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Something To Ponder
Something to Ponder
By: Jon Henegar
If you were to ask the question “what is your opinion of Jesus” most nonbelievers and many Christians would say He was kind, gentle, loving, forgiving, wise, a great teacher among many other positive attributes. He was, of coarse, these things and much more. On the other hand, if you, as a Christian, were to live by and obey His commandments and share His Gospel with your neighbor, family member or stranger on the street, many of those same nonbelievers and Christians would say you are, narrow minded, judgmental, an elitist, arrogant, intolerant and maybe just plain mean. I wonder why that is? Something, to perhaps, ponder
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A Pastor’s Warning
A Pastor’s Warning
By Jon Henegar
Adapted from Ken Silva
A pastor is concerned about what he sees in the Church. He sees the Church being attacked from within by false teachings and it troubles him deeply. He feels lead to do a message of warning from the pulpit. He decides to not only to speak of the false teaching but warn the teachers themselves. One Sunday morning he steps to the pulpit and starts to speak.
“Just as in times past there were false prophets in Israel, there are now false teachers among us. They’ve introduced destructive heresies. In some cases they even deny the Lord who, through His atonement bought them. By doing these things these false teachers will bring swift destruction on themselves!
Many who call themselves Christians are following their shameful ways and they are causing the way of truth to be mocked and ridiculed. In their greed these false teachers are exploiting the church with stories they have made up but sound like the truth. But, their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction is certain.
What are these false teachers thinking? Don’t they know that in the past, God did not spare even His angels when they sinned! God sent them to hell, and put them in chains to be held for judgment. God also did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its wicked and ungodly people. God only saved Noah, a man who was a preacher of righteousness, along with seven other people. God also condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to the ground. God did this to make an example of them and clearly show us what is going to happen to wicked and ungodly people.
If all of this is true, then we can be certain that the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous in punishment until the Day of Judgment. This is especially true of those who follow after the corrupt desires of their sinful natures and despise and rebel against authority.
These false teachers are so brazen they say and do anything they want. But these heretics are speaking against things they do not understand. They are like unthinking animals that exist only to be caught and killed. And, like dumb animals, these false teachers WILL be destroyed.
These false teachers have caused untold millions to suffer, therefore THEY WILL suffer. They will be pay for what they have done.
These false teachers can be so warped by sin they take pleasure in openly doing evil. They are blemishes on the church. They delight in deceiving us while claiming to be in fellowship with us. Their desire for sin is never satisfied. Over and over again, they lead weak people into the trap of sin. Their hearts are self-centered and greedy. But, God will punish them!
These false teachers have left the right road and lost their way. They have followed the way of false gods and the things of this world.
These false teachers are like springs without water and clouds without rain. A place in the blackest darkness is awaiting them!
They speak with words that mean nothing. By their evil desires they lead people into the trap of sin. They promise people freedom, but they themselves are slaves to wickedness. They are slaves of the very things that God promises to destroy.
At one time, many of them were actually freed from evil by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But they returned to evil and evil now controls them. It is worse for them than it was before. Quite frankly, it would have been better for them to have never known the right way than to know it and to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them. These sayings are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “After a pig is washed, it goes back and rolls in the mud.”
Now please ask yourself these questions. Was the pastor wrong for speaking like this? Was he unloving, judgmental or unkind in his message? Would you ask, “where was the grace, mercy and love of Christ in this sermon?” Was he unlike Christ by giving this message?
Now read and compare what this pastor said to what 2 Peter Chapter 2 says. Keep in mind that Peter knew the grace, mercy and love of Christ as a disciple and an apostle. He witnessed it with his own eyes and experienced forgiveness while being face to face with his Savior. Peter knew all this but still spoke out with some very strong words for those that would corrupt the Gospel and preach another Jesus. Perhaps today’s pastors should follow Peter’s example and do the same. God Bless.
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Fear
By: Jon Henegar
A man went to his doctor for a routine examination. The doctor ran some blood work and then sat down with him for a consultation. The doctor told him that he was overweight and was a borderline diabetic. He also told him he needed to lose weight, start exercising and eat better. He sternly warned him that if he stayed on the path he was on, in all probability, his life would be shortened. As he was driving home, he thought about his wife and children and his grand kids. He thought about how he enjoyed having them in his life. He thought about being there when his grandchildren graduated from high school, maybe even college. How much he wanted to grow old with his wife . He was Christian and he wasn’t afraid to die, but he didn’t want to die. He wanted to enjoy this wonderful gift called life God had given him for as long as possible. The doctor put fear in the man’s heart.
To many Christians, the idea of presenting the gospel with any element of fear is wrong. This concept says that motivating someone to salvation by using fear is similar to spiritual terrorism. God’s mercy, love and grace are all that is needed in sharing the gospel. To mention Hell, eternal separation from God and the abandonment of all hope is just cruel and unnecessary and makes Christianity very unattractive to the unbeliever. I do think that God’s mercy and grace is the most important aspect of the message of salvation. His love for us is beyond measure and nothing short of amazing, but there is more to the Gospel for it to be complete. Jesus warned or talked of Hell at least 15 times in the New Testament and these are just the times he called Hell by name. There are more passages that refer to Hell but he didn’t use the name in all of his warnings. It is a real place and a real consequence and it is a part of the whole Gospel. It is uncomfortable to talk about, but it is a part of the Gospel just the same. Was Jesus using spiritual terrorism, or was he just presenting the truth in love? Was he trying to scare people into salvation with fear, or was he warning them, because he loved them, of impending danger?
The man heeded his doctor’s advice and lost weight. He started walking with his wife on a more regular basis and he was eating healthier. At his next examination his blood sugar was lower and his blood chemistry was much better. He now had a better chance at seeing his grand kids graduate from high school. He now might be able to grow old with his wife. Yes, the doctor warned him and that warning caused the man to fear, but it was a good fear, a healthy fear, for it motivated him to get off the path of destruction. The man was thankful that his doctor cared enough to warn him and put that fear in him. I should know, you see, I’m that man.
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Why Is That
By Jon Henegar
I was reading an article about the Christian walk in countries where it is against the law to be a Christian. As I finished the article something stuck out in my mind. In countries such as China, Vietnam, India and North Korea, Christians are often persecuted for their faith. When told of our freedom to worship and assemble as believers in America they struggle with that concept of freedom. The church in those countries is vastly different than the church here in the states. There are no air conditioned sanctuaries, no digital projectors, huge sound systems, fog machines or elaborate lighting. No coffee bars, book stores or game rooms. There are no Sunday schools, nurseries, youth groups and adult classes. No outreaches, plays, skits or videos. There are no vacation bible schools, summer camps or retreats. No pizza night, movie night, family night, singles night or couples night. There are no Youth Pastors, Worship Pastors, Christian Ed. Pastors or Outreach Pastors. No Christian music concerts or youth rallies. The church in those countries is indeed very different from ours. The one thing that these Christians do ask for over and over again, however, is to have a copy of the Bible, many times at the risk of severe punishment and even death. The one thing they value the most, is to be able to read God’s Word and have it close to them.
Now, this is the thing that struck me as I read that article. To the Christians in those countries the Bible is completely sufficient and lacks nothing to equip and empower the believer, but in our country, God’s Word, according to what many churches tell us, doesn’t even have the power to be relevant to our culture? Why is that? God Bless.
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Article: Changing The Culture
Changing the Culture
By Jon Henegar
In Paul’s letter to Philemon we see a very important message for the Emergent church. Today’s progressive/ emergent church model is one of social justice. Rick Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. plan is a good example of that. His plan is basically a kingdom now/ dominion theology that say’s the church must usher in the changes needed in the world that would allow the stage to be set for the return of Christ.
Philemon was the owner of a runaway slave named Onesimus. Onesimus stole something of value from Philemon, ran away and eventually met Paul, who was in house arrest in Rome. Onesumis became a Christian and then became a helpmate to Paul. In Paul’s letter he appeals to Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his household, not as just a slave, but now as a brother in Christ.
The culture of the day allowed people to own slaves, as we can see in this and many other scriptures. This ownership literally gave the power of life or death over the slave under certain circumstances, such as when the slave stole something or ran away. Philemon, according to the culture, had the right to end Onesimus’ life or at the very least have him severely punished. Paul showed Philemon that, as a follower of Christ, he now had a higher obligation to fulfill in his relationship with his slave. Instead of being master and slave they were now brothers in Christ. Culture was changed the day Philemon accepted the new relationship he now had with Onesimus. The slavery in this story didn’t end because the church engaged in social justice; it ended when Christ changed a relationship between two men. Paul didn’t condemn slavery and appeal to the culture to change. He appealed to who Philemon now was in Christ and that changed the culture. Culture doesn’t reflect God when man changes the culture; the culture reflects God when Christ changes man.
According to the Bible, the world will never know P.E A.C.E.(peace) through the acts and efforts of man, other than perhaps the 3 and half years during the tribulation. The emergent church say’s that we can all work together to build a better world. The emergent church says that, we (man) have the ability to produce the world that God always had in mind. Is that what scripture really says? If it does please point it out to me, because I don’t see it. God bless.
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All We Need Is Love
By Jon Henegar
There seems to be a mind set in the church that is very troubling to me. Basically it goes something like this. If you speak the word of God in its entirety, and use it as a standard, you are a Pharisee. If you speak against false teaching, you are coming against men of God or the church with a judgment; therefore you are not showing love. If you stand for an absolute truth, and do not waiver, you are intolerant. This view says love must always come before anything else, including the truth. This new Christian outlook and way of thinking appears to say, truth must always be secondary to love. In reading responses to various articles on false teachers such as Rob Bell, Rick Warren and many more, many point out that it’s wrong to make these teachers accountable or to even criticize what they teach. Many come to their defense, saying things such as “how dare you call yourself a Christian and then attack these men” or “where are you showing the love of God when you publicly come against them and their ministries?” They point out perhaps, that their ministries are growing and that they are feeding the poor or digging wells in impoverished countries. They say “Here they are, doing the work of the Kingdom and you dare question them on their teachings?” They may then start to question the one who raises the questions. “Who are you to do this?” “What gives you the right to cast doubt on these ministers and pastors?” “What authority do you have to judge and who gives it to you?” “Where is your love for these men of God, who only want to bring people to Christ?” The defense given for these false teachers is based on what they term as “God’s love.” This “love” that they profess and live by however, requires that truth must take a backseat to its effect. Truth doesn’t matter; it’s the action or teaching done in love that’s important. If the motivation is right then truth can be ignored, or at least sidelined, just as long as the goal is accomplished. This “love” say’s you most avoid conflict for the sake of unity. You must be tolerant, so as not to offend. How can we show the world God’s love, if we publicly correct, reprove or rebuke one another? But is this the love that we see in the scriptures? Is this truly a Godly love?
You should know that I think it’s wonderful that’s these men and women and their ministries are doing things like feeding the poor and digging wells and providing comfort to people needing it. They are doing what all of us need to be doing and I commend them for it. In fact I have failed to do as much as I could have or should have when it comes to these things. I’m not very proud of that fact. I do not question the sincerity of some of these people. These works, however, no matter how great, cannot justify teaching a false Gospel. If a false Gospel or another Gospel is taught, this is not the love of God; this is a counterfeit love that mocks God. This is a love that is separate from truth, and without truth it cannot be of God. We have given ourselves over to an emotional, feel good theology that states “God is love” and stops there. If we leave it there, however, it is incomplete, and it falls short of true love. Love without God’s truth is not honored by God, but only by man.
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Many interpret this as being in unity and accepting of one another. Jesus said “love as I have loved you.” So, how did Jesus love? Did he accept everyone for who they were and disregarded what they did? In Matthew 16: 15-19 when Peter received his revelation as to who Jesus was, he was commended by our Savior. Shortly there after Jesus rebuked Peter openly for not having the mind of God. Matt. 16:22, 23. Jesus did not overlook this error because Peter did something right beforehand. He corrected Peter because he loved him and it had to be done. Paul also loved Peter enough to correct him, when he publicly corrected Peter for his compromising with the Galatians. Paul wasn’t being cruel or hateful or mean spirited. He knew the truth was being compromised and it had to be corrected. I seem to be picking on Peter here, but Peter was rebuked and corrected and went on to become a great apostle. The motivation for correction wasn’t based on self righteous judgment. Paul wasn’t being holier than thou or legalistic. What he did was based on a love for God, Peter and the truth. We cannot separate truth from our love for each other; they must always remain as one. Real love cares enough to correct and rebuke. Jesus said, “If you are to be my disciples then you are to love as I do.” Jesus not only rebuked sin, but commanded that we do the same. Luke 17:3 (in part) If your brother sins rebuke him; Eph. 5:11 (in part) Do not have fellowship with sin, but reprove (expose) it; James 5:19, 20 (in part) we should seek to convert those who go in sin and error. There are many more passages that tell us what we all must do concerning correcting teachings that do not line up with the word of God. False teaching is a sin, and to correct it is commanded by our Lord. Exposing and rebuking a false teaching is love based on truth. It is exposed so we are not misled. It may not be nice, or sweet, or make you feel good, but this is real love. It may hurt and make you angry, but this is real love. It may not be soft, warm and fuzzy, but this is real love. I have been rebuked and corrected and believe me I did not enjoy it, but I thank God that someone loved me enough to do what needed to be done. I also thank God that he humbled me so I would accept it. God’s love corrects and restores, and being corrected and restored is not always a pleasant experience. Just because the correcting isn’t pleasant or enjoyable doesn’t make it a hateful thing, in truth and with truth it can be a very loving thing. I once read of a pastor who quoted a line from a Beatle’s song. He said “all we need is love”. I don’t know if that’s what he really believes, but I think some churches may be buying into this lie. I hope I’m wrong.
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Now What? By Jon Henegar
Now What?
Rob Bell’s new book is stirring up some controversy and it is just now hitting the stores. You’ve got to hand it to that boy; he certainly is a master of controversy. Rob Bell, the darling of the “Postmodern/ Relevant/ Emergent Church/ Society” really knows how to stir up thoughts. In some ways, I believe that can be a good thing. I have never been an adherent of blind faith and I believe too many Christians really don’t know why they believe what they believe. I think they should know, but that’s for a different article… Stirring up thoughts, however needs to be grounded in truth. His new book “Love Wins” seems to question what people believe about things like heaven and hell. He asks “can a loving God really send billions of people to hell?” “Are people like Gandhi really in hell?” His publisher released a video blurb with Bell asking these and many more questions about hell. Many believe that Bell is arguing for “universalism’. There are many forms of universalism, but the basic premise is this. A loving God would never allow his creation to suffer in hell for all eternity. God has provided salvation through Christ for all of mankind (which He has). Universalism says that even if you are not a believer and follower of Christ, you will eventually be saved. The atonement is provided to all, no matter what you believe or how you have lived. If you are a Hindu, Muslim, Atheist it doesn’t matter, you will be saved through Christ at some point. For many reasons I wouldn’t be real surprised if Bell was preaching a form of this heresy. I hope I’m wrong. I don’t like Mr. Bell’s teachings, the things he say’s are more then a click or two off. He softens the Gospel like most “Emergent’s” do. His new book, according to some reviews, is a good example of that. He preaches a God of “love” not a God of “justified love”. His teachings are like trying to grab and hold on to smoke. He speaks airy commentary with wispy substance. Like a new age guru with a Christian foundation. Young evangelicals, however can’t seem to get enough of what he has to offer. I did some checking on various church websites and found that many pastors, especially youth pastors, consider one or more books by Rob Bell, Rick Warren and other “Emergent” authors to be their favorite books. I also know that the evangelical church is embracing and endorsing these new spiritual leaders as if they were the new hope for a lost and dying church. If you would like some examples of Mr. Bells teaching go to: http://apprising.org/2008/09/08/rob-bell-fails-the-test-2/. This site is biased against Bell, but the statements are based on fact. You may want to do your own searching if you are not satisfied with this site. You can even go to his church site if you think that would be more truthful or unbiased. In any event you have to make up your own mind about his teachings, but you won’t have to search far before you start to see problems with his view of the Gospel, the Bible and Christianity. If Rob Bell is indeed a “Universalist,” and it appears that he may be, the church may be posed with some questions I have questions and maybe the thousands that attend “Mars Hill” (Bell’s church) and the 50,000 people who podcast his sermons, may have also. I would like to ask the pastors across the country, who have allowed his teaching into their churches, “Now what?” What do you do with this? How do you reconcile the fact that a false teacher is impacting, training and teaching the sheep that God has entrusted you with? How will you answer to your people when they learn that you have led them astray? How will you answer to God when He asked you why false teachers were allowed into your doors? When will you say enough, when will you say “I will not allow this poison in my church?” When will the guards and watchmen rise up and say “no more.” Pastors, you are the guards, you are the Sheppard’s, please, please do your duty and protect your sheep. My hope and prayer, is that with the release of this book, the eyes of the pastors and the people of the church, will be opened so they can see the lies of the” Emergent Movement,” and it’s leadership.
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Jesus Ate with the Sinners, Publicans and Tax Coll...
After being in the church for some time it doesn’t take long before you hear the statement
“Jesus ate with sinners.”
At the first sound of hearing this statement it seems true and to be according to scripture. It also has an appearance of a loving, merciful, God therefore it is accepted as Christian doctrine. The bible does have a scripture that says “Why does your Teacher(Christ) eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Many times when I have heard Christians quote this it was used to justify why they go to a bar or concert or something that the world offers. So is this really what this scripture is saying to us? Read closely and see. Here are 2 accounts of this same story.
Matthew 9:9-11
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. 10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 5:27-29
27 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29 Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees[a] complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
First thing that stands out to me is that Jesus called Levi out to follow Him. Levi does follow therefore showing or proving his faith in Christ. Then Levi throws a feast for Jesus and His disciples. What happens next,”as Jesus sat at the table,” the bible says “many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Him…” This is where the confusion and misinterpretation comes in. The idea that Jesus made an appoint to hang in the local taverns and clubs of that day because that is where the lost are, is simply not true.
I use this example, lets say a homosexual lived next store to me and invited me over or to be more accurate, came over to my house because he wanted to know about the Christ that lived in me? I would be all for it. Would I go to the gay bar or any bar for that matter, in the hope that I might rub off on some lost person? Did Jesus really do that?
The pharisees missed the point that we are to be a light to a world. To them hanging out with a “sinner” made them look unrighteous. Jesus came to save the lost which they did not understand. Jesus didn’t come to “kick it,” with the lost.
Jesus didn’t make a point to be intimate with the world. The bible says this concerning the world in James 4:4“….know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.” The people you could say Jesus loved most were people like Lazarus, or the disciple that laid on His chest at the last supper. It was those He was intimate with, His bride!
In conclusion we can see the reality is that Jesus ate with sinners because they came to Him. They came to His table and because He loved them He shared the good news. Jesus walked from city to city and town to town preach the gospel to those who would receive it. Sometimes in the desert, other times in the town square, and other times in a boat. Jesus did not make a point to hang at the local bars or clubs or find a way to relate with to the people, he lived a consecrated life set apart for the Father, went to a cross and died and rose to bring hope for mankind. There is no person to vile to hear the gospel and no one to far that God can not save if they will humble themselves and receive the love of the truth.
It is a shame so many preachers, teachers, and Christians regurgitate these kinds of doctrines without looking to see if truly that is what the bible says. Let us be wise in this last hour.
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Who is the Seeker the Gospel was made Sensitive fo...
Greetings, in the name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. If you are like me I will never get around to reading an article if it is too long, so I will be making my points quick and I will be rather blunt so I can cover a lot of ground. I pray that you consider this article with an open mind. Let me get started.
The term seeker sensitive and its philosophies, has found full acceptance in many of today’s churches. There are things that sometimes come into the body of Christ that should not be there and many times it is because the pastor of the church has good intentions but lacks spiritual eyes or maturity to recognize something when it is less than what God has established. This however is not the case with the seeker sensitive gospel; it is being fully embraced with the pastors and church leaders’ full awareness of what they are doing. We are commanded by scripture not to grieve the Holy Spirit, but this is exactly what this new kind of gospel does. It denies the power thereof of the Holy Ghost and has substituted it with mans cleverness and wisdom. I do not question the sincerity of those who have gotten on board with this new technique of supposedly reaching the lost. I would have to believe though that many that participate in this method of ministry are immature in the Lord or lacking discernment. I would even believe that many of these men are not in their bibles on a daily basis so that the word of God may establish in their hearts and mind what a New Testament church should be like. There are also those pastors that are in it for success, popularity and filthy lucre. Many young pastors are taught these modern techniques by men that are of respectable reputation. So many a young Christian that might sense that something just doesn’t sit right in his spirit about these things, walks away believing that it is just a personality conflict or that he has some preconceived ideas on how the church should be, when all along he is sensing the grieving of the Holy Spirit for receiving this false gospel into his heart.
What I really want to deal with in this article is some thoughts and answers on who this seeker is that the gospel is being established for. For times sake let’s narrow the definition down to the seeker as being a person that is truly seeking God. We know that people seek all kinds of things. People seek relationships which can be found in the church. People seek support which can be found in the church. People seek acceptance which can be found in the church. That however does not mean that they desire to humble themselves and repent of their sinful ways and surrender their heart to the Lord. As long as the church never pushes that issue, the person that is seeking these other things can find themselves feeling pretty comfortable in the church.
I want to get back to focusing on the true seeker that is really seeking God. There are a few questions we need to address. Does the real seeker need to be schmoozed into believing the gospel, or are they ripe for the picking. Will the real seeker be chased off when the real gospel of repentance and righteous living is presented, or does the church have to take off the cutting edge to keep them attending? These questions and others I believe will be answered as I share some thoughts as well as present scripture to back them, on what condition the true seeker of God is in and how to win them to Christ.
First, we must understand that absolutely no one can come to Jesus unless the Holy Spirit draws them. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw Him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn. 6:44) “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all man unto me.” (Jn 12:32). So God is preparing the hearts of millions of people around the world to come to His Son Jesus. This alone is God’s work. The Holy Spirit is dealing and convincing the world of sin. “And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” (Jn. 16:8). Again by scripture we can see that God is making men aware of their desperate sinful state. “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.” Every person that is not born again is condemned. We are doing a great disservice to any sinner by trying to help them feel comfortable in their condemned state. The true seeker is looking to relieve himself from his burden of sin. He quite often might not even be aware that this is his problem but nonetheless God is dealing with him and preparing Him to have an encounter with truth. We the Christians should fully understand that even though the seeker may not know of his condition that God has prepared him to hear the gospel, repent and then submit to Christ. God could have not made it any easier. He did all the prep work now all we have to do is minister the gospel. I am not just talking about pulpit preaching but the kind of preaching that every Christian should do in their daily life by the way they live their life and by the words they speak and of course walking in the Spirit.
So, for the most part the seeker of God is in the right frame of mind or at least inquisitive enough to want to here the gospel to see if there would be a hope for himself. He might also have seen something in the life of a real Spirit filled believer that may bring him to ask that believer “a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Pe. 3:15 ).
Now the seeker is ready to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. What has God ordained for such a time as this? “…the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Cor. 1:21). It is foolish to waste another moment and allow the seeker to wander some more. God has done His work. God has prepared Him. God has led Him to a Christian or a church, or led a Christian to the seeker, but nonetheless God in His infinite wisdom and the believer acting in obedience has resulted in a divine appointment. Now I believe that most reading this would agree with me so far. So now I want to deal with the hindrance the seeker sensitive gospel (SSG) has upon the real seeker. The SSG is designed to be as non threatening as possible. It paints a picture of the church being a warm and friendly place that any one can come too and not have to worry about some preacher pointing the finger at them. The SSG has downplayed mans sinful state by labeling them as seekers, pre-Christians, unchurched and other such names. This is intentionally designed to keep the sinner from being offended. Let me say, I am so glad that someone offended me by telling me I needed to repent and turn to the Lord. The SSG has also brought in many of the worlds attractions to lure people into the church. I believe this is a form of deception which falls under the category of bearing false witness. I remember one time my wife and I were invited to a meeting by a woman who made it sound like their might be a part time job opportunity for my wife. After we got to the place where we were to meet with them we found that there were several other couples also there. It was nothing other than a tactic to get my wife and me to sit and listen to a man trying to get us to be a part of a business like Amway. We left early and were somewhat irritated by this false premise. Yet the church does things like this and they believe that God lead them to do it. That is not the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is deception. Do ministers have such a low opinion of being a Christian that they have to try to present something more exciting? Whenever a church uses gimmicks to attract the seeker, or whoever they are, it is in a sense saying, we know it is boring being a Christian but we have something else that is exciting for you. Those of you that love the Lord know that there is nothing more exciting then serving Jesus. If someone is to become a Christian they might as well understand right from the beginning that they are going to have to be content in Christ.
Another thing this SSG does is attract seekers in with the idols of the world. Secular music, drama, clips from movies, multitudes of programs and other such things. I know of a couple churches in my area that have shown scenes from the “Passion of the Christ” during the sermon. Do those that advocate the SSG have no understanding of the statement they are making? They are saying to the lost and the saved that Christ alone is not sufficient for salvation, but with the help of Hollywood they might possibly come to know Jesus. Imagine calling on Mel Gibson, who is a hard line Catholic to help a church win people to Christ. What ever happened to the power of the Holy Ghost? What ever happened to the power of the gospel to save? 2000 years ago the great Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Ro. 1:16) Christians have become ashamed of the gospel today. They no longer think that it has that power to save anymore. Paul also said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18) Today preaching has become foolishness to the church. Every time a church puts on a production for the sake of winning souls they are declaring that they have gotten more clever than the gospel. They can do a better job then the ministry of the word.
Now one of the main reasons this SSG has even been propagated is because there is a major famine of the word of God in mainstream Christianity. The church has also lost its anointing to reach the lost with the power of the Holy Ghost. Instead of getting back to the upper room of Pentecost and getting full of the Holy Ghost, man puts together his clever little schemes to try to entice and seduce people into the church. Many come to the church because of this but I have to ask, are they being converted to Christ? We are so easily fooled by people going to an altar and saying some short prayer. Now we believe they are a Christian. Well anyone would be a fool not to be a Christian after the church attracts them with their idols, never confronts them with their sinful state, preaches a cute little sermon and then tell them they can belong to this wonderful church family. The church family most certainly is wonderful. It is something we should desire to belong to; but to really belong to the church family you have to be born again. And unless a man is stopped dead in his tracks and comes under the conviction of the Holy Ghost, that man will never become born again. He can sign a membership card, he can get involved in ministry, he can even go on to be a pastor or an evangelist, but that does not make him a Christian. This is a terrible result of the SSG. It is easy believism. It is a Christianity that has removed the cross and denying self. It actually encourages you to find yourself and build your self esteem. Self has always been a problem with God. We need “others-esteem.” I was discipling a couple for some time, when one day the woman told me that she needs to learn to love herself. She had learned this through some self help program she was once a part of. It was obvious to me however that her problem was that she loved herself to much. She needed to start loving her neighbors as herself. The world likes the message that the psychologist has to offer, they like the remedies of the self help books and programs. These all eliminate the personal responsibility of sin and blame it on something other than self. This is why these types of things are making their way into the church and are a part of the SSG. These philosophies don’t mess with the spirit of man, it just helps the natural man to find comfort in his sin. Rick Warren and his “Purpose Driven” mentality is just presenting a deceptive form of psychology. The message that is promoted in these kinds of books is to find the best you, and then use it for God. It encourages developing our own abilities and talents. This is a highly toxic message because it leads to self centeredness and self absorption where every thing becomes about me and doing my thing. God has had many people lay down their abilities and talents for a higher calling. That calling is to find the will of God for your life. That is our purpose. I can tell you your purpose in seven words, “to do the will of the Father.” That is a lot quicker than 40 days of purpose, yet for the believer, it continues on for more than 40 days because he must continue to seek God the rest of his life to know His will.
Back to the true seeker. I do believe that the true God seeker can get saved in this kind of environment that I have been speaking against. But I also want to say that those that seek other things except God will not get saved by this. They may come forward and pray and may join the church as I alluded to earlier but they are not saved. Now the one that truly gets saved and joins the seeker sensitive church (SSC) is starting out at a great disadvantage. Probably the first thing that will present itself in his mind is the acceptance of things that seem to have that worldly edge. To draw someone into the church by using their idols and then after they become a Christian you tell them they need to put away those idols is confusion of the worst kind. Instead of getting these new believers diving into the word of God they introduce them to the latest best seller. We had a lady come to our church once. She came early for our bible study. After it was over she came to talk to me. She said she enjoyed the study but was surprised we didn’t use someone’s book. I did say to her that it was a BIBLE STUDY. Forgive me for my sarcastic humor but I ask people, do you know what we use for our bible studies? And they almost always ask what? I tell them the bible. Another disadvantage is that the sharp edge is taken off the word of God so the visitors will not squirm too much and since you have to continue on with this because of more visitors coming in the new believer never gets a full dose of the word of God. If the word of God is supposed to discern the thoughts and intent of the heart then it needs to be plunged deep into his soul. “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (He. 4:12)
The SSC, if left to continue on, will at best produce lethargic, complacent and immature Christians. These Christians for the most part will never understand what it is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. They will be taught their whole Christian life to look to the wisdom and cleverness of man to maintain their walk. In the meantime the church is filling up with tares. When a church is overrun with tares it ceases to be a church. They might have a grand building, a lot of ministers on staff, but the church is a people not a building. If one is not born again he is not a member of Christ’s church. All that, that individual will do is resist and rebel against anything the Holy Ghost wants to accomplish. This is going to sound very hard but I must ask it. You know who else wants to fill the church with tares and half hearted Christians? THE DEVIL. Imagine being in agreement with Satan, being his accomplice. He is not afraid that they will get saved there, for any dependence on the power of preaching has been abandoned for worldly gimmicks. Listen to what Paul wrote, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” (1 Cor. 1:17) And again he wrote, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:” (1 Cor. 2:1-6)
You may ask, what makes you think these tactics the church uses to draw people in are worldly? I know many Christians would never consider, entertainment, drama, even some music as worldly. This is exactly one of the points that I am trying to make. Much of the church has lost its capacity to see and understand that much of these attractions are worldly. When a person is attracted by worldliness and supposedly converted they are already being trained to accept these things and are even taught these are needed today if you want to win souls. I know the philosophy behind attracting people to the church with these worldly things. I heard many a preacher say it. They use these to bring them in and then when they are there they deliver a sermon. Please understand that this does not for the most part work. I know there are some that really do get converted in these settings, but as I was saying earlier they were already being drawn to Christ and would have just as easily gotten saved by someone witnessing to them at the grocery store. What happens to these new converts is that they are lead onto the path of being less than they could be in Christ. Let me explain why this is not Holy Ghost breathed ministry. To come into a church that offers all the glamour and glitter of the world, polished professional preachers, some silly skit, scantily dressed women, men talking about their golf game or hunting trips, and then to deliver a sermon to them, has a sub-conscious message that says, “nice sermon but I can see that nobody here really takes it serious. I like this place, I can have Jesus and still live the same life I have always lived.” I suppose the whole world would get saved if we just told them to accept Jesus and then continue on as they were. This is no different than when I was a Catholic, I went to church regularly but it was just a thing I was supposed to do on Sunday. All these modern techniques that are used are just a way to make the church more attractive, and help the sinner feel more at home. It might help to make people want to come to church, but it doesn’t necessarily draw them to be a true Christian and often hinders the Holy Spirit. The church is the place to make disciples for Christ who then go out and impact a world. Every Christian I have won to the Lord was impacted by the way I lived and the things I said before they ever came to church. When they came they were ready to be saved if they weren’t already. They came because I offered them Christ not some worldly vice. Have we so easily forgotten “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (Ja. 4:4) or how about, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 Jn. 2:15-16) Imagine trying to disciple the enemies of God. No wonder ministers burn out.
I have put this article together in love. Love for Christ first, for I am certain the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the head of the body of Christ, is grieved tremendously by what has become of His church. Men who once held in high regard the word of God are and have started the drift away from the word. Subtle it may be, but any direction away from Christ whether in giant steps or baby steps is heading toward apostacy. The only way a person can stop going down this path they have started to trod is to repent and get back to the pure word of God. Preacher, you must understand that the bible alone is efficient, sufficient and more than sufficient to fulfill your calling in Christ. Secondly I love the body of Christ and want nothing but to see them grow as the word says, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph. 4:12-16)
I know I have said a lot already and could continue on but I want to finish this article with one thought. Jesus told the disciples to go and tarry in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. They could have disobeyed Jesus and said souls are too important, I can’t wait, I am going out to tell people about Jesus. I am sure they could have gone out and stumbled around winning some souls. But Jesus was making it very clear that to truly win souls and make disciples we need the power of the Holy Ghost in our life and our church. The disciples were obedient and the results were 3000 souls after a 2 minute sermon. Much of the church today has lost the power of the Holy Ghost, so instead of getting back in the upper room of Pentecost the church has departed even further by adopting worldly ministry. When ever the world is involved you can be certain that the Holy Ghost isn’t. Remember this, that those that have supposedly made a commitment to Christ under the SSG are the next generation of church leaders. Help us Oh Lord!
If you are a pastor or minister and have read this with an open heart and find yourself guilty of this it is not to late to repent. If you truly repent of this it means you will burn these altars of worldliness before the eyes of the saints. You will tell them you have misrepresented God. You will ask for their forgiveness and tell them that you are getting back to the simplicity of the bible. This however will probably mean your whole ministry will fall before you. Let it fall! It will not make it through the fire of judgment anyway. It has to be God’s ministry if it is going to pass through the fire. Are you willing to be mocked or laughed at? Are you willing to be hated by some? Just remember the Son of God was. You need to get alone with God and let Him speak to you and fill you afresh with the Holy Ghost and set you in true ministry that is ordained of God. If you belong to a church like this I understand your devotion to your church family. I went through this myself when I left my first church to pursue the calling of God in my life. But remember this important truth, let not your devotion to the church family or your pastor or your denomination be greater than your devotion to Christ. You will make the greatest impact in this world by growing deep in Christ. Sometimes you might have to give up your ministry, but I know there is a greater one that lies ahead for the fervent, obedient saint of God. Thank you for reading this article. I pray it has stirred your soul.
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Much Of The Church Hinders Deepness In Christ
MUCH OF THE CHURCH HINDERS DEEPNESS IN CHRIST
An Analogy by Pastor Terry Fischer
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Ro. 11:33
“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” I Cor. 2:10
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph. 3:17-19
Consider the depth of Christ as an ocean to swim in. Consider a person’s first step into that ocean to be that first moment of salvation. The church for the most part is congregating in knee deep water. As the new babe in Christ takes his first step into the water the church is excited for him and rooting him to quickly come and join them. Some of the members come into the shallow to grab his hand to encourage him to step out into the deeper water. Deeper water represents going deeper with Christ, so as the water gets deeper he is growing deeper in Christ. Some get to that place the church is at rather quick, some are stubborn and lag behind, but many make it there; after all it is pretty safe in knee deep water. It isn’t long and the new Christian makes it to where that church is congregating. There, many are floating around on rubber rafts, others are playing water games. Some are teaching others how to swim, some are warning others about the danger of to much sun. But there they all are one big happy family and the new Christian has now become one of them. How great to be part of such a wonderful group of people. However, he is starting to get a little restless and he starts looking out to the deeper water. Sometimes he sees someone swimming out in the distance and starts to ponder on the vast area yet to tread. A loving brother interrupts his gaze by insisting that there really is no need to go any deeper, that it is much safer to remain close to shore. Another warns there are sharks out there; another’s convinced that he will just drown out there. The pastor comes and pats him on the back and tells him he is really doing good, and that he has a new shallow water ministry that he would like him to head up. But discontentment has set in, that new man in Christ wants more. His gazing toward the deeper waters has now turned into several steps into the deeper water, even though many have decided to stay back. As the water goes from the knees to the waist some well meaning church member insists that the waves are too high out there, so he stops for a moment to re-evaluate the situation but then continues to go deeper. Now another respectable believer is starting to get frustrated with this young buck and shouts, who do you think you are you show off, do you see any of us out there. Finally Pastor Love shouts out one final warning before the Christian plunges with enthusiasm into the deep cool waters. Those back in the shallow waters are now grumbling about that man and warning others to stay away from him because he is reckless and has no love or concern for the church family.
Brethren, this is an illustration about the state of much of the church here in America. When someone gets saved, the whole church is excited and encourages them to quickly join, but if they desire to go past that shallow relationship that most live in then the church works in the opposite way. When she once was encouraging growth, she is now hindering from growing deeper in Christ. It could happen that the very church that helped someone get saved could also be the church to help them go back into the world. This must not be. God is looking for some men and women that will not stop at status quo Christianity. It is God’s desire to raise up a body of believers that will deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow hard after Him. Will you be one of them, even if your own church family disapproves?
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