The Need for Gospel Revival in MOST Filipino-Chinese Evangelical, Presbyterian and Baptist Churches and Schools!
I was hit of one issue while I was reading Bro. Zigfred's blog on "What the Gospel is Truly About" and I really agree with this statement as a reality- people are getting pseudo-conversions where they just sign a dotted line, say a simple prayer and there was really no preaching. I got to admit this is how many Filipino-Chinese churches are preaching today- a shallow Gospel. I was consulting a few of Pastor John Macarthur's videos or perhaps that of my favorite dead preacher Pastor Estus Washington Pirkle on the dangers of watered down preaching. That is exactly what is happening in the Filipino-Chinese Evangelical and Baptist assemblies. In fact, I was pretty horrified to think how a Filipino-Chinese Baptist pastor could be so critical and harsh to condemn the preaching styles of militant Baptist preachers that they are "old fashioned', "too military" or even worse a "Communist" for not allowing the children to run around and shout. Seriously, if I owned a school I would never allow that! What I have noticed is that while most of America's churches are dying and then so are most of the Filipino-Chinese churches today.
So what is now happening in many of the Filipino-Chinese Baptist, Evangelical and Presbyterian churches? I'd like to make a rundown of the problem:
1.) First we have the problem of a diluted gospel preaching!
I have noticed that this is a problem today- we have diluted preaching. What kind of a preaching do we have when we just go with the well just sign a dotted line, just repeat after me type of evangelism? Where is the preaching of repentance? Seriously I do want to fight my war against the preaching of that repentance is not necessary for salvation. I mean, I do understand that the word repent is nowhere in John but John still defined repentance without using the word "metanoneia" at all. John 3:19-20 is a call of repentance warning that unless one repents of their sin, they will refuse the Savior. How true. What I have noticed is this- they get that stupid decision card evangelism or just pray a meaningless prayer type of evangelism rather than really preaching it straight! After reading Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus the latest edition by Pastor John Macarthur, now edited properly... I do agree that the problem is many people aren't really receiving the whole of the Gospel. Instead, they are receiving a Madison Avenue Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible! I would really want to purchase that book some other time when I have the time, because I just borrowed it from a friend of mine who currently works at Bethany Theological Seminary.
While reading "The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith?" by Pastor John F. Macarthur I really have found how sloppy evangelism is today. Just imagine preaching a Gospel where Jesus is not Lord. No, Jesus is Lord! His office is acknowledged and submit to by every sensible Christian even at day one, or even some Christians with carnal issues still submit! Now here's the issue also from "Fool's Gold" also by Pastor John F. Macarthur does the following: usurping God's authority, removing the Lordship of Christ from the the assemblies, hinders the work of the Holy Spirit, demonstrates appalling pride and lack of submission, it severs the preacher personally from the regular sanctifying grace of Scripture, it clouds the true depth and transcendence of our message and therefore cripples both corporate and personal worship, it prevents the preacher from fulling developing a Christ-like mind, it depreciates the spiritual duty and priority of personal Bible study, it prevents the preacher from being the voice of God, it breads a weak congregation, it robs people of their only true source of help, it encourages people to become indifferent to the Word of God and divine Authority, it likes to people about what they really need, it strips the pulpit of power and last but not the least, it puts the responsibility on the preacher to change people with his cleverness. Obviously not good signs.
I just agree with what Kirk Cameron said in "Hell's Best Kept Secret" that today's Gospel preaching is very different from traditional Bible preaching. In most of these Filipino-Chinese Evangelical and Baptist churches today, we have this preaching of , "Well God wants us wealthy and happy. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you'll get..." and you never hear much about sin. Dr. John Rice always said, "Unless you preach about sin, do not expect true salvation." In fact, I do support Ray Comfort's evangelism style 100% for its use of the Ten Commandments to show how we are all sinners in need of that one way of salvation. Every other way to salvation is surely a road to Hellfire! I also had viewed "True and False Conversion" which accurately blames the WHOLE watered down preaching to what is happening today. I was also listening to Paul Washer's preaching on Youtube (seriously he should also have an iPod application too, I'd love to listen to him on my iPod offline when I'm away for a trip where Wifi is not available), he was thinking of how stupid preaching works are these days. So mad, in fact he went on a war against easy prayerism to where people just say a simple prayer not understanding repentance then they LIVE LIKE DEVILS. It's no wonder why some Southern Baptists don't like him or have kicked him out.
What happens is due to watered down preaching it becomes easy to accuse John Macarthur, Paul Washer, Robert Charles Sproul, John Piper, Arthur Pink, John Calvin, Aiden W. Towzer, D. James Kennedy, Ray Comfort and the whole genuine Lordship salvation crowd of works salvation. I would like to leave a cliffhanger note that for one, many works salvation preachers are now misusing the term "Lordship salvation" to support conditional security.
2.) Second we have the problem of mingling with the occult!
What is sad to say some of the deacons of these Filipino-Chinese Evangelical and Baptist churches are mingling with the occult. I mean it's a shame to think how a deacon of a Baptist church is involved with Feng Shui or the pastor himself is involved with Feng Shui like consulting the Feng Shui masters when it comes to building a church's architecture when Christians should NEVER be involved in such stupidity! I mean Feng Shui is a total waste of money... if reckless spending doesn't kill a business, Feng Shui will! I mean, remodel and remodel that costs a lot of money. Or worse, it could be the pastor himself is adhering to Feng Shui too. All I can say to them is Ephesians 5:11 as a test if they are genuine converts, "Have NO fellowship with the works of darkness but rather reprove them!" Want a revival in these churches? Start kicking out members who are dabbing with Feng Shui and other similar activities like Freemasonry or else you are giving Satan ground to infiltrate the Church! If your pastor is into Feng Shui or a Freemason- LEAVE THAT CHURCH! Never mind the sound systems or the airconditioner, you might be a false convert who needs to get a real conversion!
3.) Third we have the problem of churches today becoming assembly halls for the rich
Going back to point number one, the whole "God wants us wealthy and happy..." or whatever trash preaching is present, it is inevitable for such a church to become a social hall and not a worship center. In short, Laodicean churches are a reality among the Filipino-Chinese Baptist and Evangelical assemblies. To be honest, one Baptist church I've seen has plenty of expensive cars like BMWs and Mercedes Benz parking around while where I attend fellowship namely Bible Baptist Church in Katipunan, the rich and the poor alike are not imbalanced. The issue is not about whether the attendants are rich or poor but rather are they becoming assembly halls for the rich? I just thought it just gets nuts- instead of a 9:00-10:00 A.M Sunday school, what happens? Instead it can be possible that the deacons and the members are chit-chatting about the latest brand names! Some might be bragging about the latest i-Pod, their latest i-Phone or whatever.
I gave a thought if I were invited to speak in such churches, I might really launch an exposition on
4.) Fourth, they are ready to accept false converts so easily
In the fifth chapter of John Macarthur's The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith again marks the evidence of false conversion. This is an excerpt found on the fifth chapter page 73 I think is meaningful:
"I spent time once with a fellow minister who drove me through the city. We passed a large liquor store and I happened to mention that it was an unusual looking place.
"Yes." he said, "There is a whole chain of those stores around the city, all owned by one man. He is a member of my Sunday school class."
I wondered allowed how such a thing could be and the minister replied, "Oh he's quite faithful. he is in class every week."
"Does it bother him that he owns all those liquor stores." I asked.
"We've talked about it some time." he said "But he feels people are going to buy liquor anyway so why not buy it from him?"
I asked, "What is his life like?"
"Well, he did leave his wife and living with a young girl." the minister replied. Then after several minutes of my bewildered and uncomfortable silence, he added, "You know sometimes it's hard for me to understand how a Christian can live like that."
I must confess that it is hard for me to understand how someone who teaches the Bible can assume that a man living in wanton rebellion against God's standards is a Christian merely because he claims to be - even if he attends Sunday school every week!
Certainly I would agree with Pastor John Macarthur in here that such people CANNOT be considered Christians. The Bible is clear that God saves us FROM our sins, not IN OUR SINS that means when I got saved, I was put on a new road and every time I stumble, God used EVERY METHOD to put me back on track as said expect punishment to get back on track. Seriously if I claimed to be a Christian and there is no change in my life, no good works springing forth, then the work of God is absent. Faith without God's work in the believer is DEAD. That is, remember true faith creates works- Hebrews 11 and James 2 agree on each other. Abel offered a better sacrifice by faith, Noah built the ark by faith... these were evidences of works. Seriously how can I ever think even for once in my life that such assemblies are allowing wolves to enter the flock to no end. How could I even for a split second think that the owners of the Arena KTV bar are Christians just because they say so? Lot was even vexed in Sodom, I do feel guilty whenever I lust after women and these people don't? Seriously something is pretty wrong.
Historic Baptist preaching dismisses such stupidity in those Filipino-Chinese Baptist churches that have fallen into easy believism, if these preachers were alive they would really enter into their pulpits and attack their heresies without mercy on the false doctrines, rebuking the washed up gospel they present and make them see they're plain awful:
"The foundation of sanctification is laid in regeneration as it is a holy principle, it is first formed in that; the new creature or new man is CREATED IN RIGHTEOUS AND TRUE HOLINESS and it appears in effectual vocation which is a holy calling,and is to be seen in conversion, which is a turning of men from their iniquities and that holiness which is begun in regeneration and is manifest in effectual calling and conversion is carried on in sanctification which is a gradual and progressive work and issues and is furnished in glorification."- John Gill
"Another proof of the conquest of a soul for Christ will be found in A REAL CHANGE OF LIFE. If the man does not life differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad, his repentance need to be repented of and his conversion is a fiction. Not only action and language, BUT SPIRIT AND TEMPER MUST CHANGE. . . There must be a harmony between the life and the profession. A Christian professes to renounce sin; and if he does not do so, his very name is an imposture. . ."- Charles Spurgeon
The 1689 Baptist Confession says:
By this faith a Christian believes to be true whatever is revealed in the Word because this Word has the authority of God Himself. Also, by this saving faith, a Christian apprehends an excellency in the Word which is higher than in all other writings and everything else in the world, because the Word shows forth the glory of God, revealing His attributes, showing the excellency of Christ's nature and offices, and also the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit in His workings and operations. - So the Christian is enabled to cast his soul upon the Truth he has believed, and to see and respond to the different kinds of teaching which different passages of Scripture contain. Saving faith equips him to perceive and obey the commands, hear the threatenings with fear and respect, and to embrace the promises of God for this life and the life to come. - But the first and most important acts of saving faith are those directly to do with Christ, when the soul accepts, receives, and rests upon Him alone for justification, sanctification and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.- Section 14, Article 2
Good works, performed in obedience to God's commandments, are these: the fruits and evidences of a true and living faith. By these believers express and show their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, Whose workmanship they are; created in Christ Jesus to perform good works, and to have fruits of holiness which lead to eternal life. Their ability to do these good works does not in any way come from themselves, but comes wholly from the Spirit of Christ. To enable them to do good works, alongside the graces which they have already received, it is necessary for there to be a further real influence of the same Holy Spirit to cause them to will and to do of His good pleasure. But believers are not, on these grounds, to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless given a special motion by the Spirit, but they must be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them. -Section 15, articles 2-3
Taken from the Presbyterian brethren, here is an excerpt Matthew Henry's commentary on Romans found in Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible pages 981-983:
"We are too apt to rest in a bare profession of faith, and to think that this will save is; it is a cheap and easy religion to say, "We believe the articles of the Christian faith." but it is a great delusion to imagine that this is enough to bring us to Heaven. Those who argue thus wrong God and put a cheat upon their own souls; a mock-faith is as hateful as mock-charity, and both show a heart dead to all real godliness. You may as soon take pleasure in a dead body, void of soul or sense or action, as God take pleasure in dead faith where there are no works... Those works which evidence true faith must be works of self-denial, and such as God Himself commands... The most plausible profession of faith without works is dead... We must not think that either without the other will justify and save us. This is the grace of God wherein we stand and we should stand in it."
5.) Fifth and the last, MANY of them have gone ecumenical!
If Feng Shui is just one dark force that's infiltrated these churches, ecumenism is another and it's not surprising. If they can allow occultism to enter, expect false religion to be next. It's heartberaking to see respected "Baptist heroes" like Billy Graham and Pat Robertson who are actually in bed with Rome or other cults. For instance, some of the most respected preachers who wrote good books, had good revivals turned out to be Freemasons and Jesuit operatives (quite openly) as evidenced by the pictures in their websites that may even have a picture of Billy Graham kissing the the late John Paul II's ring and giving obeisance. I've seen various pastors who have fallen into ecumenism proving they were Judas Iscariots and not real disciples to start with (1 John 2:19). In fact, I do not even have to keep naming them. What is sad to know some of these pastors have been friends of good fundamentalists, however they really just were frauds with their ecumenism. However do take note that I will not be siding with anti-Catholic cults like the Westboro "Baptists" either because they are bordered on the same false doctrine of works salvation. But either way, I am in the painful duty to really expose the heresy of ecumenism!
I really was pretty disturbed on how a pamphlet I got from a Filipino-Chinese Baptist church wrote, "Why is God Still Using Billy Graham?" or giving posthumous honors to the Jesuit coadjutor Martin Luther King to whom Billy Graham was a companion in ecumenism. Looking at pictures of Martin Luther King, he was a trained Communist by a Jesuit priest, he had pictures with Pope Paul VI, he was an ecumenical who sought to reconcile the irreconcilable differences between Roman Catholics and born again Christians. Billy Graham in his own admissions on secular TV or his own pages, have admitted he has been in bed with Rome. He had various pictures of him doing obeisances to Popes. His most close friend was Pope John Paul II in seeking ecumenical unity. It's sad, really sad because especially Martin Luther King was named after the great Reformer Martin Luther but he was far fetched from Martin Luther. While Martin Luther opposed Rome and presented the Bible as it is, he was an ecumenical preacher and in bed with Rome. I seriously had my thoughts on Billy Graham's close friendship with Pope John Paul II or the obvious truth that he is visibly a Jesuit agent. I really don't have to expose the Jesuit agents one by one- they expose themselves!
It's really outstandingly stupid to how pastors today are saying in the name of love that we must embrace the followers of false doctrine like how Catholics and ecumenical charismatics are being embraced as brothers and sisters in Christ when they are the mission field to be evangelized NOT to be embraced as such. If you love a person, you DO NOT leave them in error that will damn them to Hell! Jesus loves sinners but hates sin- in fact He NEVER even for once sugar coated the Gospel to avoid the lost sinner from getting upset because that heart of stone has to be broken. God is love, yes but He also hates sin. He CANNOT let everyone enter Heaven because of sin and if they don't accept the ONLY solution for sin the Lord Jesus Christ! Ecumenism is nothing more than room for error and love does not rejoice in error. In truth, Catholicism cannot be harmonious with the Baptist and Evangelical beliefs like salvation because Catholics erroneously adhere to salvation by sacraments, Mary, rituals and WORKS when the Bible is different. Christians have church membership and good works because they are the results of true salvation, not the requirement. Otherwise church membership and good works for the unsaved is nothing more than stealing and lying to people.