Category: denominationalism

Saved, Saved, Saved #3

Thursday, July 28, 2016

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6 KJV).

The third verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“When poor and needy and all alone,
In love He said to me,
‘Come unto Me and I’ll lead you home,
To live with Me eternally.’”

Religion has ingrained in people’s minds, from birth to death, the lie that they can do something religious so God can declare them righteous before Him. Lost people take Bible verses that apply only to Christians, and they try to follow those life principles hoping to “make Christians out of themselves.” Dear friends, we do not make ourselves Christians. No religious group makes us Christians, either. God’s intention in giving Christian living verses was not for everyone to follow in order to become Christians; He gave those verses for Christian people to follow. Without Christ inside the heart, one cannot have the Christian life. Lost people can imitate the Christian life at times, yes of course, but they fail. God is not the least bit fooled; He sees straight through artificial Christianity.

Without Jesus Christ, friends, we literally have nothing! The Lord Jesus Christ is the way to Father; without Him, we have nothing but a one-way path to hellfire! Jesus Christ is the truth; without Him, we have nothing but Satan’s lies! The Lord Jesus Christ is the life; without Him, we have nothing but death in our trespasses and sins! We do not come to Him for “help” in doing good or being good; we come to Him for everything!

Most assuredly, we are poor, needy, and all alone. So, God’s Son came to this wretched planet. We were not looking for Him; He was looking for us, to turn us back to Father God. Christ Jesus was obedient to His Heavenly Father, all the way to Calvary’s cruel tree. He reached out with a nail-scarred hand and offered to lead us to heaven, to enjoy forever the same fellowship that He had with His Father from eternity past. Friends, may we take His hand by faith and be “Saved, Saved, Saved!”

Saved, Saved, Saved #1

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:24,25 KJV).

The first verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“I’ve found a Friend, who is all to me,
His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me
And what His grace can do for you.”

In religious circles, “saved” is a very dirty word. When you utter it in a denominational setting, gasps can be heard. Parishioners may experience cardiac arrest! How dare you be so “arrogant” in declaring—let alone thinking!—there is reserved in heaven a place for you! Church members shudder as that word “saved” “defiles” their religious ears. They have no such assurance of “salvation.” Furthermore, they tremble to realize the precarious situation they have been in since birth—“If I am not ‘saved,’ I must be ‘lost!’”

According to Roman Catholic theology, the “mortal sin of presumption” is committed when one believes he or she will go to heaven without any time spent “suffering for sins” in “purgatory.” Of course, this is fiction and nonsense. Remember, as long as you do not know if you are saved, you will keep coming to church, keep giving, keep praying, keep keeping the sacraments, keep keeping the ordinances! To die in the “mortal sin” of “presumption” is to merit immediate hellfire, with no chance of ever entering purgatory… or heaven. Oh, but praise God, we know God’s truth in today’s Scripture! There is total redemption—complete deliverance and purging from sin—in and because of Jesus Christ!

There is a “Friend” of sinners and His name is Jesus Christ. His love spanned the gulf of sin between you and God, and it sent Him to Calvary’s cruel cross. “Grace” is not what you can do for God so He can offer you salvation; grace is what God can do for you through Calvary because you can do nothing for Him! ’Tis the only way to be “Saved, Saved, Saved!”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Must I witness to be saved?”

For the Ungodly and For Sinners

Sunday, July 3, 2016

“For when were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8 KJV).

Did Christ die for the godly? No. Did Christ die for the righteous? No.

How human nature is stubborn! Pride operated first in Lucifer, and so he became Satan. Likewise, pride operated in Adam and mankind fell into sin. Friend, you stay in the ministry just a short time, and you will meet some very prideful people. The most prideful people in all the world are those in religion. Regardless of religion and/or denomination, you will always find someone who is “good enough,” “diligent enough,” “faithful enough.” In their minds, they “never sin” and they “do enough good.”

You can have numerous pieces of evidence to the contrary, and some people will deny all wrongdoing whatsoever. They will shield themselves and others from blame. They will blame-shift, and point out other people’s sins before their own. In short, they are in denial. People who do not realize they are lost and going to hell, will not be saved and go to heaven. They are ungodly. They are sinners. That is why Christ died for them! They needed Him!

Why, oh why, would God ever want anything to do with us, the human race, when we are so willfully unbelieving and disobedient to Him? We will never fully understand it, but God’s grace can plummet the depths that sin reaches. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20b). While mankind was sinning and rubbing his sin in God’s face, God sent His Son to die for those sins (today’s Scripture). Would you die for your enemy? Jesus Christ did (for all 10 billion-plus!). Again, this truth just completely goes over our heads. Our minds are too small to fathom it.

They can continue to deny, ridicule, and laugh at it, but the finished crosswork of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only reason why God still tolerates this world!

Ungracious “Grace” Leaders

Saturday, July 2, 2016

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw disciples after them” (Acts 20:29,30 KJV).

Beware of the Devil’s advocates lurking within the Grace Movement!

Recently, I had an enjoyable phone conversation with a new pastor friend. During our three hours of long-distance fellowship, we gave each other our testimonies and a brief background of our ministries. He explained to me how some of our Bible resources (written studies and videos) had recently helped him avoid a most erroneous and confusing “cell group” within the Grace Movement. Being new to the Message of Grace, he was eager to hear from us God’s pure Word rightly divided. Thankfully, he was rescued from a corrupt system we know all too well ourselves!!! (He has now rescued others!!)

He explained to me how some “grace pastor” had tried to force him to accept his warped version of so-called “grace teaching.” My pastor friend expressed how uncomfortable he was as this pastor “lorded” over him. The perverted pastor, during this time of “instruction,” would never let my pastor friend interject more than a few words. My pastor friend, without having time to read the verse for himself, would be asked quickly, “Understand…? Good. Next verse!” That pastor “lording” over him had an agenda. It was not to teach Bible but to teach theology. The will of the pastor disagreeing with the theology, was overlooked. He was being trained to—without question—believe what the “grace preacher” said the verses said rather than believe what the verses said.

Dear friends, I have issued warnings here about various subtle (sneaky) heresies floating amongst and within “grace” circles. It is not grievous to me to remind you again. Teachings that claim to be “dispensational teachings” but, when closely examined, are anything but—unapologetically avoid them (Romans 16:17,18)! These Bible corrupters are marked by their very haughty and aggressive—certainly un-Christian—attitude. Furthermore, please be vigilant about how pastors and teachers handle Paul’s “Acts” ministry and “Acts” epistles. Especially within the Grace Movement, there are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (today’s Scripture). Not all “grace ministries” are created equal—not all are really “grace ministries” either!

Brethren, if you value our grace ministry, you may always donate to us securely at: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Thanks!

A Prayer for Enlightenment Answered

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17 KJV).

Friend, if you truly desire to do God’s will, you shall know God’s doctrine!

I recently sat with a new Christian only one year old in Christ. Having grown up in a “Christian” cult, having since come to recognize the errors of that works-religion, having since trusted Jesus Christ alone as her personal Saviour, she was interested in now learning the Bible. The other day, she was so desperate to hear the Word of God taught that she visited a local denominational assembly. She was sorely disappointed upon hearing their noisy, “contemporary worship” service. When I asked her if she learned anything there, she said, “I learned nothing.” She had even met another confused lady who had been attending services there for some time.

This precious new Christian was genuinely searching for the truth. However, like so many, she could not find it. She said she had prayed for God to give her enlightenment. As it turned out, her brother, also a Christian, recommended she and I meet for Bible study. She agreed. When I came to her house, and she told me how she had asked God to teach her His Word, I replied most cheerfully, “He answered your prayers by sending me!” We ended up having a four-hour-long Bible study. After we settled the issue of her soul salvation unto eternal life (just to be sure), she was introduced to the Bible timeline. While she admitted she was a “slow learner,” she was ever so grateful for that Bible study. She heard many strange things, things she had never heard before. Nevertheless, she finally had the answers to so many of her Bible questions.

Friend, there are just so many people not interested in learning anything from Scripture. They have several Bibles in their homes, but they know nothing about the Bible because they do not want to know. This lady, however, wanted to know, and she discovered answers to her questions. She would not find them in religion, but rather in the King James Bible rightly divided! Friend, please never forget that, either.

*NOTE: Today, dear friends, I mark 10 full years in the writing ministry! Praise our Lord Jesus Christ! 🙂

Fast Teaching and Preaching

Monday, June 27, 2016

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (John 16:12 KJV).

Jesus said it to His disciples; Bible teachers say it to their students!

Pauline dispensational pastors and Bible teachers are often known for “going too fast.” A Christian sister expressed some concern regarding one such minister. While difficult to follow someone who teaches Scripture very quickly, who speaks faster than most, remember that the Bible is an extremely rich book. Its in-depth topics are not for the average (lukewarm, shallow) Bible skimmer!

Frankly, denominational preachers are often normal-paced in their speaking because they have to draw out the message to cover the allotted period. They know few verses and must fill the rest of the time with stories. I know. One of our former pastors years ago first read a familiar Bible passage (five minutes or less) and then spent the rest of the hour telling jokes and short stories (sometimes unrelated to the passage).

If you have a grace Bible teacher or grace pastor who teaches the Bible quickly, relax. At least he actually teaches the Bible instead of merely talking about it! Honestly, I would rather spend one day in a church where the rightly divided Bible is taught quickly, than one year in a denominational church where a preacher delivers a very shallow, slow-paced message. Pauline dispensationalists teach and preach quickly because they have a limited amount of time to cover in-depth doctrine. On average, they spend more time studying the Bible and preparing messages than denominational people (who simply repeat the same basic verses and ideas every week that the denomination approves).

Friend, if you have a Bible teacher or pastor who teaches God’s rightly divided Word, but you have trouble following him in the verses because he reads them quickly, record him, or listen to his DVDs or CDs or MP3s. Pause and replay the media until you get the doctrine. Follow along in your Bible. It does not matter if it takes you a few hours to watch a one-hour message, do it. It is never time wasted. (By the way, written Bible studies such as these are advantageous in that you can use them at your own pace!) 🙂

Our three latest Bible Q&A articles: “Can you explain 1 John 5:8—‘the Spirit, the water, and the blood?’”, “What does the Bible mean, ‘Jesus Christ came by water and blood?’”, and “What does, ‘Born of water and of the Spirit,’ mean?”.

Ill-Equipped

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16 KJV).

Behold, the solution to Christendom’s spiritual impotency!

A former cult member recently confirmed what I have known for years. The average Bible-believing Christian does not know enough about his or her own salvation to share it with others. Rather, the professing Christian will hide behind the shades when the religious groups come knocking at the front door. These Christians use 2 John 10-11 as an “escape clause”—“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

Usually, they are not obeying the verse by faith. Rather, they know two things. Firstly, the religious visitor is greatly skilled in articulating their false teaching. Secondly, they—the so-called “Bible believer”—know little to nothing about the Bible so they are more prone to fall into false teaching when confronted with it! There is nothing sadder than to realize 1 Corinthians 3:2 is just as true of Corinth as it is of today’s professing “Christian” church: “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.”

Denominations have done an extremely poor job in educating their members in the Bible text; thus, these churchgoers have the Bible understanding of a kindergartner. But, denominations could not have done a better job in educating their members in a church curriculum. These members—having received a “Ph.D.” in the traditions of men—can easily recite pet denominational tenets (whether or not they make sense).

They neither know the “word of Christ” nor do they let it “dwell in [them] richly in all wisdom.” Rather, they wonder what the word of Christ even is and they wander around looking for it. While they condemn the world for thinking and acting like the world, they—professing Christians—are thinking and acting like anything and everything but Christian! How the Holy Spirit is so grieved and the professing Christian so deceived!

False Prophets

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11 KJV).

While actually describing the future state of the world, today’s Scripture is easily seen today.

Recently, while visiting a local park, I encountered four cult members distributing free literature at a sidewalk booth. They undeniably call themselves “Christians.” While they were friendly people, and probably more generous and loving than the average Christian, their doctrine is so far removed from sound Bible teaching that they could not be rightly called and never be rightly called Christians. Having spoken with a friend who was saved out of that group, having read their literature, and having spoken with several of them over the years, I know their denominational hierarchy has them slaving away in doing good works in hopes of them entering God’s kingdom. You can be sure these four heard the Gospel of God’s Grace from me. What they do with God’s Son is on them now!

The Lord Jesus gave His Second Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapter 24—the context of today’s Scripture. His apostles wanted to know the characteristics of the end-times, events that would occur leading up to His return (Second Coming). He issued seven warnings not to be deceived (verses 4,5,11,23-26). The chief characteristic of the end-times is deception. In the words of Jesus Christ, “Many” deceivers deceiving “many.” Why?

People will be claiming to be “Christ,” God manifested in human flesh. There will be people professing to be “prophets,” God’s spokespeople to mankind. People will be performing miracles using Satan’s power, but claiming to be God’s miracle-workers. They will all pave the way for the Antichrist, the epitome of deception, the Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition (Damnation), the physical representation of Satan’s lie program. The world having been so deceived in the 2,000 years since Jesus spoke today’s Scripture, it is so easy to see just how easily the Antichrist will enter with little opposition. Having rejected the love of the truth, they can now enjoy “strong delusion [deception]” and “believe a lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:2-12).

Friends, let us stay with the Word of God rightly divided. ‘Tis the only way to avoid the deceivers!

Our special-edition Bible Q&A #275: “Was the Apostle Paul a false prophet?”

Spiritual Nobility

Monday, June 20, 2016

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10,11 KJV).

Behold, the marks of spiritual nobility!

The Bereans were “noble” (distinguished) because of two attributes. Firstly, “they received the Word with all readiness of mind.” They heard Paul and Silas preaching supposedly the Word of God, and they were willing to accept it as possibly true. However, they did not blindly accept someone’s word for it. Secondly, “they searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” They actually looked into the Bible for themselves to see if Paul and Silas were really preaching God’s Word or just their opinions parading as “God’s Word.”

Exactly how much “Bible” the Bereans had, we cannot be sure. They, being synagogue-worshipping Jews, certainly had the “Old Testament,” Genesis through Malachi (cf. Acts 15:21; Acts 13:14,15). Perhaps Paul’s epistle to Galatia had been written and was in circulation in Acts chapter 17.

Millions upon millions of church members today would have spared themselves many years—even decades—of heartache and confusion had they just followed the Bereans’ example. Instead of simply sitting in church for years being indoctrinated with what they assumed was “God’s Word”—only to discover a long time later it was not God’s Word—they should have taken their Bibles to church and followed along as their minister spoke. Had they followed the Bereans’ pattern, the charlatans would have been manifested for them!

Whether an Old Testament Jew, or a Christian in our Dispensation of Grace, 1 Thessalonians 2:13 remains true: “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” God’s Word will work only in those who know and believe it—not them believing assumptions and/or presumptions about it. “Search and see; do not take it from me!” 🙂

Thrilling Bible Study!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16 KJV).

Can you agree with the Prophet Jeremiah?

Too many people who read the Bible are unwilling to let it speak for itself. They always try to force into it their own preconceived denominational ideas. In doing so, they make it a mess and destroy the clarity. It becomes such a burden that they almost wish they never picked up a Bible at all. May they learn this lesson from Jeremiah!

In today’s Scripture, Jeremiah was one of the few people living in his day who was so willing to receive the Word of God. God’s Word became the joy (noun) and the rejoicing (verb) of his heart. He was a servant of God so it only stood to reason that he would submit himself to JEHOVAH God’s instructions. Since Jeremiah knew God’s will for his life, he conducted a successful ministry for 40 years. We have come so much further than Jeremiah concerning God’s purpose and plan for creation, but we should be just as willing to receive God’s revelation post-Jeremiah as Jeremiah was receptive to having God’s Word in his own day.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). When you take God’s Word, study it rightly divided, and take your stand by faith in it, you are going to have the thrill of your life! The “Old Book” will literally become a “New Book.” You need not struggle any longer trying to sort through “contradictory” verses. Rather, you need to rejoice in God’s Word to you—Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon—and study all 66 books of the Bible in light of the Pauline revelation. Break free from the chains of Satanic confusion and get on with working with God to accomplish His will: “God, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Let me assure you—you will never regret it! 🙂

Our latest (companion) Bible Q&As: “Can you explain Genesis 6:1-4?” and “Can you explain 1 Peter 3:18-21?”