“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
John 6:37
I received an email yesterday from a fellow “member” of the Church “universal;” that is to say, he is a fellow believer in Christ and a good friend. He sent this link to a post on the Lighthouse Trails Research blog, which I partially captured in a screenshot below. I would encourage you to visit the blog and read the story in its entirety.
My friend wanted to know if I had heard about David Platt’s outspoken opposition to “the sinner’s prayer” and the terms “asking Jesus into your heart” and “inviting Christ into your life.”
Quite frankly, I had not heard of this. With all that is happening in the name of Christ these days I find it hard to keep up with everything. Thankfully I have a band of loyal friends who are kind enough to share newsworthy items with me.
I found myself in agreement with the article and particularly liked their conclusion:
“The Bible is clear that once someone is saved (born again), he is to be discipled by trustworthy God-honoring, Bible-believing teachers and pastors. But the “Gospel” that Platt, Warren, and so many others are presenting is not the “whosoever” Gospel that invites anyone to come in and sup and commune with Jesus Christ and become one of His; rather it is a works-driven belief system that draws unaware victims in, then harnesses them to a yoke too great to bear. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30)
The Southern Baptist Convention has done a great disservice to their Baptist members, and no doubt the effect will be felt throughout Christianity in these days when the world desperately needs the simple beautiful life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Those who have followed my blog for a while may recall that I have written a few articles critical of Platt. First he was guilty of dealing less than ethically with his adoring, book-buying public back in the U.S.A. You can see the story “Truth In Advertising?” for details.
Then I wrote critically about Platt’s quest to convince Christians that if they are truly dedicated disciples of Christ their life should be marked by frenetic energy expended on doing bold, missional things in far-away countries. You can read “Radical Christianity – The New Buzzword” for details.
What really bothers me with Platt, and many other “leaders” of the” gospel Glitterati” is their blatant hypocrisy. They purport to be Reformed Christians holding to the 5 solas: “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture Alone); “Sola Gratia” (Grace Alone); “Sola Fide” (Faith Alone); “Solus Christus” (Christ Alone); and “Soli Deo Gloria” (To God Alone Be Glory).
And they do hold to the 5 solas, except when they don’t! Confused? Don’t be. They hold to them when it serves their purposes, but when it doesn’t serve their purpose they quietly disregard them.
Today we have a clear example of what I am speaking about as it relates to the first sola – Sola Scriptura. This “sola” simply means Scripture alone is the only infallible source of divine revelation and the final authority for matters of faith and practice.
Therefore in the first audio below we see Platt making a case against “the sinners prayer” simply because that phrase cannot be found in the Bible. Case closed. But then listen to the second audio. Platt admits that “membership” in a local church is a term that is not found in the Bible. If we apply the same logic which Platt used in the first audio to show the error of “the sinners prayer” then we should conclude that membership in a local church is also an error because the term is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Right? Not so fast pardner. Platt says we can’t discard the concept of membership in a local church simply because the concept is not found in the Bible, after all we don’t find the term “Trinity” in the Bible either.
I hope I am not the only one who sees the hypocrisy.
So why the constant sales pitch to become “members” of a local church? Is it really out of concern for the welfare of you, the bumbling Christian or, perhaps because membership equates to butts in the pews, which equates to money in the offering plate? Also not to be discarded is the fact that it is a lot easier to “rule over” individuals who have signed a membership contract.
“And Jesus called them to him and said to them,“You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”
Mark 10:42-44
Here is another example of hypocrisy, but more on this subject on anther day!
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