Slight Change, Big Difference (Pt. II)

A Slight Change Creates a Great Difference (Part 2)
Replacing "Repentance and Faith" with "Decision"

To continue off of what I talked about last post, I wanted to give some real modern day examples of the danger of the Modern Free Will doctrine.

You can check out this article I'll be quoting from HERE
It is a very neat article; do read it if you have time!

The article shows the contrast of the old-time ministers of the Gospel vs. the current ones. The old preachers took years and years of carefully teaching and preaching the Bible to people (which is in obedience to God's command [1 Tim. 4:16; 2 Tim. 4:2] ). After, with sweat and tears, this long process - they would receive only a few converts. One missionary waited seven years before he saw a single convert.

However, today, the article brings up, people everywhere are claiming thousands of converts in single days, yes some claim even a million (yes, even in a single day). These conversions don't happen because the Gospel was clearly and efficiently taught and preached to the people; but because the music was playing, because the emotion was stirring, because of the pressure, because a half-gospel that has no cost was offered, no repentance from sin, no following of Jesus, no Lord Christ. In these claims, they say that a movie, or a band concert, or some two-day retreat is responsible for leading the people to Christ at that event. It makes sense to me though, that when a person believes, he simply believes. I don't understand the philosophy today that music and 'opportunities' and altars are necessary for convertion - though I know nobody directly says that. But the wrong impression left at these types of events is that everyone can just approach Christ anyway and in any manner they want. I wonder if the Bible really teaches that... "Christ, I don't hate you, but that's only because I don't know you; and yeah, it's true, that if I did know you I would hate you, because you do not allow me to live the way I want to live. Nevertheless, the pastor never told me that, and I'm gonna play innocent as if you haven't given me a conscience teaching me to repent of my sins. This justification thing sounds pretty cool, so why don't you just hook me up, and I'll continue living the way I want because, in truth, my heart despises everything you stand for."

Brothers and sisters, there are the verbal prayers of the mouth, and there are the verbal prayers of the heart. Preaching, by God's design, is meant to change the heart. If the prayer of a man's heart is such, then the verbal prayer will be rejected by God, because as Scripture says it is an 'abomination' to Him (Proverbs 28:9). When we say God is Holy, this is exactly what we mean - he is seperated for wickeness and sin!



Here's a part of the article:

Going back in church history, we see a more discerning attitude, that resisted making immediate conversion claims. George Whitefield, who was a leader in the 18th century Great Awakening, made it a practice to delay judgment until months or years down the road. Whitefield's reasoning for this was, you simply can't know right away. He said:

"There are so many stony ground hearers, who receive the Word with joy, that I have determined to suspend my judgment till I know the tree by its fruits. I cannot believe they are converts till I see fruit brought back; it will never do a sincere soul any harm".

A century later, Charles Spurgeon was also very outspoken against potentially boastful and self-validating conversion claims, saying:

"Do not, therefore, consider that soul-winning is or can be secured by the multiplication of baptisms, and the swelling of the size of your church. What mean these dispatches from the battle-field? "Last night, 14 souls were under conviction, 15 were justified, and 8 received full sanctification". I am weary of this public bragging, this counting of unhatched chickens, this exhibition of doubtful spoils. Lay aside such numberings of the people, such idle pretence of certifying in half a minute that which will need the testing of a lifetime".

He had the same common-sense that Whitefield had a century earlier.
It's a common-sense that seems to be very much lacking today:

"It very often happens that the converts that are
born in excitement die when the excitement is over".

Amen.

Here's what I'm asking all Christians reading this to consider: Changing your mind about quick-fix gospel ideas, and setting your hearts on teaching and preaching the long-term, hard to believe, Gospel message. Also changing your perspective about these incredible claims of salvations, when the Gospel usually has never been sufficiently preached and with the evidence that most of these nominal converts fall away. Please do not deceive yourself nor anyone else on this matter of salvation!