13 Evangelistic Phrases That Produce False Conversions

Churches divide over carpet color, building additions and budgets. In the meantime, our fellow church members are going to hell by the boatload.

A.W. Tozer said, “It is my opinion that tens of thousands of people, if not millions, have been brought into some kind of religious experience by accepting Christ, and they have not been saved.”

D. James Kennedy said, “The vast majority of people who are members of churches in America today are not Christians. I say that without the slightest contradiction. I base it on empirical evidence of twenty-four years of examining thousands of people.”

Friend, we argue over so many petty things. May I suggest we have lost sight of the most important debate of all, “What is salvation?” My theology teaches that salvation happens when a man repents and places his trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

I would like to present thirteen ways that we have re-defined how a person becomes a true convert. Have we done this intentionally? Certainly not. We have simply created lingo that has a grain of truth in Scripture, but it is so open to interpretation that the un-converted understand it in ways that lead to false conversions.

1. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior. We cannot make Jesus our Lord and Savior, He is our Lord and Savior. We are living in rebellion to Him and He commands us to repent and trust Him.

2. Ask Jesus into your heart. Does Jesus come into our hearts? Yes He does. The question is, “How does He get in there?” It is not by simply asking Him in; it is by repentance and faith.

3. Just believe in Jesus. The demons believe and they tremble. We must repent and trust.

4. You have a God-shaped hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it. We have far more than a hole that needs to be filled so we can feel complete; we have a wretched, deceitful, sinful heart that needs cleansing. Repentance and faith applies the blood of the lamb for that cleansing.

5. Accept Jesus. Whoa. We need to accept Jesus? This is entirely backward. We need Jesus to accept us–and He will, if we repent and trust.

6. Make a decision for Jesus. Decisional regeneration puts man in the driver’s seat of salvation. When we repent and trust, Jesus decides to save us. That puts Him in the driver’s seat…where He demands.

7. It is easy to believe. While the formula of repentance and faith sounds simple, a complete surrendering of self in repentance is anything but easy. It’s hard.

8. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The only promises for the convert are trials, temptation and persecution. If that is how you define a wonderful life, fine. Otherwise we must command all men everywhere to repent and trust.

9. Come to Jesus just as you are. We should come to Jesus just as the sinners we are, but He also expects a broken heart and contrite spirit demonstrated in repentance and faith.

10. Come to Jesus and you will receive forgiveness of sins and ________________ (fill in the blank with money, health, a healed marriage). Jesus didn’t promise healed marriages; in fact He promised broken homes because we would divide when one member repents and trusts.

11. Come to Jesus and experience love, joy, peace. Do we get the fruit of the Spirit upon conversion? Yes. But if we come seeking the gifts and not the giver, we will receive neither. Instead, we must repent and trust.

12. Jesus is the missing piece. Um, no, the God of the universe is not the missing piece, He demands that He is the center of our lives when we repent and trust.

13. Jesus is better than fame and fortune. That is an understatement, and frankly, it is insulting. Saying Jesus is better than money is like saying that a steak dinner is better than eating a dung hill. He defies comparison and we trivialize the Son of God. Instead, we should be pleading with all men everywhere to repent and trust.

If I showed up at your door with a can of grapefruit juice and a roll of paper towels and offered to change your oil, you would say, “No thanks.” If we wouldn’t let someone mess with our car using the wrong method, why do we allow the Gospel to be presented so ambiguously?

Would you let a doctor operate on your child who was “sort of” accurate? The salvation of men is far more important than an appendix.

I beg you to consider how you share the Gospel. You and I know what we are talking about when we use these phrases, but do the unregenerate? Is it possible that we have so many backsliders today because they never slid forward in the first place? Is it because they were never told that they must repent and trust?

If we are willing to debate shag verse plush in the fellowship hall, shouldn’t we be more concerned about an issue that has eternal consequences?

Source: http://www.wretchedradio.com/

Are You Mortified?

"So what is the answer? How can you stand your ground when you are weak and sensitive to pain, when people you love are still alive, when you are unprepared?

"What do you need to make you stronger than the interrogator and the whole trap?

"From the moment you go to prison you must put your cozy past firmly behind you. At the very threshold, you must say to yourself: 'My life is over, a little early to be sure, but there's nothing to be done about it. I shall never return to freedom. I am condemned to die--now or a little later. But later on, in truth, it will be even harder, and so the sooner the better. I no longer have any property whatsoever. For me those I love have died, and for them I have died. From today on, my body is useless and alien to me. Only my spirit and my conscience remain precious and important to me.'

"Confronted by such a prisoner, the interrogation will tremble.

"Only the man who has renounced everything can win that victory."
- Aleksander I. Solzhenitzyn, The Gulag Archipelago*

Part 14: Preparations for Sufferings

Chances are you've never heard a sermon quite this severe. Be challenged to read this through and examine your heart honestly. The main point is this: We can't possibly be ready to "die for Christ" should persecution arise until we've first "died to self."

Continue reading here: http://herescope.blogspot.com

Thomas Watson – One of you is a devil!

(Thomas Watson, “The Christian Soldier” 1669)

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;
test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in
you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Self-examination is a necessary—but difficult work.

Self-examination is the setting up a court in conscience and
keeping a register there, that by strict scrutiny a man may
know how things stand between God and his own soul. By
a serious scrutiny of our hearts, we come to know to what
prince we belong—whether to the Prince of Peace, or the
prince of darkness.

Self-searching is a heart-anatomy. As a surgeon, when he
makes a dissection in the body, discovers the inward parts,
the heart, liver, and arteries—just so, a Christian anatomizes
himself.

Sentimentality and public opinion are false rules to go by.
We must judge the state of souls by the light of Scripture.

Many have foolish, presumptuous hopes. They fancy their
state to be good; and while they weigh themselves in the
balance of presumption, they pass the test.

Many take their salvation on trust. The foolish virgins thought
they had oil in their lamps, the same as the wise. How confident
are some of salvation—yet never examine their title to Heaven.

Many rest in the good opinions of others. How vain is this!
Alas, one may be gold and pearl in the eye of others—yet God
may judge him to be reprobate silver! Others may think him a
saint—and God may write him down in His black-book! Judas
was looked upon by the rest of the Apostles as a true believer
—yet he was a traitor! “Then Jesus replied—Have I not chosen
you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” John 6:70

Others can but see the outward behavior—but they cannot
tell what evil is in the heart. Fair streams may run on the
top of a river—but vermin may lay at the bottom!

HT: http://againsttheflowmedia.com

Source: http://www.gracegems.org/07/06/one.html

10 Hallmarks That Reveal A True Follower of Christ - Brannon Howse

Source: http://www.worldviewweekend.com

The Shack Uncovered - Michael Youssef

Thirteen Heresies in The Shack

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.

Because God’s eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).

2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.

The Bible declares that God’s love and His justice are two sides of the same coin — equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).

3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.

Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).

4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.

Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).

5. God will never judge people for their sins.

The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).

6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.

The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn’t mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father.” Jesus also said, “I will send you the Holy Spirit” (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).

7. God submits to human wishes and choices.

Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.” We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).

8. Justice will never take place because of love.

The Bible teaches that when God’s love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).

9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.

Jesus’ own description of hell is vivid … it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).

10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn’t matter which way you get to Him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.

Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, “In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).

12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.

Jesus said, “Only those who believe in me will have eternal life” (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).

13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God’s words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation.



Watch the full video here

HT: http://defendingcontending.com

You Were Bought with a Price - Bob Jennings

There are such profound and incredible truths in this sermon excerpt, I greatly encourage everyone to listen to it, it has blessed me greatly to see more and more the preciousness of the blood of Christ! He sent His son to become sin for us!

You can download a MP3 on sermonaudio here

You can watch the full sermon here
www.illbehonest.com

The Change of Mind by Jim Elliff

The young man was dying—without Christ.

"I have a habit," he said, as he looked up from the bed that had been moved into the living room for his last few weeks on earth. "I know that it is sin and that God does not permit it. I want to continue my habit, however, and I honestly don't intend to stop it. On the other hand, I desperately want to go to heaven. May I become a Christian?"

How would you answer this question?

I responded by saying that it was impossible for him to be converted to Christ while at the same time loving his sin. It is true that anybody who comes to Christ will come with sin. In fact, he or she will come precisely because of that sin—that is, to be rid of it and its awful result. But to come to Christ while loving and cherishing sin is totally impossible. It is like an airplane trying to fly in two directions!

Was I being cruel? No, in fact I was as loving as I possibly could be. I wanted the man to know the truth about repentance because Jesus had said, "I tell you . . . unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3

When the apostle Paul walked up Mars Hill in Athens to contend with the philosophers of his day, he was perfectly frank about their need to repent. He courageously declared that God "commands all people everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30 If God demands repentance from all people everywhere then you and I are also included.

What is repentance?

To repent means to "change the mind." But this change of mind is not merely a new way of thinking about Christ and salvation. It is much more profound, affecting the deepest attitudes and actions.

When a person repents, he comes to God hating what he once loved and loving what he once thought so little of. Such an intense change in thinking about sin and Christ results in believers and doing "works befitting repentance." Acts 26:20 As a person thinks, so he or she acts.

A man came to Jesus who was obviously impressed with Him. He got on his knees to ask Jesus an important question. "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Mark 10:17

Jesus' answer was just the reverse of what you would imagine. He said, "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery', 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and mother.'"

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."

But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Mark 10:17-22

Do you think Christ was also cruel in what he required? Not so. In fact, the passage specifically tells us that Christ loved him. But this man had another god—Money. Jesus knew that no man may come to Him while simultaneously worshipping another god. "You cannot serve God and Mammon (Money)." Matthew 6:24

The man wanted eternal life, but not enough to give up his favorite god. Rather, he rejected Christ for his money, even though he was sad he could not have both.

Christ showed the man that even though he perceived of himself as a person who kept God's laws, he really was a law-breaker. After all, he broke the first command! God had clearly said, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3

This story is an illustration of a man who needed to repent, just like the first man described in this article. Unfortunately, both of these men, to my knowledge, refused to give up their cheap god for Christ. Both, therefore, went to hell.

Do you remember what Jesus said? "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 He requires repentance from you just as he did from these two who died.

You must reject your gods whatever they are—money, sex, sports, sinful habits, hobbies, relationships, even your own self—anything that contends with God's rightful place in your life. What may be good and beautiful under the authority of God, becomes a damning god if you love it more than Christ.

Will you repent and come to Christ by faith? Or, will you stubbornly hold on to a god who will drag you to hell forever?

Christ is not cruel in His offer. He gives you abundant life, forgiveness of all your sins, the Holy Spirit to live in you, a family of loving believers, understanding of the greatest book ever written, and eternal life in heaven—all for the repenter.

Even a dog recognizes the difference between the rancid old chicken bone in his mouth and the fresh T-bone steak set before him.

Repent now and come to Christ.

Copyright © 2002 Jim Elliff

Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.

Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited form

including author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.

Other uses require written permission.

www.CCWtoday.org

PENAL SUBSTITUTIONARY ATONEMENT IS THE GOSPEL

Let’s get this straight; [in the penal substitutionary atonement] we’re either seeing the truth, or a lie. This either is the Gospel, or, it is not. The dividing line is abundantly clear; we either believe that the sum and substance of the Gospel is that a holy and righteous God—Who must demand a full penalty for our sin—both demands the penalty and provides the penalty, through His Own self-substitution in Jesus Christ—the Son—whose perfect obedience, and perfectly accomplished atonement, has purchased for us all that is necessary for our salvation—has met the full demands of the righteousness and justice of God against our sin.

We either believe that, or we do not. If we do not, then we believe that the Gospel can be nothing more than some kind of message intended to reach some emotive level in the human being, so that the human being would think better of God, and might want to associate with Him. Or, we would transform all of these categories in the theological into the merely therapeutic, and argue that the whole point of the atonement is that we would come to terms with our own problems, and come to understand that there are resources for the repair of our troubled souls beyond which we previously knew.

Or, we would make of the atonement the merely political; that it is to send some kind of signal, both to God’s people—as they would define themselves—and to the larger world. It is important that we understand that the central thrust of the Scripture, though, is undeniable. That’s one of the great accomplishments of the work that has been done in this field. Some of which, we will review. One of the most crucial of these works you were given, the Pierced For Our Transgressions book. If you will deal with it, if you will read it, if you will honestly reflect upon it—if you will work through the biblical texts—it will become a matter of [ir]refutable truth; that the central thrust of the Scriptures atonement, is that God demanded a punishment for sin, and requires it by His own holiness and justice, and that He provided it in Jesus Christ—Who died on our behalf—paying in full the penalty for our sin.

Not only associating Himself with our sin, but becoming sin for us, in order that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. We come to understand that, not only is this the central thrust of the Scriptures, the Gospel as defined and presented in the Scriptures is reaffirmed and preached in the Reformation, and in the tradition that became known as the “evangelical” tradition—and the evangelical movement. We come to understand that the atonement for sin is first objectively accomplished for those who come to faith in Christ through the perfect sacrifice of Christ, and the full satisfaction of God’s righteousness. We understand that this atonement is subjectively experienced by the believer through redemption, and through union with Christ, we understand that this atonement is divinely applied by the Holy Spirit, Who convicts the soul of sin; [and] opens and quickens the eyes and the soul to see and to believe, and then sets His seal upon the believer. (Why Do They Hate It So: The Doctrine of Substitution)

Dr. Al Mohler

John Piper - Sickened By The Ugliness Of Their Own Sinfulness

Help The Children Love The Different People
Romans 5:1-11
January 17, 2009

http://desiringGod.org.

Brothers, We Are Not Figure-Skaters

Pulpit Highlights by Phil Johnson from the Shepherds' Conference 2010

Pulpit Highlights - Phil Johnson from Grace Community Church on Vimeo.

Full message can be downloaded here

Pulpit Highlights with Al Mohler

Shepherds' Conference 2010
Download the full video from http://grace.ly/sc2010video

Saved by Grace - Jacquelyn's Testimony

This is a powerful testimony with a great gospel presentation.

He Lives

These glorious words, spoken by an angel, brought fear and great joy to those who heard them. The previous weeks must have been a blur of activity to them--they had seen their Messiah, the Lord Jesus, raise Lazarus from the dead, enter triumphantly into Jerusalem as their King, and then be betrayed, arrested, beaten, and hung on a cross to die between two criminals. They thought He was the One who would deliver them from their enemies and lead them into His kingdom. Now, early in the morning, they had gone to see His tomb.

The news that He was alive should not have surprised them. Many times He had foretold His crucifixion and resurrection. In fact, time after time, He told them that He would go to Jerusalem, die, and rise again. The importance of His resurrection is as great as that of His death. Jesus "was delivered [into death] for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification" (Romans 4:25). Through His death the penalty was paid for our sins. Through His resurrection we are given a living hope, the proof that His promises are true (1 Peter 1:3-5). Without a living Saviour, there is no hope. "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain" (1 Corinthians 15:17). He lives! "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18).

Because of His resurrection, Jesus lives as the hope and glory of the believer and the Judge of the unbeliever. Have you come in faith to Jesus who died for you, repenting of your sins, and claiming His gift to you of eternal life? "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

If you have not, come to Him right now. Coming to Jesus means believing that He alone is able and willing to be your personal Saviour and Lord: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).

If you have trusted the living Saviour, consider this: "He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:15). He has died for you and risen again to raise you from spiritual death to spiritual life. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3).

Read His Word, the Bible. See what great things the living Lord has done for you.

Jesus said, "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?" (John 11:25,26)

HT: Moments With The Book

The Fear Of God

"The kind of God that appeals to most people today would be easy-going in his tolerance of our offenses. He would be gentle, kind, accommodating. He would have no violent reactions. Unhappily, even in the church we seemed to have lost the vision of the majesty of God. There is much shallowness and levity among us. Prophets and psalmists would probably say of us, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." In public worship our habit is to slouch or squat; we do not kneel nowadays, let alone prostrate ourselves in humility before God. It is more characteristic of us to clap our hands with joy than to blush with shame or tears.

We saunter up to God to claim his patronage and friendship; it does not occur to us that he might send us away. We need to hear again the Apostle Peter's sobering words, "Since you call on a father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17) In other words, if we dare to call our judge our Father, we must beware of presuming on him. It must even be said that our evangelical emphasis on the atonement is dangerous if we come to it too quickly. We learn to appreciate the access to God which Christ has won only after we have first cried, "Woe is me for I am lost."

John Stott: The Cross Of Christ

HT: Truth Matters

The Three Crosses

"When they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left" (Luke 23:33).

What profound depths there are in the mystery of the cross! We can gaze on that One who hung there between two thieves, a spectacle to Heaven, earth and hell, and see the perfect measure of every person in the whole universe of God.

The Saviour

First of all, we must gaze at the center cross, or rather at Him who was nailed thereon--Jesus of Nazareth--that blessed One who had spent His life in labors of love, healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, opening the eyes of the blind, raising the dead, feeding the hungry, ever ready to drop the tear of true sympathy with every child of sorrow. When we come to inquire what it was that placed Him there, we learn two profound truths.

In the first place, we are taught what man's heart is toward God. When the people cried out "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" that voice was the utterance of the human heart, declaring--as nothing else could--its true condition in the sight of God. But now look at the cross as the ultimate expression of God's heart toward man: "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Those who have accepted the judgment of God against themselves--who truly own that the cross is the measure of their guilt--can appreciate the cross as the expression of God's heart toward them.

The Penitent Thief

We shall now turn to the other two crosses, and the men who hung on them. It is of the utmost importance to see that there was no essential difference between those two men. In nature, in recorded history, and in their circumstances, they were the same. In Matthew 27:44, we read that "The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth." So also in Mark 15:32, "They that were crucified with Him reviled Him." Now this divinely proves that there was no difference between them until the moment in which the arrow of conviction entered the soul of him whom we call "the penitent thief." The more clearly this is seen, the more the sovereign grace of God shines out in all its brightness.

Note the change in this sinner's heart; listen to the words of the penitent thief: "Dost not thou fear God ... for we receive the due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:40,41). Here are the accents of genuine repentance--a sense of personal vileness, guilt, and danger. By the Spirit's work in his soul, he felt and owned that he was justly condemned. This change of mind and heart is repentance. Let the reader ponder it deeply; it is an essential element in salvation. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted" (Acts 3:19). "God ... commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30).

But we have further lessons to learn from the lips of the dying malefactor. "He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42). Think of this! Think of one who had been railing on the dying Saviour, now owning Him as Lord and King! Truly this was a divine work. Surely this was real conversion--a true turning to God.

Note the divine response to the appeal of the penitent thief: "Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Consider how brightly grace shines in the salvation of the thief on the cross. Clearly he had no good works to trust in. The rites, ceremonies, and ordinances of religion could do nothing for him. He no longer had the use of his hands and his feet--so indispensable in man's religions of works. But his heart and his tongue were free; and these are the very things that are called into exercise in God's path of faith: "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10).

The Unbelieving Thief

Let us now fix the eye, for a brief moment, upon the third cross. What do we behold? A guilty sinner? Not merely that: we behold an unbelieving sinner. This is the solemn point. Who can fully estimate the contrast between those two men? They had been so similar, but now the grand and all-important difference lay in this fact: one believed in Jesus, and the other did not. One was enabled to say "Lord, remember me," and the other said, "If thou be the Christ."

On which side of this line are you standing at this moment? Are you, like the penitent thief, linked with Christ by a simple faith? Or do you speak of Christ and His saving power with an "if"? Do not put this question away. Take it up and look it solemnly in the face. Turn to Jesus now! Come just as you are to Jesus, who hung on that center cross for you and me.

--Condensed from "The Three Crosses," by C.H. Mackintosh.

Source: Moments With The Book