Guess what?  Jesus Christ is being merchandised by high-pressure salesmen to those who really do not want Him - and it is a complex problem because the “salesmen” do not believe that they are doing it!

Have you ever purchased something you did not want because of “high-pressure sales techniques”?  If you haven’t, you are among the minority!  Most of us at one time or other have fallen prey to this irritatingly effective way of selling.  In fact it is so effective that telemarketers use it to rake in millions each year.  They exploit the fact that some individuals have such a low resistance to psychological pressure that they just can’t say “No!” and stick to it.   And, as a consequence, many of these people wind up buying a lot of stuff they do not want or need.  Well, few of us seem to recognize that this same psychological technique is utilized every day of the week, and especially on Sunday, to “sell” Jesus Christ to the masses.

Salvation, people, is such a wonderful thing that we want to share our faith with others and tell them about Christ, so they too might be saved.  But in our unbridled zeal and enthusiasm, somewhere along the way techniques got tangled up with doctrine.  The pursuit of results let to the pursuit of numbers and the pursuit of numbers has led to “whatever it takes” and “whatever it takes” has led to countless tares among the wheat!  And I am convinced (and I am not alone, my friend) that this whole thing will ultimately manifest itself in the greatest defection every experienced during the Church Age - the apostasy - a mass exodus of professed “believers” which will more likely be triggered by some event connected with the rise of the Antichrist.  Just as sure as cookies won’t stick to Teflon, those who make false professions of faith in Christ will show their true colors by deserting Jesus Christ in times of crisis - with most having left long before!  So how did these people wind up being church members?  Well, the majority got a lot of help from Christians with more zeal then knowledge!

Only God Himself knows exactly how many people have “accepted” Christ because they were actually pressured into doing so.  For instance, when many people are offered the proposition that eternal life is to be had by believing in Jesus Christ and praying the “sinner’s prayer,” they view it as being a deal too good to pass up - while others think it is ridiculous and want no part of it.  Then there are those who need convincing and just a little “we know what’s best for you” pressure by the preacher, which does the trick.  This happens all the time in churches and revival campaigns where an invitation is given at the end of the sermon.  Subtle - and sometimes not so subtle - things are intentionally said which are calculated to turn up the pressure on the individual, so that they might be induced into walking the aisle and “making a decision for Christ.”  The entire service - music and sermon - is carefully crafted to ensure the maximum effect.  TV evangelists have made a living off of it for years and it is little more than high-pressure salesmanship.  Pseudo-revivals can be, and are, generated among emotionally energized crowds who have been psychologically conditioned through the skillful use of music, celebrity testimonies, ect., and sermons geared to elicit their response.  Millions of people worldwide are convinced that they are going to heaven because they have obeyed the instructions of people like Billy Graham and have walked to the front “to receive Christ.”  This is a totally unscriptural practice!  They are told to believe and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.  But their behavior later on proves that most responded with an intellectual belief concerning their knowledge of Christ and their profession of having “accepted” Him as their Lord and Savior was not genuine. 

Does the Holy Spirit need these tactics (music, carefully selected, sugar-coated sermons and celebrity testimonies) to carry out His work?  The answer is to be found in the undeniable historical fact that these methods and tactics were unheard of prior to the nineteenth century!

So what lessons can we learn from the last hundred years of “assembly-line evangelism?”  The theology that is being popularized by many of the tele-evangelist and mega-church preachers of today - and is being refined by countless others - is based upon a framework of “proof texts” so thin as to be ridiculous

If you doubt this, I challenge you to find even one verse in the Bible that instructs us to “accept” Christ, or “make a decision” for Him - using these terms.  In fact, you will be hard-pressed to find more than one or two that even vaguely imply this.  Then in this same vein, I ask you to look for all of the verses that teach the doctrine of an unregenerate man’s “free will” and his ability to “accept Christ, “ seeing that the Bible tells us he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and unable to understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14).  From my own investigation I can tell you that when you get through with your search, you will not be able to convince a jury with all of the hard evidence you are going to find.  Furthermore, the concept of  “free will” smells undeniably like Roman Catholic dogma and the Council of Trent (in the 1500’s) pronounced several “anathemas” upon anyone who would dare teach otherwise.  This one fact alone should alert a conservative/fundamental believer as to its lack of Scriptural validity.

“Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9b) and man has nothing, whatsoever, to do with it!  As far as God is concerned, salvation of His elect ones was a “done deal” before He created the first molecule!  Where so many stumble in understanding the doctrine of salvation is that they confuse “being born again” with God’s decree of justification - the act that confers salvation.  When Christ told Nicodemus in John Chapter Three that He would have to be born again to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, what He was referring to was the spiritual birth that would be necessary before Nicodemus could believe. 

Many are the preachers who have said words to the effect, “God has done all He can, now the rest is up to you.”  Whether they will admit it or not (and they are not likely to do so), this system of theology was designed to “get God off the hook” where choosing some for salvation and leaving the rest to their fate is concerned and totally ignores Romans Chapter Nine in the process!  Calvinism is a despised doctrine today among these individuals and now you know why!

Another thing:  YOU CANNOT LOSE YOUR SALVATION!  The prodigal son was lost to his father, but first and foremost we must understand that he was a son and was eventually restored to his rightful position.  Our salvation was never for an instant in doubt because it was predetermined in eternity past and fully paid for on the cross.  Therefore those who come to understand this wonderful Scriptural fact, will never be troubled by those who try to teach that one can lose his/her salvation.  We did absolutely nothing to obtain it - having received it as a gift - and it is ridiculous and totally unscriptural to teach that we can lose it.  Can a son/daughter possibly do anything to change the inalterable fact of their parentage?  Can they become unborn?  Did they have any say whatsoever in their physical birth?  No, and as elect children of God we have no input or choice in our second birth, either!

So, if we do not “accept”  Christ or “make a decision” for Him, how can we know if we have been saved or not?  Please allow me to point out some unmistakable signs:

Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin?  If so, this is one of he signs of having been born again.

Do you have more than just a basic understanding of the Word of God and sincerely desire to know all you can?  Does it speak to your heart and convict you of sin?  If you do and it does, this is another sign of having been born again.

Have you been able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways?  Are all of your close friends Christians?  If you have been born again, your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit!

Do you have a genuine desire to go to church and worship God?

Have you experienced answers to your prayers?

Do you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ?

Have you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ?  (Former friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are a subtle form of persecution).

Are you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of Jesus Christ for His Church?

If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and been born again, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal.  He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit.  Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE  Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home.  Once you truly believe in Him as Lord Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there.  May the Lord continue to bless and keep all who read this blog.  In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Rev. Arlee Turner Jr.

Views: 57

Replies are closed for this discussion.

Replies to This Discussion

Dont lie against the truth. You know good and well the biblle clearly dfines an APOSTATE. Someone who DEFECTED from the truth. You cannot leave my house if you never were actually there. If you say different it is evident that you are a liar.

Funny the things you say that a person knows they are "saved" are the same things i hear sinners say when i preach the gospel to them on the streets. They ARE painfully aware of their sin. This means they are saved? LOL THey not only have a desire but do "go to church" LOL We know that does not prove anything about you being saved. People who are not christian recieve persecution because of their faith. Another failed attempt. Muslims earnestly expect the return of a Messiah. LOL You dont even know the man who you claim to be preaching about.

It is time for the church to wake and know that God is on his way back

RSS

© 2024   Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service