Five Marks of a False Convert

Being a Christian is by far the greatest blessing one could receive. Who can reject the glory of God, and the awesome love and forgiveness that Jesus has to offer? Yet, sadly, there are many out there who have convinced themselves that they are Christians, when, unfortunately, they are not. I have put together a short list of signs that you can use to examine yourself, or someone else, to test whether or not you are truly in the faith. This is by far not an exhaustive list, nor is it meant to discourage true believers. Every Christian struggles with certain things, and some moreso than others. If you are a relatively new convert, expect to struggle more than the seasoned Christian who has been saved and serving God for 40 years. The fact is, you should be improving constantly in all of these areas. There may be ups and downs, but if you take a look at the last year of your life, and you see no improvement in any of these signs, I would suggest you start praying, and ask God to open your eyes, and reveal himself to you. I pray that this list be glorifying to God first and foremost, but also that it be edifying to those who take the time to read it.

Sign #1, Avoiding Persecution - There are many who claim to be believers and claim to know Christ as their Savior, and will even put on a good show of morality most of the time, but when proclaiming the name of Christ gets tough, they back down. This is not to say that a Christian will never have moments of weakness. We know from the Bible that even the great Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:34). But if you repeatedly find yourself retreating when when you are being persecuted, or purposely deny or hide your Christianity in order to avoid persecution altogether, you probably have no reason to believe you are saved.

³ ...A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.

- Matthew 13:3-9

In the above passage, the Parable of the sower, Jesus speaks of those seeds that did not fall on good ground—they have no roots, or foundation. Since they don't have this good soil where they have been able to establish healthy roots, the intense heat of the sun just drys them up, and they wither away. This is what happens to professing Christians when they have no foundation to stand on. When they aren't grounded in true saving faith, they tend to wither away when they face opposition. They won't stand up for what they believe in, because they don't really believe it. Matthew 10:32-33 says "32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." If you don't see yourself facing persecution, and standing your ground, or at least trying to stand your ground, you very well may be a false convert. If you find yourself resorting to acting like a carnal man when around other non-Christians in order to "fit in," you may want to examine your heart to see if you are truly saved.

Sign #2, Constant Worry - This one seems to be one of the biggest problems among professing Christians. There are some who have a preoccupation with worry, especially about worldly things like food, clothing and money.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

- Matthew 6:24-34

God promises us he will provide us with everything we need. If you find yourself constantly worrying about making ends meet, or you are incontent with what you have been provided with, this is evidence that you are not putting your trust in God's promises. Faith is the key requirement for salvation, for without faith, one cannot be saved (Eph 2:8-9). Luke 8:13 says the false convert will receive the Word with joy, but the joy will be short lived. You will eventually fall back to your state of worry and unfaithfulness. If you are perpetually worried about these things, then you are relying on your self, rather than God, and you might be a false convert.


Sign #3, Unfruitful Relationships - Another sign that you or someone else may be a false convert is having little or no desire to develop friendships with other believers. When you are truly converted, and your desires are aligned with the will of God, you will long for friends that will lift you up in your walk with Christ, as well as hold you accountable (Ecc 4:9-12, Proverbs 27:9). Moreover, James 4:4 says "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." A true Christian wants to develop relationships that honor God. This does not necessarily mean that we can't know and befriend any non-Christians at all, in fact we are required to do so for the sake of sharing the Gospel. But that's the key, our priority with non-Christian friends should be sharing the Gospel with them. The Bible also says "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) Taking any friendship with non-Christians to the level of partnership, or fellowship, is forbidden in Scripture. Yes, it's understood that you have obligations with family members, and you are required to be close to them, but again, your priority with them as a Christian should be showing them the love of Christ. So if you find yourself putting off invitations to hang out with people in your Sunday School class because they make you feel uncomfortable, or if you find yourself more content with hanging out with non-Christian buddies from work, yet no desire to develop deep relationships with Christians, you might be a false convert.

Sign #4, Self Indulgence - Many Christians struggle with sin after they are saved. Bad habits are hard to break, even for the most faithful of believers. Some people may have smoking addictions, some people might curse. Some people may have a certain affinity towards self gratification, indulging in things like unhealthy amounts of television, sports, entertainment, etc. Whatever the sin is, the true Christian will struggle with this. This is one of the tougher areas for the Christian to attack, because it takes an ongoing, conscious effort to break habits. However, one sign that you are at true convert is if you are actually struggling with this activity. If you are a true Christian, your desire is to be obedient to Christ, and to become more Christ-like (1 John 2:6). As a Christian, you now represent Christ, and it is no longer you who lives, but Christ who lives in you (Galatians 2:20). You now live by faith, fending off your sins and worldly desires. This is not to say that you won't sin, or fall, but if you find yourself never struggling with your sin, never feeling any Godly sorrow for your sin, perhaps you need to rethink your standing in Christ. Christ gives you a new heart when you are saved, and removes your heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). If you're always too busy to spend time in the Word of God, you might not be saved. If you're putting off your relationship with Christ, skipping church, not reading your Bible, and not ministering to your family, yet you are watching football, you curse at work around your buddies, you find yourself angry and unforgiving often, and you feel no Godly remorse, you very well may be a false convert.

Sign #5, Pride - Probably the biggest tell-tale sign of a false convert is pride. Pride is the root of all of the other signs of a false convert. Proverbs 16:5 says "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished." Arrogance is Satan's number one tool to stop you from believing the Gospel, it stands in direct opposition to any form of repentance, and anyone who is proud cannot be saved.

However, there are many proud who profess to be Christians. They run around naming the name of Christ, might have Christian bumper stickers on their cars, and they may even try to share the Gospel with others, but if you try to rebuke this person, or call this person out regarding their sin, they will reject you. They absolutely cannot stand to be told that they are wrong about something. They will mock you, and argue with you, and never accept responsibility for their wrongdoings. Proverbs 9:8 says "Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you." The scoffer, or mocker, will not be corrected, but one of the marks of being saved is someone who is humble and open to reproof. James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Those who are humble in spirit are repentant, and receive God's grace. If you always have an argumentative heart towards correction and reproof, and you are unable to hear when someone is confronting you about sin in your life, you very well may be a false convert. I'll end with the following two passages addressing pride:

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

- Luke 18:10-14

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

- Luke 14:8-11

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Matt Chandler Endorsing Lent, Acknowledges Mysticism

Evangelical hipster, and the go-to boy when it comes to building the bridge between pop-culture and mainstream evangelicalism, Matt Chandler, is at it once again. While he is well known for dabbling in questionable theology, and promoting mysticism within the church without pushing the envelope far enough to make the good-ole-boys too uncomfortable, he's not stopping short of once again encouraging his followers to slip into a state of mindless buff. In a recent Village Church podcast he discussed with the host, Josh Patterson, the applicability of the season of Lent in his congregation. While he says his church is not officially observing Lent, he does speak very positively of it, while putting out an official church publication guiding his congregation in the observance of the Catholic tradition. This is the typical double speak we've come to expect from Chandler, practicing and promoting questionable things while standing on his "safe place" of "not officially endorsing."

While promoting on the podcast that Lent is a good way to think about laying some things aside, and focusing on the sacrifice and salvation of our Lord, Jesus, he fails to understand the true history of Lent, and larger ramifications of observing an unbiblical tradition in unison with a religion that is the enemy of the Gospel. He acknowledges the arguments against the practice, and states that the arguments just aren't convincing enough for him to condemn the practice. According to Catholicism, Lent is observed in respect to the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, however, there is no observance of Lent for several centuries after the crucifixion. Usually the observance of Lent is connected with giving up some kind of food, a television show, or some other bad habit for the 40 days before the Easter holiday. It is alleged that Lent is a form of self-denial, and a way to connect with the experience of self-denial that Jesus went through.

But there is absolutely no mention of a season of Lent in Scripture, and never were Christians or Jews commissioned to observe such a tradition. The true history of Lent can actually be traced back to the worship of the Babylonian goddess Ashtoreth, or Ishtar. Alexander Hislop, in his classic work, The Two Babylons, in the section entitled, Easter, explains the origin of the Lenten fast:

The forty days' abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, "in the spring of the year," is still observed by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil-worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans, for thus we read in Humboldt, where he gives account of Mexican observances: "Three days after the vernal equinox...began a solemn fast of forty days in honour of the sun." Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt, as may be seen on consulting Wilkinson's Egyptians. This Egyptian Lent of forty days, we are informed by Landseer, in his Sabean Researches, was held expressly in commemoration of Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god.

Hislop also states:

Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensible preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz, which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing, and which, in many countries, was considerably later than the Christian festival, being observed in Palestine and Assyria in June, therefore called the 'month of Tammuz;' in Egypt, about the middle of May, and in Britain, some time in April. To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity -- now far sunk in idolatry -- in this as in so many other things, to shake hands. 

It is no doubt that Rome is a melting pot for world religions, and still is today. It is well known for mixing Pagan idolatry, observed through the veneration of the saints and Mary, with a Christian theme. However, there is no saving Gospel within the doctrines of Romanism. Rome, since ancient times has been nothing more than a religio-political system with the aim of world domination through whatever means necessary, be it politics, violence, or total control of your soul through religion. It is no different now, and Rome's agents are working hard to blur the lines of mainstream Evangelicalism with Catholicism.

While listening to Chandler's podcast, and his reasoning on the subject, on the surface it seems that his motives for doing so are benign. He takes the stance that the observance of Lent can be good if done so with Scriptural motives, and prayer and fasting are almost always considered worthy undertakings in Scripture. However, Scripture never calls for a public or corporate form of fasting, and those who fast are supposed to look and act as though they are not (Matthew 16:16-18). However, this observance of fasting during the season of Lent has become a commercialized mockery of biblical fasting, with people plastering advertisements all over social media of what they are "giving up for Lent," and "how hard it is" to do so.

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Traditionally, the celebration of Lent is more than just fasting and prayer. In Catholicism, there are a number of mystical aspects that also are at play. During this Catholic season, a mystical custom known as The Stations of the Cross are practiced. It's a method of going through a series of artistic representations of the steps Jesus took while carrying his cross to his crucifixion. The idea behind the practice is that through these artistic representations, often un-biblical, one's emotions are supposed to be evoked to the point of sorrow, and identification with Christ. However, this practice is condemned in Scripture. Sadly, many Evangelical churches, including Rick Warren's Saddleback, are adopting a form of this practice today, further muddying the waters between Catholicism and Christianity.

I also find it rather interesting that Chandler's Lent guide put out by his church is filled with Puritan prayers from the Valley of Vision. Considering it was the Puritans stance to abstain from man-made traditions such as Lent, I find it highly suspect that Chandler would use these as a means to observe. It's not that the substance of the guide itself is merely unscriptural, in many ways it is perfectly fine, and would otherwise be a great devotional, but the bigger issue here is the attempt to connect Catholicism with Biblical Christianity through this tradition. The Protestant reformation was based on the view that the Roman Catholic church was apostate, and that Biblical Christianity should stand apart from, and distinct from the Pagan traditions of Rome. However, Chandler, (and he's not the only one) seem to have lost their grasp on this highly important historical concept, and without second thought, are helping to reverse the Reformation.

For more information on why Protestants shouldn't observe Lent, see Entreating Favor's article: Five Reasons Not To Observe Lent


**UPDATE**
For those of you who are having a hard time grasping the point of this posting, many of you are emailing, tweeting, commenting, etc asking my what my problem is with how the nature of how Chandler or Protestants in general are observing Lent. Please do not email me with this question, as I have already addressed, it isn't necessarily the substance of Chandler's guide, or the nature of how someone who is Biblically focused "might" observe the Lenten season as much as it is the ecumenical nature of promoting the event. The problem herein lies that by publicly condoning a traditionally Catholic event, especially one that has no Biblical basis for observing, puts out the perception that Evangelicals and Catholics are growing closer, coming together, and joining together in the same types of worship. But this is far from the truth. As subtle as it may be, it's just another example of Evangelicals capitulating to Rome. Soon, it will be okay for Protestants to have statues of Mary around their campuses, "so long as they don't bow down or worship it." Protestants and Evangelicals are slowly moving away from, and beginning to defy "Sola Scriptura," and this is a serious problem. People will come up with any excuse that they can to defend something that pleases them, rather than stand on the Word of God as their absolute authority. I don't have a problem with the substance of Chandler's guide, I have a problem with what it represents.

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Luke Chapter 1, Verse 14-23, Bible Study

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

The Angel of the Lord, who we know has been sent to represent the pre-incarnate Jesus, is continuing to proclaim the Word of God. He is announcing the forerunner, the very one who will usher in the incarnate savior. It's interesting to note here that the Angel is telling him that John would go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. In Malachi 4:6 we have this prophecy; "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." John would fulfill this prophecy in his baptism ministry of warning and repentance to the people of Israel.

Zechariah, the one receiving the prophecy, has already been introduced as a righteous man, in high favor with God. This symbolises that God's plans for redemption are through righteousness and obedience to him, similarly to that of Noah and his family. The promise that their son, John, will also be righteous and filled with the Holy Spirit from the beginning must have been encouraging. As opposed to the Old Testament prophets who received the Spirit at some point later in life, God has chosen John to be filled since birth. The people of Israel who are hearing this prophecy are aware that this means something big is happening. John was spoken of by the great prophet Isaiah, as the one who cries out in the wilderness, who prepares the way for the Lord (Isaiah, 40:3). Wine and grape products were thought of to be a blessing in Old Testament days, a gift in moderation from the Lord that gladdens a man's heart (Psalm 104:15, Proverbs 3:10). John's denial of these blessings showed a special anointing, he was to be consecrated to God as a Nazirite for His purposes, to prepare the people for the greatest blessing of all time.

18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Though Zechariah was a faithful and righteous man in the eyes of God, he was still human and shows it in verse 18. Expressing doubt, he questions the angel sincerity, expressing that he and his wife are aging. This is reminiscent of Abraham, laughing and doubting the sincerity of God when He appeared to him promising his wife, Sarah, would bear him a son (Genesis 17:17). Hastily, the angel responds to his unbelief by announcing his name and position; for his message was to be accepted as authoritative, direct from the throne of God. As a discipline for his unbelief, or moment of unfaithfulness, Gabriel proclaims to him that he will temporarily be unable to speak, or function in society until these things have come to pass. God uses these disciplines in our lives sometimes to allow us to reflect on our hearts, and to correct our behavior or unfaithfulness. When he came out of the temple, he was unable to express to the people what he had seen, for he was speechless.  He attempted to gesture out a message to them of what he had seen, but it is unclear how much of this message the people understood. However, the people knew that he had received a vision from Heaven and that it would be brought to pass. Zechariah then heads back to his home, still under the discipline of the Lord administered by the angel, and has time to consider what he had learned before his blessings will be brought to pass.

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The Progressive Christian Fallacy - Sin Rationalizing

So I entered into conversation today with someone who refers to himself as a "gay Christian." I asked him to explain what he thought Christianity was, and I got the typical response, "That's very simple. Following the teachings of Christ, not other Christians." Further into the conversation, he references himself as a "Progressive Christian," and refers me to a meme from the Christian Left website (which is basically a cut and paste from Wikipedia) that states:

Progressive Christianity is a form of Christianity which is characterized by a willingness to question tradition, acceptance of human diversity, a strong emphasis on social justice and care for the poor and the oppressed, and environmental stewardship of the Earth. Progressive Christians have a deep belief in the centrality of the instruction to "love one another" (John 15:17) within the teaching of Jesus Christ. This leads to a focus on promoting values such as compassion, justice, mercy, tolerance, and working towards solving the societal problems of poverty, discrimination, and environmental issues.

In a nutshell, his version of "Christianity" is a focus on rationalizing sin, and being intolerant of those who he perceives to be intolerant of his sinful lifestyle. You see, the progressive Christian wants people to accept them for who they are, make them feel better about themselves. They hate it when people point out their sin to them, because they need to be propped up by others in the world, to feel loved, and since they don't get that love and support from God or Christ himself, they depend on it from the world, and become very defensive or angry when someone breaks through that shield they have around them.

This false acceptance from the world, however, is a lie of the devil. Although some of the things that the progressives stand for appear to be good on the surface, underneath, they are just cleverly hidden deceptions, put out by lying spirits to lead you away from the truth. Satan knows that if he can seduce you away from the truth by appealing to your man-centered desires like loving and tolerating one another, living in harmony, and solving societal issues, then he can also lead you into believing bigger lies. Lies, for example, that you can continue to live your sinful lifestyle, since Jesus paid the price, and still go to heaven.

The argument tends to revolve around a misunderstanding of the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40,

Jesus replied: “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

They take this commandment, and misapply to their own lives by leading themselves to believe that tolerance of sin, and loving God and each other, makes them safe in the eyes of God. They believe that "loving people" means not showing people their sin, or not making them "feel bad" about their lifestyle. And they believe that by doing this, they are following the teachings of Christ. But the fallacy is this; this is not the teaching of Christ. Christ never came to teach tolerance of sin, he came to preach repentance (Luke 3:13-5). He didn't come to tell people that as long as they live in harmony, and accept one another for who they are, then everything will be fine. No, he came to bring a sword, not peace (Matthew 10:34). Progressives view Christians who stand on the Word of God as their authority as bigots, and as unloving people. But the truly unloving person is the one who doesn't call for repentance. For without repentance, a turning from sin, moving from a state of loving and rationalizing sin to hating your sin, there is no forgiveness of sins, salvation (Luke 24:47). And if you don't know you are a sinner, or you have rationalized your lifestyle to the extent of believing that it's not sinful, you are deceiving yourself right into Hell. Without condemnation, there is no salvation (Luke 5:32). In other words, you must realize that you are a sinner, and if someone is trying to lead you to that realization, that understanding, you should thank them for being so loving and kind to you, enough to care about your eternity. But if you still just don't get it, if you don't hate your sin, then I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are not a Christian, you are not born again, and you are not in good standing with God.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

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Addressing Critics of the Discerning - Part 1

Once in a while, I'll have a conversation with a pastor, usually a Southern Baptist pastor, who has read some of my articles, and find it puzzling that I would be calling out such leaders as Russell Moore or Ronnie Floyd. What I often notice however, is that while most of the time this pastor will be a very Gospel-focused pastor, and has no interest in leading their flock astray, is that many times they either have no idea what our leaders are involved in, or they have a weak or soft view on troubling issues such as ecumenism or heresies in the church, or an improper understanding of the purpose of the Protestant Reformation. I would like to address some of these misconceptions here that I am often faced with by critics of my point of view. In this article, I will be addressing some of the misconceptions as it applies to our leaders cozy-ing up with the papacy. I may address some other misconceptions in other articles, concerning other errors, such as mysticism, charismania, and word-faith heresies entering the SBC unchecked. This is in no way meant to be an offense against such pastors who are truly dedicated to God's work, it is only meant to address criticisms that I regularly receive from those who may not have a full understanding of what's at stake.

Misconception # 1: Russell Moore, Rick Warren, etc, going to the Vatican could be a good thing because they "may" be taking the Gospel to those who need it, and agreement on moral issues is a plus for the work of Christ. Agreement on moral issues doesn't necessarily constitute endorsement.

Response # 1: The problem isn't with our agreement on a moral truth, it's with the fellowship aspect of our actions. Ephesians 5:11 says "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." The word translated as "fellowship" here in this context is the Greek word "sugkoinoneo." According to Thayer, it primarly means "to become a partaker together with others," and according to Strongs, "to share in company," or "to co-participate."

This is exactly what our leaders are doing. They are "co-participating" with a false church on spiritual endeavors. They are becoming "partakers" with the RC on moral issues, and the reason we are commanded NOT to do so is because it's damaging to the Gospel. While we can stand on one side of the aisle, and say "I agree with the pope on the sanctity of marriage, I cannot stand with you on spiritual endeavors because we do not agree on the essentials." We cannot be willing to compromise the Gospel by publicly taking a stance in which it seems we are in full communion with an apostate church. Being "salt and light" entails standing apart from the darkness, and exposing the darkness, not joining in, co-mingling with, having fellowship with, and praying darkness.

We should be evangelizing all Roman Catholics, and calling them to repentance, and to leave the RC church, yet instead, we have leaders of the SBC doing the following:

• Al Mohler declaring "there are millions of Christians in the Catholic church." - source
• Russell Moore blogging: "I disagree with the primacy of the papacy, however, I agree with the pope on the Gospel, and other issues..." (paraphrased) - source
• Russell Moore - "I'm unsure of the differences between my and the pope's gospel focus." - more info
• Russell Moore tweets: "@pontifex is a very good choice for @Time person of the year." - view tweet here
• Then we have Rick Warren tweeting:

This is not being salt and light, and standing apart from darkness, preserving the truth and exposing the error. This is ecumenism at it's best. Ecumenism is today what the inquisition used to be. It's an effort to unify the world's religions under the authority of the pope, and unfortunately the SBC's leadership is slowly taking us in that direction.

Misconception # 2: While I disagree with many of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, I also disagree that the whole church is Apostate, and that there are many who are saved in the Catholic church.

Response # 2: The official doctrines of Rome are designed, by nature, to FORBID you from believing the true Gospel. Take for example the following quotes from the official doctrines of the Catholic Church:

"If anyone says the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him be anathema." -Canon 9, Sixth Session, Council of Trent

The Catholic Church, "condemns with anathema those who say that indulgences are useless or that the Church does not have the power to grant them." - Sacred Liturgy, Chapter IV, paragraph 8, Vatican Council II

By believing these doctrines, one cannot be saved, as they are diametrically opposed to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Other damnable heresies of the Catholic church include, but are not limited to:
• The Catholic church is the one true church - CCC 2105
• Infallibility of the Catholic Church - CCC 2035
• Only the Roman Catholic Church has authority to interpret Scripture - CCC 100
• The Pope is the head of the church and has the authority of Christ - CCC 2034
• The Roman Catholic Church is necessary for salvation - CCC 846
• Sacred Tradition equal to scripture - CCC 82
• Forgiveness of sins, salvation, is by faith and works - CCC 2036
• "Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods." - CCC 2027
• Penance is necessary for salvation - CCC 980
• Purgatory a necessity for cleansing our sins - CCC 1031, CCC 1475
• The Communion elements become the actual body and blood of Christ - CCC 1374, CCC 1376

If someone is Roman Catholic, and they do end up coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, they will ultimately have no choice but to leave the Roman Catholic church, once they realize that what their church is teaching is contrary to the truth.

Misconception # 3: Luther and the reformers really didn't believe that the Roman Catholic Church was a "false church." They only sought to correct some of the errors that they saw in the church. They did not believe the RCC was apostate, and neither should we.

Response # 3: It is true, that Luther, who is widely held (yet debatable for another time) to be the originator of the "Protestant" Reformation originally only sought to bring to light what he viewed as error in his church. However, Luther is not the be-all-end-all of the reformation. He may not have used the exact term "false church," but the sentiments were certainly there. Consider the following quotes from Luther and the reformers:

"We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist...personally I declare that I owe the Pope no other obedience than that to Antichrist." - Martin Luther

"The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them." - Cotton Mather

"that tyranny which the pope himself has for so many ages exercised over the church" and that the pope should be recognized as "the very antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks." (Taken from The Zurich Letters, pg. 199 by John Knox.)

John Wesley said of the papacy,

"He[the pope] is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the highest power, and highest honour...claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone." -Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms by John Wesley, pg. 110.

and consider the Westminster confession of faith:

CHAPTER XXV PARAGRAPH VI. There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ: nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the Church against Christ, and all that is called God.

One thing we have to remember is that the reformers were undoing thousands of years of false doctrine. Most had been raised and trained in the Catholic church, and it was a major deal for them to stand up against the pope, and the doctrines of Rome. Although most of the reformers were still flawed in much of their doctrine, the fact that they took a bold stance to seek the truth, and expose the error says much of them, and their character. They did not have several hundred years of expositional preaching, and biblical commentary, and established doctrine to help shape their understanding of biblical truths. They, for the most part, started from scratch, and even started with the process of translation. We owe it to these brave men, and to Jesus Christ who is in control of all things, not to work against the reformation, and concede to Rome, but to continue to stand against it, and expose their error. We should not tolerate our leaders today holding hands with the mother of apostates, we should be holding them accountable for doing so.

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T.D. Jakes: God's Grace is Like ''Supply and Demand''

Word of Faith preacher, Bishop T.D. Jakes, of the Potter's House in Dallas, TX, proclaims that God is at the mercy of our appetite, and our hearts, to do his will. In opposition to Romans 9:15-16 where it says

for he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

He goes on to say "you can't teach someone who ain't looking, you can't draw an illustration for somebody who won't watch, and "that we are at the mercy of the appetite of the people....and so is God."  He goes on to proclaim that "as strong and as powerful as God is, he is at the mercy of our hunger.

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Don't Ask That in Church!

Do you ever feel sidelined at your church? Everyone going about their business, actively participating in programs, teaching Sunday School classes, men's groups, women's groups, kid's activities, you name it. You want to be involved, but you have that feeling in you, that you can't share what you want to talk about, or bring up your thoughts or ideas, because nobody else gets it. Do you feel like you can't bring up certain subjects to your pastor, or your Sunday School teacher, because they just brush it aside? It's because they either don't understand it, don't think it's important, or are just flat out uncomfortable getting into it.

You faithfully go to church every Sunday, go to your class, and it seems like every day, it's the same mundane, cursory lessons. Constantly going over the basics—the milk. You've tried changing classes, more than once, but you just can't seem to get into a group that's interested in the meat. Lessons seem to be selectively simple, picking out passages that repeat the same basic, entry-level Christian concepts. Subjects like sharing the Gospel with others, loving one another, sin and repentance, living our daily lives as a witness, etc. Not that these aren't important topics, don't get me wrong, the Gospel is by far the most important topic. But as a general rule, if you're a born again Christian, you should already know the Gospel.

So why is it when you bring up for example, eschatology, the topic usually gets dismissed with a nice smile and a "that's a lesson for another day" type response, but then it never happens? Why can't we bring up and discuss topics such as the Antichrist, end times prophecy, false teachers, the New World Order and the harlot Church, that's being built right before our eyes? Everyone just wants to act like there's nothing going on, and just get on with their daily lives. But it's eating away inside some of us, who really need to be able to talk about these things with other Christians—other Christians who share the same interests on an intellectual level, and really want to dive deep into it. We want to know who the Nephilim are, and do they still exist today. We want to talk about how the Papacy relates to the New World Order, and how false teachers in our churches and denominations are helping to build this world system. We want to discuss topics like "who was Melchizedik," was he actually pre-incarnate Jesus, or just a type of Christ? What about freemasonry in the church? Don't you know that freemasonry is a Luciferian cult, and it's running rampant within both the Evangelical as well as Catholic church? What about the Jesuits, and their influence on the Evangelical church. Why is this never talked about? What about the Serpent Seed theory? This is a heresy that seems to be gaining vast popularity, but try asking your Sunday School teacher about that one. Chances are, he's probably never heard of it. Why don't we talk about how the New Age cults have managed to creep their old pagan ideas into the Church, and transform the church into a speeding vehicle for apostasy? Most of our church members have no idea what type of eastern mystic Satanic pillars are behind practices like Yoga or Contemplative Prayer, yet these are things that just aren't talked about. In many cases, these things are subtly promoted through false teachers like Beth Moore, Ann Voskamp and Tim Keller, within even the best of Bible-believing churches, simply because people aren't discerning, or just don't take the time to do any of the research. Why? Because most people are comfortable where they are.

When my (at the time, Catholic) wife and I first (re)started coming to our church a few years ago, my wife asked our Sunday School teacher (and deacon), in a Southern Baptist Church mind you, why Baptists don't baptize babies, and why they only baptize adults. His response, paraphrased: "I think it's because the the Bible requires it for church membership, and it's because Jesus commanded us to." Well, you can imagine how my wife took that response "seriously." It was at that time I knew we needed to find another class right away, in which we did, and eventually her questions were answered, and she was saved after hearing the Gospel preached by a faithful teacher. Nonetheless, even the most faithful of these teachers have their limits, and still won't seem to touch these outer edges. It's a sad state when Christians have to turn to internet forums and groups to get their spiritual meat.

We recently did a course in my church on Wayne Grudem's book, "Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know." Well, basic was definitely the right word. It was so basic, so boring that I couldn't hardly hold my eyes open during the class. And this was the advanced "Pastor's class." I don't want to make it sound like the pastors at my church are intellectually inferior in any way, trust me, they aren't. But it seems like the general consensus is that the members in the church need this basic milk, which is probably true, but there just isn't enough interest to set aside classes or groups for members who need more. But I know I can't be the only one longing for that, there must be others. But I just can't seem to find them. Everywhere I go, people are just so satisfied with where they are spiritually, and aren't longing for that meat.

The fact is, in most churches, intellectual Christians get shunned, they don't fit in, and many ultimately end up leaving the church altogether. If a Christian doesn't feel like they are being spiritually fed, and can't find a place to be spiritually fed, this is a problem. I'm not talking about unbelievers who deny the Gospel, and deny Christ. I'm talking about true, born again Christians, who have serious questions, and want to be spiritually fed on a deep level. They long for understanding, acceptance, and validation, but just can't seem to get that in church. But God gave us an entire Bible full of commands to seek out and study a vast array of topics, including what most would consider fringe topics. God created us in his image, with an intellect and a need to share in relationship with others. He gave us his Word, the Bible, with the basic essential doctrinal topics clearly laid out for us, but he also gave us the other, not-so-clear topics so that we could exercise our intellects, and get to know Him better. It keeps us focused on him, interested in him, and close to him. I believe that's why he reveals himself that way. It keeps us longing for more of him, and for some of us, much much more.

According to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there 1,817 prophecies in the Bible contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s verses. There are 31,124 verses in the Bible, making prophecy approximately 27 percent of the Bible. Now, how often do we study prophecy in the Church? Hardly any, especially prophecies that haven't been fulfilled yet. Without study, and clear teaching and understanding of these prophecies from solid Bible teachers, pastors and elders in our churches, this opens the door for false teachings to take over. That's the problem, there are more false teachers teaching prophecy than solid Bible teachers, and this is where people are getting their spiritual meat. The solid teachers are just telling people to stay away from the subject, and not to worry about it. But the Bible says otherwise. The very fist passage, verse 3 of the Book of Revelation says "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." So why aren't our pastors reading and teaching it out loud? Why aren't we studying this in Sunday School classes? Why aren't students being taught these subjects in seminaries? Why don't more Christians care? Unfortunately, I think part of the problem people don't take it seriously is because they don't truly believe it, but also for many more, they just don't get it. Sadly, our teachers are robbing God's people of the blessed hope by ignoring it.

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, - 2 Peter 1:19

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The GOSPEL is the greatest news for anyone, any man, any woman, every child on earth. Jesus Christ died on the Cross to save YOU! The Bible tells us that ALL fall short of God's glory, and that we are ALL in need of his mercy. It can be confusing if you don't understand the Gospel. Some people think that they should try to get their life together before they come to God. Some people think that they need to be regenerated by God before they can excercise faith. But the truth is, God wants you to come just as you are. Matthew 9:13 tells us "But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

........So how do we come to Christ?

First and foremost you must recognize that you are a sinner in need of God's mercy and Grace. The Bible tells us on Romans 5 that because of Adam's sin, we are all separated from God, and are in need of His salvation. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says "For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin." In other words, you DO NOT deserve salvation, because you are not sinless. The only sinless man that ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 2:22, Heb 4:15, etc.) You cannot save yourself, only Christ can save you. There is no amount of good you can do to deserve salvation, but by the grace of God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The penalty must be paid. For you to come to the Lord, the penalty for your sins must be paid. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." is declared in Romans 6:23. In the old testament, we learn that before the time of Christ, God required blood for the atonement of sins. This involved the sacrifice of animals offered to God. So how does Jesus atone for our sins? Since Christ is infinitely perfect and holy, (1 Peter 2:22, etc.) and since "God made Christ Who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him," (2 Corinthians 5:21) His sacrifice on the Cross is infinitely sufficient to atone for the sins of all who will receive Him. Why did He do this? Because He loves us so much. He is our creator. He created us to have a relationship with us for His own glory. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

You must also realize that Christ is the only one that can save you. Acts 4:12 says "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." But thankfully we have Christ to turn to when we are dead in our trespasses and sins.

Repent and Believe! You must repent of your sins. Luke 13:5 says "...unless you repent you will all likewise perish." Repent means to completely turn from your sins, a change of heart, a decision to obey God. This must not be confused with works, because the repentance is also a gift from God. Romans 3:11 tells us that "There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God." We cannot repent on our own. John 6:44 also says "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day." God must grant it to us, and he does. He does this by the preaching and proclaiming of the Gospel. Luke states in Acts 11:18 that "When they heard these things [Peter's Sermon on God's Grace] they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, 'Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.'" Take a look at this passage from Romans 10:12-17

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (emphasis mine)

God has granted you the ability, but it is your responsibility to repent. God can no more repent for you than he can believe for you. John 1:12 says "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." He gives you the power, (the right) to repent and believe when you receive the Gospel.

So what do you have to do to be saved? Recognize, repent, believe. Get on your knees and humbly, but confidently (faithfully) ask Him to save you. Confess to Him that you are a sinner, and tell him that you truly want to follow Him. Thank Him for sending His Son to die on the cross for your sins, and raising Him from the dead that you may have life through Him. I'm not going to give you a "magic prayer" to pray, you must get on your knees and talk to Him from your heart. You must truly mean what you say to Him. Matthew 7:21 says "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." There is nothing magical about the prayer itself, but what is contained in that prayer. Romans 10: 9-10 says "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Born Again The Bible says you must be "born again." Jesus says in John 3:3 "...I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." What does that mean? The following passage in John 3:1-8 explains clearly:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

To be born again means to be born from above. You are first born of the flesh, of your mother's womb. You are literally "your mother's child." This is your physical birth. When you accept Christ as your Savior, (Repent, Believe) you are "born again" of spirit... of God. You now become a child of God as proclaimed in Romans 8:14 and as His child, you now take part in the inheritance, which is the kingdom of God. (Matthew 25:34) This is the essence of the Gospel.

Eternally Secure, Once you've made the decision to accept and follow Christ, you can rest assured that you have eternal life, and it cannot be taken away from you. It is maintained not by anything you can do, but by the hand of God. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:28) Something that is eternal cannot be taken away, otherwise it isn't eternal, it would only be temporary. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Remember if you have made the decision to follow Christ, and become a Christian, it is your responsibility to share the good news with others. Also, you should find a Bible believing church to participate in. It is essential for Christians to fellowship with other Christians in order to grow in your relationship with God.

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