Posted on 09/15/2009 8:21:31 AM PDT by Colofornian
“HI, we’d like to talk to you about Jesus Christ!”
Standing tall, two young and well-dressed American boys at my door broke the ice instantaneously. Happy to see them, I said that we were Christians too. What happened next, however, took me by surprise and left me scrambling for words. Stating that they were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they said they wanted to talk about a prophet and a book given to the prophet by God. Though a little shaken, I refused to hear their ideologies — they left only to return another day in a bid to coax me.
In today’s world, cults are very much a reality. Cults are widely prevalent in our country, in our city too. An unexpected encounter with cult members can leave us disturbed. As Jesus warned, during the last days, there will be many people proclaiming different ideologies in His name. It is our duty to be vigilant and strong in faith.
God’s Word says that many deceptive spirits will be on the loose, waiting to swallow the unaware. So do we know how to discern deceptions? We may know that their claims do not align with God’s Word, we may even understand that their belief is not the Truth – but how do we handle encounters with cult members? How do we prepare ourselves to face the challenges of the last days? One way is to be aware of the different cults and to understand their approach.
Take the case of Mormons. Mormonism and polygamy go hand in hand - an attractive proposition for today’s world. ‘Mormonism’ has a good number of followers in the US and several other parts of the world. But the Mormons have been in Chennai as well for nearly a decade now and have slowly yet steadily increased in numerical strength.
A conversation based on such beliefs can perturb anybody, especially if we are not prepared. THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER spoke to a cross-section of senior church leaders, who threw light on how we could tackle such encounters. Each of them shared valuable insights on how to be prepared always, how to answer cult members, and how to watch and pray.
Pastor P Vijayaraghavan of the Apostolic Church said, “I know that the Mormons have been around in Chennai for about 10 years. They’ve grown a lot and that wouldn’t be possible but for their polygamous behavior.” He agreed that as believers, we should know Christian truth well enough to be able to decipher cults.
“Cult groups have something novel to offer to people and especially exploit their gullible nature,” said he said.
Pastor Arthur Devadoss of Hosanna Ministries had an interesting anecdote to share.
“The Mormons gave me their book sometime ago and I didn’t even bother to read it. They came back for the book and fought with me,” he said.
However, Pastor Devadoss is worried about another new church group.
“There is a new group called the Indian Church of Christ that approaches people with visiting cards; they worry me the most. They speak the local language and lure youngsters to join them. They, too, propagate polygamy and immoral relationships,” he said.
He has briefed his congregation well about such cults and has asked them to stand up for their beliefs. In case they are unable to do so, he asks them to just invite the cult followers to their church or refer them to the pastor. “They’ll never trouble you again,” Devadoss affirmed.
Pastor Jayakaran Emmanuel of Power House Church echoes this view.
“It’s better for you not to entertain them. Since we know their beliefs are misleading and untrue, don’t encourage them and they won’t approach you further,” he said. Is there anything else that a believer needs to be aware of to tackle these cultists?
Rev. D.C. Premraj, Presbyter of St. George’s Cathedral, said: “There are just a few things that we should watch out for. First, we should be strong in our beliefs. We must make an effort to understand what we believe in. Second, as our faith and belief grow, we must be grounded Biblically. Our foundation must be clear and strong in God’s Word. Third, during any such encounters, check for Biblical context. Anyone can quote from the Bible, but we must know how relevant and contextual it is.”
Confirmation classes and Bible studies conducted by churches are aimed at making the believers’ steadfast in their faith, Rev. Premraj added.
Pastor Jagadeesan Kalyanakumar of Harvest Christian Assembly quoted Ephesians 4:16: “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” He added: “The rule of thumb is that if you know the original, you can identify the counterfeit. And the more familiar you are with God’s Word, the better you can discern and safeguard yourself from deceptive doctrines.”
In all this, the Bible is the final authority to check any doctrine. Sola Scriptura, meaning the Bible alone, is the key theme in the church’s reformation of the 16th century.
The Jehovah Witnesses, for instance, proclaim Jesus to be an angel with extraordinary powers. But the Bible very clearly says that He is the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God who revealed God and his love to humanity (John: 3:16). Another example, the Mormons’ scripture includes the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.
As Christians, Pastor Joshua Jeyaseelan, Tamil Baptist Church, said: “We have one revealed Word of God which is the Holy Scripture (II Timothy 3:16). So any new doctrine or cult has to be analyzed and understood in the light of the Scripture.”
Pastor Vijayaraghavan said, “We must know how to identify a cult and that’s by knowing what they are. Cults are major deviations from orthodox Christianity relative to the Bible’s cardinal doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, the second coming, millennial reign, and salvation by the grace of Jesus Christ.”
It is our responsibility to understand our beliefs, our stand. Just like the wise man that built his house on the Rock, if our foundation is strong and built on Jesus, it will not be shaken.
Today, it was I who met with the Mormons, tomorrow it could be you. Let us watch and pray for the salvation of cult members and for God to grant us the wisdom to stand strong in His Word.
I guess one could just ignore the hypocracy in a statement someone made; since they obvious either do NOT see it; or think that it doesn’t matter much.
CTR
I freely admit that your version of the Gospel is more appealing to the world than the Gospel that I know and love. Your simple “say the sinner’s prayer” approach is sure to excite more people than the “repent of your sin and believe” message that is laid out in the Bible, but without repentance and belief in all that Christ claims to be, the person who simply prays the “sinners prayer” is condemned.
Unfortunately nobody will be saved by reciting a prayer, and I hope and pray that you come to see the truth. In the meantime, I will pray that all you come in contact with will dig deeper into the Word than you have done.
You obviously think that you’re clever, but remember:
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? - 1 Corinthians 1:20
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” - 1 Corinthians 2:14
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness.’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’” - 1 Corinthians 3:18-20
OK, let’s go back to where this started. Here is your original post about the sinner’s prayer.
“The Sinner’s Prayer:
‘Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless You save me I am lost forever. I thank You for dying for me on the Cross and paying for my sins. I come to You now, Lord, just as You said in Your Word, the best way I know how, and ask You to save me. I now receive You as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.’
If any unsaved soul prays that prayer, then according to the Word of God — THEY ARE SAVED! AMEN!’
Now is it true that “if ANY unsaved soul prays that prayer” they are saved? Do you honestly believe that? You said NOTHING about repentance whatsoever, in fact you went further:
“God’s Word says if you receive and trust in Jesus Christ you are saved. It does NOT say you “might” or “could” be saved — but “shall be saved”. YOU ARE SAVED! Once again:
‘For whosoever shall calleth upon the Name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED.’
- Romans 10:13
Simple and straightforward, and no complicated doctrines, rituals, dogmas, catmas, or any other kind o’ ‘mas’ ;)”
There is a great book by John MacArthur entitled “The Gospel According to Jesus” that I would encourage you to read. There are thousands and perhaps millions of unsaved souls in this world that were told they were saved because they “prayed a prayer” or “walked an aisle” who are damned.
Even Billy Graham admits that the vast majority of those who came forward at his crusades were never saved despite praying the sinner’s prayer and walking the aisle. Many, many pastors are quite good at stirring peoples’ emotions and causing them to make a false profession of faith.
While you may personally know that more is required of a sinner, you certainly didn’t say as much, which is why I jumped all over the sinner’s prayer that you posted. There is absolutely NO BIBLICAL SUPPORT for a sinner’s prayer, and I really don’t care how many pastors or churches have a “variation” of it. They are not authorized to modify or dumb-down the Gospel, any more than you are. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is SUPPOSED to be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
When I asked you where to find the sinner’s prayer in the Bible, you replied by telling me “There are many variations of that prayer, and it sounds like you’ve got a chip on your shoulder in asking your question.” Yet you continually accuse me of getting personal?
I guess I do have a chip on my shoulder; I’m sick of hearing “Christians” tell people that they can be saved by repeating a prayer, without telling them to count the costs, without telling them that following Christ means dying to the world and the world’s desires. Sanctification will ALWAYS follow justification. It is a lie of the devil that a man can be saved my mouthing some words, no matter how strongly he/she may want to believe it.
“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. - 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Would someone wallowing happily in their sins express such sentiments? I think not.
Of course, it’s possible in a HYPOTHETICAL sense but to what end?”
You continue to make assertions that are clearly contrary to Scripture; according to the Bible, it’s more than a hypothetical.
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” - 2 Corinthians 7:10
Jesus is our example for evangelism and He NEVER told anyone to recite a prayer for salvation. It has nothing to do with the fact that He had not yet been crucified, as you’ve repeated twice now, oddly. But just to prove the point, Paul and Peter never led anyone in the sinner’s prayer, nor did they tell anyone to “accept Christ into their heart” or other such nonsense.
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are MANY. FOR THE GATE IS NARROW AND WAY IS HARD that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” - Matthew 7:13-14
“At no time have I stated, suggested or implied that repenting and believing is not necessary, you are ascribing those words to me and that is false.”
“The Sinner’s Prayer:
‘Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless You save me I am lost forever. I thank You for dying for me on the Cross and paying for my sins. I come to You now, Lord, just as You said in Your Word, the best way I know how, and ask You to save me. I now receive You as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.’
If any unsaved soul prays that prayer, then according to the Word of God — THEY ARE SAVED! AMEN!’
First you square these two statements.
I also noticed you dropped your tagline about the “Jesus Christ Express Card”. Why was that?
I forgot to add this incredible assertion.
“I have never (contrary to your false assertions) suggested that repenting and believing is NOT required for salvation, and again: you know that.”
You wrote that after writing this:
“The Sinner’s Prayer:
‘Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and unless You save me I am lost forever. I thank You for dying for me on the Cross and paying for my sins. I come to You now, Lord, just as You said in Your Word, the best way I know how, and ask You to save me. I now receive You as my Savior. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.’
If any unsaved soul prays that prayer, then according to the Word of God — THEY ARE SAVED! AMEN!’”
One blatant falsehood after another.
The hostile bile of your soul is on full display.
I suggest you pray about it.
From John 6:
“For My Father’s Will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life...The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”
Back to you ‘Judge’.
Is there a “sinner’s prayer” in there somewhere?
If not, you are further revealed to be a deceiver.
Debating with you is like playing football with a team that keeps changing the rules. I challenge you, and you run from the light back into the darkness and start throwing up new issues without addressing the original issue.
Now, apparently, you’re back to saying that repentance is not necessary. You’re a sad case.
I’ve said no such thing (that repentance is not necessary), once again you are attempting to put words in my mouth.
Now you’re revealing yourself as the name calling antagonist that I detected in your very first post. I don’t know what spirit is inside you that generates such hostility but it’s not the Spirit of God, that’s for sure.
Thank you for the time you have spent responding. I am thinking about this matter and the article. I expect that you do not mind posters responding to you at this point.
One of my initial reactions was that this topic of “Mormons & polygamy” looks like a ‘canard’. I expect many people would react like that, especially in the U.S. ... and the article was published for an Indian readership. I realize that there is much more to consider. When I have a free moment, I will study more of what you had to say.
jessup,
your homepage is one of a kind. Maybe it explains a lot. My buddy here at work saw it and said, “that guy is a piece of work.” Don’t take that as an insult, he was chuckling as he said it.
Oh no insult perceived, I’ve been called much worse, even right here in this thread, lol
The fact is, I’m hunkered and bunkered down and ready for just about anything the 0bamunists throw in my direction, and I don’t regret a thing.
Hope all is well with you in your neck o’ the woods.
What is a homepage? Is it here, or are you referring to a personal website?
Thanks
jessup:
http://www.freerepublic.com/~mkjessup/
me:
http://www.freerepublic.com/~campaignpeterct/
click on the person’s name right above “Report Abuse” on their post. paulist, thanks for the free material that you’ve posted. I hope that I can make use of it when I am talking to people in the real world. It’s a useful summary of some sound doctrine.
So this is the writing of a God fearing Christian?
“the ascension of the 0bamas to the White House only meant one thing: another minority family moving into government subsidized housing, nothing more and nothing less”
I will say this; I think I now understand why you couldn’t seem to make a cogent defense of your beliefs.
You do understand that God establishes all authority on earth, and that includes President Obama don’t you? Rebelling against the authority of the President is rebellion against God.
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. - 1 Peter 2:13-17
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