So Who should We be Praying to?

It has come to my attention that people are not sure as to who they should be praying to. The four most typical entities people pray to are 1. God the Father, 2. God the Son (Jesus Christ), 3. Mary, 4. 'Saints'. I shall explore in this post who is THE ONLY ONE we should be praying to. One particular passage in the bible that I will use to explain this is the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 16:23-27.

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you loved me and have believed that I came from God."

Firstly, take note in particular, "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." Here lies the key verse at whom we should be praying to. It is God the Father and ONLY God the Father in whom we should pray to. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, take note at whom Jesus PRAYED to. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." Did Jesus tell us to pray to Himself? No. Jesus did not want to rob the glory from His Father and so He instructs us to pray to the Father and not Himself. Are we going to disobey His command?

Another thing is you do not say your prayer to Jesus, so that Jesus can take your prayer to the Father for you. Jesus ruled this out: "I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf." I bring this up, because some of our Catholic friends, usually accept Mary in performing such a role. Some will claim that they do not pray to Mary, but only ask her to pray for them. Notice that Jesus said that He would not ask the Father on our behalf because "the Father himself loves you because you loved me and have believed that I came from God." Our Heavenly Father wants us to pray directly to Him because of our being reconciled with Him due to our belief on Jesus. Hence, if this were true of Christ, it would be true for Mary as well.

This finally leads to my last point, the praying to 'saints'. First of all, the 'saints' and Mary were sinners. Think about it, bible and theology aside, should we be praying to sinners? Should we be praying to someone that God HAS CREATED, rather than the CREATOR HIMSELF? Are we trying to rob God of His glory? We might as well pray to Moses or something if we are going to start praying to 'saints'. And once again, if we are going to ask the 'saints' to pray for us, then look back at the previous paragraph again.


Let us then do what God our Father has commanded us, to pray directly to Him and ONLY Him, and ask it in Jesus' name, His Son. You will SURELY see changes in your prayer life if you follow His command!

The '2 Minute' Salvation Plan

When you ask someone about what they believe in spiritually, there are typical responses that we tend to receive. 1) The person finds it a sensitive topic and isn't comfortable talking about it. 2) The person abruptly says I'm _____ or I believe in _____ but when questioned further, you find that they are not too sure exactly what they believe in. 3) The person is most joyed when they are asked this and are more than happy to share their faith with you. As Christians, we should be in category 3.

How many of us who proclaim to be Christian, when asked by someone, why do we believe in what we believe in?, can answer with a complete, swift, concise and powerful scripturally accurate response? As Christians, we need to be fully equipped in the Word of God and should grasp every opportunity given to us to bring more people to salvation through our Lord Jesus. This post will guide you on how to share the gospel with non believers in a quick and concise manner (assuming that time was pressing). This post will explore the simplicity of the gospel and how even a child can come to believe on Jesus for forgiveness of sins because all it takes is a child-like faith.

1. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

The first thing I acknowledge is that as humans we have all sinned. Once a person understands that they are imperfect, we then tell them the consequences of sin.

2. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord".

One common misconception is that people think that just because they don't 'believe in God', they are sent to hell because of their unbelief. This is wrong. Another common misconception is that people acknowledge and believe that there is a God; they think that this will save them. This too, is wrong.

People are separated from God for eternity in hell because of their imperfection and sin found in them. Nothing that is deemed unholy in the eyes of God can ever enter His presence in heaven. When they understand this (as opposed to listening to the twisted/distorted doctrine going around), they are much more keen in hearing about YOUR faith on how then, to be saved.

3. Acts 4:19 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no can boast."

We emphasize the point that even if we try all we can, we will not be saved by our own efforts. The bible shows us that we are saved by grace and grace ALONE (something freely given to us). Good works WILL NOT save you. It takes just ONE sin for you to be unholy.

4. John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but to save the world through him."

I then explain that God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ for a reason, which is that something powerful happened when Jesus was crucified at the cross. Jesus Christ took upon ALL the punishment for ALL our sin, no matter how big or small the sin may have been. He died for OUR sins. Because of God's love for us, He has extended that free invitation for all, that whoever so believes in Jesus, that He has taken the punishment for ALL of your sin, so that on the Judgment Day, Jesus will say, there is no sin in you as it has all been accounted for, will be saved!

Firstly, repent (repentance requires a change in mindset towards sin; looking at it God's way), believe on Him (Jesus Christ) as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as Savior. There is NO catch. That is God's love for us and our faith.


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2 Tim 2:19 "The Lord knows those who are his," and "everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."

The Heresy of "Tongues" and all things charismatic

Dear friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,

Scripture is clear that the signs performed then was for the Jews then to believe. Our Lord Jesus summed it up nicely when He warns us about a wicked generation seeking signs, and that the antichrist will deceive many with signs and wonders. Indeed, blessed are those who believe without the need for such signs. Those who hanker after any such signs are those who are most likely to be duped.

But every so often, the heresy of tongues rears its ugly head, and usually, "churches" who indulge in such practice have deviated very far from sound doctrine. After all, if they cannot get this one simple thing right, you have to wonder what else is compromised. This link gives a summary on "tongues" in Acts and Corinth (http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Speaking%20in%20Tongues/speaking_in_tongues.htm), and I am puzzled that even though scripture is clear on this, many people and many churches still succumb to the carnal "tongues" being touted as the Holy Spirit moving. It tells me that they do not know scripture well enough and/or they refuse to abide by scripture. In these end times, everything will be conveniently Christianized and everything will be attributed to the Holy Spirit/God/Jesus/angels depending on the fashionable heresy/blesphemy of the moment, much to to profit of the false teachers. We must be very careful and test everything by scripture. Just because it is a spirit moving does not mean it is the Holy Spirit.

With the bona fide gift of tongues, the divisiveness of multiple languages that God inflicted on mankind when they attempted to build their tower and city of Babel as an affront to Him is now reversed by God to become an inclusiveness in His Kingdom. Thus, the bona fide gift of tongues outlined in Acts is when a believer is able to speak in one or more foreign languages known to foreign people, in order for them to hear the gospel in their native tongue so that they can believe on Jesus for forgiveness of sins. Yes, thousands of people getting saved by believing on Jesus for forgiveness of sins after hearing the gospel in their native language - this is what being Pentecostal is all about. It is not about attributing the spouting of gibberish to God to fool the feeble-minded into thinking one was somehow specially anointed. I can teach non-believers to babble - are they anointed? Of course not. Furthermore, If you do understand your own psychobabble when you could have just used plain English or whatever language it is you normally speak, then why the silly roundabout? And if you don't understand your own psychobabble, how is spouting gibberish to your own self edifying? I might as well put on a broken record for background noise and be edified 24 hours a day.

Friends, God's Word, not anyone's gibberish or interpreted gibberish for that matter, is edifying for self and for community. May we strive in obedience to study and live His Word and may we warn everyone we care for about the heresy of tongues and anything capitalizing on signs and wonders to wow the masses.

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For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son Jesus that whosoever would believe in Jesus for forgiveness of sins shall not perish but would have everlasting life (John 3:16)

What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel?
By Dr. Harry Ironside (1876 - 1951)

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 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" (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

It might seem almost a work of supererogation to answer a question like this. We hear the word, "Gospel" used so many times. People talk of this and of that as being "as true as the Gospel," and I often wonder what they really mean by it.

First I should like to indicate what it is not.

THE GOSPEL IS...
Not The Bible

In the first place, the Gospel is not the Bible. Often when I inquire, "What do you think the Gospel is?" people reply, "Why, it is the Bible, and the Bible is the Word of God." Undoubtedly the Bible is the Word of God, but there is a great deal in that Book that is not Gospel.

"The wicked shall be turned into Hell with all the nations that forget God." That is in the Bible, and it is terribly true; but it is not Gospel.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." That is in the Bible, but it is not the Gospel.

Our English word, "gospel" just means the "good spell," and the word "spell," is the old Anglo-Saxon word for, "tidings", the good tidings, the good news. The original word translated. "Gospel," which we have taken over into the English with little alteration is the word, "evangel," and it has the same meaning, the good news. The Gospel is God's good news for sinners. The Bible contains the Gospel, but there is a great deal in the Bible which is not Gospel.

Not The Commandments

The Gospel is not just any message from God telling man how he should behave. "What is the Gospel?" I asked a man this question some time ago, and he answered, "Why I should say it is the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, and I think if a man lives up to them he is all right." Well, I fancy he would be; but did you ever know anybody who lived up to them? The Sermon on the Mount demands a righteousness which no unregenerate man has been able to produce. The law is not the Gospel; it is the very antitheses of the Gospel. In fact, the law was given by God to show men their need of the Gospel .

"The law," says the Apostle Paul, speaking as a Jewish convert, "was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. But after that Christ is come we are no longer under the schoolmaster."

Not Repentance

The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past.

Not Giving Up The World

Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.

THERE ARE SEVEN DESIGNATIONS OF THE GOSPEL in the New Testament, but over and above all these, let me draw your attention to the fact that when this blessed message is mentioned, it is invariably accompanied by the definite article. Over and over and over again in the New Testament we read of the Gospel. It is the Gospel not a Gospel. People tell us there are a great many different Gospels; but there is only ONE. When certain teachers came to the Galatians and tried to turn them away from the simplicity that was in Christ Jesus by teaching "another Gospel, "the apostle said that it was a different gospel, but not another; for there is none other than the Gospel. It is downright exclusive; it is God's revelation to sinful man.

Not Comparative Religion

The scholars of this world talk of the Science of Comparative Religions, and it is very popular now-a-days to say, "We cannot any longer go to heathen nations and preach to them as in the days gone by, because we are learning that their religions are just as good as ours, and the thing to do now is to share with them, to study the different religions, take the good out of them all, and in this way lead the world into a sense of brotherhood and unity."

So in our great universities and colleges men study this Science of Comparative Religions, and they compare all these different religious systems one with another. There is a Science of Comparative Religions, but the Gospel is not one of them. All the different religions in the world may well be studied comparatively, for at rock bottom they are all alike; they all set men at trying to earn his own salvation. They may be called by different names, and the things that men are called to do maybe different in each case, but they all set men trying to save their own souls and earn their way into the favor of God. In this they stand in vivid contrast with the Gospel, for the Gospel is that glorious message that tells us what God has done for us in order that guilty sinners maybe saved.


THE SEVEN DESIGNATIONS OF THIS GOSPEL are called...

1. The Gospel Of The Kingdom,

and when I use that term I am not thinking particularly of any dispensational application, but of this blessed truth that it is only through believing the Gospel that men are born into the Kingdom of God; We sing: "A ruler once came to Jesus by night, To ask Him the way of salvation and light; The Master made answer in words true and plain, 'ye must be born again.' " But neither Nicodemus , nor you, nor I, could ever bring this about ourselves. We had nothing to with our first birth, and can have nothing to do with our second birth. It must be the work of God, and it is wrought through the Gospel. That is why the Gospel is called the Gospel of the Kingdom, for, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3,7). "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. . . And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:23-25. Every where that Paul and his companion apostles went they preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and they showed that the only way to get into that Kingdom was by a second birth, and that the only way whereby the second birth could be brought about was through believing the Gospel. It is the Gospel of the Kingdom. It also called

2. The Gospel Of God,

because God is the source of it, and it is altogether of Himself. No man ever thought of a Gospel like this. The very fact that all the religions of the world set man to try to work for his own salvation indicates the fact that no man would ever have dreamed of such a Gospel as that which is revealed in this Book. It came from the heart of God; it was God who "so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He first loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9,10). And because it is the Gospel of God, God is very jealous of it. He wants it kept pure. He does not want it mixed with any of man's theories or laws; He does not want it mixed up with religious ordinances or anything of that kind. The Gospel is God's own pure message to sinful man. God grant that you and I may receive it as in very truth the Gospel of God. And then it is called

3. The Gospel Of His Son

Not merely because the Son went everywhere preaching the Gospel, but because He is the theme of it. "When it pleased God," says the apostle, "who called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among the nations; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:15,16). "We preach Christ crucified . . . the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:23,24). No man preaches the Gospel who is not exalting the Lord Jesus. It is God's wonderful message about His Son. How often I have gone to meetings where they told me I would hear the Gospel, and instead of that I have heard some bewildered preacher talk to a bewildered audience about everything and anything, but the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel has to do with nothing else but Christ. It is the Gospel of God's Son. And so, linked with this it is called

4. The Gospel Of Christ

The Apostle Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost of the risen Savior, says, "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." And He speaks of Him as the anointed One, exalted at God's right hand. The Gospel is the Gospel of the Risen Christ. There would be no Gospel for sinners if Christ had not been raised. So the apostle says, "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). A great New York preacher, great in his impertinence, at least, said some years ago, preaching a so-called Easter sermon, "The body of Jesus still sleeps in a Syrian tomb, but His soul goes marching on.: That is not the Gospel of Christ. We are not preaching the Gospel of a dead Christ, but of a living Christ who sits exalted at the Father's right hand, and is living to save all who put their trust in Him. That is why those of us who really know the Gospel never have any crucifixes around our churches or in our homes. The crucifix represents a dead Christ hanging languid on a cross of shame. But we are not pointing men to a dead Christ; we are preaching a living Christ. He lives exalted at God's right had, and He "saves to the uttermost all who come to God by Him." The Gospel is also called

5. The Gospel Of The Grace Of God,

because it leaves no room whatever for human merit. It just brushes away all man's pretension to any goodness, to any desert excepting judgment. It is the Gospel of grace, and grace is God's free unmerited favor to those who have merited the very opposite. It is as opposite to works as oil is to water." If by grace," says the Spirit of God, "then it is no more works. . . but if it be of works, then is it no more grace" (Rom.11:6). People say, :But you must have both." I have heard it put like this: there was a boatman and two theologians in a boat, and one was arguing that salvation was by faith and the other by works. The boatman listened, and then said, "Let me tell you how it looks to me. Suppose I call this oar Faith and this one Works. If I pull on this one, the boat goes around; if I pull on this other one, it goes around the other way, but if I pull on both oars, I get you across the river." I have heard many preachers use that illustration to prove that we are saved by faith and works. That might do if we were going to Heaven in a rowboat, but we are not. We are carried on the shoulders of the Shepherd, who came seeking lost sheep When He finds them He carries them home on His shoulders. But there are some other names used. It is called

6. The Gospel Of The Glory Of God

I love that name. It is the Gospel of the Glory of God because it comes from the place where our Lord Jesus has entered. The veil has been rent, and now the glory shines out; and whenever this Gospel is proclaimed, it tells of a way into the glory for sinful man, a way to come before the Mercy Seat purged from every stain. It is the Gospel of the Glory of God, because, until Christ had entered into the Glory, it could not be preached in its fullness, but, after the glory received Him, then the message went out to a lost world.


It is also called...

7. The Everlasting Gospel

because it will never be superseded by another. No other ever went before it, and no other shall ever come after it. One of the professors of the University of Chicago wrote a book a few years ago in which he tried to point out that some of these days Jesus would be superseded by a greater teacher; then He and the Gospel that He taught would have to give way to a message which would be more suited to the intelligence of the cultivated men of the later centuries. No, no, were it possible for this world to go on a million years, it would never need any other Gospel than this preached by the Apostle Paul and confirmed with signs following; the Gospel which, throughout the centuries has been saving guilty sinners.

THE GOSPEL DECLARED

What then is the content of this Gospel? We are told right here, "I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." There is such a thing as merely believing with the intelligence and crediting some doctrine with the mind when the heart has not been reached. But wherever men believe this Gospel in real faith, they are saved through the message. What is it that brings this wonderful result? It is a simple story, and yet how rich, how full. "I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received." I think his heart must have been stirred as he wrote those words, for he went back in memory to nearly thirty years before, and thought of that day when hurrying down the Damascus turnpike, with his heart filled with hatred toward the Lord Jesus Christ and His people, he was thrown to the ground, and a light shone, and he heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" And he cried, "Who art thou Lord?" And the voice said, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." And that day Saul learned the Gospel; he learned that He who died on the Cross had been raised from the dead, and that He was living in the Glory. At that moment his soul was saved, and Saul of Tarsus was changed to Paul the Apostle. And now he says, "I am going to tell you what I have received; it is a real thing with me, and I know it will work the same wonderful change in you. If you will believe it. "First of all, "That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." Then, "that He was buried." Then, "that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

The Gospel was no new thing in God's mind. It had been predicted throughout the Old Testament times. Every time the coming Savior was mentioned, there was proclamation of the Gospel. It began in Eden when the Lord said, "The seed of the woman shall bruise thy head." It was typified in every sacrifice that was offered. It was portrayed in the wonderful Tabernacle, and later in the Temple. We have it in the proclamation of Isaiah, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and with His stripes we are healed." It was preached by Jeremiah when he said, "This is His Name whereby He shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness" (Jer.23:6). It was declared by Zechariah when he exclaimed, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones: (Zech.13:7) All through those Old Testament dispensations, the Gospel was predicted, and when Jesus came, the Gospel came with Him. When He died, when He was buried, and when He rose again, the Gospel could be fully told out to a poor lost world. Observe, it says, "that Christ died for our sins." No man preaches the Gospel, no matter what nice things he may say about Jesus, if he leaves out His vicarious death on Calvary's cross.

CHRIST'S DEATH - NOT HIS LIFE

I was preaching in a church in Virginia, and a minister prayed, "Lord, grant Thy blessing as the Word is preached tonight. May it be the means of causing people to fall in love with the Christ-life, that they may begin to live the Christ-life." I felt like saying, "Brother, sit down; don't insult God like that;" but then I felt I had to be courteous, and I knew that my turn would come, when I could get up and give them the truth. The Gospel is not asking men to live the Christ-life. If your salvation depends upon your doing that, your are just as good as checked for Hell, for you never can live it in yourself. It is utterly impossible. But the very first message of the Gospel is the story of the vicarious atonement of Christ. He did not come to tell men how to live in order that they might save themselves; He did not come to save men by living His beautiful life. That, apart from His death, would never have saved one poor sinner. He came to die; He "was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death." Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all. When He instituted the Lord's Supper He said, "Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. . . This cup is the new covenant in My Blood" (1 Cor. 11:24,25) There is no Gospel if the vicarious death of Jesus is left out, and there is no other way whereby you can be saved than through the death of the blessed spotless Son of God.

Someone says, "But I do not understand it." That is a terrible confession to make, for "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: (2 Cor. 4:3). If you do not see that there is no other way of salvation for you, save through the death of the Lord Jesus, then that just tells the sad story that you are among the lost. You are not merely in danger of being lost in the Day of Judgment; but you are lost now. But, thank God, "the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost," and seeking the lost He went to the cross. "None of the ransomed ever know How deep were the waters crossed; Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through, Ere He found the sheep that was lost."

THE NECESSITY OF DEATH

HE HAD TO DIE, to go down into the dark waters of death, that you might be saved. Can you think of any ingratitude more base than that of a man or woman who passes by the life offered by the Savior who died on the Cross for them? Jesus died for you, and can it be that you have never even trusted Him, never even come to Him and told Him you were a poor, lost, ruined, guilty sinner; but since He died for you, you would take Him as your Savior? HIS DEATH WAS REAL. He was buried three days in the tomb. He died, He was buried, and that was God's witness that it was not a merely pretended death, but He, the Lord of life, had to go down into death. He was held by the bars of death for those three days and nights, until God's appointed time had come. Then, "Death could not keep its prey, He tore the bars away." And so the third point of the Gospel is this, "He was raised again the third day according to the Scriptures. "That is the Gospel, and nothing can be added to that. Some people say, "Well, but must I repent?" Yes, you may well repent, but that is not the Gospel. "Must I not be baptized?" If you are a Christian, you ought to be baptized, but baptism is not the Gospel. Paul said, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel" (1 Cor. !:17) He did baptize people, but he did not consider that was the Gospel, and the Gospel was the great message that he was sent to carry to the world. This is all there is to it. "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

THE GOSPEL ACCEPTED

Look at the result of believing the Gospel. Go back to verse two, "By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." That is, if you believe the Gospel, you are saved; if you believe that Christ died for your sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again, God says you are saved. Do you believe it? No man ever believed that except by the Holy Ghost. It is the Spirit of God that overcomes the natural unbelief of the human heart and enables a man to put his trust in that message. And this is not mere intellectual credence, but it is that one comes to the place where he is ready to stake his whole eternity on the fact that Christ died, and was buried, and rose again. When Jesus said, "IT IS FINISHED" the work of salvation was completed. A dear saint was dying, and looking up he said, "It is finished; on that I can cast my eternity." Upon a life I did not live, Upon a death I did not die; Another's life, another's death, Is take my whole eternity." Can you say that, and say it in faith?

THE GOSPEL REJECTED

What about the man who does not believe the Gospel? The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15,16). He that believeth not shall be devoted to judgment, condemned, lost. So you see, God has shut us up to the Gospel. Have you believed it? Have you put your trust in it; is it the confidence of your soul? Or have you been trusting in something else? If you have been resting in anything short of the Christ who died, who was buried, who rose again, I plead with you, turn from every other fancied refuge, and flee to Christ today. Repent ye, and believe the Gospel.

"O, do not let the word depart, And close thine eyes against the light; Poor sinner, harden not thy heart, Be saved, O tonight."

The Evils of Ecumenism, by David J. Stewart

The Evils of Ecumenism

By David J. Stewart

2nd Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

Many people, especially new converts to Christianity, are naive concerning the evils of ecumenism. This is a dangerous enemy of the New Testament Church. In fact, ecumenism is at the heart of the Devil's plan for a New World Order . . .

Ecumenism: The doctrine of the ecumenical movement promoting cooperation and better understanding among different religious denominations; aimed at universal Christian unity.

Satan's purpose is to achieve a One-World Religion, and ultimately lead all their followers to worship the man of sin, the Antichrist. This is why Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Baha'i Faith, Christian Scientists, Islam, Scientologists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Charismatics, Catholics and nearly all mainstream religions have an unmistakable occult connection (Part 2).

The philosophy and agenda are innocent sounding enough, and no doubt are promoted by many sincere people; HOWEVER, ecumenism is one of Satan's primary tactics to infiltrate the New Testament Church, corrupting souls and leading them astray from the Word of God. Ecumenism is of the Devil, and I will explain to you clearly why.

The Bible teaches that it's better to be divided by truth, than to be united by error. 2nd Corinthians 6:14, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Bible-believing Christians are commanded not to form unequal yokes with unbelievers (i.e., the unsaved). This means that a New Testament Church ought not yoke together in any capacity with Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, Catholics, Lutherans, Charismatics, Lordship Salvationists or other deadly cults that damn men's souls to Hell forever. Whether it be the heresy of Baptismal Salvation, Works Salvation, Sacramental Salvation or Lordship Salvation; these are all perversions of the simplicity that is in Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23) that you simply receive by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 1:14; 20:31).

The Bible uses the simplest of terms in 2nd Corinthians 6:14... “light” verses “darkness,” and “righteousness” verses “unrighteousness.” There is no common denominator. There is no unity. This is exactly what God is saying to us. James 4:4 tells us that friendship with the world makes a person God's enemy. It is a shame that professed Christians are forming ties with the enemies of God. Those religious teachers who pervert the simplicity of the Gospel and corrupt the Doctrine of Christ are the children of darkness. We ought not hobnob and rub shoulders with them in ecumenical apostasy and sinful compromise. This is why it is evil to support, promote or yoke together with any religion that perverts the Gospel or corrupts the Doctrine of Christ. Thus, Biblical Christians ought not fellowship with heathen Catholics. What fellowship hath light with darkness?

Ecumenicals Preach Love and Unity; But Totally Disregard Truth

Billy Graham is the most infamous figure in the apostate Ecumenical Movement, sinfully uniting unbelieving Catholics together with confused and compromised Protestants. The goal of Satan's Ecumenical agenda is to diminish, water-down and corrupt Biblical Christianity.

Ecumenicals speak about love, unity and fellowship; but in reality they are promoting sinful compromise with God's enemies. The Bible says Jesus came to turn family members against each other (Luke 12:53). What does this mean? It means that people will give you up, even your own family will abandon you sometimes, when you stand for the truth of God's Word. This is why the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 3:12 that those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. If you carry a Bible, the world will give you up.

Ecumenicals blame radically-minded, bigoted, Bible-believing Christians for all the evil in the world. They talk about how we should all get along with each other, and set aside our religious differences. They continually teach that love is what the world needs. This all sounds fine and dandy, but when you strip away the outer facade of sheep's skin, you'll find sinful compromise and a total disregard for Biblical truth. In the mind of the Ecumenical, nothing matters except love and unity. Hence, they will never criticize anyone's beliefs, no matter how unbiblical they may be. In fact, they would follow the Antichrist if he rose to power tomorrow. That is exactly what Satan's plan is for the Ecumenical Movement, i.e., to lead all the religious denominations into a One-World religion that worships the Beast.

Ecumenicals errantly accuse Bible-believing Christians of being ignorant, intolerant and hateful. Ecumenicals consider anyone who is adamant in their Biblical faith as blinded to the truth; but it is they, the fools that they are, who are woefully lacking of spiritual sense and faith in God. They are unsaved rebels, pulling on the same rope as the Devil, criticizing God's children. Followers of the Ecumenical Movement span a broad spectrum of varied walks of life. Nearly all musicians, singers, entertainers and celebrities are extremely ecumenical, including professed Christians. None of them have the courage to dare say that Christianity is the ONLY true path to Heaven. To do so would seriously jeopardize their careers. John 12:43 says they choose the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Ecumenicalists are deceivers, hypocrites and liars, who reject the Bible as the Final Authority. They speak of love and unity; but they are some of the most closed-minded people in the world, condemning anyone who is dogmatic in their beliefs. Ecumenism is the religion of the New World Order, where anyone is allowed to believe anything except Biblical Christianity. They say that we should all be tolerant of other faiths and beliefs; but they are extremely intolerant themselves of Biblical Christianity. They are hypocrites!

Why Ecumenism Exists

The Bible says that Jesus spake openly to the world (John 18:20). Jesus had nothing to hide. Proverb 1:20 says that wisdom crieth in the streets. There is no shame nor reason to hide the truth. In sharp contrast, Satan is a filthy liar (John 8:44). The Devil disguises himself in sheep's clothing, to hide his true identify as an evil being (Matthew 7:15). The Devil pretends to be an angel of light (2nd Corinthians 11:15). The Bible also teaches that Satan's unrighteous ministers are transformed into ministers of righteousness (2nd Corinthians 11:13-14). Satan deceives his victims.

This is why Ecumenicalism exists, to deceive humanity. Ecumenism refuses to identify any minister as being unrighteous. In the Ecumenical Movement, every religion is considered legitimate. No one is allowed to criticize anyone else's religion. It is rare for Hollywood celebrities to criticize anyone else's religion. When they do, they are scorned and ridiculed by the newsmedia; unless of course they speak evil of Christianity, then it's acceptable.

Ecumenicalism refuses to recognize any minister as being of the Devil. Ecumenism tolerates the wicked Catholic religion, which is straight out of the pits of Hell. Someone needs to speak the truth of God's Word. Satan is a liar, and his ministers in Catholicism are liars, and anyone who teaches a path to Heaven without Jesus Christ is a liar.

Liars, liars, liars... the world is filled with liars! Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:4). The Ecumenical Movement exists because the Devil is a liar. The Pope is a liar! Muhammad is a liar! Confucius is a liar! Gandhi is a liar! Allah is a liar! The Koran is a liar! The Talmud is a liar! Judaism is a liar! Mormonism is a liar! Seventh-Day Adventism is a liar! Lutheranism is a liar! Catholicism is a liar! Women preachers are liars! The Devil has no truth in him, when he speaks, he is a liar!

People who don't care are attracted to the Ecumenical Movement, which demands no loyalty to any one belief or person; whereas Biblical Christianity demands strict loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. Since Satan is a liar whose purpose is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10); he must mislead people with false religions. The Ecumenical Movement attempt to legitimize false religions. But Biblical Christianity shines the Light of God's Word upon the darkness and exposes Satan's true agenda. Ecumenism is a lie of the Devil, which stinks with the stench of rotting religion and self-righteous spiritual corpses.

The Ecumenical Movement is nothing more than Satan trying to legitimize all false religions. Whereas the Bible proclaims the Doctrine of Christ (2nd John 1:9); Ecumenism indoctrinates people with manmade traditions and worldly philosophies that are falsehoods and lies of Satan. Phooey on religion! The Bible does not teach religion; it teaches THE TRUTH!


The Doctrine of Christ is What Matters!

The Doctrine of Christ is not open to interpretation. What is the Doctrine of Christ? 2nd John 1:9, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, hath not God. He that abideth in the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, he hath both the Father and the Son.” The Doctrine of Christ is everything that the Bible teaches concerning our precious Lord and Savior; including, but not limited to, His virgin birth, deity, Godhead, sinless life, death, burial, bodily resurrection, bodily ascension into Heaven, and literal blood sacrifice.

To understand why ecumenism is so evil, you need to understand that Satan is behind most religions today. The Bible plainly tells us that Satan is a habitual liar (John 8:44). Satan transforms (or disguises) himself as an angel of light (2nd Corinthians 11:15). Satan masquerades as someone sent from God, as a wolf in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). Satan came to Eve, desiring to destroy her life, and he did, by planting seeds of doubt in her mind concerning God's Word. Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Ecumenism is the doctrine of the Ecumenical Movement, which is an effort to unite all religions into one, leading them to all WORSHIP the Antichrist. This truth is clearly evidenced by the Masonic pyramid displayed in all mainstream religions today. Part 2. Satan's hands have been tirelessly at work corrupting the world.

Martin Luther is one of the biggest frauds in church history, who taught Baptismal Salvation and Sacramental Salvation and Mary Worship until his death in 1546. It is tragic that so many unscholarly ministers and Christian authors today disregard the truth concerning Luther to satisfy their peers; It's the same shameful scholars and unfaithful witnesses who support modern corrupt Bible versions and heretics within the church (like John MacArthur who denies the saving power of Jesus' literal blood). God help us!

Conclusion of the Matter

Those people today who go around preaching “unity” are pulling on the same rope as the Devil. God wants us to divide over truth; instead of uniting by error. The truth always rallies men to revival or riot. 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17 teaches that there can be no unity, nor should there be, between light and darkness, nor between good and evil. Satan is a literal person, a spiritual being, who is the father of all liars. Satan is the founder of all modern mainstream religions.

Jesus never founded a religion. There is no such thing as “the Baptist” Church. The Body of Christ began with the first born-again Christian back in Genesis. The New Testament Church did not begin at Pentecost, nor during the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus. Acts 7:38 speaks of the “church in the wilderness” back in the days of Moses. The first family was the first church. The eldest in the family was the pastor. That's what a church is today, a surrogate family. Ephesians 3:15 speaks of “the family” in Heaven.

Churches were never meant to be religious gathering places. When you get saved, you are born into the family of God. A local church is the assembling of God's children for the work of the Lord. This is a time when family members, God's family, meet together for fellowship, preaching, edifying, soul-winning and the work of the Lord.

Gifts of the Spirit

Gifts of the Spirit

by Pastor Jack Hyles

Chapter 11 from Dr. Hyle's excellent book, Meet The Holy Spirit)

Before our Lord returned to Heaven, He told us that we would do the same works after He left that He did while He was here. John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." He then gave us what we call the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19, 20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

It is obvious then that every believer is to do the work that Jesus did while He was on earth. We are supposed to win folks to Christ, get them baptized, and then we are to teach them how to win folks to Christ and get them baptized. This is our task. Such a task, however, is very involved. If we are going to baptize people, someone has to prepare the baptistery or find a suitable place. Someone needs to get converts cared for concerning proper clothing for baptism. As we go forward obeying the command of our Lord, someone no doubt will become ill. They need to be cared for. As we increase in numbers, there must be buildings. This involves finances. Some must take care of the finances. Some must take care of the buildings.

Realizing this, our Lord through His Holy Spirit, gives special gifts to believers in order that the work of evangelizing might be done more efficiently and effectively. Some of these gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12:8-10, 28, "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; and God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." These gifts are not given as substitutes for soul winning but rather as aids for soul winning. One of the soul winners, in addition to his winning folks to Christ, is given a gift of helps. Another, in addition to his soul winning, is given the gift of governments. Another, in addition to his soul winning, is given the gift of healing. It should be noted that soul winning is not one of the gifts. Soul winning is a command given to all believers; whereas each Christian is given a gift or different gifts in order that soul winning be done more effectively.

How sad it is when a Christian feels that his service for God is simply the exercising of his gift! There is no need of the gift if there is not the soul winning.

It must be noted that these gifts are given by grace. It is God Who makes the decision concerning the distribution of the gifts. I Corinthians 12:11, "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally AS HE WILL."

There are those who choose one of these gifts and insist that every Christian is to have a particular gift. Some say that if a person does not have one particular gift, he is not even a Christian. Others say that the obtaining of one particular gift is an evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, but even a casual look at the passages in I Corinthians 12 reveals to us that one is given one gift, another is given another gift, and another is given another gift. For example, in verse 10 it says, "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits," etc. It is obvious then that no one has all the gifts and there is no gift that all have.

The Bible plainly teaches how ridiculous it would be to assume that all would have the same gift. I Corinthians 12:17, "If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?" It is also evident that each of us needs the gifts of the rest of us. I Corinthians 12:14-16, "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?"

Our Lord established the New Testament church in order that the Gospel of Christ might be propagated more effectively. In a church, somebody plays the organ, somebody leads the choir, somebody cares for the church business, somebody works in the PA room, somebody has a special gift to pray for the sick, somebody has exceptional faith, etc. All of these gifts simply oil the machinery so that soul winning might be done more effectively. It is a sad condition when the gifts are substituted for soul winning, leaving in a real sense little need for the gifts.

Many churches are encumbered by multitudes of unnecessary committees who have been delegated responsibility of doing the work of the various gifts. When these duties have been discharged, these committees feel that they have done their work for the Lord, while an unsaved world perishes without the Gospel. There are thousands of churches all over this nation and all around the world who have treasurers, finance committees, deacon boards, music committees, Christian education committees, and even committees on committees and yet there is not one soul winner to be found! These dear saints have been deceived into believing that the using of their gifts is their main service for God. So the well-oiled machinery works beautifully while Hell enlarges herself. It is a sin; it is a shame; it is a crime that hundreds of churches in America do not baptize one convert a year.

We have our choirs, we have our Sunday schools, we have our ladies missionary groups, we even have our mission programs where we hire people to do our soul winning for us in order that we may salve and soothe our consciences. Even preachers feel that their pulpit work is the discharging of their obligation of service for God. Our churches are filled with deacons who never make an effort to tell anybody how to be saved, with musicians who never win a soul to Christ, with committee members chosen because they are wealthy or well-to-do in the community who never lift a hand to obey the great commission. To many of these affluent people, soul winning is left to a few of the old ladies, some of the overly-zealous new Christians and others who are not spiritual enough or learned enough to sit on committees and boards!

A good illustration is that of the fire department. Every fireman is hired for one main purpose, and that is to fight fires. However, in the fire station there are duties that must be performed. Suppose, for example, one fireman is given the duty of sweeping the building. Another is given the duty of cleaning the rest rooms. Another's gift is that of caring for the paper work. Now these duties are not substitutes for the fire fighting.

Suppose, for example, that there is a fire alarm. A building is burning! Someone gives the signal to man the trucks. One man says, "I'm sorry; I can't go.. My job is to sweep the building, and every time we come back from a fire the building is filthy. The rest of you go ahead and fight fires; I will stay here and sweep."

Another says, "I can't go either. I have noticed the rest rooms aren't real clean, and I'm supposed to have them clean by noon every day. You fellows go ahead; my job is to clean the rest rooms."

Another says, "I have some papers that must be filled out and mailed in this afternoon. It is my job to care for the paper work, you know, and besides fires are very messy and spectacular. I believe I would rather stay here and do my paper work, and when I finish with that, I'll study the history of the fire department."

"Absurd!" you say. Yes, it is absurd, but no more absurd or ridiculous than for God's people to stay home from the battle administering their gifts when the main job of every believer is that of winning folks to Christ. While the world goes without the Gospel people are dying and plunging into eternal torments, one stays home to perform miracles; the other stays home to prophesy; another stays home to discern spirits; another stays home to talk in some kind of a tongue; another stays home to pray for the sick; another stays home to care for the church government; another stays home to teach the Bible; another stays home to prepare the baptistery.

Now the gifts are important, but they are important ONLY as they improve our soul- winning work and help us to do the Lord's work more efficiently so we can win more soul to Christ. It must be emphasized again and again that the gifts are not given to some so that they can make it easier for others to go soul winning; the gifts are given to all so that ALL of us can make it easier for ALL OF US to go soul winning and to do it decently and in order.

There are many who choose the most glamorous of the gifts and place them in a position of importance above those gifts that are less exciting. The Apostle reminds us that every gift is necessary. I Corinthians 12:22, 23, "Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness."

A perfect illustration of the purpose of the gifts is given in Mark 16:15-18, "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." You will notice the command in verse 15, "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." In verse 17 notice the words, "follow them that believe." In verse 17 and 18 you will notice some of the things that follow those that believe: "In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." The key word here is the word "follow." This, of course, implies that someone is going somewhere. Until one is going, he cannot be followed. Now where were these people going? The answer is in verse 15. "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." Now if we do not GO, these things do not FOLLOW. The Scripture does not say, "These signs shall be with those that believe." IT says, "These signs shall FOLLOW them that believe." Consequently, the promises in verses 17 and 18 are only to those who are soul winning. These things are aids to soul winning. God is not admonishing us to pick up deadly serpents, not is He admonishing us to go up and down the corridor of the hospital laying our hands on sick folks, not is He admonishing us to speak glibly in some strange language. He is promising us that when we go and obey the commission, these things will follow us in order that they may help us while we get out the Gospel.

God is saying that if, WHILE WE ARE SOUL WINNING, a serpent bites us, God will intervene. He is saying that if, WHILE WE ARE SOUL WINNING, someone tries to poison us, God will intervene. He is teaching us that WHILE WE ARE SOUL WINNING we may come across someone who cannot understand the language in which we speak. This very thing happened on Pentecost. There were people there from every nation under heaven who could not understand the language in which Peter was preaching and with which the people were soul winning. Acts 2:4-14, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And they were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men, out of every nation under Heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Capadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words." Notice that this gift of tongues was an aid to soul winning. It was not an end in itself to make the Christian feel better or for self-edification for the saints. It was what all the gifts are for; it was to make soul winning easier.

One Sunday morning here at the First Baptist Church of Hammond a man came to the platform during the invitation time and said, "Pastor, we have a Chinese lady here that we believe would get saved if someone soul speak Chinese to her." I stopped the service and asked if anyone could speak Chinese. No one could. I told the soul winner that I was very sorry that no one in the crowd could speak Chinese. The invitation was finished, the names were read, the converts were baptized and the service was dismissed. This soul winner, who is a very fine, refined young man, came up to me after the benediction with a face as white as a ghost. He said, "Pastor, you won't believe what happened! I took the Chinese lady to the back of the auditorium, sat down beside her on a pew and told her, `I'm going to tell you how to be saved in English even though you can't understand me.' The lady had a puzzled look on her face, pointing to her ears, and shook her head from side to side in a negative fashion." When the soul winner started talking about the plan of salvation, suddenly she brightened up, shook her head up an down affirmatively, pointed to her ears and grinned. She was understanding! God was giving her the ability to understand what the soul winner said! When the soul winner asked her to bow her head, she did! As soon as she received Christ, the man talked further, but she then shook her head from side to side in a negative fashion, pointed to her ears and frowned. She no longer could understand! Now this has never happened to me, but I know the man to whom it happened, and he was as surprised as I was and as the lady was. He did not seek the gift, but God miraculously allowed that lady to understand him as he was speaking. On one other occasion the same thing happened with a Vietnamese. This is exactly what happened on Pentecost.

How tragic and how pitiful it is that so many have taken the gifts and played with them as toys and even formed movements emphasizing the gifts! When you are around these people, you can hardly start a conversation without their bringing up one of the gifts. Usually it is one of the more glamorous ones. For example, did you ever have anyone come up to you and say, "Have you been baptized by the Holy Ghost as evidenced by the gift of helps?" Of course not. Did anybody ever ask you, "Do you believe in the gifts- especially the gift of government?" Of course not. They are interested only in some kind of a movement that emphasizes one or tow or three of these gifts at the expense of the others, and all the while people are perishing and plunging toward a Christless eternity without the Gospel!

Now practically, beloved Christian, let us face the issue in summary. Each of us is to give himself to soul winning. Bow your head now and promise God that you are going to obey the commission of our Lord, that you are going to start telling folks how to be saved and leading folks to Christ. Then, in your local New Testament church be faithful and busy. Do not see, a certain gift, but ask God to show you where to serve, and as He gives you a place of service, He will give you the gift to fulfill that place of service, but do not accept any place of service unless it will aid in the carrying out of the great commission-that of soul winning, baptizing and teaching, training and growing Christians to be mature so they can go soul winning, as we all together obey the command that God has given us and as each of us uses what gifts God gives to us to aid all of us in pointing people from an eternity without Christ to the glories of salvation and eternal life.

There is a beautiful story in Genesis 24. Notice verses 1-4, "And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age:; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh; and I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell: but thou shalt go unto my country and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

In verse 2 Abraham is a beautiful type of God the Father. In verse 2 his servant is a beautiful type of the Holy Spirit. In verse 3 the wife, which was to be Rebekah, is a beautiful symbol of the bride of Christ, His believers. In verse 3 the son is a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus. The son in this case was Isaac. In verse 4 the country was a beautiful type of the world.

Abraham (representing God the Father) sent his servant (representing the Holy Spirit) back to his country (representing the world) to seek a bride (representing believers) for his son Isaac (representing Jesus). Here we have a beautiful picture of God the Father sending the Holy Spirit to the world to choose a bride for the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit does this as redeemed people are filled by this selfsame Holy Spirit and go throughout the world proclaiming the Gospel of salvation through faith in Christ.

Now notice that the one main supreme task of the servant was to get a bride for his master's son. The one supreme task for the church and for the believer is to be busy in getting a bride for the Lord Jesus. In other words, our job is soul winning!

Now concerning the gifts, notice Genesis 24:22, "And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold." The servant gave gifts to Rebekah, but the gifts were ONLY AIDS in helping to secure the bride. Abraham did not tell his servant to go into the far country and give out earrings and bracelets. Suppose when the servant returned to Abraham this would have happened: Abraham asked him if he got the bride. The gifts were only to make it easier to get the bride.

Our Father has sent us into this would to get a bride for His Son. In an effort to help us get the bride, He has given each of us gifts that He has chosen. These gifts are not to be used as ends in themselves but rather as helps in getting the bride. Soul winning is the main business. The gifts are to make soul winning more productive in order that we may present our souls as trophies at the feet of our Saviour at the marriage of the Lamb when the Bridegroom receives His bride.

The same thing is true concerning the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Just as the gifts of the Spirit are aids in getting the bride, so is the fruit of the Spirit a manner of behavior that we are to have as we win souls. Bear in mind, the purpose of it all is to get the bride! If the servant had gone to the far country with an unkind disposition or with a sullen, discouraged or hateful manner, he would not have been successful in getting Rebekah to come to Isaac. No doubt he was kind. No doubt he had love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, kindness, etc. However he was not commanded to go into the far country and be kind. He was commanded to go into the far country to bet the bride. Being kind was simply the manner and behavior that he was to have as he went about his mission.

The Holy Spirit is that servant. He goes into the far country working through believers. As we are used by Him in the securing of the bride for our Saviour, that is, soul winning. He gives us His fruit. Notice the singular. These are not fruits, but one fruit! This fruit is in Galatians 5:22, 23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is not law." In other words, as we go soul winning, we are supposed to have love. As we go soul winning, we are supposed to have joy. As we go soul winning, we are supposed to have peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Again this, like the gifts of the Spirit, is an aid to soul winning. A loving soul winner is a better soul winner. A peaceful soul winner is a better soul winner. A patient soul winner is a better soul winner. A gentle soul winner is a better soul winner, etc.

Suppose this happened when the servant returned from the far country: Abraham asked, "Did you get the bride for Isaac?" The servant said, "No, but I had love." Abraham said, "But I did not send you into the far country to have love; I sent you into the far country to get a bride, and love was a tool in the securing of that bride!" Abraham asked again, "Did you get the bride?" "No, but I had joy. I shouted, praised the Lord and rolled the aisles while I was there!" Abraham said, "But I didn't send you to the far country to shout and praise the Lord and roll in the aisles. I sent you to get the bride."

One day every believer shall face his Lord. The Lord shall ask, "Where are the souls?" Many believers will say, "I had love." The Lord will say, "I didn't send you into the world to love. I sent you into the world to win people to Christ, and you can win folks better with love." Many believers will say, "But I had joy. I shouted, talked in tongues, joined the charismatic movement, and hollered `Hallelujah' in a fundamental Baptist church."

Then the Master shall say, "I didn't send you into the world to shout or roll in the aisle or be happy. I sent you into the world to obey Me. Happiness will help you obey Me better, and obeying Me will help you to be happier. I sent you to get a bride."

Suppose a father sends his son to the grocery store to get some bread and milk. As he leaves, the father says, "Son, don't forget now to behave yourself while you are gone. I want you to be a good boy." After a while the boy returns. The father asks, "Did you get the bread and milk?" The boy says, "No, I didn't get the bread and milk, but I had love. I hugged the butcher, kissed the baker, walked up and down the aisles of the grocery store saying, `I love you, I love you, I love you.'" The father asks, "But did you get the bread and milk?" The son replies, "No, but I had joy. I shouted in he dairy department, and I hollered `Praise the Lord' as I walked in the store. Everybody in that store said I was the happiest boy who had ever been there." The father asks, "But did you get the bread and milk?" "No, Dad, but I had peace. I stopped two fights, prevented another, wore a peace symbol, carried a peace flag and song "Peace in the Valley,' all the time I was in the store." The dad asks, "But did you get the bread and milk?" "No," replies the boy, "but I had longsuffering. There were two lines waiting to get checked out. One line had 4 people; one had 47, and I got in the long line. I waited for an hour to get checked out, and all the time I quoted Scripture, `And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.' In fact, everybody was talking about how patient I was." The father asks, "Son, did you get the bread and milk?" "No, but I was gentle. I helped an old lady pick up some groceries that she dropped. I helped an old man across the street. I kissed a little baby on the brow. Everybody was talking about my gentleness." The father asks, "But son, did you get the bread and milk?" "No, Dad, I didn't," he said, "but I was good. I read my Bible all the way, and I prayed while I was coming back home. I didn't drink or smoke or curse or go with the wrong crowd to the grocery store. Daddy, they said I was one of the best boys who ever went to that store." The father asks, "But, son, did you get the bread and milk?" "No," replies the son, "but I had faith. I believed all the time I was going that I would get there, and I believed all the time I was coming back that I would get back. I believed the Word of God, and I had faith in God, and I knew God would take care of me." The father asks, "But, son, did you get the bread and milk?" "No, Dad, I didn't get the bread and milk, but I was meek. In fact, I told people how great God was and how little I am. I didn't boast. I even stopped a fellow in the store and confessed my sins, I asked one of the stock boys to pray for me because I felt unworthy to be there." The father asks, "But, did you get the bread and the milk?" "No," says the son, "But I had temperance. Dad, I didn't take a drink all the time I was gone. I was offered a bottle of whiskey; I was offered a martini, a bloody many, a screwdriver and a bottle of beer, but, Dad, I didn't take a drink of one. Not only that, I was temperate in everything I did while I was on my way to the store, while I was at the store, and while I came back." "But, " asks the father, "did you get the bread and the milk?" "No," says the son, "I didn't not get the bread and milk." The father says, "Son, you have not been faithful. I did not send you to the store to love; I sent you to get the bread and milk and be loving as you did. I did not send you to the store to have joy; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk and be happy as you did. I did not send you to the store to have joy; I sent you to the store to promote peace; I sent you to the store to buy bread and milk, and I wanted you to be peaceful as you did. I did not send you to the store to be gentle; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk, but I wanted you to be gentle as you purchased your merchandise. I did not send you to the store to be good; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk, and I wanted you to be good as you shopped. I did not send you to the store to have faith; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk, but I wanted you to have faith as you went. I did not send you to the store to have meekness; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk, but I wanted you to be meek as you went. I did not send you to the store to be temperate; I sent you to the store to get bread and milk, and I wanted you to be temperate as you went. Son, you are not a good son. You have the fruit, but you did not obey my command."

One day we shall stand before God. The command of our Lord is clear and plain. We are to do the works that Jesus did. John 14:12, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." We are commanded to go into all the work and preach the Gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15, "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature." We are commanded to go into the world and teach all nations. Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." However, as we go, God has said, "I want to make it an effective ministry and an effective endeavor, so I'm going to give gifts to My people so that the soul winning job may be more efficient and more effective, and I'm going to give you the fruit of the Spirit so that you may be loving, happy, peaceful, gentle and patient as you go."

How sad we will be if we face our Lord having played with the gifts as toys and having used the fruit without obeying the simple and yet direct command of our Lord! It is our job to obey the command given in every one of us and then to receive the gifts given to each one of us severally as the Lord wills and to ask to Holy Spirit to go with us, imparting to us the fruit of the Spirit, so that we may efficiently and graciously bring back the bride so that one day we can lay the trophies of the souls that we have son at the feet of Jesus and hear Him say, "Well done."

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, dressed as Santa to steal,
And to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the mantle but a couch drenched with tears and boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands, he fought with Sunday School Curriculum and KJV Bible in hand.

Awards and medals lay piled in the bin,
I found the home of a soldier; it was dark and dreary,
Yet this house was somehow different once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room so empty it was at a loss,
Not how I'd picture a soldier of the Cross.

Was this the hero of whom I had read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the souls fought for and won that are partying tonight,
Owed their salvation to these soldiers who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate another God-given day.
They all enjoyed God's love each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder, how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve far from Heaven their true home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened, and I heard a low voice,
'Brother, don't cry, this life is my choice.
I fight for the LORD of Hosts, I don't ask for more,
My life is the Lord Jesus', my sheep, my corps.'

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
And we both shivered from the cold night's chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark night,
This contender for God's Word, so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice, soft and pure,
Whispered, 'Carry on soldier, all is secure.
Take God at His Word, the KJV Bible is for sure.
Believe in Jesus for forgiveness of sins,
Get saved by faith, there is no other means.'

On hearing these words, sin was convicted in my heart,
God had sent His only begotten Son, to believe was now my part.

'I'm a sinner Lord Jesus, forgive and remember me this day,
You are Son of the Living God, to You I'll hope and pray,
Now that I am saved, help me thus to live by Your Word as it is meant to be,
A soldier of the Cross, let me fight to the finish until You return for me."

The Gospel is Delicate and So Easily Corrupted

The Gospel is Delicate and So Easily Corrupted

By David J. Stewart

Romans 3:4, “Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar...”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most delicate thing in the universe, because it is so profoundly simple. We are sinners and are saved by obtaining Christ's righteousness by faith (Romans 4:5). It's that simple. The Gospel is so simple that it is dangerously easy to corrupt by the slightest change or addition of anything to it (2nd Corinthians 11:3).

A minister who invites people to come down to the alter to be saved is corrupting the Gospel. Since when does a person have to walk an alter to be saved? Why can't they be saved right there in their pew by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ?
A person who teaches that a sinner must be sorry for their sins to be saved is corrupting the Gospel message. Sorrow is an emotion. A sinner need only acknowledge their sinnership before God to be saved. A person may or may not feel sorry over the sins in their life; yet they may still acknowledge that they are a guilty sinner in need of the Savior. The Law shows men their guilt of sin (Romans 3:19) and points them to the Savior (Galatians 3:24).

Some people errantly tell sinners to “invite Jesus into their heart,” but the Bible doesn't teach that. In Acts 8 we find an Ethiopian eunuch desiring to be water baptized, as a new believer. Acts 8:37, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And so Philip water baptized the eunuch as a public profession of his faith in the Lord. Salvation is believing from one's heart on Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ. We are saved when we believe; not when we invite Jesus into our heart. A lot of Southern Baptists have been misled to believe they are saved because they asked Jesus into their life. Well, Judas was one of Christ's very Apostles, and yet Judas went to Hell in unbelief. Ye must be born-again! (John 3:5).

Jack Chick corrupts the Gospel message in his cartoon booklets, by requiring sinners in step #2 to “be willing to turn from sin” to be saved. This is in addition to step #1 which requires a person to “admit you are a sinner.” Step #1 is Biblical; step #2 is damnable heresy. The Gospel is so easily corrupted into a lie. The Gospel is even more delicate than eggshells. Nothing is so profoundly simple, and yet so easily corrupted, than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A person need only repent of their sinful condition by believing upon the Lord Jesus for forgiveness (Acts 10:43).
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Bible doesn't say, repent ye, and stop living in sin. It says, repent ye, and believe the Gospel. A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance (James 2:21); and not a part of the ROOT of saving-faith (Romans 4:5-6).

To tell someone that they must be willing to give up their sinful lifestyle is to teach self-righteousness, which is damnable heresy and a false gospel. Ray Comfort, Jack Chick, Paul Washer and John MacArthur pervert the Gospel by teaching that a person must forsake their sinful lifestyle to be saved. They are corrupting the Biblical meaning of repentance and perverting the Gospel. It's not just a matter of semantics as some deceitfully claim.

There are literally thousands of perversions of the Gospel in the world today, and Satan is behind every one of them, trying to blind people from the truth of the Gospel (2nd Corinthians 4:4). The Catholic Church is notorious for corrupting the meaning of the Scriptures. Catholics trust in a false gospel. Official Catholic dogma teaches that a person must be water baptized into the Catholic Church, and keep the Seven Sacraments of the Church, to enter into Heaven. Catholicism is a prisonhouse of religion. From the cradle-to-the-casket, Catholicism has a religious package for you; but Jesus said “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

Religion Wants to Fit Us with Glasses; the Lord Wants to Open Our Eyes
I have a staunch Catholic neighbor, who does all sorts of things for his parish, and is a good man as far as sinners go; but he doesn't believe in a literal Hell. I asked him where people go who aren't born-again when they die? He answered, “They're stuck in limbo.” That's a lie of Satan. I showed him from the Bible (and it's also in the Catholic Douay version of the Bible) 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9, which warns that God will punish with vengeance all Christ-rejecters with flaming fire in Hell forever. The question is... Do you believe that the Bible is God's Word? I hope for your sake that you do. Despite having explained the Gospel repeatedly to him, my neighbor still maintains the false notion that he will be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments to the best of his ability. This is what Catholics are taught—self-righteousness. Sadly, he will go to Hell forever unless he repents and believes the Gospel.

Every false religious cult corrupts the simplicity of the Gospel. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists all require self-righteous works to gain Heaven. They all require water baptism, which is unscriptural. No one in the Old Testament ever got baptized in water. There is only one Gospel. Abram (Abraham) was saved in Genesis 15:6 by believing on the Lord, the same way we are saved today, 4,000 years later. There has always been only one plan of salvation, and it is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). A person need only repent of their sinful condition by believing upon the Lord Jesus for forgiveness (Acts 10:43). Salvation is receiving; not giving (John 1:12). Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15), freely offered (Romans 10:13) and freely received (Revelation 22:17).

CCM's False Gospel
There's also a group of people today who corrupt the Gospel by reducing salvation to “praying the Jesus prayer” as I've heard some Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] singers state. There can be no salvation without the Law of God that reveals men as sinners. Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” To be saved, a person must acknowledge their guilt of sin for breaking God's commandments. Turning over a new leaf is not salvation. Making a commitment to live a better life is not salvation. Deciding to join a church and become religious is not salvation.

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with a sinner's prayer, for we find the thief on the cross crying out to Jesus to be saved in Luke 23:42. However, a person may be saved without ever opening their mouth. What if a person were mute? Salvation is of the heart, by simply believing on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Romans 10:10 tells us that it is with the heart man believeth unto righteousness. In Matthew 7:21-23 we find a group of religious phonies, who called Jesus “Lord, Lord” as the Lordship Salvationists do. They were unsaved; but yet religious.

The majority of CCM artists today propagate a wishy-washy false gospel that teaches that a person need only open their heart for God to fill the emptiness. Michael Smith is one such heretic. Christian Rock, Rap, Hip Hop, House, Pop, et cetera, are all of the Devil, because they love the praise of men more than God (John 12:43), and love money more than the hellbound souls of men (Matthew 6:24). The CCM artists get rich, and their evil producers; but no one gets saved because the true Gospel is drowned in obscure, meaningless lyrics. Their worldly message is to unite at all cost, even at the expense of the truth of God's Word. They teach that love supercedes everything, thus the doctrine of Christ is forgotten. Anything goes with these apostates, just so long as they keep making money.

Not one, and I mean not one, CCM mainstream artist preaches the Gospel on their website. They're a bunch of religious imposters who masquerade as Christians. They are wolves in sheep's clothing, shameful souls, who hurt the cause of Christ. The world is going to Hell. Do you really think that their screeching guitars, sensual singing, worldly concerts and lame religious testimony are going to bring anyone to salvation? How, when they don't even preach the Gospel?

Nearly all CCM artists sinfully embrace the Catholic Church, refraining from saying anything negative about the demonic cult of Catholicism, and are pulling on the same rope as the Devil. The simplicity of the Gospel is corrupted. Opening one's heart to Jesus is not salvation. Jesus' name is thrown around a lot these days, and most professed Christians are not saved. The Gospel has been changed, altered, corrupted, watered-down, perverted, misrepresented, and so forth; but the truth has not changed in any way. The Word of God still stands! Ye must be born-again! (John 3:5).

John MacArthur's False Gospel
Multitudes of apostate ministers and churchgoers herald pastor John MacArthur as a mighty man of faith; but in reality, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Perhaps MacArthur's most incriminating work is his book titled “HARD TO BELIEVE,” in which he errantly states...

"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" (Hard to Believe, p. 93).

To say that salvation comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ seemingly indicates that salvation comes from something that man does. The Bible says that salvation is “not of yourselves... not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort are admirers of John MacArthur, and Cameron promotes The MacArthur Study Bible on his website. MacArthur's false theology has corrupted millions of people. MacArthur supports modern corrupt Bibles and is a Calvinist who teaches that God predestinates people to salvation. MacArthur also tramples under foot the precious literal blood of Jesus.

MacArthur's formula, as derived from his above statement, seems to be as follows:

Man's obedience + man's service to Christ = SALVATION

Does not this formula indicate salvation by works? The Bible consistently teaches that salvation is not based on man's self-righteous works; but rather, upon the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

MacArthur, in the second part of the above quote, makes a statement that is even more problematic: “The life we live... determines our eternal destiny.” The implications of this statement are startling. If MacArthur's statement is true, then Hell is going to be the eternal destiny of every human being! We are all horrible sinners in God's eyes (James 2:10). According to Romans 6:23 and Revelation 21:8 we have all earned for ourselves eternal death in the Lake of Fire. The life we live here on earth does not determine our eternal destiny. It's Jesus' work of redemption that makes salvation possible, guaranteed to those who believe on Him. John 11:25-26, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

It is not our COMMITMENT that saves us; it is CHRIST who saves us. Following Christ is a result of salvation, not a condition of salvation. Before we FOLLOW CHRIST in discipleship we must COME TO CHRIST for salvation. Before we COME AFTER CHRIST (Luke 9:23) we must COME UNTO CHRIST (Matthew 11:28). The term “BELIEVE” does not mean “turn from sin and follow Christ.” It means “trust fully, rely upon, resting one’s whole weight upon the WORTH, WORD and WORK of Jesus Christ.” We must not re-define saving faith to make it some kind of a “work-requirement” for salvation. Justification is for the person who “worketh not, but believeth” (Romans 4:5).

The Universal New Age False Gospel
New Age teaches the masses of this world to believe in a universal Christ that does not conform to Biblical teaching. The one common denominator of all such falsehoods is a tolerance of all faiths as being honored by God. However, Jesus plainly proclaimed in the Bible that He is the ONLY way to God the Father, and thus, the ONLY path to Heaven. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” This means that all the followers of Judaism and Islam are going straight to Hell when they die, because both groups deny that Jesus is the Christ, nor the son of God. They are liars (1st John 2:22).

One of the great joys of being a born-again Christian is contending for the Christian faith (Jude 1:3). I do not enjoy exposing false teachers and stepping on toes, but that is exactly what the truth does. If the shoe fits, wear it! God makes no apologies for His Word. God said what He meant, and meant what He said. The Bible is brutally honest, telling it like it is, which is why so many people hate the Bible, and greedy villains have to pervert it to sell more copies. The true Bible has become very unpopular with this sick-minded, child-murdering, wicked, society in America. Most people don't want a Bible that condemns them to Hell, and calls sin by name, and worships Jesus as Almighty God Who came in the flesh.

The King James Bible is a lonely soul today, sitting quietly and unloved on most bookstore shelves (if it's even there). While churches buy corrupt Bibles by the millions, the lonely King James Bible is left in the dust, waiting for someone to pick Him up and read Him. Jesus is the Word of God, the Living Word (John 1:1-3,14; Revelation 19:13).

Any Christ that is not the Lord Jesus Christ of the Scriptures is a fraud. The Jesus of Mormonism is a fake. The Jesus of the Jehovah's Witnesses is a fake! The Jesus of the Seventh-Day Adventists is a fake! The Jesus of Judaism is a fake! The Jesus of Islam is a fake! The Jesus of Catholicism is a fake!

Catholics teach that Jesus honors His mother in Heaven and that Mary has special power of influence with God, and that Catholics are to praise and honor Mary by reciting the Rosary, so she'll go to Jesus on their behalf. That is Hellish doctrine! Mary is nothing more than a dirty sinner (Romans 3:23). Mary is no more deserving of Heaven than a pimp on the street, or a mass-murdering, or you. We are all sinners in God's eyes (James 2:10). Religion is the worst thing to ever happen to this world. Salvation is not found in any religion; but rather, in a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ!

We are Saved By Christ's Righteousness
The Gospel is profoundly simple, and thus, so easily corrupted. We are sinners and are saved by obtaining Christ's righteousness by faith (Romans 4:5). It's that simple. The Gospel is so simple that it is dangerously easy to corrupt by the slightest change or addition of anything to it (2nd Corinthians 11:3). This is why I vehemently fight against any false prophet who dares to change, add, or diminish from what the Word of God teaches concerning salvation. We are saved by Christ's righteousness. Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We cannot be saved by our own self-righteousness, and a good thing because we have NONE to offer God. We all need the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. This means that God attributes Christ's righteousness to us, by faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, to forgive our sins (2nd Corinthians 5:21). Salvation is that simple.

There is nothing in this universe as delicate as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God made salvation simple, so simple that even a child can be saved by simply believing on Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ. If a person must clean up their life of sin to be saved, then salvation is very complicated. If a person must be willing to turn from sin, it implies that God expects a person to clean up their life of sin to be saved. Again, that is a very complicated Gospel. The truth of the matter is that Jesus paid a sin debt He did not owe, because we owed a sin debt we could not pay. Jesus paid it all. The Bible says that a man's faith is COUNTED for righteousness (Romans 4:5). That's simple! We believe on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, Who gave His precious blood for our sins, and we are saved by Christ's righteousness. No works of self-righteousness are required on our part (Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5). That's the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus paid it all.

Note: All Scripture references are only to the precious and trustworthy King James Bible. All modern Bible translations are corrupted by Satan because of the love of money. Satan is a beautiful liar (2nd Corinthians 11:14).

Ye Worship Ye Know Not What

Ye Worship Ye Know Not What

By David J. Stewart (http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/ignorant_worship.htm)

John 4:22a, “Ye worship ye know not what.”

In John chapter 4, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that she didn't know what she worshipped. This is so true of many people today. Tragically, most of the people in this world worship a false god, in a false way, trusting in a false gospel. They are hellbound in their sins in darkness.

A lot of people arrogantly think they are doing the right thing, because someone told them so; but they are as wrong as can be. Humans have a tendency to do as they please and then look for reasons to justify the wrong decisions they made. So in an attempt to make themselves feel better they surround them self with people who pat them on the back, encourage their wickedness and tell them they did the right thing; but God cannot be fooled. Their day of judgment is coming, and God will not be swayed by a multitude of excuses.

In Matthew 7:21-23 we find a group of righteous hypocrites, who professed to know Christ, and did charitable acts during their lifetime; but they all went to Hell to burn. Matthew 7:22-23, "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." There is little doubt that these religious hypocrites were praised by men for their wonderful works. Yet Jesus called them “workers of iniquity.” If all you have is religion, then you're in big trouble.

So many religious people today worship Mary instead of Jesus; yet they hypocritically deny such a claim, while chanting “Hail Mary!” 53-times in every Rosary they recite. They are fools without eyes to see nor ears to hear the Spirit of God. They worship they know not what.

Muslims worship Allah, who according to the Qur'an has no son. Islam denies that Jesus is the Christ, which according to 1st John 2:22 makes them LIARS and ANTICHRISTS. Allah is a myth. Muslims claim that “Allah” simply means god; but their god is not my God. I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I serve the God of the Bible. I serve the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to this earth as God in the flesh. Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world. That is the God Whom I serve.

Most Jews today still reject their King, nailing Him afresh to a cross in their own wicked hearts, denying that Jesus is the Messiah. Judaism is of the Devil. They worship they know not what.

New Age philosophy is everywhere today, teaching that god is a mere energy force that sustains all life. New Age teaches that man has the potential to become as gods through enlightenment. The concept of sin is not tolerated in New Age; but rather, a belief in karma is embraced, which leaves off any belief in the Lake of Fire (Hell) as taught in the Scriptures. Wicca witchcraft, Freemasonry, Kundalini Yoga, Ying Yang, spiritism, earth worship, the Bahá'í Faith and many other religions today are rooted in New Age doctrines. They worship they know not what.

Perhaps the most woeful idolatry of all is America's Celebrity Worship Syndrome [CWS]. Tens-of-millions of Americans are infatuated with musical singers, Hollywood entertainers and glamorous celebrities. It is evil. The crowds cheer loudly for every sort of entertainer these days; but God is forgotten. God wants somebody to cheer for Jesus. I detest every time I see a group of thousands of people clapping, cheering and praising the wicked who spit on God.

All these idiots in the music industry, who refuse to wear clothes, act worse than animals, and profane God in Heaven, don't deserve any praise. Yet Godless Americans buy their albums, make them rich and worship the ground they walk on. It's sickening. Most who profess faith in God are idolaters, who care not about genuinely serving God. They worship they know not what. They sing God Bless America while simultaneously praising homosexuals, abortionists, feminists, idolaters and Christ-rejecting blasphemers. They worship they know not what.

I judge no one. I am simply praising my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and taking a stand for Him as He commanded. Psalm 94:16, “Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?”

Most people scoff and laugh at my website (ministry), scorning me in their wicked mind. God is on my side, because I am on God's side. They won't be laughing on Judgment Day. I am not perfect, certainly, but I come a whole lot closer to being right by preaching against evil than this wicked generation does by remaining silent. The average so-called church today is more resemblant of a morgue. I have seen people smirk and look scornfully upon me because of my work for the Lord. I have received thousands-upon-thousands of hateful e-mails. Satan has opened the floodgates of Hell and attacked me in every manner. I have many enemies because of my soul-winning work for Christ. I am despised and rejected for my Lord. I am persecuted, just like Jeremiah, and Stephen, and Paul and Jesus. So be it if it pleases the Lord God!

I make no apologies for speaking the truth. God is with me and I can do all things through Christ Who strengtheneth me. I know the omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God Whom I worship—JESUS CHRIST!

Would Jesus say to you, “Ye Worship Ye Know Not What.”