformity based upon an apostate version of the gospel.

“The truth LIES somewhere in between” is just one more of Satan’s lies!

The Truth of God’s Salvation << Click

Latest John Piper News: John Piper Speaks to 42,000+ Youth, Redefining the Plan of Salvation; Latest on John Piper

Source:  The Christian Post, Jan. 5, 2012

Posted by CalifGracer 

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., stood before more than 40,000 Christian college students Wednesday and told them that some of them might not be saved.

  • John Piper addresses the crowd at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga.
    (Photo: Andrew Shepherd)
    John Piper addresses the crowd at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga.
While speaking at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga., an event which was also broadcast on the Internet, Piper said some people might be deceived into believing they have received salvation because they made a “decision” when they were young, yet they still haven’t “waved the white flag of surrender” to Jesus Christ.
 
Piper continues:
 

“Believing in Jesus is a soul coming to Jesus to be satisfied in all that he is. That is my definition of faith on the basis of John 6:35. This is not…a decision,” he said.  Piper gave his definition of salvation, explaining one concept in three different ways. He said that saving faith is “Seeing and savoring Jesus, being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus, and trusting Jesus,” and that those three things are “equivalent realities.”  But those realities should also be apparent in our actions, Piper said, because “God did not come into the world in Jesus or create the world in order to be glorified invisibly.”

COMMENT:

It seems that John Piper knows something more about the plan of salvation than the Bible itself!  He clearly promotes a Lordship Faith salvation plan which demands complete and immediate surrender along with a call to action (works-based salvation) to prove or to guarantee one’s eternal life.  This is formula for a life of doubt, fear and a decimation of a believer’s assurance of salvation.

The Bible makes the way of salvation so simple, so straightforward, so clear—We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!:

Acts 16:30-31:  “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

John 3:16:  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Romans 4:5:  “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God; NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5:  “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Your comments are welcome . . . .

Lordship Salvation Defined: Lordship “Salvation” Equals Lordship Probation!!

God’s Free Gift of Salvation does not exist in  “Lordship Salvation”

Salvation or probation? Which of these two does God’s Word promise to everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ alone??  Salvation!! Yet according to Lordship “faith” proponents, they twist words to appear right and then it becomes Probation!

Definition of Probation: It is “the state of having been conditionally released.” (Dictionary.com)

I find no Lordship Probation folks who offer God’s Free Grace through faith alone in Christ alone — without a hitch, a misunderstanding of Grace — there is always a hitch.

These are edited excerpts from an email of an avid MacArthur/Lordship Probation aficionado.

[The believer] By receiving the imputed righteousness of Christ, while He satisfies the wrath we deserve–He receives our demerit and we receive His merit.

Right so far — and then:

Can someone who is a Christian continue in the life they once lived? No; without actually turning from sin and into righteousness, we cannot claim that we know Jesus. That is [John] MacArthur’s point: Faith that does not result in changed actions (faith without works) is not a faith that can save you… 

Lordship salvation is, simply, biblical salvation: […] if we receive Christ through faith, we will either walk in holiness and increase in our likeness to Christ (which was God’s plan before the foundation of the world, to conform us to the image of His Son), or show ourselves to not be regenerate.

[…]

[If] one would claim Christ as Savior, they MUST (my emphasis. JW) also submit to Him as Lord and actively seek, by the power of the Spirit, to rid their lives of the sins they once walked in.

[…]

Thank God there are men like John MacArthur who are challenging the absurd notion that God’s grace doesn’t demand our obedience. … I pray that God would stir in the hearts of everyone who would call upon the name of the Lord, that they would turn from their sins and live, not be lulled into complacency by the promises of false teachers who suggest that God’s grace will cover those who don’t actually follow Him.

So this person infers — No follow (works), no Grace. Therefore he says the pure words of the God of salvation by Grace issues a caveat. Lordship Probation folks would erroneously have God say, “I’ll give you the ‘gift’ of salvation but you must work for it, follow, toe the line in order to have or keep that ‘gift’,”

A gift is NOT a gift if it has strings attached.. ie Santa will bring you a gift IF you are a good little boy. or “IF you sign up 10 subscribers to Sword of the Lord, we will send you a FREE gift, a camera. (I actually questioned this gimmick many years ago). These are not GIFTS but rewards for work done. BIG difference.

For a waste of time on your favorite Internet search engine, enter the search term, “grace obedience” and see how many searches come up proclaiming that God’s Grace DEMANDS obedience. That statement is not true but that indicates the state of “religion” these days. My search revealed fifteen million returns, many of which (I did not check them all) duplicate the following entries:

God’s grace is not dispensed apart from an instruction that REQUIRES both understanding and obedience.

and:

Through God’s grace, the gift of eternal life is given to those who demonstrate their faith in God by their obedience and repentance.

Thus we see so many Lordship Probation folks even ignorantly follow the Arminianism of John Wesley who stated, “that without the perseverance of good works, one may ‘fall and … finally… perish forever,‘”

All of this falls in line with Calvinist, Lordship Probationist John MacArthur who says:

“Let me say again unequivocally that Jesus’ summons to deny self and follow him was an invitation to salvation, not . . . a second step of faith following salvation.” (Dr. John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus What is Authentic Faith? pp. 219.)

“Salvation is for those who are willing to forsake everything.” (MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, p. 78.)

“This is what Jesus meant when He spoke of taking up one’s own cross to follow Him. And that is why he demanded that we count the cost carefully. He was calling for an exchange of all that we are for all that He is. He was demanding implicit obedience–unconditional surrender to His lordship.” (MacArthur, Hard to Believe, p. 6.)

I pray we as fellow believers in God’s Free Grace will be able to withstand the onslaught of the Lordship Probationists and continue to “contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints.” Jude 1:3

God’s Salvation is Absolutely FREE << Click

Hope for Today, the Promises of God: Standing on God’s Promises/How Great Thou Art

There are so many great promises in Scripture that give us hope for eternity and strength for each day.  Here are a couple of my favorite Scriptures:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is he that calleth you, who also WILL DO IT.

John 10:27-30

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.

Listen to this song by the late great tenor Tony Fontane and then give us some of your favorite promises from the Bible. [Sorry all Tony Fontane songs have now been removed from YouTube; I hope that Tony is not forgotten] Listen to world-famous Susan Boyle sing, “How Great Thou Art”:

Blessings on you all and a Happy New Year!