Last updated 11/22/17
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“REPENTANCE AND CONVERSION” BY GEORGE WHITEFIELD
Ezekiel 18:30-32 “30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” [Old Testament Prophet]
Mark 1:15: “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” [John the Baptist as he prepared the way for the Messiah]
Luke 13:3-5: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” [Our Lord Jesus]
Acts 20:20-21 “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. [The apostle, as he continued the building of the church]
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Scripture on repentance, the new creature, the new life, and changed behavior after salvation
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Turning to God from idols (Click here to hear this great study by Dr. J. Vernon McGee). Here is a summary of that audio teaching which is much more thorough. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10: “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” The church in Thessalonica turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. See v. 3. Work of faith (turned to God from idols), labour of love (to serve the living God), patience of hope (to wait for His Son from heaven). Paul preached Christ and they turned to God from idols (not they turned from idols to God). When they turned to God, that is the work of faith; that is what faith did. John 6:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” When they turned to God, they automatically turned from idols—that is repentance. The turning from something is repentance. You can’t turn to Christ without turning from sin. Jesus Christ saves from sin. When a man turns to Christ, he turns from his sin. The message of repentance needs to be preached to the church, as it was preached to the 7 churches in Revelation 2 and 3. The Thessalonians were now serving God, the labor of love. You cannot serve Christ unless you love him. See Jn. 14.15. If you do not love Him, forget trying to serve Him. Waiting for His Son from heaven doesn’t mean sit down and relax. It means get busy for the Lord. A believer is to labor in love.
Does shedding tears mean repentance? Both Ruth and Orpah shed tears. Only one repented. Dr. McGee explains this from one of broadcasts in Ruth. To hear his short 8 min. 23 sec. study on Ruth 1.14-18, click here.
Click here to read “Can’t Sir” a short, but powerful article on repentance, witnessing, Bible reading, praying, and going to church.
Click to go to: “Repentance and Conversion” by George Whitefield
Repentance Works Salvation Or Forgotten Essential (Old Paths Broadcast)(Click here for sermonaudio.com recording of this radio show.)
Click to go to: “On 1 John 5.13” by Luke Mace
Click to go to: “Can God Repent” by Rev. Paul Wayne Foltz DD
Click to go to: “SALVATION IN THE KJB” by Rev. Paul Wayne Foltz (Excellent on Repentance)
The Great Falling Away: Evangelists Shying Away From Preaching Repentance (111715)(Entire article reproduced at the very end below)
The Three-Fold Sin Of Easybelievism by James L. Melton (112115)
Directions for the treatment of apostates, heretics, those who wish to argue principle without knowledge, understanding and wisdom (I have started to emphasize these in bold font.). For example:
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen” (1 Ti. 6.20-21). ” “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3.9-11).- Mt. 12.33-37 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure
bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”] - Mt. 13.23: “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
- Mt. 15.18-19 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”
The Great Falling Away – Evangelists Shying Away From Preaching Repentance
November 17, 2015
The watering down of the Gospel from being an imperative for lost sinners needing to be saved from Hell to mere suggestion or another lifestyle continues, as a new report indicates evangelists in one of America’s largest denominations are now steering away from calling sinners to repentance in their messages.
The new revelation comes from an early report of the August conference of the Research Services of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. The report is called 1001 New Worshipping Communities, and it states that “millennials respond to a different style of evangelism than did previous generations.”
“Millennials, it is argued, do not feel guilt and shame the same way older generations do. … As such, they do not respond to what one person referred to as ‘fire and brimstone scare tactics,'” read the report.
“Telling them that they are sinners and need to repent does not work. Millennials respond to evangelism that tells them the world is [broken], and it is only through Jesus that it can be fixed.”
The problem is the report suggests that in the past people enthusiastically received the Gospel, and that, contrary to the suggestion that millennials do not respond to the Gospel the same way, the reality is the Gospel has always met with resistance.
During the ministry of Gen. William Booth, who founded the Salvation Army, as the men and women in his organization would attempt to share the Gospel with sailors along city docks, they would have rockets launched at them, while others would attack and hurl rotten vegetables at them and their uniforms. During the preaching of Billy Sunday and DL Moody, they would often meet with resistance as they preached against the specific sins of their era.
The Apostle Paul said the preaching of the cross was foolishness to the world and he was often attacked and even stoned once for preaching the Gospel. This has been a common thread throughout church history.
The report went on to advocate for more of a lifestyle evangelism approach rather than offering a plain Gospel presentation.
“The people we spoke with primarily emphasize service and mission as their way to honor God by being God’s ‘hands and feet.’ And, through modeling this behavior publicly and around non-Christians, they hope to bring more people to God in a subtle, less ‘fire and brimstone’ manner.”
“They also mention the importance of going out into the community and working side-by-side with non-Christians as well as other Christians. In this strategy, leaders often (but not always) emphasize the importance of not engaging in God-talk while doing service activities.”
What this fails to address is that by doing so they are essentially suggesting that salvation is not the only way to heaven, which contradicts Jesus when he said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” The reality is a person cannot be saved unless they realize what they are being saved from. If a person simply accepts Christ because he or she thinks it is a good idea, then they are following a philosophy rather than an individual.
People today will respond to the Gospel just like people of old if it is presented in a straightforward manner. I have done so on a number of occasions with people ranging from prisoners to executives. I present it matter-of-factly, such as when I take them to the Great White Throne Judgment where it mentions that ALL liars shall have their part in the lake of fire. Then I ask them, according to this verse where does it say any of us who have ever told a lie deserve to end up?
Whereas they may disagree as to whether liars go to hell, they must admit the verse says that is where they are going. It is then much easier to share with them the good news of why Jesus died for them. The Gospel has worked for over 2,000 years and it will continue to work. We don’t need to come up with a newer method, thinking we know better than God does about how to lead people to Christ.
Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2015/November17/174.html#c4ZLmAG2XA2ZCwB8.99
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