There is a false gospel of false peace. This false gospel bring immediate feelings of happiness without brokenness over sin. It praises and elates those who wish to be considered special. In our modern day this false gospel is delivered by "motivational speakers" who tell everyone how wonderful they are, the opposite of what God spoke of us.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 "9"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 10"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.…"
The good news Christ brought that brings spiritual eternal peace in the heart that embraces it is this:
Jeremiah 17:8 "…8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. "
Christ paid the penalty of sin that we owed through His blood on the cross. That is just how serious sin is and what God required. The good news from God is that He paid that debt of sin instead of requiring our own blood for our sins. He was then and is now sinless, but took the punishment Himself for the sins of others.
Knowing this does should make us feel ashamed first and then after trusting in Him, we gain the joy and peace that lasts eternally no matter what is happening to us on earth or going on around us.
Hebrews 9:19-22
"19 For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.”
21 And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."
The real gospel of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation because of His shed blood on the cross brings the peace that comes from Christ, an inner heart peace that last for eternity.
There is no peace in humanistic gospel of praise and adulation, only continual emptiness. If we love someone we show them their sin and rejoice when they have been broken over it for salvation. There is no greater joy than to see the heart of a sinner changed into a new creation by Christ.
There is a phony peace a phony gospel and a phony happiness based on circumstances and praise of others that is leading many to hell. May those who use the psychological methods of superficial happiness to try to reach lost souls just stop it. May their hearts be pricked with their own sinful desire to be loved by man.
1 Corinthians 7:22 "…22 For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24 Brothers, each one should remain in that situation he was in when God called him.…"
Luke 14:27-29 "…27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple. 28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? 29 Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,…"
John 12:42-44 "42 Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.…"
Proverbs 29:24-26 "…24 He who is a partner with a thief hates his own life; He hears the oath but tells nothing. 25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. 26 Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the LORD.…"
Often the false gospel of praise will bring anyone to the Lord, it does bring many to the church building, they learn all the Christian lingo but lack the Holy Spirit because one cannot become born again by joining a local church and learning how to "godspeak." There are many false converts in the church today because of the watered down and heretical gospel of pleasure that is present in them.
Many people have come to the church, but not to Christ.
Friday, December 2, 2016
The False Gospel of False Peace
Recently I had someone express to me that I was "too negative" in my posts, that I should bring more happy posts to the readers of it. Here was my response to this challenge, it is a common one, but is in error because of it's psychological bent rather than Biblical.
The Response:
"2/3rds of the Bible is warning Curtis, the reason is because the world is full of sin and rebellion, making people feel happy in their sin does not lead them to Christ. God came to give the good news of salvation but first we have to show the unsaved that they have something to be repentant for. If they never see their own sin they will never trust Christ to save them from it.
We must face what is wrong to fix it, there is only one fix and that is Christ. Christ spoke words of rebuke and correction far more than happy words. Praise is not very helpful to the lost who are on their way to hell. There are so many people who help others remain happy no matter what their sinful condition, that the sinner never sees their own need for Christ."
unquote
James 5:19-20 "19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
I have seen the affects of many years of what people call "lifestyle evangelism", just act friendly and happy and those who are lost will like Jesus. This could not be farther from the truth. This concept is not found in the Bible anywhere.
Ezekiel 3:17-19 "…17"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18"When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19"Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.…"
It is quite possible that those who want to use soft and friendly means to win people to Christ are those who hate correction and instruction themselves. They believe that everyone will react to it as they do, in anger and contempt.
We must not look at how correction makes us feel, but rather at what God wants us to do in dealing with sinful and rebellious people. Our desire ought to be for the heart of the wicked to be quickened, realizing their sinfulness so that they will become sorrowful and repentant.
2 Corinthians 7:8-9 "8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time. 9 And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance."
No one comes to Christ because they were made happy. We came to Christ because we were convicted of sin and saw our need for salvation.
Those who come to Christ because someone made them feel happy in their sin, are coming in the wrong way and are not born again. It is only sorrow over sin that leads to salvation.
2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
My goal and hope is that those who have not yet trusted Christ will become as broken over their sin as I did when I came to Christ. Without this, there can be no salvation.
Anyone can get others to like them, by giving the others everything they desire, making them feel worthy and blessed, but this does not lead them to Christ as many apostate churches think. We have not been producing many godly evangelists because of this error in judgment, we have produced only motivational speakers who love themselves and are sending many to hell.
Matthew 7:13-15 "13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.…"
Those who work to get others to like them are not concerned about the eternal state of their hearers, they are only concerned about being liked and appreciated by the world.
Luke 6:25-27 "…25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way. 27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,…"
When God told us to love our enemies in the Luke 6 passage, He wasn't telling us to hang out with them, praise them and make happy with them, He was telling us to love them so much that we are willing to risk a friendship with them and show our love for Christ is far above any human relationship. Loving others is not about making them feel good, it's about bringing the gospel of repentance for the sake of helping them see their need for the Savior.
Bottom line: let's stop pretending to care about others and begin really caring through the spread of the gospel God's way, the Biblical way.
The Response:
"2/3rds of the Bible is warning Curtis, the reason is because the world is full of sin and rebellion, making people feel happy in their sin does not lead them to Christ. God came to give the good news of salvation but first we have to show the unsaved that they have something to be repentant for. If they never see their own sin they will never trust Christ to save them from it.
We must face what is wrong to fix it, there is only one fix and that is Christ. Christ spoke words of rebuke and correction far more than happy words. Praise is not very helpful to the lost who are on their way to hell. There are so many people who help others remain happy no matter what their sinful condition, that the sinner never sees their own need for Christ."
unquote
James 5:19-20 "19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
I have seen the affects of many years of what people call "lifestyle evangelism", just act friendly and happy and those who are lost will like Jesus. This could not be farther from the truth. This concept is not found in the Bible anywhere.
Ezekiel 3:17-19 "…17"Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18"When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19"Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.…"
It is quite possible that those who want to use soft and friendly means to win people to Christ are those who hate correction and instruction themselves. They believe that everyone will react to it as they do, in anger and contempt.
We must not look at how correction makes us feel, but rather at what God wants us to do in dealing with sinful and rebellious people. Our desire ought to be for the heart of the wicked to be quickened, realizing their sinfulness so that they will become sorrowful and repentant.
2 Corinthians 7:8-9 "8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time. 9 And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance."
No one comes to Christ because they were made happy. We came to Christ because we were convicted of sin and saw our need for salvation.
Those who come to Christ because someone made them feel happy in their sin, are coming in the wrong way and are not born again. It is only sorrow over sin that leads to salvation.
2 Corinthians 7:10
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."
My goal and hope is that those who have not yet trusted Christ will become as broken over their sin as I did when I came to Christ. Without this, there can be no salvation.
Anyone can get others to like them, by giving the others everything they desire, making them feel worthy and blessed, but this does not lead them to Christ as many apostate churches think. We have not been producing many godly evangelists because of this error in judgment, we have produced only motivational speakers who love themselves and are sending many to hell.
Matthew 7:13-15 "13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.…"
Those who work to get others to like them are not concerned about the eternal state of their hearers, they are only concerned about being liked and appreciated by the world.
Luke 6:25-27 "…25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way. 27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,…"
When God told us to love our enemies in the Luke 6 passage, He wasn't telling us to hang out with them, praise them and make happy with them, He was telling us to love them so much that we are willing to risk a friendship with them and show our love for Christ is far above any human relationship. Loving others is not about making them feel good, it's about bringing the gospel of repentance for the sake of helping them see their need for the Savior.
Bottom line: let's stop pretending to care about others and begin really caring through the spread of the gospel God's way, the Biblical way.
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