Prayer of what? Salvation?
If I didn’t have enough folks mad at me I have a super taboo topic that will cause more “friends” to leave. All this is done in a quest to know the truth because originally nobody could tell me how to be a Christian. So began research…
Ever heard your preacher say this? "If you said that prayer and meant it, you now have eternal life?”
Ok, you know the Prayer of Salvation?
Guess what? It’s not in the Bible…nor even performed by anyone in the Bible. Nowhere did the Disciples pray this with anyone, nowhere did they fill out a Salvation card and no, it wasn’t in a church going down front or in a tent revival. Sometimes it was by a river, in a home or outside a Synagogue.
Now the story would be different if they said that this prayer is an oath or a verbal dedication but no, it’s passed on as a guarantee of Heavens entry. So where does all this come from?
A man named John Web misused and added words to, Revelation 3:14, such an idea of saying a
Prayer and coming down front to accept Christ was, at this time, never recorded in church history but seems all the norm now. Matter of fact Cane Ridge, Charles Finny, and Dwight Moody, all the way to Billy Graham Kept this process going till today and now it’s a refined skill at creating an “experience”of God. Webb mastered the technique of what is called “The Inquiry Room”, where folks were taken, preached too and put on the spot to convert at that time... (Sound familiar?) Only now it’s done openly in the Sanctuary, “come down front”. Billy Sunday was the first to call it the Sinners Prayer. When you read the quote I am about to post here about Billy you will see a lot of similarities to what goes on today.
He (Billy) had great public charm and was one of the first to mix ideas of entertainment
with ministry. By the early 1900s he had become a great well-known crusade leader. In his crusades he popularized the Finney-Moody method and included a bit of a circus touch. After fire and brimstone sermons, heavy moralistic messages with political overtones, and humorous if not outlandish behavior, salvation was offered. Often it was associated with a prayer, and at other times a person was told they were saved because they simply walked down his tabernacle’s “sawdust trail” to the front where he was standing. In time people were told they were saved because they publicly shook Sunday’s hand, acknowledging that they would follow Christ. (Sinners Prayer Steve Staten)
So let’s see this through the Apostles eyes, men who forsake all for the Ministry, were they really looking to give folks an “experience”? No. Did Paul, Mark and Peter expect folks to say a prayer and keep living their normal worldly life after they have given up so much and seen the truth?
Jesus was constantly telling folks to Repent. Not to say a prayer and keep on going. To repent is to turn away and not do something anymore, leave your old life and become a Disciple by following His ways and living in His word.
During the Great Commission, Jesus didn’t talk about making converts to Him, He told them and us to go and do what? Make disciples.
Matt 28:19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
So I got to thinking, how we become Disciples like David Platt had his series on that I watched 2 years ago. I didn’t understand how to be a Disciple let alone create them. I realized that Christ was baptized before he started His Ministry and I decided to look that subject up. I saw where in Acts alone Cornelius, the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Jailer, all were written to have been not in a church and was baptized upon Believing.
Peter in Acts 2:38, talking to a multitude of people said, “Repent and be baptized”.
Acts 8 when Phillip preached Men and Women Believed and was Baptized.
Paul Believed and got up after he received his sight back and then got Baptized.
Acts 16 Lydia was written to have Believed and then Baptized and invited them to stay at her house. Acts 18 Crispus his family and others heard, repented and was what? Baptized.
Now don’t get this confused with Johns Baptism. His was of Repentance not to the Spirit and he knew this and told them so.
As well I have noticed that while reading it is adults that have believed and been baptized. There are times like Cornelius and Crispus when it says his whole family was baptized, yes and I see that as the family done it together and had a mom and dad who led this now Christian family.
So what do we do? What is truth now?
We have to Believe, Repent and get baptized and to become a Disciple we Follow Him. Were here reading this because we already Believe and are seeking truth. To Repent is to turn away from, change direction from, to openly reject the old and seek new! We get Baptized in the Father Son and Holy Spirit and then we Follow Him by study, actions and change of heart and mind.
Sounds easy right? IF you are dedicated yes. Some days will be harder than others and some problems that you would never think of will be the hardest to kick. But if you have got one foot hanging on you will be torn all the time with what to do. Some folks will walk away from their Discipleship and fall into apostasy. Judas and Peter walked away but Peter came back and became a pillar of Christianity.
Romans 12:2
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It’s a whole other debate that being baptized is required or is conditional for salvation. But all I know is this; before Jesus started His ministry he got baptized. There are actually churches that say that we don’t need to be baptized…but need to tithe. (Which is an Old Testament requirement)
Are we Disciples? Have we given up all to follow Him? Have we gotten caught up in the TV? Books and Video games as well? Are we slaves to those idols and more? Have you really given this “Jesus Thingy” a 70% effort? Most have not made it that high, so sad.
Ever heard your preacher say this? "If you said that prayer and meant it, you now have eternal life?”
Ok, you know the Prayer of Salvation?
Guess what? It’s not in the Bible…nor even performed by anyone in the Bible. Nowhere did the Disciples pray this with anyone, nowhere did they fill out a Salvation card and no, it wasn’t in a church going down front or in a tent revival. Sometimes it was by a river, in a home or outside a Synagogue.
Now the story would be different if they said that this prayer is an oath or a verbal dedication but no, it’s passed on as a guarantee of Heavens entry. So where does all this come from?
A man named John Web misused and added words to, Revelation 3:14, such an idea of saying a
Prayer and coming down front to accept Christ was, at this time, never recorded in church history but seems all the norm now. Matter of fact Cane Ridge, Charles Finny, and Dwight Moody, all the way to Billy Graham Kept this process going till today and now it’s a refined skill at creating an “experience”of God. Webb mastered the technique of what is called “The Inquiry Room”, where folks were taken, preached too and put on the spot to convert at that time... (Sound familiar?) Only now it’s done openly in the Sanctuary, “come down front”. Billy Sunday was the first to call it the Sinners Prayer. When you read the quote I am about to post here about Billy you will see a lot of similarities to what goes on today.
He (Billy) had great public charm and was one of the first to mix ideas of entertainment
with ministry. By the early 1900s he had become a great well-known crusade leader. In his crusades he popularized the Finney-Moody method and included a bit of a circus touch. After fire and brimstone sermons, heavy moralistic messages with political overtones, and humorous if not outlandish behavior, salvation was offered. Often it was associated with a prayer, and at other times a person was told they were saved because they simply walked down his tabernacle’s “sawdust trail” to the front where he was standing. In time people were told they were saved because they publicly shook Sunday’s hand, acknowledging that they would follow Christ. (Sinners Prayer Steve Staten)
So let’s see this through the Apostles eyes, men who forsake all for the Ministry, were they really looking to give folks an “experience”? No. Did Paul, Mark and Peter expect folks to say a prayer and keep living their normal worldly life after they have given up so much and seen the truth?
Jesus was constantly telling folks to Repent. Not to say a prayer and keep on going. To repent is to turn away and not do something anymore, leave your old life and become a Disciple by following His ways and living in His word.
During the Great Commission, Jesus didn’t talk about making converts to Him, He told them and us to go and do what? Make disciples.
Matt 28:19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
So I got to thinking, how we become Disciples like David Platt had his series on that I watched 2 years ago. I didn’t understand how to be a Disciple let alone create them. I realized that Christ was baptized before he started His Ministry and I decided to look that subject up. I saw where in Acts alone Cornelius, the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Jailer, all were written to have been not in a church and was baptized upon Believing.
Peter in Acts 2:38, talking to a multitude of people said, “Repent and be baptized”.
Acts 8 when Phillip preached Men and Women Believed and was Baptized.
Paul Believed and got up after he received his sight back and then got Baptized.
Acts 16 Lydia was written to have Believed and then Baptized and invited them to stay at her house. Acts 18 Crispus his family and others heard, repented and was what? Baptized.
Now don’t get this confused with Johns Baptism. His was of Repentance not to the Spirit and he knew this and told them so.
As well I have noticed that while reading it is adults that have believed and been baptized. There are times like Cornelius and Crispus when it says his whole family was baptized, yes and I see that as the family done it together and had a mom and dad who led this now Christian family.
So what do we do? What is truth now?
We have to Believe, Repent and get baptized and to become a Disciple we Follow Him. Were here reading this because we already Believe and are seeking truth. To Repent is to turn away from, change direction from, to openly reject the old and seek new! We get Baptized in the Father Son and Holy Spirit and then we Follow Him by study, actions and change of heart and mind.
Sounds easy right? IF you are dedicated yes. Some days will be harder than others and some problems that you would never think of will be the hardest to kick. But if you have got one foot hanging on you will be torn all the time with what to do. Some folks will walk away from their Discipleship and fall into apostasy. Judas and Peter walked away but Peter came back and became a pillar of Christianity.
Romans 12:2
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It’s a whole other debate that being baptized is required or is conditional for salvation. But all I know is this; before Jesus started His ministry he got baptized. There are actually churches that say that we don’t need to be baptized…but need to tithe. (Which is an Old Testament requirement)
Are we Disciples? Have we given up all to follow Him? Have we gotten caught up in the TV? Books and Video games as well? Are we slaves to those idols and more? Have you really given this “Jesus Thingy” a 70% effort? Most have not made it that high, so sad.
Do we still define ourselves with our sins or Christ?
Do we define ourselves by our sins? Does your personal testimony say more about you or Christ?
Yes actually most of American society does identify with their sin, even after converting to Christ. It’s all over TV, Movies, Magazines, News…Examples you say?
I’m a porn star- I do everything a porn
star does, look at me do this sex act, nobody does it better than me, 5 guys? Who cares! Ill do 8, I gotta drug to get through this abuse, I get respect and money.
I’m a rock star- I drink, party, have chics every day, I’m destructive I’m rude, arrogant, self fulfilling, look at me
on stage playing, bow to me…
I’m a biker-I drink, party, drug, fight, rob, steal, deal, scare folks, basically a menace, look at my bike, look how
scary I am.
Now I have given 3 examples here of people identifying with Pride, Lust, Fornication, hurting others, Power, theft…and on. We all know folks who do this. Now once saved here is the problem.
These same folks like to still identify with the same sinful actions AFTER becoming Christian.
I USED to be a porn star, I done 8 guys at once on a movie, done drugs to get by, they was nobody better than me, I had all kinds of fame and money…oh and now I know Jesus. So I go to churches and talk about this and me and my experiences, hope nobody looks up my movies or gets to looking at
porn.
I USED to be a rock star,I drank, drugged, partied, had a different girl each night, played the best shows, folks loved me…oh and now I love Christ and he saved me. So now I a Christian artist and expect folks to come to shows and get mad at the few that show up, I still expect my music to be played around the world and me to be famous, I still expect my record deal…but now it’s all for God.
I USED to be a biker-I drank, drugged, partied, had whores give me money, had respect, beat up folks, stole money and bikes…oh and God saved me and now I go to church. Now we roll 14 deep and still freak people out, we still go to events and puff up and still expect respect and get mad when folks shun us, we laugh when "normal folks are frightend of us or misunderstand our "look".
IF your giving your testimony and it is talking more about your past than what Christ has done for
you, what you have learned from becoming a disciple and how your whole life changed for the better….then there is a problem.
Your still identifying by your past sins which in turn means you’re still hanging on to who you “used to be” Are you still saying “man they are lucky I’m Christian now or id…” you would do what? Prove them right? Say “all fall short of the glory of God” as an excuse?
All eyes are on you when you use the name Christian. Take it seriously and start thinking of you now. DON’T live in the past, God has wiped that slate clean and you keep trying to write it back up.
Yes actually most of American society does identify with their sin, even after converting to Christ. It’s all over TV, Movies, Magazines, News…Examples you say?
I’m a porn star- I do everything a porn
star does, look at me do this sex act, nobody does it better than me, 5 guys? Who cares! Ill do 8, I gotta drug to get through this abuse, I get respect and money.
I’m a rock star- I drink, party, have chics every day, I’m destructive I’m rude, arrogant, self fulfilling, look at me
on stage playing, bow to me…
I’m a biker-I drink, party, drug, fight, rob, steal, deal, scare folks, basically a menace, look at my bike, look how
scary I am.
Now I have given 3 examples here of people identifying with Pride, Lust, Fornication, hurting others, Power, theft…and on. We all know folks who do this. Now once saved here is the problem.
These same folks like to still identify with the same sinful actions AFTER becoming Christian.
I USED to be a porn star, I done 8 guys at once on a movie, done drugs to get by, they was nobody better than me, I had all kinds of fame and money…oh and now I know Jesus. So I go to churches and talk about this and me and my experiences, hope nobody looks up my movies or gets to looking at
porn.
I USED to be a rock star,I drank, drugged, partied, had a different girl each night, played the best shows, folks loved me…oh and now I love Christ and he saved me. So now I a Christian artist and expect folks to come to shows and get mad at the few that show up, I still expect my music to be played around the world and me to be famous, I still expect my record deal…but now it’s all for God.
I USED to be a biker-I drank, drugged, partied, had whores give me money, had respect, beat up folks, stole money and bikes…oh and God saved me and now I go to church. Now we roll 14 deep and still freak people out, we still go to events and puff up and still expect respect and get mad when folks shun us, we laugh when "normal folks are frightend of us or misunderstand our "look".
IF your giving your testimony and it is talking more about your past than what Christ has done for
you, what you have learned from becoming a disciple and how your whole life changed for the better….then there is a problem.
Your still identifying by your past sins which in turn means you’re still hanging on to who you “used to be” Are you still saying “man they are lucky I’m Christian now or id…” you would do what? Prove them right? Say “all fall short of the glory of God” as an excuse?
All eyes are on you when you use the name Christian. Take it seriously and start thinking of you now. DON’T live in the past, God has wiped that slate clean and you keep trying to write it back up.
"Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner" aint in the Bible
Guess what? "Hate the sin, love the sinner." Aint in the Bible...So stop quoting like it is..the idea is there in Jude 23
It's a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's quote from his 1929 autobiography is coming under fire in the world as more and more people define themselves by their sin and resent the guidelines God has given us in His Word.
Even as Christians, we remain imperfect in our humanity and cannot love perfectly, nor can we hate perfectly (in other words, without malice).
It is not hateful to tell a person he/she is in sin. In fact, the exact opposites are true. We love the sinner by speaking the truth in love. We hate the sin by refusing to condone, ignore, or excuse it.
Hating the sin while claiming to love the sinner gives us an opportunity to place more emphasis on the shortcomings of others rather than ourselves, which isnt right.
Hate the sin, love the sinner” fails to meet this test because it focuses not on our own sin, but on that of someone else.
It's a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's quote from his 1929 autobiography is coming under fire in the world as more and more people define themselves by their sin and resent the guidelines God has given us in His Word.
Even as Christians, we remain imperfect in our humanity and cannot love perfectly, nor can we hate perfectly (in other words, without malice).
It is not hateful to tell a person he/she is in sin. In fact, the exact opposites are true. We love the sinner by speaking the truth in love. We hate the sin by refusing to condone, ignore, or excuse it.
Hating the sin while claiming to love the sinner gives us an opportunity to place more emphasis on the shortcomings of others rather than ourselves, which isnt right.
Hate the sin, love the sinner” fails to meet this test because it focuses not on our own sin, but on that of someone else.
Church on Sunday is enough, right?
Some folks think that going to church on Sunday is enough and that Wednesday is "extra God credit"....when you get ot Heaven will God say "you know you was going to hell but i saw where you had some Wednesdays and even some Sunday nights in there so your good"..haha i know, im making light of a real situation but there is really folks who are buying this lie.
Well James 1:22-25 tellz us that we are to put our teachings into practice. That if we dont put Christs work into practice that we will walk away and forget what man we are. Basically by doing what the Bible instructs, continuing in the law(being a doer) is a path to blessing. We are to be followers of Christ, that means doing as he did. The N.T. writers give us insight into His daily life, how to conduct our selfs, how church and ministrys are to be run, Etc... So much knowledge.
So dont get caught up in how the world tells you how your Christ walk is to be, Read it for yourself... Apply it. Itll benefit your marriage, family, work life all aspects of your life. Im living proof..
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Well James 1:22-25 tellz us that we are to put our teachings into practice. That if we dont put Christs work into practice that we will walk away and forget what man we are. Basically by doing what the Bible instructs, continuing in the law(being a doer) is a path to blessing. We are to be followers of Christ, that means doing as he did. The N.T. writers give us insight into His daily life, how to conduct our selfs, how church and ministrys are to be run, Etc... So much knowledge.
So dont get caught up in how the world tells you how your Christ walk is to be, Read it for yourself... Apply it. Itll benefit your marriage, family, work life all aspects of your life. Im living proof..
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
What if i know a false teacher? 1.
If we go to 2 John (NKJV),
We learn about about another method in dealing with False Teachers.
v10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not recieve him into your house nor greet him.
So if someone is changing the Gospel to fit thier needs or the needs of thier organazation, congregation etc.. They are not to be "recieved".
This goes for local teachers and pastors as... well as the universal appeal of TV evangelists. Just becasue someone is famous, dosent make them right. Just becasue your friends dig what they say and you really like the church services or the building...No. But what harm can it do really? Its all church stuff aint it? You say.
Here is what Scripture has to say...from 2 John in the next verse:
v11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
To "Greet" here means to Identify with that person or church publically.
Look there is folks who say things like this: "i believe in the bible but i think we came from apes" or " i was told that we live in Hell and when we die were all going to Heaven". What famous TV personality gets on the air all the time saying there is"more than one way to Heaven, being Christian is just one of them.."
Some even say that Jesus was never a man that He "seemed to have a body". This was a big thing taught by teachers in John time and continues today and its called Docetism.
John here is telling us how to treat such teachings and teachers. Not to Recieve them, greet them, not to identify with them casue in verse 7 John called them Antichrist.
Please read your churches bylaws do they align with Scripture? and actually look up and study what your teachers/ Pastors teach, are they teaching the Gospel or to tickle ears? See what your kids are learning, read thier paper work or sit in on a class, be vigilant in protecting your family AND yourself from False Teachers.
We learn about about another method in dealing with False Teachers.
v10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not recieve him into your house nor greet him.
So if someone is changing the Gospel to fit thier needs or the needs of thier organazation, congregation etc.. They are not to be "recieved".
This goes for local teachers and pastors as... well as the universal appeal of TV evangelists. Just becasue someone is famous, dosent make them right. Just becasue your friends dig what they say and you really like the church services or the building...No. But what harm can it do really? Its all church stuff aint it? You say.
Here is what Scripture has to say...from 2 John in the next verse:
v11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
To "Greet" here means to Identify with that person or church publically.
Look there is folks who say things like this: "i believe in the bible but i think we came from apes" or " i was told that we live in Hell and when we die were all going to Heaven". What famous TV personality gets on the air all the time saying there is"more than one way to Heaven, being Christian is just one of them.."
Some even say that Jesus was never a man that He "seemed to have a body". This was a big thing taught by teachers in John time and continues today and its called Docetism.
John here is telling us how to treat such teachings and teachers. Not to Recieve them, greet them, not to identify with them casue in verse 7 John called them Antichrist.
Please read your churches bylaws do they align with Scripture? and actually look up and study what your teachers/ Pastors teach, are they teaching the Gospel or to tickle ears? See what your kids are learning, read thier paper work or sit in on a class, be vigilant in protecting your family AND yourself from False Teachers.
Just because you say you are...
Using this Scripture 1 Cor 9:24-25 about Living like Christ, Following Christ or Believing in Christ.
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined] in all things.”
This is about an Imperishable Crown ok, but notice it says “all who run” So this shows that just
because others have ministries or non profits or bands, Etc… it doesn’t mean they will get a Crown for it. It no where states everyone is a winner just because they “run” It’s about the Heart set, not the outward showing, this was Christ’s issue with the Pharisees. They all wanted folks to
think they were Holy so they had to uphold this religious image and life style but inside were “white washed tombs” (Matt 23:27). How many Ministries are named after the founders or are all about “them”?
We all know people like that. Their website is like “Hey look at me, over here, see me here, oh yea, Jesus too ”.
It’s like being a Christian is a way for folks to get popular now, like these kids that will carry a skateboard but NOT to skate it? Just for looks? Yep.
Sad that people will treat Jesus like an accessory or a claim to fame.
1 Cor 9:13 Don't you know that those
who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serveat the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
All who are serving in the temple, meaning Confessed Christians as a whole, compared to those who are truly Disciples? We all feed on the same source, or so it seems, but in reality some are faking it.
Read your Bible and apply it to your life.
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate [disciplined] in all things.”
This is about an Imperishable Crown ok, but notice it says “all who run” So this shows that just
because others have ministries or non profits or bands, Etc… it doesn’t mean they will get a Crown for it. It no where states everyone is a winner just because they “run” It’s about the Heart set, not the outward showing, this was Christ’s issue with the Pharisees. They all wanted folks to
think they were Holy so they had to uphold this religious image and life style but inside were “white washed tombs” (Matt 23:27). How many Ministries are named after the founders or are all about “them”?
We all know people like that. Their website is like “Hey look at me, over here, see me here, oh yea, Jesus too ”.
It’s like being a Christian is a way for folks to get popular now, like these kids that will carry a skateboard but NOT to skate it? Just for looks? Yep.
Sad that people will treat Jesus like an accessory or a claim to fame.
1 Cor 9:13 Don't you know that those
who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serveat the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
All who are serving in the temple, meaning Confessed Christians as a whole, compared to those who are truly Disciples? We all feed on the same source, or so it seems, but in reality some are faking it.
Read your Bible and apply it to your life.