Truth About 21st C Christianity.(4)
1. Religious speculation became rife after the death of the soul. The endless babble of Babel’s builders demonstrated its futility.
2. Likewise today’s babble of extemporary preachers infatuated with their own unctuous unction is often void of biblical content and full of humanistic sectarian psychology laced with doctrinaire philosophy.
3. Despite their reliance upon natural human faith, man’s faith is weak, double-minded, and is incapable of accessing God. The Twelve often exasperated Jesus with their lack of faith. Only when they were converted at the resurrection was distrust replaced by the faith of Christ as they received His Spirit. (Luke 24; John 20.)
4. In the case of the first twelve disciples prevenient grace was given by Christ at Jesus’ awakening call to follow him.
5. Prevenient grace moved the twelve men to seek his company and presence wherever he went as they heard & learned of the Father (John 6)
6. It took 40 months before their eyes were opened at conversion Luke 24, John 20
7. Illuminating-faith and repentance was given to those at Emmaus & Jerusalem Luke 24
8. The eleven disciples and one hundred and nine other converts from Christ’s forty days’ appearances, prayed for ten days, after the ascension, awaiting the Sprit’s outpouring Acts 1.
9. The book of Acts reveals that the interceding High Priest sending the spirit of prayer to gathered saints will move the Father to awaken the lost.
10. Do-it-yourself evangelism of the 21st C has completely forgotten this with its easy-automatic religion.
11. Evangelism without the spirit of prayer is empty and often the verbose self-effort of easy-religion planting false hope as the enemy sows his tares (false converts).
Bible References:
Prevenient grace is present in the awakened soul prior to conversion. It is temporary and temporal in substance until the follower has heard of the Father; learned of Him; and discovered the failure of self effort before receiving the gifts of repentance and saving-faith.
1. Luke 24:31, 32, 45.
And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
2. Acts 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia… heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
3. John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
4. Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:
5. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that ‘not of yourselves: it is the gift’ of God:
God’s Gift of Repentance is Selective not Universal
6. 2 Corinthians 7:10 For ‘godly’ sorrow worketh repentance … but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
Godly sorrow is given by God. Man’s own sorrow is not enough.
7. Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted…for to ‘give’ repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
8. Acts 11:18 …(they)glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles ‘granted’ repentance unto life.
9. Acts 3:16 …the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
10. Romans 12:3 … God hath dealt to every man (“that is among you”) the measure of faith.
11. Galatians 2:20 …I live by the faith of the Son of God,
12. Ephesians 3:12 …by the faith of him.
13. Philippians 3:9 …through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
14. Colossians 2:12 …through the faith of the operation of God
