"With no one looking, those of you who want to receive Jesus, quietly raise your hand. Ah yes, I see you there... I see you there in the back. Now, silently repeat after me this prayer."
Does this sound familiar? Is this something you've seen a pastor do in a church? I have witnessed this multiple times. There are many problems with this.
1. Why do all the people have to bow their heads and close their eyes? Are the people who might get saved here ashamed of their decision? Are they afraid to publicly declare they want to follow Jesus? If so, then my guess is they won't get saved anyway.
2. Where in the Bible does it say you have to repeat any prayer to get saved? Aren't we told in Scripture not to repeat prayers like the heathen do? If you are only "repeating" what the pastor says, are you being genuine in your declaration when they aren't even your own words?
3. Where is the conviction? the real repentance? The public declaration of one's new faith and the subsequent celebration?
Yet after these people have secretly said "the prayer", the pastor declares them "saved" I believe this is how we get false converts in churches.
Let's look at the Apostle Peter's famous sermon in Acts 2, the one where 3000 people got saved. After his sermon, this is what the Scripture says:
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
No quiet raising of hands in secret. No repeating a prayer. The very first instruction of Peter was to REPENT.
There are, in fact, 80 occurrences of the word Repent in the NKJV of the New Testament.
Repentance does not just mean saying I'm sorry. It is a complete and utter 180 degree turn from what you were doing, how you were living, to a new way of life. People who truly get saved are completely undone by the Gospel. They hear it and it affects them so much, it cuts them to the quick, and they realize how wicked and depraved they are. They fall to their knees in repentance and give their lives to Jesus. And they aren't ashamed at all when they do this. They do it openly and publicly, confessing their belief that Jesus is the Son of God, that He rose again from the dead, and they make Him Lord of their lives.
Nowhere in Scripture is there a salvation experience done in secret by repeating a prayer. Even if the pastor calls the people up to the altar, he still puts words in their mouths. I'm not saying that all people who raised their hand and repeated a prayer in church did not get saved. I'm sure some did.
The Lord led me to point this out to you, although many of you know this. But our current way of doing church (and the way its been done for nearly 2000 years) is not Biblical. The congregational church was never described in the Bible where there is one man in charge and everyone comes and sits in an auditorium to be entertained. Christianity is not a spectator sport! The only church the Scriptures define is a group of believers who meet together to worship, pray, and grow in discipleship. Everyone has a gift from God that he or she can use to edify other believers. The pastor is NOT the head and responsible for the entire group. There are teachers, administrators, worship leaders, prophets, helpers, healers, and a ton of other giftings you can find listed in the Bible.
Unfortunately with the current way "church" is done and the way people "get saved", I believe that sitting in the pews across America (and the world) are many people who profess to be a Christian but who truly never repented and don't know Jesus at all.
Please don't take offense if you attend a church you like where the pastor preaches the real Gospel. This is not a bad thing. But it would be much better to meet together in groups where everyone can use the gifts God gave them to help disciple all the believers.
We are so close to going home. It breaks my heart that there are so many tares among the wheat. They've been told they are saved when they really aren't. They've been told they got their ticket punched to get into heaven but in reality the Lord will tell them He never knew them. Ultimately it's up to them to seek out the Scriptures and form a relationship with Jesus. But they feel secure in their OSAS doctrine, and all their sins past, present, and future have been forgiven, right? So, it doesn't matter how they live. Breaks my heart..
Hello Sister in Christ,
ReplyDeleteThere are a few churches near where I live and when I sometimes drive by on Sundays to see plenty of cars parked in the lot and the sidewalk, I also wonder how many churchgoers are truly saved. It is not like you go to church, listen to a sermon, and then pray to the Lord to be labeled as “saved.” I am assuming there are some who take the routine seriously as in seek more of the Lord through Scripture and by sincerely changing their lifestyles for the better once they step outside of the church.
My daily routine prayer is a bit repetitive because I recite like fifteen scripture verses that I know by heart in the middle of the prayer, preceded by addressing the Lord and thanking him for the day’s events, then confessing any sins and praying for family and the lost before going into the verses. It is concluded with another round of gratitude for various things God had done, a final prayer of salvation for family and the lost, and then promising the Lord I will remain faithful in Him with my oil lamp continuously burning before saying “In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
The whole prayer takes like eight to ten minutes, depending on how much I say in the beginning, and I generally have to find a convenient moment when I discern that I will be uninterrupted for that timeframe. Doing this daily for more than a decade has really brought me closer to the Lord.
You may have heard that FIFA is now generating heated controversy after allowing a Belgian player who was issued a red card to play in tonight’s match against the US at Sofi Stadium due to Trump’s sudden intervention. I find it very interesting and somewhat incidental that it is right before a match with the US in the on Los Angeles soil. I wonder how tonight is going to be with the heated emotions and likely tensions due to this situation.
Have a great day Sister and Peace and Blessings from a Brother in Christ.
Greetings, Brother! I think your prayer is awesome. I heard once we should spend 10% of our prayers with our requests (Because God already knows them) 20% in thanksgiving, 20% in Worship and 50% in just being mostly quiet before the Lord... talking with Him back and forth as one would a close friend. Also don't limit your prayers to only 10 minutes... but speak to the Lord all during your day... Thank him for the little blessings that come your way. If you see someone at work or in a store and they look like they need the Lord, pray for them silently... .or ask the Lord about them... just things like that... It will help you grow closer to Him.!
DeleteI hadn't heard that about the FIFA. Interesting. I guess we'll see if anything happens tonight.
Blessings!
Greetings Holy Messenger of God,
ReplyDeleteSince it is difficult to tell if someone is truly saved just by regularly going to church, this is why I feel we should be discerning as to who we may interact with, for if we try to bring up the possibility that they might be deceived (ie, good works will not save you, what saves is accepting the Lord’s atonement for our sins alone and nothing else per Ephesians 2:8-9 and John 19:30) by their church’s doctrine, they might get defensive and this could lead to unwanted backlash. I agree that it is so heartbreaking many could masquerade as “true” Christians yet are ignorant towards common courtesy and of course, the signs and the coming Tribulation. I guess all we can do as an alternative to making them reassess their relationship with the Lord is to pray for them to wake up and know the truth?
There was this sermon I recall reading about a long time ago in which a pastor asked the church attendees to stand up if they have forgiven their enemies. Everyone except one elderly lady stood up, and when the pastor asked her why she has not forgiven her enemies, her reply was “I don’t have any.” Amazed at her response, the pastor asked her to explain how so to the whole congregation. Her response was only four words: “I outlived them all.” Doesn’t this seem like “divine retaliation” from her perspective since those who were against her have passed? She may have assumed that they were unrepentant/unsaved, hence her response. Have you seen this kind of character before and how would God feel about it?
Wasn’t it reported that Trump would formally confirm the existence of alien life this Wednesday the 8th on the Roswell anniversary, but there has not been word of that lately? My belief is that it is possibly delayed due to finishing touches that are still missing - in other words, stall humanity while they scramble to strengthen the narrative. Do you feel this may be a diversion of some kind?
I also feel we are going home soon, though I have been tempted towards impatience a number of times, but I will continue to wait and remain true to the Lord. Blessings and Come Quickly Lord Jesus!
Greetings! Yes... sometimes all we can do for the deceived is to pray for the Lord to open their eyes.. but I actually think this is the most powerful thing we can do. The fervent prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective!
DeleteThat story of the elderly lady is amusing, but as I read it, I thought. that it doesn't matter if all her "enemies" were deceased. She still has to forgive them. Death does not remove the need for us to forgive those who have harmed us.
I have no idea about the Disclosure. I know and truly believe it will happen and the "aliens" will arrive... probably around the time we leave, but who knows when that will be. I'm sure they already have it planned for a certain date.
Yes, continue to wait on the Lord and remember that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Jesus is coming! We know that. So we keep busy with the work He has give us to do!
Blessings!