The George Barna Group is a polling group which conducts polls among churches and religious groups to find out important trends, beliefs, percentages, statistics, etc. in the ranks of “Christianity” at any given time. Following is the results of a poll just released by the Barna Group. This poll speaks for itself…..
1. Approximately one-half [50 %] of Americans who call themselves “Christians”
do not believe in the existence of Satan, even though the Bible plainly and repeatedly speaks of him as a real being.
2. A full one-third (33%) of Americans who claim to be “Christians” believe that
the Lord Jesus Christ Himself committed sin; that is, that Christ was a “sinner.” [Underlining for emphasis is mine…fmr].
3. Forty percent [40%] of American “Christians” do not believe that they have any responsibility whatsover to share their “Christian faith” with
anyone else, even though that is explicitly what the Lord Himself commanded His disciples to do, Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-49;
John 20:21-23.
4. Twenty five percent [25%] of American “Christians” do not believe that the
Bible is correct in all of the [moral and spiritual] principles that it teaches.
“This means that large numbers of so-called “Christians” reject the authority of the Scriptures and the deity and holiness of Christ, and the atoning
sacrifice of His holy blood. It really means that they are not Christians at all in a Biblical sense.”
“It means that they are in spiritual limbo, and as Paul described, “foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the
world,” Ephesians 2:12.”
“It means that they are eternally lost, unless they change.”
What is the reason for such confusion? Paul said, “Be on guard for yourselves and
for all the flock (the Body of Christ) ! I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock - men speaking perverse things. These men entered into or among the Body of Christ as counterfeits, spreading false gospels other then what was received
by Paul from Jesus Christ himself. Adding to the one true Gospel things like sacraments,
mysticism and meditation coupled with self denial, teaching that we can keep the law and made
right before God by our works of the law, men listened to angels like Joseph Smith did, not realizing there are two types of angels. The fallen angels try to appear as good angels of light and
have fooled many, after the darkness of the Middle Ages, many counterfeits said you must join a church denomination and do good works to be saved and belonging to a church and participation in the churches sacraments, rituals, rules like saying you are saved by joining the church through
the ritual of baptism and thus make you a member of that church or denomination. These people
have allowed Satan to teach that men and their traditions were now their AUTHORITY.
They never knew that the Bible - Sola Scriptura, not the church or men are the AUTHORITY
for FAITH and how we are to live.
Gal 1:6,7,8:
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
The TRUE GOSPEL affirms that God accepts only what Christ did, not what we do. His was the only PERFECT ACT OF CONTRITION . He alone had the purity of God, for He was Himself, divine. Therefore, He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Isn’t it foolish to think that there is something we can do that will mean more to God than the
WORK OF THE BLESSED SON? What ARROGANCE to think that we can contribute to Christ’s Work through the sacraments, or our own meditations and tainted attemps to love the Almighty !
The TRUE GOSPEL says that there is one requirement, and that is TRUST, FAITH IN CHRIST. Faith, even great faith, will not save us if it is CHRIST PLUS OURSELVES;
PLUS WHATEVER. Faith the size of a mountain will damn us if it is in the sacraments or our
own attempts to earn heaven our way.
We are saved by faith, and that faith is a gift of God. He must give us the ability to receive the free gift ! No wonder Scriptures teach that “Salvation is of the Lord” Jonah 2:9b
A False gospel becomes accursed
and false under these conditions and more:
AN ACCURSED MESSAGE
1. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:7.
2. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ, and therefore the teller of this message is telling a lie. Proverbs 30:4-6.
3. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and is a subtle way of calling God a liar. l John 5:10.
4. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ by adding man's righteousness as a condition of salvation. Isaiah 64:6.
5. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and is in reality the preaching of a religion that will not save. I Corinthians 1:17.
6. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and is a message that causes the lost to be blinded to the truth. II Corinthians 4:4.
7. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and causes saved persons to become confused. Galatians 2:13; I Corinthians 1:10; I Corinthians 15:11.
8. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and keeps the true Christian from a clear witness. Galatians 2:16.
9. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and brings persecution to the preacher of the true message. Galatians 5:11.
10. An accursed message is a perversion of the gospel of Christ and is in reality the preaching of a religion that will not save. l Corinthians 1:17.
Most Christians are not aware of how serious it is to add to what Jesus Christ has finished! It is the difference between whether or not a person is saved. It is the difference between heaven and hell.
The salvation that God has provided through Jesus Christ is by grace. "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9)." Acts 15:11 says, "But we believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved." Eternal life is not received by, attained by, or kept by a person's works, conduct or behavior. We are saved by grace through faith.
Grace by definition excludes all works. "And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace; otherwise work is no more work (Romans 11:6)." One work added to grace would render it no more grace. If you were to add one drop of poison to a glass of pure water, it would render it no more a glass of pure water: but a glass of poisoned water. The gospel of the grace becomes poisoned when just one human work is added to the plan of salvation.
THE GRACE TEST. What is the grace test? This is an easy way of testing whether or not you have the true message of the gospel as it is given in the Bible. You simply ask, "Did Jesus pay for all my sins on the cross?" or "Do I have to do something or not do something in order to gain my salvation?"
If you have to do anything at all to be saved, then you have failed the grace test. You will stand before God on the basis of your works (Your righteousness] which are filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). You will not be saved.
This is real serious business! God warns about adding or subtracting from what He has said in Revelation 22:18,19. Salvation is the gift of God (Romans 6:23).
Galatians 1:1-10
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
http://www.moodychurch.org/radio/transcripsts/yourericher.html
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/
moodychurch.org/radio/transcripts/yourericher.html
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