Hell's Best Kept Secret
"Decision for Christ" is not found anywhere in the Bible. It's just depraved rubbish, like most of what comes out of the mouths of preachers these days.
You're right Jonathan that that phrase is not found in the Bible. I'm not in a position to generalise to the point of saying that the majority of what comes out of the mouths of preachers today is "depraved rubbish" (as you put it) though. However, I am absolutely certain that if a preacher fails to preach the gospel in its entirety to provide the evidence to convict an unrepentant sinner of their guilt before a just and all-holy God and their need of salvation to provide them with a refuge from the wrath to come, then they have failed in fulfilling the Great Commission. If they have failed to show the un-believer God's amazing grace in providing a Saviour who has met their needs in dying on the Cross and also met God's perfect justice with perfect righteousness; then they haven't presented the true gospel: the Good News of God's glorious plan of salvation. Do have a look at that video though if you have a chance; though it's 37 minutes long, it is worth every second of your time watching it. As Ray Comfort would probably say, 'eternity without Christ is far longer' and it if provides you with the ability to lead someone else to Christ, to paraphrase those ads, "it's worth it".
It is interesting, isn't it Pam. What I like is how the message is presented with wonderful simplicity: very direct, very plain, but penetrating in its truth.
Seems Bruce hit a tender spot for someone with this natural expression of genuine enthusiasm.
The joy that I find in 'talking' to others is that it doesn't have to be about Jesus. All who have love can share it; none of us get it right every time but I am confident that God is pleased to watch us listen, learn and love. Sometimes, sharing our faith can be inconsiderate and hurtful. It is up to us to 'over-flow' without 'casting pearls' I guess. Keep it up Bruce.
As for people falling away; they don't need the Gospel, they need someone. Jesus gave himself and asked us to do likewise, not just tell folk about him, but ask them to come with us.
Someone recommended www.wayofthemaster.com website to me.. I must have a look.
On another note, is it ok for a non christian to sign up to a christian website? and why would someone do that??
Well user 95214, it guess it isn't for me to answer why a non-Christian would want to sign up to a Christian website and as for whether it is OK or not, who knows if it isn't part of God's plan in that person's life and he/she has been drawn to this website maybe to be used by you or me as an instrument to bring them to Christ? If that were the case, then all I can say is Hallelujah, praise the Saviour!!!!
Hi Bruce, I have yet to watched this video. However, I appreciate your burden for the gospel and the fellow believers. Yes it is becoming a miracle to hear the full gospel being preached in many churches. As for hell, I guess, it is illeagal to even mention this in England! However, we should pray that God will raise up (genuine) workers in all the churches.
The following web sites too have the gospel presented very well.
www.readthegospel.com and www.cfcindia.com
There is an mp3 cd, called Through the Bible, 70 hours of exposition of the entire Bible. These messages were peached in a christian seminary. One of the best and very pure gospel that I have come across. (it is downloadable free of charge either in part or whole)
Just listened to this video, like Bruce said its very direct, very plain and simple, but speaks the truth, I pray more pastors and ministers can preach this way. God made us simple souls, we have made ourselves very complicated, christians need to go back to basics. I will be sharing this with friends and people i know.
Thank you for posting this. I have a friend who is so confused and has challenged me before. She's into some very dark stuff, owns a satanic bible, she is really messed up. Her brothers call themselves Christians, used to lock her in a room as a child, beat their mother and not let her out until she heard all about God. Her life experiences are tragic and its no wonder why she is the way she is, she self harms, is an alcoholic but has been to Church also. She owns a Ouji board, yet sometimes I get the feeling she does believe their is a God, she is not athiest, but I try to challenge her when she challenges me, say that why it it so easy for you to believe in hell and saten when you can't believe in the opposite, the good, think it says more about her emotions though. One of her brother preaches on the street, been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is a drug addict and a pimp. :-(
Sorry for spouting off, I will definately be checking out that website suggestion. Thanks!
Jonathan: "Decision for Christ" is not found anywhere in the Bible. It's just depraved rubbish, like most of what comes out of the mouths of preachers these days'
So you've listened to quite a few then, Jonathan? :+)
Hi Bruce - I agree with what you say above - and it's so sad regarding the things happening (or not happening) in churches these days. I have noticed a definite decline in the past fifteen years, and the more people talk of 'waves of the Holy Spirit' I see even more decline. I believe that Christians are being deceived by a great deal of what is going on, and in recent months there has been talk of a 'Cosmic Christ'. A brief description of this is that no matter what one believes, whether Buddhism, Islam, Wiccan, etc. etc. we can make Christ fit around those beliefs, and thereby Christ fitting around our lives, but the Lord wants our hearts, etc. and for our lives to fit around Him and His Word. It's so true, the real Gospel is not being preached in many places today, and because of that I know a large number of 'out of church Christians'. All we can do is to ensure our own hearts are right before the Lord, and to get into the Word! He will definitely speak to us from that. Your dad sounds as though he has a lovely gift! That has happened to me only a few times - once on a train when I was travelling in Scotland and a young lad (soldier) came and sat opposite me. He was as drunk as a skunk, but he came out with such a statement "You're a Christian aren't you. You have the same look on your face as the Chaplain". Even though he was drunk he poured out his heart, and I told him about Jesus. The whole packed carriage was listening. It was my first and last public speaking engagement! However, it was definitely a Divine appointment but also reminds me that travelling by public transport is a way of mixing with people whereas the car reduces those opportunities.
yes, i've heard thousands of sermons in my lifetime, and been in over 100 different churches (both in uk and usa). Even churches that call themselves "reformed" or "Calvinist" betray their so-called beliefs by their words. Of course, I no longer really believe most of the Bible but it was just one of those things that led me down the route to agnosticism.
I was surfing the web yesterday and came across a link on a Christian website that took me to a YouTube channel that in turn led me to find a wonderful Christian resource for teaching evangelism. I don't know about you, but it's always a challenge for me to find an easy way to get to talking about the Lord Jesus to other non-believers, whether they be friends, family, business colleagues or total strangers. Unlike my Dad who has the happy knack of being able to get into easy conversation with someone in a couple of minutes, even in a queue and get to know them, who they're married or living with, how many children and their names etc, etc., and quickly get to presenting the gospel to them in an easy, non-confrontational manner, I personally don't find it so easy. Yet the need to present the gospel properly has never been more urgent for me and it comes home especially when you have loved friends or relatives die and it hits home that you never properly spoke to them about their need for a Saviour. If you've ever been in that position, this website is a wonderful resource. The problem is also that many churches and pastors these days do not preach the true gospel. To see what I mean by that have a look at this video at http://www.wayofthemaster.com/watchepisodes.shtml and click on the video titled 'Hell's Best Kept Secret': I 100% guarantee it will be worth your while. As the brief description puts it:
"Why do 80-90% of those making a decision for Christ fall away from the faith? What is the principle that Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, etc., used to reach the lost? Why has the Church neglected it? Don't let anything stop you from watching this incredible lesson."