NOTE: the following teaching can be found in book "The School of Modern Evangelism" By Kirk Cameron & Ray Comfort.
In 1 Timothy 4:1-3 says, " Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth."
What does the Modern Day Gospel of Satan say? Take a listen to it's lies. It says, "Jesus will help their marriage, remove their drug addiction, fill the emptiness in their hearts, give them peace, love, joy and everlasting happiness."
Now let's look at the modern day gospel at work. The following anecdote will illustrate the unscriptural nature of this very popular teaching.
Two men are seating on a plane. The first is given a parachute and told to put it on, as it will improve his flight. He's a little skeptical at first, since he can't see how wearing a parachute on a plane could possibly improve his flight. He decides to experiment and see if the claims are true. As he puts it on, he notices the weight of it upon his shoulders and he finds he has difficulty in sitting upright. However, he consoles himself with the fact he was told that the parachute would improve his flight. So he decides to give it a little time.
As he waits he notices that some of the other passengers are laughing at him for wearing a parachute on a plane. He begins to feel somewhat humiliated. As they continue to point and laugh at him, he can stand it no longer. He slinks in his seat, unstraps the parachute, and throws it to the floor. Disillusionment and bitterness fill his heart, because as far as he is concerned he was told an outright lie.
The second man is given a parachute, but listen to what he is told. He's told to put it on because at any moment he'll be jumping 25,000 feet out of the plane. He gratefully puts on the parachute. He doesn't notice the weight of it upon his shoulders, nor that he can't sit upright. His mind is consumed with the thought of what would happen to him if he jumped without the parachute.
Now let's analyze the motives and the results of each passenger's experience. The first man's motive for putting on the parachute was solely to improve his flight. The result of his experience was that he was humiliated by the other passengers, disillusioned, and somewhat embittered against those who gave him the parachute. As far as he's concerned, it will be a long time before anyone gets one of those things on his back again.
The second man put on the parachute solely to escape the jump to come. And because of his knowledge of what would happen to him if he jumped without it, he has a deep-rooted joy and peace in his heart knowing that he's saved from sure death. This knowledge gives him the ability to withstand the mockery of the other passengers. His attitude toward those who gave him the parachute is one of heartfelt gratitude.
What does the modern gospel say again? "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He'll give you love, joy, peace, fulfillment, and everlasting happiness." In other words, Jesus will improve your flight. This is what happens to too many people. A sinner responds, and in an experimental fashion puts on the Savior to see if the claims are true. And what does he get? The promised temptation, tribulation, and persecution - the other "passengers" mock him. So what does he do? He takes off the Lord Jesus Christ; he's offended for the Word's sake; he's disillusioned and somewhat embittered......and quite rightly so. He was promised peace, joy, love, and fulfillment, and all he got were trials and humiliation. His bitterness is directed at those who gave him the so-called "good news." His latter end becomes worse than the first, and he's another inoculated and bitter "backslider."
Instead of preaching that Jesus improves the flight, we should be warning sinners that they have to jump out of the plane - that it's appointed for man to die once and then face judgement (Hebrews 9:27). When a sinner understands the horrific consequences of breaking the Law of God, he will flee to the Savior solely to escape the wrath that is to come. If we are true and faithful witnesses, that's what we'll be preaching - that there is wrath to come - that God "commands all men everywhere to repent: because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:30-31).
Remember that Proverbs says, "Riches profit not on the day of wrath: but righteousness delivers from death." Peace and Joy are legitimate fruits of salvation, but it's not legitimate to use these fruits as a drawing card for salvation. If we continue to do so, the sinner will respond with an impure motive, lacking repentance. Remember why the second passenger had joy and peace? It was because he knew that the parachute was going to save him from sure death. In the same way, as believers we have "joy and peace in believing" (Romans 15:13) because we know that the righteousness of Christ is going to deliver us from the wrath to come.
So, if we put on the Lord Jesus Christ for the right motive - to flee the wrath to come - then when tribulation strikes, "when the flight gets bumpy", we wont get angry with God, and we wont lose our joy and peace. Why should we? We didn't come to Christ for a better lifestyle, but to flee from the wrath to come. If anything, tribulation drives the true believer closer to the Savior. Sadly we have multitudes of professing Christians who lose their joy and peace when the flight gets bumpy. Why? They are products of a man-centered gospel. They came lacking repentance, without which they cannot be saved.
I pray that all who read this teaching allow the Holy Spirit to unlock the understanding and the urgency of it's truthful message. Please share it with those you love immediately!
Kelly Wayne,
Hell's Best Kept Secret
