by David J. Stewart | October 2016
Galatians 3:2, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
One of the best books I've ever read is titled, “I NEVER KNEW YOU: THE COMING GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT AND HOW TO AVOID IT!” by Michael P. Bowen. The following is the introduction to the book, which is awesome!
The Agony Of Not Being Sure
The misery of believing in a false gospel is really a misery like no other; in fact, it is pure agony. Our media is filled with sharp, well-meaning individuals who, without realizing, teach biblically flawed plans of salvation that are not even found in the bible. The ubiquity with which these accursed messages are currently flooding this world is unlike any other time in our history for one crucial reason: our enemy’s time grows short and he desires to keep as many people as possible from understanding the simplicity of Christ’s free gift of salvation. These flawed plans purport that sinners can reach heaven through their own merits, or by combinations of faith in Christ plus their own works and deeds. The purpose of this story is twofold: firstly, it is to help you to know beyond any doubt whatsoever the truth of what Christ says about the gift of salvation; secondly, it is to help arm you with the knowledge necessary for you to be able to detect what is perhaps the greatest weapon against mankind in the arsenal of our adversary: to con people into living the Christian lifestyle without ever being born again. With the aforementioned precepts firmly in mind, let us look at one man’s story.
A man who was led by his college professors to believe there was no God at all reached out to Him one day in complete desperation. This man began praying to God in hopes that He would help him. He both listened to and watched today’s most popular Christian evangelists, trusting every word they spoke. Realizing his need to be born again, he followed the directives of these well-known pastors. The poor man asked Jesus into his heart, tried his best to turn from his sins, and he then crowned Christ as the Lord of his life. The man literally changed overnight.
In the beginning, everything was perfect; in fact, it was all much more than he expected it to be. This man was getting prayers answered and he was getting returns on his tithes. This man began buying bibles for his friends, telling them about Christ, attending church, tithing, and even sending money to the pastors who had instructed him, but despite the visible changes in this man, he was not truly born again. Since the devil also has the power to do miracles, this man’s faith had unknowingly been intercepted by an all too-common counterfeit version of the gospel.
Shortly afterward, he began doubting his salvation. He asked Christ to come into his heart again. The next three years witnessed this miserable man asking Christ into his heart literally thousands of times yet still he never had biblical assurance of his salvation.
What exactly happened to this man? God reached out to him with the true gospel in its superlative simplicity. He was saved eternally the instant that he trusted on Christ alone to save him. I know this because I am, in fact, that same man to whom I have been referring. Christ’s promise of eternal life is to everyone who believes His gospel message. He saves you forever the very instant you trust in Him.
Here is the gospel: God says that we are sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter heaven. God sent His Son to pay for all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead.
The instant you believe this, He knows it and He saves you. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you and has nothing at all to do with what you do for Him. “For by grace are ye 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).
SOURCE: I Never Knew You (.pdf), by Michael Bowen; pp. 11-12.
Brother Bowen is absolutely correct that 95% of today's pastors teach and preach 100% contrary to the Word of God:
When a pastor says that in order to be saved we must first repent of our sins and then ask Christ into our heart, I want to stand up and quote verses from Christ’s own words that refute such satanic-inspired flaws because Christ never, never, never said to quit sinning or to ask Him into your heart. The bible says the OPPOSITE of what 95 percent of these pastors tell us, today.
SOURCE: I Never Knew You (.pdf), by Michael Bowen; p. 116.
Anyone who says that you need to quit sinning to be saved is of the Devil. Anyone who says that you must change your heart, having a desire to stop sinning to be saved, is a big liar!
A couple years ago in 2013-2014 I attended a local independent Baptist church. They are neo-evangelicals, not fundamentalists. The contrast between me and them was too great to co-exist. At first I didn't know what they were about, I just needed a church family. I loved them, and still do. I miss them. My heart has been broken ever since things didn't work out. They use satanic Bible revisions, teach the heresy of Lordship Salvation, and wickedly promote Ray Comfort and John MacArthur as men of God. I gave them handfuls of fundamentalist sermon CD's. I bought numerous fundamentalist books with my own money for the multiple church pastors to help them, helping them as a friend to see. They rejected the truth. They despised my efforts to help them see clearly. When I tried to befriend them with the truth, they shunned me away. Unfortunately, they are unwilling to suffer reproach for Christ. The Holy Bible says that living godly in Christ Jesus brings persecution (2nd Timothy 3:12).
One of the books that I gave them was, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” by Michael Bowen. They accused me of causing diversion and confusion in the church. I respectfully pointed out to the pastors that their church officially uses TWO different Bibles, which is extremely confusing! The church had their own parallel Bible version published, using two conflicting different Greek texts—the Textus Receptus (King James Bible) on the left, and the Alexandrian Greek (Easy-To-Read Version) on the right. Consequently, the church is corrupted, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Instead of the Gospel, they teach Lordship Salvation. The church shamefully promotes Paul Washer, Ray Comfort and John MacArthur as great men of God. All three of these men teach Lordship Salvation, a false Gospel. Anytime the church reads from the incorruptible King James Bible, they foolishly interpret it with the corruptible Alexandrian text. They idolize present-day manmade Israel, supporting preemptive bombings of the Arab peoples. How can this insanity be happening in our churches? Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935) saw apostasy creeping into America's churches over a century ago...
“It would be a godsend if the Church would suffer persecution today; she hasn't suffered it for hundreds of years. She is growing rich and lagging behind. Going back.” —Billy Sunday, The Need for Revivals, From "Billy Sunday: The Man and His Message,” by William T. Ellis, Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., 1914
Billy Sunday must be shocked looking down from Heaven today at the dire condition of the churches. The average churchgoer today is lame, shallow and complacent. Most of them are unsaved. I know people who think they are mature Christians because they attend church, tithe, pray and read their Bible. May I say, Jesus said that “the heathen” pray in Matthew 6:7. The Devil quoted the Bible to Jesus in Matthew 4:6. Jesus called the tithing Pharisees “hypocrites” in Matthew 23:23. Even Satan attends church according to Revelation 2:13. You're not a mature Christian just because you go to church, tithe, pray and read the Bible!!!
You are only as mature a Christian as you care about how you treat other people. You are only as mature a Christian as you care about the truth. The churches are filled today with highly-salaried pastors who couldn't care less about the purity of God's Word or the clarity of the Gospel. Church congregations are just as bad, hiring wimpy pastors that they can henpeck and control. The congregation may be the pastor's boss, but only God is the preacher's boss! Sadly, most pastors are not preachers, so they only work for the congregation. God never intended for the churches to become a 501c3 state-licensed business. By recruiting the churches to apply for state licensing, the ungodly state has effectively silenced the churches by prohibiting their involvement in government affairs. Of course, the state can interfere with the churches anytime they feel like it. God will punish the evildoers!
It is amazing how millions of evangelicals can attend church Sunday after Sunday, going through all the religious motions of playing church, and yet be so oblivious and indifferent toward gross theological corruption which has crept into the churches. Jude 1:4a, “For there are certain men crept in unawares ... ungodly men.” Thank God for the 7,000 remaining Christians in our country today who haven't bowed their knee to serve Baal. The great need of the hour is courageous men of God to fight the good fight of faith. We need preaching preachers! We need the King James Bible, and preachers who only preach from the inspired King James Bible! We need the clarity of the Gospel, which is the simplicity that is in Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3). God deliver us from neo-evangelicals and their false Gospels, false Bibles, false Israel, false doctrines and false churches.
