The Lying Counterfeit Gospel Of Pacific Garden Mission

Acts 16:29-31, “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 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.”

I am alarmed at how many preachers, Bible colleges, radio stations, television channels, missionaries and so-called ministries are preaching a counterfeit plan of salvation today. Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001) faithfully exposes the Devil's fallacy of Lordship Salvation...

“I never thought, I'd see a day when Baptist preachers would not preach the true Gospel. Tonight, all across this nation, Baptist preachers have succumbed to the heresy of John MacArthur. I said the heresy of John MacArthur! I said the heresy of John MacArthur! And somebody that's got several thousand people to hear 'em, who can go across this country, has got to alert Baptists that we have false teachers in our midst who ​are no longer teaching and preaching salvation by grace through faith plus nothing. Folks, we're fighting for our lives tonight!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “A Vote For Preaching”

I am about to show you the damnable false plan of salvation preached on UNSHACKLED radio by the Pacific Garden Mission (PGM) in Chicago. 

The False Gospel Of Gary Reynolds

I listened to UNSHACKLED radio today, which was aired in 2023 by Pacific Garden Mission (PGM) in Chicago. The episode number is 3804, the classic story of Gary Reynolds. Here is a heretical quote from an excerpt of the program, spoken by the actor who plays Gary...

“You must believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and then acknowledge Him as the Lord of your life.” [emphasis added] —'UNSHACKLED,' episode #3804, Gary Reynolds

The PGM narrator then adds this heretical statement... 

“You can have the peace and freedom that Gary found in Jesus Christ, but you must repent and believe in Jesus as Lord.” [emphasis added]

Dear reader, that is NOT God's simple plan of salvation!!! Our text passage from Acts 16:29-31 shows the simplicity of the Gospel. We are saved by simply BELIEVING on Christ.

If believing on Jesus as your “Lord” we required to be saved, then the Bible would have said so. You simply take Him as your Savior, not your Lord (Dr. Hyles excerpt), to get to Heaven. If you have to follow Christ as the “Lord” of your life, and repent to “turn from your sins” (which PGM teaches often), then no one is saved. Those are self-righteous works (Jonah 3:10).

Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay our debt of sin. He was buried. Three days later Jesus physically resurrected miraculously from the dead. This is “the gospel”...

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:”

I didn't see anything mentioned about making Jesus the “Lord” of your life, did you? I didn't see anything about turning from your sinful bad habits, did you? PGM makes sure to push the Lordship Salvation heresy in every UNSHACKLED episode, because they are trying to force sinners to reform and clean up your own life. They are attempting to do the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit in a believer's life (John 17:17).

Dear friend, in the true Gospel the entire burden of sin rests upon Christ alone, who died in our place on the cross; but in the Devil's Lordship Salvation lie, the burden of sin is placed upon the sinner's shoulders, because you are required to turn from your sins and follow Christ as Lord of your life to be saved. The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. 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.

“SALVATION is a decision to trust; SERVICE is a commitment to God to perform.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Works And Grace Clearly Explained”

“To add anything to salvation other than the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is to say that His death was not sufficient payment for our sins.” —Dr. Curtis Hutson

“My sin belongs to me; my righteousness is Jesus Christ's.” —Pastor Brad Moffett

“Sound doctrine is like a sound ship. There are no holes in it.” —Pastor David Baker 

These are great quotes from godly men who understand and preach the true Gospel. PGM is messed up doctrinally. Their theology is like a sinking ship with holes in it. I absolutely hate the Devil's falsehood of Lordship Salvation with a perfect hatred, but I do not hate the deceived men and women who preach it today. My heart goes out to them because they have sincerely been tricked by the master of all deceivers, Satan (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15). All I can do is preach the true Gospel, expose the Devil's lies, and pray that someone will heed the truth. 1st Timothy 4:16, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

If you admit that you're a guilty sinner in God's sight for breaking His commandments, and you will simply receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He was buried and raised up three days later from the dead, then YOU ARE SAVED. The man who believes had repented. That is, he has changed his mind from unbelief to belief (i.e., he has turned from his dead works to faith in Christ - Hebrews 6:1). True repentance has nothing to do with “turning from sin” and everything to do with “acknowledging one's sinfulness” (Romans 3:19-20; 2nd Timothy 2:25). Like the thief on the cross who simply acknowledged his sinfulness (Luke 23:39-43), the only part a person has in salvation is the beggar's part.

Kindly said, Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago is preaching another gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4) of partial faith in Christ PLUS taking Christ as your “Lord” (which implies that you must give up your lifestyle of sinning to be saved, which is works and not grace). I've listened to hundreds of UNSHACKLED episodes, so I know what they teach. A corrupt plan of salvation cannot produce the new birth.

The False Gospel of Rodney Williams

I heard another UNSHACKLED episode today, the story of Rodney Williams (Part 2), episode #2803. Here is a transcript of their doctrinally perverse phone conversation. Pastor Rodney Williams tells the stranger a counterfeit plan of salvation, giving him false hope...

Stranger: “Is this the guy who wrote a book about Meth?

Pastor Williams: Yes.

Stranger: “I need help man, I'm in so deep; so deep.

Pastor Williams: I've been there, and Jesus is the answer.

Stranger: Oh, don't be talkin' religious stuff man. 

Pastor Williams: I'm telling you the truth. Jesus saved my life. He pulled me out of the same pit you're in. He lives and He loves you. He will change your life.

Stranger: Yeah, how?

Pastor Williams: You have to put your trust in Him. Repent of your sins against God, and ask Him to save you. 

Stranger: You don't get it man, I owe people money. They gonna waste me, if I don't do it myself first. 

Pastor Williams: Satan wants you to die, and spend eternity in Hell, but Jesus died to give you eternal life, trust Him. You have to take a step of faith, and trust Him, it's the only way. 

Stranger: I been a fighter my whole life, I don't know if I can stop fighting. 

Pastor Williams: Following Jesus is not for wimps. Everyday is a battle, but the battle belongs to the Lord. He gives you the victory when you surrender your life to Him.

Stranger: I'm desperate, I'll try anything, even that!” [emphasis added]  

—'UNSHACKLED,' episode #3804, Rodney Williams (Part 2)

What you have just read is utter nonsense and damnable heresy!!! This is typical of the false teachings heard on UNSHACKLED radio. Let's examine Rodney Williams false gospel.  A complete stranger calls on the phone for help with his broken life, desperate, and Rodney tells him this garbage:

1. Trust Jesus
2. Repent of your sins
3. Follow Jesus
4. Surrender your life to Him

You cannot support the last 3 requirements with the inspired Holy Bible to get to Heaven. This is NOT God's simple plan of salvation. Moreover, Rodney didn't even mention Jesus' death on the cross, burial or bodily resurrection (which is the Gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

I love what Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan, wrote:

“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 is my favorite preacher quote! John Bunyan fully understood the utter importance of maintaining separation between sanctification and justification. That is, we must keep SERVICE (Romans 12:1) separate from SALVATION (Galatians 3:26). Many people have been lied to by preachers, misled to think that they are not saved unless their life has changed for the better, but that is not true. They have made the dire error of mixing works with grace. They have combined service with salvation, corrupting the Gospel and confusing people.

Pastor M.R. DeHaan Gets Salvation Right

Another one of my favorite quotes is from Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965)...

"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)

Bravo Dr. DeHaan! I am shocked and saddened that most pastors today, including the clergy as a whole, are guilty of failing to put a difference between sanctification and justification. In so doing, they have corrupted the Word of God and cast stumblingblocks before the people. PGM and UNSHCAKLED are guilty of mixing works with grace. They are guilty of failing to differentiate between the fruit of the Spirit produced in a believer's life who Walks in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), versus the childlike faith without works which brings salvation (Romans 4:1-7). PGM horribly places the burden of change upon the sinner, instead of wholly leaning on Jesus' name to get to Heaven. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Beware Of UNSHACKLED Radio

I cannot warn you enough to avoid these false prophets, who mislead lost sinners, sending them to Hell after being given a false hope. Nobody has ever been born-again by following Christ, turning from your sins or surrendering to Jesus, PLUS trusting Christ. You can only be saved by wholly leaning on Jesus' precious name. That is, you must trust what Jesus did to pay your debt of sin through Calvary's cross and nothing more. 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” There is the Gospel. Amen. What PGM is propagating is a false plan of salvation—the same lies which the religious cults teach.

RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!