Pilgrim’s Corner

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Lukewarm Christianity: Cheap grace means no need for works, nor separation from the world.

mega-church-gathering.jpg One thing that all lukewarm Christians have in common is their belief that there’s no need for works because grace is enough. They’re partly correct about grace being sufficient; no man can be saved by his own effort. We are saved by faith alone (Sola Fide) by God’s grace alone (Sola Gratia).

However, many people who fill churches today are only Professing Christians (PCs). They use the “grace card” as a license to behave however they see fit, not how God requires His children to live. (Subsequently they pull out the “judge not” card whenever their lifestyle is challenged in light of Scripture, but I’ll save that for another post).

They perform very little works (if any), and they bare no fruit in their lives as evidence of the faith they claim to follow. They simply feel church attendance is the end-all of Christianity. I say, don’t tell me you’re a Christian, show me! So many PCs today can be summed up like this: I go to church because I’m a Christian. I’m a Christian because I go to Church.

Furthermore, in many instances, their lifestyle betrays the lack of depth of their faith. There is no holiness; no separation from the world. Usually you can’t tell the difference between the average Christian and the unregenerate sinner.

The Bible that says, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself” (James 2:17). It is also clear that we should be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22). If this wasn’t so, we would not have been told what pure religion is in God’s sight: “To visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27).

Remember, Jesus told us that IF you love Him you’ll keep His commandments (John 14:15). That was not a suggestion but a means by which to measure ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith.

 

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A comparison between John MacArthur, a Catholic Priest, Joel Osteen and Billy Graham.

In this post you will see videos from three prominent men of the Christian faith and one Catholic. Each one is interviewed by Larry King and each one is given an incredible opportunity to share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with millions of viewers; an opportunity of the like that the Apostle Paul never had.

I present the following short video clips for your examination. Please view each and every one of them before coming to a conclusion. When you’re done, I’d like to hear from you.

Of these four men (preferences and preconceived notions aside), which one best presented the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and which one would you rather sit under as your pastor?

JOHN MACARTHUR

Part One

Part Two

CATHOLIC PRIEST, MICHAEL MANNING

Part One

Part Two

JOEL OSTEEN

Part One

Part Two

BILLY GRAHAM

Part One

Part Two

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A sobering call to pastors, preachers, and teachers.

Wheelchair

Recently at the convalescent home where we conduct church services for the elderly, I was unable to attend and a dear brother gave the sermon in my absence. After the service one of the residents retired to her room with a headache. An hour later she was dead.

That woman’s last opportunity to hear the gospel came from this man’s lips who was filling in for me. That is a sobering realization.

Dear preacher, what would she have heard if that was you preaching that day? Another joke? Another cute little story about one of your camping trips? Another plea for money for the building fund? Another toot of the horn on how many kids attended your VBS?

People are dying every day and spending an eternity in Hell. It’s because of this very urgency I plead with you pastors, preachers, and teachers who are spending your time behind the pulpit telling humorous stories and telling jokes. STOP IT!

You never know who that person in your congregation is that will not return next week and instead will be standing before God. On that last Sunday before their death will they have heard the truth of the Word of God from you or your own self-edifying stories?

I am begging you, for the sake of the gospel, quit trying to please men and preach Christ and Him crucified! Quit planning all your parties, pic-nicks, and potlucks and preach the whole counsel of God!

There won’t be anyone in Hell laughing at your jokes. They will be cursing your name for your lack of courage.

By preaching your non-offensive, watered-down, gospel-light sermons on how to enjoy your life on earth (all 70 years of it) they will now spend an eternity in torment, suffering the very wrath of God that you refused to tell them was coming. Their best life now won’t seem so appealing to them then.

Turn from this false social gospel and begin preaching as a dying man to dying men!

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 4:16

See also: Thank you. An open letter to faithful pastors.

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How to effectively witness to a Christian.

I found this insightful post on the blog Absolute Dominion. It is definitely worth the read!

Here’s a sample:

“It’s important to realize that many of these blind followers of the blind will be deeply indoctrinated into their cultish church fellowship, thus their peculiar form of religion is an integral part of their lives. As such you will be witnessing the devastating truth of the Christ of scripture to a person whose worldview has been corrupted and reinforced against the truth of the Bible. It will often be seen that their true loyalty is to their church, denomination, pastor or whatever idol holds their faith as opposed to an unwavering loyalty to Christ alone.”

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Halloween, Harvest Party, or Reformation Day?

I know that there’s many perspectives on whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. Many churches have chosen to celebrate it by putting their “Christian” spin on it; calling it a Harvest Party. Even more churches completely ignore the fact that this Wednesday will mark the 490th anniversary since Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Roman Catholic Church. Sadly most people will never even be told that fact in their church because it has nothing to do with this week’s positive and relevant message. (I know I was never told). So what’s your perspective on this coming holiday?

Check out this interesting disclaimer from a church advertisement for their Harvest Party:

Costumes should be of a fun nature–keeping with the Harvest Theme is appreciated. Costumes should be modest in design. No witches or ghosts. No costumes with evil or dark connotations that would promote evil.

Is it just me or does anyone else see anything remotely out of whack with this? If you’re going to have to provide a disclaimer of this type, perhaps taking a Satanic holiday and trying to put a Christian spin on it probably isn’t the best thing to do. 

Now I know first hand that this particular church bends over backward to not offend anyone so I wonder how they will react to those families that will have not seen the disclaimer and will inevitably arrive with little Zack dressed as a zombie and Wanda as a witch. I am confident they’ll look the other way and allow just a little more leaven in.

Perhaps abstaining from even the appearance of evil is the best rule of thumb here. What do you think?