Don't be afraid to speak out!

Recently a friend posted a video by Nadia Bolz-Weber about “Being the bigger Asshole and forgiving the assholes who hurt you.” This belief is based on “heaping burning coals on the heads of others.” However, you can get that message across without the profanity, and without teaching other heresies. Evidently I am the bad person because I posted one of Bolz-Weber's teachings on human sexuality and immediately I was told that I was judging this woman. I don't deny that I was justing this woman, why? Because I love people and I don't want people to fall for the lies that Bolz-Weber teaches.

Bolz-Weber came on the scene a few years ago with her so-called radical teaching of preaching “love” to junkies and the LGBT+ community. However, with that radical teaching, comes great responsibility—namely to call people to repentance! Christians, whether ordained or not have a often times have a fear of offending people. I've encountered MANY, MANY, individuals who claim they've been Christians for years--but they can't stand to hear about the things of God. Many go to church and think that it is a social club never preaching the gospel to a single soul. They are concerned with soup kitchens and hospitals and special music and newsletters which is would be okay if it were based on truth--but these people do not share the gospel with the lost! A man can go to hell on a full stomach. Then you've got the ones that go to church once a week and as soon as they leave out of the doors they get to cursing and doing whatever they please. All of these categories have something in common--NO REPENTANCE.

Bible believers have our little formulas for leading people to Jesus, but we are leaving out a most necessary part of sharing the gospel--the preaching of REPENTANCE. As a result, there are a lot of heathens walking around thinking that they are saved. We spend almost no time on this vital aspect of the gospel and then we spend a good deal of time on assurance verses when the person has not even repented! REPENTANCE is foundational--

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the FOUNDATION OF REPENTANCE FROM DEAD WORKS, and of faith toward God,

The Lord Jesus had plenty to say about REPENTANCE--

Luke 5:32 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to REPENTANCE."

Luke 24:47 ...[Jesus said to them] that REPENTANCE and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Mark 1:15 ..."The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT ye, AND BELIEVE the gospel.”

Bible-believers have been doing the unsaved a disservice as we share the gospel with them. We say, 'just believe'. But does not James say that even 'the devils believe and tremble'? When soulwinning, we often tell people to just admit that they are a sinner and believe in Jesus. Then we go on to stress MANY assurance verses. This is terribly wrong. What we need to be stressing is REPENTANCE from dead works.

"We don't need to spend half of our time on assurance. It's okay for somebody to be scared when they are doing wrong. That's called the fear of the Lord. That's called working out your salvation with fear and trembling! They need to stop doing evil and be holy like the Lord. Yet we say, 'Don't worry, you can do any old thing and still get in. You can sin as much as you want to, don't worry about God's commandments.' This flies in the face of many scriptures like--

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

2 Peter 1:10-11 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

"You see, many people pray, 'the sinner's prayer' because they are scared of hell, but they still want to live like Satan. In other words, they are CONVICTED of their sins, but they certainly have not REPENTED of their sins. That's why they don't show up at your fellowship after you 'lead them to Christ'. That's why they don't get baptized. That's why they are still at the club on Ladies' Night.
"Some of Jesus' first words as he entered into his earthly ministry were, 'REPENT ye and BELIEVE the gospel.' He also said, 'Unless ye REPENT ye shall likewise perish.' When looking at the word repent, we find it, and the concept of it, throughout the ENTIRE Bible. Repentance is not simply a mental ascent to the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to save your hide. It is about a change of AUTHORITY in your life. Before I got saved, I ran my own wicked life while Satan kicked my hind parts all up and down the street. When I got saved, I saw myself as a dirty rotten sinner who had transgressed the commandments of God. I knew that I needed to start listening to HIS AUTHORITY and to give up my evil ways. I was no longer in control, I was no longer the authority--JESUS BECAME MY LORD, MY AUTHORITY. Now many softie Bible college students (including one that wrote here) will call that 'Lordship salvation' and say that it is wrong, even heretical. To that, I say that my King James Bible CLEARLY shows me that anything less than making Jesus your Lord is UNACCEPTABLE to God. Many scriptures confirm this. 1 John is a good book to look at to see the differences between the true believer and the fake.

Jesus didn't save us to live like Satan's world. He gives us plenty of scriptures to use as a mirror to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith (as Paul saith). Jesus also said that our outer life will MOST CERTAINLY show if we belong to him or not. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit and an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Yea, we have different levels of growth, but the growth WILL come. Our God is exceeding fruitful--remember how Jesus is the groom and we are the bride? In a man-woman relationship, children result from the union. In a relationship with Jesus, good works result--FRUIT!Repentance is not lip service. Anybody can say "Lord, I repent." True repentance is marked by some ACTION because you mean it.

John the Baptist said, "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance."

Jesus gave a parable in Matthew 21 where a man had two sons. He went to the first son and said, "Son, go work today in my vineyard." The son responded, "I will not." But then afterward he repented, and went to work in the vineyard. The man also went to his second son and said the same thing. The second son said, "I'm going." But he didn't go. Which one did the will of his father? The repentance of the first son was in his heart and as a result it showed in his actions--HE WENT. Repentance is not simply a state of mind. It is understanding your wickedness and saying, "I am a vile thing who has ignored the Lord of glory. I am resolved to live under the Lord's commands and His authority--whatever it takes!" THAT is the kind of Christian that the world wants to see. Bold, serious, sold-out, and sanctified.

What are some actions that we should expect in new converts? Baptism, Bible study, a pronounced change in life, etc. We need to handle the new convert tenderly, soberly, gravely. We don't need to bombard them with a bunch of jokes and dinners. We need to teach them sound doctrine thereby equipping them to go out and fulfill the will of the Lord in their life. And by example, we need to show them how to live the Christian life.