|
Pope Benedict’s recent statement
removed any shadow of doubt as to the unbreachable chasm that exists
between the religious system he represents and the biblical view of
salvation. According to the old adage, "Hope springs eternal"
one might think that dispelling this myth would bring all ecumenical
overtures to Rome to a screeching halt.
Not so. A meeting was held
August 8-12 in Toulouse, France, jointly hosted by the Vatican and the
World Council of Churches for the purpose of coming to a meeting of the
minds on a code of conduct for evangelizing. You see, it causes friction
when the Gospel is preached and we can’t have that. Never mind that
the Lord Jesus and His followers gave a clear message and were
persecuted and rejected for it. The Gospel is contrary to the nature of
man; it is uncompromising and convicting in its purity and the only
means of salvation.
The Presbyterian
News Service summed up the intent of the code of conduct:
"While preserving the
right to propagate one’s faith, the code of conduct would
emphasize respect for the faithful of any religion, noted Hermen
Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia
and co-moderator of the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission. ‘Religious
preachers need to be told that no religion has monopoly to the
truth, that there are many ways to find salvation,’ said Shastri."
‘Evangelizing activities
need to avoid "stooping to belittle or condemn other
religions," affirmed Fiorello Mascarenhas, a Jesuit from India
and a former chairperson of the International Catholic Charismatic
Renewal Office Council. Rather, he said, evangelization should
promote "inter-religious dialogue and religious harmony, as
well as wholehearted cooperation in human welfare projects.’"
If this group had it their way,
they would impose censorship on those who dare to tell a Pagan or a
Warlock that their brand of religion is hellish, or for the truth to be
told of the false teachings and practices of Catholicism, Islam, and any
other religion. The bottom line of the code is ecumenism and tar and
feathering those who aren’t ecumenical. Leaders at the conference made
statements such as:
- "An appropriate
evangelism needs to be ecumenical in attitude."
- "The superiority
mentality in regard to other religions has been overcome."
- "All branches of
Christianity need to be self-critical."
- "Tensions have arisen
among Christian denominations…encroaching into areas where one
church has traditionally dominated."
German theologian Thomas
Schirrmacher, chair of the World Evangelical Alliance’s (WEA)
International Institute for Religious Freedom, one of the speakers at
the event, commented on the purpose for the conference:
"Evangelical' and
'ecumenical' Christians have never been as close in this regard as
they are today. Thus, something that would not have been possible 30
years ago has become achievable. It would be the first time ever
that such a broad Christian backing is given to an agreement of this
kind."
He goes on to say that such a
code of conduct would "establish the borderline between acceptable
forms of mission protected by religious freedom and undue forms of
trying to convert people".
Apparently some Christian
groups have been criticized for "aggressive proselytizing".
Would these detractors have condemned Paul and the apostles for
spreading the Gospel? These wolves posing as evangelicals are in fact
decimating the Gospel and replacing it with a counterfeit that is
palatable to the masses and offends no one -all in the name of religious
freedom. Jesus and the disciples realized that the Gospel was an offense
to most. Did that stop them from proclaiming the truth? No, in fact they
gave their very lives to share it as have many others, martyred for
defending the integrity of the Gospel.
These leaders must believe the
Gospel is too harsh, too abrasive, too unfriendly. They are hell-bent on
widening the narrow path into a freeway and turning the Great Commission
into the Great Omission. Of course salvation is not to be forced on
anyone; after all it is a gift to be received. The Bible says it is a
choice and the decision is left up to the individual, unlike Roman
Catholicism that dictates to the individual from birth that it is their
way or the highway. No one can make that decision for anyone else. The
Word of God is the powerful sword that cuts to the marrow and the Holy
Spirit draws. God’s plan and method is being short-circuited in the
name of tolerance. It is like holding back life-giving water from
someone dying of thirst.
The WCC is notorious for its
ecumenism, but the WEA, a participant and apparent advocate of this
venture, is lesser known. However, many on their list of associates are
well-known ministries. The fact that dialog with Rome continues should
not be surprising as the move toward a one-world religion is a foregone
conclusion. However, it is disconcerting to see groups who consider
themselves evangelical align with an organization that is essentially
working to hamstring those who are carrying the Gospel message.
Some of the better known
associates – [click
for a full listing]
Billy Graham Center
Caleb Project
Campus Crusade for Christ International
Luis Palau Evangelism Association
Mission Aviation Fellowship
The Navigators
Open Doors International
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries )RZIM)
Compassion
Evangelical Free Church Mission
Food for the Hungry, Inc.
International Bible Society
Jews for Jesus
The Voice of the Martyrs (Canada)
Youth for Christ International
Perhaps these groups have not
looked beyond the biblical statement on the WEA
website by its founding member, Dr. Leon Morris who eloquently
answers the question, "What do we mean by "evangelical"?
He wrote,
"…the evangelical
will find himself called upon to protest from time to time against
systems which claim to be Christ but which do try to add to
Christ’s work, whether by calling on men to accomplish their
salvation by their good deeds or by their liturgical observances or
by anything else . Christ, no less than He died, no less that.
All our shabby shibboleths vanish before His sacrificial love."
(Emphasis added)
Isn’t Dr. Morris exhorting
evangelicals to do the exact opposite of what took place in Toulouse?
How can his statement be reconciled with sitting down at the Vatican’s
table and communing with the apostate WCC? The truth is it can’t.
There exists a double-mindedness and those who do not follow the
biblical admonition to test the spirits fall into the ditch. "A
double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8 "…..Cleanse
your hands ye sinners; and purify your hears, ye double-minded."
James 4:8
The National Association of
Evangelicals (NAE) is what the WEA terms a full member. The NAE
website states they have never wavered from biblical truth, but
their president, Leith Anderson who replaced the disgraced Ted Haggard
(returning to the office he held previous to Haggard) is an avowed
emergent.
Signs of
Emerging Church Influence
Anderson is a close colleague
of Erwin McManus, a prominent emergent leader. In fact, he has worked
with McManus on several projects including a current course for emerging
leaders at Bethel
Seminary. In the prospectus for the class he is teaching –
"Doctor of Ministry – Developing Executive Leaders of Excellence
for Larger Churches" – there is a great deal about methodologies,
techniques, systems, effective communication in the emerging church
culture, staff management, and leadership. Sounds like learning how to
run a business! Where is the Gospel? Where is the burden for the lost?
This is the president of the most prominent evangelical organization in
this country? Perhaps a new term is needed: "leavengelicals."
The membership list of the NAE includes some strange bedfellows,
including the very controversial Morris Cerullo World Evangelism, Billy
Graham Training Center, Campus Crusade, Koinonia House, Fuller
Theological Seminary, Evangelical Free Church, etc.. [See
complete list]
This is not harmless political
posturing. This is dealing with the eternal destiny of souls! A weak,
watered down inclusive Gospel is the ultimate deception because it
consigns souls to an eternity shared with Satan and his angels. The
tragedy is that those who accept this incomplete Gospel believe they are
saved. I don’t believe anyone can imagine the horror of finding one’s
self on the other side of the veil to discover that you have been
seduced by a seeker-friendly false Gospel, not the life-giving true
Gospel and the Lord says He never knew you and orders you to depart from
His presence.
Jesus gave the Great
Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching to observe all things that I have commanded you; Matt
28-16-20 In Mark 15:16 He says "Go into all the world and preach
the Gospel to all creation."
What is happening in many
quarters in the name of evangelism is an insult to our Savior! "For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
Gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17 Christ says to go to all
nations, not some of them as long as it is religiously correct and you
don’t step on toes. Yes, we are to go in love, but we are to go, armed
with the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word that pierces and convicts the
heart. These are sobering words: "Whosoever therefore shall be
ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh
in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38
Why did Jesus say that the
fields are ripe for harvest but the workers are few? Because those who
proclaim the true, complete, and simple Gospel are few. When one looks
over all the massive numbers of organizations that call themselves
evangelical, it would seem that the impact upon the world should be much
greater. Obviously something is very wrong with this picture. What the
participants in the Toulouse Conference are proposing has nothing to do
with Christ’s Commission and everything to do with compromise. It has
everything to do with appeasement and false unity and nothing to do with
true love for the lost.
Evangelism requires moving out
of one’s comfort zone, both for the one who shares Christ and the
listener. It calls for us to examine our lives, think on eternal things
and be faced with a decision. It is simple, not complicated. It is the
believer’s concern for the lost so much that he/she will risk
rejection and relationships to share Christ. That is true love. There is
no greater joy both on earth and in heaven than to lead an unregenerate
person from darkness into light. "Likewise, I say unto you, there
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
repenteth." Luke 15:10
You will find the true
evangelists, not preaching in huge stadiums or spreading heresies around
the world via television. No, you will find them in their prayer closets
interceding for the lost, asking for divine appointments in their daily
lives and keeping their eyes and ears open for opportunities to share
Christ. Just ordinary people, not celebrities, faithfully plugging away,
serving the Lord. You will find them laboring on lonely mission fields,
shining the light of God’s Word into dark places. The nondescript
pastor patiently equipping his little flock to share the Gospel is doing
a great work that will go unnoticed by most, but is seen by God. The
true evangelical sees every person with whom he comes in contact as an
eternal being that will either go to heaven or hell and because of this
perception he is compelled to be a light in the darkness. The
aforementioned are receiving their rewards here and now, the latter
desire no accolades from men, but just long to hear their Master say
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
I pray that those who call
themselves evangelicals will examine their ways and their associations
to be sure they are on the narrow path where our Shepherd leads. I pray
they will choose to stand up for truth and have the courage to count the
cost of doing so. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24.
Oftentimes joining these associations is for prestige and other temporal
benefits. To choose that over loyalty to Christ is tragic. Connections
are important, but the only connection that truly matters is being
joined with Christ and His Body. "But none of these things move me,
neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24
Our Lord suffered and died to
bring us the Gospel of salvation. Paul suffered much for the sake of the
Gospel. What a travesty to add anything to it or take away from it! Paul’s
farewell to Timothy should be a battle cry for everyone who claims to be
an evangelical. "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His
appearing." Those who preach the uncompromised Gospel and stand for
truth will not be popular on this earth, but they will bask in the
eternal approval of their Lord and Savior. There is no greater reward.
♥♥♥
|
