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Bromide 1: Imitation is the greatest form of
flattery.
Bromide 2: If you can’t beat them, join them.
This seems to be the new approach by Lutheran Hour
Ministries as it appeals to standard Baptist decision theology on its
website. Billy Graham would be
proud of the sleeping giant.
How to get to the Lutheran Hour Ministries Website:
Go to http://www.lhm.org/
Go to the bottom of the page on the lower right and
click on Gospelcom.Net:
http://www.gospelcom.net/
Go to the third button on the upper left and click on
“How To Know God”
http://www.gospelcom.net/guidance/gospel/
Go to the “Message” and click on the list.
The third choice is “Decision:”
http://www.gospelcom.net/guidance/gospel/decision.shtml
Following is the opportunity for the reader to make
his or her decision for Christ through the LHM Website:
"THE
DECISION: WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS CHRIST?
You
must make a decision. What are your options? There are only three possible
answers to this question:
1.
To say yes, to accept God's free gift of salvation by putting your trust
in Jesus Christ.
2.
To say no, to reject God's offer of salvation. The Bible says that those
who make this choice will spend eternity separated from God in a place
called Hell.
3.
To say maybe, to try to put off the decision to a more convenient time.
The Bible does say that God is patient, wanting everyone to come to the
point of accepting His gift of salvation (II Peter 3:9). But none of us is
promised that we will be here tomorrow, and because of this 'x-factor' of
death, trying to put off our decision by saying maybe automatically puts
us in the 'no' category.
So,
in reality, there are only two answers to the question, 'What will you do
with Jesus Christ?' To accept His free gift of salvation or to reject that
gift.
Let
me ask you, 'What have you done with Jesus Christ?' If you have never
accepted God's offer of eternal life, I can think of no better time than
right now (II Corinthians 6:2). If you would like to say yes to Christ,
you can do it right now, wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Join me
in our prayer room to talk to Him and invite Him into your life.
The
invitation is open - you can accept the gift of salvation and get rid of
the sin in your life. It doesn't matter what you're doing or what you've
done. The offer is open to everyone.
Please
accept it:
IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST RIGHT NOW, RIGHT
WHERE YOU ARE, YOU NEED ONLY ASK HIM...
If
you've come this far, you probably realize you're about to make the most
important decision of your life.
Jesus
said, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
rest.' He also said, 'whoever comes to me I will never drive away.'
So
if you ask Him, you will be accepted.
The
way believers talk to the Lord is through prayer. Your prayer should be
your own, from your own heart to His. If you're not in the habit of
praying, though, you may need an example.
An
example of such a prayer may go something like this:
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Father
in Heaven,
I
know that I am a sinner
and
need forgiveness.
I
believe that Your Son Jesus
died
in my place,
to
pay the penalty for my sin,
and
rose again for my salvation.
I
want to turn from my sinful ways,
so
I now ask you,
Lord
Jesus, to come
into
my life as my Savior
and
my Lord.
In
Jesus name I pray, Amen. |
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The
Bible says, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' So
if you have asked Him into your life, and believe He died to save you, you
are a Christian, bound for Heaven.
The
difficulties of living as a Christian in a sinful world are many.
Therefore it is essential that you immediately seek other sincere,
Bible-believing Christians to help you sustain your resolve. Both
individual Christian friends and a solidly Bible-based Christian church
are essential.
If
you have taken this all-important step, please...
Stop
in and let me welcome you to the family"
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Historically,
Lutherans have been opposed to decision theology because no one is able to
choose Christ. Christ chooses
us.
The
following are just few verses from the Bible that show how wrong it is to
say we choose to believe in Jesus Christ:
John
6:44
"No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the
last day."
John
6:65 "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father."
John
14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John
15:16" Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you",
John
15:19
"I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hateth you."
Romans
8:29
"For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he
might be the firstborn among many brethren."
In
Matthew 9:31, Matthew didn't say, "Jesus, I want to follow you."
It was Christ that said to Matthew, "Follow Me."
The invitation to follow Christ is the power of and in the Gospel
that creates faith in the human heart.
Saying
that someone chooses Christ instead of Christ choosing us, is a denial of
the doctrine of election because it falsely teaches that we can choose to
have faith in Christ, before we have faith in Christ.
It places the human will above the Holy Spirit instead of the Holy
Spirit working through the Gospel.
We
are simply called to believe in Christ, not to decide to believe in
Christ.
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