How Can We Find Peace And Comfort Over People Who Have Gone To Suffer In Hell Forever?

Heb​rews 12:1-3, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.​”

There are others that I am straddling on the fence about, not sure where they went. My best friend when growing up at one time professed faith in Jesus Christ. But several years later, after I went off to Bible college and we parted ways, I met him again and he told me he was now an atheist and a communist. I was heartbroken. A year or so later he commit suicide with his father's shotgun. His name was Greg and he was only 22 years old. I have no idea where my friend went. My heart tells me he didn't make it to Heaven. But even John the Baptist while in prison, whom Jesus had said was the greatest man ever born among women (Matthew 11:11), doubted if Jesus was the Christ. So, even God's best and brightest saints can still succumb to depression, doubt and discouragement. I hope my friend was saved, but just down and discouraged at the time. Only Greg and his Creator know.

But to answer your question, there's really no way to find peace and comfort about friends, acquaintances and loved ones who've perished in their sins and gone to Hell forever. All we can do is LOOK TO JESUS as the Bible tells us to do...

Heb​rews 12:2-3, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.​”

I have received countless emails from discouraged believers over the years, some even talking about self harm, because they are discouraged. I always remember Hebrews 12:2, which exhorts every believer to stay focused on our dear Savior, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. What God has started, He will finish. Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” If we foolishly take our eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ—instead focusing on this horrible temporary world, dwelling upon personal problems, thinking about things that mean people have done to hurt us, and allow the ungodliness in society today to fill our brains—then we will definitely become discouraged, disillusioned and frustrated.

I trust God's wisdom, omnipotence, love and omniscience. I cannot find peace and comfort in knowing that my best friend while growing up is likely burning in Hell forever. I laid my small pocket New Testament on his coffin as they lowered him 6-feet down into the grave. I was crying uncontrollably alongside his living family members in sadness for my dear friend, forever saying goodbye. On the way home from Bible college on my way to work, I used to stop by the cemetery and visit Greg's grave, to walk with God and pay respect to my beloved friend, wondering where he was in eternity. It is so sad and tragic.

Greg made his own choices, for which I cannot blame myself or feel guilty and sad. I have peace in knowing that God will one day wipe away my tears as He promised. Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” I don't know exactly what the phrase means, “for the former things are passed away.” I find it hard to accept that God would allow us as His children to spend eternity feeling sorrow, discomfort and depression knowing that our family, loved ones, friends and neighbours are burning in Hell forever.

Will God erase our bad memories? I don't know. Revelation 21:4 will happen AFTER the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ over the earth. The dead (unsaved) throughout the ages will be judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire (Greek: Gehenna) at this time (Revelation 20:11-15). When all is said and done, God will wipe away every tear. In my humble thinking, the only way God can wipe away our tears is to remove our memories of the painful past. Because as long as I can remember people who have gone to Hell forever, I will cry tears.

I simply do not know the answer to how to find peace and comfort over those who are burning in Hell forever, except that we are commanded in the inspired Scripture to LOOK TO JESUS, the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. God knows what is best. Our omnipotent Creator would never allow anyone to suffer in Hell for their sins, unless they intentionally rejected Jesus as their personal Savior. That is why all children automatically go to Heaven. Every child's name is already written in the Lamb's Book of Life, Someone's name is not removed from the Book of Life until they knowingly reject Christ.

There have been many celebrities who died in their sins without Jesus (John 8:24). Some names that come to mind are: Gene Roddenberry, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Roddy McDowall, Gene Wilder, David Bowie, Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Margaret Sanger, Britney Spears, Pat Tillman and Orson Welles. Some hellbound living atheists are: Jodie Foster, Bill Maher, Warren Buffet, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, to name but just a few. Psalms 14:1, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

I am so glad to be a born-again Christian. I have great peace and comfort in knowing that MY NAME is written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. Jesus told me to rejoice about this fact (Luke 10:20). Every believer should rejoice that we are saved certain!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

There Is No Such Thing As An Atheist

Romans 1:17-21, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

I have a bittersweet 85 year old lady across the street from me named Maggie. I like Maggie, but she is miserable in life. She hates her dead former husband and speaks ill of him. I listen more than I talk when I meet with her. We only talk every few months at most, because we are both recluses by nature, total homebodies. The first time I met Maggie in January of 2023, I boldly stated to her, “I am a Christian!” She quickly replied, “I am an atheist!” I smiled and said, “Well I'm glad to meet you!”

I have witnessed the Gospel to Maggie numerous times, but she is hardened against God. She told me that she didn't come to her decision to become an atheist quickly. She said she had given the matter much thought, and after several years concluded that God doesn't exist. That is so sad and tragic. This year I offered her a free hard copy of the helpful book by Michael P. Bowen, “I Never Knew You,” but she coldly refused to accept it. I am trying to get her saved, but she is defiant against her Creator. Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?  or thy work, He hath no hands?”

What saith the Scripture? Romans 1:20-21, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” This is an amazing passage of Scripture. The inspired Word of God teaches that there is no such thing as an atheist, because the INVISIBLE THINGS of God from the creation of the world are CLEARLY SEEN BY THE THINGS THAT ARE MADE? Could the Word of God speak any clearer? I humbly think not.

Luke music, nature's voice testifying about God's wisdom, omnipotence and goodness transcends all barriers of language, age and race, as well as all cultural and national borders. Psalms 19:1-3, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” Everyone knows that there is a supreme God, a divine Creator, and He is a good God. Nature itself testifies to the existence of God, “so that they are without excuse...” (Romans 1:20b).

Moses saw the INVISIBLE GOD. Hebrews 11:27, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” The Bible openly acknowledges that GOD IS INVISIBLE to mankind.

1st Peter 1:7-9, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” The Bible openly acknowledges that Jesus is invisible to humanity. That is why we are invited in the Word of God to BELIEVE ON HIS NAME. John 1:12, “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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” It is perfectly acceptable to simply BELIEVE ON JESUS' NAME, since we cannot see Him.

The Bible is abundantly clear in all these Scripture passages that we cannot physically see God. But dear reader, we don't need to see God, because the universe around us PROVES GOD'S EXISTENCE. Romans 1:20-21a, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful...” At some point every child KNOWS that there is a God... “when they knew God...” (Romans 1:20b).

So Great Salvation

Hebrews 2:1-4, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”

Pastor Max D. Younce

SO GREAT SALVATION - MP3's

(01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)

Playlist - Streaming Audio - Continuous play of all 24 Bible studies

SO GREAT SALVATION

(YouTube video series)

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Am I Going To Heaven?
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Martin Luther (1483-1546) Was No Christian

Galatians 1:8-9, “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.”

We've got a bunch of woefully ignorant Baptist pastors in America, who still go around praising Martin Luther (1483-1546) as a great hero of the Christian faith. But in fact, Mr. Luther was a hellbound infidel who preached the Devil's damnable heresy of Baptismal Regeneration all his life. Roman Catholics love Martin Luther, in part because he taught Sacramental Salvation up until his death in 1546 AD.

Shame on any fundamentalist or neo-evangelical preacher who praises and uplifts Martin Luther as a born-again Christian. In truth, Mr. Luther is sadly burning in the fires of Hell forever, unless he repented of his Sacramental Salvation heresy on his death bed, which no one knows for sure. I think not. But you say, isn't Martin Luther famous for reading in the Scripture: “The just shall live by faith.” Yes, but it is deceptive not to mention that Mr. Luther also taught Sacramental Salvation all his life. Here is a disturbing quote from the U.S. Catholic website:

“Finally, his teaching on grace is his legacy. For Luther God is both hidden and revealed. Even in the revelation you still don’t get inside the divine majesty. You get God through the bread and wine of the sacrament, through the waters of Baptism, through scripture and prayer. That’s a means of grace.” SOURCE

You get God through the bread and wine of the sacrament?
You get God through the water of baptism?
You get God through prayer?
Those are the means of grace?

NO SIR! You are a bold-faced liar Mr. Luther! If you have any doubts, you can read Martin Luther's SMALL CATECHISM for yourself (which he wrote in 1529, 12 years after Luther was alleged saved in 1517).

In case you didn't go read it for yourself, here is a brief quote from Luther's catechism...

“What benefits does Baptism give? 

It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.” SOURCE

Say what? No, that is Satanic garbage! Water baptism does NOT give forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Perhaps you say in his defense, Mr. Luther was just confused, because he was a former Catholic priest, God understands.

If that were true, then the religious false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 should have been allowed to slide too, but Jesus said: "I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity." The dear Savior called them workers of iniquity. These hellbound false teachers followed Jesus as their Lord. They even called Him, "Lord, Lord." (There is John MacArthur's deadly Lordship Salvation in the Bible). Jesus didn't let them slide because they were confused, and neither did Christ allow Martin Luther to slide with his damnable Sacramental Salvation, and neither will he allow Pensacola Christian College to slide with their deadly Lordship Salvation heresy.

Like the Devil's hellbound Lordship Salvation cult, those who foolishly trust in Sacramental Salvation have perverted the Gospel of grace. They are trusting in partial faith in Christ PLUS something else.

Case in point, Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA's) put partial faith in Christ PLUS keeping the Ten Commandments. SDA's will deceitfully claim to trust only in Christ, but upon further investigation you'll discover that they actually teach you must keep God's Ten Commandments to prove that you love God. If you fail to obey the Ten Commandments, then SDA's say you don't truly love God which proves that your faith is invalid, and you were never saved. So the SDA plan of salvation is very much a works-based system. In fact, it is LORDSHIP SALVATION!

Whether it be Martin Luther foolishly adding sacraments to the Gospel, or SDA's foolishly adding keeping the Ten Commandments (especially the Sabbath in their false religion) to the Gospel, or Pastor Joel Osteen foolishly adding making Jesus the "Lord" of your life to the Gospel, or Pensacola Christian College foolishly adding turning from your sinful bad habits to the Gospel—the inspired Word of God calls them all ACCURSED BY GOD (Galatians 1:6-9).

BEWARE of the Martin Luther deception, and warn people about him, so that they won't sinfully idolize him as a man of God, like 90% of ignorant Baptists do today. The corrupt Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, as well as the cult at Bob Jones University, idolize Martin Luther to their impressionable students as a man of God. In truth, Mr. Luther was a dangerous infidel.

RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!

Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

You Don't Need To Pray To Be Saved Because God Sees Your Heart

1st Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

There is a popular heresy being propagated by the NIFB (New Independent Fundamental Baptist) movement today, which errantly preaches that you cannot get to Heaven without prayer a Sinner's Prayer. This is 100% unscriptural. My daughter today read one of my posts on Facebook, where some NIFB followers are attacking me for exposing their heresy that you must pray to be saved. She said something excellent, that God sees our heart, so there's no need to pray to be saved. I decided to write an article to share this truth.

I remember something that my ministry friend, Michael P. Bowen wrote in his helpful book in defense of a free grace Gospel titled, “I Never Knew You”...

When you look at John 3:16, the very words of Christ to Nicodemus who asked Him how he could be born again, notice where Christ said “whosoever believeth in Him...” and ask yourself why would Christ leave out “and repent of your sins” or “make it public” or any other combination of good works you can imagine. Did Christ lie to Nicodemus? Is Christ lying to us, today, through this verse? Of course not. When Christ said to someone that he or she had to “believe” in Him, He was always referring to the fact that He was the one who would pay for the sins of the world through His death on the cross, that He would be buried for three days, and that He would rise from the dead. The Greek word for “believe” is “pisteuo” which means “to trust.” When we “trust” that Christ paid for our sins by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, He saves us. How? Because He knows all of our thoughts. He knows every single thing you are thinking at this very moment. He even knows the content of your dreams as you sleep. He knows every star and planet in the universe by name. He knows every process of every molecule and atom in His creation. He knows every single thing about “every single thing.” God knows the “instant” that you trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you, and when you do, He saves you. He “knows” whether or not you have trusted Jesus as your savior. [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, “I Never Knew You,” pp. 28-29; © 2009 by Barbour Books

I love that. Brother Bowen is right, God knows the instant that you trust His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you, because God knows all of our thoughts. King David echoed this very truth...

Psalms 139:1-5, “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”

God knows everything about everything. He knows the number of hairs ion your head (Matthew 10:30). He knows your intentions (Proverbs 24:12). The inspired Holy Bible says that “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13b). NOTHING is hid from the eyes of Almighty God!!!

Yet, the NIFB would have us to believe that God is incapable or unwilling to save a sinner who doesn't ask to be saved, or pray some form of Sinner's Prayer to seal the deal. Dear reader, in view of these Scripture passages I have shown you, it should be painfully obvious that you don't have to ask or pray to be saved. God is already offering everyone His free gift of eternal life.

I heard Pastor Bob Gray Sr. make a beautiful statement. He said that, “Jesus doesn't forgive sin.” When I first read that, I thought Dr. Gray had gone off the reservation...lol. But then he beautifully explained that Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His blood, so that we don't have to “ask” for a gift that God is already offering to us. What saith the Scripture? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Repeatedly in the inspired Word of God we are taught to simply BELIEVE on Jesus Christ to have our sins forgiven. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Carefully notice that “all” the prophets gave this witness, that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. 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.” Do you see any requirement to ask or pray, or to call? No, the Scripture simply invites all mankind to “LOOK UNTO ME,” unto the Lord. It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking!

God sees your every thought dear reader. The Lord knows more about you than you do! He knew you before you were conceived in the womb, just like He did the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). Nothing can be hidden from the sight of Almighty God, and He has promised to judge all men individually for their good and evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

I have a video recording of a thief stealing my Amazon.com package on May 10, 2024 from my front porch. The inept local Sheriff's office in Pensacola said they cannot do anything, unless Amazon prosecutes the thief. I kindly made mention that Amazon replaced the $30 stolen clothing rack. The cops said that since Amazon replaced the item, I am not the victim, Amazon is. So, only Amazon can prosecute the ungodly criminal. A multi-billion dollar corporation like Amazon won't prosecute a petty thief, so I am victimized without recourse, even though I have a video recording clearly identifying the dirty thief. You couldn't make this stuff up! Only in America! Only in America can a pizza delivery order arrive at your house faster than the cops! Don't get me started...lol. Thankfully, God sees everything and He will punish that dirty thief for stealing what he didn't labor to earn, but stole from someone who did (Isaiah 13:11).

Nothing escapes the sight of God. The Lord doesn't need a secretary to help Him. Nothing ever occurs to God. He never needs to remember anything. God doesn't need to schedule things. There are no courtroom juries in Heaven, God already knows all the facts and who's guilty.

I really like Roku. I bought a Roku Box at Walmart for $35, which gives me free access to 1,000 television channels. On the Roku channel itself, I watched an episode of 'Unexplained Mysteries' yesterday. The police found a woman's head, but the detectives don't know who she is, or who murdered her, or how her head ended up placed alongside a road. Thankfully, our omnipotent faithful Creator knows every detail of what happened, and the case will be dealt with and judged properly in eternity. There will be justice! Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) in his Bible study series on 'Justice' says: “Everyone deserves justice, whether 3-years-old or 90-years-old, everyone deserves justice!” Amen to that! And God will give them all justice!!!

Dear reader, I will say it again and again, you DON'T have to pray or ask God to save you to get to Heaven. You simply need to BELIEVE ON JESUS. Jesus said this Himself in 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.”  Do you see any requirement to pray, call or ask? No, you don't, and neither do I; Jesus simply invites all humanity (as individuals) to BELIEVE ON HIM to receive the gift of eternal life. And it is a gift, a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15-18). You simply TAKE a gift. Salvation is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition.

Let's say for the sake of argument that I buy you birthday gift and I hand it to you. I say, “Happy Birthday! I bought you this gift, please take it!” Would you say, “Can I please have that gift?” If you did that would be really weird...lol. Now, you could ask me for the gift if you wanted, and I would still give it to you because it is a gift, but you'd be wasting your breath to ask for what is already being freely offered to you. Likewise, God is freely offering His gift of eternal life to all humanity, and all you need to do is by faith (trust, reliance) receive it. John 1:12, “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:” Again and again the inspired Scripture simply invites us to BELIEVE ON JESUS to be saved, nothing more.

So, please don't allow anybody to deceive you with a corrupt Gospel, mandating that you ask or pray to be saved. It is a big deal, because if you MUST pray, then faith is not enough to be saved, and that is another Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Thank you for reading my blog. God bless.

Why Are You Against Calling On The Name Of The Lord?

Romans 10:13-15, “For whosoever shall call upon 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, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

A Facebook friend asked me today why I am against calling on the name of the Lord. Kindly, I didn't say it is heresy to call upon the name of the Lord. I said it is heresy to say you cannot be saved without calling, praying or asking. Pastor Curtis Hutson rightly said: “A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one.” In the Gospel of John, we find the word "believe" mentioned 85 times, without any requirement to pray, call or ask God to save us. Repeatedly in the Scripture we are taught to simply BELIEVE to be saved.

In acts 2:41, the Bible says that 3,000 people were saved when they "gladly received his word." No mention is made of anyone praying, calling or asking to be saved. They simply BELIEVED the "Good News" (Gospel) that they heard the Apostle Peter preach to them.

In Acts 16:30-31, when the Roman jailer asked Paul and Silas what he needed to do to be saved, they told him to "BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST." There was no requirement to pray, call, ask, turn from his sins, follow Christ or get water baptized.

There is nothing wrong with calling upon the name of the Lord. It is natural to desire to ask God to save us. In John 4:10 Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well that if she knew who she was talking to, she would have asked Him for the Water of Life.

Respectfully, I heard Pastor Anderson try to use John 4:10 to justify the New IFB that you have to pray to be saved. Ironically, if you read the rest of chapter 4, none of the Samaritans who were saved ever called, asked or prayed to be saved; the Bible says they simply BELIEVED. 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟰:𝟯𝟵, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱.” No one is said to have "called" on the name of Jesus to get to Heaven.

To clarify, I never said that it is heresy to call upon the name of the Lord. When I was saved at age 13, I silently prayed in my soul for Jesus to please save me. I begged Him to save me. It is very normal to ask Jesus to save us. But when I learned around 2005 from Pastor Max D. Younce, in his helpful book "Salvation And The Public Invitation," that you can be saved simply by BELIEVING, it finally solidified my salvation beliefs and gave me 100% perfect peace about the simplicity that is in Christ.

You see, for several years after I was saved I was confused. I often cried if fear, worried that I might not be saved. I was terrified of missing Heaven and going to Hell. I was scared of something that I couldn't fully comprehend, God's simple plan of salvation. In hindsight, I came to realize many years ago that I had been woefully deceived by Baptist preachers. They had all taught me that you need to pray a Sinner's Prayer to get to Heaven. I knew that saying a prayer couldn't save me. I knew that faith in Christ alone saved me. However, I sincerely thought that the way you put your faith in Jesus is by praying to be saved. So, I repeated the Sinner's Prayer at least 50 times, maybe 100 times over the next several years.

I remember that I used to reason with God. I would say something like:

“Now Lord, if I am your redeemed child, then respectfully, you owe it to me to let me know, so I can finally put this matter to rest about salvation. But if I am not saved, I absolutely do want to be saved. I know that I am a sinner. And I know that I deserve to be punished in Hell forever, burning, because of my own sins. I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. And I do trust Jesus as my only way to Heaven. Please save me Lord if I am not saved, and don't let me go to Hell when I die someday.”

God knows that I was 100% sincere as a teenager, and He also knows that I was 100% confused. I kept wondering if there was more. Perhaps I had missed something. What if? What if I am not saved? How can I know for certain. Why am I so worried about this? I believe the inspired Holy Bible, so why cannot I settle this important matter. Nothing I thought could solve my dilemma, I was worried to tears for years that I might not be saved. I realize now that no one had ever properly presented the Gospel to me.

Now, I love Pastor Jack Hyles, but even he used the famous The Roman's Road method to lead lost sinners to Christ, which confused me, because it always ended with praying a Sinner's Prayer. I am not blaming Dr. Hyles. I am saying that there is nothing in the Bible which teaches to pray a Sinner's Prayer to get to Heaven. In Acts 2:41, as I mentioned earlier, when 3,000 souls were saved, no Sinner's Prayer was said. In Acts 16:30-31, Paul and Silas did NOT lead the Philippian jailer to pray a Sinner's Prayer. So we do thousands of pastors today teach their church congregations to use the Sinner's Prayer?

I am telling you from my own inexplicably painful experience, that by using the Sinner's Prayer you run the real risk of confusing someone, as I was confused for many years. What did the blessed Savior say? John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Jesus didn't say to pray a Sinner's Prayer, did He? No, He simply said to “BELIEVE ON ME.” Oh, who do men complicate everything?! The simplicity that is in Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4) is THE GOSPEL (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). The gospel is comprised of three elements:

1. Jesus DIED for our sins on a cross
2. He was BURIED.
3. Jesus bodily RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.

Any admitted guilty sinner who BELIEVES (put trust in, relies upon) these FACTS is instantly, irrevocably and eternally born-again. Nothing else is required or allowed by God to be saved.

Nowhere in the Gospel of John are we taught to pray, call or ask to be saved. God is already freely offering “𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲” (𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭:𝟮𝟭𝗯). We don't need to ask God for a gift that He is already offering to us. Any guilty sinner who by faith receives Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for their sins, believing that He was buried but bodily resurrected three days later is saved. This is "the gospel" according to Jesus (Galatians 1:12; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

So, I am perfectly okay with men calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved, whether silently in one's soul or audibly to be heard aloud; but I adamantly reject the heretical teaching that a lost sinner cannot be saved without calling, praying or asking for it. God has promised “𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲” (𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭:𝟮𝟭𝗯). I am simply being true to the inspired Scripture, not following the traditions of men.

Dr. Curtis Hutson is 100% correct, we ought not base a new doctrine on an obscure passage of Scripture, while ignoring a clear one. According to John 20:31, the purpose for which the Gospel of John was written is so that we might be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. So, we could read just the book of John, apart from the other 65 books of the Holy Bible, and learn how to be saved. That was the specific purpose for which God authored John.

Throughout the book of John we are simply taught to BELIEVE. 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟭𝟭:𝟮𝟱-𝟮𝟲, “𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲: 𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗲. 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?” The invitation to Martha was simply to BELIEVE.

One New IFB follower accused me of teaching that calling upon the name of the Lord contradicts being saved by grace through faith. But I didn't say that calling upon the name of the Lord contradicts salvation being by grace through faith, I simply said that a lost sinner doesn't have to call, pray or ask to be saved. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

The critic cited a couple passages (e.g., the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter four) and is making those instances the norm for getting saved. But the Bible is full of examples of people who were saved by simply BELIEVING on Jesus, who didn't call, pray or ask to be saved. Apart from the Samaritan woman who asked Jesus for the living water, there is no other mention of anyone asking to be saved in John chapter 4, but the Bible does say that the Samaritans simply BELIEVED on Jesus to be saved. 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝟰:𝟯𝟵, “𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱.” The New IFB are preaching heresy to say that faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is insufficient to save.

There is nothing wrong with saying a Sinner's Prayer when getting saved, as long as you don't mandate it. I don't use the Sinner's Prayer, nor do I recommend it. In the few cases where I did lead a lost sinner to pray, I made sure to explain to them that they DON'T need to pray to be saved, and that prayer cannot save someone. 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟯:𝟮𝟲, “𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀.”

So, to clarify, I am not against a lost sinner calling, praying or asking God to be saved. But I am against the heretical idea that someone cannot be saved unless they call, pray or ask for it. Nothing in the Bible supports such a claim. I also do not personally use the Sinner's Prayer, nor do I recommend that anybody else use it either. It is perfectly proper to pray with someone who just received Christ as their personal Savior. Albeit, I think it is best that we refrain from leading people to pray to get saved. If you do, you may be the reason why they struggle with the assurance of God's gift of eternal life for years, if not decades, to come.

Thank you friend for reading my ministry blog.

Beware Of The Satanic 'Church Of Christ' False Religion

Mark 7:7-9, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Someone sent me an invitation to attend the local Gateway Church of Christ in Pensacola. As I always do, the first thing I did was go look for their Statement of Beliefs. What I found is a laughable joke! Clearly, as cults often do, they are hiding their beliefs. Seventh-Day Adventist and Jehovah's Witness church cults do this all the time. Beware of these cults! And may I add, any Baptist church that preaches Lordship Salvation is equally a deadly religious cult!

I had to go searching online for what other Church of Christ (COC) cults believe. They all essentially believe that you must stop living a lifestyle of sin to get to Heaven, which is a counterfeit gospel. Case in point, here is a quote from the Statement of Faith of the Clovis Church of Christ in California...

Again, in Acts 3:19 Peter says

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

So, if repentance is a requirement, what does it mean and what must we do to meet this requirement? To repent is to change our mind and make the decision that we will change our life to begin serving the Lord as He desires us to serve Him. This is brought about by understanding what God has done for us, and realizing that we are not right with Him in our current condition and that we desire to change so as to please Him. This means, that an immoral person must become moral and upright in lifestyle. For the religious person who has tried to live a life pleasing to God, repentance may involve recognizing that we have not done what God requires of us with regard to salvation and that we must obey the inspired plan in order to be right with Him. If we are in the denominational world, belonging to a church that has a creed or doctrine other than the Bible and/or in addition to the Bible, then we must turn away from such a religion and find a congregation of people that believe in the Bible and only the Bible. (We are certainly happy to help you in any such search.) Repentance then is produced by Godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10) which leads to a change of heart and a change of mind, which is the beginning of a changed life... one that is dedicated to God. [emphasis added]

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

What you have just read is Satanic! You don't have to “become moral and upright” of your own doing to get to Heaven, you need to receive Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins. Simply believe that Jesus did it all for you! There is no requirement to become a moral person to be saved in the inspired King James Bible. They started off right in COC by teaching that repentance is “a change of mind,” but then they embellished repentance by adding other things to it which are totally unbiblical. The Bible does not say to clean up your life of sin, commit to do better, promise to turn away from sinful bah habits nor to dedicate your life to God to get to Heaven. These things are all proper in their place, but you may do all of these things are never have been saved at all. Jesus emphatically stated in John 3:3b, “Ye must be born again.”

I love and share David's attitude. Psalms 84:10, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.  I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Amen and amen! I'd rather be a doorkeeper in a local Bible-believing church, than to rule in Satan's Hollywood kingdom. I'd rather cut the grass for God's house, than to dwell in Hugh Hefner's mansion. Like Joshua, I'm on the Lord's side (Joshua 24:15).

Here is more damnable heresy taught by the ungodly Church of Christ...

Finally, we must live our lives in faithful and loyal service to our Lord Jesus Christ as God has directed (Revelation 2:10). 

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

That is pure Lordship Salvation, not the free grace Gospel presented in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Works have no part in God's simple plan of salvation. Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Having to live a faithful life and loyal service to Christ to be saved is self-righteousness, not trusting saving faith. Remember, we are saved by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, not our own goodness (Philippians 3:9). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Water Baptism Is Not Required To Get To Heaven

The Satanic Church of Christ also corrupts the Gospel by adding a requirement to be water baptized to get to Heaven. Here is what the Clovis Church of Christ errantly teaches...

Acts 2:36-39

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."

This tells us that baptism is necessary for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. 

SOURCE: https://www.clovischurchofchrist.org/resources/the-plan-of-salvation

Pastor Curtis Hutson made this helpful statement: A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. Bravo! Yes, that is exactly right! In umpteen places in the New Testament where we are told to “believe” on Jesus to be saved, there is no mention of water baptism. For example: John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” If water baptism were necessary to get to Heaven, then Jesus would have mentioned it here, but He didn't. The thief on the cross didn't have time to be baptized. It would be very wrong to say that God made an exception, when we are plainly told in Galatians 1:6-7 that there is only one Gospel.

The Church of Christ wrest (twist) the Scripture to their own destruction (2nd Peter 3:16-17). No one in the Old Testament was baptized with water to get to Heaven. In the Epistle of First John, the apostle tells us the purpose of his epistle is so “that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1st John 5:13). Yet, John never once mentions baptism. This speaks volumes as to this unnecessity of water baptism to be saved. The ungodly Church of Christ have changed God's simple plan of salvation, making it works-based instead of faith-based. Please don't buy into their lies!

My father was right, religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Salvation is not found in any religion, but in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

BEWARE Of Deadly Chick Tracts!

As a boy I loved Chick Tracts because of the art work. They were (and still are) intriguing. But when I grew up and realized that Lordship Salvation has crept into most churches, because of the incompetent Bible colleges that train 90% of pastors today, I took a closer look at Chick Tracts and was very disappointed.

Jack Chick (1924-2016) was an artist, not a preacher, and he got the Gospel wrong. According to Mr. Chick, admitting you're a sinner is not enough to get to Heaven, he requires that you also be willing to turn away from your sins. Not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches to "repent of your sins" or "turn from your sins" to be saved, ungodly religious men added those extra words and requirement.

NO ONE has ever turned from their sinning. At best all we can do is clean up our life of sin, reform in the eyes of men, and walk uprightly to hide our sinful heart; but we would still be just as a vile, unholy, unclean and sinful in God's sight. THE ONLY thing that makes the best Christian on the planet any more righteous than Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy (both convicted mass-murderers) is the precious blood of Jesus that washed all our sins away (Romans 5:9).

In other words, we are only made righteous by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (which is imputed to every believer by faith at the time of the new birth - Romans 4:5-6). With this great fundamental biblical truth in mind, it should become obvious what is so wrong about Jack Chick telling lost sinners that they must be willing to reform (i.e., turn from their sins) to be saved. A willingness to self-improve has no place in God's simple plan of salvation.

Being Catholic Or Baptist Doesn't Make You A Christian

John 3:1-3, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus warned in Matthew 7:13-15 and Luke 13:23-24 that MOST people will not enter into Heaven in eternity. Luke 13:23-24, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” The dear Savior in no uncertain terms exclaimed in John 3:3b, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Being a Catholic doesn't get you to Heaven. Joining a Baptist church doesn't get you to Heaven. You can join every church in your city, and give all your earthly possessions to them, and serve in the church all your life, but still die in your sins and go to Hell forever. You must experience the new birth, which is by faith alone in the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ.

I read that there are an estimated 350,000 churches in the United States. In my humble opinion, it would be a wonderful thing if 99% of them closed their doors forever. I dare say that only 3,500 of those 350,000 churches are worth salvaging! In all likelihood only about 350 of those churches are worth saving. It is now VERY difficult to find a doctrinally sound, soulwinning, people-loving, King James Bible only, free grace Gospel, local church that contends for the faith. Heresy has crept into most of the churches. The main reason is the ungodly corrupt Bible colleges today, like Pensacola Christian College (PCC), who are training incompetent pastors. I am convinced that all Bible colleges do today is neuter the pastors of tomorrow. It would be a Godsend if cesspools of iniquity like PCC would go out of business, and that is what they are—a stinking money-grubbing greedy business.

The average church today is merely a glorified social club. The rest are religious cults that are wrong on the Gospel, falsely teaching that to get to Heaven you must forsake your sinful bad habits, follow Christ, or surrender all to be saved. In sharp contrast the inspired Holy Bible teaches that Christ died for our sins, and all we need to do to be saved is BELIEVE that Jesus did it all for us. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

Tragically, someday at the Great White Throne of Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), billions of the dead will stand before God the Father and be sentenced to the everlasting Lake of Fire. John 3:18 says that the unbelieving are already condemned, because they have not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:36). Time is running out friends! No amount of religious devotion, sacrifice and good deeds can rescue a guilty sinner from the eternal damnation and punishment of Hell. All unregenerated sinners go to Hell forever without rest or hope. The choice is yours alone to make.

The “Gospel” in the Scripture is defined as three things in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4:

1. Jesus DIED on a cross to pay for our sins.
2. He was BURIED.
3. Jesus RESURRECTED three days later from the dead.

Any admitted guilty sinner who by faith (childlike reliance, trust) BELIEVES these three facts is immediately, irrevocably and permanently saved. You have God's promise of it in 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.”