Heartfelt Salvation
The Assurance of Eternal Life
A fresh, common sense approach concerning scripture
and
testimony dealing with
the true workings of God's Holy Spirit
who provides the absolute assurance of
eternal life.
Gary Bewley
© 2015
Dedicated to my
dear daughter Kuristen Jones, her husband Bryan, and my precious grandchildren,
Bryson, Andrew and Matthew Jones, all of whom I love more than my own life. I
fear the day is soon coming when it will be difficult to find churches who will
preach the truth about true Spiritual salvation. The confusion, misinterpretation
and deception is so great. I pray these reflections on God's word and the
genuine testimonies of God's saints will forever instill in your hearts and
minds, that Spiritual heartfelt salvation is real, and the only way to be
reborn and enter the Lord's heavenly home.
Special thanks to Professor
Nancy Richey, my dearest friend, who listened to the plans for this book for
months and years and provided much material from diverse sources. Thank you for
all your help and encouragement.
Cover photograph: Rev. Henry Clay
Morrison ca.1890 photographed in Glasgow ,
Kentucky
The most beautiful, most precious
thing a person can ever experience is the receiving of the Holy Spirit into
their hearts and lives at the time of their salvation. The Holy Spirit is
the promised possession made to us in the scriptures by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord promised concerning the receiving of the Spirit out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. He foretold of a Comforter that He would
send who would dwell in us and teach, guide and direct us. The Apostle Paul
described the characteristics of the Spirit as love, joy, and peace and that the
Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God. Paul explained this
magnificent experience as a foretaste of all the wonderful heavenly things to
come.
Yet, with
all the scriptures and thousands of creditable testimonies over the millennia,
and many generations describing a glorious heartfelt salvation, some of the
most popular and prosperous churches of this age, denounce, mock and in many
instances ridicule a feeling type of salvation, calling it irrelevant. Their
sermons, teachings, broadcasts and writings, along with the millions of
brochures and flyers distributed by
religious organizations around the world teach the experience of
salvation is a fact, not a feeling.
What drives ministers, church members and so called Christians to follow this
doctrine? Why do they ignore very plain, precise, and descriptive scripture
that cry out that true regeneration is a glorious event and our assurance that
the Lord has indeed saved our souls?
There is no more pure religion than
a religion where one bows before a living God and He, by the power and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit
assures you that you are truly saved. There could be not be a more real
religion. There is no other religion. It is all real and all taught so plainly
in the scriptures. I pray God's blessings upon this book, that it will
enlighten and create a clear understanding of what it means to really be saved
and made pure in Christ. I pray you will come to see that the doctrines
embraced by many of the modern day churches can be most dangerous and
potentially destructive. I pray you will come to find phrases such as "making
a decision for Christ" and "accepting Jesus" as most offensive terms. They have most
commonly and inappropriately been used as a means that often robs the Holy Spirit
of working His intended purpose in us, treating Him as insignificant in giving
us that blessed assurance of salvation.
The Bad News about The Good News
Are you a
Christian? Have you been saved? Do you think you obtained your salvation and
forgiveness from the Lord by praying the
"Sinner's Prayer?" Well, no one enjoys being the bearer of bad news.
No one enjoys alarming another person by casting doubts and fears among the
peace, comfort, safety and tranquility one might expect to find in their faith
and security in Christ. However, despite all the frustrations this effort may
cause, it must be said, and done, for there is so much at stake, so much glory
that could be lost, and so much needless suffering that could lie ahead. We can
remain silent no longer.
The debate is over salvation, true
salvation, for in reality there is only one kind. The debate is about how one
can successfully come to Christ and know without doubt, they have indeed been saved.
All churches, and all denominations have
their own ideas and opinions. The debate is an old one. It did not begin with me, and I am quite sure
it will not end with me. However, in the
church age to which we now belong, one of the most popular methods practiced
today is the praying of the "Sinner's Prayer." The "Sinner's Prayer," commonly involves the act of "accepting
Jesus, " or "making a decision for Christ." This simple act of
accepting and deciding about their Savior has become the norm to so many
Christian churches, and the security for many a trusting soul.
If the praying of the "Sinner's
Prayer," without any confirmation of feeling or assurance from a heavenly
source is correct and Biblical, then my efforts are in vain. But, if the
preaching, and teaching of what I will refer to as, "The Old Time
Religion" and, "The Heartfelt, Knee Route Way," is correct, then mass multitudes of supposed believers could be in very serious
trouble.
We teach
our children to sing songs like, "There is Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, Down In My
Heart," then stand in the pulpits, declaring that "salvation is a
fact, not a feeling."
We
used to gladly accept and sing the old hymns in our churches like, "Heaven
Came, and Glory Filled My Soul." Now,
we hear from the pulpit "we are saved by faith alone, because we believe
it, not because we feel it." What about the old Christian hymn, "Blessed
Assurance, Jesus Is Mine, Oh' What A Foretaste Of Glory Divine?" Those words
were not written because they just happened to rhyme, but the words were taken
from the scriptures, from the Word and promises of God.
Preachers
will stand in the pulpit and tell you, if you are saved, that you possess the
Spirit of God, yet deny the power thereof, by denying the fruits and assurances
the Spirit is promised to provide. This
is most serious, and an absolute denial of the very Word of God. Our friends,
neighbors and families are being lied to.
Our children, our grandchildren, and those we love, are being
victimized. This is my belief, and the belief of so very many true born again
Christians. This language may sound harsh, hateful and even cruel, but our own Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ told us we must be born again, or we cannot see the Kingdom of God ,
and unless we are born of the Spirit we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God
Please take
the time to read and understand the words of this text, and fairly consider the
truth and clear logic of these scriptures. The Bad News I shared with you, can result in the true Good News. The good news will be the
discovery of Christ, and the receiving of
a genuine salvation that you can know, that you can feel, and have an absolute
assurance of.
Who am I to
challenge you, your church, your preacher, maybe even your faith?
I am a flawed and sinful
preacher. I am one who like, Jonah ran from the calling of our Lord. I am one
who has stood behind the pulpit in many of our churches trying to deliver God's
word with much fear and trembling. I am one who turned his back to things he knew to be good
and righteous, to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. I am one who was a
ship wreck, who caused offenses contrary to the doctrines of righteousness, who
for a time served his own belly and faltered in the way of perfecting holiness
in the fear of God. I am the one who lives each day in sorrow, guilt and regret
in all that has been lost and hurt. But, I am one who was saved by the grace of
God with a wonderful, precious testimony. I am one who has known the greatest
blessings of our Lord. I am one who has repented with a thousand prayers of
repentance, seeking God's great love, mercy and kindness. I am the prodigal son
who returned to the joys and pleasures of His gracious Father, and found
forgiveness with great favor. I am one who has been gloriously blessed by His
precious Holy Spirit, with a joy unspeakable, and full of Glory. I am one whom God
has instructed, to go, to speak, to write down and declare the words and
promises of our precious Lord. I am the
one who is asking for your love, understanding and forgiveness, in the light
and holiness of the One who said, "For
if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you."
I am an old
sinful preacher. But, I am one the Lord
has directed to share this message. I am one who will tell you the truth.
Introducing The Holy Spirit
"With all heads bowed, and with all eyes
closed, we invite you, if you are lost and do not know God's saving grace, to
raise your hands so I may see you," (the minister speaking to his
congregation). "All you have to do
is repent of your sins and ask God to save you through the blood of Jesus
Christ who died for you. You don't have to come forward, you don't have to get
down and snort and slobber, you can if you want to, but you don't have to.
Romans 10:13 says, For whosoever calls
upon the name of the Lord will be saved. If you ask him, the Lord will save
you." From this point the minister
will lead the congregation along the path of the traditional "Sinner's
Prayer," acknowledging the repentance of sins, and trust and faith in what Jesus did on
the cross in dying for them. Most commonly, these prayers end with an
absolution, proposed by the minister, "thank you Lord for saving my soul."
The participant is usually encouraged to trust fully in what they did in
accepting Jesus, and then reminded of assurances in the scriptures that they are
indeed saved. A common catch phrase in a lot of modern day "How To Get
Saved" brochures is that salvation
is a fact, not a feeling.
Did the
participants of this prayer really get saved?
God only knows, not I.
If that person or persons were truly sincere, faithful, and
repenting, I believe it is possible.
But, then there is as much reason to suspect that perhaps they were not. There is a way
they can know for sure if they were saved, and it does not need to stand in the
wisdom or logic of man, or just in a printed promise alone. There is a
magnificent, full proof system God has set up and provided, so they can know,
and we all can know when salvation is accomplished in our hearts. Please allow me to me introduce you to the Holy Spirit. It
appears there needs to be a real introduction, for it seems quite clear to me
that even a great majority of our most prominent church pastors must not know Him,
or at best choose not to want to bother Him when it comes to what they must
consider such trivial matters as another person's eternal life, for many handle
it most dangerously, and recklessly.
Many may wonder, what is the big deal? There
are so many religions, so many ideas. As long as you believe in Jesus and ask
him to save you, isn't that really all there is to it? To answer this question
we must look at the significance of the Spirit to our salvation. The Apostle Paul wrote in
Romans 8:11 something that is absolutely essential to salvation that results in
eternal life. "But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth
in you." Please look closely
and carefully at what this says, IF, meaning there is an absolute requirement,
the Spirit has to be in you, He has to dwell in you or it is not going to happen.
Mortal bodies cannot enter into heaven, you must be changed, mortal to
immortality. The Holy Spirit that is within us is the catalyst by which this
great event can happen. Without it, we are obviously lost and without hope. So
it is imperative that we know without a doubt that we are a possessor of
the Spirit of God. How can we know we have it? The
scriptures teach that the Spirit
makes Himself known to us (Romans 8:16); the Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit
that we are the children of God, and yes, there is a feeling, an absolute
knowledge, not something you just have to take by faith. Let's look at some
relevant scripture concerning the Spirit and how He conducts Himself and makes
Himself known to us.
In John 7:
37-39, Jesus said, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
At the time Jesus spoke these words, He
had not yet died upon the cross, but foretold of a beautiful thing that was to
occur, the time when believers would receive the Holy Spirit. There would be rivers
of living water flowing out from within us. In Acts 1:5, Jesus explained how
John the Baptist had baptized with water, but within just a few days, they
would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
In verse 8, He told them; ye shall receive power after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judea, and in Samaria
The Spirit allowed them to speak
languages they had not known, so they could be understood by the many Jews and
visitors who were in attendance that day from various lands. Those who witnessed
this great event marveled and were amazed. Others dismissed this with an accusation that these people must be
drunk. It was an amazing display of God's power concerning the Spirit. The Spirit
had arrived and it was the promise our Lord had made. The receiving of the Spirit
was not just promised to these select people, for on that very day Peter
preached a sermon to those in attendance, promising them (Acts 2:38) Repent and be baptized everyone of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. The Bible tells us about three thousand souls were
saved that day, so obviously they also would have received the Spirit as Peter
had promised.
I have personally never witnessed a new
convert speaking in a different language, but I have seen very many new
converts come off the altar and share a testimony of a great experience with
the Lord. Many describe a great peace, a great joy, a perfect love. Many new converts will shed tears of joy, some may laugh
uncontrollably. There are a lot of different descriptions, yet they all bear
witness of some spiritual encounter. You can find these wonderful testimonies
of heartfelt salvation within the pages of books, letters and publications from
many Christians. You can find them in the minutes recorded on the pages of many church
histories. You can read of great revivals where so many were saved and joined
the church with great testimonies of conversion. If rivers of Godly living water
are flowing out of our bellies, as Jesus promised it would, should we not be
aware of such an occurrence? With the
stakes so high, meaning our eternal life, surely we had better know for certain
that we have been regenerated by the Spirit. Salvation must never be a guessing
game. You must feel something, experience something, or have some great
awareness from a Godly source, or you had better start all over for most
assuredly something is definitely wrong.
True converts of Christ, know that they have been saved and no one has to tell
them, no one has to urge them just to take it by faith. There is a knowledge,
there is an experience, and yes, there is a feeling.
Flesh and Blood
Cannot Reveal It To Us
In Matthew
16: 13-17 Jesus asks His disciples; Whom
do men say that I the Son of Man am ...? Then He asked them, But whom say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the son of the living
God and Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona: for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in
heaven.
Although the Spirit, as we now know Him,
had not yet come upon them, still something spiritual from God above let Peter
know who Jesus, the Son of God truly was.
Peter's faith was not in the words of Christ alone, nor in all that he had seen
and witnessed, but there was an assurance from heaven above. This assurance is
absolute. In this, there is no room for error. We can know and must know for
sure.
Paul told
the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians 2: 1-5
how that he came to them in weakness
and fear and in much trembling, and that his speech and preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that their faith should not stand in
the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. When Paul preached unto these
people, he did not use human tactics or devices. He did not put on shows of
entertainment. He did not entice them in by games, music and fun events. Paul
simply came to them under the burden, power, conviction and leadership of the
Holy Spirit. Paul did not talk them into anything from a human standpoint. He
did not try to convince them of the Gospel by any means, except what the Holy Spirit
gave him to say and do. So that in the end their faith, their salvation did not
have to stand or be based on what he said alone, nor what the scriptures said
alone, but their faith would obviously need to stand in the power of God. Such
is the demonstration of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is a far cry from
much of the modern day ministries where the preacher tells you, if you prayed
the "Sinner's Prayer" and accepted Jesus, that you are born again and
a child of God, and disregards any testimony of the Holy Spirit. Paul's method
of bringing the Spiritual gospel to the lost is also far from the invitations
spelled out in the millions of personal pocket bibles that are freely
distributed. These carry an invitation to make a decision to receive Christ as savior,
without explanation or reference to the witness of the Holy Spirit. When we
trust the preacher to tell us we are saved, or trust in these prepared prayers,
we are in truth letting our faith stand in the wisdom of what man has devised
for us, rather than in the power God provided by His saving Spirit.
The Rebirth
The Gospel
of John tells us of a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus who came to Jesus by
night. Nicodemus recognized Jesus as being a man of God, confessing that no man
could do the miracles that Jesus did, except God be with him. Jesus spoke very
plainly to Nicodemus about the means to salvation, so that he and others could
someday see the kingdom
of God
Please note
again how Jesus explains, without the Spirit we cannot enter into heaven. Therefore,
the absolute guarantee and assurance that we have the Spirit is so very
crucial. I ask again, why would any church, any minister tell or try to
persuade anyone not to seek this assurance from the Holy Spirit? It is too
important. Eternity is at stake here. There is no time for playing church.
There is no excuse for playing guessing games. We must know absolutely without
any doubt we possess the Spirit.
Paul says
in Romans 8:14, For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Does not the idea that we as
Christians are led by the Spirit of God, signify there has to be an awareness
within us that we possess this Spirit. Some argue that we are led by the Spirit
simply by following God's laws and scriptures in the Bible. No, No, Jesus said
he would send the Comforter and He would dwell in you and be in you (John
14:17).
Paul
teaches us in Romans 8:15-17 that our life after the receiving of the Spirit becomes quite different. We no
longer cringe in fear as slaves in bondage under the penalty of sin, but we receive the Spirit of adoption.
We now belong to God the Father as His child with a new awareness and
relationship, so that we can truly pray and call upon Him as a genuine father. Paul explains that the Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the
children of God, and therefore, heirs to eternal life. Paul teaches us that the Spirit within us, gives
us a foretaste (a sampling) of all the wonderful things to come in future
glory. In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul explained how after we heard, trusted and
believed in the gospel of our salvation, we were
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which he called the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession. This simply means that His presence
within us is something that we can know and feel. It is God's guarantee to us of
all the wonderful things He has promised in eternity. So we have cause to praise
Him all the more.
There is an
old hymn written in 1873 by Fanny J. Crosby, one of Christianity's greatest
composers. The beloved hymn, "Blessed Assurance," uses as the basis
for this line, the great promises found in Paul's writing.
Blessed
Assurance, Jesus is mine,
Oh,
what a foretaste of glory divine.
The
sampling and foretaste that Paul describes must be something most splendid and
most precious. This sampling has to be something tangible and effective enough to
make us confident in all the future promises He has made to us, causing us to yearn for all the greater things yet to come. For anyone to maintain we cannot feel or
experience anything as a result of our being saved in the present, would be in
essence saying, there is nothing wonderful to feel or experience in the heavenly
world to come. Titus 3:4-6 explains God's
kindness towards us by saving us, not by
our works of righteousness, but according to His mercy. We are told He
saved us by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Savior.
We see that
the job of the Holy Spirit was to come into our hearts, to wash, to cleanse, to
forgive and to make us good and acceptable in the Lord's sight. It further states the Holy Ghost was shed on
us abundantly. Surely, such a great and generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon our lives would produce some conscious awareness that something has happened.
Surely, we could not be so insensitive and unknowing of a tremendous outpouring
of God's love and favor. Here we were, sinners, lost souls, full of
imperfection, burden and guilt. Then, suddenly and instantaneously, it is
removed. In this moment of true salvation, we stand as close to true
righteousness as a human being surely can be. Our sins are forgiven and for the
first time in our life, all unrighteousness is removed. At this moment, we are
sinless and as perfect as God's saving grace provides. As we see in 1 John 1:9,
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Isaiah
1:18, Come now, and let us reason
together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Also,
Hebrews 10:14, For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
We stand in this saving moment, free
from sin. Are we to assume, we would have no awareness of this within, no
feeling of relief, no sense of excitement or joy, no feeling of goodness and Godliness? Would
we not, in these first moments as a forgiven person, not enjoy the Godly love
that scriptures clearly teach we would receive from our Lord and toward all
humanity?
The Marvelous Love
There is a common testimony
among those who have experienced heartfelt salvation, of a great love unlike
anything they have ever known. Those who have previously hurt us, those who
have offended and angered us, are now loved by us, within our hearts, without
exception. After this experience, all is forgiven, all wrongs become
unimportant, and you possess a love not unlike the kind of love Jesus had for
us when he died on the cross. The following scriptures illustrate this kind of
love: 1 Peter 1:22, Seeing ye have
purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love
of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently. Romans 5:5, ... Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given unto us. 1 John 3: 14
says, We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
Any
subsequent submission to God throughout our Christian life will result in the
reoccurrence of this perfect love within us. We should note here, that if at
any time we as Christians do not love our fellowman, or anytime we hold a
grudge, or will not speak to someone, this is a clear indication, we are not in
close fellowship with God, and not within His pleasure and will. Simply, we need to pray and worship and draw
near to God Who can rekindle the joy of the Spirit within us. The Spirit is always there, and we can be just
as close to the Lord as we want to be, but, it does come only with much prayer
and devotion and a repentance of things that are contrary to God's will.
Jesus
taught His disciples in John 15:10-11, If
ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken unto
you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
So we see, in obeying the Lord,
and in truly loving Him, we become the
recipients of His marvelous love, and with this love comes great joy, a joy to
the fullest. How can such a marvelous love and joy be promised and present and
there be no evidence of it? Many preachers will proudly boast that if we have
accepted Jesus, we indeed possess the Spirit, yet then, they will contradict
their own words by saying there is nothing to feel? From the moment the Lord
saves our soul, the promised Holy Spirit enters our life. The Holy Spirit is a
producer of this great joy. Anytime throughout our Christian life, that we are
in close fellowship and communion with God, the Holy Spirit and His witness of
Joy is ever present and making Himself known to us.
Paul explained in Ephesians 3:16-20 that the Spirit
given to us by God, lives and abides in the inner man. It is inside of us. Paul goes on to explain,
the Spirit allows Christ Himself to literally live in our hearts, and by faith
we may be rooted and grounded in love.
[So we] may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth, and
length, and the depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which
passeth knowledge, that [we] might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now
unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us....
Please
carefully consider what these scriptures are saying. How could we possibly
experience such wonderful and marvelous things as described from the Lord
above, without some feeling, some evidence of love, joy and peace? How else
could we know such tremendous far reaching love? Paul explained it goes beyond
what we hope to ask for, or to even think. So it cannot be a mental
understanding only of these marvelous things, it cannot be something just taken
by faith, it cannot be just descriptive pages in a book, no, it has to present
itself in the many spiritual feelings that exist within the saved person. There
is no other explanation.
If people
over the generations had embraced the will of God and been recipients of His marvelous
Spirit, what a difference it would have made in the history of our world. Godly love would have prevailed, wars would
have been abated, crime and violence
would have been virtually non-existent. There would have been peace and harmony
beyond imagination. Sadly, the great majority of our population would not
embrace it, for Christ came into the world that the world might be saved, but men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. So the world as a whole has not believe upon
Christ nor receive the Holy Spirit of promise that would have provided a much
greater peace. And now, we see even a great number of churches who bear the
name of Christ, and preach "Jesus, Jesus," actually teach against a
heartfelt salvation, and thereby insult and ignore the working and
effectiveness of the Holy Spirit. They ignore the One that provides a true
conversion into Christianity and a blessed assurance in our hearts. To say that
you cannot feel the promised Spirit, is just like saying God has no power to
communicate and move within us when indeed He has promised He can and will. To
deny this is very much akin to being a infidel.
Peter's Witness
of the Holy Spirit
The Tenth chapter of Acts tells
the marvelous story of how a centurion named Cornelius, a devout man who prayed
faithfully to God, had a vision to send to a place called Joppa for a man named
Simon Peter. Peter, about the same time
was given a vision by God, to help him understand that salvation was meant for
all people, not just the Jews. The Spirit of God instructed Peter to go with
the men of Cornelius to his home. After Peter preached to Cornelius and his
household about Jesus, the Holy Ghost
fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them
speak with tongues and magnify God. Peter questioned, can any man think of
a reason these people should not be baptized, for they received the Holy Ghost,
just like we did. Peter then commanded them to be baptized. When Peter returned
to the church in Jerusalem
(Acts 11), the leaders of the church questioned Peter as to why he went to the
Gentiles and associated with them. Peter rehearsed the whole scene as it had
happened, of the visions that he and Cornelius had, and how he had been
instructed by God through the power of the Holy Spirit to go to Cornelius.
Peter explained (v. 15-17) ..., As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost
fell on them as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord,
how that he said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as He did unto
us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand
God? When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God,
saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life. When Peter and other Christians who
accompanied him, saw the effects of the Holy Spirit upon Cornelius and his household,
they were amazed by exactly what had happened. God had saved them in the same
manner, just as he had Peter, and all the other Christians. It was the power
and demonstration of the Holy Spirit that let them know and gave them the
assurance that salvation had indeed occurred. When Peter gave testimony to the
church in Jerusalem
of the evidence he saw concerning the Holy Spirit as it came upon and effected
those who received it, it was this evidence that convinced Peter and the church
that these people were indeed saved. There is absolutely no proof salvation has
occurred in anyone's life, without the receiving and confirmation of the Spirit,
and no church has any business making one a member or suggesting they are a
Christian without a testimony and or a witness to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The Mourner's Bench
Most of
the "How To Get Saved" literature we see today uses very select
scripture to instruct us. The most common verse is: Whosoever shall call upon the name of Lord shall be saved.
But, we must remember, we are subject to all the scriptures, such as those that
tell us, Except ye repent ye shall also
likewise perish (Luke 13:3). Jesus instructs us we must ... love the
Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind
(Matthew 22:37). Jesus also warns of those who love worldly treasures more than
heavenly things, and how we cannot love both.
Either he will hate the one, and
love the other (Matthew 6: 19-24). Scriptures teach we must be willing to
humble ourselves as little children to be able to enter into heaven (Mark
10:15). There are scriptures that teach we must deny ourselves and be willing
to take up the cross and follow, and be willing to sacrifice our life, wants
and desires for Him (Mark 8:34-35).There are scriptures that teach if we love
anyone or anything more than the Lord, we are not worthy of Christ (Matthew
10:37-39). Scriptures tell us we cannot be friends with the world and that by
doing so we are enemies of God (James 4:4, 1 John 2; 15-17). We must also
recall the scripture when Jesus said, No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him (John 6:44). And there are so many more than we have
offered here.
In everyone
there exists a need to do some soul searching and genuine repentance, else all
of these scriptures would be completely irrelevant. With God's grace and mercy,
He will work within us to achieve this goal, but in most instances there are
many obstacles before us, weighing heavily on our hearts and on our minds. For
some people the victory may be swift, while others may need to spend much time
in repentance and thoughtful prayer. Just because a preacher gets us to repeat
the "Sinners Prayer," saying we repent and now accept Him, does not
mean that we have necessarily got our lives and our hearts in the condition
whereby the Lord will save us. That is why we must have the Holy Spirit to tell
us. When all these conditions of the heart and soul are satisfied with God, then
He will save us. No other person can know. No other person can tell us. No
preacher has any business suggesting, that "if you prayed that prayer, I
believe that you are born again." He should and must be telling you, pray,
seek, and repent until God lets you know you are saved by the power of the
magnificent Holy Spirit.
For this reason, many churches maintain and
promote a mourners bench, as a wonderful place to work these things out. And you can bet, many of the most popular and
current church movements do not have a mourners bench, and many ridicule and
make fun of them as unimportant, foolish and silly. I have heard ministers say "I don't read
any place in the Bible where it says you have to stay on a mourner's bench for
week, and beg God to save you. You don't have to beg God, he wants to save you." Yes, there are those who mock the
mourner's bench and the conditions that must be met in a person's life for
salvation. So many ministers believe that by the recorded biblical incidents of
the ministry of the Apostles that all salvation was instantaneous. If someone
said they believed, they were instantly saved. I will not deny that we see many
such episodes of conversion and healings. But we have to consider a great fact
here, that these Apostles had great spiritual power, so much so that they were
healing people of diseases, infirmities, and even raising people from the dead.
It was a great spiritual era, to a degree, that few seem to possess today
except under extreme prayer and devotion. There are no Apostle Pauls today, and
no one is raising anyone from the dead, and everyone who cries Lord, Lord, unfortunately is not
instantly saved.
There was
an instance when a man came to Jesus referred to as a rich young ruler (Matthew
19:16-26). The rich young man came to Jesus asking what good thing he could do
to have eternal life? Jesus, in reply, referred to many of the Ten
Commandments. The young man explained to
Christ he had done all these things from his youth, but asked, What lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come
and follow Me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for
he had great possessions. Why was this man not just told by Jesus, to just
believe in Me and you can have eternal life? Jesus knew very plainly the young
man's heart. It was on his wealth and
treasure. Now we have a problem, and now other scriptures have to come into
consideration here. Matthew 6:21-24, For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also ... No man can serve two
masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will
hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus and God the Father, requires us
to love Him above everything and put Him in front of everything in our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. In Matthew 10:37, He that
loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (Mark 8:34) ... Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny
himself, take up his cross and follow Me. And in Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus
tells the parable of how ... the kingdom
of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath
found, he hideth and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and
buyeth that field.
So it is when a person discovers
Christ, and His righteousness, they view Christ and eternal life as a treasure
so wonderful and magnificent that they would joyfully give up, or be willing to
give up everything they have to possess it. They would seek to accomplish any
task, and would take on any venture to do everything in their power to obtain
the precious treasure. Again, Jesus said, the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant
man, seeking goodly pearls: who when he had found one pearl of great price,
went and sold all that he had, and bought it." That one pearl of great price is Jesus,
heaven, and eternal life. A wise man will recognize it's worth and would gladly
give up everything for it. Many a sinner on an altar of prayer will willingly
and respectfully pray, "Dear Lord, I would do anything, and give up
anything for you. I want your love and salvation by grace above all
things." There is no way any preacher could possibly know the heart of
another man. No preacher could possibly know whether another person has put
Jesus first in his life and has cast all worldliness aside, and has fully trusted and believed
with a pure faith. The Holy Spirit works with the repentant sinner to get them
in the condition where they can humble themselves as little children and come
with a pure faith. It is rarely as simple as the "ABCs of Salvation"
that are often spelled out in some Christian literature. Oh, the poor people
that have been deceived!
Sometimes, the
sinner on an altar of prayer does not even realize they are holding onto things
that separate them from God. Sometimes, it takes much prayer and submissiveness
to get their heart where it needs to be, and where the Lord wants it to be.
Sometimes, we may
need to weep. Sometimes, we may have to cry out. Sometimes, we may have to
humble ourselves down in front of others and seek God. Sometimes, we may need to be on an old time mourner's bench.
Some may
argue, if a person has to do all these things to get saved, then that would be
works, and the scriptures teach us we cannot be saved by works. Although it may
seem a monumental task to the sinner on the altar, it could no more be works
than the repenting of our sins, or for that matter, even the repeating of the
"Sinner's Prayer." It is not works, we never earn any righteousness
in anything we do. This is simply getting our hearts in the right place, to
deny ourselves, to take up the cross and willingly follow Him. If this is
wrong, then the requirements and demands of our Lord must be wrong.
James 4:
6-10, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw
nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and
purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let
your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. Although
James is writing these words to Christian brethren who are faltering in their
Christian life, it seems so obvious these scriptures stand as testimony to all
who seek to get in the will, grace and forgiveness of the Lord. Yes, this is
one of the places in the Bible that tells us, we may need to be on a mourner's bench for quite some time. We may
cry and plead. But, how wonderful the
end will be when we are at a place and in a condition of heart where the Lord
will save our souls and send in that blessed Holy Spirit of promise, and we
experience a joy, love and peace never before known within our lives. The rivers
of living water can spring up and flow freely within our heart. Again, consider
the scripture, humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and He, the Lord himself shall lift you up. He will let
you know you are saved, and feasting in His good will and pleasure. He will lift you up and provide the security
and assurance of salvation, not the church, not the preacher, not just faith
alone in the scripture. He alone will do it all. Praise the Lord in heaven for
His wonderful salvation! Never let anyone cheat you out of this blessed event
and this essential step for eternal life.
When Jesus
told the rich, young ruler, he must rid himself of his wealth to have eternal life, the Bible records the ruler went away
sorrowful. He did not get saved. If the mental decision preachers had been
around in the day of the rich young ruler, they could have hooked him right up.
"Pray the "Sinner's Prayer," repent of your sins, say you are
sorry, and pray, saying, you believe in Jesus and accept him as your Lord and
Savior. Thank you Lord for saving my soul." Done and done. Isn't that the
way it is being presented today? Isn't that what you are seeing? This is
exactly what I am seeing, on television, on the internet, in the many "How To Get Saved" Bible
tracts and brochures passed out and promoted by countless churches and
organizations. I have seen it right here in my own hometown, in some of our
most prominent and respected churches, and by some of our towns most respected
ministers. How could these preachers possibly know what condition another
person's heart is in?
When the
rich, young ruler walked away sorrowfully, Jesus said, (Matthew 19:23-24) Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall
hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for rich man to enter into
the kingdom of God
We have
already read how many can have treasures that may not be considered actual
wealth, but things they hold so dear, and love more than our Savior. Maybe it
is sports, music, movies, entertainment or television. Maybe, it is the things
we possess or collect. Maybe, it is the love of money, whether we are rich are
not. Maybe, it is the partying, the drinking, the friends, the sinful lifestyle
a person loves so much. It could be so many things. What church body or
minister in their right mind, with sound reasoning, would choose to ignore a
vast amount of plain, obvious scripture and go out on a weak, unreliable limb,
and declare to another that they are saved? Many preachers who follow the "accepting
Jesus" way of thinking, boast that they council those who seek Christ to
be assured that they are indeed saved. We obviously cannot know what goes on in
all the many counseling sessions, but if their public preaching does not promote
the receiving of the Holy Spirit as evidence to a heartfelt salvation, there
would be no reason to believe their behind the door, personal conference of
persuasion would be any different. If the
preacher believes in a heartfelt salvation, he will say so from the pulpit, and
if you are truly saved, and receive the Spirit of promise, there would be
little if any need to ever have to have a behind the door consultation. But
regardless of what road the preacher or the church tries to take you down,
please allow me to reiterate, you had better know you are saved without the
counseling of the preacher, or you better keep on praying. The Spirit is the
authority. Salvation is too critical, too serious, for any mistakes to be made.
When
ministers are confronted with the accusation that they tell people they are
saved by getting them to pray the "Sinner's Prayer" and accept
Christ, I have never known one to want to admit it. But, this is exactly what
many do. It is in their sermons, it is in their telecasts, it is in their
literature, and it is in their personal one-on-one witnessing with a lost
person. In the midst of all their denial, they will resort back to home base,
for a place of safety, the scripture "whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved." That scripture belongs to me and you also. My
dear friends, please look at that scripture and see what it is saying. Romans
10:7-13 teaches we need not try to physically ascend up to some great
unattainable height as going up to heaven to find Christ or go to some deep
dark grave to look for the Lord, for He has risen and cannot be found there.
Instead, He can be as near to us as our own hearts and our own mouths. (v. 9) That if thou shall confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. The mental decision style preachers will
readily argue, "if a man says he believes with all his heart, who am I to
tell him he is wrong, or hasn't done enough?" That is a true statement, that we indeed do
not know, so now, can we not consider the scriptures concerning the receiving
of the Holy Spirit that does confirm it? There is no contradiction of scripture
here, but we cannot ignore other scriptures that are just as relevant and just
as important. No one is going to get saved without believing with all their
heart, but it is quite obvious and certainly verified by scripture, that man
himself cannot fully judge and examine his own heart in exactness. Jesus taught
in Matthew 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be
full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness! If we have sin in our lives we cannot clearly see,
discern and righteously judge the true condition of our heart. We are warned in
1 Peter 5:8 how our adversary the Devil is as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour .... This simply
tells us we can certainly be deceived about many things, and the destruction of
our souls would surely be one of Satan's priorities.
Jesus
described the conditions of the church in Revelation 3:17, that the church had
grown cold, and away from the fellowship of the Spirit. They thought they were
rich, and had need of nothing, but He
told them that they were ... wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked .... So
clearly, man cannot rely on his own human feelings, decision power, logic, or
judgment to satisfy his assurance of salvation, it is so very fallible. The receiving of the Holy Spirit into
someone's life is not fallible nor questionable to the one who has received it.
Romans 10:
12, 13 Paul assures us, ... there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. Paul is simply
assuring us, that God is no respecter of people. That any nationality, group or
sect have the same opportunity to be saved, if they will call upon Him in true repentance,
self denial, belief and faith. Instead, this scripture has become much of the foundation for
decision making ministers, who believe if they can get someone to pray the "Sinner's
Prayer" and make a commitment to accept Jesus, then we can declare them
saved and add them to the church roll.
When the disciples of Jesus
heard what He said concerning how difficult it is for a rich man to enter into
heaven, they asked Jesus, (Matthew 19:25-26) Who then can be saved? Jesus answered them, With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible. Jesus is saying, on our own, it is
impossible to be saved. But, with God, with His help, with His drawing (John
6:44), His knocking (Revelation 3:20), and His giving us the opportunity to
believe upon Him (Philippians 1:29), then you can be saved. Yes all people,
whosoever will come, seek and call upon the name of the Lord in this fashion
and manner, I believe can be saved. There is no scripture that anyone can quote
to you, or present to you, that can contradict the scripture concerning the
receiving of the Holy Spirit that is promised to come into our lives at the
occasion of our being born again. There is no scripture that can nullify
scriptures teaching the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit so abundantly upon us. No scripture can contradict the
wonderful words of Christ when he promised, that by the Spirit, rivers of
living water shall flow from our bellies.
Let me
repeat here once more. There is no truer religion to be found or to have than
the Lord sending the precious, promised Holy Spirit into our lives telling and
assuring us Himself, by this pronounced action, that we are
indeed saved. Many may laugh, scorn and doubt it. But you know it and, isn't
that what is important?
Jesus Is The Savior
With so much attention of this book
being focused on the receiving of the Holy Spirit, I feel it very important to state
clearly and remind those who have not been saved, it is Jesus Christ and He
alone, that can save our soul. It is not the Holy Spirit that saves us. The
Holy Spirit did not die on the Cross, nor shed the blood that could cleanse and
bring us into fellowship and forgiveness with God the Father. It is not the
Holy Spirit that gives us eternal life. Jesus did all this and He alone. The Holy Spirit's purpose it to abide,
comfort, teach, and with a heavenly love and joy, bear witness we are the
children of God, through Christ our Lord. Simply, in all these many ways, He
tells us, "Jesus has saved your soul."
The Games and Gimmicks
One
particular book concerning how to find
Christ boasts that it is published in more than 135 languages and has sold more
than 50 million copies. This particular book states, "If you believe the
promise, believe that you are forgiven and cleansed, God supplies the fact: you
are made whole, just as Christ gave the paralytic power to walk when the man
believed that he was healed. It is so if you believe it. Do not wait to feel
that you are made whole, but say, I believe it; it is so, not because I feel
it, but because God has promised." Notice the great extent the writer goes
to, to tell you not to expect to feel anything or have any assurance of salvation.
The writer
of this book is referring to the scripture in Matthew 9:1-8. Here, Jesus healed
a man sick of palsy who was bedridden and could not walk. Jesus seeing their faith, said unto the man sick of the palsy; Son, be
of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee, and after a discussion with the scribes
concerning His authority to forgive sins, told the sick man to arise, take up thy bed and go unto thine
house, which he did.
There is no
doubt that we must believe God has the power to save us through our faith in
Christ, without it, we will not be saved. The sick man showed that kind of
faith, so that Jesus did save him, and healed him and He told him his sins were
forgiven as well. There is no mention of the Spirit here, but we have to
realize again, the Spirit came to mankind to continually dwell within them on
the day of Pentecost, soon after Christ had ascended back to heaven following His
death, burial and resurrection. It is interesting to note here how the sick
man, did not just have to lie there and just have faith that he was healed, no,
he was able to rise up, pick up his bed and use his two legs to walk home,
something before, he was not able to do. So there was something evidentiary in
that act alone. He did not have to believe just because he was told it, no, he
had first hand assurance, now he could walk. He knew he was healed. This in turn
tells us, we need not trust we are saved by depending solely on our own,
perhaps faulty degree of faith, or because the preacher or any writer says we are.
One who has a spiritual encounter with God, knows they have found an absolute
assurance.
Another
indication of the extent crusades will go to convince someone there is nothing
to feel concerning salvation, can be found in the Bibles published and presented
by Campus Crusade for Christ and the
American Bible Society. Included in their instructional text is a section
titled, How To Know That Christ Is In
Your Life. It reads as follows:
Did
you receive Christ into your life? According to his promise in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ
right now in relation to you? Christ said that
he would come into your life and be your friend so you can know him personally. Would
he mislead you? On what authority do you know that God has answered your prayer? (The
trustworthiness of God himself and his word.)
At this
point, we have a sketched picture of a little Choo-Choo train. There is an
engine car, with "Fact" printed
on the car, a middle car with "Faith"
printed on it, and a caboose with the words, "Feelings" on it.
The text
continues:
An Important Reminder... Do Not Depend On
Feelings
The
promise of God's word, the Bible---not our feelings---is our authority. The Christian lives by
faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God himself and
his Word. [The writer then attempts to explain the train diagram, saying the train will
run with or without a caboose.] However, it would be useless
to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way, we as Christians
do not depend on feelings or emotions, but we place our faith (trust) in the
trustworthiness of God and the promises of his word.
I personally see several problems
here. We are told by the writer above as he refers to Revelation 3:20 that if
we receive Christ, He will come into our lives to be our friend so that we can
know him personally. But then, we are
told to just take to this by faith and trust, and we must not depend on any
feelings. I truly do not know how we can have a personal relationship with Him,
or know Him as a friend without the Spirit, and likewise if we have the Spirit,
then we have a feeling, because the Bible says so. So what are they even
talking about?
Then we
have the little train story where they say we cannot pull the train by the caboose.
Well, first of all, the little Choo-Choo train story is not biblical and the
writer put "Feelings" in the
Caboose, not the word of God. A Christian knows God's Spirit and will recognize
when the Spirit speaks and directs. The Spirit will not lead us contrary to the
word of God and all He commands. Why would anyone suggest our spiritual feelings
would pull us another way from the truths of the scriptures? Why would
wonderful spiritual feelings compromise our faith? The feelings we enjoy from
above bear witness to all we have believed. Only those who have never experienced
the feeling and joy of a heartfelt salvation, provided by the Spirit, would
waste their time and energy trying to
persuade you there is nothing to it. These feelings are the absolute assurance
you have been saved. This is how we know. Where is their explanation of the living water
springing up within us? It is not mentioned. Where is the mention of the love
of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Spirit? It is not there. Where is the mention of the
fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, and peace? It is not mentioned. Where is the mention
of the Spirit that serves as the first fruits, the foretastes of the heavenly
things to come? It is not there. Where is the mention of the Comforter that is
to be sent, to live inside of us, to comfort us, to lead and guide? These are feelings. Instead of getting all
these vital scriptures that bear witness that we are the children of God, we
get a foolish illustration about a Choo-Choo train that says nothing and leads
astray.
Do we want our assurance of true salvation
given to us by God through the blessed Holy Spirit, or do we just want to take
it all by faith and feel nothing? If we feel nothing, I can assure you, by the
scriptures, that we have nothing.
The Attacks
Although
the heartfelt way of salvation has been attacked from many different churches
and various religions, I wish to mention an article from April 1983 in a
religious publication, entitled "Assurance Can Never Be Based Upon
Feelings" by Edsel Burleson. The writer refers us to scriptures like
Proverbs 14:12, There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Burleson,
uses stories, and scripture concerning the natural man, to show that the feelings
of man are fallible, and therefore his feelings cannot be trusted. Burleson chose
to share a story of a man who came to the door of a Christian, only to immediately
be engaged in a religious discussion. The visitor said that he knew he was
saved because of the feeling he had within. The Christian, replied to his
visitor, "But I have a deep feeling that says you are not saved. Now let's
see what God's word has to say about it."
The story concludes how the visitor walks away muttering, "I see
you are not a reasonable man." Then the so called Christian takes great
delight in proclaiming, "And I see you are not an honest man."
Burleson goes on to explain how we have all been convinced at times certain
things are right or true because of our feelings, only to find out later that
we were wrong or mistaken. Burleson tells the story of a preacher who was so
hot during the performance of his
sermon, that when a door was open to a broom closet, which could in no way emit
any fresh air, it brought a pleasantness to the minister that refreshed him
greatly. We are also reminded of Saul of Tarsus who thought he was right in all
he did while persecuting Jesus. First,
of all, I cannot, nor will not, seek to try to explain the story of the
preacher who thought he felt air where there was none. That is not from the
scriptures and I don't know the minister in question or all the facts. However;
I could not be more in agreement with the writer concerning the error of
man's natural beliefs, wisdom and feelings, for we are told by the Lord himself
that there are one of two roads or paths that people in this earthly life must
be traveling. On one road there is a wide gate and a broad way that leads to
destruction and many find it. Then, there is the straight gate and the narrow
way that leads unto life and few find this gate. So human wisdom, human feelings
and human desires are not Godly, they are not trustworthy and can surely lead
us down a wrong path. But this must not
be confused with the feelings that come upon those who are saved and who are
recipients of the indwelling pleasures of the Lord through His Spirit. I
Corinthians 2: 6-16 Paul reminds us, Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him. But, God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit ... yea,
the deep things of God. Paul goes on to explain that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are Spiritually
discerned.
Every
instance from the scriptures that Burleson quoted dealt with the feeling and or
wisdom of the natural man. Without having or seeking the Spirit of the living
God, all these things concerning the natural man's opinions, feelings and
thoughts are very well true. However, under the power, leadership and direction
of the Holy Spirit, we can understand what God wants us to do, and we can also
enjoy the pleasures of the Spirit. We have already quoted scripture that
assures us, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, and peace ... (Galatians
5:22). To have a love, joy and peace that emits from the Spirit is certainly a
feeling. I would not, nor could not, hope to wish for any feelings finer or
better than these. What finer feelings
could exist? Jesus said in John 14:23, If
a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him. In the 26th verse, Jesus explained about the Comforter, which He
says is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name. Jesus spoke in (John 15: 9-11) about the great love He had for us, and urged
us to continue to abide in His love, that
My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Now, how can a
joy that is full, (that would mean to the absolute maximum), be something we
could not feel nor be able to acknowledge? How can all these promises made and given to
us by our Lord and Savior equal to nothing? What are these people talking about?
What are these people writing about? (1 John 4:12, 13) ... If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in
Him, and He in us, because He hath given us His Spirit. Now, I would consider, a perfect love, a glorious
feeling. What else could you call it? Notice too, hereby we know, we dwell in Him and He in us, because He hath given
us His Spirit. Does this Scripture not verify and satisfy the statement
made by the visitor Burleson wrote about, whom he happily discredited in his
story, who knew he was saved by his feelings?
Burleson concludes his article by stating, "assurance can never be
based upon feelings but upon faith. Faith that comes by hearing the word of
God."
I have to
ask a question here. Why cannot a man have faith and a feeling too? What is it so wrong or impossible to have or
enjoy both? You have to have faith to be saved (Born Again), then when you
become a child of God, the Bible teaches He sends His Spirit to dwell in us. So why is it not
correct for a person to say they feel the Holy Spirit? Does that in some way
nullify their faith? I have found that in every instance, a Godly spiritual
feeling only adds to and increases the faith of the believer. Because now we
have the first fruits to enjoy, of all the wonderful heavenly things to come. Now
we have a Comforter. I have to ask again. What is the problem? Why do some
ministers work so hard, to argue, deny and reject the most beautiful experience
a human being can know, the joyous assurance of the Holy Spirit as promised in
the scriptures? For people who are supposed to know the scriptures, it is the
silliest, and most foolish thing I have ever seen or heard. Surely, even human
logic in the natural man is not that messed up. Lord, please help us all to
see.
Why
Not Heartfelt?
Considering
the gravity of the consequences of sin, why would any clear thinking,
reasonable person take such an enormous gamble and such an unnecessary chance
of error in judgment concerning their salvation or the salvation of another?
With all the compelling scripture concerning the action of the Spirit within
us, why would we not incite and encourage each other to seek to the fullest
measure that which God has promised to all?
Unless we
simply do not believe these scriptures, the answer to these questions seem very
puzzling. Those who believe and practice a heartfelt salvation, teach the same Savior
and His ability to save by grace as a free gift to those who come to Him,
asking, and seeking. We believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of
the lost, the same as the multitude of active Christian churches. A heartfelt
belief does not in any way take away from the truth being preached by these
churches of salvation by faith. We only wish to seek the things we believe the
Bible teaches has to be, and must be, to show and give the assurance that
salvation and rebirth has indeed taken place. There is everything to gain and
nothing to lose. We teach and promote almost everything the "mental
decision, take-it-by faith" churches preach, only the importance and
reality of so much more. If a person
seeks a heartfelt experience, what have they lost? We teach prayer, repentance,
faith in Christ, and asking Him prayerfully for the salvation of the soul. So
the seeker could not possibly be any worse off, yet has given themselves an
opportunity to find something more wonderful and precious and far, far greater
if they do indeed achieve it. Why do so many preachers take up arms against
these scriptures, and take so much offense to one trying to urge others to a
greater experience? What could their possible motive be? Are we not told to draw nigh to God, so that He
will draw nigh to us? If they find nothing, they are none the worse off. If
they do receive the assurance from the Holy Spirit, as promised in the
scriptures, isn't that all the better? What God-fearing preacher would not rejoice in
such a marvelous occurrence? Why fight
so hard against the "Knee Route "
way? Why demean the need of the Mourner's Bench? Why teach from the pulpit and
literature that there is no spiritual feeling to be had from God above? The
only explanation I can suppose is, surely they have never experienced it
themselves and therefore just do not believe it. What kind of minister would
that be? Some ministers who argue
against a heart-felt salvation, believe if you work at it long enough, you can
work yourself up to some type of emotional hysteria, and thus falsely believe. The
scriptures teach the Spirit is real, so should not the receiver have the right
to make the determination, if indeed it is the Holy Spirit they feel, or just
something of their own making. When the human body is filled with God's
precious love and forgiveness, there is little room for error. Remember, it is
a foretaste of a heavenly thing. The Bible teaches we receive His Spirit when
we are reborn and that the Spirit will be in us, bearing witness we are God's
children. The scriptures teach receiving tremendous Godly love. So why are we
fighting and struggling so hard against such promises? I will never understand
it. My God! Hell is hot. There is not only a blessed heaven to lose, but even
worse a horrific hell to gain if we fail to secure our soul in Christ. The
agonies of hell are beyond anything we can comprehend. In cleaning the grounds
of the old Morrison Park Holiness Camp Meeting, I have had on many occasions,
great fires burning large piles of brush. The fire get so hot you just cannot
stand anywhere near it. It is indeed an indescribable heat. Burns are the most
painful wounds to endure. Each time I feel that great heat, I think of the rich
man, who after dying, lifted up his eyes
in torment, wishing for the relief of one drop of water on his tongue. Scriptures
concerning the reality of hell, and the punishment of the lost are so plainly
written and easily understood. My Lord! What are these churches and leaders
thinking? Why would we not let the infallible, unquestionable Holy Spirit have
His way and do His job in giving the assurance we are saved and born again. We
are talking about eternal punishment. There is no room for error here. It is
much too horrible to even think about. And, yet, we must think about it, for
our sake, for our loved ones, for our families, for our dear precious children.
I do not want anyone, especially a young child victimized by a preacher who
does not know anything about the Spirit.
One who ministers unto them a faulty religion, faulty because they
apparently have no faith in the power and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. I do not want Billy Graham giving me the assurance I am saved. I do
not want Joel Osteen telling me I am saved. I do not want the preacher in the
big church telling me I am saved. I do not want the preacher in the little
country church telling me I have been saved. I want the One that God provided,
the Holy Spirit to come into my heart and assure me I am saved, as He promised
He would. Now what could be more easily understood than this? What kind of
testimony would you prefer to hear from your child? "I accepted an
invitation to come forward and pray in Vacation Bible
School
There have
been several occasions where I was asked to guest preach at churches on a Sunday
morning, where some time over the weekend a church sleep-over or youth revival had
taken place. I have seen children placed before the church, with the minister
trying to tell how this young person accepted Christ last evening, and wants to
join the church. When asked if they had anything to say, there was very little
or nothing in the way of a testimony, only an uncomfortable silence. No one in
the church asked a question to confirm in their minds that there was true
evidence of salvation. There was nothing mentioned about the Spirit or any
descriptive evidence concerning the receiving of the Spirit. It was so sad. The
church and these young people's families treated this with a joyful heart,
believing this child had just been saved and were on their way to a heavenly
home. It is beyond sad. It is tragic. The truth could have been just as easily
preached and encouraged, so that there could have been something certain to cause
rejoicing. I hope they were saved, but
there is much room for doubt. Momma, Daddy, the church and this child may very well
have been deceived. If the scripture had
been adhered to, in time and with prayer, it might have resulted in a heartfelt-Spirit
filled salvation, that no one should ever have reason to doubt or question.
I have
heard statements concerning wonderful people who have been in various churches
for years, people who have been most faithful, dedicated, and proudly proclaim
that they love the Lord with all their heart. And yet, these members assert
they have never experienced anything such as a "Heartfelt
Salvation." So, how can this be? Are
we to assume the "Heartfelt People," are more trust worthy than those
who have proven so faithful in service and dedication to their churches? It is
never my pleasure, nor desire to judge anyone, but we must maintain, we cannot
change the scripture message. We cannot compromise the truths of the Bible,
just because there are those who maintain they never felt anything. This is not
just a matter of opinion or of one being more trust-worthy than another, it is
simply, that an experiential salvation is backed by scripture, and a salvation
with no assurance is not. Any argument or defense against a "Heartfelt
Salvation," can only be deemed as
an excuse, an excuse to give up and not honestly and righteously seek
that which the Lord requires of us. There
is just no other way to see it. The scriptures are clear and say what they say.
If people spent as much time seeking a heartfelt salvation, as they do fighting
against it, then they might also find the most precious gift ever known to man.
The Great Danger
The
scriptures teach us there are many with good intentions that have made grave mistakes
in their seeking salvation. (Matthew 23:13) But
woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of
heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them
that are entering to go in. These men thought they knew and possessed all
the answers and knowledge of heaven and eternal life. Not only were they in
error and not on the road to heaven, but, they were also deceiving and
preventing others from going as well. Jesus said, (Luke 6:39) ... Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they
both not fall into the ditch?
There are a
lot of different religions, denominations, and churches. Not all of these fully agree on what you must
do to be saved and inherit the Kingdom
of God Israel
that they might be saved, saying they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. Paul said they were ignorant of God's righteousness and were going
about to establish their own righteousness. So, again we have a people who
thought they were so very right, who in fact were so very, very wrong.
Jesus said
in Matthew 7:21-23, Not everyone that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast
out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity. This
is very startling scripture. These are real people, who seemingly, sincerely
thought they were people of Christ. They were people who thought they had some
type of relationship and a security with Him as their Savior. They were so sure
in their own minds and logic that salvation must be theirs, that they argue and
plead their case before the Savior. "We have preached in your name. We
have done many wonderful things in your name. We have given money to the church
and attended regularly. We have given to missions and told others about you. We
have accepted you, believed on you and called you our Savior. Surely, I am
yours? Surely, Lord." But, Jesus'
reply must be, "I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity."
The Spirit is the key and the absolute assurance for us that we are His. We are reminded in 1 John 4: 13: Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He
in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. Romans 8: 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.
1 John 2:27-28: But
the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
Him. And now, little children, abide in Him; that when He shall appear, we may
have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. Unlike those
who have been misled and deceived, those who are truly saved, will know without
question that they are possessors of the
Spirit. These assured children of God will need not be ashamed or afraid when
they stand before Christ. The Lord knows His sheep and they know Him, and they
will not be turned away.
In Matthew 25,
Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins, five
were wise and five were foolish. They
that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them. But, the wise took oil in their vessels with
their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at
midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet
him. There were five who when they arose were able to trim their lamps, for
they had oil, while the five foolish ones did not. The foolish virgins tried to
borrow and to buy, and simply were not ready and prepared, nor had what they
needed the meet the bridegroom. The five
that were wise and ready went in with Him to the marriage and the door was shut.
Afterwards came also the other virgins, saying Lord, Lord open to us. But He
answered and said, verily I say unto you, I know ye not. Jesus said the
kingdom of heaven would be like this, and urged us to be ready ... for
ye know neither the day nor the hour, the Son of Man cometh. Many people
may argue the exact meaning of each part of this scripture, but it is for sure,
some were ready, some were not. Some possessed what they needed, some did not.
All ten felt they were prepared to meet him, but in the moment of truth, the
five foolish realized quickly, that something was missing, and though they
despaired, and sought what they lacked, it was too late. The door was closed to
them, and they were without hope. When Jesus taught us we must be born again of
the Spirit, to have eternal life, I think we can clearly see, very simply this
oil represents the Spirit. When Paul teaches in Romans 8: If the Spirit of Him that raised
up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. I
again believe that this essential precious oil has to represent the Holy Spirit,
for this is the same story, the same truth in the scriptures, without the Spirit,
or with no oil, you do not enter in. Without the Spirit or oil, He does not
know you. You are not His. The Spirit bears witness that we are the children of
God. Can't we all so clearly see this danger? Here was another mistake. They
meant well. They no doubt had big plans, hopes, and dreams of beautiful things
to come, but it was all lost in the moment of truth. It was too late. And where
are all the preachers, the ministers and the soul winners who assured these
people they were saved? They are not there pleading a case for them or for you,
for there is no case and they have absolutely no voice nor any power to come
and help you. At this moment we all stand alone. Jesus is our only advocate
with God the father, the only one whose precious blood can cleanse and make us
whole. When His blood is applied to our souls, salvation is truly ours, the
Holy Spirit comes to us, bearing proof and a witness these things are so
(Ephesians 1:13,14). Please see the
importance and the danger that awaits those who fail to have and secure true
heartfelt religion. We must have oil in our lamps. We must have the Spirit just
as the scriptures say, and we can know for sure that we possess this heavenly
gift just as the scriptures say.
The Deceivers
For
those who mislead and carry others astray, there is a great warning from Jesus
himself in Matthew 18:6,7. But whoso shall offend one of these little
ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged
around his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the
world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to
that man by whom that offense cometh! It
is most dangerous for any preacher, teacher or scholar to try and dictate and
discern when another has been saved. Why would any minister want to go out on
an undependable limb, not knowing the true heart of another and declare unto
them, "if you prayed this prayer, if you have been baptized, if you did
this or that, or belong to this church or that church, I believe you are saved
and will go to heaven." How truly foolish that man would be. All men with
these exalted titles of Father, Brother, Reverend and Doctor, who do these
things, should climb down off their self-made exalted pedestals, humble
themselves and admit it is God only who calls, draws, saves and verifies
salvation through His Spirit and stop playing games with people's eternal
souls. What mortal human could possibly think, they know better than God's Holy
Spirit? What arrogant asses these people truly make of themselves by these
foolish acts.
When the great
giant Goliath, taunted the armies of the
living God, David called him an uncircumcised Philistine. He was not a man of
God. Anyone, any preacher, who will mock a beautiful heartfelt salvation, and
that wonderful foretaste of glory divine, cannot have been born of the Spirit
of God and say such things. We must brand them as David did, uncircumcised, (Colossians
2:11) unsaved, still in sin. Although these type churches may be very large
with large memberships, and may boast of many wonderful things they have done
and will do in the name of the Lord, we as Christians who know the truth, must
not be intimidated or fearful. But like
David, we must stand up firm and fight with God's armor of righteousness, against
anyone or any church, who mocks and ridicules the true way of salvation.
Stephen
said of those who were opposing the Christian message and were about to stone
him, Ye
stiff-necked! and uncircumcised in the heart and ears, ye do always resist the
Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye (Acts 7:51). When we hear
preaching today saying, that we cannot trust our feelings concerning a
heartfelt salvation, and that salvation is a fact not a feeling, is this not
the same type of mentality as Stephen described? Stiff-necked and uncircumcised
in the heart and the ears, always resisting the power of the Holy Spirit.
Finally in
Galatians, we see Paul's frustration
with some who have come trying to pervert the gospel message, and have brought
confusion about how they obtain salvation. Paul had already preached to them
and they had received salvation through their faith in Christ and had been
recipients of the Spirit. 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 I now again, If any man
preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be
accursed. There were those among them
who were trying to steer the church members back into the old ideas that they
must obey certain Jewish laws and perform works to be saved or maintain their
salvation.
Notice how
Paul states if any man preach any other
gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. What did
they receive? Paul preached to them the gospel message of Christ, and how by His
sacrifice alone, their sins would be forgiven. But, they also received the confirmation of
the Spirit when they were saved. Paul asks them in Galatians 3: 2-5, did you receive
... the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Obviously,
it came by the hearing of the message by
faith. Paul reminds them how the Lord had ministered to them in the Spirit, and
worked miracles among them. In Galatians 5: 16, Paul urges them to walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. He warns how the Spirit within us fights with the
flesh, and the flesh with the Spirit, and how they are in constant battle. It
is here that Paul reminds them the fruits
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, [and] faith
.... Within these descriptive words lie the greatest and most pleasant of
human feelings and qualities which produce wonderful, emotional experiences. So
the gospel Paul preached to the Galatians involved the knowing and the receiving
of the Holy Spirit as a proof of salvation. Simply put, a heartfelt salvation. So
let any one who preaches anything contrary to this, be accursed. These are the
words of the Apostle Paul.
Today's Churches and A Sign of the Times
Timothy
said in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, ... that in the
last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God; having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof:
from such turn away.
We have so many churches today
who love to preach and sing, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," yet, denounce the
significance of a heartfelt, Spiritual salvation in the hearts of the
believers. Ministries incorporate the acts of faith, trust, believing,
accepting and repenting into a model prayer that when verbalized, they believe brings
about a desired result that satisfies those supposedly in the know in most of
our Christian churches. But, where is the testimony of having been born again
and being filled with the Holy Spirit?
Once when
preaching about Heartfelt Salvation in a meeting before a group of Baptist ministers
and church leaders, at the conclusion, one of the ministers was overheard to speak
sarcastically to another, "I think we have just been in a Pentecostal
meeting." How sad I thought this
comment truly was. When and how did the concept of experiential salvation
become such a foreign concept to so many churches? What has happened that they
no longer can understand and clearly see the function, power and promise of the
Spirit? Most of these ministers will assure you, if a person has trusted in
Jesus that they will indeed possess the Holy Spirit, but then contradict their
own words and message by telling the lost sinner, "salvation is a fact,
not a feeling," and disregard any evidence of the assurances of the Holy
Spirit in their preaching and conversion practices. Without the confirmation of
a heartfelt salvation, bearing witness to the receiving of the Spirit, we are
most likely taking into our church membership, the unsaved. In time, many of
these misled, impostor Christians will be in positions of leadership, running
and directing the operations of the church. Without the Spirit within themselves,
they surely cannot follow any spiritual guidance of the Lord, and follow any
direction as Jesus said the Spirit would provide.
In the old time churches where the Spirit was
strong and powerful, people rejoiced in the demonstration of the Holy Spirit as
Paul described in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Their worshipping included the most
earnest of prayers, great Spiritual sermons, the singing of hymns, glad and
wondrous testimonies of heart felt salvation, and a spiritually dedicated
congregation that would shout God's praises. Many churches today have the
finest of all modern day conveniences, computers, large screens, power point
presentations, movies, ball courts, elaborate music, day cares and on and on.
All these things I suppose can co-exist with the Holy Spirit but we are very
sad to find that in many instances we see little evidence of it. "Making a
decision and accepting Jesus" seems to be the rule of the day. There is a
form of Godliness, but a denial of the power. Without the Holy Spirit, we just
play church. The church may be doing wonderful things in the community and helping others in need,
but Jesus said they that worship Him must
worship Him in Spirit and truth. Any church, be it mine or yours, new or
old, regardless of belief or doctrine, unless it is filled with the Spirit,
following that Spirit, and allowing Him to have His way within the service and
the hearts of all, are just playing church.
Many of the
most faithful churches in doctrine, have grown cold and do not have the power
God once gave them. Many of the members of the old time churches have
compromised with sin, made friends with the world, and we have paid dearly for
it. We have disregarded God's commandments and some like myself, have committed
great sins. We run to ball games,
sporting events, concerts, and movies. Many of us are more concerned about what
is on television or about who wins a ball game than the concerns of what is
happening to our spiritual life, or what is happening to our lost friends, or to
our dear old churches that are just drying up both spiritually and in numbers.
Many of us do not give as much time to prayer in our busy world, and feel
pleased when we can give the Lord an hour on Sunday morning. Again, we are
reminded that we cannot serve two masters, we must have our hearts in one place
or the other. To be an effective
Christian, to be an effective church, we have to give ourselves fully to the
Lord, and say "no" to the things of the world. Jesus warned the
church of Ephesus in Revelations, chapter 2, Although He knew of their good
works, and all of their labors, and how they had stood up for Him, and against
sin, yet He was hurt by the church because they had left their first love. They
no longer loved Him as they once did. Jesus warned them to remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works: or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick, out of his place, except thou repent. There is much reason for
us to believe, the removed candlestick, is the effectiveness and power of the
Holy Spirit within us and within the church.
There are a
lot of good people and a lot of churches doing good deeds for their fellowmen,
and to our Lord, this does not go without notice. However, we can do all these great acts of charity and kindness
and still fail our Lord, simply by not loving Him as we should, and failing to
worship Him as we should in Spirit and in truth. Many churches regardless of
doctrines and denomination think they are doing so well, such as the church in
the third chapter of Revelations, who the Lord said was neither cold or hot,
but lukewarm, and therefore would spit them from His mouth. They thought they
were rich and that everything was fine. They thought they had everything they
needed, and yet did not realize the truth, that they were wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked .... They
had no idea the shape that they were really in.
It seems in
the last several years, at least in the area of the country where I live, an
explosion of churches are springing up everywhere. There are newer giant mega
churches, churches opening up in shopping centers, fun centers and even a few I
have noticed opening in old metal industrial buildings. Where ever there is an
old vacant store or empty building, it is not uncommon to see a church open up.
It is impossible to know what is being preached and taught in all of these many
churches, and in this land of liberty, we are supposed to have religious
freedom to go worship, and believe as we choose. That is the way it should be.
Because every church thinks they have the right answer to a Christian life and
the hope and promise of eternity, many develop strong opinions and passions
about their religion and are easily alarmed and outraged when their beliefs are
challenged or threatened. How we deal with our differences depends on the
individual and it is often very difficult to change another's mind.
The current
trend I see in many of the most popular ministries, appears to me as an
outright attack on the practices and principals of the old time church, the old
time religion, and the fundamental truths of the New Testament in regard to a
heartfelt salvation and the receiving of assurance from the Holy Spirit.
Although these ministers and ministries may have the best intentions and mean
well, yet I believe they are wrong. I am nobody of great station or position
but I do know what it means to be saved. I do declare, with countless others
who testify and have had the same type experience, that a heartfelt (you know
you are saved by the Holy Spirit) salvation is absolutely true. It is just as it
is promised and described in the scriptures.
Recently, I
received in the mail a flyer from a new church that had just opened. This flyer
had a color photo of an older woman with curlers in her hair and a mean look on
her face. She was depicted as pointing a strict, stern finger at the recipient.
The caption for the photo read, "not your Grandma's church." I must admit, I took offense to
the flyer. I know they are trying to reach a new generation who thinks that Momma,
Daddy and certainly Grandmother is out of touch with the modern day world. This all promotes an idea that the old fashion church just isn't cool. Of course, my heart begs to cry out to everyone
who reads this flyer, you better do everything you can to get to or to keep
your family and children in an old time church. A place that is sound and solid
so that they can hear the truth and see the practices that will lead them to
true salvation and the worshipping of the Lord.
The Bible says that there is only one
body, one Spirit ... one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all (Ephesians
4:4-6). Simply put, there is only one
gospel and one salvation, we had better make absolutely sure we have it right.
It need not be a guessing game. We must be careful what churches we attend and
where we take our children. The size of the church, the programs they offer,
the activities they have, the entertainment they provide should never be the
deciding factor for the receiving of the precious gospel. The church needs to
be based on the two things Jesus indicated were essential, the Spirit and the
truth (John 4:24). If any church denounces a heartfelt spiritual salvation,
they are out of touch with the truths of the bible. If they use the methods and
philosophies of making mental decisions and just accepting Christ without a
true conversion, and take people into the church without a testimony of the receiving
of the Holy Spirit in their lives, that church is dangerous. I beg you to look
elsewhere for a church, where these essential elements of Spirit, truth and righteousness
are taught and practiced.
Recently
while traveling through an older well-to-do area outside of Nashville , Tennessee Jerusalem , but such a pilgrimage is by no
means necessary. The Holy Ghost has come to reveal our Lord in His beauty and
power in all places to them that desire Him. Years ago when plowing in Barren
County, Kentucky, I used to hitch my horse at the end of the row and creep into
the fence corner to pray, and there I found Christ just as consciously to the
joy of my heart as I found Him in the most sacred places in Jerusalem. It is not
a matter of geography or location, but of Christ abiding in the hearts of the
people."
When we
think of how our Lord can so easily be found in a fence row or beside one's bed
at night, the magnificence of these great churches seem strangely odd and insignificant,
and in some cases could be an obstacle to true worship. But we must hear the
gospel, for how shall they call upon 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? ( Romans 10:14)
And, we must not [forsake] the assembling
of ourselves together... (Hebrews 10:25).
So now we
have a multitude of churches around every corner and on every highway. Many do
well, but many struggle to grow in number and spiritual power. In many
instances, churches may find it hard to get the attention of the lost and to
get them interested in seeking the Lord on an altar of prayer. We read of great
revivals of years past, of great numbers saved on the altar, and now we all
wonder what has happened. To many churches who are anxious to grow and succeed,
they see no need to wait for any spiritual
feeling of acceptance, it is so much easier to just repeat the formulaic prayer
to accept Jesus, and move on to baptism and church membership. If little Johnny
or Betty accepts Jesus and can be baptized, Mom and Dad can be encouraged to come,
and maybe they will join too, and the church prospers with more parishioners
and perhaps more money. This sounds sad, perhaps even a bit judgmental but
nevertheless I fear in many cases, it is true. Many ministers and churches have
developed programs, methods and means to reach out to the lost. These
witnessing episodes often end with convincing talk, not unlike that of a pushy salesman, who presses the potential
candidate for salvation into a corner or situation of words, that makes it is
hard for them to reject and say "no" to the offer. They pray the
"Sinner's Prayers" for the seeker or ask them to repeat it, then
assure the person that they are now a Christian. In the eyes of the church, the great task has been accomplished. For if
the church had left the poor sinner on the altar seeking the forgiveness of
sins and the Holy Spirit, and they were not saved on the first encounter, they
may not come back again, and all that was mentioned above, membership, money, and
the satisfaction of their perceived success would all be lost.
I remember
reading an illustrative story about devils who were discussing ideas to deceive
creation and cause men to lose their souls. One suggested "we can tell the
people there is no God." The others agreed that would deceive a few
people, but confessed that most people believe there is a God. Another devil
suggested "we can tell them that the Bible is a lie." Some nodded in agreement,
but finally the consensus was that, that would deceive a few people, but most
will believe the Bible is true. Another suggested, "I know, we can tell
them to just put off salvation until tomorrow." They all agreed saying
"we will deceive them by the thousands." I will now add my own
personal touch to the story, by relating how another even more wise and much
craftier old devil formed an even greater plan of deception. "Go tell them
they need just to accept Jesus, to make a decision for Christ and all will be
well. Teach them salvation is a fact, not a feeling, and there is nothing else
to be done or to be had. Teach them to take it by faith alone and disregard any
confirmation and assurance of the Holy Spirit. Tell them if they will do this
and believe this, heaven is theirs."
I am quite sure the old liar then said, "go, go, you will deceive them by the
millions." And I am afraid he was right. If the Devil was ever in
anything, I believe he is in the "making-a-decision-for-Christ"
salvation plan. This plan demeans the effectiveness of the receiving of the
Holy Spirit as our confirmation of the rebirth. If the Devil was ever in our
churches, he is surely in this.
Please, no
matter what denomination you are or what church you attend, big or small, no
matter where you pray, no matter what people may try to tell you, please
continue to pray and seek the Lord till you have received the Holy Spirit of
promise. Please do not let anything change your course or determination. The Bible
tells us it is not His will that any
would perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). The Lord
will save you if you are sincere, steadfast and faithful. It is worth any and
all effort. It is your only key into eternity.
Rev. Henry Clay Morrison
One of the nation's greatest
preachers and evangelists was Dr. H.C. Morrison (1857-1942) of Kentucky . Morrison was a
Methodist who rose to great heights during his lifetime, traveling all over the
nation and especially at the camp meetings that graced our land during the
great Holiness movement. He published a weekly religious newspaper, "The
Pentecostal Herald" for 54 years
and was President of Asbury College and founder of Asbury Theological Seminary in
Wilmore , Kentucky Barren County , Kentucky Frankfort .
Morrison
was gloriously saved in a small Methodist church "Boyd's Creek,"
a short distance from his boyhood home
near Glasgow . In
this little country church, Morrison had witnessed many young people being
saved, like his sister Emily, numerous cousins and schoolmates. Morrison said,
"They all went to the mourner's bench. None of them were urged to make a
profession of faith, but were directed to call on God to forgive their sins,
for Jesus' sake; they were penitent
mourners for several days-- deep sick of sin. Those of us who looked on their
agony and grief, got a conception of the sinfulness and danger there is in sin that could hardly
have been conveyed to our minds in any other way. Well do I remember their
shining faces, and glad shouts, when they were converted. For weeks they were
radiant with joy. We who were left in our sins were very sad and lonely."
Morrison was
thirteen years old in the aforementioned revival. Although, he felt deep conviction
and a great desire to be saved, no one came to him and urged him to the altar.
He believed people would think he was too small to understand the full meaning of
salvation. So he kept his seat and his prayerful desires to himself. "No one came to see me to ask me forward
for prayer, and so I stayed back in the corner, sometimes standing on a bench
to see the young people shout, and sometimes weeping with a broken heart."
Sad and discouraged, Morrison grew a bit rebellious for a time feeling no one
cared about him, but was soon devising a plan and a bargain with God. If the
same evangelist, Brother Phillips should return the next year for the revival,
he would go to the altar and seek his salvation whether anyone invited him or
not. Morrison was impressed with Reverend James Phillips. Morrison recalled how
as a small boy working in the fields, he would see Brother Phillips ride by.
The very sight of the saintly preacher would seem to convict Morrison of his
sins, and if he should look his way with his kindly eyes, and speak to the
young boy, his heart would thrill and long for salvation. Morrison spent the
following year in much suspense, wondering if he would see Brother Phillips
return, or if not, be free from his vow. When word came that Brother Phillips
would again be conducting the revival, Morrison said, conviction ran through
him like an arrow, and he anxiously waited for the protracted meeting to seek
salvation. When revival came during Christmas week of the year 1871, Morrison
was determined to keep his vow, and seek the salvation his soul had so longed
for. He was determined to go to the altar even if no one asked him or personally
invited him there. When the Thursday evening sermon was preached and the
invitation was made, no one came to Morrison. The young boy experienced a
tremendous struggle within, but felt riveted to his seat. Finally, he was able
to break away and nearly ran to the altar, feeling confident this day was his day
of salvation, fully expecting to find Jesus and the salvation of his soul.
Morrison's first thoughts and expectations were very high, for he held the
belief that he was not nearly so bad a sinner as many of the young neighborhood
boys with whom he had become acquainted. Morrison also reasoned that because he
was an orphan, surely God would treat him with special kindness and great
favor. Morrison was soon surprised, for instead of finding forgiveness and
peace, he instead found only a heavier load settling down on his heart. At the
conclusion of the service, Morrison left the church disappointed, but remained much in prayer. Friday morning
another service was held, so Morrison hurried back to church and went forward
at once before the preaching even began, and took a place at the mourner's
bench. He began to now realize how great a sinner he was and how he should have
no special favor just because he was an orphan boy, and that his only hope was
in Jesus. Morrison once again found only disappointment and left the revival
service under great conviction and with a heavy heart. Friday night, once again,
found Morrison dutifully back at church seeking the Lord the only way he knew,
asking for mercy, weeping, and even praying aloud in the midst of the service. Morrison
began to ponder the idea that mercy had been offered to him many times in the
past and he had turned a deaf ear to it. This gave him great sorrow. Saturday
morning and night, he was at the altar
pleading earnestly for mercy. While at home he kept to himself and much of the
time was secret in prayer. By Sunday morning, Morrison began making promises to
the Lord of all the things he would do for Him if only the Lord would just save his soul. The Sunday morning
service ended and Morrison stayed on at the altar in prayer for some time. Finally,
worn out with grief, he reluctantly gave up and left with much sorrow and
heaviness of heart. But, the salvation and forgiveness Morrison had long sought
was gloriously given to him, during the
Sunday evening service, Christmas week, December 1871.
THE TESTIMONY OF HENRY
CLAY MORRISON
BOYD’S CREEK
METHODIST CHURCH ,
BARREN COUNTY KENTUCKY
I arrived
at church a little late, and on going forward to the “mourner's bench,” found
it full of seekers. So I kneeled down at the end of the front bench, in the
“Amen Corner," up next to the wall and commenced to pray. I did not hear
the sermon. But after Bro. Phillips concluded, the people sang and came around
and instructed the seekers. Someone came to me and said, "Joe Mansfield
has found peace. Take courage and the Lord will save you.” To think that the
Lord was so near, that others were saved, and that I was in darkness, plunged
me more into despair. I began to wail out my sorrow at the top of my voice.
Uncle Emory Hammer, a devout deacon in the Baptist Church
As we read and ponder the great burden
and conviction Morrison was under, it may seem odd that the young troubled boy
did not or could not bow down as Brother Phillips went on his way, and find
salvation there in the midst of the field. Perhaps Morrison was under the
persuasion that you had to be in church to be saved, or you could only find
salvation at revival time. Who knows what was in the heart and the mind of a
young thirteen year old boy, and God only knows how He chose to deal with the
young lad. We can assume Morrison did spend much time in prayer, but whatever
the reason, salvation did not come for him until in the midst of the next year's
revival. Notice too, young Morrison was
not saved the first time he went to the altar, because God did not save him
then. He did not get saved the second or third day because God did not save him
then. He did not get saved on Saturday, nor during the morning Sunday service
as Morrison longed, wished and prayed for.
No, Morrison got saved on that Sunday night, at the right time, the
right place and the right situation, when the Lord was satisfied that he had
fully trusted, repented and had achieved in his heart all that was required. When
young Morrison fully trusted, the Lord declared, "I am going to give unto you the power to
become a son of God." So Morrison was saved, receiving the Holy Spirit of
love, joy and peace, that he knew was from heaven above. No preacher had to
tell him, no one had to assure him, or instruct him or persuade him to just take
it by faith. Morrison received something real. Morrison received a heartfelt,
"I know the Lord saved me" salvation. There was no, "I accept
Jesus" for Morrison. There was no "I am making a decision for Christ."
Morrison spent hours on the altar. Morrison cried, prayed, pleaded with God to
save him. Morrison did all the things most of the modern day, modern way ministries
and ministers tell you that you need not do. But Morrison got it right.
Morrison had something real. The Spirit God placed within him, bore witness
that he indeed had become a child of God just as the scriptures teach and
promise. Morrison knew he had eternal life and a heavenly home. So, I have to
ask, who would want any less for themselves. Thousands, I trust millions, have had
the same type of testimony. It is Bible. It is scripture. Why do some fight and
argue so adamantly against it? Why would not every person seek such a precious
wonderful gift on their knees? Morrison got something real; I believe, you can
have it too. Morrison had a testimony of a spiritual salvation that he knew
would take him into eternity. I believe you can have it too. There is no more true religion than when
God sends His Holy Spirit of promise into our hearts and tells us Himself that we
are saved. Why would anyone ridicule such a tremendous gift and blessing
from God? There is nothing more wonderful and beautiful than the receiving of
God's heavenly, Holy Spirit and His assurance.
As
beautiful as Morrison's testimony was, and is, it is not uncommon and not unlike
the testimony of any other born again Christian. Anyone who has been born
again, and received the Holy Spirit has
a beautiful testimony of their own. I ask you the reader once more, what would
you rather hear from your children's lips, a testimony in likeness to the one
of Morrison's, or a testimony, "I accepted Christ," with no evidence given of an experience of the Holy Spirit?
How sad anything less would be, than "I know for certain the Lord has
saved me, because I feel His wonderful Spirit."
Morrison saw the evils of
decision-making entering into the churches during his life and ministry and
certainly spoke and preached much against it at every opportunity. Morrison wrote in the introduction to
John Wesley Hughes autobiography, "the Blue Grass region of Kentucky had
keenly felt the blight of [a religion] which had ridiculed the mourner’s bench,
the regenerating and witnessing power of the Holy Ghost, and unfortunately, in
many Methodist churches people were asked to join the church[es] without being
invited to the altar of prayer, without insistence that they must be born again
before they were proper subjects for membership in the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Hughes lifted aloft the banner of true Methodism, drew the sword of the
Spirit and with a holy daring, championed the cause of true repentance, the new
birth, and the clear witness of the Holy Ghost to a conscious salvation." (From H.C. Morrison’s introduction to
the autobiography of John Wesley Hughes, D.D., Founder of Asbury College, 1923).
Morrison
and the Old Time Religion
“Their one object was to win the people to
true repentance and saving faith in Christ. And they preached with great power
and gracious results. They preached about sin and the wickedness of rebellion
against God, of violating His law, of rejecting His mercy. They preached about
death-beds and awakened sinners who, when it was too late realized they were
dying and going out into darkness. They preached about the Judgment Day and the
separations that would take place, of the saved going into everlasting life and
the lost into everlasting torment. The people of the community would become
serious under their preaching. Sinners would go home quietly and creep into
their beds easily, almost afraid that the bed cords would give way, the floor
break and the earth open and receive them into the pit of darkness. Some
readers will say this was very crude and no way to present the Gospel. The fact
is that large numbers of people under this preaching forsook their sins and became
mourners; frequently they would spend several days and nights in silence,
praying in the woods, out in the barn, over in the broomsedge field, confessing
their sins and pleading with God for mercy. When a member of a family would
fall under conviction, the other members of the family would take their work,
attend to the chores, and would leave them to quietness and prayer. Under the
preaching of these old men, the soul came to look wonderfully valuable, sin was
a hateful thing, hell was an awful place, heaven was most desirable, the laws
of God were reasonable and right and ought not to be violated. Jesus Christ,
his atoning death and glorious resurrection and intersession became desirable
above all things, and men and women sought Him, pleading for mercy, day and
night."
After these convictions, conversions were
really new births. There was great
joy. The Lord was praised and the saved gave glad testimonies. Frequently, not
only at the church, but they would go about among their neighbors praising the
Lord, giving their witness, telling what awful sinners they had been, how they
had felt so deeply lost, almost lost hope, but cried to Christ and found Him a
wonderful savior. That was the old time religion and the people knew where and when they found
it and let the neighbors and the community know that they had passed from
death unto life. No one thought of
joining the church without being
born of the Spirit.”
H.C. Morrison
(From: Some Chapters from My Life Story, 1941,
pgs.35,36 & 37)
Morrison
had clear convictions about methods, movements, and foolish actions of men with
the pretense of worship and having church. "One serious trouble,"
Morrison said while conducting a revival meeting in a Nazarene church in Miami , Florida
Also, in
the November 21, 1928 Pentecostal Herald,
Morrison wrote that
"nothing more unfortunate has ever occurred to
Methodism than the institution of "Decision
Day," and the bringing of thousands of children into the church
without conviction for sin, or the regeneration of the heart by the Holy Spirit.
An unregenerate congregation is not a church of God
Morrison
recognized the dangers of this evil practice and of the deception it brought to
all who entered the membership of the church by these means. They were not
saved, not the children of God, and in this condition had no hope of eternal
life. These same people taken into God's church under this false pretense,
would likely someday be making the decisions concerning the operation, the
ministry and affairs of all church business and conduct. A lost person, cannot
know the mind of Christ, nor receive the things of the Spirit. How could their
church in this situation or condition, be a true church of God?
The great
holiness preacher, W.B. Godbey explained how a religion had flooded like an arctic
river a whole generation and about
frozen out all of the Methodist fire that used to make sinners cry and
Christians shout. "They had so long persistently preached against Holy
Spirit religion, ridiculing it unmercifully, denouncing and abusing the
mourner's bench that the Methodist preachers, rank and file had given up the
altar. They had contented themselves to
take in members as seekers of salvation, baptizing them and admitting them to
bona fide membership, though unsaved, and even promoting them to offices. The
result was that the Methodist church was in an exceedingly low condition; clear
and bright conversions attested by the Holy Spirit and witnessed to in the love
feasts, having almost evanesced and become simply a matter of bygone history."
To further
paraphrase Godbey, this evil false religion of accepting Christ without true
conversion, bears the name of Jesus, yet is nothing more than a form of
Godliness, but denies the power thereof. It has grown, spread and infected like
a terrible disease, like a blight that kills and destroys. It is a false
doctrine that has deceived millions who are now in eternity. They are victims
resulting from the deceptions, wiles and failures of men, by refusing to follow
the truths of God's word and promises. They took it upon themselves as
ministers and leaders of others to promote and encourage their own selfish
desires of success and numbers. This, sadly has led many a person to their
eternal doom. There is no other way to describe it, and no easier way to say
it. It deserves no kinder words.
In the
book, An Endless Line of Splendor by Earle E. Cairns, Cairnes writes of
some of the great revivals and many of the legendary religious leaders of our
time. One of the ministers that receives
much attention is Billy Graham. No one denies that Graham has had a tremendous
ministry, and great following throughout his long career. It is noteworthy to
mention here, to me, how Graham's success is described and recorded in statistical
numbers, of those who made decisions for Christ. It was noted, "he
returned to England in March
1954 and held a crusade in the Harringay Arena in London . The last meeting was held in the
large Wimbledon Stadium, and 2,000 made decisions. There were 38,000 decisions
from a total attendance of over 2 million in the crusade. Further crusades
mentioned here include one in 1955 in Scotland that had an overall attendance
of about 2,650,000, with over 52,000 decisions. Of course this is just the
beginning. In 1957, in Madison Square Garden ,
in New York City ,
2.4 million in attendance, with over 61,000 decisions. In the major cities of Australia , and New Zealand in 1959, crowds
numbered about 3,250,000 with about 150,000 decisions. I see no need to go on any
further, for we can certainly see his tremendous popularity and his seeming
great success in leading people to Christ. What do we say about such
numbers? It is my hope and prayer that
each one of these decisions were true conversions and that everyone of these
precious souls will enjoy the riches of heaven for all of eternity.
The
popularity of Billy Graham is amazing, to say the least, and it would be easy
to want to believe that God must be in such a great crusade or this enormous success
just could not happen. I certainly am not an expert on Billy Graham, nor will I
choose to judge him and what he has accomplished, but I just have to speak my
mind on what I have seen, and what I believe has to be true.
A dear
friend of mine who was a great admirer of Graham had an opportunity to see and
hear him preach in Nashville
several years ago. She arrived at the crusade on a charter bus, as did many
other people. Those of us who have watched the telecasts have witnessed the invitation
by Graham for seekers to come and receive Christ as their Savior. And, we have
witnessed the steady stream of people make their way down to the front area for
this very purpose. According to Cairnes, the training of several thousand
counselors takes place before each crusade.
As we have
already written and explained in previous chapters, the conditioning of one's
heart to have true faith is not always a quick and easy task. It often takes
much time and much prayer. How many of these souls were actually saved? I do
not know. I pray they all were. But even my friend, as she boarded her bus, pondered
the question, how could all those people get their heart right, truly repent,
and get everything worked out so fast? She
was quite sure an enormous number of attendees suffered from the same dilemma
and situation she found herself in. She was told to get back to the bus by a
certain time or she would be left behind. There could be little question that a
crusade of that magnitude would create an atmosphere of some confusion and no
doubt to many, a great sense of haste.
The most
alarming thing here, is that all the successes recorded in this book are quite
the same as we see and hear in so many instances today. The responses to Graham's
invitations to come to Christ are referred to as decisions. It did not say
these people were saved, yet I am confident that to a good many people, they
would not consider a reason to think of there being any difference in the two
terms.
As I have
stated before, many people find this terminology quite offensive and the
practice of making a decision, quite inadequate and deceptive. For this reason,
many a born again Christian who support and believe the old time religion of a
heartfelt salvation, do not have faith in the ministry of Billy Graham. From what
I have seen and heard, I also agree. I have not watched every telecast, and I
have not read all his books and I have not heard all his sermons. But in every
invitation I have heard Graham extend to his audiences, I have never heard him
instructing them to keep on praying and seeking until God tells them they are
saved. I have never heard him
instructing them to make sure they are a receiver of that blessed assurance
only the Spirit of God can give. But, why do we
not always hear this? It is scripture that we receive the Spirit when
God saves us and it is essential that we possess it for eternal life. Why would
he or any minister not go the utmost, to make sure everyone understands how
vital this is to their salvation and eternal life?
Again,
there should be absolutely no chance, no opportunity and no room for error. The
confirmation and the necessity of the Spirit in our lives should be made perfectly
clear to everyone. We do not need people just making decisions that could be in
error, we need absolute assurance from the Holy Spirit bearing witness we are
the children of God. I do not want Billy
Graham, nor any other human being, telling me or assuring me, that I am saved,
I want the Holy Spirit to tell me. I hope you do also.
What do you
see going on in your church? Do you see people going to the altar seeking their soul's salvation or do you see
people going forward and making a pledge to accept Christ? Do you hear a testimony
of having been born again and of the
receiving of the Holy Spirit by those who seek to have membership with your
church? Or, do they just pray a "Sinner's Prayer" and are told by the
minister if they accepted or made a decision for Christ that all is well? I need not say again what this means if the
latter is true. I beg you, for yourself, for your children, for your family, for
all that you desire spiritually and eternally, please seek the Lord for
yourself, and never give up until you know you have a true spiritual
experience. Take your children to a place where the true word of God is
preached and practiced. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
The Final Word
Salvation Is A Fact and A Feeling
Everything
we have discussed in the pages of this book describes an experiential salvation.
We are promised by the Lord an
experience of rivers of living water
springing up within us, and a joy that may be full. We have read scriptures of
testimony and witnessing to our hearts, of the blessed Holy Spirit of God that
lives within those that are His. These are not my words, these are the words of
our precious Lord and Savior. These are the words from the blessed Gospel that
we hold so dear. These are promises just like the promises of eternal life and
a heavenly home. I have to ask one more time, why then are some people, some
churches, and some ministers fighting so hard against this, or at best excusing
it all away? Now I have to ask you the reader, will you excuse it all away? If
we cannot know and feel something wonderful from heaven within our hearts, if
we cannot know a blessed, heavenly love that excels far above anything we ourselves
could ever manufacture, if there is no comforting from a Comforter, if there is
no joy and peace, if there is no rejoicing, no praising; if all these things
are not true and felt within our hearts by the Holy Spirit, then the scriptures
are a lie.
But, I
maintain these facts are true, by my own testimony and the testimonies of generations
of other believers. We, as born again Christians are recipients of that Spirit.
If you cannot testify of it, you are none of His. It is that plain. There is no
sound argument against the Spirit, and there is no sound argument against these
scriptures. The scriptures are plainly written and easily interpreted. The
truths are too plainly stated. It is time to stop playing games and to stop
playing church. Eternity is at hand. Without a Heartfelt salvation, our loved ones'
eternal security remains at risk. Death is real, the judgment is real, hell is
real, and therefore our salvation had better be real. I can most certainly
assure you that the Spirit is real, and please, you must know that you possess
this. There is no room for error, no place for mistakes.
A Sign of Hope To the Heartfelt Churches and
Believers.
We need your help. I believe we
have been silent much too long. While we have held firmly and faithfully to the sacred doctrines and
practices of a heartfelt salvation within our own churches, I fear that in many
instances, we have failed to reach out to the community with this life saving,
essential message, that there is an absolute necessity for a heartfelt salvation in every person's life. It
is so important a message, it must be cried out, far and near with every
available opportunity, in every instance where God's dear Word can get out to a
lost world. The churches that mock and ridicule the heartfelt, knee route way
of salvation are working strong with great determination to bring everyone in,
in every possible way. They are out there with their literature, brochures,
vacation bible schools, special events, programs, shows, and countless
entertaining opportunities. They are bringing in our friends, neighbors, loved ones,
our children and our grandchildren with decision making, "I accept Jesus"
programs. Many of these programs make no reference to, and completely ignore
the precious Holy Spirit of God, the finish line of every testimony, and
witness for Christ. What has your church done lately to reach out to the whole
community? What have you done lately to reach out? Someone had better speak up
and do something fast! Someone had better have the guts and determination to stand up and confront this evil practice.
People are being deceived and hell is their fate if they are not preached the
truth. I believe we can make a difference if all the true born again Christians
will stand up, be heard and bear their armor of righteousness. I beseech all
old fashion, heartfelt salvation believing churches to stand up together and be
heard, to embrace this crusade and join together, To let our communities, our
cities, and our towns hear the true gospel message of salvation. I pray you
will encourage born again friends and families from other communities and
states to join in, to recruit their churches to stand up and declare that Jesus
Christ can and does save, and salvation has to be real, and felt in the hearts
of true converts. Some say outreach is a waste of time. I have
already heard criticisms, "if we offer someone a hot dog, someone else
will offer them a hamburger." I
know it can be discouraging, and it is hard to compete with activities and
events some bigger churches offer, but we cannot let that be an excuse to do
nothing. Many of our old fashioned churches have been doing little or nothing in
the way of getting our message out to the community, and many are drying up,
and are in danger of becoming non-existent, while the modern day, "just
accept Jesus" churches are flourishing. Things can change if we will bond
together, work hard together, diligently pray and have faith. With God's
blessing and His leadership, we could do much. It is in our hands.
I believe that
a heartfelt salvation crusade would be a great way and opportunity to bring us
all together. I am not advocating for anyone to have puppet shows, rock
concerts, amusement events, cookouts or hayrides. I am only advocating our getting
out and sharing with the community about heartfelt salvation, everyway and anyway
we can that would please and satisfy the Lord and your church body.
While
I certainly will not be a predictor of all that the Lord may have in store
concerning this particular endeavor, I truly believe it is His will for me, and
maybe it is His will for you. Do you believe in your salvation? Were you truly
born again of the Spirit? Did and do you feel His love within you? Does His Spirit
placed within you, bear witness you are His child? Do you really know and
believe all these things? If you do, you
must see the great danger. Are you not stirred? Does it not trouble and concern
you? I think those of us who know the truth, concerning these deceptions, have wrung
our hands, felt troubled, but wondered, what can we do? Shall we continue to be still and quiet, stirring only within the four walls of our
churches?
Satan
has been working so hard, and many Christians like myself have been working so
little. Today, when you talk about a heartfelt salvation to most people, even
to the majority of church people, many have no clue what you are talking about.
So many were never taught about an altar, about a true rebirth and about receiving
the Holy Spirit, and they are not likely to hear it unless something
dramatically changes. Without you and me, without some major action, without
some effective movement, we are apt to see no change for the good, and will
continue to witness the continual steady decline and further removal of the
truth of genuine spiritual salvation.
Be A Witness,
Go and Tell, Go and Share
Why would
you not? If you have been saved with a heartfelt spiritual salvation, why would
you not feel compelled to help others hear the truth? So what are we all doing
this weekend that is more important than the salvation of someone's soul? What are we doing that is more important than
trying to share the truth with one that may be lost or has been deceived? If
God is stirring within you to act and do your part in the sharing and
witnessing of the truths about heartfelt salvation, please help, please join
in. Please do not let someone who is not following the Spirit of the Lord, or
who fails to see the important significance of this horrific problem discourage
you. Please let the Lord alone direct your heart and your church. There is no
one asking you for money, there is no one trying to make one cent. It is a
ministry that you and your church can choose how you wish to make it work. You
can spend what you want to spend, as little or as much, according to what the
Lord wants you to do. I am not requesting you to send me or any one else any
money for anything. But please consider what you and your church can do to
reach out and share "Heartfelt Salvation." Please be a witness.
Please, go and tell. Please, go and share. For information regarding books,
literature or pamphlets of Heartfelt salvation contact:
Heartfelt Salvation
C/o Gary Bewley
glbewley@glasgow-ky.com
My Testimony of
Salvation
For me, the term,
"saved" goes back to my early days in a small Baptist Church Mt. Pleasant
and sits on Highway 249 near the Roseville
community about six miles from the city of Glasgow ,
Kentucky .
From
this little church, it seemed to a young boy that God and Jesus must truly
reside there, for it was there I learned the dear Bible stories in Sunday
school, and heard the loud outcries of the preachers who warned us all of the
dangers of sin, and a hell that awaited those who failed to live right or find
Jesus. It was all hard for a young boy to completely understand. One thing that
did become clear in time was that you must be saved, and when you reached a
responsible age, you needed to get right with God. I
remember asking my mother, who
was a Christian, and a member of this church, “what happens when you get
saved?” “How do you know when you get saved?” My mother tried her best to
explain to me that it was something you felt inside, something that was wonderful
and assured me when it happened, I would know.
In
those days, the little church had Sunday school every Sunday at 10 o’clock, and
only once a month there would be a preaching service. Ellsworth Strode and
Emmitt Frodge, were at least two of the different pastors we had during those years.
The names rhymed, so I would get confused who was who, but they both would
preach hard as I recall, and I thought long. They would be excited and tearful and
preach with great power. My father would
describe one of them as “whuping the bible," as he preached. I was never
sure if he thought that good or bad, but it was an apt description of the
enthusiastic preaching style of that day.
Every
fall of the year was revival time, a time for special services generally aimed
at reviving the church in their spirit and devotion to the Lord. It was also a
time of reaching out to lost sinners who
might be willing to come and seek the salvation of their souls. One vivid
account in my mind was all the mourners that would fill the altar or “Mourner’s
Bench.” In our particular church, the Mourner’s Bench was the first bench
closest to the pulpit area. I still remember mourners on the bench, praying,
seeking, crying out, and in time, some coming up rejoicing with a testimony of
change and experience of salvation. Generally, it seemed the salvation would be
accompanied with tears of joy, excitement and created within the church a great
sense of happiness and joy. At the close of the revival, the new converts who
joined the church would be baptized with water immersion. My sister, Linda,
being about three years older than me was saved at one of these revivals and I
recall she was baptized in a pond on a nearby farm.
As
time went on, for some reason we stopped attending the little church of Mt.
Pleasant, and it wasn’t until my
high school years that church going was renewed in my life. My junior year I
began dating a classmate, Connie Jones who lived on Ritter's Mill Road in the Freedom / Temple Hill
area of Barren County Dover Missionary
Baptist Church
Around this
same time period, I began working at a local grocery in the meat department.
The Meat Department manager was a very involved, soul winning type preacher. He
was a pleasant preacher to listen to; he spoke very calmly and always with a
good message.
There
obviously came a time that we discussed religion. I revealed to him that I was
seeking salvation, but for some reason, I just hadn’t been saved. I don’t
recall everything he told me or every word of encouragement he might have
offered, but I recall very vividly when he suggested we go inside the old meat
cooler, bow down and pray. He led the prayer, and after a time concluded it. He
asked me if I prayed. I told him “yes." I remember being so shocked and
surprised, when he told me, that was all I needed to do and that was all there
was to it. That was my first encounter with anyone or anything that tried to
change my conception of what salvation really was and how it was received. I
was so shocked, but I was young and timid about the matter so I don’t recall exactly
what I said to him. But, I knew I had not gotten anything such as I had
witnessed at Mt. Pleasant
Church
That was my
salvation experience; it was real. The doubts I experienced moments after my
conversion, may seem strange to some. Whether it was the human nature in man,
or the power and voice of the old liar, the Devil trying to deceive, I will not
spend the time and effort to try and explain here. But from that night and from
that experience, I have throughout my life enjoyed and felt the Spirit of God
in my life. Sometimes, I have not always been obedient, sometimes I have wandered
away from His will, and failed to enjoy a peaceful stirring within. But, when I seek forgiveness and when I turn
my life and thoughts back to the love of the Lord, His Spirit within me is always
renewed. And on several occasions I have experienced a heavenly outpouring of
the Spirit so marvelous, so beautiful, and so precious that words cannot adequately
describe it. In these moments I have laughed and cried; I do
not desire anything else, but to praise and cry out to God from the very
deepest portals of my heart and soul. In these moments, I have a love for
everyone beyond anything in my natural humanity. It is a perfect, heavenly love. As I write
these words, the joy and excitement
fills my soul with the remembrance of
its greatness. It is a foretaste of the heavenly, beautiful things to
come, just as the Apostle Paul told us. How marvelous it all is! Praise the Lord ten
thousand times for all He has bestowed upon my heart and on being. My dear
friends, I just wish, and want everyone to be able to experience this great
gift and wonder of God, and it hurts so bad when people supposedly in the know,
tell you and me, "don't trust your feelings, salvation is a fact, and not
a feeling." I am here to declare to you salvation is indeed a fact, but
true salvation also comes with a marvelous feeling. If you don't believe me,
just look in the Bible, it is all spelled out there so clearly, if we will just
see. If you don't believe me, just ask our Lord, for He can show you. Repent,
give your everything to the Lord, love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, spirit
and body, submit to His will in everyway, and I assure you, based on the truth
of the scriptures, you can feel it also. You can know and possess a true, authentic,
absolute, heartfelt salvation. Oh, how I pray you will. Gary Bewley
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