EASY BELIEVISM

by

What could be easier than getting saved?

LogRolling

By Ken Blue

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13.

While a student In Bible College, I remember a story that I will never forget. Dr. Malone was preaching, and he told a story about a student who brought a lost man to the “altar.” Dr. Malone said he overheard the sinner say, “I don’t feel like getting saved today.” The student said, “You don’t have to feel like it, you just need to believe what Jesus did for you on the cross.” The sinner responded, “But I want to feel something.” Again the student assured him it was not a feeling he needed. He only needed faith. Finally the sinner knelt and prayed, asking the Lord to save him. Dr. Malone said, “As soon as the two of them stood, the student asks, how do you feel?”

One of the issues confusing pastors and sinners, is the concept that one must “feel” a certain way or his salvation is not real. The problem is we have made feeling a synonym for conviction. Now, feeling may follow conviction. However, feeling need not, and many times does not. Feeling is not conviction, nor is conviction a feeling.  Conviction is a conclusion that one comes to about an issue. Some who get saved may weep and tremble, while another may laugh and shout. Then, there are those who show little or no emotion. Now, who of us can say for sure which person REALLY got saved? The answer is, none of us.

Getting saved is the easiest thing in the world. For the life of me, I can’t figure why pastors and evangelist want to put razor wire between the sinner and the Savior. “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:8-13. Now, what could be easier? The text says the word is in the heart and mouth.  

Then we hear the criticism about “the sinners’ prayer.” I am not sure how a sinner gets saved without a prayer. I guess there is some kind of sinners’ prayer that doesn’t work. If anyone knows what it is, they should enlighten us. We hear that one, two, three, repeat after me, won’t save the sinner. I would be curious how anyone knows that the sinner led in a prayer isn’t saved. The fact, my dear brother is, you don’t know if anyone gets saved or not. If they bawl and crawl their way to the “altar” on their knees, you and I have no assurance they really got saved. Personally, I would no longer announce if people get saved or not. I think the safe thing to say is we had a certain number of professions.

The Scriptures tell us how to believe, and what to believe. But, we are never told what emotional response or feeling one must demonstrate. Let me conclude with one example, and I have many.

About fifty-five years ago, my wife and I went to her brother’s house for the sole purpose of leading him to the Lord. Vernon worked on the rail road, and the heat in his boots had caused a rash. He was setting at the table applying alcohol. I presented the gospel to him, and ask if he understood. He said he did. I ask him if he would be willing to accept Christ, if I prayed with him. He responded with a “yes.” We prayed, afterward he continued to rub the alcohol on his leg. There was no weeping, shouting, or visible emotion. Vernon is still living for the Lord, and I am as sure of his salvation as I am that of any person reading this.

I believe in easy believism. I think there is a mindset that we are in some kind of “Laodicean period,” where people have no interest in salvation. That mindset conditions our attitude toward the lost. So, we put every obstacle before them, and if they aren’t willing to jump them, we beat them up to confirm what we believed. I think we should remove every obstacle between the sinner and the cross, and do everything in our power to get people to accept Christ; so did Jesus, and Paul. Believing is easy for those who believe.

“…unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:18-22

 

DOES ISRAEL HAVE A SECRET NUCLEAR OR LASER WEAPON?

by

laser

bomb

By Ken Blue

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” Zechariah 14:12.

Jerusalem will be the last “burdensome stone” to stand in the way of a one-world peace under the Antichrist. The Jews, who know their Scriptures and their God, will not submit to the Antichrist or his world armies.

We can see the scene being set within the area of the old Roman Empire for the need of a world leader. The nations will conclude that the only hope of a lasting world peace is the removal of Israel. The Jews will be the last “hold out” in this peace process.

An army will consist of “peace keepers” out of every nation. They will be taken over and led by a man that is Antichrist. When it appears that all hope for any Jew to survive is gone, one of the most spectacular events this world had ever witnessed will happen. It is described in the above text.

For those of you who are skeptics and scoffers at the Bible, I ask you to take a long hard look at the text. The above concept could not have been conceived by anyone over 2000 years ago. Today, no one doubt’s its meaning, or possibility.

Now, it is possible that the very presence of God will be the nuclear or laser energy.  It may be a secret weapon that Israel has, and they may be His instrument to destroy these armies. I am not concerned about the “how” of this event. My point is to assure everyone that God has the program and the power well under control, and to show how “up to date” the Bible is.

Don’t let your heart be overly troubled about what you see in world events. These things are necessary in order to purge the earth, and to show the world that God is faithful to His promise to Israel through Jesus Christ. This event will lead to many nations acknowledging that the God of the Bible is LORD.

PASTOR KEN FRALEY NOW WITH THE LORD

by

ken fraley

 

 

 

 

 

 

“At approximately 9:30 a.m., EST today, My dad took his final steps into heaven. Please remember my family in your prayers. -Andrea-

Sandy Fraley Stockton

“Dad’s funeral will be Saturday Oct. 5th at First Baptist in Milford, Ohio at 10:30 am – visitation starting at 9:30. We will also have a memorial open house in Palm Bay, Florida … details to be determined. William Childs Hospice House was an amazing blessing to our family. I’m so glad my sister was here with us at just the right time, and Debbie & Chuck are here from IL at the right time. God’s hand has been very present through this difficult time. My Aunt & Uncle made it in today and we’re glad to have them here. Special thanks to my in-laws Sharon & Dale for their amazing generosity and thoughtfulness and Mother &Father-in-law for coming every day and for her making those special cinnamon rolls. God’s blessings to everyone who brought food, sent cards, called and texted or FBd. Thank you Dixie for being such a great friend! We are blessed.”

Pastor Ken Fraley was one of my precious friends. Our families spent many wonderful hour in fellowship over the years. I met Brother Fraley at Midwestern Baptist College 47 years ago. Our last time together was a Branson Missouri…He and Gena have two wonderful daughters; Andrea, and Sandy. Brother Fraley will be missed. Thankfully, those of us who know Jesus as Savior, will be reunited. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.  We love you.

 

ALBERT BARNS ON PREACHING

by

arrors target

Posted By Ken Blue

Many preachers have no objective for the sermons they preach, other than to preach the sermon. They have no thought-out purpose, thus they expect little or no results. They are seldom disappointed. This article, written by Albert Barns, deals with the skill and preciseness that every pastor should learn to perfect as he asks the question, “Why am I selecting this subject, and what results do I expect from it?”

“Men who preach should endeavor to understand the nature of the mind and of the moral feelings, as really as he who would inflict a deadly wound should endeavor to understand enough about anatomy to know where the heart is, or he who administers medicine should endeavor to know what is adapted to remove certain diseases. And he who has no belief in the efficacy of truth to produce any effect, resembles one who should suppose that all knowledge of the human system was needless to him who wished and who should cut at random– to perform a surgical operations piously leaving it with God to direct the knife; or he who should go into a hospital of patients, and administer medicines indiscriminately-devoutly saying, that all healing must come from God, and that the use of medicine was only to show its own weakness! Thus many men seem to preach. Yet, for aught that appears, truth is just as wisely adapted to save the soul, as medicine is to heal the sick; and why, then, should not a preacher be as careful to study the nature of truths and its adaptedness to a particular end, as a student of the healing art is to understand the adaptedness of medicine to cure disease? The true way of preaching is, to feel that truth is adapted to the end in view; to select that which is best fitted for that end; to preach as if the whole result depended on getting that truth before the mind and into the heart, and then to leave the whole result with God–as a physicians with right feelings, will exert all his skill to save his patient, and then commit the whole question of life and health to God. He will be more likely to praise God intelligently who believes that he has wisely adapted a plan to the end in view, than he who believes that God works only at random.”-Barns Notes

 

NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE

by

How the Word of God exposes man.

camouflage snake

 

 

 

 

 

By Ken Blue

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:11-12.

The context is revealing that there is nothing in our life that is hidden from the all-knowing eye of God. The Word of God is the instrument He uses to lay open all our thoughts and intents. Man may not be aware of these himself, but the Word of God exposes all to the individual. Heb. 4:13.

The Word of God is “quick,” or alive.

No other book on earth is like the Word of God! Men discover that not only is it alive, it is life giving. It speaks to the inner man in a multitude of ways. It pleads, it warns, it comforts, it convicts, it leads, and it guides. Of all the books ever written, it is the only one that has life, and imparts life.

The Word of God is powerful.

It has power to revive the spiritually dead. It has power to save, and to sanctify. It makes the week strong. It fills the hopeless with hope. It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. It can take the heart of stone and reduce it to powder or clay. Therefore, it has the power to convict, to convert, and condemn.

The Word of God is piercing, and there is no limit to its reach.

Not only must the priest kill and skin the sacrifice, it must also be dismembered. A sharp knife was required to separate the joints of the bones. Thus, the priest was getting deeper inside the slain animal with each cut. Just so, the Word of God does more that skin us. It pierces to the very joints that hold us together. No wonder Isaiah could say, “…Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5. Many souls have cried those words as they read or heard the Word of God. It dismembers us, and who can stand under its all piercing eye?

The Word of God is a discerner of our thoughts and the intents of the heart.

Many times these are hidden from our own eyes. But, the Word of God goes even deeper and reveals these to us. You may ask, how much deeper can it Go? The priest’s knife had the ability to divide the very bones and reveal the marrow. That is where the blood was made. The skeleton hid the marrow, but with the priest’s knife God lays wide the bones, and exposes the deepest, innermost part of the animal. This is what the Word of God does. It exposes those secret part of our life, and lays bare the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Now we can understand why lost men hate the Book, and why backslidden Christians ignore it. They cannot hide from its all seeing eyes. Oh, how it ought to make us tremble, as we contemplate the truth that the outward man, and the deepest recesses of our soul are naked before Him.