karanbac
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Posts: 151
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Post by karanbac on May 11, 2018 11:24:59 GMT -5
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Post by 2fw8212a on May 11, 2018 11:50:10 GMT -5
Is The Sinners Prayer Said In Your Church? I prefer a more spontaneous way of expressing repentance... And it requires a wholeheartedly, doubtless confession and acknowledgment."But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;" - James 1:6-7Sinner's prayer are more for people to see and say, according to the flesh, that they are saved. But God looks at the heart. You can say whatever you want, but it is your heart that will determine if you repentance is genuine."But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”" - 1 Samuel 16:7People can say many words out of a sinner's prayer and not be saved... And the other could just cry: "Lord Jesus, please save me!" and receive."For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”" - Romans 10:13It is a matter of heart, and not just words."So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us" - Acts 15:8
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Post by John on May 11, 2018 13:17:19 GMT -5
This is an important topic, so I am happy you posted this. While I have always led sinners in a "sinner's prayer" if we have an altar call for the lost, the article does make a good point. It is possible to repeat a prayer and not be saved. We do tell them that if they prayed that prayer, they are now saved. I think the key is that they have to have prayed it in sincerity, not just mumbled some words they didn't mean or understand. I don't know that I would stop leading in a sinner's prayer, but I do see the danger in telling people they are saved when we don't really know if that is true. It is like saying a person is in heaven after they died, when we don't even know if they were saved. They need to understand that it is not the prayer that saves them, but God.
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PG4Him
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Posts: 3,570
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Post by PG4Him on May 11, 2018 13:27:37 GMT -5
It also seems like every few years that prayer gets more and more watered down. In some churches these days, you can saved by saying little more than, “God I invite you to join me on my journey.”
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PG4Him
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Posts: 3,570
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Post by PG4Him on May 11, 2018 13:40:46 GMT -5
It is extremely dangerous to lead people to salvation when they don’t understand repentance and they haven’t counted the cost. When people dabble in Christianity and then reject it, that bridge may be burned forever.
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Post by tlsitd on May 11, 2018 14:54:35 GMT -5
I prayed the 'sinner's prayer' at the age of seven, led by my father. Jesus saved me at the age of twenty three, without it. A sincere and genuinely penitent heart and genuine God-given faith in Jesus Christ is what saves a person, not merely saying a prayer of some kind, or hearing the gospel. Plenty of people hear the gospel message and pray the sinner's prayer or respond to an altar call and have the pastor pray over them, but don't get born again. I don't believe anyone but God Himself has the authority to assure a person of their salvation. People who take it upon themselves to declare people saved are overstepping their authority in my opinion. The person needs to know that for him or herself before God, and not because someone told them that they are.
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Post by tlsitd on May 11, 2018 15:04:08 GMT -5
It also seems like every few years that prayer gets more and more watered down. In some churches these days, you can saved by saying little more than, “God I invite you to join me on my journey.” (Gag.) Anything to make money. More bodies means more dollars. How is that any better than what the Catholic "church" does?
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Post by tlsitd on May 11, 2018 15:17:13 GMT -5
A brief video that I made on this very subject.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on May 11, 2018 15:49:19 GMT -5
Well, tlsitd, sounds like you’ve encountered a few Rick Warren converts...
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Post by tlsitd on May 11, 2018 17:41:55 GMT -5
Well, tlsitd, sounds like you’ve encountered a few Rick Warren converts... Pitiful. (He's rich, isn't he?) Nothing like the powerful gospel message preached by the apostles. That wouldn't go over well today. (It didn't go over well back then either!) Rick's kind of message certainly won't get anyone persecuted. It won't likely get anyone saved either, except according to the words of Rick's mouth! (In spite of it, by God's grace, perhaps, but not because of it.) Jesus sent His apostles out to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins in His name, not how to find out God's purpose for your life. Christian preaching today: Out with the need to be forgiven of one's sins and saved from the eternal punishment of the lake of fire. (No mention of hell or the lake of fire, only heaven.) Out with repentance. Out with Jesus being Lord, and not merely Savior and Friend. Out with anything that convicts or condemns. Out with the necessity of practical holiness, and any concept of holiness. Out with the necessity of living no longer for oneself but for Jesus Christ and obeying Him after being saved. Out with setting one's mind on things above. Out with sin. (Don't even use that word.) Everybody's "Blessed", even if God says they're accursed. Out with what the word of God says. (What you feel, and what men say, is more important and desirable.) In with this sort of cotton-candy: "God has a better plan for your life!" "God wants you to be happy!" "God can heal you and make you feel better!" "God wants you to be rich!" "God wants you to be your best self, and to use your talents and personal ambitions to "shine" for His glory!" It's all about man, not God. Jesus is just an asset to a life lived for self, rather than the life itself. People think that they themselves are the light that God wants to shine before men, rather than Christ in them. They think God exists to serve them. They go to "church" for themselves, not because they want God, but because they want to be told how great they are and what God's going to give them and do for them. And there are plenty of pastors riding the wave of this hideous perversion of Christianity. They have books. They have big churches. They have big houses. They meet with the Pope (as though that's anything to be proud of). They don't care about souls, but their own bank accounts and glory. And God will judge them accordingly.
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Post by Abby-Joy on May 31, 2018 20:43:36 GMT -5
From a portion of my written testimony....
I first remember attending a Christian church when I was age 6. A local pastor and his wife would come pick us up (me, my older sis, younger bro, and our mom) for Sunday School each week. I think that went on about 2 or 3 months, not sure. But, a very important thing happened - a seed was planted! My older sis (about age 8) had a Sunday School memory verse, and she repeated it over and over so many times, that I memorized it.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; and if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Rev 3:20)
We didn't attend long, but the seed was planted, even though I did not know much of anything about who GOD was. Satan tried very hard to snatch the seed away from my heart through more abuse, and very dark times!
*parts left out*
Age 10 was an awakening to much anguish, but it was also the time when I began to hear the voice ...HIS voice - the voice of the One TRUE JESUS CHRIST!!! He sought me out! He followed me ...everywhere I went, I heard His voice, "I love you, Abby ...the life you are in is not what I have planned for you. I want you to serve Me." He taught my heart about Himself... He was persistent... patient! He sought me out!
One Sunday morning, when I was age 10, we attended a local church (Assembly of GOD) and the pastor's daughter was our teacher. She asked if there was anyone there who wasn't saved. (Saved?!) I thought to myself... "I don't know what saved means, but whatever it is, I know I'm not!!" So I shyly raised my hand... and she led me in a prayer to accept Christ. But I had NO idea what I was saying or what it meant! I was still lost!
When we were out in the main service, she got up to sing and testified, with tears, that she had a Sunday School student get "saved" ....I was soooo embarrassed! My face turned red and hot, and I sunk down in my pew thinking to myself, "Lady, whatever you do, please do not mention my name!" (And she didn't, haha!) But that, too, was a seed planted! We did not attend regularly... maybe once every 3 or 4 months(??) I really do not remember anything significant about those times.
Time went on... for 3 years, Jesus called to me, and for 3 years, I turned Him away! But one Sunday morning, in that same church, at the age of 13, I felt GOD's love so strongly I could no longer tell Him no! For 3 years, He wooed my heart, revealed Himself to me... and for 3 years, my answer was "no." But through His mercy (WOW!) He saved me that day when I was age 13, in that same Assembly of GOD church. I've been His ever since!! I was filled with His Holy Spirit - wow!! It was radical change! GOD instantly delivered me from several major strongholds! I went home and witnessed to my dad (who never went to church with us) about GOD's amazing love!
(If anyone wants the full testimony, I can send privately. I just wanted to affirm... it is Holy Spirit who draws us to God, no matter repeating the words of a sinner's prayer. I don't even remember the words I prayed when I actually came to Him, but wow, I KNEW I was saved that day!!! )
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Post by tlsitd on May 31, 2018 22:48:50 GMT -5
From a portion of my written testimony....
I first remember attending a Christian church when I was age 6. A local pastor and his wife would come pick us up (me, my older sis, younger bro, and our mom) for Sunday School each week. I think that went on about 2 or 3 months, not sure. But, a very important thing happened - a seed was planted! My older sis (about age 8) had a Sunday School memory verse, and she repeated it over and over so many times, that I memorized it.
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; and if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Rev 3:20)
We didn't attend long, but the seed was planted, even though I did not know much of anything about who GOD was. Satan tried very hard to snatch the seed away from my heart through more abuse, and very dark times!
*parts left out*
Age 10 was an awakening to much anguish, but it was also the time when I began to hear the voice ...HIS voice - the voice of the One TRUE JESUS CHRIST!!! He sought me out! He followed me ...everywhere I went, I heard His voice, "I love you, Abby ...the life you are in is not what I have planned for you. I want you to serve Me." He taught my heart about Himself... He was persistent... patient! He sought me out!
One Sunday morning, when I was age 10, we attended a local church (Assembly of GOD) and the pastor's daughter was our teacher. She asked if there was anyone there who wasn't saved. (Saved?!) I thought to myself... "I don't know what saved means, but whatever it is, I know I'm not!!" So I shyly raised my hand... and she led me in a prayer to accept Christ. But I had NO idea what I was saying or what it meant! I was still lost!
When we were out in the main service, she got up to sing and testified, with tears, that she had a Sunday School student get "saved" ....I was soooo embarrassed! My face turned red and hot, and I sunk down in my pew thinking to myself, "Lady, whatever you do, please do not mention my name!" (And she didn't, haha!) But that, too, was a seed planted! We did not attend regularly... maybe once every 3 or 4 months(??) I really do not remember anything significant about those times.
Time went on... for 3 years, Jesus called to me, and for 3 years, I turned Him away! But one Sunday morning, in that same church, at the age of 13, I felt GOD's love so strongly I could no longer tell Him no! For 3 years, He wooed my heart, revealed Himself to me... and for 3 years, my answer was "no." But through His mercy (WOW!) He saved me that day when I was age 13, in that same Assembly of GOD church. I've been His ever since!! I was filled with His Holy Spirit - wow!! It was radical change! GOD instantly delivered me from several major strongholds! I went home and witnessed to my dad (who never went to church with us) about GOD's amazing love!
(If anyone wants the full testimony, I can send privately. I just wanted to affirm... it is Holy Spirit who draws us to God, no matter repeating the words of a sinner's prayer. I don't even remember the words I prayed when I actually came to Him, but wow, I KNEW I was saved that day!!! )
Praise the Lord.
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Post by frienduff on Jun 1, 2018 12:20:25 GMT -5
It also seems like every few years that prayer gets more and more watered down. In some churches these days, you can saved by saying little more than, “God I invite you to join me on my journey.” What a mock to GOD . What an abomination prayer . HEY GOD wanna JOIN ME on MY JOURNEY . what a second place to GOD AND FIRST PLACE TO MAN PRAYER . I GOT AGITATED WHEN I SEEN THAT PRAYER .
THANKS FOR EXPOSING IT SISTER .
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Post by frienduff on Jun 1, 2018 12:27:26 GMT -5
The example of a good conversion is also found n acts . Phillip and the eunach. Phillip explained in detail the seed that God had planted on the eunachs heart about that passage . Not only that but watch this . The eunach said , SEE here is water ,what does HINDER me from being baptized. and phillip said , if you belive WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART , clearly that means UNDERSTAND and BELEIVE ,
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Post by frienduff on Jun 1, 2018 12:30:12 GMT -5
SO in most churches they are no longer even teaching the whole of salvation . so what good is a prayer IF the person came under the wrong version or concept OF JESUS and what it means TO believe . When is the last time you hear dire warnings like peter gave , and it caused hearts to be pricked and they said WHAT must we do to BE SAVED. today its hug everything , get that money , say hallelujah and live for your self etc , jus say a prayer . and worse most getting saved in them prosperity churches , they hear the message COME TO JESUS YA GET BLESSED and MO MONEY , mindset . IF you coming to JESUS for money , he aint your GOD , MONEY IS .
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