What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 13 – The Altar Call 13 of 21*

Keith Green

Imagine if you can, Jesus having people bow their heads after hearing the Sermon on the Mount, and then very slowly and softly (while Bartholomew plays “How Great Thou Art” on the accordion) saying to the crowd, “While your heads are bowed and your eyes are closed, if you really want to be My disciple tonight, if you really want to show My Father and I that you truly mean to follow this sermon I have given, then I want you to slip your hand up slowly, so that I may see it. There now… yes… yes… I see that hand … and that one … and the one way back by the fig tree … yes! Now, please, while Bart plays another chorus, I’d like you to start moving down through the center of the crowd … yes, those who raised their hand. I want to know if you really mean business. I’d like to lead you in a prayer …

I realize that there are some who will see such an illustration as sacrilegious. And that’s just the point. They think that making fun of the “altar call” is making fun of God. But it isn’t. Traditions die hard, because they take so long to form. Once I received a very intense letter from the pastor of a church who had sponsored me in a city-wide concert in his area. He was upset that I had “let several hundred souls go ungathered” because I had not given an altar call. He said, “It seems you have no burden for souls.” (Nothing could be further from the truth.) But because I had not given the recognized “official invitation,” this pastor could see no value in my presentation of the Gospel. Or as Tony Salerno, (director of “The Agape Force”), once remarked, “If you don’t give an altar call, they think you have committed the ‘unpardonable sin!'”

* I discovered I had miscounted the number of sections. My apologies for any confusion.

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 13th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 12 – Inventions of Man Now Part of Gospel 12 of 21*

Keith Green

The Term and Concept of “Personal Savior.” I find it very disturbing when something unnecessary is added to the Gospel. The use of the  term “Personal Savior” isn’t very harmful in itself, but it shows a kind of mind – set that is willing to “invent” terms, and then allow these  terms to be preached as if they were actually found in the Bible.

But why must we do this? Why must we add needless, almost meaningless things to the Gospel? It is because we’ve taken so much out  that we have to replace it with “spiritual double talk.”

That’s right, double talk! Would you ever introduce your sister like this: “This is Sheila, my personal sister”?! Or would you point to your  navel and say, “This is my personal bellybutton”? Ridiculous! But nevertheless, people solemnly speak of Christ as their personal Savior,  as if they’ve got Him right there in their shirt pocket – and as if when He returns, He will not have two, but three titles written across His  thigh: King of kings, Lord of lords, and PERSONAL SAVIOR! (See Rev 19:16.) This is only one example of how a non-biblical term can be  elevated to reverence by the Church, as if to say, “Well even if it isn’t in the Bible – it should be!”

 

* I discovered I had miscounted the number of sections. My apologies for any confusion.

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 12th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 11 – Section 2: “The Added Parts”, Introduction 11 of 21*

Keith Green

In each generation there have been various ways and means used to secure the attention of sinners so that they may be shown the truth  and then led into a saving knowledge and true relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a fact that man is a creature of habit. He loves form, doesn’t like things to change “too quickly,” and he clings to tradition.  Unfortunately (for man), God is no such person. Though something has never been tried before, God simply does not care. His only  concern is that it is the wisest and most direct way of accomplishing His desire.

This of course, threw the children of Israel into many a panic. “What’s God doing now?” If there was a big sea in the way, no problem, He  just split it. If there wasn’t any water, snap! A drinking fountain from a rock. Food running low? Presto! It’ll rain bread in the morning.  And Jesus had the same way of dealing with things. When His disciples were far from shore, it didn’t matter, Jesus just strolled over the  waves. Problem with the weather? “Shut up wind!” And so it went . (Exo 14:21-22; Exo 16:4; Exo 17:6; Mat 14:25; Mar 4:39)

Now as you can see in the Bible, God had a lot of problems with man and his traditions. Just take a look at the Jews – how they loved their  temple, their sacrifices, their Sabbath – too bad they didn’t care much for their God. And Jesus ran up against the whole stubborn lot of  them. “Did you see that? Why, He healed on the Sabbath!” (Luk 13:14) At every turn, Jesus tried to show them the truth, using the  wisest reasoning and the best examples, but they kept getting hung up on His methods – touching lepers, raising the dead, hanging out  with sinners, whipping moneychangers – it scared them to death!(Mat 8:2-3; Mat 9:11; Joh 2:15; Joh 11:43-44) Their religion was basically peaceful, very solemn and quiet. But  Jesus… why Jesus had the whole town in an uproar at least once a week! You can see why He bothered them; He disturbed their nice  little religion… with the truth! (Joh 8:44-45)

It is obvious that God anoints men and women who are completely yielded to His Spirit. He also anoints methods and tools that we use –  meetings, tracts, books, music, witnessing, preaching, etc. – when they are also fully submitted to Him in faithfulness. But there is a great  danger when man (or even God) designs a tool to be used for God’s glory, and then as time passes, people’s attention starts to be fixed on  the tool itself, rather than on the glory of God (which it was originally designed to promote).(See 2Ki 18:4 – Because it had become an idol, King Hezekiah had to destroy the same bronze serpent that Moses had made in Num 21:8, which was used to stop the plague of death among the Israelites. This is the same bronze serpent refererred to by Jesus in reference to Himself, in Joh 13:14 !)

The following is a list of just some of the tools, methods, and concepts that I believe have become so much a part of presenting the  modern gospel, that they have become just about inseparable from it. In fact, they are to such an extent considered necessary, that if  many of them are left out of an evangelistic meeting, Christians can hardly believe that anyone can be saved there.

* I discovered I had miscounted the number of sections. My apologies for any confusion.

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 12th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 10 – What’s Specifically Wrong With Modern Gospel? 10 of 15

Keith Green

It’s Me-Centered Instead of Christ-Centered. First and foremost, it is the gospel that appeals to the selfish. Instead of honoring God, it  places the sinner at the center of God’s love and plan. But the Bible places Jesus at the center of God’s plan, not the sinner.

One of the most well-known phrases of modern evangelism is “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!” But the sober,  biblical truth that needs to be presented to the sinner’s mind is “You have made yourself an enemy of God, and in your present state of  rebellion there is absolutely no hope for you.” In fact, God’s “plan” for the sinner at this point in his life is to separate him from His  presence forever, in hell. However unpopular or unlovely that may sound, it is the only truth and reality about anyone who is an enemy  of God through sin.

The whole line of reasoning in our modern gospel continues on and on in this mistaken way. “Sin has separated you from God, ‘and His  wonderful plan for your life.’ Jesus came and died on the cross, so that you may experience ‘His wonderful plan for your life.’ You must  accept Jesus now, so that you will not miss out on ‘His wonderful plan for your life!'” You, you, you, you!!! It’s all for YOU! I’m not sorry to  say this, but Jesus did it all in obedience, for His Father’s glory. (Phi 2:8-12) Of course, it infinitely benefits those who love, serve, and  honor Him, but that was a secondary consideration, not the primary one. (Please read Eze 36:22-32.) If people come to Jesus mainly to  get a blessing, or only to get forgiveness, they will ultimately be disappointed. But if they come to give Him their lives in honor and  worship, then they will truly have forgiveness and joy – more than they could ever imagine! (1Co 2:9)

It’s Shallow, Cheap, and Offered as a “Bargain.” Our gospel reduces the good news to a “come and get it while you can” sale. We make  every effort to take all the bones out – everything that might offend someone, might make them hesitate or put off their decision. Jesus  didn’t do this. He never lowered the requirements for anyone. One had to be completely sincere, totally humbled, having counted the  cost, willing to leave everything, family and property, “count all things loss” so that they might “gain Christ.” (Phi 3:7-8) When that same  rich young ruler “went away sad, for he had many possessions” (Mat 19:22), Jesus didn’t go running after him shouting, “Hey, wait a  minute! Let’s talk this thing over, it isn’t as bad as it might sound. Maybe I was a little too harsh!”

Maybe we’re so eager to “see the converts,” to publish “how many got saved at our last concert” in the bulletins to our supporters, that  we’ll do anything to rush someone into a “decision” before he’s had a chance to really make one. The problem is, if you have to rush him  into it, he probably will change his mind later anyway. For as a friend of mine says, “If somebody can talk them into it, somebody can talk  them out of it!” (1Co 1:17)

Salvation is Shown as a Barter or Trade, Instead of the Result of Obedience by Faith. We offer forgiveness of sin like Monty Hall on “Let’s  Make a Deal.” I’ve even heard, “You give Jesus your sin, and He’ll give you salvation in return!” No one in the Bible ever thought so low of  the grace of God to talk about the gift of eternal life like it was for trade. It is a gift! You can’t earn it, or buy it, or give anything in return  for it. How it must offend the Holy Spirit to hear people talk of His Jesus so. (Act 8:18-23)

It Produces Selfish, “Blessed,” and Feelings-Oriented “Converts.” Anyone who is made to believe he becomes a Christian under such  preaching will seldom bring forth the true fruits of a real convert. He will remain just as selfish as he always was, only now his selfishness  will take on a religious form. If he wants something for himself, he will say he “has a burden” for something, or he will say, “It is the desire  of my heart,” or some other religious-sounding phrase like that. He will pray selfishly, desiring blessings for himself, and even if he does  pray for others, it usually will be for selfish reasons. After all, when he “accepted the Lord,” he was told how much Jesus wanted to bless  him and how much God had stored up for his account, and how the Bible was like “a checkbook full of promises, just waiting to be  cashed!”

Such a person always seeks to “feel” good about himself, his own church, his own pastor, etc. His whole world is built on feeling blessed.  He was never shown how he was created to bless God… God was not created to bless him. (Psa 149:4; Phi 2:13)

As you can see, the “converts” described above are not like those pictured in the book of Acts, when the Church was new and the fire was  hot. Take a look at Act 2:41-47 and Act 4:31-35, and you will see the tender spirit of love, and the mighty spirit of power that prevailed  among the brethren in those early days. I believe that one of the great reasons that “everyone kept feeling a sense of awe” (Act 2:43),  was because “they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to prayer. “(Act 2:42) I believe that Peter and the  others made every effort to convey the whole message of the Gospel when they preached and taught, and that is why the Spirit of God  could anoint and bless the new converts so powerfully- God always anoints the truth! (Isa 55:11)

 

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 11th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 09 – The Necessity of Holiness to Please God 9 of 15

Keith Green

Hebrews says without holiness “no one shall see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14) It is true that Jesus  commands us to be perfect. (Mat 5:48) It is also true that you most likely have never met a perfect person, nor do you probably ever  expect to be perfect yourself. Nevrtheless, we still have those uncomfortable words of the Lord, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is  perfect”!

Now, because of our dilemma in finding ourselves to be such numskulls, and seeing the demands of Jesus, we have invented some pretty  interesting and caraaazzeey doctrines. Some Christians have said, “Well, when God looks at us, He doesn’t really see us anymore, He sees  Jesus instead. And when there’s ever sin in our hearts, if God should happen to look at the wrong moment, He’ll see a smiling face of  Jesus there, instead of seeing our sin. So God sees me as holy – even though I’m not! But…I really am…er, well, you know what I mean!”  (I don’t happen to believe that God is that easily fooled, not even by Christians.)

Another stranger-than-truth doctrine is that blessed refuge of backsliders called “the carnal Christian.” In this example of pretzel-logic,  we are led to believe that any “believer” who isn’t really “walking with the Lord” at the present time, and is indulging in the things of the  world and the lusts of the flesh, can still be considered a “Christian,” but not a Christian of the 1st class, no, a Christian of the 2nd class… a  “carnal Christian.” Here we have a case of the “believer” who doesn’t believe. Oh, he still “believes” that God is God, and that there is a  heaven and hell, and so on (but don’t forget, the devil believes all these things too!-Jam 2:19). He knows all the right things to say to  convince granny, the pastor, and his Christian friends that he’s still hanging in there. He even sort of believes it himself. Seems he’s got  everybody fooled – everybody that is, except God! The Bible is clear that “If we say we’ have fellowship with Him, and yet walk in the  darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ” (1Jo 1:6)(Here are only a few of the many Scriptures that say this over and over again, in the clearest possible terms: Psa 5:4; Psa 5:6; Mat 7:22; Joh 3:20-21; 2Co 6:14; 1Jo 2:4; 1Jo 2:9-11; 1Jo 3:10; 1Jo 4:20)

Today, possibly the greatest insult to the Gospel has been the almost total neglect of the preaching of holiness for the Christian. Jesus  doesn’t want to make believe that we’re holy, He wants to impart His holiness to us by the Holy Spirit. But because people are not being  driven to the cross, convicted by His Law to repentance and real rebirth, then we have to spend hours in our seminaries trying to find  suitable, complicated ways to explain away the obvious meanings of Scripture.

To all this you might be saying, “But what about all those people getting saved by the efforts of good men and ministries out there?  They’re not preaching the way you say they should, and they still have converts!” Well, the immediate answer to that question is, “The  people are not getting saved because of their messages, they’re getting saved in spite of them.” But unfortunately, many of the people  who make “decisions for Christ” through large evangelistic crusades, do not even attend church regularly in the years that follow. (And as  you probably well know, “attending church regularly” does not guarantee that one is a true believer.) But let’s take a closer look at what  kind of “converts” today’s gospel usually produces.

 

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 10th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 08 – God’s Sorrow and Broken Heart Over Sin 8 of 15

Keith Green

The picture of God as presented today by evangelists is that of an optimist – a positive-thinking good ole boy who lives in heaven, high above the trouble on earth, where everything is rosy, “and the skies are not cloudy all day.” Why, how could anything bother the living God? He isn’t really troubled by all the mess down here, He has everything under control!

But again, the Bible paints a different picture of our King. Just look at Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Luk 19:41), or the pleadings of God with the nation of Israel through the prophets Isaiah or Ezekiel.(Isa 1:18; Isa 54:7; Exe 18:23; Eze 18:32; Eze 33:11; Hos 11:8) This God, the one in the Bible, is continually striving with men through His Spirit. It says in Proverbs, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” (Pro 15:3) That means that God saw every rape committed today, He saw every murder, every person that starved to death, every pornographic film and book, every abused and battered child. How can anyone believe that He sees this and does not grieve? Of course God can grieve. Doesn’t the Bible implore us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”? (Eph 4:30)

You see, God is the most hurt and dishonored being in the universe. He could stop all this mess, all the perversion and crime and corruption any time He wishes, but He doesn’t! Why? Because He waits for the souls of men and women. “Regard the patience of our Lord to be salvation,” Peter said. (2Pe 3:15) But the Church, which doesn’t have one millionth of the compassion that God has, has turned around and created a god in its own image and likeness. A carefree, cheerful, above-it-all God. And then the Church has conveniently removed from the “gospel” it presents all reference to the pain and sorrow in God’s heart. The Church doesn’t want a God who’s grieved with sin, because then this God would be grieved with them… (and He is!)(Psa 78:40-41; Mar 3:5)

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 9th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 07 – Repentance as Necessary for Forgiveness 7 of 15

Keith Green

It has always amazed me how the Church could have evolved to such a state as it is in now,  with such clear, direct teaching from the Lord Jesus as to what is necessary to be right with God. Please read the first five verses of the  13th chapter of Luke. Here, Jesus is told the news about some Galileans who were executed by the Romans. He then says, “Unless you  repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luk 13:1-5) Using another example, He then repeats the same exact sentence.

I cannot conceive of conversion without repentance. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles are full of commands to “repent and be  saved!”(Psa 7:12; Isa 30:15; Eze 18:32; Mat 3:2; Mar 1:5; Mar 6:7; Mar 6:12; Act 2:38; Act 3:19; Act 8:22; Act 17:30; Acts  26:19-20; Rev 2:5; Rev 2:16; Rev 3:3; Rev 3:19) Repentance is not just “being sorry” – that is only conviction. Repentance is not merely  a change of heart and a change of mind, it is a change of action! God requires that if we are sincerely convinced that sin is wrong, then we  will turn from it to God, and commit ourselves to not take part in sinful deeds any longer. God blesses such decisions and commitments  with abundant grace. And it is by that grace that we can fulfill the desires of the Spirit within us.

But because there is so little real conviction of sin brought about by the preaching of our modern gospel, we cannot truly require  repentance anymore. If we did, no one would “come forward” at all. For repentance is easy to him who sees how ugly and horrible sin is,  but repentance is impossible where the Law does not convince the sinner of his wicked heart, compelling him to turn from his sin into the  arms of a waiting, compassionate God. You see, all these removed parts of the Gospel are connected. In God’s wisdom, every aspect of  the appointed way of salvation is irreplaceable.

It is true that without God loving us first, we could not be saved. He made the first move, He always does. But He will not do what He  requires of the sinner himself to do – and that is to repent!

 

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 8th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 06 – 06 – Fear of God, Judgement Seat of Christ 6 of 15

Keith Green

Instead of the awesome majesty of Jehovah, today the Lord is presented as a sort of  “ice cream man-Santa Claus.” And the Church is the “candy store” where you can get “every goodie your heart desires.” Jesus Himself is  portrayed as “a sweetie pie,” so good, so loving, so forgiving, and so gentle, that you can almost hear the preacher whisper, “Aw, He  wouldn’t hurt a fly…” But what happened to “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31) or “The fear of the  Lord is the beginning of wisdom’? (Pro 9:10)(See also Deu 5:29, Deu 10:12; Jos 24:14; 2Ki 17:39; Psa 2:11; Psa 15:4;  Psa 19:9; Psa 25:14; Psa 31:19; Psa 33:18; Psa 34:7; Psa 34:9; Psa 34:11; Psa 52:6; Psa 60:4; Psa 67:7; Psalm  72:5; Psa 85:9; Psa 86:11; Psa 103:11; Psa 103:13; Psa 103:17; Psa 111:5; Psa 112:1; Psa 147:11; Pro 8:13;  Pro 10:27; Pro 13:13; Pro 14:26-27; Pro 15:16; Pro 16:6; Pro 19:23; Pro 23:17; Pro 28:14;  Pro 31:30; Isa 8:13; Jer 32:39-40; Mal 3:16; Mal 4:2; Mat 10:28; Luk 1:50; Act 10:35; Act 13:26; 2Co 7:1; Eph 5:21; Phil  2:12; Heb 12:29; 1Pe 1:17; Rev 14:7)

The wise, new editors of modern preaching rhetoric have conveniently wiped out every reference to the Almighty’s severity while  emphasizing only His kindness. This they do, ignoring the balanced, biblical view of Paul, “Behold then the kindness and severity of God.”  (Rom 11:22)

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 7th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – 05 – The Law of God Preached to Convict of Sin 5 of 15

Keith Green

Paul said, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1Co 2:2) Nowadays it’s “Jesus Christ and what He can do for you!” You cannot have more exact op

Pages could be written on this subject, but there is room for only one brief example. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he asked a very direct question: “Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Can you imagine what our preachers would answer him today? “Just admit you’re a sinner, accept Jesus as your Personal Savior, go to church, pay your tithes, try to be good, and you’re in!” But what was Jesus’ answer? “You know the commandments… if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Mat 19:17; Mar 10:19) The commandments?? Why they went out with Cecil B. DeMille! Isn’t this the “age of grace”?

Well, the truth is Jesus wasn’t preaching the commandments to him as the way of salvation, He was using the commandments to specifically convict him of his particular sin – greed. That rich boy loved the bucks, and Jesus knew just how to flush him out of the bushes – preach the Law! And that’s exactly what the Law is for- “For through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20), that’s what Paul said. The Law must be preached – not as the way of salvation, but as a searchlight put on the sinner’s heart, so he can see how utterly rotten he is, compared to the way God requires him to be. (Gal 3:24)

But today again, we are wiser than God. Our preaching isn’t filled with “dos and don’ts.” No, we don’t want to scare the “liberated generation” away. Why, if we said that fornication was wrong, or drugs, or abortion, or any other specific sin, people would feel all condemned and then how could they get saved? But that’s just it, Jesus preached the Law to the rich young ruler so that, after feeling condemned about his greed, he could turn and obey Jesus and find true treasure in heaven. “Go and sell all you possess and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.” (Mar 10:21) Unless people are truly convicted of sin, if they do not fully see that they are totally condemned by the requirements of God’s Law, then it is virtually impossible to show them the need for a savior. Why, what would they need to be saved from? Fun?

That is why our modern gospel must dwell on “all the good things God’ll do for you if you’d just accept Him!” We can’t convince a sinner that he needs a savior by just getting him to admit that, “Well, generally, yes, I am a sinner.” He must see how the Law of God totally condemns him as a sinner,(Rom 2:12; Rom 2:20; Rom 3:20-21; Rom 4:15; Rom 5:13; Rom 5:20; Rom 10:4; 1Co 15:56; Gal 2:16; Gal 2:19; Gal 3:10-11; Jam 29:11) and then the beauty of the Gospel, the glory of the cross, the marvelous power of Christ’s blood will be able to penetrate his anxious, waiting mind and heart. Only by the preaching of the Law can a man fully desire to be saved from his sin. For, “I would not have come to know sin except through the Law. “(Rom 7:7)

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 6th section)

What’s Wrong With The Gospel? By Keith Green – The Terrors of Hell 4 of 15

Keith Green

We often hear people say, “I’m tired of hell-fire and brimstone preaching!”  “Well,” I often reply, “when was the last time you heard any?” It is true, very few people preach on hell anymore – it is no longer in  vogue. We shouldn’t scare the poor sinners, no, that wouldn’t do. They’re just unfortunate, misguided souls, right? Wrong! The Bible  clearly shows that they are rebels who have robbed and dishonored the living God, infinitely offending Him.(Joh 8:44; Act 13:9-11; 1  Cor 6:9; Gal 4:16: Eph 2:1-3; Jam 4:4; 2Pe 2:12-19) They have no right to look at themselves in any other light.

But we, smart as we are, have decided to help God along. He doesn’t understand our generation as well as we do. The things Jesus  emphasized in His preaching were all right for the Jews, but our generation needs a more gentle, loving tone. “Tell ’em about heaven!” We  talk about heaven, about the “rewards of being born-again,” but we completely neglect the other side of the “two-edged sword.” (Heb  4:12) What right do we have to remove things from the Gospel that Jesus Himself gave great place to in His own preaching?(Mat 5:22;  Mat 8:12; Mat 10:28; Mat 13:41-42; Mat 13:49-50; Mat 22:11-14; Mat 23:13; Mat 23:33; Mat 24:48-51; Mat 25:30
; Mat 25:46; Luk 13:26-28)

 

(Tomorrow I’ll post the 5th section)