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Post by tlsitd on Jul 24, 2018 20:26:40 GMT -5
Mark 6:12: And they went out, and preached...
"Jesus loves you so much; won't you please let Him into your heart?"
"Sin, and the things of world, can't make you truly happy, but Jesus can. Don't you want to be happy? He'll take all of your pain and discontentment away."
Oh wait; that's not what the apostles preached. They went out, and preached that men should repent---the last thing most people want to hear or to do.
Somewhere in recent history, post-eighteenth century, preachers and evangelists stopped emphasizing the judgment of God and man's need for forgiveness of his sins and salvation from God's righteous judgment for the same---which is the emphasis of the gospel in the Scriptures (something men of God in previous generations understood, and preached accordingly)---and began "wooing" people to Christ by telling them how much God loves them and wants better things for them.
There's a reason that neither the Lord Himself nor His apostles preached the gospel that way. They put the emphasis on the things that the Holy Spirit wanted them to put emphasis on, and the happiness of man wasn't it. Interestingly enough, neither was God's love for man.
And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." ...And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." (Acts 2:38,40)
"Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out...Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet will be destroyed from the people.' ...God, having raised up His servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of your from your wickedness." (Acts 3:19,22,23,26)
"And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." (Acts 10:42,43)
"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed..." (Acts 17:30,31)
The "good news" is not that Jesus loves people, or that impenitent sinners can go to heaven by calling on His name. The good news is that God has provided a way of forgiveness of sin and salvation from the judgment for that sin through Jesus Christ for those who repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus.
God's love for a man isn't going to save him from hell if that man does not repent. Hell is full of people whom God loved. They're not in hell because God didn't love them; they are in hell because they loved their sin and did not love God.
Yes, we all know John 3:16, and praise God for that. It's very true. But so are John 3:18 & 19 and John 3:36. (But you don't see people wearing bracelets or t-shirts with those verses on them, do you?)
After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you." (Acts 24:24,25)
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ...according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith... (Romans 16:25,26)
From the very beginning of the gospel...
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)
To the very end...
Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." (Revelation 14:6,7)
Repentance, and the forgiveness of sins, and God's coming judgment, is the emphasis of the gospel, not how much Jesus loves people, or how happy He can make man and what He can do for him.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Jul 24, 2018 20:56:54 GMT -5
tlsitd If people could know there is joy, and lots of it when you simply say NO to your sins and YES to God through Jesus Christ.
"O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." - Romans 7:24-25
But what we see today is that many, many people are ignoring the love of God and finding reasons to stay in peace while in sin.
They say things like:
It is all right, the Lord has it all covered... I believe. Yes, I believe then I am fine.
"But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" - Luke 6:46
"And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." - Matthew 19:24
"...unless you repent you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:3
"So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:33
"...If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:31-32
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Post by John on Jul 25, 2018 7:41:25 GMT -5
Yes Lights, today's gospel has been changed. It has been poll tested and rearranged to meet the approval of a new generation of people that can't endure sound doctrine. I will give you another change. Did you know that the only reason God gave us commandments were for our own good, not because he is a holy God and expects us to be a holy people? That is what many teach. For example, God doesn't really care if you commit adultery, but he doesn't want you to have to go through the pain it will cause. He doesn't care if you steal, but he doesn't want you to end up in jail. Today's gospel created a god that serves us, not the other way around, and this has led to sinful and spoiled children.
In addition, I don't need to know how much you care before I care how much you know. Truth is truth. There are a multitude of caring individuals who seem to love everyone, loving them all into hell with a false gospel.
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Post by tlsitd on Jul 25, 2018 9:57:14 GMT -5
Yes Lights, today's gospel has been changed. It has been poll tested and rearranged to meet the approval of a new generation of people that can't endure sound doctrine. I will give you another change. Did you know that the only reason God gave us commandments were for our own good, not because he is a holy God and expects us to be a holy people? That is what many teach. For example, God doesn't really care if you commit adultery, but he doesn't want you to have to go through the pain it will cause. He doesn't care if you steal, but he doesn't want you to end up in jail. Today's gospel created a god that serves us, not the other way around, and this has led to sinful and spoiled children.
In addition, I don't need to know how much you care before I care how much you know. Truth is truth. There are a multitude of caring individuals who seem to love everyone, loving them all into hell with a false gospel.
Amen. This is so true. Christianity has been badly corrupted by humanism, and the gospel has been distorted according to the same corruption. Now everything God is and does has to be about man somehow, and have man's approval. This is very warped thinking. When Christians think this way, they think that they are justified in not doing anything that doesn't please them or seem right to them or make sense to them, because nothing is about God except that it is also about them---and them first---and God's primary concern is their happiness in life. They are always thinking about what God can give them or do for them, rather than giving God what He wants from them in order to please Him and taking pleasure in that, as Jesus did---like spoiled children who don't really love their parents but only love having their way and getting presents, and think they should be compensated for doing whatever their parents tell them to do, and that the world revolves around them. They love and live for themselves now and are looking forward to continuing their personal party in heaven. (They're going to be sorely disappointed.) All the more reason, because of the flesh-enticing, Christianity-coated humanism and humanism-tainted Christianity that is prevalent in these last days, for Christians to make sure that they stay rooted in the truth of God's word, both in knowledge and especially in obedience, so that they are not influenced by constant exposure to it and don't become corrupted by it and aren't led astray from the truth by the demons from whom this perverse, self-loving, man-centered persuasion comes. The reason for diluting the gospel and changing its emphasis is selfish: It's to avoid and minimize rejection and persecution---as most Christians today think first and foremost about their own selves rather than Jesus Christ. If Christ were their focus instead of themselves, other people's best interest would be also, according to what God desires for man, not what people desire for themselves. But in truth, they are concerned with themselves, so they care neither for God nor man. They just want to feel good and to have the praise and approval of people.
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Post by frienduff on Jul 25, 2018 13:26:29 GMT -5
We have been fed BY THE LORD , NOW its time for narrow way to go out and witness more than ever to the lost . REPENT and be baptized , or repent from this wicked all inclusive generation . We have been fed , and its not for us to store it up . Their is a monster of a delusion unfolding , its been building and building till now its ripe , and its flowing now . We will not be welcome or loved by this world , by many even in christanity , But the final sounding of the trumpet must be heeded and those who KNOW must go on to other sites , in pairs , even in groups and do battle for the true faith . MOST will reject us big time , BUT their will be a few here and their who wont . THEY needed to be encouraged , they felt isolated and alone and NEED to KNOW their are more of us with the same mindset . THE LAMBS must be encouraged . Their are some who are wore down and feel isolated , TIME we let them know THEY AINT ALONE , their is still a remnant ALIVE and flourishing . We must rise up by the power of HIS GRACE and do OUR DUTY TO OUR LORD and neighbor . WARN that JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY , warn and remind of the pure ssyings of JESUS and the apostels , we taking the fight of the gospel with no COMPROMISE . ONWARD , ONWARD into the trenches lambs will be gathered in lil groups , TO all to withstand the vile and evil days we in BY THE POWER OF HIS GRACE WITHIN . IT IS TIME , OH IT IS TIME to With renewed minds , GO out and contend to as many as we can . The enemy is only increasing his spiritual warfare AND WE must increase our exhortations and FIGHT and CONTEND for the true faith . AND our weapons are not carnal, THEY ARE MIGHTY , THEY THE MIGHTIEST WEAPONS THEY OF GOD and BY HIM . WE got ALL WE NEED for the battle. TIME TO RISE UP and contend for the true faith .
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Post by tlsitd on Jul 25, 2018 14:24:08 GMT -5
We have been fed BY THE LORD , NOW its time for narrow way to go out and witness more than ever to the lost . REPENT and be baptized , or repent from this wicked all inclusive generation . We have been fed , and its not for us to store it up . Their is a monster of a delusion unfolding , its been building and building till now its ripe , and its flowing now . We will not be welcome or loved by this world , by many even in christanity , But the final sounding of the trumpet must be heeded and those who KNOW must go on to other sites , in pairs , even in groups and do battle for the true faith . MOST will reject us big time , BUT their will be a few here and their who wont . THEY needed to be encouraged , they felt isolated and alone and NEED to KNOW their are more of us with the same mindset . THE LAMBS must be encouraged . Their are some who are wore down and feel isolated , TIME we let them know THEY AINT ALONE , their is still a remnant ALIVE and flourishing . We must rise up by the power of HIS GRACE and do OUR DUTY TO OUR LORD and neighbor . WARN that JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY , warn and remind of the pure ssyings of JESUS and the apostels , we taking the fight of the gospel with no COMPROMISE . ONWARD , ONWARD into the trenches lambs will be gathered in lil groups , TO all to withstand the vile and evil days we in BY THE POWER OF HIS GRACE WITHIN . IT IS TIME , OH IT IS TIME to With renewed minds , GO out and contend to as many as we can . The enemy is only increasing his spiritual warfare AND WE must increase our exhortations and FIGHT and CONTEND for the true faith . AND our weapons are not carnal, THEY ARE MIGHTY , THEY THE MIGHTIEST WEAPONS THEY OF GOD and BY HIM . WE got ALL WE NEED for the battle. TIME TO RISE UP and contend for the true faith . I am always on the look-out for such believers (and they are a precious minority), and praying for the same, wherever they are.
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Cletus
Senior Member
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Cletus on Jul 25, 2018 17:15:43 GMT -5
I think if we are to present the good news we should present the whole story. which does include God loving us... enough for Jesus Christ to suffer and be crucified to pay for our sins... because God loved us enough to die for us, also explaining why Jesus is called The Lamb of God... and that he was our sacrifice to take away our sins, IF we repent of our sins, ask him into our heart, and i even present the part about not only death, but burial... and resurrection and accession. I explain if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior that his spirit will come live in your heart... and the same power over death will live in you. I explain that if they do pray and accept Jesus and repent that this is only the beginning of the journey. There is more to the gospel than just to repent, and the bible tells us this. There is more to believe according to scripture. I also believe its imperative to preach to them a few things about the first three chapters of genesis... which explains why we are born into a sinful nature, And i like to always... always read from john 1... in the beginning was The Word, and the word was with God... and the Word was God ... All things were made thru Him... I do not try to condense the good news into a short version. I give what i refer to as "full gospel" Just because they changed the gospel to be more acceptable and appealing does not make the part they tell not true. they have in fact just omitted a large portion... so let us not give left overs. they are hungry, even if they dont realize it. fill their belly.
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Post by frienduff on Jul 25, 2018 18:12:18 GMT -5
Cletus you throw those hands up and praise the LORD . And let us pick up the whole armour O GOD . cause the evil aint taking no time off deceiving so we wont be takng no time off to exhort and fight and contend for the true faith ONCE deliverd unto the saints . The finale of it all is beginning , we are IN THE LAST O the last of days and the church is going out like she was birthed , IN PERSECUTOIN and TRIBULATION . OH But we win , CAUSE JESUS DONE WON . whether we live or die , WE THE LORDS . SHIELDS UP , SWORDS at the ready , the whores coming for us all and WE shall not fear HER , WE HAVE CHRIST and its all out spiritual warfare for the souls of men .
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Post by John on Jul 25, 2018 18:17:30 GMT -5
I think if we are to present the good news we should present the whole story. which does include God loving us... enough for Jesus Christ to suffer and be crucified to pay for our sins... because God loved us enough to die for us, also explaining why Jesus is called The Lamb of God... and that he was our sacrifice to take away our sins, IF we repent of our sins, ask him into our heart, and i even present the part about not only death, but burial... and resurrection and accession. I explain if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior that his spirit will come live in your heart... and the same power over death will live in you. I explain that if they do pray and accept Jesus and repent that this is only the beginning of the journey. There is more to the gospel than just to repent, and the bible tells us this. There is more to believe according to scripture. I also believe its imperative to preach to them a few things about the first three chapters of genesis... which explains why we are born into a sinful nature, And i like to always... always read from john 1... in the beginning was The Word, and the word was with God... and the Word was God ... All things were made thru Him... I do not try to condense the good news into a short version. I give what i refer to as "full gospel" Just because they changed the gospel to be more acceptable and appealing does not make the part they tell not true. they have in fact just omitted a large portion... so let us not give left overs. they are hungry, even if they dont realize it. fill their belly. I agree with you that we need a balanced message, but it isn't just a matter of people only giving them the love and grace side. Much of what they are preaching is blatantly false. I wish is was just that they don't give the whole truth. That is easily corrected by giving them the rest of the story. Some people naturally feel called to sound the warning to repent, while others feel more of an unction to preach the love of Jesus. That is fine if they are both in the truth and working together, but what I am seeing is a false love message, where God is our servant, looking to give his children anything they want, because he is wealthy and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Our wish is his desire and he only tells us to abstain from things because of the harm it will do to us. You have that, plus the false unconditional eternal security message. We are dealing with a host of false doctrines that we have to counter, and most are not about the need to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. That is the exception, not the rule. You can spend time at Narrow Way and think all we have is messages of judgment everywhere, but once you go outside of this place, it is an entirely different world.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Jul 25, 2018 18:39:15 GMT -5
I agree with you that we need a balanced message, but it isn't just a matter of people only giving them the love and grace side. Much of what they are preaching is blatantly false. I wish is was just that they don't give the whole truth. That is easily corrected by giving them the rest of the story. Some people naturally feel called to sound the warning to repent, while others feel more of an unction to preach the love of Jesus. That is fine if they are both in the truth and working together, but what I am seeing is a false love message, where God is our servant, looking to give his children anything they want, because he is wealthy and owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Our wish is his desire and he only tells us to abstain from things because of the harm it will do to us. You have that, plus the false unconditional eternal security message. We are dealing with a host of false doctrines that we have to counter, and most are not about the need to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. That is the exception, not the rule. You can spend time at Narrow Way and think all we have is messages of judgment everywhere, but once you go outside of this place, it is an entirely different world. Gospel preaching is something that cannot be done by following rules of human wisdom.
Each person has different personalities, pasts, traumas and problems...
I believe spiritual gifts are very, very useful for gospel preaching.
I believe there are three things that we need spiritual gifts the most: Gospel preaching, doctrine teaching, and exhortation.
In gospel preaching, knowing and talking the right words at the right time are of the utmost importance. In many cases this can be a process, then spiritual leading of the Holy Spirit is very, very important... As the Lord said: Without me you can do nothing.
In doctrine teaching, as without the Holy Spirit to guide you in all truth you will be lost.
In exhortation, bible reading, signs and wonders can edify anyone's faith, a simple answered prayer, or by simply showing love to your brethren daily.
God bless you all in Jesus' name!
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