Talking from personal experience, one of the largest contributing factors that have caused me to lose assurance of salvation, has been the ignorance of the way in which God saves sinners from start to finish, and without any aid from those being saved whatsoever. I had somehow mistakenly assumed that my salvation was without doubt in the hands of God, but I was also co-partner in that salvation. After all, I had chosen to follow Christ hadn’t I?
What I have since realised through Scripture, is that far from me deciding to walk the path of Christ of my own accord, it was He who first chose me, and it was He who gave me the gift of faith to believe in Christ for the salvation of my soul. This is what is known as the doctrine of regeneration, or otherwise known as effectual calling. This is a sovereign work of God Almighty, whereby he does a supernatural work in the heart of those He has chosen, that they are able to respond in faith to the call of the Gospel, as detailed in the previous article, and is completely detached from anything done by the believer independently.
Contrary to the popular notion of “making a decision for Jesus” as popularised in the modern churches, we are no more able to do this of our own volition, than a dead man is able to get up off his bed and run around the room.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
(Ephesians 2:4-9)
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
(Ephesians 2:4-9)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
(John 1:12-13)
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
(John 3:6-8)
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT BY GOD.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
(John 6:44-45)
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
(John 6:63-65)
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8:29-31)
Quite often, the thought of our own precious free will being by-passed completely, offends our pride drastically. We become drawn into issues concerning the helplessness of it all, and how God is somehow a tyrannical being that chooses some to be with Him for eternity, and others to be destined for an eternity spent in Hell. However these issues will only ever arise for those who have a wrong perspective of the absolute impassible gulf that divides sinful man from a Holy and Righteous God, and the enormous cost and effort it has taken on the part of God in order to bridge that gap.
So often in the churches across all denominations, the Gospel message is twisted to cater to the needs and desires of those we preach to. This often leads to many who respond to these flesh based messages, so much so, that huge “mega-churches” now exist, based on the preaching of man, rather than the true Gospel of Christ. But for those who accept this lie as the truth, and allow their hearts to become hardened to the call of Christ through the message of the Bible, a terrible destiny awaits them upon the return of the One whose name they have taken in vain.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
(Matthew 7:21-23)
However to those whom God has chosen and called, He regenerates them by His own Spirit, making them alive and able to hear and respond to the message of Christ crucified in their place. Those who are regenerated, or born again in such a way, have eyes to see themselves truly as the grotesque sinners they are, and the Lord God as the Holy and Righteous Creator that He is. From this place of pure grace and kindness on the part of God, those chosen can do nothing but stand amazed that such an All Powerful, and Mighty God, would not even spare the life of His own Son, that they may receive His life for all eternity.
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Philippians 2:12-16
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Matthew 7:13-27
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
No doubt the love and mercy of God is vast, and extends to all generations, even those who have hated Him. However the pathway that leads to salvation in Christ is extremely narrow, and is neither easy to walk, nor can it be done so in a half hearted or frivolous manner. And what is more, it is a pathway that only few will find and walk upon.
Many who know me personally criticize the fact that I seem harsh towards the church, and in truth, maybe at times I am. However this is not because I hate the church, it is rather that I simply proclaim to those who profess to follow Christ, what I know His Word proclaims to me. I’m not talking about personal opinions here, or my own personal interpretation of the Bible, not at all. I’m saying that someone with the reading age of a junior school student, when reading the Bible at face value, will hear the same call that I have myself. For it is not in personal point of view, it is written in plain black and white words on the pages of the Holy Bible, God’s only infallible Word that has been revealed to us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit Himself.
The sad truth is however, that we visit our man made temples week after week, taking everything in hook, line and sinker, that our pastors and church leaders desire to feed us. We mindlessly attend our meetings, part with our hard earned money, sing and clap along to what is being sung, give a few hallelujahs to the message being preached, and often leave totally unchanged. And why? Because we’ve chosen to entrust the welfare of our eternal soul to man rather than God alone.
If we were willing to adopt the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who, “searched the Scriptures daily” to discern whether the things Paul and Silas said were true, our attitude would be completely different towards those who lead us, and so would their attitude towards us. The truth is that God Himself is now our Teacher, and He teaches us all that we need for our lives in Christ, through His Word alone. Yes it is true that He calls believers to teach other believers, but only in the sense that they become a channel to pour out His undiluted Word, not their own wisdom. If this is not so where you have fellowship then run, for you are either at best being taught by a bad teacher, or worse, being deceived by a false teacher.
Take a look around with open eyes. You will hear so many things preached fervently that are in direct contradiction to Scripture, and not only do we let this happen, but we viciously protect those who preach such things! You will hear messages of joy, but none about the sufferings we are called to share. Promises of our best life now, while virtually nothing about choosing to die to ourselves daily for the sake of our eternal hope. Calls to name it and claim it in the name of Jesus, but none to let go of everything and consider it dung. Loud shouts of “God loves you!”, but nothing about the wrath and vengeance He will shortly pour out upon those lost in sin. Much about “holy laughter”, but virtually nothing about reverent fear of God. Need I go on?
Write off what I’m going to say if you wish, but every word is of God, and can be found within the pages of Scripture without too much trouble at all. We are coming into a time when time is running short, and the wrath of God Almighty will soon be poured out upon those in this world. We are being surrounded by false teachers, like ravenous wolves in sheeps clothing, who not only preach lies and deceipt, but will also begin to confirm their preaching with great signs and wonders. Those claiming to be Christ followers will defect from the truth of His Word, and rather than listen to sound doctrine, will surround themselves with teachers who are willing to tell them what they want to hear. Those claiming to be Christ followers, who do not defect from the truth, will come under more and more fierce persecution, even to the point where they may have to sacrifice their lives rather than deny Him by receiving the mark of the beast. They will be betrayed by those closest to them, and they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven only through many afflictions.
These truths are of course why we are called to consider the cost of being a follower of Christ in Luke chapter 14. So does this mean we are simply fools on a road to failure? Of course not! For if we know that these dangers are in fact true, but still consider it of worth to follow Him, then He will ensure that we are able to do so. He will provide His Spirit to empower us, and will also teach us and instruct us through His own Word in Scripture, where He has placed for us there the promises of His own mouth, that will sustain us and keep us to the end. But to follow Him in this way will take nothing short of us casting ourselves fully before Him, body, soul and spirit, to do with as He so pleases.
Do you consider yourself a true believer? Are you totally sure your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Because if you can sincerely look upon your life in Christ, knowing full well of the wrath to come that will be poured out upon all whose names are not in this Book of Life, and yet feel no need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; then you must seriously consider that it may well not be. Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, if this describes you, it is my most urgent call to you that you cry out to the Lord Jesus, that He may save you from the Father’s Judgement to come.
Revelation 20:12-15
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Originally posted 2009-05-21 00:11:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Q: Who should I trust to teach me about faith in Christ, and how to live in Him? Matthew 7:15
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
2 Peter 2:1-3
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
It is a common attitude amongst Christians to think that one of the safest places to be, is in church, the safest T.V. and radio is always Christian media, and the safest books to read are always written by Christian authors. In fact, many Christians would never dream of testing what is preached in their congregation, for fear of upsetting the pastors and teachers they love and respect. Nor would many consider anything wrong with simply tuning into any Christian radio or TV station, or reading any book written by a Christian author, with virtually no sense of precautionary alertness at all. However nothing could be further from the truth, for the warning of Scripture is that there will be false teachers amongst us, and we can know from so many places in the Bible that the devil is very subtle in the way he twists the truth of Scripture in order to deceive.
1 Corinthians 11:1
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Hebrews 13:7-9
7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited
those who have been occupied with them.
It is most often the case that when we come to faith in Christ, He will also provide us with those around us who have a more developed faith in Him, that we may
imitate them as they have imitated Him. However we must know without doubt that these people do not come with a convenient label attached, and many will
surround them claiming to take their place in your eyes. It is our responsiblity therefore, to follow or submit to no man, beyond the point that man
is submitted to Christ as Lord in their own life. To fail in this will result in us being carried away into various and strange doctrines, just as many are in the church
even today.
In His mercy God places these faithful believers to watch over us, but their only calling is to feed us from the meat of His Word, in order that we may grow to know
Him for ourselves. They are not responsible to lead us along the whole pathway to eternity, but only to the one true Shepherd, who is alone Christ Jesus. And as we
come to Him, that we may confidently know Him and obey Him as we recognise His voice, we may begin to also lead others in the same way. It is not something we
learn from Bible college, but it is through personal relationship with Christ Himself, knowing that He is the same always.
2 Peter 3:14-18
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Romans 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As it was pointed out clearly in the first study, “How do we follow Jesus?”, we hear His voice clearly through His own Word in Scripture. Every word of
instruction from every other mouth or pen, must submit to the authority of the Holy Bible. And to know intimately the Word of God through Scripture, is to know the
voice of the Lord to us. There is no short cut, or reliance upon others to do the work ascribed to us personally, but we must diligently give ourselves to seek Him,
through His Word prayerfully, and wholeheartedly. It is only through this place we may find the place where He alone is our Shepherd.
Q: If this is true, how can I know which church to join? Acts 2:41-47
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
1 John 1:6-7
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
When many respond to the Gospel and receive Christ as their Saviour, it is often taken for granted that the next step should be to go out and find a church to join, almost as if your salvation depends on it. In my own personal opinion, and it must be made clear it is just that, I believe this can be the reason why so many become reliant upon others far more than Christ alone. There seems to be an automatic need to be “spiritually covered” by others in order to safeguard the work the Holy Spirit has begun. But in reality, this is simply not the case, for Christ alone is our covering in this way, and to put another in His rightful place is an offense to God. 1 Corinthians 11:3-4
3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
At the outset of our walk in Christ, we must understand that He has chosen us, He has begun a work in us, and He will complete it. It is a work that will remain untouched by mans hand, and at whatever point it is, it will be corrupted. If someone has preached the Gospel to you in such a way as to awaken you to sincere belief in Christ as Saviour, you can know without doubt they are anointed by God, for nobody can be brought to that place of belief in His Son unless drawn by God Himself.
Instead of feeling any desire whatsoever to run off seeking anyone more “qualified” in the sight of man, begin to imitate the faith of the one who has been faithful to you, by being faithful to Christ Himself, and His command to preach the Gospel to every creature. Don’t look to ministries, churches, or any man made “thing” to support you in Christ, but look to Christ Himself, who will be pointed to by those who are imitating Him, not necessarily those who have the label that seems to fit the task. If we keep this frame of mind steadfastly, the Lord Himself will provide the fellowship with other believers that we need, and we will find ourselves rapidly being knitted together with others to carry out His will.
Acts 2:47
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
When we understand fully that the “church” God adds to daily, has absolutely nothing to do with any earthly ministry or congregation in its own right, we can begin to relax a little more as to where we actually attempt to “go to” church. The church spoken of in Scripture with regard to the Body of Christ, comes from the Greek word “ekklesia”, meaning an assembly of believers, called out by God Himself. The physical location of this assembly is not something that can be defined in one particular place or another, but is rather defined by the location of those who are called out by His Spirit, and have assembled together in His name. Matthew 18:19-20
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
1 Peter 2:4-5
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 16:18
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Do not be anxious about whether or not you can find a “good church”, or be pressure by other Christians into feeling that you must suddenly submit yourself fully to one church or another before you are able to live a life holy unto the Lord. Look to Him alone to lead you wherever He may, offering yourself as a living stone to be placed according to His will and purpose, and rest assured, you will find yourself in the perfect place of His choosing, wherever it may be. It may very well be a place that no other Christian seems to want you to be, but remain faithfully submitted to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and your faithfulness will be openly rewarded.
Q: What should I do if I already hold some level of responsiblity in a church or Christian organization? 2 Timothy 4:1-5
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Jude 1:3-5
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
If you have found yourself in the position of teacher within the Body of Christ, regardless of how you came to be in that position, you must realise the weight of responsiblity that rests upon your shoulders. Your duty is not to know everything that is true and teach others what you know, nor as it ever been that way. Your duty is to know the Word of God, live according to it yourself, contend and fight for the truth that is spoken by it, and preach it undiluted to all that will hear it.
The outcome of who believes and who doesn’t is totally in the hands of God, but have no doubt, you will be judged according to your own faithfullness in ministering to others in this way.
Matthew 23:9-13
9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
James 3:1
1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
If you truly desire to teach others in Christ, and to do it faithfully, then consider yourself not a teacher, but a servant to all. Lay your life down as if one dead, that Christ Himself may use you as an empty vessel to instruct others, as their only Teacher, and for His own glory. To do any less than this, and somehow make an attempt to lead those He has chosen by your own might, you will fail, you will lead them astray, and you will be held accountable! Jeremiah 23:1-4
1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the LORD.
2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the LORD.
3 “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD.
Unless everyone saved by Christ realises that everything belongs to Him, and is worked out by Him and for His glory, we are in a perilous place. From the outset we must understand that it is He who leads us, it is He who will provide those who will feed us faithfully, and it is He who will call us to faithfully feed others. We must also fully understand that not everything is as it may at first appear, for those we often run to for protection are nothing more than wolves in sheep’s clothing, and will remain in that clothing until they are exposed and recognised for who they really are. Not that we should wander around in a state of fearful paranoia, never trusting anyone. But that we may pledge our trust and allegiance to Christ alone, through the knowledge of His Word, that we may never settle for any other place than in the loving guidance of the one true Shepherd of the Flock.
If I could give any advice whatsoever from my own understanding, it would be this:
Submit to no man further than the point that man is submitted to Christ, and exhort no man to imitate you further than the point at which you imitate Christ Himself!
Either in following or leading others, the only true test is for the persons words and deeds to be scrutinized in the light of Scripture, just as the believers in Berea scrutinized the apostle Paul himself, and were commended by God for doing so. Acts 17:10-12
10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
Let us all begin to realise that we are all personally accountable to God for our lives, and cannot constantly try to pass on this accountability to others. Let us stop wasting our time listening to teachings that tickle our ears, and instead choose only to listen to those who preach a message that crucifies our flesh by the power of His Word, and breaks down every high place in our life that stands against Christ Jesus.
I just wanted to share a wonderful message I heard at our church fellowship today, preached on the Gospel of John, chapter 13. The preacher is Simon Lawrenson, who is head pastor at Calvary Chapel, Southampton, and who’s sermons I find to be a breath of fresh air here in the U.K.. I will possibly highlight various sermons here providing it’s okay with the fellowship, but you can listen to a whole archive of messages preached over recent years by clicking here to visit their website.
For many years I have been largely ignorant of reformed theology due to a lack of doctrinally sound teaching throughout much of the charismatic church, which has been my background for most of my Christian life. Since the Lord woke me up to this fact however, I have been utterly fascinated and amazed how much the Bible clearly teaches us concerning the mysterious ways of the Lord, as He works in the lives of believers for their salvation. Whereas once I groped around in the dark to figure out the mysteries of God, as though this were some noble act of faith. Instead now I have the Light of His Word, and can see clearly, and without being strongly affected by my own personal opinions, what God declares to be the truth on such matters regarding our eternal salvation.
One of the key weaknesses I can personally testify that exists within the charismatic type churches, is an abundant lack of assurance of salvation amongst the congregation. This would rarely be admitted to be so, but I am sure I am not alone in feeling this to be true. Probably one of the greatest things that cements this in my mind, is the utter ignorance, and mostly willing ignorance, with regards to the wrath of God against sin.
It is not my desire to enter into argument concerning the merits of charismatic doctrine here, but rather to highlight clearly what the Bible has to say about the salvation of sinners by the grace of God. For the true nature of salvation is far removed from the idea of salvation spoken to me when I first came to the Lord, and that which I have heard spoken to others during the years since. In general, the thing that has been glossed over in the majority of my Christian life, is that rather than being a simple one off point in history, true salvation is a life long process, that is initiated and completed by the Lord, and the Lord alone. The part of the believer being a total and willing submission to His will and purpose, every part of their life being willingly transferred to the ownership of Christ, and for His glory alone.
In this first article I would like to begin to highlight this process for anyone who is willing to earnestly consider this for themselves, and in so doing, reap the true assurance of faith that comes through total submission to the truth proclaimed in Scripture.
February 3rd, 2010 by Townhill Christian Fellowship Blog
Because Christianity has love as its very foundation, and has much to do with forgiveness and mercy, we can easily tend to think that it has nothing to do with fighting. We can forget quickly that Christ died to give us peace with God, not necessarily with our fellow man. For although we’re called to live at peace with all men where possible, the Gospel actually divides men as much as bring them together.
Matthew 10:34-38
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW’;
36 and ‘A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Although our weapons are spiritual, not carnal, and our fight is with principalities and powers, not flesh and blood. As Christians we will still experience the fight we have entered, as the powers of the enemy manifest through the evil desires of the flesh, both our own sinful desires, and sinful desires of other people. If we are truly in Christ, then we shall most definitely experience the reality of being in the midst of battle. Whereas if this is not our experience on a daily basis, at the very least this should cause alarm bells to sound in our spirit, for it is a clear indicator that all is not right in our walk with Christ.
2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Philippians 2:12-16
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Matthew 7:13-27
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
No doubt the love and mercy of God is vast, and extends to all generations, even those who have hated Him. However the pathway that leads to salvation in Christ is extremely narrow, and is neither easy to walk, nor can it be done so in a half hearted or frivolous manner. And what is more, it is a pathway that only few will find and walk upon.
Many who know me personally criticize the fact that I seem harsh towards the church, and in truth, maybe at times I am. However this is not because I hate the church, it is rather that I simply proclaim to those who profess to follow Christ, what I know His Word proclaims to me. I’m not talking about personal opinions here, or my own personal interpretation of the Bible, not at all. I’m saying that someone with the reading age of a junior school student, when reading the Bible at face value, will hear the same call that I have myself. For it is not in personal point of view, it is written in plain black and white words on the pages of the Holy Bible, God’s only infallible Word that has been revealed to us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit Himself.
The sad truth is however, that we visit our man made temples week after week, taking everything in hook, line and sinker, that our pastors and church leaders desire to feed us. We mindlessly attend our meetings, part with our hard earned money, sing and clap along to what is being sung, give a few hallelujahs to the message being preached, and often leave totally unchanged. And why? Because we’ve chosen to entrust the welfare of our eternal soul to man rather than God alone.
If we were willing to adopt the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who, “searched the Scriptures daily” to discern whether the things Paul and Silas said were true, our attitude would be completely different towards those who lead us, and so would their attitude towards us. The truth is that God Himself is now our Teacher, and He teaches us all that we need for our lives in Christ, through His Word alone. Yes it is true that He calls believers to teach other believers, but only in the sense that they become a channel to pour out His undiluted Word, not their own wisdom. If this is not so where you have fellowship then run, for you are either at best being taught by a bad teacher, or worse, being deceived by a false teacher.
Take a look around with open eyes. You will hear so many things preached fervently that are in direct contradiction to Scripture, and not only do we let this happen, but we viciously protect those who preach such things! You will hear messages of joy, but none about the sufferings we are called to share. Promises of our best life now, while virtually nothing about choosing to die to ourselves daily for the sake of our eternal hope. Calls to name it and claim it in the name of Jesus, but none to let go of everything and consider it dung. Loud shouts of “God loves you!”, but nothing about the wrath and vengeance He will shortly pour out upon those lost in sin. Much about “holy laughter”, but virtually nothing about reverent fear of God. Need I go on?
Write off what I’m going to say if you wish, but every word is of God, and can be found within the pages of Scripture without too much trouble at all. We are coming into a time when time is running short, and the wrath of God Almighty will soon be poured out upon those in this world. We are being surrounded by false teachers, like ravenous wolves in sheeps clothing, who not only preach lies and deceipt, but will also begin to confirm their preaching with great signs and wonders. Those claiming to be Christ followers will defect from the truth of His Word, and rather than listen to sound doctrine, will surround themselves with teachers who are willing to tell them what they want to hear. Those claiming to be Christ followers, who do not defect from the truth, will come under more and more fierce persecution, even to the point where they may have to sacrifice their lives rather than deny Him by receiving the mark of the beast. They will be betrayed by those closest to them, and they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven only through many afflictions.
These truths are of course why we are called to consider the cost of being a follower of Christ in Luke chapter 14. So does this mean we are simply fools on a road to failure? Of course not! For if we know that these dangers are in fact true, but still consider it of worth to follow Him, then He will ensure that we are able to do so. He will provide His Spirit to empower us, and will also teach us and instruct us through His own Word in Scripture, where He has placed for us there the promises of His own mouth, that will sustain us and keep us to the end. But to follow Him in this way will take nothing short of us casting ourselves fully before Him, body, soul and spirit, to do with as He so pleases.
Do you consider yourself a true believer? Are you totally sure your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Because if you can sincerely look upon your life in Christ, knowing full well of the wrath to come that will be poured out upon all whose names are not in this Book of Life, and yet feel no need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; then you must seriously consider that it may well not be. Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, if this describes you, it is my most urgent call to you that you cry out to the Lord Jesus, that He may save you from the Father’s Judgement to come.
Revelation 20:12-15
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Originally posted 2009-08-27 04:00:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
2 Corinthians 4:1-5
1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
In the years I spent in the charismatic church, I came to a realisation that the true Gospel of Christ crucified for a sinful and fallen world, was far removed from the gospel message I had heard preached. I came to realise that the so called freedom of the Spirit claimed by many charismatic churches, in fact masked a deeper works righteousness buried deep within the congregation itself. It was often about what we could do, who we were in the Lord, how great our worship leaders were, how wonderful our preachers were etc..
The teaching in this type of church I have since found to be based far more deeply in the mind of the flesh, rather than founded in the Word of God by His Spirit, and as such, it caused a reaction within me to dive headlong into the Word of God in my desire to seek out the truth. What I found for the first time in my Christian life brought me to my knees in awe, for many of the uncertainties that had been built up in my life were quite literally obliterated in the blink of an eye. I found myself drawn to men of God who were skilled to rightly divide the Word of God. Firstly and foremost to the apostles, who were chosen by Christ Himself to convey His teaching to the world under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But from that time onwards, God has continually brought forward men who would continue faithfully in the tradition of the apostles, accurately and precisely feeding those around them with the Word of Truth revealed by God Himself through the pages of Scripture, that we may be equipped to last the course.
For the past year or so I have spent much time, repentantly and earnestly putting out of my life those things which are offensive to God by the power of His Holy Spirit within me, and attempting to rebuild the alter of my heart in the proper manner, as seen in the example given by Gideon in the Book of Judges:
Judges 6:25-26
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”
Whilst I give thanks for the restoration the Lord has brought into my life in recent times, the reverence for His Word that has been established in my heart and mind, and the wonderful teachers of God’s Word from various times throughout history; these things have brought me back to one thing above all else, namely for what is the purpose of this work in my life. Without doubt or any pause at all, I can state that it is all for the furtherence of the Gospel of Christ. I know from my recent studies that the work of salvation is of the Lord from start to finish, and what He has begun, He will complete. However for some strange reason that I cannot give an answer for, He has chosen weak and foolish sinners such as myself, to bring the glad tidings of Christ crucified to a fallen world. Bearing in mind the truth that with every second I live and breathe in this world, there are those who breathe their last, and die in their sins being blinded by the devil to the ONLY truth that could have ever set them free. How then should I go about performing this task faithfully, that I may be pleasing to my wonderful Saviour, and also witness with my own eyes the genuine fruit of my labour in the Gospel?
As with Paul and the other apostles, firstly I will “not lose heart”, for ultimately I know the work is of the Lord, through His mercy and grace, and nothing of my own flesh, no matter how noble it may appear on the surface. It is with all humility that I have come to realise that Jesus Christ does not need me for anything, but I need Him for everything! By His mercy and grace He has chosen wretches such as me, that His own loving kindness can be seen clearly through the frailties of sinful flesh. Therefore in my efforts to preach the Gospel, I am above all committed to doing so His way, and not my own. I too now renounce my ways of the past that are to my shame; the craftiness, the deceitfulness, the trickery, and the appealing to the flesh. These things I have not had to work on perfecting, for as with anyone else departing from the truth of the Word of God, to behave in a sinful manner is as natural as breathing! I am committed to never again preach myself, my experiences, my relationship with the Lord, or anything else of my self. I will preach Christ crucified for the sins of those who will believe upon Him, without embellishment, and without adding and detracting from His Word in any way.
Romans 1:14-17
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Originally posted 2010-01-06 14:50:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
John: Heard a great saying today: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. However you can feed it salt and make it thirsty!"
John: First Bible study of the New Year for us today
Mr PSb: Great blog you have here - I'm subscribing! Keep burning the flame of truth my bro.
Steph: Just saying a quick hello and have been really tied up with fixing my clutch on my car with Manny. Catch you real soon. Hope you are really well!!!
Steph: Wanna buy a T-Shirt like this! Where can I get one?
John: Hey Steph my dear sis! I'm feeling a little more awake today, and yes I am very thankful that I'm working too.
God bless and chat soon.x
Steph: What a fab picture!!
I know just how you feel. Praise God that you have work!:-D
I once saw a T-shirt that said,"You can sleep when you're dead" which was very much tongue in cheek, but I got what they were saying...
John:
Tired, tired, tired! Looks like I'm in for a busy Christmas period. One full time job, one part time job, and a fellowship to serve!
John: Thanks Steph, but you know me...I can't leave things alone for five minutes where websites are concerned!
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Talking from personal experience, one of the largest contributing factors that have caused me to lose assurance of salvation, has been the ignorance of the way in which God saves sinners from start to finish, and without any aid from those being saved whatsoever. I had somehow mistakenly assumed that my salvation was without doubt in the hands of God, but I was also co-partner in that salvation. After all, I had chosen to follow Christ hadn’t I?
I just wanted to share a wonderful message I heard at our church fellowship today, preached on the Gospel of John, chapter 13. The preacher is Simon Lawrenson, who is head pastor at Calvary Chapel, Southampton, and who’s sermons I find to be a breath of fresh air here in the U.K.. I will possibly highlight various sermons here providing it’s okay with the fellowship, but you can listen to a whole archive of messages preached over recent years by 
For many years I have been largely ignorant of reformed theology due to a lack of doctrinally sound teaching throughout much of the charismatic church, which has been my background for most of my Christian life. Since the Lord woke me up to this fact however, I have been utterly fascinated and amazed how much the Bible clearly teaches us concerning the mysterious ways of the Lord, as He works in the lives of believers for their salvation. Whereas once I groped around in the dark to figure out the mysteries of God, as though this were some noble act of faith. Instead now I have the Light of His Word, and can see clearly, and without being strongly affected by my own personal opinions, what God declares to be the truth on such matters regarding our eternal salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:1-5
