Thus says the Lord: "Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'" --Jeremiah 6:16

 

1 May, 2007   comments: (0) Wonderful Plan?   Today's Synergized 'Wonderful Plan' Evangelism The salvation page on one church website is similar to so much of today's evangelism when it says: "Choosing Jesus is the most important decision an individual could ever make. It is also one of the few choices in life that is win/win. You are guaranteed victory in this life when you become a believer in Jesus Christ, and you receive the promise of spending eternity in heaven when you die. God thought you were important enough to provide you with an opportunity to be a conqueror in this life and throughout eternity. God has a wonderful plan for you". Of course, the people who teach these things have bible verses to back-up their message. But once again, the bible is used in a superficial way or is selectively cited. The page on that church's website goes on to lead you in praying a prayer and afterwards congratulates you on your "winning decision". In addition to making the error of Decisional Regeneration, we see that "an abundant life" is being held out as a carrot on a stick for coming to Christ. Here are a few more examples of that: This incredibly man-centered church introduction page leaves you thinking that God is all about enhancing your earthly existence: "[The pastor], in ministry over 20 years, brings practical insights and applications to Bible passages. His story telling ability and great sense of humor ensure that his messages are both relevant and enjoyable. ... Perhaps your heart has said, 'There has to be more to life'. Well, there is! True purpose and joy in life can be ours through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We can live the life we desire when we know God's love for us and live an honest, simple Christian life. ... God has a special plan for you and your family. We are dedicated to helping you enjoy the love, peace and joy that is meant for you." Another church starts off their evangelism page by saying: "God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. You might be asking yourself, 'why am I not experiencing this kind of a life?'" then they explain how sin is keeping you from being more happy. Of course then you are encouraged to make a good choice and pray the prayer. Don't get me started on how many gospel-tracts are for sale out there, using this same Wonderful Plan hook. I've been on a couple of cruise ships in my life, and they always have a special staff that exists just to make sure you are happy and entertained while onboard. What may come as a surprise to many evangelicals today is that God is not on such a staff ensuring their wonderful time while onboard earth. On that note, Ray Comfort gives this dose of Christian reality that should cause today's pastors and evangelists to wake up to the wrong incentives that are being used as an appeal to unbelievers: Let me tell you about a few of my Christian friends who live in the real world. One went with his wife to a meeting. Their teenage son drove there alone. On the way home, my friend came across an accident, so he stopped to help. When he looked in the vehicle, he saw his beloved teenage son dead--impaled on the steering wheel. The senior pastor of a church at which I was on staff was once asked to get out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to counsel a man who was waiting in his living room. As he stepped into the room, the man began to cut him up with a machete. The pastor almost died, and was irrevocably scarred both physically and mentally, so that he was unable to minister and required twenty-four-hour care. Another pastor friend learned that his wife had multiple sclerosis. The crippling disease left him as the only one in the family able to take care of their three young boys. Then he was diagnosed with cancer. One of my graphic artists married a woman whose Christian husband died of cancer, leaving her to raise five kids. The marriage was fine until she ran off with another man. She left my friend with the one child that was his. Sometime after that, someone broke into his home and beat him to a pulp. He had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment. One other friend found his beloved wife dead, in utterly tragic circumstances I am not at liberty to print. On June 19, 2000, five trainees with New Tribes Missions pitched a tent during a violent storm in Mississippi. Jenny Knapp, an attractive twenty-year-old, noticed that rain was causing the roof to cave in, so she lifted the tent pole to raise the height of the roof. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the pole and tore through her body, giving her second-degree burns on her face, arm, and back. Her friends resuscitated her lifeless body and rushed her to the hospital where she was placed in the intensive care unit. The young missionary recovered, but is terribly scarred and partly blind. It is a sad fact of life, but in the real world, lightning falls on the just and the unjust. At least one church I know of may have noticed the paradox. They were called "The Happy Church," but recently decided, for some reason, to change their name. I think that if we still want to cling to "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," we had better hide Foxe's Book of Martyrs from the eyes of sinners. Speaking of martyrdom, have you ever thought of what it would be like to be huddling together as a family, as hungry and ferocious lions rush into a Roman arena? Have you ever considered what it would be like to be eaten by lions? I have. My fertile imagination runs wild. What do you give the lion to eat first--your arm? How long would you remain conscious as he gnawed on it? Can you imagine the feelings you would have if you had led your loved ones in a sinner's prayer using the wonderful plan hook? Suppose you had read to them from a booklet by one well-known and respected man of God in which he said, "Everyone is seeking happiness. Why, then, are more people not experiencing this happiness? According to the Bible, true happiness can be found only through God's way." What would you tell your beloved family as you look into their terrified eyes? How could you reconcile the word "wonderful" with having the fierce teeth of a lion rip you apart, limb from limb? These are terrible thoughts, but they are not merely my fantasies. Multitudes of martyrs have suffered unspeakable torture for the name of Jesus Christ. It shouldn't have been a surprise to the early Church when persecution hit them. Jesus warned them of the fact that they may have to give their lives for His name's sake. He even said, "Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all men for My name's sake" (Matthew 10:21,22). No doubt that the Christian life does bring joy, but it is simply wrong to use the earthly fruits of salvation as a draw card to come to salvation. Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.665   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism