LIE # 1 -
"ASK JESUS INTO YOUR HEART"
-by Andrew
Strom.
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~revival/ask.html
-The first
article in the series on "The 9 Lies of Today's Church".
One of the
most basic things that has amazed me for many years is the preaching
of "Giving your heart to the Lord" or "Asking Jesus into your life"
to become a Christian. Do we not realize that such a practice is
found NOWHERE in the entire Bible? Is there ANY example of someone
"asking Jesus into their heart" (or similar) to become a Christian
in the book of Acts? NO - NOT EVEN ONE. The book of Acts is full of
literally thousands of people becoming born-again Christians. And we
are often told exactly what these people did. But there is no record
of any of them doing anything like "asking Jesus into their heart"
to be saved.
Now SURELY,
if the church has even remotely got it's act together, it would have
this one thing right. Surely this has got to be one of the most
crucial and basic points in the whole New Testament:- How exactly
are people supposed to become Christians? What were they told to do
in the New Testament? A very simple and straight-forward question,
you would think. And so vitally important.
But
incredibly, it seems that very few of us have even bothered to ask
this question or to take on board the glaringly obvious answer. Here
we have one of the most vital, fundamental points that it is
possible to have in Christianity:- "What shall we DO TO BE SAVED?"
And generally speaking, our answer today is utterly different from
that of the apostles. Incredible really, isn't it? It's right there
in black-and-white, time after time! But TRADITION has blinded our
eyes to the Truth. And I'm sure that even many of you reading this
will be shocked at how obvious the truth of this matter is.
Let's start
with the day of Pentecost (-a great place to begin!) As we all know,
the Holy Spirit fell on the 120, and they all began to speak in
tongues. This is officially known by theologians as the birth of the
Church - the beginning of Christianity as we know it. And after
Peter preached his convicting sermon to the gathered crowd that day,
another 3000 people were added to the church. And we are told
exactly what occurred:- "... They were cut to the heart, and said to
Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, WHAT SHALL WE DO?'
And Peter said to them, 'REPENT, and be BAPTIZED every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS; and you
shall receive the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT'" (Acts 2:37-38 RSV).
Notice how different Peter's reply is to what we tell people today.
We might have said something like, "Just say this little prayer
after me" but Peter said nothing like that at all.
There were
three elements to what Peter told them:- REPENTANCE, WATER-BAPTISM
and receiving the HOLY SPIRIT. We see this pattern repeated again
and again, right through the book of Acts (-in fact, throughout the
New Testament writings) in the most glaringly obvious way. And yet
still we hear, "Just ask Jesus into your heart" preached throughout
Christendom today.
The next
significant people-group to be reached by the early Christians were
the Samaritans. In Acts chapter 8 we read how Philip the evangelist
saw massive Revival in Samaria:- "But when they believed Philip as
he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus
Christ, they were BAPTIZED, both men and women... Peter and John,
who came down and prayed for them that they might RECEIVE THE HOLY
SPIRIT" (Acts 8:12-17). Note the identical pattern to the salvations
on the day of Pentecost.
I hope you
realize that we have been talking about THOUSANDS of conversions
here. And NOT ONE of them involved "Giving their heart to the Lord"
or "Inviting Jesus to be their personal savior". If you look up
these Scriptures in Acts, you will see that every time it was
"Repentance, Baptism and Receiving the Holy Spirit". -Over and over
again.
The next
significant people-group to be reached by the early church were the
'Godly' gentiles (-Acts chapters 10 and 11). Peter was led to preach
to Cornelius and his household. And God suddenly moved even while he
was still preaching!:- "While Peter was still saying this, the HOLY
SPIRIT FELL on all who heard the word... they heard them SPEAKING IN
TONGUES and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 'Can anyone forbid
water for BAPTIZING these people who have RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT
just as we have?' And he commanded them to be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ" (Acts 10:44-48). Peter later described the scene
again: "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit FELL ON THEM just as on
us at the beginning" (Acts 11:15). He also referred to it as them
being "Baptized in the Holy Spirit" (Acts 11:16). I hope you can see
from these passages that the Holy Spirit 'FALLING' upon people is
the same experience as people 'RECEIVING' or being 'BAPTIZED' in the
Holy Spirit.
Thus we see
the same pattern as before, in the salvation experience of
Cornelius' household - (1) Repentant hearts, (2) Receiving the Holy
Spirit and (3) Baptism.
Another good
example involves some disciples of John the Baptist whom Paul met at
Ephesus:- "And Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of
REPENTANCE, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come
after him, that is, Jesus.' On hearing this, they were BAPTIZED in
the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands upon them,
the HOLY SPIRIT came on them; and they SPOKE WITH TONGUES and
prophesied" (Acts 19:1-6). I guess I hardly need to point out the
pattern by now?
Notice too
that there were no "instructional classes" to prepare people for
baptism. All the way through the book of Acts, people were baptized
STRAIGHT AWAY, as soon as they were believing and repentant. With
the Phillipian jailer, he and his entire household were baptized
immediately - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (-Acts 16:32-33). With the
Ethiopian eunuch, he was baptized by Philip straight away, in some
water that they saw while traveling in his chariot (Acts 8:35-38).
And the apostle Paul himself was baptized immediately by the
disciple Annanias, who said something very interesting to Paul
beforehand:- "Rise and be BAPTIZED, and WASH AWAY YOUR SINS, calling
on His name" (Acts 22:16). This verse would be treated almost like
"heresy" by many in today's church.
How shocking
to imply that baptism might have something to do with forgiveness
and cleansing from our past sins! However, there are many verses
like it scattered throughout the New Testament. Also note that Paul
was told this DAYS AFTER he had had his blinding 'Damascus Road'
experience. Today's Christians might assume that Paul was "born
again" during this blinding encounter with God. Not so. Not until
Paul was to be BAPTIZED was he to have his sins "washed away". This
is clearly what the Scriptures say. Arguments, anyone?
Many
Christians are taught today that Baptism is basic- ally a 'symbolic'
act. In my youth I was raised mainly in Baptist churches, and they
always taught that baptism is an "outward SYMBOL of an inner
change". Thus baptism is stripped of much of it's significance and
power in Christian thinking. For a "symbol" is never as important as
the real thing, is it? I have studied baptism extensively in the New
Testament. It is NEVER spoken of as a mere 'SYMBOL'. Rather, it is
spoken of as being a 'circumcision of the heart', a "cutting off", a
"burial" into the DEATH of Christ. And it is also spoken of as being
"for the forgiveness of sins" and to "wash one's sins away".
I am
convinced that in the spirit realm (from God's point of view),
baptism is seen as a LITERAL "burial into death" (-see Romans 6)
which has a profound effect on our hearts and lives. But still we
preach, "Ask Jesus into your heart", and deny many people one of the
most vital keys to living a Christian life. I am also convinced that
baptism MUST be by 'FULL IMMERSION'. Sprinkling little infants is
not enough. This must be baptism for BELIEVERS. And the original
Greek word 'baptizo' actually means "TO DIP OR IMMERSE". So people
must be 'buried' under the water in baptism, not just sprinkled.
(-I'm sure most of you already agree with this).
Likewise I am
convinced that Baptism in the Holy Spirit (accompanied by 'speaking
in tongues') is ESSENTIAL. It is NOT just an option. As we have seen
in the book of Acts, the way that people became Christians in the
New Testament was to (1) Repent, (2) Be Baptized in water and (3) Be
Baptized in the Holy Spirit (accompanied by 'tongues' as far as we
can tell). What right do we have to change the fundamental teachings
and practices of the Bible, just so we can make things more
"convenient" for new converts? Unless we are getting people saved
the Bible way, how can we claim to be getting them saved at all?
We are
forever talking about being "born again" in the church today. But
are we truly getting people 'born again' like they did in Acts?
Bearing in mind the pattern that we have seen in the New Testament,
what exactly do you think Jesus was talking about when He declared
that, "Unless a man is born of WATER and of THE SPIRIT he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God"? (Jn 3:5). Born of WATER, born of the
SPIRIT. Hmmmmmm. That's a tough one!
Baptism in
water and the Spirit are never regarded as mere 'options' in the
Scriptures. In fact they are clearly ESSENTIAL experiences to begin
to walk in Christ's kingdom. There are many Scriptures on this that
are often bypassed today or regarded as "inexplicable" because they
do not fit in with current tradition. Please take the time to look
up the following:- Mark 16:16-18, 1 Peter 3:20-21, Titus 3:5-6, 1
Cor 10:1-2, Gal 3:27, Col 2:11-12, 1 Cor 12:13, Heb 6:1-2, Rom
6:2-11, Rom 8:9, Mt 28:19, etc.
I really mean
it. Please do take the time to look at the above Scriptures if you
have any interest in this issue at all. Many people write to me with
their opinions, saying, "I cannot believe you are teaching this."
-And yet they have never bothered to actually look up the Scriptures
on the subject! PLEASE read Acts and look up the above Scriptures
before sending me your views.
It is my
belief that there are a number of important teachings and practices
from the early church that will be restored during the coming
Revival. (-God often does this in Revivals). I am convinced that the
above teaching will be one of them. (-I have believed this for many
years).
I realize
that I have probably shocked and provoked a number of you with this
article. Please believe me, I myself was very shocked when I first
came face-to-face with these truths some years ago. They really are
very apparent when you study them, but I was blind to them for many
years. I was amongst those who gave out tracts like 'The Four
Spiritual Laws' and led people in the "sinner's prayer". Like many,
I would back this up by mis-applying Rev 3:20 - "Behold I stand at
the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I
will come in to him, and sup with him and he with me." It was only
later that I realized that, as Leonard Ravenhill points out, this
Scripture is clearly aimed at the CHURCH, not at unconverted
sinners. It is Jesus standing outside the 'Laodicean' church, trying
to get in! Please go and read the whole passage - Rev 3:14-21. You
will see what I mean. It is very clear.
I am not
ashamed that I used to preach these things. It was all I knew at the
time. But I was certainly shocked to discover how much of the basic
gospel I was leaving out. Like me, there are a number of you who
will have to "search the Scriptures to see if these things be so"
just as the Bereans did. Believe me, I fought these truths for
months before I simply ran out of corners to back into. I knew the
implications of this were huge and I just did not want to face it.
But there they are in black and white. And this is not a trivial
matter. These are key gospel truths that we are talking about here.
After writing
the first version of this article, many people wrote to me pointing
out that the THIEF ON THE CROSS was not baptized or Spirit-filled,
yet he was clearly saved. Please believe me, I had all these same
objections when I first came across this teaching. But God
annihilated all my excuses one by one. So let me deal with this
"THIEF ON THE CROSS" thing right here.
The most
obvious question is:- When did this event occur - was it under the
OLD Covenant or the NEW Covenant? When Jesus proffered salvation to
the thief, was the Old Covenant still in place, or had the New
begun? For clearly, it only became possible to become an actual
CHRISTIAN (-born again - a member of Christ's body) AFTER the New
Covenant had started. And for the New Covenant to begin, Jesus, the
sacrificial Lamb had to die and also be RAISED FROM THE DEAD. The
New Covenant could not begin until this occurred. Surely we all know
this?
Jesus had to
die and be raised from the dead, and then ascend into heaven,
sending His Holy Spirit, before the Church could truly begin or
people could start becoming born-again Christians. That is why
people in the Old Testament, or even in Jesus' own day were not
"born again" the way we are today. They simply couldn't be.
Remember, Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest born
among men, but even the least in the kingdom was greater than he.
John the Baptist couldn't become a "born-again Christian" because
the New Covenant had not yet begun. I bet he would have loved the
opportunity! Jesus died in agony and was raised again, to purchase
for us this wonderful new life in Him. Surely we all know this?
GLORY TO GOD!!
Now back to
the thief. Did he have his conversation with Jesus and die under the
New Covenant or the Old? The answer, obviously, is:- The OLD
Covenant. He was presumably a Jew - one of God's chosen people
(though a sinner), who received a wonderful pardon from Jesus when
he repented and turned to Him. But those were very different
conditions to those that we live under today. We now have a NEW
Covenant - a NEW "agreement" with God, very different from the Old.
We have a new and living way in which to walk. How do we enter into
it? By being born again - of water and the Spirit. And this has only
been possible since Pentecost - the day the church began. I am not
saying that "death-bed repentance" is not possible today. I'm sure
that God has reached down in His mercy many times to people who have
turned to Him when they were close to death. But these are special
cases. They are not the "norm" for New Testament Christianity.
Repentance, Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit are ESSENTIAL to
enter into the New Covenant, I believe.
As I said,
many people offer me their own views and opinions on all this
without truly studying the basic Scriptures on the matter. It is
important to remember that fundamental doctrines are not about mere
opinion. They are about what the SCRIPTURES SAY. I tell you, I have
put MONTHS of study and prayer into this whole subject. I could tell
that it really was THAT important. I honestly considered EVERYTHING
- every angle I could find. Please treat this with the seriousness
that it is due. This is a very crucial area. I believe these are
SALVATION issues that are being discussed here. And the case is
enormously strong. Just read the Scriptures. (-It should take less
than an hour to read through the Scriptures highlighted above). I
urge any of you who are the least bit interested in this to PLEASE
read those Scriptures.
I am well
aware that 'doctrine' tends to be divisive by it's very nature. And
I know that I am taking a big risk talking so openly about such a
controversial teaching. I try and keep right away from doctrinal
debates in general. It is only the most fundamental and important
issues that I bother making a fuss about. You will notice that even
though I run a 'Prophetic' site, there are no debates about the
'Pre-trib'/ Post-trib positions or the exact meaning of Daniel's 70
weeks, etc. I just find such debates pointless and utterly dull, to
be honest. I heard the arguments many moons ago, and just cannot
stomach any more. I have no desire for nit-picking arguments. But
the BIG issues, like New Testament salvation and God's plan for His
church - these things I really do care about. For I believe the
devil is robbing us blind in some of these crucial areas. And God
wants to restore these truths to the church.
Just imagine
for a moment that I am right, and baptism and receiving the Holy
Spirit are a lot more important than we have been led to believe.
Just think how many thousands of believers around the world today
have received the Holy Spirit (including 'tongues') but have simply
not bothered getting baptized. After all, it's only "symbolic",
right? Or perhaps they say, "I got sprinkled as a baby." I myself
know many people in this exact position. I think it's terrible, and
I believe God does too. Not to mention all the believers who still
have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Don't you think God's
heart aches over all this? Why do people ignore His commands? Our
church traditions and habitual patterns have a lot to answer for in
this area. This has got to change, my friends. And I believe it will
only change when the underlying doctrines are challenged. But if I
am right, the devil will fight this all the way. He likes anything
that leaves believers impoverished or still chained up in any way.
This really is crucial doctrine, otherwise I simply would not bother
with it. I have really stuck my neck on the line and risked my
reputation over this. And I do not do so lightly.
I have been
accused of being "legalistic" and 'majoring on minor points' by a
couple of readers. I really cannot see this. As I have said, some
doctrine is "straining at gnats" and some is really crucial. I
believe this issue falls into the second category. Others accused me
of being "too literal"! (I had to laugh over this). Now this is
basic Bible doctrine we are talking about here, isn't it? Too
literal? What on earth else should we be?
Other readers
accused me of believing in "baptismal regeneration". This is not the
case. I believe that (1) Repentance, (2) Water-Baptism and (3)
Receiving the Holy Spirit, are ALL ESSENTIAL. I do not believe in
"baptismal" regeneration. These elements are all equally important
and we need to have all three to be able to call ourselves 'New
Testament Christians', as far as I can see.
Other readers
have brought up the verse in Romans that says "If you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has
raised Him from the dead you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). Actually, a
number of theologians believe that this statement was used as a kind
of "baptismal confession" in the early church. I remember a
fellowship I was involved with years ago that used it in exactly
this way. To me, this verse "proves" little doctrinally, either way.
It needs to be put into context with the WHOLE New Testament to gain
the proper perspective on it. I certainly don't see it as proof for
'asking Jesus into our heart'.
One of the
most serious allegations I have faced is that I am preaching a kind
of "justification by works" by saying that baptism and receiving the
Holy Spirit are so essential. And that I am "adding to the gospel"
and taking away people's freedom like the Galatians!! Serious
charges, indeed. But let's look at this carefully. Is baptism a
"work" that I can do to myself? Is receiving the Holy Spirit a
"work"? I don't think so! These are initial experiences that are
'DONE TO US' or given to us - they're not things that we can "DO"
ourselves, as such. Can I baptize myself? No! And isn't it a brief
one-off act of simple faith and obedience anyway? To me, baptism is
no more a "work" than, say, the act of "praying a sinner's prayer".
The act of
opening one's mouth, moving one's jaws and praying is not seen as a
work. And neither should baptism be. They only take an instant,
after all. The real question is:- Is baptism a truly spiritual act,
or is it merely a symbolic ritual? That is the real question. This
also brings up the whole issue of 'convenience'. For we love neat
little packages that are comfortable and easy in this age, don't we?
(-"Just asking Jesus in"). And baptism is so wet and messy, we
think. But at the end of the day, what it boils down to is this:- We
have to make a decision between doing things the Bible way and doing
things the modern 'convenient' way. It is that simple.
Now, onto
something else that numerous people raised:- Where does FAITH come
into all this? Aren't we supposed to be saved by FAITH? Absolutely!
And faith is at a premium right through this whole thing. What
happens when someone hears the gospel and BELIEVES it? (-A crucially
important moment). Are they automatically a 'Christian' now? Just
through believing what they have heard? Or do they have to act on
that belief in some way to become a Christian? Were the Jews who
were 'cut to the heart' when Peter preached at Pentecost
automatically Christians right then at that moment, or did they have
to DO something in FAITH to become Christians? Clearly, they needed
to DO something, because Peter told them, "Repent and be baptized,
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." And it is clear
that each one of these elements involves the exercise of faith in
Jesus.
However, I
believe that when the Bible speaks of the "faith that saves us", and
being "JUSTIFIED BY FAITH", it is speaking of the LIFE OF FAITH that
we undertake after we have become a Christian. It is 'WALKING IN
FAITH' day by day, moment by moment, after having become a Christian
that justifies us before God. It is the covering of the blood of
Jesus that hides our sin and makes us clean in God's sight. If we
are walking in faith, covered by the blood, we are saved, and we
must continue to walk in it. And it is clear in the Scriptures that
it is only by the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT that we can walk in this
kind of saving faith. This faith is a gift from God -"Not of
ourselves, lest anyone should boast..." Like the love of God, this
faith is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given
to us. So how can we obtain it without RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT?
(-Which brings us back to Repentance, Baptism and Receiving the Holy
Spirit as our ESSENTIAL starting point in the faith).
Actually, a
couple of readers mentioned something quite interesting about
baptism in the book of Acts. For it is noticeable in Acts that
everyone was baptized "IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS" or in the
'NAME OF JESUS CHRIST'. Now most churches today baptize in the name
of the 'Father, Son and Holy Spirit', and I guess this is a small
point, but I believe that if they felt it was important in Acts to
speak the name of Jesus Christ over people as they were baptized,
then I should do it too. I am not legalistic about the need for
this, but personally these days I baptize people "in the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the NAME OF JESUS
CHRIST". (-To make sure all the bases are covered).
To sum up, it
is my belief that God has been slowly restoring truth to the church
over the centuries since the Dark Ages when so much had been lost.
Luther's Reformation saw the restoration of 'Justification by
Faith', the Anabaptists re-introduced baptism by immersion, Wesley
re-introduced the importance of the 'new birth', and this century
the Pentecostals re-discovered the infilling of the Holy Spirit and
spiritual gifts. (There have been many other things over time also,
but this is just a simple overview). It is my belief that we are now
at the stage where God wishes to restore the church to her true
original glory, with all the basic doctrines and practices, "church
life" and the full original gospel, the 'five-fold' ministries, etc.
-Everything. That is what is about to occur in the coming Revival, I
believe. And that is another reason why I believe basic New
Testament doctrines are so important.
In past
centuries, as now, the believers of that time walked in the light
that they had, and God will judge them according to the light that
was available to them. But now it is time to see the church truly
restored to fullness in many areas. And it is going to be
UNCOMFORTABLE, and it will surely leave much "SHAKEN" in it's wake.
A new Reformation is coming, and it is important that it leaves
nothing undone that needs doing. Otherwise our children are going to
have to have a further Reformation to correct all that we left
undone. Let's make it as complete as possible this time, shall we?
For Christ cannot return until a glorious Bride is made ready for
Him, without "spot or wrinkle or any such thing". Surely we live in
the days of the 'restoration of all things' about which the
Scriptures speak.
-THE "OUTDOOR CHURCH" HOMEPAGE.
- PROPHETIC SUPERSITE.
- REVIVAL SUPERSITE.
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