When a believer is led down a path of false teaching such as the “prosperity gospel”, it often takes them to places full of empty promises and regrets.  And, by God’s grace, when the “prosperity gospel” is exposed for the lie that it is, that believer has two choices.  They can either continue to believe it or quicken their hearts to the truth of God’s word and see it for what it is.

Often, as in my walk, those believers become some of the most grace-challenged followers as they try to deal in truth and love (Ephesians 4:15) with those leading the circus called the “prosperity gospel”.  This lie doctrine is the primary cause of moralistic-therapeutic deism in the church today. And as John Calvin said, “A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.”

After a great Trinitarian explanation and description, like a leper’s sores oozing through the finest silk trying to cover them up, Jakes’ true colors began to surface.

That said, it is no surprise that the Elephant Room 2 garnered my attention when it was announced that two well-known heavy weights in the reformed camp, Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald (both great teachers), invited T.D. Jakes.

Instantly blogs and Christian talk shows lit up with chatter.  Most noticed were the red flags of discernment that were waving in the air of confusion that was about to ensue. Jakes and Driscoll/MacDonald on the same billet? “Oh I get it,” I thought “this is his coming out party to renounce the heresy of modalism"..”  A guy can dream can’t he?

This should have been easy.  Something as simple as, “I was wrong.  I’ve repented of modalism and call all those still in it to repent.  I apologize to those whom I’ve lead astray through this teaching and invite you to repent….”  After a few standard Gospel descriptions, Jakes appeared to be hitting this one home and quieting down the naysayers.

No so fast my friend.

After a great Trinitarian explanation and description, like a leper’s sores oozing through the finest silk trying to cover them up, Jakes’ true colors began to surface.  It awakened the thought many were thinking in the back of our minds, “Does he really mean this?… Is he a brother now?”  Jakes stumbled back into confusion with this remark, “several times in passages, the doctrine (modalism) fits and sometimes it doesn’t”.  If something is deemed a heresy (which modalism is), it is not compatible in any way, shape or form with orthodox Christian doctrine.  Period. Why did Jakes refuse to call out modalism for the heresy it is?

This remark, though ever so subtle, keeps myself and many others skeptical that this was Jakes definitive coming out party.  In addition to this, MacDonald did not help when he made the remark putting the difference in the Trinity and Oneness modalism on the same level as secondary issues such as tongues, baptism, etc.  That was very deceiving and did wonders to steer the severity of the conversation off the tracks.

Ironically he admitted towards the end the the issue of the Trinity was, “…central to Christianity and a pillar of orthodoxy.”  So which is it James?  He continued, “However, when a man confesses his trinitarianism, and people say, ‘Is he trinitarian enough?’ That’s when we need to turn down the rhetoric and let a man’s confession and fruitfulness speak for itself.” [emphasis added]. As Trevin Wax points out (read here), can anyone honestly see this type of fruit, that is the unequivocal expression of the Trinity, in Jakes’ preaching?

All and all, Jakes simply reiterated his thoughts from 10 years ago rambling off the same rhetoric (read here) he babbled when confronted with the Trinity back then.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The conclusion was confusion.

Conclusion of Confusion: Jakes

• Why didn’t Jakes come out and renounce modalism? (See here)
• Why not a stronger repentance?
• Why not a call to others to repent from it?
• Why not an apology to his congregation and followers?

Conclusion of Confusion: MacDonald/Driscoll

• Why has a gifted, Gospel-driven guy like James MacDonald traded his affiliation with The Gospel Coalition for the company of a prosperity teacher such as Jakes?
• Why the sudden turn from a “confessional Christian” to a “contemporary Christian”?
• How far will MacDonald and Driscoll go?
• If they get to a point and see that it is in great error, will they openly admit its error? Or play with words and massage the severity like they’ve done with the Trinity vs. modalism?
• How many more times will James MacDonald lose solid, Gospel-centered teachers in exchange for these events? (Read story here)
• How does MacDonald expect folks to believe his shtick about ER2 being an open discussion forum, yet threaten to arrest brothers for difference of opinion? (Read story here)

Finally, I leave you with this video clip that is yet another “elephant in the room” MacDonald and Driscoll will have to deal with.  How can MacDonald and Driscoll rebuke (and rightly so) the heterodox “word of faith” teachings, and yet sit comfortably next to someone who bathes in such false teachings?  Guess we know what Elephant Room 3 will be about…

JS

I read today about a recent development that the ACLU is demanding that the Harrison County Commission permanently end funding JesusFest. After pondering the news, I asked myself a better question many Christians probably wouldn’t consider. That question was, “Why does the ACLU even matter?”

The following take must be filtered through two prisms and one consideration.  One is the prism of frustration.  A frustration that stems from being one of the original planners and seeing what the festival has become today.  The other is prism is called Proverbs 27:17. Lastly, a consideration that I would like to see JesusFest succeed.

The question, “Why does the ACLU even matter?” is one that needs asked by all who are currently involved.  I know many of those who are on the JesusFest board and many are beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.  That is why one of the prisms is Proverbs 27:17.  Though much of what you will read is a rebuke of sorts, it’s meant in truth and love (Ephesians 4:15).  They are suggestions that are meant to be taken into consideration to properly answer the question, “Why does the ACLU even matter?”  By addressing the questions, one may very well arrive at the answer that I have which is simply, “They don’t”.

Disunity is the culprit of JesusFest and its funding, not the ACLU.

When I was part of the origins of JesusFest, the mission was simple, “bring the Gospel of Christ to the lost.” That’s a pretty simple mission that works for a number of reasons.  For one, it’s the Great Commission given to all Christians (Matthew 28:18-20) and it’s something all Christian denominations should agree on.  Granted there will be differences in any ecumenical adventure.  Yet the telling of the Gospel of Jesus Christ spans all denominational differences.

Sadly, over the past few years I’ve seen the simple vision of spreading the Gospel to the lost be replaced by all sorts of secular-like fanfare.  Instead of worrying about how to effectively proclaim the Gospel to the lost, homeless person, more worry is shed over how big of a headline act can be afforded.

On display in Clarksburg is the classic scenario of distraction, ironically as seen in many churches.  Distraction from the only thing that matters, the Gospel of Christ.  For example, last year’s top distraction was the “hula dancers for Jesus” (aka “Warriors Come Home” I believe).  In the name of diversity, they were brought in.  However, did anyone consider that even though they had modest dress, they probably weren’t the best way to minister to a person struggling with porn?  With dismay, I heard a young man about 18 yrs. old standing next to us from a local Christian band mockingly say after watching the dancers shake their butts around the stage at this Christian festival, “Oh I get it…Jesus died for my sins…”  How sad is that?  A teenager gets the silliness better than the elder event planners.  Another consequence of getting away from proclaiming the Gospel.

Add to the many distractions the lack of evangelism.  Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).  All the Christian music is great, but scripturally the vehicle we’re given to win the lost is preaching the Gospel to the lost. (This is not Bible-thumping or leading a stranger through some silly, man-centered prayer and popishly pronouncing them saved.)  This includes those of other religions and cults as well.  Case and point, two years ago I saw 4 Mormons (not a form of Christianity in any way) walking around the festival.  I then looked across and saw 2 folks in JesusFest “Staff” shirts.  They noticed them, whispered in one another’s ears, snickered, then pompously returned to their “worship”.  Very Christian-like huh? Where is the burden not only for the lost but those lead astray by false doctrines? Again, another consequence of getting away from proclaiming the Gospel.

Disunity is the culprit of JesusFest and its funding, not the ACLU.  It is the cause of plenty capable churches in the area avoiding support.  Take the two aforementioned considerations and add man’s desire to bring crowds based on his cleverness and not the sovereignty of God’s provision, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for disunity.  It’s easy to see as a bystander that every year JesusFest is evolving (Darwinian pun intended) into a festival of festivals.  By relying more on crowd-attractiveness strategies than the sovereignty of God, when someone’s involved ministry doesn’t get the spotlight they feel it deserves, it causes rifts within the ranks.  Why is it magnified? Look at my previous statement, “man’s desire to bring crowds based on his cleverness and not the sovereignty of God’s provision”.  When man is relying on his works to be the tangible reason for folks to come rather than trusting in God’s more-than-adequate provision of sovereignty, it becomes more critical that those supposed successful strategies are promoted.  Regardless how great some think their ministry and works may be, they need to remember on their best day their greatest works are nothing more than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

There is hope.  I know that many who are still involved in leadership are more than capable of turning the ship around.  By putting to bed those involved who are more about their ministries and contributions than the Gospel, the board that leads JesusFest will show local churches that the Great Commission is number one on the hit parade and everything else is of lesser value.  This will in turn render the ACLU irrelevant to the success of JesusFest as it will be supported in whole by the local church body, as it was originally designed.

JS

Look far and wide and you’ll easily find countries such as Canada, Ireland and others that toss pastors in jail for simply preaching the Bible because it is deemed offensive to the culture around.  The WV Department of Education has taken that leap in that very direction with Policy 4373.

Just like other misconstrued and misapplied hate crime laws, this policy opens up a door for those who are offended by the Bible to have open season on Christians in public schools of West Virginia. The door creaks open on page 19 of the policy.  It reads:

“Schools may limit vulgar or offensive speech inconsistent with the school’s responsibility for teaching students the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior.”¹

The terminology clearly gives homosexuals the opportunity to cry “harassment” or “discrimination” should they chose to find the Bible’s teachings unappealing.  Just like any other sin of fornication, drunkenness, adultery, etc., those who are enslaved to sin will find God’s word “offensive” until the Gospel crushes their heart of stone.

Another excuse I have heard is that, “Well that argument and fear are invalid because the Bible is not formally taught in school.”  To those misled individuals, I would submit this thought.

The Bible doesn’t have to be formally “taught” in school for such a scenario to occur. What if two individuals are talking about homosexuality and someone sitting next to them over hears the conversation and feels offended? Or what if someone asks about what the Biblical view is and is offended by the answer? What if a pastor is speaking at a Christian Club meeting and the topic comes up? Like I said, this is a Pandora’s Box with no specificity in tow.

Now let me clarify that Christians discussing homosexuality from a Biblical worldview is NOT the same as the idiotic, asinine miscreants at such places as Westboro “Baptist Church”. In fact, the Christian view is exactly the opposite of this bill. A Biblical view doesn’t include hatred, though some professing churches would give that impression. In the Christian faith, homosexuality is no different that any other list of sins that we are guilty of and should be handled accordingly with the Gospel (the only message with changing power). Yet, it’s my fear that such legislation will lead to misclassification of legitimate dialogue based on the Word of God Christians are called to believe.

Sadly, I truly believe that my children and their generation will see the days of pastors thrown in jail for preaching God’s truth.  This policy by the WV Department of Education is simply another step forward in that very direction.  God help us.

JS

–

^{1 WV Department of Education Policy 4373, pg. 19. Emphasis added.}

Recently a beloved sister asked a question regarding the implications and potential effects of a bystander overhearing slander.  The gist of the question was, “Based on Proverbs 18:21, could someone overhearing the conversation be subjected to negativity as well?”  Here is the explanation I gave…

Your question was regarding Proverbs 18:21 and the effects by those who may overhear and not be the intended audience.  Let’s look at Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

In general, when we read Proverbs, we need to understand that they are not necessarily promises, but general guidelines and great advice for life.  Though they do not guarantee any specific promise, following them will usually result for the better.  That said, we can deduct from this passage that the tongue is a powerful weapon that can be used for both good and bad.  And by the authors words, that it is effective in either way that it is used, “…those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Now, to get more specific to your question, we need to dig a bit deeper.  (You asked about the effects of someone overhearing a conversation.)  We can find an even more detailed description of the tongue in the book of James.

James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

James 3:7  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,

James 3:8  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:9  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

James 3:10  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

(my emphasis added)

James takes it further than just describing what the tongue can do.  Notice he likens the tongue to “fire” in v.6.  If a fire started in your living room would it just stay there?  It would spread and uncontested engulf the entire house.  Not only would it spread, but a byproduct (and an example of “overhearing” that you asked) could be the smoke.  Because there was a fire, there was smoke.  Smoke is a byproduct of fire and contaminates even beyond the reach of fire.

For example, there was a structure fire on Thanksgiving evening near the local Interstate 79. Though the fire was not near I-79, it was to blame for the 13-car pile up.  You see that?  The smoke was the byproduct of the fire.  Likewise, when someone is speaking negatively, those who overhear it can absolutely be affected and I believe that interpretation from this passage Biblically allows for such an idea.  You can also see this towards the end of the same verse with the word “staining”.  This means “to pollute or contaminate” (like in Mark 7:20 where Jesus says, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.”).

So when you look at it in context and how James explains it with the attributes of a “fire”, you are correct in your assumption.

JS

Below is a link to a movie that you can watch online in its entirety until September.  As a father and former youth pastor, it addresses something very dear to me.  Children are our future of the church. If we are going to see the Christian faith carry on, we need to check our efforts against scripture.  The road to hell is paved with good intentions, let’s not gamble our children’s future on one.

Today, we find ourselves with a smorgasbord of churches catering to every little whim and need.  In the name of relevance and often at the cost of the Gospel of Christ, you can find a gimmick that suits your needs.

Despite the typical “6 Flags Over Jesus” approach, there is a trend (albeit under the radar a bit) of men going back to the rock from which they were cut.  They are extinguishing fires of entertainment and reigniting meaningful, life-changing ones with the Gospel.

Though I don’t agree with a fair share of his writing and commentary, leave it to Eugene Peterson to write one of the most thorough descriptions of a pastor that I have ever read.  As someone who preaches and hopes to one day serve in the pastorate, it gives me a target to think about.  Here is the description from Eugene Peterson’s “The Contemplative Pastor” in the chapter entitled, “Lashed to the Mast”:

The definition that pastors start out with, given to us in our ordination, is that pastoral work is a ministry of Word and sacrament.

Word. But in the wreckage, all words sound like “mere words”. Sacrament. But in the wreckage, what difference can water, a piece of bread, a sip of wine make?

Yet century after century, Christians continue to take certain persons into their communities, set the apart, and say, “You are our shepherd. Lead us to Christlikenesss.”

Yes, their actions often speak different expectations, but in the deeper regions of the soul, the unspoken desire is for more than someone doing a religious job. If the unspoken were uttered, it would sound like this:

“We want you to be responsible for saying and acting among us what we believe about God and kingdom and gospel. We believe that the Holy Spirit is among us and within us. We believe that God’s Spirit continues to hover over the chaos of the world’s evil and our sin, shaping a new creation and creatures. We believe that God is not a spectator, in turn amused and alarmed at the wreckage of world history, but a participant.

“We believe that the invisible is more important than the visible at any single moment and in any single event that we choose to examine. We believe that everything, especially everything that looks like wreckage, is material that God is using to make a praising life.

“We believe all this, but we don’t see it. We see, like Ezekiel, dismembered skeletons whitened under a pitiless Babylonian sun. We see lots of bones that once were laughing and dancing children, adults who once aired their doubts and sang their praises in church – and sinned. We don’t see the dancers or the lovers or the singers – or at best catch only fleeting glimpses of them. What we see are bones. Dry bones. We see sin and judgment on the sin. That is what it looks like. It looked that way to Ezekiel; it looks that way to anyone with eyes to see and brain to think; and it looks that way to us.

“But we believe something else. We believe in the coming together of these bones into connected, sinewed, muscled human beings who speak and sing and laugh and work and believe and bless their God. We believe it happened the way Ezekiel preached it, and we believe it still happens. We believe it happened in Israel and that it happens in church. We believe we are a part of the happening as we sing our praises, listen believingly to God’s Word, receive the new life of Christ in the sacraments. We believe the most significant thing that happens or can happen is that we are no longer dismembered but are remembered into the resurrection body of Christ.

“We need help in keeping our beliefs sharp and accurate and intact. We don’t trust ourselves; our emotions seduce us into infidelities. We know we are launched on a difficult and dangerous act of faith, and there are strong influences intent on diluting or destroying it. We want you to give us help. Be our pastor, a minister of Word and sacrament in the middle of this world’s life…this isn’t the only task in the life of faith, but it is your task. We will find someone else to do the other important and essential tasks. This is yours: Word and sacrament.

“One more thing: We are going to ordain you to this ministry, and we want your vow that you will stick to it. This is not a temporary job assignment but a way of life that we need lived out in our community. We know you are launched on the same difficult belief venture in the same dangerous world as we are. We know your emotions are as fickle as ours, and your mind is as tricky as ours. That is why we are going to ordain you and why we are going to exact a vow from you. We know there will be days and months, maybe even years, when we won’t feel like believing anything and won’t want to hear it from you. And we know there will be days and weeks and maybe even years when you won’t feel like saying it. It doesn’t matter. Do it. You are ordained to this ministry, vowed to it.

“There may be times when we come to you as a committee or delegation and demand that you tell us something else than what we are telling you now. Promise right now that you won’t give in to what we demand of you. You are not the minister of our changing desires, or our time-conditioned understanding of our needs, or our secularized hopes for something better. With these vows of ordination we are lashing you fast to the mast of Word and sacrament so you will be unable to respond to the siren voices.

“There are many other things to be done in this wrecked world, and we are going to be doing at least some of them, but if we don’t know the foundational realities with which we are dealing – God, kingdom, gospel – we are going to end up living futile, fantasy lives. Your task is to keep telling the basic story, representing the presence of the Spirit, insisting on the priority of God, speaking the biblical words of command and promise and invitation”

JS

Once again, festival season is upon us.  And with festivals come great opportunities to witness to the lost the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And I do not mean just secular festivals, but Christian festivals as well.  Why you ask?  Simple.  The majority of Christian festivals are nothing more than family-friendly entertainment with some Christian music that tell everyone in attendance how great God is and how great their life will be if the just say a little prayer.

Biblical methods of winning souls to the Kingdom are replaced with pithy clichés from the latest church-growth experts.

At the conclusion of said festival, organizers often appear in local newspapers and local radio telling what a “great move of God” occurred and how many decisions were made.  What you don’t see is that none, if any, of the so-called conversions or decisions show up at church the next week or ever.  The puppet show of emotional manipulation by way of lights, songs and prosperous, God-less preaching that fills the pulpits every Sunday has simply manifested itself in a much larger way on a public stage.

So what can we do?  What can we possibly do to either counteract or lessen the destructive, misleading blow that these events will make towards the Kingdom?  I believe the answer is as simple.  It is the cure to all of the sickness in typical, American evangelical church. The Gospel of Christ.

I’m not saying that one must be an expert theologian to present the Gospel.  Yet too many times, that is the exact excuse many Christians give to excuse themselves from studying the Word of God.  Biblical methods of winning souls to the Kingdom are replaced with pithy clichés from the latest church-growth experts.  Here are a few:

• “Preach the Gospel, when necessary use words “
  Call me crazy, but I believe this flies completely in the face of Romans 10:17 and shows the person saying this doesn’t know the Gospel.  The “Gospel” comes from the Greek word ‘euangelion’ which means “good news”.  This is like saying, “Tell the local news, use words when necessary…”  Can you imagine the 6 o’clock news being footage of people just living and you trying to figure out what the news is?????
• “Love God, love man”
  Yes to love God and your neighbor are the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:37-40), but they are not the Gospel!
• “Come to Jesus and He will cast your all worries away  “
  I would love for these brothers and sisters to sit down and explain how this worked for Jesus’ disciples (crucified, stoned, beheaded…) Oh and how does this methodology work with 2 Timothy 3:12??
• “Simply repeat this prayer… “
  (See my post here on the “sinner’s prayer” – link)

There are many more, but the common denominator is that they all fall short of the Gospel and give man a solid dose of moralistic-therapeutic-deism.

I saw this first-hand last year at a local festival.  I had my little one with me and saw a group of 4 Mormons standing around taking in the sites.  Now before I go any further, let me state emphatically, Mormonism is not a form of Christianity in any way, shape or form (see quick list here, expanded list here.)  I witnessed (no pun intended) several Christians in “Staff” shirts look at them, point, snicker and continue their “worshipping”.  I hope they repented of their hypocrisy and arrogance.

It is only man-centered prodding of our minds to set up a situation where we see immediate results…

Eventually I ran into one of the event organizers.  The explanation for this was, “Well, we just hope that the Holy Spirit will come by and touch them and God would move in them…” (paraphrased).  Is that possible? Sure.  Is that practically taught as the primary way of evangelism in the Bible, absolutely not!  Mark 16:15 anyone?

When the Gospel is presented, there are only two possible outcomes.  Either that person will begin to feel the conviction of sin as the Holy Spirit begins the work of regeneration or the individual will turn a blind eye to God and walk away.  It is only man-centered prodding of our minds to set up a situation where we see immediate results and trust in the human eye and its deceitful tears with lifted emotions, rather than the promise of the work of the Holy Spirit that genuinely convicts (John 16:8) and produces converts.  The hands-off, non-intrusive, politically-correct evangelism of most events carries no saving power and leaves the lost destined for hell.  I guess that will give them an excuse to have the event next year…

JS

As many filled the streets wrapped in American flags chanting, “USA! USA!” I recoiled for a moment.  Suddenly, what should have been a overwhelming response of joy escaped me chased away by a hint of caution.  Why this feeling?  Why the hesitation to join others in the streets with jubilee?

Before I go any further, let me clearly explain this.  As a Navy veteran, I applaud the efforts of the Navy SEALs and others who showed an exemplary amount of bravery.  They showed yet again why America is the super power of military muscle to which all others are measured.  We are fortunate to have them protecting us and should thank them every time we see them.

That said, I paused for a moment and thought about what a Christian’s response may be to this event.  Yes, we can rejoice that a person who causes death and destruction is dead. We can rejoice when we see His vengeance (Psalm 58:10) and at God’s judgment (Psalm 58:11). Yet there should also be a somberness about it. Christians should NOT find reason to rejoice over ANY death of ANY man unless he be in Christ and bound for Glory! What kind of Christian can see any joy or jubilation in any death of a person who is not in Christ?! Personally, I find no joy in anyone going to hell, but I do find comfort in knowing we serve a just God.

All who call themselves Christian should 1) Stop and thank God that He has saved you. Why? If God had not saved you, all of creation would scream with joy (just as many Americans are in light of this news) as God casts you into hell giving you the wrath you deserve. Thank Him for His salvation, grace, mercy and love 2) A person dying and by all indications going to hell, should stir up believers to preach the Gospel of Christ everywhere and to ask ourselves, "Am I really doing all I can to spread the Gospel of Christ?"

Below are some links to guys way smarter than I that you may enjoy reading:

• The Trial That Still Must Come – The Death of Osama bin Laden and the Limits of Human Justice – Albert Mohler
• Grieving, Rejoicing that Osama bin Laden Is Dead – Christopher Morgan
• Don Carson on Osama bin Laden – D.A. Carson
• Debating the Death – Mindy Belz
• Is God Glad Osama Bin Laden’s Dead? – John Piper
• Bin Laden’s Death: How Should We Feel? – Michael Johnson

JS

It’s not secret, as per my previous post, that I’m no fan of the fabled “sinner’s prayer” that many recite under the unction of sappy music, dim lights and emotions.  Though I have yet for someone to show it to me in Scripture, that is, a simple prayer you pray and POOF!, you’re saved.  Christ only gave us one Gospel call, “repent and believe”.

The Gospel of Mark is clear.  Jesus arrives and the first thing He says is, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; now who wants to accept me into their heart?…I see that hand…. I see that hand…”  Eh…not quite.  Jesus actually said,

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel”

                                                       – Mark 1:15

Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty clear to me.  However, pastors and evangelists who want to either beat the Sunday brunch line to Denny’s or put another notch in their belt toss this out the window and instead opt for some man-centered, man-created concept that has no Biblical backing whatsoever. (See my full explanation here.)

So, on the eve of a weekend when many of the lost will wander into a church and maybe emotionally manipulated to an altar to repeat some prayer and tragically pronounced saved, I offer these 10 reasons not to ask Jesus into your heart.  I ran across this at WretchedRadio with Todd Friel.

Download the original PDF of this from WretchedRadio Here

Ten Reasons To Not Ask Jesus Into Your Heart

Todd Friel

The music weeps, the preacher pleads, “Give your heart to Jesus. You have a God shaped
hole in your heart and only Jesus can fill it.” Dozens, hundreds or thousands of people
who want to get their spiritual life on track make their way to the altar. They ask Jesus
into their heart.

Cut to three months later. Nobody has seen our new convert in church. The follow up
committee calls him and encourages him to attend a Bible study, but to no avail. We label
him a backslider and get ready for the next outreach event.

Our beloved child lies in her snuggly warm bed and says, “Yes, Daddy. I want to ask
Jesus into my heart.” You lead her in “the prayer” and hope that it sticks. You spend the
next ten years questioning if she really, really meant it. Puberty hits and the answer
reveals itself. She backslides. We spend the next ten years praying that she will come to
her senses.

Telling someone to ask Jesus into their hearts has a very typical result, backsliding. the
Bible says that a person who is soundly saved puts his hand to the plow and does not look back because he is fit for service. In other words, a true convert cannot backslide. If a
person backslides, he never slid forward in the first place. “If any man is in Christ, he is a
new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5) No backsliding there.

Brace yourself for this one: with very few if any exceptions, anyone who asked Jesus into
their hearts to be saved…is not. If you asked Jesus into your heart because you were told
that is what you have to do to become a Christian, you were mis-informed.

If you have ever told someone to ask Jesus into their heart (like I have), you produced a
false convert. Here is why.

1. It is not in the Bible. There is not a single verse that even hints we should say a prayer inviting Jesus into our hearts. Some use Revelation 3:20. To tell us that Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts begging to come in.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” There are two reasons that interpretation is
wrong.

The context tells us that the door Jesus is knocking on is the door of the church, not the
human heart. Jesus is not knocking to enter someone’s heart but to have fellowship with
His church.

Even if the context didn’t tell us this, we would be forcing a meaning into the text
(eisegesis). How do we know it is our heart he is knocking at? Why not our car door?
How do we know he isn’t knocking on our foot? To suggest that he is knocking on the
door of our heart is superimposing a meaning on the text that simply does not exist.

The Bible does not instruct us to ask Jesus into our heart. This alone should resolve the
issue, nevertheless, here are nine more reasons.

2. Asking Jesus into your heart is a saying that makes no sense. What does it mean to ask Jesus into your heart? If I say the right incantation will He somehow enter my heart? Is it literal? Does He reside in the upper or lower ventricle? Is this a metaphysical
experience? Is it figurative? If it is, what exactly does it mean? While I am certain that
most adults cannot articulate its meaning, I am certain that no child can explain it. Pastor
Dennis Rokser reminds us that little children think literally and can easily be confused (or frightened) at the prospect of asking Jesus into their heart.

3. In order to be saved, a man must repent (Acts 2:38). Asking Jesus into your heart
leaves out the requirement of repentance.

4. In order to be saved, a man must trust in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
Asking Jesus into your heart leaves out the requirement of faith.

5. The person who wrongly believes they are saved will have a false sense of security.
Millions of people who sincerely, but wrongly, asked Jesus into their hearts think they are
saved but struggle to feel secure. They live in doubt and fear because they do not have the Holy Spirit giving them assurance of salvation.

6. The person who asks Jesus into his heart will likely end up inoculated, bitter and
backslidden. Because he did not get saved by reciting a formulaic prayer, he will grow
disillusioned with Jesus, the Bible, church and fellow believers. His latter end will be
worse than the first.

7. It presents God as a beggar just hoping you will let Him into your busy life. This
presentation of God robs Him of His sovereignty.

8. The cause of Christ is ridiculed. Visit an atheist web-site and read the pagans who
scoff, “How dare those Christians tell us how to live when they get divorced more than
we do? Who are they to say homosexuals shouldn’t adopt kids when tens of thousands of
orphans don’t get adopted by Christians?” Born again believers adopt kids and don’t get
divorced.

People who ask Jesus into their hearts do. Jesus gets mocked when false converts give
Him a bad name.

9. The cause of evangelism is hindered. While it is certainly easier to get church
members by telling them to ask Jesus into their hearts, try pleading with someone to
make today the day of their salvation. Get ready for a painful response. “Why should I
become a Christian when I have seen so called Christians act worse than a pagan?”
People who ask Jesus into their hearts give pagans an excuse for not repenting.

10. Here is the scary one. People who ask Jesus into their hearts are not saved and
they will perish on the Day of Judgment. How tragic that millions of people think they
are right with God when they are not. How many people who will cry out, “Lord, Lord”
on judgment day will be “Christians” who asked Jesus into their hearts?

So, what must one do to be saved? Repent and trust. (Hebrews 6:1) The Bible makes it clear that all men must repent and place their trust in Jesus Christ. Every man does have a “God shaped hole in their hearts,” but that hole is not contentment, fulfillment and peace.
Every man’s heart problem is righteousness. Instead of preaching that Jesus fulfills, we
must preach that God judges and Jesus satisfies God’s judgment…if a man will repent
and place his trust in Him.

If you are reading this and you asked Jesus into your heart, chances are good you had a
spiritual buzz for a while, but now you struggle to read your Bible, tithe, attend church
and pray. Perhaps you were told you would have contentment, purpose and a better life if
you just ask Jesus into your heart. I am sorry, that was a lie.

JS

The following explanation has cost me many friends in evangelical circles since I was converted.  I know it to be true as I experienced it.  I was lead through the typical hoops at an altar in 2002, prayed a prayer, and was told I was saved.  After the novelty wore off, I was back to my old self with no sense of change, just a bit more morality – enough to soothe my conscience.  By God’s grace, I experienced regeneration of the Holy Spirit in October of 2004 and haven’t looked back since.  I offer the following explanation for your consideration.  Hopefully it will answer questions and stop this downward spiral of false conversion.  The examples and presentation come from several of Paul Washer’s and others’ teachings.  It is more or less a summary that has proved invaluable to me.  The video offers an example of a Biblical alternative to the sinner’s prayer.  We should labor in prayer with people, but not trust that some man-made mantra will save anyone.

There is this silly notion that if you play a song that gives people goosebumps, lower the lights and make them feel guilty until they come to the altar and answer 4 questions that you lead them through, that somehow they will have eternal security. I would challenge anyone through your Bibles and find an apostolic call or a “sinner’s prayer” anywhere in the Bible. I will save you time by telling you it’s not there. You can pray the sinner’s prayer 1,000 times and still be a two-fold son of hell.

You see, we are by nature a selfish, instant-gratification driven society. We live in an age of now. Email, text messaging, cellphones – whatever, we want it and we want it now. That bleeds over into our church and here we have the 4 magical questions that we get someone to answer the way we want them to answer and viola their pronounced saved and welcomed into the family only to never show up at church again!

We have taken the beautiful doctrine of regeneration and the supernatural gift of salvation and turned them into some silly little list of questions we get someone to answer. Let’s look at how we’ve been wrongly taught to spread the Gospel of Christ. Before we do, understand that as Tim Keller puts it, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is shallow enough for an infant to wade in, but deep enough for an elephant to swim.” In other words, you can know the Gospel but still not completely understand it.

Usually it starts something like this, “Did you know that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?” Yes God does love you, but to the common man, this is not the God of the Bible. Think about this for a minute. The lost person has no starting point. Their response is often, “God loves me? Well, I love me!” and on they go to believe that this god you are describing is one that loves them and what they love and will give them those desires because he loves them in that way. (See how self-centered that is?)

We must start by telling that person who God is. By explaining how He is righteous, perfect, holy and just, they have a starting point. For them to understand who God is, is the beginning of their understanding.

God is holy

• Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Habakkuk 1:13

• But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.
  Isaiah 59:2

God is just

• For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.
  Psalm 11:7

• But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, And the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.
  Isaiah 5:16

• God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.
  Psalm 7:11-12

Now our lost friend has a starting point. He knows now the characteristics of God and who will be measuring Him and that there will be standards and consequences.

So first it’s, “Did you know that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?” and quickly the lost person is hustled to the next one, “Do you know you’re a sinner?” Often, to make the person feel less convicted, the pastor or evangelist will say it jokingly with a smile. Brothers and sisters, if you are smiling when you say or answer that, then you know not the dangerous state of your soul. We are all sinners and are condemned.

The Depravity and Condemnation of Man

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

• For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment…
  Isaiah 64:6

• For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.’
  Galatians 3:10

We are all sinners, pastors and elders and deacons and on and on. Not only are we sinners, all we have ever done is sin from our mother’s womb. You can see this in a child. The way they act, they lie, scream, kick, fight, etc. No one had to teach them that!

So you see, from birth, we’re sinners (Psalm 51:5). And usually when this question is asked, without pausing too long, the evangelist skips right on to the next one, “Do you want to go to heaven?” Well duh?! I believe the devil himself would want to go to heaven if he did not have to kneel to God. And it overlooks a great dilemma, and perhaps the greatest problem in the Bible.

The Great Dilemma

• He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
  Proverbs 17:15

• Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?
  Genesis 18:25

So the question becomes, “How can a holy and just God rightfully execute His justice which is perfect and righteous and give me what I deserve which is His wrath and still allow me into heaven?” That is the question and the greatest problem in scripture.

You see, we deserve nothing but God’s wrath and to be condemned to hell. But because He is also a God of love He sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ.

God’s Action
While maintaining His holiness and justice, the Bible also affirms that God is love, and that in love He has responded to the plight of man.

Motivated By Love

• God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
  1 John 4:8-10

The Cross of Christ

• For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
  Romans 3:23-26

The Resurrection

• He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
  Romans 4:25

You see, many read the story of Abraham taking his only son up to slay him on that altar. As his hand was raised with the knife before he struck, God sent a substitute for the sacrifice. Many believe that is the end of that story, but my friends it’s only the intermission. God picks back up years later on that hill with His son on a cross knife in hand. And with pleasure, the Bible tells us it pleased Him to crush His son (Isaiah 53:10). Someone had to pay the price, someone had to satisfy His wrath with blood and it was His Son Jesus Christ. So with knife in hand He finished it and brought down the knife and slayed His Son on that tree.

That is love my brothers and sisters. That is undeserving love to the highest degree. And this is where the “shotgun wedding to Jesus” comes to a head and we disgrace our Savior and His supernatural gift of salvation and regeneration. It goes something like this… “Well all you have to do is repeat this prayer after me…” I will tell you again, THERE IS NO SUCH CALL ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE! Now I’m sure there are some of you that may be feeling the “gotcha” feeling. Romans 10:9 says, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Now, this is perhaps another one of the most twisted scriptures. Paul was not giving us some magical incantation to lead people through.

Do you really think that coaching someone into repeating a prayer has the same power as the supernatural movement of the Holy Spirit? The so-called sinner’s prayer and this approach is as dangerous and unbiblical as the Roman Catholic belief and result in infant baptism. Likewise, it has sent countless souls to Hell. The great evangelist Billy Graham was even quoted saying that he would be surprised if 75% of those making professions of faith at his revivals were truly regenerate.

This man-centered approach to evangelism is also driven by selfishness. A selfishness to want to take credit for leading someone to Christ and to see immediate results as opposed to faith and patience in the Holy Spirit to move an unconverted soul to repentance. Evidence of this false conversion can be seen as an individual seems to fall away from the faith. My friends He who started a good work in you will finish it (Philippians 1:6). When genuine conversion takes place, God replaces your heart of stone with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). He creates a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). You will hate the sin you once loved, and love what God loves. Will you sin? Yes. Will you be tempted? Yes. However, when that temptation comes and it becomes so overbearing and you start into your old sin that God delivered you from, you will get sick the moment you taste it and realize how vile it is and seek repentance from a holy and loving father.

You see, we have it backwards today. No one comes to Christ. It is impossible to come to Christ. Why? Because before Christ has saved you, you were dead in your sin (Ephesians 2:1) and dead men do not walk nor talk. As illustrated in John chapter 11 in the story of Lazarus, he was dead. Was he able to get up and come to Christ for help? No. But when Christ intervened everything changed. When Christ shows up nothing stays the same everything changes. Lazarus has new life.

Man’s Response

REPENTANCE begins with a recognition and confession that what God says about us is true – we have sinned.

• For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. (Isaiah 51:3-4)

A genuine recognition of our sinfulness and guilt will also lead to genuine sorrow, shame and even hatred for what we have done.

• For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)
• Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24)

Apparent sincerity of confession alone is never definite evidence of genuine repentance. It must be accompanied by a turning away from sin.

• Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight Cease to do evil. (Isaiah 1:16)
• …every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:10)

Back to our well-intended, misinformed, evangelist, first it was, “do you know God loves you?” Then, “do you know you’re a sinner?” then, “do you want to go to heaven?” then repeat this prayer. And the worst part of all,our lost person is turned around, introduced to the family and pronounced saved. They walk out of that service still lost in their sin with a false assurance of eternity. This has been the measuring stick of how successful evangelism of a ministry is.

To be saved, the book of Matthew and the rest of the NT tells us repent and believe. That’s how a lost soul “comes to Christ,” by hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and beginning to feel a grievance for their sins brought on by the Holy Spirit.

JS