Lordship Salvation Is A Deadly Counterfeit Gospel

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

It has been wisely said that the Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract. I fully agree. That is what our text verse says. The Apostle John said he penned these inspired words to convince you, dear reader, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. John says he wrote these words so that by making the choice to BELIEVE, you will be saved. This is the ONLY way to be saved, through faith alone in Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, subsequent burial and bodily resurrection three days later. This is THE GOSPEL (1st Corinthians 15:1-6).

There are many damnable false teachings (which the Bible calls “doctrines of Devils” in 1st Timothy 4:1-4), which are being preached in today's fake churches. We here much about “fake news” in recent years regarding social media. Ain't it the truth! It is hard to truly know what is true or false anymore, because there are so mnay liars, con artists, evildoers and false prophets in the world. Sadly, two of the biggest sources of misinformation is the U.S. government and the mainstream news media. After the blatant lies, inside job and cover-up of the 911 attacks, I will never trust the U.S. government or newsmedia again!!!

Everybody has interests, priorities, hobbies and someplace where they spend most of their time. Whereas some men choose to spend most of their spare time fishing, playing golf (I hate golf) or doing work around the house, I spend most of my time contending for the Christian faith. It is my passion!!! The Apostle Paul said that he was SET FOR THE DEFENCE OF THE GOSPEL. Philippians 1:17, “But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.”

The word “set” in Philippians 1:17 is the Greek word keimai, which means: “to lie outstretched.” It means to be laid up, to be totally overcome to a cause, which in this case was to defend the light of the truth of the Gospel. Paul was wholly committed to making sure that the Devil and his false teachers didn't creep into the churches he had started, and allow false prophets to corrupt his work. Likewise, I am committing as Paul to exposing everyplace in Bible colleges and churches today where the Devil rears his ugly poisonous head! It like a game of Whack-A-Mole! When I see Lordship Salvation sticking its ugly head up...WHACK! When I see Bob Jones University falsely teaching that you must repent and turn away from your sinning to be saved... WHACK!

“The world will go to Hell unless somebody is authoritative!”

—Pastor Jack Hyles, “I Shall Not Be Moved”

Having said that, I am unalterably opposed to the Devil's lie that more than childlike faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is necessary to get to Heaven. To be saved you simply need to know the Bible FACTS and BELIEVE (put your confidence in) them. You are a guilty sinner in God's holy sight (Romans 3:19-23). There is a penalty for sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). That includes the second death in Hell for all eternity (Psalms 9:17; Revelation 14:11; 20:11-15;21:8). But the Good News (or Gospel) is that God loves you dear friend. So He sent His only begotten Son Jesus into the world, to die a sinner's death in your place and mind on the cross of Calvary. The sinless virgin-born Son of God paid a debt that He didn't owe, to pay our massive debt of sin which we couldn't pay! Jesus was buried and then three days later He miraculously resurrected from the dead. The Bible teaches that anyone who simply BELIEVES those facts is saved.

But the lying Devil comes along and wickedly says:

“No, no, wait a minute Buster! You can't just come to God with the attitude that you intend to continue living in sin, and then seriously expect Him to forgive you. You must repent of your sins and turn away from them with all your heart, grieving over them, and be resolved in your heart to stop living a lifestyle of sin, or else you cannot be saved until you do. You must surrender your whole personality to Christ, choosing to follow Him from now on as your “Lord,” or else God will not save you until you do. You must count the cost and pay the price, emptying yourself of all selfish ambitions and love for the world. You must run the race of the Christian life faithfully until the end, if you want God to save you.”

The preceding plan of salvation is a demonic fraud; not the simplify that is in Christ, THE GOSPEL, which is plainly taught in the Holy Scriptures (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). I am amazed and saddened by the many unbiblical teachings which I constantly hear coming from pulpits all across America. We need a revival of preaching only what the Bible says, not what we think it says! You cannot show me any of the preceding concepts in the Bible. No where are we taught to run the race faithfully for a lifetime, as Dr. Steve Pettit false says we must to get to Heaven. It is frightening because Dr. Pettit is the president of Bob Jones University, brainwashing 3,000 students and faculty each year with his Calvinist lies, damning their souls to the Lake of Fire. You cannot be born-again when you ADD something else to faith alone!

Here are some helpful preacher quotes refuting the Devil's falsehood of Lordship Salvation:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan

 

 “Dear sinner, do not make this a difficult matter. There is one simple step between you and Jesus. When you trust Him, everything else is settled, and you have repented, you have come to Christ, you have received Him, you have done everything necessary to be saved.” —Dr. John R. Rice, a quote from his tract titled: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”

Lordship salvation would make salvation a trade or a deal or maybe even a bribe.  It would take away the simple reception of Christ for eternal life and would become God giving us something if we give Him something. God would say to us, “You give Me something; I'll give you something. We will trade, and you will be saved.” Salvation is not my giving God something and God giving me something; salvation is God giving me something and my receiving it. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation” (chapter 11 from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”)

“Yes, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of the universe, and, of course, we believe that He is Lord. However, to believe that in order to be saved one must make Him the Lord of his life is just another form of salvation by works.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation - An Enemy of Soulwinning”

Why do men always have to complicate things? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Repeatedly throughout the precious Gospel of John, as well as the entire Bible, we are simply taught to BELIEVE ON CHRIST to be saved. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Could the Bible be any plainer? I think not. So where did the perverse Bob Jones University (BJU) camp get their Satanic teaching that you must repent and turn away from sinful bad habits to be saved? 

Where did the Bob Jones crowd get the insane idea that you cannot be saved by faith alone, but also you must faithfully run the Christian race until the end? Where did they get the Devil's lie that you faith is not valid unless you spend your life doing good works to prove it? (Pastor Chuck Phelps is on the BJU board of directors). These are wicked unsaved men who have total disregard for THE TRUTH of God's Word, taking it upon themselves to sit in judgment as critics upon the time-tested inspired Word of God? What gives them the right to promote the Devil's corruptible seed? God will punish them for pulling on the same rope as the Devil, and for persecuting me for telling them THE TRUTH, befriending and warning them as a true friend does. Instead, they cast me out and ostracized me for 7 long years on Guam (2014-2021), for which God will hold them accountable as evildoers. Like the Apostle Paul, I became the enemy of the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam because I told them THE TRUTH. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you THE TRUTH? (Galatians 4:16).

What gives the Bob Jones camp the right to embellish the Gospel, changing it to include more than just childlike faith in the Good News of Jesus crucified, buried and risen? Shame on them all! God will punish them in eternity (Proverbs 30:5-6). Galatians 6:7 warns that God will not be mocked, whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. What the wicked Harvest Baptist Church on Guam has done, and their incompetent's pastors (i.e., Marty Herron, Joe Hansen, Jared Baldwin, Gary Walton, et cetera), by spreading fake Bibles, misunderstood repentance and a false gospel of Lordship Salvation, will not escape God's judgment. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

Just Believe

Ephesians 1:12-13, That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”

 There are many different plans of salvation being taught today. Whether it be in religious movies, religious tracts, televangelists, books or churches, there are counterfeit Gospels everywhere nowadays in these apostate times.

Albeit, the Word of God still stands accurate and true, proclaiming salvation in just one word: BELIEVE! Just believe! The way to be saved is to simply BELIEVE the Good News of Christ crucified on the cross, buried and bodily risen the third day.

Anytime we read a more difficult passage of Scripture, the correct way to interpret it is by referring to a more simper passage. For example: In Romans 10:9-11 we read, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

I have heard various different plans of salvation, heresies, fabricated from a misunderstanding of Romans 10:9-11. Some preachers falsely say we must confess the name of Jesus publicly, or else we're not saved because we are ashamed of Him. Other preachers errantly teach that a person cannot be saved without praying, because confession is made with the mouth unto salvation. However, if we simply refer to the Gospel of John, the truth becomes self evident concerning how to be saved. We are saved when we just BELIEVE!

The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract. That is the sole purpose for the writing of John, to convince us that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the Christ, and that by “BELIEVING” we are eternally saved. ...

John 3:16: “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”

John 6:28, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

In every religious tract or sermon that you read or hear, every word added beyond the word “BELIEVE” relating to the Gospel, obscures the truth. In the Gospel of John, the words “BELIEVE” and “BELIEVED” are mentioned 85 times. The word “BELIEVING” is mentioned 2 times. So 87 times we are taught to just BELIEVE to be saved. Yes, it is that simple. There is no mention of the word “repent,” nor are we taught to “pray.”

The Bible says that Jesus didn't baptize anyone with water, but His disciples did (John 4:2). Water baptism is a simply a believer's public profession of faith, but is not necessary to be saved. Getting baptized is a matter of discipleship, not sonship. It is no different than a wedding ring. The ring does not make a person married, it only symbolizes the marriage commitment. The Bible way to be born-again is to simply BELIEVE the Gospel. That is all that is required by God.

What exactly is the Gospel? The word “Gospel” means “Good News” or “Glad Tidings.” There is no need to guess what the “Gospel” is because the Bible plainly tells us. The “Gospel” is the Good News of Christ's DEATH on the cross for our sins, His BURIAL and bodily RESURRECTION three days later:

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

In John chapter 19 we read about the crucifixion of Jesus and His burial. In John chapter 20 we read about His miraculous resurrection from the dead. We are saved by BELIEVING “the Gospel,” which is the power of God unto salvation. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” It is that simple to be saved. If you admit that you are a needy sinner in God's sight, and you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He was buried and bodily resurrected three days later, YOU ARE IMMEDIATELY, SECURELY AND FOREVER SAVED!!!

Anyone who receives Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, believing that Jesus was buried after He died, and physically raised up miraculously three days later, is saved. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Just BELIEVE!

“That payment that Christ made, He put it to your account... Do you realize the opportunity that God has given to us, to be able to 'GO INTO ALL THE WORLD.' And the thing that bothers people, is this thing about sin, because of the guilt that it brings, and all the wickedness that it brings; and you and I are the ONLY hope the people in this world—God has left us here and we are their only hope, if we don't explain the Gospel and make it clear!” —Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold; a quote from his sermon, “A Study of Romans Chapter 10.”

“God have mercy on a preacher that the world don't hate!”

(a quote from the precious sermon by
Pastor Danny Castle, “Fight It Or Feed It!” | MP3)

A Collection Of Inspiring Quotes About Salvation

Here are some of my favorite life-changing preacher quotes:

"Any teaching that demands a change of conduct toward either God or man for salvation is to add works or human effort to faith, and this contradicts all Scripture and is an accursed message (Gal. 1:8-9; Deut. 27:18). Study the book of Galatians." —'REPENTANCE,' Pastor A. Ray Stanford (1916-2012), Chapter 6, 'HANDBOOK OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM'

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

“That payment that Christ made, He put it to your account... Do you realize the opportunity that God has given to us, to be able to 'GO INTO ALL THE WORLD.' And the thing that bothers people, is this thing about sin, because of the guilt that it brings, and all the wickedness that it brings; and you and I are the ONLY hope the people in this world—God has left us here and we are their only hope, if we don't explain the Gospel and make it clear!” —Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold; a quote from his sermon, “A Study of Romans Chapter 10”

“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, 'Hebrews'; Zondervan Publishing House, 1959 (p. 117)

“Religion starts on the outside, and never gets to the inside; God starts on the inside, and works toward the outside. Grace is an inside worker, because sin is an inside problem.” —Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982) an awesome quote from the presentation titled, “Hero Of The Faith: Lester Roloff”

“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.” —Pastor Yankee Arnold, an excellent quote from the wonderful MP3 sermon titled, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”

“In conclusion, notice the vanity and pride involved in one testifying to his salvation who believes in Lordship salvation. He is saying, "I have made Jesus my Lord." That means that Jesus controls his life and he is totally yielded. My, what a statement for a person to make about himself! On the other hand, notice the humility in the person's testimony who says, "I am saved because I received Christ as my Saviour." He is talking about a salvation that he did not merit. He did nothing to receive it except receive it. It was a gift. Whereas, if we had to give something to God to get something in return, he and God made a trade and his salvation is earned.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation” (chapter 11 from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”)

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Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) wisely said:

Christianity is NOT a ceremony;

Christianity is NOT even the Church;

Christianity is NOT a system;

Christianity is a person, 

and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ, 

and it's Who He is, and what He has done.

THAT'S CHRISTIANITY, and nothing else is Christianity. 

Oh, how we need to get back to HIM—the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

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“Salvation becomes ours when we trust Christ to SAVE us. Effective service is ours through OBEDIENCE. Salvation primarily involves the spirit and our eternal destiny; it is a gift (John 5:24). Service involves the body and our present earthly life; it is labor for which rewards are given (Romans 12:1, 2; I Corinthians 3:8-15; Luke 10:2).” —Pastor Ray Stanford (1916-2012)

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Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty!

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.

If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from?

The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.

"Lordship salvation would make salvation a trade or a deal or maybe even a bribe.  It would take away the simple reception of Christ for eternal life and would become God giving us something if we give Him something. God would say to us, 'You give Me something; I'll give you something. We will trade, and you will be saved.' Salvation is not my giving God something and God giving me something; salvation is God giving me something and my receiving it. Romans 6:23, 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'" —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation” (chapter 11 from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”)

We must stay true to the simplicity of the gospel!! Repentance regarding salvation is a change of mind from unbelief to belief!!! We must earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3).

“Salvation can only be evidenced by works, if works are required to be saved.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong!”

“Salvation is not our doing, but it is something that the Lord does. We put our trust in Christ, He is the One that saves us. And again I repeat: He rescues us, He ransoms us, He redeems us, He regenerates us. All of that we find out, simply by reading the Bible.” —Pastor Sheldon Smith, 'Making A Difference' radio broadcast; May 14, 2021; 'The Distinguishing Difference in the Christian Life - Part 10'

“Redemption is a work of God the Son.  Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit.  Justification is the work of God the Father as He declares the sinner righteous in the Son.  Conversion then becomes the work of the church as we change the use and purpose of a life.” —Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

"In Luke 13:5 Jesus said, 'I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.' The context of this verse shows that they needed to repent or change their mind regarding punishment and sin. In this passage, Christ was talking to good people who believed that people suffered only because of their sins, and they concluded that those in Galilee whose blood Pilate mingled with sacrifices and those on whom the tower of Siloam fell were greater sinners because they died such horrible deaths. Jesus contradicts the thinking of these self-righteous people and tells them that they need to repent or change their mind and see themselves as sinners, too, or they will perish in their own self-righteousness. One does not have to know the Greek language to see that 'repent' in this passage does not mean feeling sorry for or turning from sin." —Pastor Curtis Hutson, an excerpt from his helpful booklet titled: "Repentance: What Does The Bible Teach?"

What all of these hellbound infidels today (e.g., John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Gary Walton, Sam Horn, Chuck Phelps) are really preaching, is that you must keep the Old Testament law to prove that your faith is genuine to be saved. That is a 100% works-based plan of damnation! Christ came to save us from our sin (Matthew 1:21), not demand that we turn away from our sin as a prerequisite to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Satan is a beautiful liar!

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous; it is a gift for the guilty! Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Beware of being caught between grace and works!

“The first thing necessary to get saved is to get bad!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “God Only Saves Bad People”

“Nobody goes to Heaven because he is good; you go to Heaven because you know you're bad, and you flee to Jesus Who died to save sinners.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “God Only Saves Bad People”

“Yes, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of the universe, and, of course, we believe that He is Lord. However, to believe that in order to be saved one must make Him the Lord of his life is just another form of salvation by works.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation - An Enemy of Soulwinning”

“Let me say again that I do not believe for a second that Christian people should live like the Devil. No preacher preaches separation more than I do. I simply believe that that separation is a work of the Holy Spirit just like regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit, and it starts after one has repented from that which makes him lost, and that is unbelief.” ―Pastor Jack Hyles, “Misunderstood Repentance” (chapter 4) from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”

“If you go to Hell, you'll go to Hell with all your sins paid for!” —Pastor Max Younce (a quote from the sermon: "Bible Prophecy #5")

“You don't go to Hell because you won't quit your sinning!” —Pastor Curtis Hutson; Quote from the classic sermon, Why Do Men Go To Hell? (exposing 'Lordship Salvation')

“If all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, then why would you use those rags to prove that you're saved?” —Pastor Ralph 'Yankee' Arnold, sermon quote: “How Do I Know God Really Loves Me? - Part 2”

“Remember this, if you're depending upon your own good works to get you to Heaven, you're lost! Your salvation had to be purchased with something that was incorruptible, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ!” —Pastor Ralph 'Yankee' Arnold, Bibleline Radio Show, “The Precious Blood Of Christ”

“The law tells me how crooked I am. Grace comes along and straightens me out.” —Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935)

The LAW and the GOSPEL are two keys—the law is the key that shuteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out.

Loving Jesus Is Not The Same Thing As Trusting Him

John 14:15-17, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

If a man truly loves his wife there should be some evidence to prove it. But if a husband doesn't love his wife, does that mean they are not legally married? No, it doesn't mean that at all. They are still married, even if they don't love each other as they ought. Obviously, one thing has nothing to do with the other. Salvation is the same dear friend. Every believer ought to love Jesus and there should be some evidence of it in our lives. But if that evidence doesn't exist, and we don't love God as we ought, that doesn't mean we are not a child of God.

I love this helpful quote from Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

The only way you'll ever get to Heaven is to believe Jesus did it for you! Whether we love God as we should is not relevant. But wait, doesn't the Bible says that all believers love Jesus? 1st Corinthians 16:22, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” The Bible simply means that if you are saved, Jesus is precious to you. 1st Peter 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,” But is it possible that you can get your priorities wrong, so that your love for the flesh is elevated as a higher priority than your love for Christ? Yes, you know it!

1st John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Now, does this Verse in 1st John 2:15 means that a man is not saved if he loves the sinful world. No, it doesn't mean that. Consider Paul's fellowhelper in the ministry, Demas. 2nd Timothy 4:10, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.” Demas loved the world. Does that mean he wasn't saved? No, of course he was saved. Demas just had the wrong priorities in life.

It is important that you understand this truth, so you don't start doubting God's gift of eternal life if you choose to go live in the world in sin. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, but that doesn't mean we aren't saved if we fail to love Christ as we ought. Anytime we choose to sin (and we ALL do), it evidences at the moment that our love for Jesus is not perfect.

Can a man cheat on his wife, but still love her? Yes, of course, but his love is corrupted, not perfect toward her. A man may provide for his wife, love her, care about her, and desire to do good things for her; yet, he may still elevate his lust of the flesh as a higher priority in his life than his love for his wife. The same is true of every believer's relationship with our heavenly Father.

By the way, this is a good time to mention the proper way to discipline children. When a child disobeys his or her parent, the child should feel a broken spirit, knowing that they disappointed Mom and Dad. A child being raised properly will feel remorse because they let down Mom and Dad, not angry because he is getting another spanking. Before any corporal discipline (a discipline method in which a supervising adult deliberately inflicts pain upon a child in response to a child's unacceptable behavior and/or inappropriate language, i.e., spanking), there should be an admission of wrong doing on the part of the child.

If you discipline a child who thinks you are being unfair, you will harden that child's spirit and make them bitter. It is very important that parents establish set rules in a home, and then when violated, have the child admit what they did wrong, and only then chastise them. If a parent has successfully convinced their child that they truly love and care about them, and have built a proper relationship with the child over time, the child should feel sorry and cry because they disappointed the parent, even before any discipline is administered.

By the way, NEVER use your hand to spank a child, lest they fear YOU! Use an appropriate device that won't harm the child physically. Proverbs 13:24, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” The word “betimes” means “at an early age,” while there is still hope. Proverbs 19:18, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” A father emailed me the other day, and said that his 7-year-old son confided in him that he thinks he is a homosexual, has thoughts of murdering his father, and thinks a demon is in his head. I am not kidding!

The father asked for my Christian advice. I kindly responded that I could guarantee one of two things: 1) the boy is enrolled in the Devil's public school system, 2) the boy has been watching garbage on TV. A 7-year-old child doesn't think in such evil ways unless that garbage was put into their mind by someone (wrong influences). I advised him while there is still time to enroll the boy into a Christian school, attend church as a family unit, listening to Bible preaching in the home as a family, and spend time going fishing, playing ball and building the masculine father/son bond. I sent him Pastor Jack Hyles' helpful book titled: "How To Make A Man Out Of A Boy."

But if a child rebels and grows up to break a parent's heart, are they still your child? Of course they are! Likewise, an adopted child of God may rebel against our heavenly Father, yet we are still born-again of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-13; 1st John 3:24). We see evidence of this in 1st Corinthians 5:1-5, concerning the saved man who was living in a lifestyle of sexual immorality. The Apostle Paul advised the church leadership to confront the man about his open sin, and hopefully he will repent; but if not, Paul said “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1st Corinthians 5:5). There will be many believers who receive no rewards in Heaven, “but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1st Corinthians 3:15). That is, they barely escaped Hell's fire by faith alone in Jesus, despite have no rewards for service.

1st Corinthians 3:13-16, “Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

This passage conclusively proves that the teaching of “Lordship Salvation” (i.e., Calvinism) is false. Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold gives this accurate definition of Lordship Salvation:

“Lordship is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief, that the performance of good works, the promise of good works, or the evidence of good works, must accompany faith in Christ in order to establish or provide evidence that such faith has resulted in eternal life.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold (a quote from the sermon: “JESUS vs. John MacArthur”)

If Lordship Salvation were true, then the pitiful scenario in 1st Corinthians 3:11 couldn't exist. If such a believer hadn't persevered to faithfully run the race, he wouldn't have made it to Heaven, but HE DID anyway!!!

Salvation becomes ours when we trust Christ to SAVE us. Effective service is ours through OBEDIENCE. Salvation primarily involves the spirit and our eternal destiny; it is a gift (John 5:24). The only way you'll ever get to Heaven is to believe Jesus did it for you! Service involves the body and our present earthly life; it is labor for which rewards are given (Romans 12:1-2; 1st Corinthians 3:8-15; Luke 10:2).

How Do You Know You're Saved? (Pastor Yankee Arnold)

“Nobody goes to Heaven because he is good; you go to Heaven because you know you're bad, and you flee to Jesus Who died to save sinners.” —Pastor Jack Hyles (“God Only Saves Bad People”

Dear reader, if you are saved, how you choose to live as a child of God evidences how much you love your Savior; but it has nothing to do with the fact that you are justified on the sole basis of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, as payment for your sins.  

Wise Men Lay Up Knowledge

Proverbs 10:14, “Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”

A wise Christian doesn't wait until problems arise and then look for knowledge. A wise believer lays up knowledge in advance, so that they'll have it when they need it. But also, a godly believer lays up knowledge to help OTHERS, so that when you meet people who are having a rough time, you can help them in the Lord. I love listening to lots of preaching, and the King James Bible, so that I can lay up knowledge for myself and to help others.

By listening to preaching, you're laying up knowledge in advance. I've heard Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001) preach many sermons, where he says that the truth he's giving won't help the listener now, but some day they'll remember it and it will save their life or marriage. I have lived to prove Dr. Hyles' advice true! I never imagined during the eight years that I sat under Dr. Hyles' preaching at First Baptist Church of Hammond (1985-1993), that those truths would have a profound impact on my life decades later when my life fell apart, my wife divorced me in 2006, and it seemed that all hope was gone. I've since made it a regular habit to listen to as many of Brother Hyles' sermons as I can collect. I have literally thousands (2,526 so far) of MP3 sermons by Dr. Hyles. They are all precious to me!

Wise men lay up truth for a rainy day. That is why I collect quotes from sermons that I hear, sharing noteworthy truths with others to help them. Quotes are a great way of emphasizing helpful truths! Memorizing helpful Scriptures is another way to lay up knowledge. Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” I memorized Psalm 27:1 this week, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” I love that truth: 'THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE.' And He sure is the strength of our life dear friend, if you will let Him reign in your life!!!

Here's a perfect example of some great knowledge to lay up:

“A man never finds power with God until his life is submitted to God. Can't do it! Can't do it! God's power will not rest on a worldly man!”

SOURCE: Pastor Danny Castle, a quote from the awesome sermon, “How To Have Power With God!” | MP3 Sermon

I love Pastor Danny Castle, he is one of my favorite preachers...

“What we need in this generation, is for about 30,000 churches in the United States to go out of business, and just shut the doors, and let who mean business, get the power of God, and witness to this generation!”

SOURCE: Pastor Danny Castle, a quote from the awesome sermon, “How To Have Power With God!” | MP3 Sermon

Pastor Castle wisely says:

“The more you forsake the world, the more pressure's going to be on you. But thank God, there's a blessing in that—The more pressure, the more power! The greater the pressure, the greater the power. The more pressure that's on a man's life, the more God can put His power on him!!!”

SOURCE: Pastor Danny Castle, a quote from the awesome sermon, “How To Have Power With God!” | MP3 Sermon

I love preacher's quotes! I collect them like baseball cards, valuing sermons more than gold. I mean that literally!!! Pastor Castle preached this great truth... 

“If God's power ain't on a man, he might as well hang it up! That's all there are to it!” 

SOURCE: Pastor Danny Castle, a quote from the awesome sermon, “How To Have Power With God!” | MP3 Sermon

That's great truth Brother!!! My friend, if you'll stay close to the Book of God and the God of the Book, you'll do just fine! Amen! We are fellow travelers to eternity and I care!

As I speak with people in my daily life, and answer e-mails, I try to think of sermons that I have heard, so I can season my words with grace to edify (build up) OTHERS. I often repeat a great quote (amongst hundreds of quotes) that I once heard from Dr. Jack Hyles:

“UNSHAKABLE FAITH COMES FROM HAVING YOUR FAITH SHAKEN!!!” I love that truth! It has helped me, and others, very much. Now I never would have heard and memorized that truth, unless I had listened to preaching!

The Bible says in Proverb 25:19, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” That truth applies to one's personal life as well. If you wait until the roof caves in on your life, and everything is going wrong, before you search the Scriptures and start listening to preaching, it's like a broken tooth and a dislocated foot joint (which are VERY painful). Don't do that to yourself! Please be wise and lay up knowledge for when the storms of life come.

I love listening to preaching almost daily, so I can LAY UP KNOWLEDGE for me, for my family, for my web visitors, for my friends and others who need help. How can I help anybody if I don't lay up knowledge? The Word of God teaches that, WISE MEN LAY UP KNOWLEDGE!!! We live in a foolish society, where nearly everyone wants to watch TV and be entertained all day, laying up NOTHING! Proverb 18:1, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.”

Here is a great quote that I read in a book by the fiery fundamentalist preacher, Pastor J. Frank Norris (1877-1952):

“What we need is a school that teaches the whole English Bible. What is needed is a school that will take men from the engine cab, from between the plowshares and teach them the Bible. What is needed is a school that is free from modernism. What is needed is a school that will teach a man how to go out with the Bible under his arms, faith in his heart, and in the power of the Holy Spirit begin in a vacant lot and build a church to the glory of God.”

SOURCE: J. Frank Norris, a quote from the excellent book, “The J. FRANK NORRIS I Have Known" (for 34 Years), by Dr. Louis Entzminger.

Here are some truths to burn your heart for God:

Proverb 16:9, ”A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

Psalms 19:7, ”The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

“What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace!” —John Wesley

“Speaking the truth in love...” —Ephesians 4:15

“This whole society is rotten and Godless. The wrath of God is upon America.
Mark my word: if God’s Word be true, this nation is headed
for the dust.” —Pastor Tom Malone (1971)

1st Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) made this great statement:

“But I do believe we see the setting of a stage today, when action will begin when the Church is removed from this earth. Now the reason the date's not given here is that the Church is dateless, nameless, timeless. You see, we are heavenly people—have no name, but some of you folk thought it was Baptist, and some others of you thought that the name of the Church was Presbyterian, and even some of you thought it was Methodist, and some of you thought it was Independent; but I have news for you, the Church has no name!”

SOURCE: Pastor J. Vernon McGee, 'THRU-THE-BIBLE,' Hosea 3:4.

“The Lord gave the word: great was the company

of those that published it.” —Psalms 68:11

Don't Spend Too Much Time Listening to Secular Information

Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Do you love knowledge my friend? I really like Mark Dice. He's a great guy from all that I can tell. I believe he is a Christian. But I chose to stop watching his videos regularly (although I still do watch them), because they were waste of my time. Mark's videos are for shallow minds, mostly entertainment, not things that are edifying. The content is not edifying. It's not bad content, it's just not constructive, in my opinion. Politics, Hollywood and the mainstream newsmedia are a cesspool of iniquity these days.

I stopped watching Alex Jones too, although I still subscribe to Infowars. Alex has become so lame, just a sounding voice for President Trump. Alex has completely changed from the freedom fighter he used to be. Alex has sold out to the establishment. Donald Trump is not the answer to America's woes. When all is said and done, the United States will be more closer to the goals set forth by the Luciferian elite when he leaves office. I like Trump, on a personal level, as I do Alex Jones and Mark Dice, but I have been spending my time instead listening to God's men, King James Bible only preachers!!!

My website articles receive about 500 hits each within a week of publishing them, but Mark Dice's entertainment videos receive upwards of a million views a piece. People's minds are so shallow. Mark is making money on YouTube, so he gives simple minds what they want, entertainment. I'm not interested in making money from my ministry, not now, not ever. My reward is in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-20).

I'm not being critical of Mark Dice or Alex Jones in this article, I'm just saying that I think it's a big waste of my time to listen to them at length. One of the saddest commentaries of our generation is the lack of interest in Bible preaching. While the kooks, quacks and queers of the entertainment industry walk as gods among Americans, Bible preachers are ridiculed, shunned and hated as hate-mongers. THE TRUTH is considered hate to those who hate THE TRUTH!!!

We are living in the age of information. Literally, many people have turned informed into a god.

I Am Crucified With Christ, Yet I Live; Yet Not I, But Jesus Liveth in Me

Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

We are saved by TRUSTING Jesus, by receiving His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins, believing that He was buried and then bodily resurrected from the dead three days later. This is “THE GOSPEL.” That's all that God requires to be saved. Then, the first thing God wants us to do as a new believer is to be CRUCIFIED with Christ, by presenting our body as a living sacrifice to live for the Lord (Romans 12:1). The latter is DISCIPLESHIP, the former is SALVATION. Dr. Jack Hyles teaches this wonderful truth in his timeless MP3 sermon titled, “Steps To Sanctification; Or, The Root Of All Heresy!” I hope you'll listen to it, as I know it will bless your soul. This is a truth that needs to be laid up in your heart, as it has been in mind for many years now. Praise God for THE TRUTH!!!

I love the preceding and the following passages of Scripture:

Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Let's break down Colossians 3:1-3 to see what we can learn here shall we:

• JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN; THEREFORE,
• WE ARE TO SEEK HEAVENLY THINGS, WHERE CHRIST SITS ON THE FATHER'S RIGHT HAND.
• WE ARE TO SET OUR AFFECTION (THINK ABOUT) HEAVENLY THINGS, NOT EARTHLY THINGS.
• WE ARE DEAD IN CHRIST, AND JESUS IS OUR NEW LIFE.

Very few Christians live this Scripture. This is the key to the believer's happiness. No Christian who walks in the flesh can ever truly be happy. What type of heavenly things should we think about? Let's make a list shall we:

• SOUL-WINNING (Luke 15:10; 1st Peter 1:12)
• SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST (Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13)
• LAY ASIDE DISTRACTIONS AND SIN, AND RUN THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US (Hebrews 12:1)
• LAY UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN BY LABOURING FOR CHRIST (Matthew 6:19-20; 1st Corinthians 3:7-15)
• CARING FOR AND PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR (Matthew 5:3)
• THE KING JAMES BIBLE (Psalm 119:89)
• LOVING AND FORGIVING EVERYONE WITH GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Matthew 6:14-15)

I've just listed but a few, but the entire Holy Bible ought to be our thoughts. I don't know about you, but I want to saturate my thinking and life with the things of God. The only way for a Christian to be happy in Jesus is to TRUST AND OBEY.

A Christian loves righteousness. Even though we are sinners who struggle with the desires of the flesh, we desire in our spirit to do right (Romans 7:14-25). I love God's promise of a new Heaven and earth, where righteousness will abound:

2nd Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”

Wicked men refuse to listen to the preacher of righteousness, but they cannot escape their Creator in Heaven:

Hebrews 12:25-26, “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.”

We all make our choices in life. Some men fear and obey God, who will enter into everlasting peace and blessing. But most men do not fear nor obey God, and will be cast into the Lake of Fire for their unbelief. We do not go to Heaven because of what we do, but because of where we are looking... LOOK TO JESUS! Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Men have always been saved by trusting upon the Lord. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” As you just read, this was the witness of ALL THE PROPHETS!!! People in the Old Testament were saved the SAME WAY we are today, which is by faith. We read in Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (See also Romans 4:3-6).

Bible Preaching Helps Us to Think Right

Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

American politics are a major waste of time and resources. The entire Republican and Democratic political system is Luciferian controlled at the top, as corrupt to the core as can be. God controls the government, the government does not control God. Daniel 2:21, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.” God has given to Americans the corrupt leaders that we deserve. Psalms 18:25-26, “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.” With the crooked (froward) God dealeth crookedly. The United States is a crooked and perverse nation, and God has justly dealt with us as such.

Thank God for the small handful of fundamentalist Christians who have not bowed their knee to Baal. Philippians 2:15, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Men of all ages can still have a pure mind and live right in 2017!!! Psalms 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” If you want to live right, saturate your life with the King James Bible!!!!!!!

You and I need solid Bible preaching!!! I mean Pastor Danny Castle. I mean Dr. Jack Hyles. I mean Pastor Steven Anderson. I mean Pastor Max Younce. Bible preaching helps us to think straight. Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We all need Bible preaching. We all need to spend time reading, meditating and studying God's Word in the inspired King James Bible. I encourage you, whoever you may be, to spend much more time listening to the King James Bible.

I like listening to Alexander Scourby. I encourage you to listen to lots of Bible preaching. Don't waste your time listening to spiritual casualties, wolves in sheep's clothing, like Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and John MacArthur. I wouldn't give you a plum nickel for a preacher who tries not to offend people. I'm talking about shameful ministers like Ravi Zacharias, who is infamous for always taking the easy way out, delivery vague speeches, kowtowing with Gospel rejecting Mormons, and who has sinfully received honors from the Roman Catholic Church.

Godly Believers Desire to Lay Up Sound Knowledge to Help Others

Proverb 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

A selfish believer doesn't care about others. We are living in “perilous times,” as foretold in the Holy Scriptures. 2nd Timothy 3:1-2, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves...” I feel sorry for selfish people, and that includes selfish believers. We all tend to be selfish by nature. The Christian life is a supernatural life. This is true because the blessed Holy Spirit is a supernatural Being, Who indwells every born-again believer (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). Most professed Christians are selfish, self-conscience and self-centered. Self has no place in the Christian life. Notice that the center letter of the words “sin” and “pride” is the letter “i.” Self always gets us into trouble. Most believers have “i” trouble.

The Word of God teaches us to become as a fool to become wise. This is an amazing truth. 1st Corinthians 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” Think about what God is saying. The path to wisdom is to become a fool!!! What does that mean? How does one become a fool? The Scriptures teach that to the unsaved person, the Gospel is foolishness. 1st Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” The heathen world thinks they are wise, but they are fools in God's sight.

The wisdom of the world goes totally contrary to the wisdom of man. Romans 1:22, “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” 1st Corinthians 4:10, “We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.” What does this passage mean? It means preachers are hated by the world for telling the truth, but in Heaven's view Christians are wise. The evangelist is despised for stepping on sinner's toes. So we are talking about different perspectives here. From the world's view, those who preach the Gospel are despised as being fools.

But in reality, a righteous man is wise for trusting upon the Lord. The choice to have wisdom is an individual choice. Most people are simple, having neither wisdom nor wanting to be a fool. But effectively, the simple are gullible, just as the fool, because they lack wisdom. You get wisdom from the Word of God, from the Lord. Proverb 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” I fear God. I must give account to God one day for every word that comes out of my mouth (Matthew 13:26). And also, I must give account for every word that I type and upload to the internet. And so must you!

Are you wise? Do you fear God? Do you hate evil? Do you want to lay up knowledge beforehand, so that you will have it when you really need it? You won't always have godly counsel available when you need it. And if you lack wisdom, someone may give you some really bad advice. Behind every pulpit is a human being! You need God's wisdom for yourself, or else you'll be blown about by every wind of doctrine. We are living in a world of fools!!! Please get into the King James Bible.

I am listening to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible (Revelation, Colossians, Philippians, Galatians and Ephesians) as I type this article. I need wisdom. I just heard a beautiful Scriptures from Galatians 3:8, “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Isn't that beautiful? God JUSTIFIES THE HEATHEN... THROUGH FAITH!!! SO much for Lordship Salvation (which is a false gospel). We are saved by BELIEVING, not by repenting.

Repentance is always “toward God,” never from sin, to be saved. That is exactly what Acts 20:21 teaches. Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Anyone who teaches that you must repent by turning away from your sins to be saved is a false prophet. You get saved by turning toward Jesus Christ in faith to be saved. Obviously you need to turn “FROM” something in order to turn “TO” the Gospel. But that something you turn FROM is not what saves you, nor is it a requirement to be saved, as many false prophets claim these days. If you place your faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross, as payment for your sins, believing that Jesus was buried and bodily raised up three days later, you are immediately, permanently and forever saved!!!

The man who believes has also repented! This is why we find the words “believe” and “believed” mentioned 85 times in the Gospel of John (which was written to convince men to be saved - Acts 20:31), but the word “repent” is never mentioned even once! John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” That's really good stuff, I hope you got all that. I learned these things from LAYING UP KNOWLEDGE, by searching the Scriptures and listening to much Bible-preaching.

I love to listen to music as much as anybody, and I do listen to music. But the average American has been listening to the same music—day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade—the same songs TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TIMES!!! I'm not kidding, you know it's truth. We all have heard the same songs so many times. A shocking study shows that the average person listens accumulatively to 13 years of music during their lifetime! Goodnight in the morning!!! Think about that... 13 YEARS!!!

Is it any wonder why people's lives are so messed up? Is it any wonder why Americans are so gullible, dumbed-down, woefully ignorant and lacking common sense? I think not! My friend, turn off the radio sometimes! Turn off the television sometimes! If you haven't been laying up knowledge, I HIGHLY recommend that you turn off everything for the next 3 months, and spend as much time as possible wallowing in the Word of God. Listen to lots of Bible-preaching by fundamentalist preachers! Get you some doctrinally sound books from the Sword Of The Lord or Larry Harrison's classic Christian book gallery.

I am listening to a wonderful life-changing sermon right now by Pastor Jack Hyles called: "A Great Secret To Health." The secret to good health is threefold:

1. a bitter bitterness
2. a loving love
3. a forgiving forgiveness

In order to be healthy we have to first have some bitterness. God knows that stumbling blocks can become steppingstones by faith. A young Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) couldn't even pass the test for church membership. The famous preacher, George W. Truett (1867-1944), accidentally killed his friend with a gun in a hunting trip. Evangelist Bill Rice's daughter became deaf as a baby, which compelled him and his wife to start the Bill Rice Ranch (where I attended for two years in a row as a teenager, which changed my life for Christ. I still clearly remember learning this new song at the Bill Rice Ranch in the early 1980's. I played the song's melody on my pedal steel guitar, so you can hear what it sounds like...

Teenager are you lonely, do you need a Friend?

Take Jesus as your Savior, He will lead you to the end;

He'll be your guide, stand by your side,

Teenager, take Jesus Today!

(click to hear above song's melody)

Cast thy bread upon the waters the Bible says, and it shall return unto you! Ecclesiastes 11:1, “Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.”

Satan BLINDS the mind of a lost person, to prevent them from seeing the clarity and simplicity of “THE GOSPEL.” It is our job as God's children to take the Gospel to the lost, and explain the simplicity of God's plan of salvation with them. It is so easy, free and simple to get to Heaven.

We are all guilty sinners (Romans 3:23). We have all broken God's commandments (Romans 3:10-23).

There is a penalty for our sin, which is to spend eternity being punished in the fires and torments of Hell (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8).

But God in his wondrous love made a way of escape. God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into the world to die for our sins on the cross (Romans 5:8). Jesus paid a debt that He didn't owe, because we owed a debt that we couldn't pay (2nd Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died in our place on the cross. He was buried. Three days later Christ bodily ressurected from the dead. This is the Gospel (the Good news) by which anyone can be saved, if we simply BELIEVE it (Romans 1:16; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Many Will Seek to Enter Heaven, But Few Will Be Able

If Christ Be Not Risen, Then We Have A Sacrifice,

But No High Priest Or Salvation (MP3, Dr. Hyles)

SIMPLE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE

(You can be saved now, eternally and KNOW IT!)

The Often Misunderstood Epistle Of 1st John

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” 1st John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”

I am now flying 50,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, headed for Los Angeles. I have a few more hours of flight time, so I decided to get my laptop out and write an article. Why not? I want to write about a topic that has stirred quite a bit of controversy on the internet lately about the Epistle of 1st John. I have heard countless preachers misinterpret the Epistle of 1st John, using it to teach the deadly heresy of Calvinism.

It is very important to notice that God used the same writer for both the Gospel of John as well as the Epistle of 1st John. The apostle whom Jesus loved, John, penned both of these works. So this is a critical point to bring out. In the Gospel of John we are presented with God's very simple plan of salvation. We find the word “believe” mentioned 85 times in the Gospel of John, but there is no mention of anything else. Carefully note our text verse from John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” The inspired Word of God is abundantly clear that the way of salvation is to simply BELIEVE the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen (John 19-20; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

It is important to keep this in mind when interpreting the Epistle of 1st John. Why would John completely contradict everything that he taught in the Gospel of John, by requiring works for salvation in 1st John? That wouldn't make any sense. One of the key Scriptures of the Epistle of 1st John is 1st John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Please notice that this epistle is not written to the unsaved man, but to the born-again believer. John here is NOT giving a plan of salvation, he did that back in the Gospel of John. What John is doing here in 1st John is helping believers to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in them.

Our part in salvation is simply to get out of the way, to cease from our own works, and REST completely in Christ alone (Hebrews 4:2, 10-11). What saith the Scripture? John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” I love that! They asked Jesus what “works” they needed to do to go to Heaven. The Lord simply said to “BELIEVE ON HIM.” The true Gospel always points you to Christ; a false gospel always points to you.

I fully agree with Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, who said: “If you have to look at your life to prove that you are saved, it proves that you're not!” The only sure way that we can determine if someone else is saved, is by the direct testimony from their own mouth concerning Jesus Christ. But John writes to the INDIVIDUAL believer here in 1st John, helping us to recognize the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. 1st John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” Carefully notice that the test is not to look for works in our life. The test is not to see if we love the brethren to prove that we are saved. The test is only to determine whether or not we have the blessed presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Every born-again believer has the Holy Spirit living inside them (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9).

I like to give my own salvation testimony as an illustration, because I can explain that first hand. I was saved at 13 years of age, in an old-fashioned Baptist church on Chicago's Northside in 1980. I don't remember the name of the sermon that Sunday morning, but I do remember that the preacher said if you can sin, without any conviction from God's Holy Spirit, something is very wrong. I knew that morning that I was a big sinner. I knew that I had no conviction from God up until that point in my life.

For the first time in my life I felt conviction over my sins. That morning from my pew, I humbly received Jesus as my personal Savior. I simply received Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for my sins. No one told me that I had to try to stop sinning. The very idea is ridiculous. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9), that you simply take by faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

“Salvation is not our doing, but it is something that the Lord does. We put our trust in Christ, He is the One that saves us. And again I repeat: He rescues us, He ransoms us, He redeems us, He regenerates us. All of that we find out, simply by reading the Bible.” —Pastor Sheldon Smith, Making A Difference radio broadcast; May 14, 2021; 'The Distinguishing Difference in the Christian Life - Part 10'

So it is a mistake to approach the Epistle of 1st John from any other standpoint that from a saved person's perspective. The apostle is speaking to BELIEVER'S, and is not providing a plan of salvation. John teaches us the simple plan of salvation back in the wonderful Gospel of John. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Evangelist Steve Pettit's Damnable Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

May I say from the start that I do not hate Steve Pettit. I first heard Dr. Pettit preach on the topic of "Wisdom" at the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam in 2014. It was shortly thereafter that Dr. Pettit was inaugurated as the new executive president of Bob Jones University (BJU) in Greenville, South Carolina. Unfortunately, Steve Pettit is wrong on the Gospel and is not saved. It horrifies me to know that this man was a traveling evangelist for 30 years, living out of the back of an Recreational Vehicle (RV). I don't know what the leaders at BJU were thinking when they hired this dangerous man, but hiring Pettit put the nails in their coffin.

One of the most deadly false religions today is Seventh-Day Adventism (SDA). SDA's are so used to criticism that they are just quietly descending into the fires of Hell, without giving the matter a second thought. Furthermore, SDA's don't even believe that Hell exists! That is unfortunate for their sakes. The Bible teaches that Hell exists (Revelation 20:11-15). The most prominent figure in SDA is Miss Ellen G. White (1827-1915). Tragically, the false gospel which Steve Pettit preaches is identical to the counterfeit gospel of Ellen G. White. According to SDA doctrine, you must keep the Ten Commandments to prove the reality of the genuineness of your faith. If you fail to live according to God's Ten Commandments, then in SDA you are deemed unsaved because you don't love God, proving that your faith is false. Ellen White errantly teaches:

“That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation of obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption. 'By grace are ye saved through faith.' But 'faith, if it hath not works, is dead.'” —Miss Ellen G. White, 'Steps To Christ,' page 61

As you just read, Miss White says you cannot merely get saved by faith, you have to live a lifetime of faithfulness! In the preceding quote from Miss Ellen G. White's book, “Steps To Christ,” she teaches Lordship Salvation (which is a works-based false plan of salvation). She is essentially teaching the EXACT SAME heresy as Steve Pettit. Steve Pettit agrees with her! Pettit heretically states:

“You can't just speak about getting saved, and you accepted Christ, and then that's it! There is a justification; There is a sanctification; There's ultimately a glorification, and though there are three parts, they are all part of the whole, and you cannot separate them. In order for you to qualify for the award, you have to get into the race, you have to stay in the race, and you have to finish the race. If you want to win, you have to run to the end; and winning in the Christian life is everything, because if you lose—if you don't finish—you lose everything—you lose your SOUL. And so, the Christian race is the life of faith that begins, is run, and is finished when we cross over into Heaven!” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34)

Dr. Pettit is a corrupt false prophet, who requires works for salvation. Heaven is not an "award," as he calls it. Steve Pettit errantly teaches:

“'The race' is a description of the whole of the Christian life of faith.” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 4:26)

That is some dangerous talk when you include the next quote from Dr. Pettit, in which he teaches over 2,600 BJU students that the “AWARD” for running 'The Race' is “Heaven itself”!!!

“We run the race, we cross the finish line, and so what’s the prize? What is the award? Well, there are different viewpoints. Some would have the viewpoint that the awards are crowns in Heaven. But as I read the book of Hebrews and see the whole gist of the book and the flow of the book, I don’t believe its referring to crowns in Heaven. I think it is referring to Heaven itself.” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 22:57)

Heaven itself? Oh my! What saith the Scripture? 1st Corinthians 9:24-25, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” As you just read, the “award” will be an “INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN”; but Steve Pettit says it will be HEAVEN ITSELF!!!

Sadly, Pensacola Christian College (PCC) bids Godspeed to this Calvinist false doctrine, refusing to contend for the faith as the Bible commands. Titus 1:10-14 commands men of God to REBUKE THEM SHARPLY that they might be sound in the faith. I am just a humble guy with a website ministry, but if PCC took a firm stand against the perverse Bob Jones crowd, that would have much more impact for God. Sadly, the PCC camp are only interested in making money today to pay their bills. They don't care about joining the battle over the Bible, and the Bible over the Gospel. The Pensacola Christian College (PCC) crowd couldn't care less!!! I say that to their utter contempt and shame before God.

Dr. Steve Pettit is a false prophet! He does not understand the true Gospel, nor does what he preaches align with the inspired King James Bible. Sadly, BJU uses, sell and promote the Devil's English Standard Version (ESV). No wonder they have been corrupted doctrinally. Jesus warned that a corrupt tree can only bring firth corrupt fruit. Matthew 7:18, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Pastor J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) rightly said these great words of truth:

Christianity is NOT a ceremony;
Christianity is NOT even the Church;
Christianity is NOT a system;
Christianity is a person, 
and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and it's Who He is, and what He has done.
THAT'S CHRISTIANITY, and nothing else is Christianity. 
Oh, how we need to get back to HIM—the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

If we don't expose false teachers, who will? If not now, when? If not here, where? It has got to be done. The world will go to Hell if somebody doesn't speak with authority! I speak only on the authority of the Scriptures. I can back up everything I preach and teach with the inspired King James Bible, but Steve Pettit cannot. I triple-dog dare you to show me from the Bible where it says the "award" for faithfully running the Christian race is "Heaven itself." You cannot show me that! Steve Pettit is a dirty liar!!! Like the Apostle Paul, I am set for the defence of the Gospel. Every Christian believer ought to appoint himself as a guardian of one, to defend this sacred Holy Book, and the simplicity that is in Christ by faith alone, which it teaches.