This report was created with the intended purpose of warning about and exposing the Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) denomination in accordance to the commandment of our Lord (Rom. 16:17-18; Ps. 119:104; Ju 1:3; Eph 5:11; Ac 17:11; 1 Th 5:21 amongst many other passages), and obedience to the duties contained within the ninth commandment (“thou shalt not bear false witness”) which requires me to preserve and promote the truth between men (Ze 8:16), and to appear and stand for the truth before God (Pr. 31:8-9; Ju. 1:3; 1 Cor. 16:13; Ezk. 3:17), lest I be guilty of transgressing this commandment by concealing the truth or holding undue silence in this just cause (Rom 16:17; Ju 1:3; Lev 5:1; Ac 5:3, 8-9; 15:1-2; 2 Tim 4:5) or holding my peace when iniquity and error calleth for a reproof from myself (Pr. 24:25; 28:23; Ti. 2:15; Lev. 19:17) and/or complaint to others (Is 59:4a; Rom 16:17; 1 Cor 1:11). I need to make that clear for the haters and the rejectors of reproof in their sanctimonious "piety."
And I do so unapologetically.
But I do so in the spirit of the NT apostles, the OT prophets and saints, and other true Christian warriors of the past. They obeyed the Bible’s command to separate from false teaching. They marked them and avoided those who wilfully taught error (Rom 16:17). They exposed every lie and error. They called them out as false teachers, heretics and wolves. They considered them enemies, not friends. They understood their words to be dangerous (Rom 16:18; 2 Tim 2:16-18). They were spiritual warriors who earnestly contended for the faith according to Ju 1:3, fighting spiritual warfare with spiritual armoury, which is the Word of God, and not carnal warfare with carnal weapons. They tested everything by the Scriptures and rejected that, and them, taught in contradiction to sound doctrine (1 Cor 2:15; Jn 7:24;1 Tim 1:3; 1 Th 5:21; Eph 5:11), like the noble Berean's (Ac 17:11). They had a fiery passion for the truth. They had the spirit of the Psalmist,
“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” (Ps 119:128)
I’m not trying to poke at the bee hive here. I have no beef or particular axe to grind with EMC. Thats not the point or purpose. On a personal basis, I like and appreciate many EMC folks, but that doesn't offset or negate the greater responsibility of obeying God's Word, contending for the faith, caring for the truth more than the feelings of man, and loving God above man. In fact, if I do care for them, I will warn them (like I am), because death and destruction and damnation is the end product of false professions and false Christianity (Pr 24:11-12), and "Faithful are the wounds of a friend;" (Pr 27:6a). In all this, I'm simply fulfilling not only God's mandate for a servant of Christ, and the demands of Scriptures as saved people do, but also specifically my responsibility as an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5). As an "ambassador for Christ" (2 Cor 6:19), I have a responsibility and necessity to sound the trumpet, and I do have the authority of Jesus Christ:
"These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." (Ti 2:15)
Its also done in the spirit of love — love for God first and foremost, which is demonstrated by, and compels obedience (1 Jn 2:3-5; Jn 14:23-24), and love secondary to my neighbour, which in this case is the people of EMC and those potentially influenced by this denomination or its teachings and practices (Lk 10:27; 17:3). I cannot but speak and warn and contend for the faith over what is occurring in the EMC denomination,
"But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay."
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The EMC denomination began in Russia in 1812 and the people of this denomination migrated between 1874 and 1875 to North America. The denomination consists numerically of 62 churches located in Canada, geographically from the foremost west of the nation, British Columbia, to Ontario in the east, mostly located in towns and smaller cities. It once was called Kleine Gemeinde (which means "little colony or community"), with the present name change occurring in the 1960's. They are Evangelical and they are Mennonite. It will be assumed that the reader is familiar with Mennonites, but for those that aren't, there are various history sites on the internet and books that detail their history.
The following historical information is derived from the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO):
“The Kleine Gemeinde had its beginning in the Molotschna Colony of Russia in 1812. Its members immigrated to North America in the migration of 1874 as two separate churches; the larger group settled in Manitoba, and the smaller group of approximately 36 families settled in Nebraska. The Manitoba Kleine Gemeinde changed its name to Evangelical Mennonite Church in 1952 and to Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) in 1960.”
The article also states,
“The Evangelical Mennonite Conference has undergone numerous changes since the 1950s. Numerically it has grown from 6 Manitoba churches with a membership of 1,870 in 1951 to 53 churches in five Canadian provinces (British Columbia to Ontario) in 1997 and a membership of 5,813 in 1990. Not included in this total are mission churches in Germany, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Paraguay. Kleine Gemeinde members in Belize, who retained that name, have recently expanded to Nova Scotia.”
I cannot speak much to their beginnings in the 19th century, as to what they actually believed and practiced, not really even from the time when the name change took place (due to the scant info available, nevertheless the GAMEO site does provide some minute details which appears to highlight many of the same false gospel and unscriptural emphasis practiced in the 19th and 20th century, as ongoing today in many Mennonite denominations, but EMC itself has reverted to a different false gospel since at least the 60’s— libertinism [turning the grace of God into lasciviousness]; and also noteworthy were issues with an unscriptural church discipline taking place in the mid 19th century which led to the first big church split in the Kleine Gemeinde), and then over the last few decades, things haven’t gone all that well Biblically speaking for the EMC. They appear to quickly align and conform themselves to the culture of the land, whether good or bad, and to changes within evangelicalism, and much of the change has been liberal, unBiblical and worldly, which is easily provable by the Word of God, one of our objectives here. The transition from German to the English language in worship services occurred in the 1960’s, which really doesn't matter. A good Biblical change has been that most communion services use grape juice now, not alcoholic wine, though I am unsure as to whether that is across the entire conference, since the statement of faith purposefully omits this necessary agreement. Some of the unScriptural practices that have continued include treating footwashing as essentially a Church ordinance; pouring water for “baptism,” which is absolutely heretical, and only in 1973 did they add a resolution to allow churches to practice baptism by immersion (Wow! They finally allowed the only Biblical form of baptism! Buts its not the “older established churches” that have changed this practice, no they “continue to baptize by pouring,” its only “a few of the newer churches are also baptizing by immersion” — how comforting); ungodly, worldly rock bands and their instruments have become the “worship” of choice for most if not all of the churches; women don't dress like women anymore but like men, both in clothing and hair; and more.
The EMC denomination has always had a liberal twist to it, at least from the 60's and 70's. I do not believe its ever been genuinely Biblical-based, but likely from its inception and then for over a century onward proponents of some form of legalism (meaning they attempted to add works to salvation), and now for the past four or five decades, libertinism. Its mooring in many locations has been in direct opposition to the more conservative Mennonite churches in the area. Many people attracted to these type of churches, have, in their spite for Biblical standards and rules, gone from the pendulum swing of legalism, to the very opposite pendulum swing of libertinism (more on this later). They've completely flipped to aspects of antinomianism. From one form of bondage to another. Over the years, EMC has continued thriving in error and apostasy, waxing worse and worse, so that one could say that by now its completely leavened over with serious doctrinal error and heresy, worldliness, sin, and ecumenicalism with heretics and apostates, or toleration of such, exemplified by many means in this report, but not excluding mere human opinions exalted as authoritative as Scripture; self-chosen righteousness vs what God's Word says; ungodly and haughty pride towards correction and reproof; seductive and deceptive hypocrisy; manifold deceptions of the soul; ungodly and accursed abominations embraced; disgraceful blasphemies; worldliness at enmity with God; spite for the true gospel (including repentance and the blood of Christ); a self-devised undertaking; and a disobedient, contumacy to the divine Word of God. There is a false, offensive, and openly idolatrous worship, of which Jesus Christ has not left or commanded us a single letter concerning these things. This, and much more, will be examined in this three-part report.
Two times the NT repeats the truth that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” — once in relation to sin (1 Cor 5:8), and once in relation to error (Gal 5:9). What a profound truth. If leaven is not entirely removed, cut out and cut off, it continues its spreading effect. Even if a little bit is left, it spreads and it eventually leavens the whole lump. This is what we see has occurred at EMC. The entire loaf has been leavened.
What is happening in the EMC churches is actually Satanic. Its worse than mass-genocide on a scale of bad. Teaching lies, false doctrine, false gospels, false Jesus', false worship, committing serious spiritual adultery, and more, as will be more than abundantly proven in this report, is worse than what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt 11:20-24). Jesus said that about people who were rejecting the truth while professing to belong to Him, which is exactly what is occurring in evangelicalism in general, and EMC in particular.
If you dear reader are actually into truth, not man-worship or man-centredness, where God is verily first and you are a true servant of Him and not men (Gal 1:10; 1 Cor. 7:22-23), you will take careful heed to what is written here. You will want to understand the errors, evils and dangers of what I will point out in this report. I believe however that most coming here to read, are not coming here for that reason at all. They aren't actually into sound truth and allegiance to Gods Word, but have set their hearts on fables and fiction because of their lusts and itching ears (2 Tim 4:3-4). They are scoffers (2 Pet 3:3) and scorners (Pr 1:20-32). They have left the world of conviction and truth long time ago, and are floating somewhere in the depths of the sea over the graveyard of the titanic. For,
"The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." (Pr. 21:16).
EMC churches are congregations of the dead.
That is the truth, and this three-part report more than proves it.
Would Paul the Apostle not reprove the truck loads of error, heresy, ungodliness, unrighteousness in the EMC with the words he spoke to the false prophet, Barjesus?
"O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" (Ac 13:10)
I reckon he would have.
You might not want to hear what I have to say, but when you stand alone before the "great white throne" judgment (Rev 20:11-15), and Christ says, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matt 7:23), you will wish at that point that you had earnestly listened to what I had to preach. You will never be able to say, 'why didn't someone tell me about this.' So that is why, I, one of the just who lives by faith (Hab 2:4; Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38), projects forward to that moment and preaches the truth to you, by faith, with this understanding that one day you will wish you had listened, even though you might not want to hear this report today. At this present time you might not like it and want me to be quiet and leave you alone, but at the great white throne judgement, that train of thought will reconstruct in the twinkle of an eye. So, out of love for what is right, Biblical, and godly, out of faithfulness and love for you, I will do now what you would've wanted me to do at the great white throne judgment.
"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." (Eph 5:14)
"Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal 4:16)
Introduction
A few important points before we dive into the three-course meal.
Firstly, I would appeal to you dear reader to not confuse Biblical confidence with arrogance. Some, maybe even you, might think this as “arrogant.” It’s not. I'm confident, but my confidence comes from my position in Christ, my standing in grace, and my certainty of Scripture, not in myself. My conscience is clear on the arrogance front.
Secondly, this report is not the wrong mode or manner of message nor is it divisive, sowing discord, touching the Lord's anointed, unkind, unloving, uncaring, harsh or any other such insult that may transverse your cranium. For a moment be Biblical and read the important report where we Answer False Accusations of Warring Spiritual Warfare.
Thirdly, I would exhort you to read carefully and Biblically and not confuse facts with fables of the imagination. Also, pick up a King James Bible when you are doing your reference checks in this report (if that is something you would do, which I surely hope), not one of the corrupted versions you might well be sadly accustomed to.
Fourthly, this is, I believe, only a very small sample of what could be written, even though its going to extend to three parts. Its merely the tip of the iceberg. And I mean tip. There is much, much more that could be exposed, and I suspect even much worse things occurring in this denomination, morally speaking, that I am unaware of, but really, what is worse than a false and perverted gospel, with churches consequently filled with unsaved people playing Churcholatry. Broadly speaking, this is true in all of evangelicalism. As we all know, it only takes the tip of an iceberg to sink a mega ship.
Fifthly, the report “The Apostasy of the Evangelical Bergthaler Mennonite Conference (EBMC)” overlaps with this one, so feel free to have a read there as well. Overall EBMC is not as far off course as EMC. I believe there is a slight glimmer of hope at the more conservative EBMC for a navigational correction of course as they presently flail and falter in the treacherous waters of spiritual adultery and heresy they find themselves in — if, and I mean "if," they can get their compass back on track that is, which would require massive correction, purging, repentance and true conversions, in a denomination of churches consisting also almost entirely of unregenerate people. But as for EMC, I cannot have that same confidence, since its very close to 100% unconverted, and the larger issue, its liberal to the core, and apostate. Of course hope is possible because anything is possible with God, but the way the Bible reads, the possibility is next to nil, since the problem doesn't lie with God but with unrepentant evangelicals married to the world and to the lusts of their flesh. There are reasons for the dismissal optimism, but I write this report not only to warn, but also to galvanize correction, and my crosshairs are set on the people being misled by the apostasy who have a desire to walk in Biblical righteousness. To them this warning might find some traction for trajectory in the right direction, which starts with fleeing the apostate denomination. Separation is the answer, which might bring shame (2 Th 3), especially if there are any truly converted.
The absolute apostate disaster that is occurring in this group could be likened to the Titanic gradually sinking and the ministers at EMC vainly rearranging the chairs on the deck, all to the end-times Hellsong soundtrack of Further Away “My” (?) God from Thee on drums and electric guitars, the whole nine-yards, with holely jeans and pelvis thrusts, the whole lot, all in the face of impending catastrophe. The activity is futile and fatalistic, but I believe its an apt description of what's occurring in some of the "better" EMC churches (if "better" could be used as a term in declension), while in others the ship has sank long time ago. To get the former ship fixed and back on course would require an acknowledgement that they are sinking in despair because of their own doing (worldliness, spiritual adultery, heresy and apostasy) and that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" like the church at Laodicea (Rev 3:14-18), which means they are unsaved, and will be vomited out of God's mouth (Rev 3:14-16) — with a resultant complete renovation of the groupe de personnes in line with Scripture; those in particular that have been rescued from not only the depths of a certain watery hell, but also from the depths of the true eternal lake of fire. I won't hold my breath, knowing what Pr 1:20-32 and 1 Tim 6:3-5 do declare. But the lifeline has been thrown out.
Those few that might have ears to hear, will—above the nauseating fleshly carnal end-times soundtrack—hear the final creaking of the ship as the vessel slips below the surface into its deep watery grave. Absence of discernment, trivial absolute truth, no true reverence and fear for God and His Word, trivial true obedience, no true worship of God, an anemic and corrupted gospel, all reflect dead ritualistic and permissive religion, with the pendulum simply swung in the opposite direction of legalism (i.e., performance-based salvation, though some traces of this is present at EMC), precisely fulfilling Ju. 1:4, counted among those “certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sixthly, this 20/20 report is written to coincide with the 50th anniversary of one of the EMC denominational churches, LCCF, which passed on Sept 3, 2023. In a social media post celebrating the 50th anniversary, LCCF summarized what they believe their church has become over the years: “thriving, Bible believing, [and] God honouring.” But is that actually true though? Not according to the facts before us, as we will see, and its beginnings were founded upon a liberal stance, in opposition to the more conservative churches in the area, which continues to this day, only that the other conservative evangelical churches have become very similar to that of the EMC. But that seems to be the case in all of evangelicalism, which is heretical and apostate to the core.
Seventhly, all the time invested in researching, studying, in the hundreds of hours writing this report, isn’t for personal gratification or pompous accolades or a pat on the back, or even that I think there is any hope for EMC. I do not believe there is. They mock and malign and ignore reprovers. They hide behind their self-righteous fervour, the impressive size of their churches and movement and the wisdom of their scholars and refuse to heed godly reproof. They are like the rich man whose wealth is his strong city (Pr 18:11). Like the Laodicean Church, they are “rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing,” so what possible need would they have of correction? So there is little to no hope.
What then is the purpose?
Obeying God’s Word (1 Jn. 2:3-5; Jn. 14:15-24) by appearing and standing for the truth (Pr. 31:8-9; Ju. 1:3; 1 Cor. 16:13; Ezk. 3:17) and contending for the faith (Ju. 1:3) and exposing false teachings and teachers (Rom. 16:17; Eph. 5:6-11; Gal. 1:6-9; 2:4-5; Phil. 3:18-19; 2 Tim. 4:2-4; 2 Jn. 1:9-11) since the ministry of EMC is public (and affects me personally) — thereby bringing glory to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;
Providing instruction to those in need, to help bring them out of their captivity of the snare of the devil, if God perhaps give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. 2 Tim. 2:25-26 speaks to this, referring to those who think they are saved but are in fact not; and
Compassionate persuasion to deliver you from inevitable destruction and death. “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Pr. 24:11-12). “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn. 15:13). "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Pr 27:6a).
To encourage and beseech separation from this extremely heretical, ecumenical, worldly, and disobedient neo-evangelical organization that believes and operates in opposition to God's Word — in obedience to the Word of God: e.g., Rom 16:17-18; 2 Cor 6:14-18; 1 Tim 6:3-5; 2 Tim 4:1-4; Eph 5:11; 2 Jn 1:9-11; Rev 2-3; etc. "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Rom 16:17-18)
Hopefully it doesn’t fall completely on dull ears, blinded eyes and hardened hearts, as the first attempt, which was tragic (and caused by conditions outlined in Matt. 13:13-15; Rom. 16:26-27; De. 10:12-16), but seeing my motivations aren’t built on pleasing or persuading man but God, the outcome makes no difference to my obedience to Scripture and contending for the faith.
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10)
My hands are clean and pure from the blood of these men.
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul." (Ezk 3:18-21)
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." (Ac 20:26-27)
This is really a wonderful place to be, truly in the will of God and seeking to please Him alone, just like the apostle Paul, just like all truly regenerate born again believers, while pure from the blood of men. This reminds me of the prophet Jeremiah who God commanded to go out and preach, to preach the truth of what God had said, to contend for the faith, to preach hellfire and brimstone judgment coming upon the Israelites — while being told that no one would listen. God told him this before he began preaching. Did it stop him from preaching the truth, from bearing the reproach of Christ? Absolutely not! The people Jeremiah preached to are surprisingly similar to the people at EMC and the rest of evangelicalism, or really Christendom in general. God declares specifically those “that handle the law knew me not" (Jer. 2:8), which would be those professing to be believers, professing to be spiritual, professing to be followers of Jesus. They obviously have a religious pretence, but they don't actually know Him. And then a few sentences later, God tells us the cause of their problems, bearing in mind that these, and most of Israel, had a profession of faith, appeared to be following the true and living God of the Bible, all of which corresponds precisely with EMC's predicament:
"For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." (Jer. 2:13)
It is an apt description of evangelicalism in general: they have forsaken the true fountain, created their own cisterns, which are in fact broken cisterns that can hold no water. Rather than submit to and obey the true and living God of Scripture, they have created their own god that appeals to their imagination and lusts.
And in chapter 4:
"For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." (Jer. 4:22).
Sadly, EMC, like evangelicalism overall, will likely not give heed to the first injunction of the following two passages from Jer 6, but the last in each:
“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. [17] Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.” (Jer 6:16-17)
I do not believe a more accurate summons could be given to EMC, as the rest of this report will reveal. They won’t walk in the old paths, which is the good way that leadeth to rest for their souls (i.e. salvation), nor will they hearken to watchmen that blow the trumpet, such as us at work here at 20/20. Yet, my prayer is to that end, for their genuine repentance and dramatic conversion and change of life, heart and beliefs.
I believe Isaiah sums up this leadership well,
“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” (Is 56:10-11)
Eighthly, don't for a moment think EMC is being persecuted with this public reproof. No one is persecuting them. Its the godly that are persecuted, not the ungodly.
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Tim 3:12)
This is a letter of contention and reproof against the public errors, sins and abominations of EMC, not a letter of persecution for preaching what is right, or for preaching against that which is wrong.
As this report will demonstrate, majority of people in the EMC do not "live godly in Christ Jesus," so if they suffer, its certainly not because of godly persecution but because of the consequence of their flesh and sin. Worldliness, is sin. Ungodly carnal music, is sin. Having a rock band on the church stage "worshipping," is sin. Not worshipping in spirit and in truth, is sin. Cleaving to evil, is sin. Immodest clothing and appearing gender indistinctively, is sin. Embracing error and false teachings, is sin. Tolerating heretics, is sin. Tolerating and approving of false teachers, is sin. Not warning against false teachings and teachers, is sin. Embracing and propagating a false gospel and false Jesus, is sin. And the list goes on.
Persecution comes through godly and righteous living (Matt 5:10; 2 Tim. 3:12); through the preaching of the true gospel of Jesus Christ (Ac 5:24-29, 40-42; 13:49-50; 12:1-24; 14:20-28), not the false gospel of conforming to culture, that is absent of offence, sin, hell, fear of God, repentance, Christ’s blood, etc (Gal 1:6-9); through standing for the truth of Gods Word, earnestly contending for the faith, and refusing to compromise (1 & 2 Timothy; Ju 1:4); and through simply being a true born again Christian that therefore never loves the world again (Jn 15:18-20) vs loving the world and not being hated by the world. The world often knows who are genuine believers, and those not. EMC is not, and the world knows that.
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” (Jn 15:18-20)
True born again believers will suffer reproach, revile, and persecution as salt of the earth. They will be "hated of all men for [Christ's] name's sake" (Matt 10:22; 24:9; Mk. 13:13; Lk 21:17). But when the salt doesn't have savour its good for nothing, will be cast out and trodden under the foot of man (Matt. 5:13). That is what false Christianity, neo-evangelicalism is, and worse (Rev 3:14-18). God will vomit them out of His mouth one day (Rev 3:16). False believers are professing to be salt, but are not; they are lovers of men more than lovers of God, pursuers of selfish desires and glory rather than the glory and desires of God, they are compromisers which are disobedient cowards with no salty savour, destitute of courage and boldness which is intrinsic to the saint because of the indwelling Spirit of God.
The Bible tells us that as the sparks fly upwards, so is the man born into trouble (Job 5:17), but that trouble at EMC is the product of their own doing, not because they are lights in a dark world, or contenders of the one true faith. EMC attendees are not persecuted people. They do not even know what that means. They have never been persecuted , though they often have trouble. When the government said close your doors, they closed their doors. When the government said wear masks, don't touch or shake hands, they wore masks, didn't touch or shake hands. Yes this is very evil compromise, but its very reflective of unsaved and unregenerate hearts. That is clear from Scripture, since saved people trust in the Lord and live by faith.
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." (Pr 29:25)
Ninth, I pray that logical fallacies would be forborne, considering they are essentially a form of lying and bearing false witness. In my experience in dealing with individuals from evangelical or reformed denominations, any sort of criticism and reproof of the heresy and apostasy and false teachers or worldliness and other sinfulness they have embraced is met with a repugnant fleshly and emotional knee-jerk reaction, and loads of informal fallacies especially straw man arguments (attacking an argument by misrepresentation), red herrings (not staying on subject by arguing an irrelevant topic with the intention of distracting), and ad hominem (personal attacks), which are an abomination to God. But is that surprising? When a professing Christian builds his or her life upon a fleshly, emotional, subjective experience, that is how they will operate when anyone challenges it with objective Biblical truth. Sadly, these people have been led astray by believing a lie, founded upon the greatest of all lies, which is their alleged so-called profession of faith and "salvation." True salvation will inherently bring with it a loyalty and allegiance to God’s Word and the Lord Jesus Christ above all else, but that is NOT what we see even remotely with these contemporary neo-evangelicals.
Tenth, I have come across multiple mentions and quotes of Menno Simons in EMC material. Not so much in preaching, for which there is reason I believe, but in written format. Just like how they treat the Bible, they pick and choose what part of Menno Simons they like, the Dutch father of the Mennonite sect, quoting from Wikipedia, that "true evangelical faith . . . cannot lie dormant, but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love" (The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, p. 307).
In making this quote, they are painting a giant bullseye on their backs.
Why? Have they ever read his works? Menno Simons would have lambasted and castigated EMC with terrific sharpness, up one side and down the other, leaving no skin cell unturned. The scathing reproof and rebuke that would have poured out of Simons pen and tongue, would've been unfathomable and shocking to hear by the average EMCer, but not abnormal at all for true Bible-believers, because the same is found in scripture. The sharpness and boldness of his denunciation of heretical institutions such as EMC would be unlike anything they've ever known. Not a single soul in this conference would be even remotely considered to be a true believer by Simon. Why not? For many, many reasons, as demonstrated in this report, falling way far short of the evidence and proof of true Biblical conversion. Way. Far. Short. Missing the mark by miles.
Lastly, the decision was made to divide this report into three parts due to length, but it wasn't an "easy-decisionism."
This 1st part covers the "Introduction," "A Summary of the False Doctrines and Practices of EMC," and the first sub-point of "The False Doctrine, Preaching and Practices of EMC," which is:
"1. EMC Preaches a Heretical and Perverted False Gospel (Gal 1:6-9) and False Jesus (2 Cor 11:4)."
The 2nd part covers the following sub-points of "The False Doctrine, Preaching and Practices of EMC":
"2. EMC’s Doctrine and Practices are Erroneous, False and Contrary to Scripture, including the Interpretation of Scripture;"
"3. EMC’s Preaching is Mostly Unsound, Ear-Tickling Fables, With (More) Sermon Examples;"
The 3rd part finalizes "The False Doctrine, Preaching and Practices of EMC" with the following points:
"4. EMC’s Worship and Living is Liberal, Worldly, and Unholy. This Includes Pro-Homosexuality."
"5. EMC is Ecumenical and Friendly Towards and Educated by False Teachers (2 Tim 4:3-4; cf. Ac 20:28-30) and Their Programs, And Recommend, Quote and Embrace Dangerous Compromisers and False Teachers";
"6. EMC is Sold out to Neo-Evangelicalism and Emerging Church Heresies";
"7. EMC Proclaims Righteousness, Love and Grace but Not According to Scripture, While Claiming What I am Doing is Not Loving and Gracious."
"Conclusion."
Bon Appétit
A Summary of the False Doctrines
and Practices of EMC
We will start with the following general overview and summary of the false doctrines and unscriptural practices being consistently embraced and preached at all the EMC churches, though some of its churches are worse and more extreme than others, all of which, and more, will be expounded further in the rest of the report. This summary is offered for the benefit and convenience of those who have the attention span of a deer, or those who can't read more than a paragraph a day, or even for those who simply refuse to hear reproof, rationalized on the back of some logical fallacy, so in the event the temptation to stop reading might flare up-you've had enough, at least you made it this far and got bit of an overview. Bravo.
false gospel that excludes true repentance, true faith, fear of the Lord, the blood of Christ and then severely waters down what remains, while promoting easy believism and quick prayerism and process "salvation";
cowardly, spineless, pathetic and ungodly submission to the government: first locking down the church and then limiting church size during the NWO scamdemic/plandemic;
committed to a false "peace" but not true peace thorough the true gospel;
false “baptism” (i.e. pouring, and false believers "baptized");
fake and false "unity" at the expense of truth and purity;
false sanctification that ties into the false soteriology;
ecumenicalism with compromisers and heretics and false teachers and apostates;
rejection of Biblical separation including ecclesiastical separation;
"Christianizing" pagan ideas and systems founded upon unbelief (e.g. Cross Cultural Training);
love of the world (where all the cultural community hogwash teaching comes in as well);
false, worldly worship with unBiblical music and means;
acceptance and toleration of unfruitful darkness and false teachers (cf. Eph. 5:11);
wolves are treated as sheep and true sheep as wolves;
complete capitulation to the heresy of modern textual criticism and its Alexandrian Greek text and a capitulation to the idea that a multiplicity of versions is a blessing (thus utilizing a smorgasbord of modern “Bible” perversions, while the KJV is denied and denigrated);
zero preaching on hell and the fear of God (which without no man can be saved);
heretical “kingdom-now” theology;
emphasis upon a social-justice “gospel” (while ironically preaching against the social gospel);
unscriptural ecclesiology (e.g. denominationalism, universal church, unscriptural church boards, no church discipline, female church leaders or teachers of men);
advocates for open borders and evil multiculturalism (God is against it: Ps. 74:17a; Ac. 17:26);
minimizing the importance of Biblical eschatology in general, while corrupting this doctrine;
rejection of Biblical separation (both personal and ecclesiastical);
in favour of female “leaders” including “pastors;”
espousal of —and toleration toward— heretical views of Scripture;
consistent, unabated and uncontested patterns of wresting God’s Word (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16-17) and private interpretation of Scripture (cf. 2 Pet. 1:21);
shift from objective and sound Biblical doctrine to unsound doctrine and subjective experience;
"Christian" psychology saturated throughout sermons, teachings and beliefs and library contents, even running psychoheretical “counselling” sessions and centre's;
opposition to and criticism of an emphasis on sound, pure doctrine and strict Biblical living;
severe hatred towards judging, reproof, correction, warning and exposing;
positivism-only and hatred towards negativity;
woman dressing immodestly and non-gender distinctively, I.e. as transgenders (women dressing like men) and cutting their hair short like men (again, transgender symptoms, feminism, serious authority problem — see De. 22:5; 1 Cor. 11:3-10, 15);
seeking after signs such as “God’s presence” but it’s “An evil and adulterous generation [that] seeketh after a sign” (Matt 12:39; Mk 8:38);
some form of soft-continuationism;
ecumenicalism with enemies of God such as Roman Catholicism, Islam and other cults and many false teachers;
pro-woke, promoting environmentalism, immigration, feminism, and such like Antichrist evils;
embracing Moslem refugee's into Canada (true enemies of every Canadian) and other cults, and many false teachers;
children oppress and woman rule the homes;
favourable stance towards homosexuality;
Etc...
The above list illustrates a definitive pattern of apostasy, a corruption of Biblical Christianity and the product of a false gospel producing false professors portraying churcholatry.
Based on this summary alone, EMC churches are not the “the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim. 3:15).
In general, EMC is a non-judgmental, inclusive, hip, CCM rocking artsy-worldly type of neo-evangelical/emerging church, though theologically leaning to the more "conservative" side of evangelicalism. But God says:
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Is. 5:20).
The time has come — and has been there for many decades, maybe even always — where EMC does not endure sound doctrine but is turned unto fables:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4)
Below I will consider a further in-depth examination of the heresy and apostasy of this group (and again, I believe this is merely the tip of the iceberg for this sinking ship; much, much more could be added here).
The False Doctrine, Preaching and
Practices of EMC
1. EMC Preaches a Heretical and Perverted False Gospel (Gal 1:6-9) and False Jesus (2 Cor 11:4).
What kind of false “gospel”?
A social justice “gospel.”
A no-repentance “gospel.”
A losing salvation “gospel.”
A process-salvation “gospel.”
A no-blood of Christ “gospel.”
A no-Lordship of Christ “gospel.”
A no-change necessary “gospel.”
A fear-less and Hell-less “gospel.”
A 'ask-Jesus-into-your-heart' “gospel.”
A psychological self-esteemism “gospel.”
A ‘we are doing the best we can’ “gospel.”
A 'discover God's unconditional love' “gospel.“
A false grace and false love, lascivious “gospel.”
Pick a sermon, any sermon, and you will very likely hear (or not hear what you should be hearing) some of the above, or all of the above.
Nothing is worse than this, nothing can be compared to the awfulness of teaching a false gospel; and it’s also the catalyst to all the other bad doctrine. To pervert salvation is to pervert the gospel, and vice versa. Gospel and salvation are synonymous terms. They are one and the same (e.g. Lk. 24:44-48; Ac. 20:21-24; Rom. 1:16-17; etc). Corrupting or perverting the gospel is probably the worse thing anyone can do in this life. Not only does it change the means whereby humanity can be redeemed, it will also prevent man from ever getting genuinely saved. They will be taught and led to believe a lie.
There is much confusion in this area as well, as to what constitutes the gospel. The gospel is more than just the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for ours sins; it also involves, amongst other things, the manner of salvation. So before getting into the particulars and examples of the false gospel being preached at EMC, it bears importance that we briefly discuss what the "gospel" is according to Scripture. Many go to 1 Cor 15:3-4 and find their all inclusive definition of the gospel, but is that what 1 Cor 15:3-4 is actually teaching? How preachers often use 1 Cor 15:3-4 today is not what Paul intended with this brief summary. It was given in the context of the resurrection of the body and warning of false teachers denying the resurrection. It wasn’t meant to be an all-inclusive account of the gospel. The Greeks rejected bodily resurrection and the false teachers at Corinth sought some means to consolidate rejection of bodily resurrection with the gospel. Paul is saying it can't be done. If you reject bodily resurrection, then you reject the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which then means you reject the true gospel, since this is part of the gospel. Interestingly, bodily resurrection isn't even mentioned in the summary of 1 Cor 15:3-4, but the context. There are a number of other elements of the gospel that are also not mentioned in 1 Cor 15:3-4, yet clearly taught in the Bible as part of the gospel including the following: the sufferings of Christ (see Is 53:5-7; Lk 24:46; 1 Pet 3:18); the shedding of Christ’s blood (atonement) for our sins (see 1 Jn 2:1-2; Is 53:4-12; Heb 9:14-22); the fear of God (see Ac 13:6; Rev 14:7; Ps 66:16; Pr 1:7; 14:27); the judgment of God (see Ac 17:30-31; Rev 14:7); repentance of sin and self and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Ps 2:12; Mk 1:1-4; Matt 4:17-23; Ac 20:21 and 24; Lk 24:44-48; 1 Cor 15:1-2); worshipping God in spirit and in truth (see Jn 4:23-24: Rev 14:7); glorifying God (see Rev 14:7; 16:9; Gal 6:14; Eph 1:6, 12-14); receiving an eternal inheritance (see Heb 9:15) and eternal life (see Jn 3:15-16, 36; 5:24). These are all very clear elements of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and so any corruption or perversion of these doctrines, is a consequential corruption and perversion of the gospel. This must be made clear, because compromisers, corrupters, and charlatans will evade or deny this truth so as to remain "legit" in their preaching.
According to the Bible, getting into Heaven instead of Hell is about as practical as it can get. Someone whose doctrine sends him to Hell will agree that it wasn’t very practical. On the other hand, someone in Heaven will thank God for the practicality of the position he was taught. A profession isn’t practical if it doesn’t save the person. It might make someone look good, and that might have a kind of practicality, but in the end it will mean practically nothing. A perfect church attendance record or a load of knowledge on the doctrine of the patristic fathers or even the Bible, or attendance at a church growth seminar or that the church becomes "thriving" won’t do anyone any good at the Great White Throne (Rev 20) if their name isn’t in the Book of Life.
There is much evidence for this conclusion of EMC preaching a false gospel. The false gospel at EMC is non-offensive, excluding true saving repentance, true saving faith, surrender, fear of the Lord, the blood of Christ, receiving Jesus as Lord, and severely waters down what remains, and then promotes easy believism and quick prayerism, which does not produce saving faith but dead faith. These are omissions from the true gospel found throughout Scripture. The preaching of the gospel overall is extremely shallow, vague and anaemic. The soteriology of EMC is habitually false, and many supposedly “progressively” become “Christians,” since they allege that salvation may be instantaneous or gradual. This also is false. This means the men that purvey this perverted gospel are both unregenerate and false teachers. The Bible says that.
There are literally hundreds of examples that I could provide, endless proofs, but I will limit it to the following, in the aim of some sort of brevity.
(a) The articles of The Messenger and writings of people involved in the EMC Denomination, are almost endless on gospel perversion and corruption.
In the December 2010 issue of the EMC publication The Messenger, statements are made concerning salvation such as: “They praise God for one woman who invited Christ into her life!” and “We praise the Lord for five kids who made commitments to the Lord!” This is typical language used for salvation in heretical neo-evangelical environments, but none of it is Biblical. Inviting Christ into your life is not salvation. Making a commitment to the Lord is not salvation. These things occur over and over in evangelicalism but its unscriptural and evidence of the false gospel they embrace. Neither of these statements are even remotely close to Biblical salvation, yet 6 people are “confirmed” here by mere man as being saved, when they are very likely yet lost as the goose wandering in the back yard. This is a huge part of the problem in these unscriptural institutions. Men lack spiritual discernment to understand what is truly saved and what is falsely "saved," because they do not understand the true gospel, all of which is the cause of an unregenerate, unconverted false pretending estate, that leaves the sinner in his dead, unregenerate nature and without the indwelling Holy Spirit. These are described in 1 Cor 2:14, and they do not have what saved, spiritual, people have in 1 Cor 2:15-16. There are many examples of false believers in Scripture, such as Jn 2:23-25 and 6:60-66, 1 Jn 2:19; 2 Jn 1:9; 3 Jn 1:11; Judas, Demas; Balaam, etc, and Jesus said the last days will be like the days of Noah (Lk 17), and we know there were only 8 people saved in Noah's day, so this is unsurprising in our last days of great apostasy.
Another frightful example is found in the same The Messenger newsletter (Dec 2010), an article written by Joanne Plett on “Birth and Rebirth.” It is clear that Joanne doesn't have a clue what the the "rebirth" actually is. The Bible also doesn't call it "rebirth" but the new birth. There is a difference. Her supposed “salvation” is unscriptural on so many levels. She writes of progressive salvation as a “journey” and salvation given by God over time:
“This year, I met a God who pursues me relentlessly and who works to bring me to life and healing.”
The life that God gives and healing He does is instantaneous (e.g. Jn. 5:40; 6:33, 51; 10:10; 11:25-26; 1 Pet. 2:24). That is the "rebirth" which she clearly doesn't understand. Before you can have life and healing and eternal life, she must first lose her own life: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (Jn. 12:25). Glaringly absent in her article is anything about saving repentance or even about the Lord Jesus or understanding her wicked and sinful condition and need of regeneration, and rather, speaks to some sort of “healing” and “reawakening,” whatever that means in this confusing and heretical context, and the end result? Massive continual confusion. But that does make sense. Look where she's at. At EMC, a bastion of every kind of compromise and confusion, habitually pounded from the pulpits. According to the title it was a “rebirth;” however according to Scripture there was no new birth within this article. Here is supposedly her point of “salvation” but its not even remotely close to anything the Bible proclaims as conversion:
“In exposing my shame, I discovered grace in a way I had never received it before. In losing my moral safety net, I started into a faith built on relationship.”
Oookay. "Faith" in what? "Started into"? Its obvious she has learned the contemporary language of the emerging church and neo-evangelicalism quite well, thanks to the preachers at EMC, but not the Bible. This is stomach turning face-in-the-palm nauseating rhetoric. Salvation is instantaneous and dramatic. Its based around repentant faith and the Lord Jesus Christ. Before the just live by faith, they must be first justified. How was this supposed faith “built on relationship” (contemporary neo-evangelical language) when “relationship” doesn't happen till the new birth? And what in the world does “losing my moral safety net” refer to? Maybe this means she can live immorally and worldly and wickedly if she wants to, a form of "Christian" hedonism, which would correspond precisely with another one of her articles where she gleefully describes her journey to a wicked bar. Its blasphemous, corrupting the holiness, righteousness and godliness of true conversion. But its also confusion, confusion, and more confusion. Confusion summarised well by the following statement, that she is now “less certain than ever of what [she] should do.” No truly regenerated believer is uncertain what they should do. They know exactly what they should do, yea must do (Jn. 14:15-24; Eph. 2:10), and that is obey God’s Word (I Jn. 2:3-6; 3:22-24), work righteousness (1 Jn. 2:28-29), do His will (Phil. 2:12-13), bring glory to Him (I Cor. 1:24-31), preach God’s Word including the gospel (Mk. 16:15; 2 Cor. 5:18-20), contend for the faith (Ju. 1:3), etc, etc. The true born again believer knows where he came from, where he is going and what he is doing now. He has no confusion. There are hundreds of things the saint can do, for the glory of God and not self. And they do it with joy. But this is all flesh and lust serving by false believers of which the EMC is loaded, who have never and do not know what it means to "worship the Father in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23-24). This confusing and unscriptural article is a great reproach to Christ, and ends with Plett “still on this journey towards healing, reawakening, rebirth.” Right. A journey on the broad path that leads to destruction and eternal damnation, a journey she is certainly not alone on, but hand in hand with essentially all of EMC. Salvation is not a process. Every true converted believer is born again, healed and awoken. But Plett is not because she is not a true believer. She is very confused. The true new birth brings a dramatic change of nature, one that lives for and brings glory to God immediately and continuously, not glorify self! But that is exactly what she claims happened next: “Over the next few months I rediscovered a person I had thought was long dead and revisited hopes and dreams I had long since given up on.” Woe, what horrible deception. No true conversion will ever bring a child of God to revisit personal hopes and dreams and ambitions. Period. "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself." (Pr 18:2). She actually fulfilled that passage in her foolish endeavours, living after warm fuzzy feelings, while rejecting the Word of the Lord. Like I said, she needs to lose her own life first, detailed for us in passages such as Mk. 8:34-38; Lk. 14:25–15:32, and then she can truly experience the dramatic and instantaneous new birth. She, and the rest of EMC, would be wise to read the true gospel here, and then genuinely repent and surrender to the true Lord Jesus Christ, not the false "Jesus" of their imagination.
This is an example of the dangerous, sweet-sounding, effeminate, easy-believism heretical message that fills the EMC churches with the unregenerate fakes. The neo-evangelicals "attractive" message promotes the idea that Jesus receives lost sinners just the way they are, ignoring that we are required to repent of our wickedness and to flee and forsake sin, turning from all sin, self and our stuff, denying self and dying to self — all of which encompasses saving repentance — and placing our repentant faith in Jesus Christ as both Lord and Saviour (Ac 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; Lk. 14:25–15:32; Mk. 8:34-38). The vast majority of sermons at LCCF avoid that "legalistic" and old-fashioned word "repentance," or any true explanation given to it, and of course virtually zero mention of "sin" either.
(b) The false gospel of progressive salvation.
In conversation with a "youth pastor" (Biblically there is no such thing) of one of these EMC churches, he emphasized that some people were saved gradually over some unknown period of time, and some suddenly, as I had been (I had shared my testimony of salvation). This is a false gospel (Gal 1:6-9) and thus very serious heresy (Ti 3:10-11), even damnable heresy (2 Pet 2:1). No person is saved gradually. There is no process salvation, except found in perverted Bible versions where they have added and omitted words of God, turning salvation into a ongoing process. Such damnable heresy is not learned in the true Word of God (which is the King James Bible for English speaking folks) but by false teachers like Tony Campolo (who is loved by EMCer's), and modern Bible perversions, but it does scratch the itching ears of those who are imposters, which is almost everyone in the evangelical world. This "youth pastor's" "gospel" was also absent of any repentance and Christ's Lordship, which only compounds the false and perverted gospel.
Yet, in spite of this kind of fallacy which would certainly be no secret in the EMC church (apparently it is the standard at EMC, according to the youth pastor"), this young man was exalted in a sermon on Nov 4, 2012 by Peter Fehr, where he stated he was "well thought when he presents the gospel in the Scripture." (time: 4:30). Really, “he presents the gospel in the Scripture”? There is no process salvation found in the NT or OT That is Catholicism. It is sacramentalism, but it is not Biblical salvation. Jesus described salvation as a “birth” and a “conversion” (Jn. 3:3; Matt. 18:3) that happens in an instantaneous moment of time ONLY (2 Cor. 6:2; Eph. 1:13-14; 2:1-9). The salvations that are described for us in the book of Acts were all of the instantaneous born again/conversion type, true repentance and receiving Jesus as Lord, and being instantaneously converted permanently, dramatically and forever, followed by perseverance and endurance in obedience to God’s Word. In every case, the NT examples of salvation are dramatic and instantaneous conversion experiences. We could consider the 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost, Saul of Tarsus, the "Prodigal" Son, Zacchaeus, the Ethiopian eunuch, Lydia, the Philippian jailer, the woman at the well, the crucified criminal, the two sets of Apostle brothers (yes their testimonies are in Scripture), Philip, the demonic of the Gadarenes, Isaiah, David, Abraham, among many others. Paul described salvation as a dramatic spiritual event with a clear before and after (Eph. 2:1-2; Ti. 3:3-5). Salvation could be likened to the Jewish Jubile, which was an event, not a process. The Jubile began on the Day of Atonement, and on that very day the slave was liberated and blessed. Likewise, salvation is a miraculous new birth rather than a religious process, and on that very day the slave to sin and self is set free to become a willing bondservant and happy slave to His new Lord and Master Jesus Christ. The “process salvation” of this "youth pastor" (which again apparently is the standard at EMC) is no different than what the apostates Dallas Willard, Tony Campolo, Elizabeth Elliot, and many others teach, and its not “just” heresy, but a “damnable heresy.” (2 Pet. 2:1).
But this is not some kind of anomaly at EMC. The same heretical process salvation is found right on the EMC website, under “Becoming a Christian,” so it is a standard at EMC. Here we read:
“Becoming a Christian is something that happens both in an instant and a lifetime. Step One: It only takes an instant to see one’s need of grace and forgiveness of sin, from a Holy, Glorious God. It only takes an instant to believe in Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for sin, who died and was raised to life again, and has ascended to God the Father. It only takes an instant to trust Jesus for salvation and receive the Holy Spirit who indwells every Christian. Step Two: It takes a lifetime to be transformed by God’s grace. It takes a lifetime to learn about the Good News of Jesus from the Bible, to know Jesus, and the power of his resurrection. It takes a lifetime to follow Jesus, walking in step with the Holy Spirit, who joins us with other members of Christ’s body, the church.”
This statement is not being true to Scripture, and reiterates an important reason likely why they have many who are "progressively" becoming "Christian" at EMC. “Becoming a Christian is something that happens both in an instant and a lifetime” is not Biblical salvation. Biblical salvation only happens in an instant (e.g. 1 Pet 1:23-25; 2 Cor 6:2). Becoming a Christian, a true one, happens in the twinkling of an eye, NOT over "a lifetime." “Lifetime . . . salvation” is a lie from the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). What is written under “Step Two” is only partially true. At the very moment man is born again, he is “transformed by God’s grace.” (cf. Jn. 3:3-7; Ac. 26:18; Eph. 2:1-19; Ti. 3:3-7; etc). At the very moment man is born again, he “know[s] Jesus, and the power of his resurrection.” (cf. Phil. 3:3-11; Rom. 6:1-11). This was the testimony of Saul of Tarsus, as he shared with the local churches at Philippi (Phil 3:3-10). At the very moment man is born again, he “follow[s] Jesus, walking in step with the Holy Spirit, who joins us with other members of Christ’s body, the church.” Rom 6:1-22 and 8:1-14, Ti 2:11-4 amongst many other passages make that clear. That process doesn't happen over a lifetime. Sure, the depth of understanding and maturity of the believer will increase over a lifetime, but its already happening from the moment of the new birth. Its all there already (Rom 6). Everything the believer will ever need and be, is received at the very moment of the new birth. What is also plainly missing in this brief “plan of salvation” but required for salvation is anything on repentance from sin, fear of God, hell, true repentance and understanding who the sinner is and Who he is receiving when he receives Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
But that is normal at EMC. These things are found as rarely as hen's teeth.
(c) EMC’s false social-justice “gospel.”
EMC’s false social-justice “gospel” is widespread and rooted deeply, as one notes in the links at EMC, social media of its people, every single monthly The Messenger publication, essentially all sermons related to the gospel and also their close association to the exceedingly heretical and ungodly Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), whom they greatly support, both financially and morally. They even preach in the pulpit of EMC churches, though I am unsure I would call it preaching.
Instead of preaching the true gospel, its mostly replaced with a damnable social-justice “gospel” which is “another gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4) that helps prepare a kingdom, the kingdom of this world, contrary to the teachings of Scripture (i.e. the false “kingdom-now theology” which is also embraced at EMC churches, is an attempted restoration of the kingdom of God on earth, which is actually the kingdom of the Antichrist, which EMC is helping to build through many different facets, and will most certainly be part of during the seven year Great Tribulation, lest they genuinely repent and be converted), made popular by apostates such as Rick Warren (through his enormously popular but extremely heretical 40 Days of Purpose and 40 Days of Community programs which form the basis for his ungodly Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan, whose programs are embraced, endorsed and taught at EMC churches), and Eugene Peterson (who infiltrated that heresy into his blasphemous The Message “Bible”), and Rob Bell in his blasphemous and wicked book Velvet Elvis which is popular among EMCer’s (who reflects the "fix the earth" eschatology of nearly all emerging church leaders, amongst a truck load of other heresies and damnable heresies), and Brian McLaren, etc.
It is also noted by the people of EMC themselves, such as the CCM CD recorded by Karlene Thiessen of Joyful Praise, with 100% of the proceeds going to International Justice Mission (IJM), an organization which protests and lobbies over “slavery” and “child-abuse,” which is emphasized on the CD cover, but strangely no mention of the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal salvation, which happens to be the only means whereby man will change to any lasting effect, and be delivered from such sin permanently. Thiessen’s website also lists favourite/recommended links to social justice sites (IJM, MCC, Children’s Hope Chest, Shared Hope International, IDE Canada, including The Simple Way, which is by the utter apostate and rank heretic Shane Claiborne). Of course CCM and “Christian” Rock music is loved, which is ungodly worldly music, including Hillsong, Mercy Me, Hillsong, Newa, Paul Coman, Paul Baloche, Andy Park, Jeremy Camp, Christine Augles, and Tom Davis, all of which are loved by everyone at EMC, which makes her (and them) an enemy of God (Jam. 4:4). On her blog she even quotes atheist Phyllis Diller (on May 29, 2011) stating, “We all face times in our lives when we’d love to follow Phyllis Diller’s advice.” Diller rejects God, denies we are created by God but that we are derived through evolution, and we our-selves are gods who created ourselves (now that’s confusing!): “We were not created by a deity. We created the deity in our image . . . Life began on this planet when the first amoeba split. Man will still be seeking God, not accepting that God is a spirit; can't see it, touch it, only feel it. It's called love of all things.” (underline original- http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Phyllis_Diller). What would possess a professing Christian to quote an ungodly, new age, atheist? U.n.b.e.l.i.e.v.a.b.l.e. Not surprising, Thiessen, along with her husband, is a graduate from the extremely heretical neo-evangelical college of Briecrest in Saskatchewan. Furthermore, they have no Biblical testimony of salvation (Our Mission), which is also unsurprising, and claim that “[God] works through you to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth today” (ibid), which is complete heresy, kingdom-now theology, and further buttresses the absence of Scriptural salvation. They don't understand the bible, yet they are "missionaries." Sick. Absolutely nothing on their blog resembles the true faith of God’s Word. But this is the calibre of “Christianity” that EMC produces. Zero discernment. Practically non-existent allegiance to God, to holiness, to godliness and to righteousness, or to living for the glory of God. No expressed hatred for sin, for worldliness, and for error. Picking and choosing according to their “feelings” and fleshly lusts, as noted in this EMC families blog. Its heretical stuff. Neo-evangelicalism and rejection of God’s Word, well described in 2 Tim. 3:5-7,
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
The ways and actions and beliefs of people such as this, that are yet clearly lost in their sins, are "the ways of death," (Pr. 14:12). They embrace, promote, and propagate “damnable heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1-2) and “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim. 4:1). The ungodly social “gospel” is a deadly, wicked and wilful disease that is the adverse and spontaneous reaction of false licentious pretending “believers,” who are merely religious (Matt. 7:15-23) while “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ju. 1:4). Denial of the Lord by the way happens in more ways than outright denial that He exists or that He is sufficient for salvation. Denying His Word, disobeying His Word, loving the things of this world and error — the things that God hates, are all forms of denying the Lord, etc. Swamped by error and worldliness will produce proclivity for further error and false gospels, such as seen here where the gospel is “revealed” to the EMC author of the blog, by God though the Mexican flag.
The false social “gospel” reinforces the blasphemous belief that salvation can be attained by doing good works, putting aside differences for the common good, treating others the way we want to be treated, acting morally, ethically, and sacrificially—and that doing so will endear humans to God. No. These are self-deceptive strivings that spurn God's salvation, deny His perfect standard, and reject His perfect justice. Jesus declared Himself to be condemned humanity's only hope for reconciliation with God (Jn. 14:6) and unless you come to Him through HIS WAY, you can never be saved (Is. 55:1-7). EMC spurns that true way, even though they sometimes give lip service to the right way. And those that are saved, will reject all this heresy and flee from it, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” (Rom. 12:9).
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Eph. 5:11).
What kind of so-called “believers” are these people creating in the “mission” field? According to God’s Word, two-fold children of hell. The false gospel is a great reproach to Christ and no one through these teachings will “Strive to enter in at the strait gate:” (Lk. 13:24), for what you win them with, you win them to. And where does God’s Word give allowance to use worldly means (sports) to preach the gospel and the basis for missionary work? How many of these professing believers will one day hear Christ declare unto them:
“I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” (Lk. 13:27).
They mix some truth with "social justice" issues which elevate personal stature, especially concerning certain ethnicity. But for those who've crucified this world, there won't be much hope for them, because this one is where you've got to aim your attention. Neither Jesus nor the Apostle Paul at all devoted themselves to causes of social justice. Neither attempted to stop Roman slavery or gender inequality or minority inequality or AIDS epidemic in Africa or Indian Residential Schools or some other cause. "In Christ Jesus" was none of these, "but a new creature" (Gal 6:15). The Lord and Paul sowed to the Spirit, reaping life eternal and new creatures. Life was too short for temporal preoccupations. They were irrelevant in light of eternity. However, they succeed as pandering by neo-evangelicals who have misplaced affections and non-circumcised heart. The spotlight of churches on racial reconciliation, breaking the glass ceiling, sports, orphans, adopting black children, rebuilding Haiti, or community soup kitchens make "a fair show in the flesh" (Gal 6:12). Today it is moving toward the inclusion of gender neutrality and same sex marriage, which has been the case at EMC as well, especially the latter (or at least homosexuality). They neutralize the offence of the cross of Christ and other objectionable aspects of the gospel message. They put the emphasis right where the world wants it — on self. You can justify to your worldly friends the latest cause celeb of your church. That makes sense. You'll make sense. You'll feel good about yourself and ward away the disapproval of the world. You're more like them than they even thought.
I couldn't describe their social "gospel" better than their very own words, as preached by a man at EMC, who was describing the social gospel, but ironically actually giving a description of their very own gospel:
"Whatever the reason is, it simply becomes a social program under a Christian banner without a real life giving formula." (“The True Gospel,” Peter Rempel)
It is in fact a precise description of the false gospels of neo-evangelicalism and the EMC. They must be blinded to the fact that this gospel exists in their very own churches. The false gospel they are preaching is a social program of process "salvation" (which is what Tony Campolo believes and teaches, who was quoted favourably by the EMC preacher in that very same sermon — again, the irony escapes them), of easy believism, of no repentance, of no blood of Christ, of no pointed preaching against sin, of no preaching on hell or the fear of the Lord, etc, all of which is true, Biblical preaching and evangelizing. To this they add social-justice elements, all "under a Christian banner without a real life giving formula."
We know its got no real life giving formula because no one is truly and genuinely being converted to Christ in this environment, and I know that personally. Not only is that sadly not occurring, what is actually happening is the very opposite: unsaved false professors made heretics, apostates, wolves in sheep's clothing and two-fold children of hell.
The gospel will make this world better, but it isn't about making this world better. Even when we pray for those in authority, the point is the gospel, not giving us better living conditions (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-2). The true gospel is about the next world. The time in this life is so short and the time in the next so long, an emphasis on this world misrepresents what our time in this world is all about. The world needs to know that it will not save the planet because God is going to destroy it soon (Rev 6-19), that God is mad at them, and if they don't get right with Him, they're going to be destroyed too, except worse than what will happen to earth. In 1 Cor 7:17-24, Paul argues union with Christ is compatible with any social status, you can live in any kind of society, and that actual Christianity works. The gospel is not an immediate revolutionizing, disorganizing element in society. When social changes occur as the result of the gospel, it soaks and penetrates society's roots to modify its trajectory long term, not as a purposeful maneuver. Just preaching the gospel will not bring you fame. It does not guarantee worldly success. At least posing for social justice can and does bring both. It doesn't advance the cross of Christ and it won't even result in justice. It grandstands for the purpose of at least perceived benefits that won't last. It appears enlightened to the deceived and wards away accusations of institutional racism (i.e., towards the blacks or Indians). It doesn't assuage any actual guilt over anything and in addition does not fulfill the scriptural mission of our Lord Jesus Christ. Neo-evangelicalism is characterized by exalting social-political activity to the same level as the Great Commission. The gospel alone isn't enough in most neo-evangelical groups. Every gospel needed a heaping helping of social justice along with it. You will suffer if you exclude it. Your credentials are taken away. Including it, will find you acceptance in very wide circles and be included in many bigger opportunities. Everyone can indulge with social justice.
Martin Luther King Jr. is referenced regularly, whom "evangelicals" lie about to transmogrify him into a saint, is a useful tool in the social justice pandering toolbox. They lie to claim him as a saint because he is a tool in their social justice pandering toolbox, in spite of the fact he was an utter heretic, apostate, Christ rejector, unsaved and immoral wicked sinner. By his own testimony, MLK rejected the fundamentals of the faith, essentials for a true gospel or salvation. He admits that as a child, he went forward at a church invitation after a sermon by his father, later conceding that he just went along with his sister without really believing it. Keep reading here as to why this civil rights advocate was a false believer/teacher and apostate.
Consider another example.
"The Kingdom of God is built on justice, right living and mercy, standing in opposition to all the oppressive systems of this age. The Bible calls those old unquestioned political and economic certainties what they are, shifting sand (Matt. 7:24-27)." (Ray Hill, “Humpty Dumpty Meets Salt,” The Messenger, June 2015, p. 13)
The "Kingdom of God" is NOT "built on justice, right living and mercy, standing in opposition to all the oppressive systems of this age." The foundation and building of the kingdom of God is supernatural and instantaneous regeneration through the Triune God, not some kind of social justice. “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mk. 1:14-15). Its the new birth which happens in a moment of time by repenting of sin (the sinner turning from his wickedness and evil and self and his stuff/idols to God) and believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour (Ac. 3:19; 20:21). This is not some mystical emerging contemplative “force." This is true conversion that results in the Spirit of God dwelling in the saints inner man. The kingdom of God that the neo-evangelical believes in is reminiscent of the one the Pharisees demanded: "And when he [Jesus] was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Lk. 17:20-21). Of course there will be a millennial kingdom with Christ as King, but only those part of Christs spiritual kingdom, will partake of that one.
The heretical article continues, revealing a serious blindness to truth, a deluded misinterpretation of Scripture, and a corrupt view of the gospel replaced by a false social "gospel:"
"His Word is alive, powerful, and sharp as a razor (Heb. 4:12-13) and will separate what is righteous from the unrighteous. The division is not based on our mouthed theologies, but our regard for the poor and marginalized and disenfranchised as stated by Jesus: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me’” (Matt. 25:34-36). The rest of the story in the Gospels is a matter of record. Jesus criticized the political and religious leaders of his day on economic grounds: they neglected justice (Matt. 23:23), devoured widow’s houses (Mark 12:40), took advantage of the poor, used scripture to justify their lack of care for parents (Matt. 7:11), and disregarded the Jubilee (Luke 4:17-19). We need to uphold our basic Christian beliefs, doing so in the very act of hearing how the words of Jesus relate to how we treat our neighbour. The challenge to the Church is about issues of justice, mercy, and right living (Micah 6:8). If our neighbours do not see those beliefs being lived, then our witness is feeble indeed." (ibid., p. 13).
The importance of sound doctrine is repudiated here. He misuses Heb 4:12-13, which are referring to the Work of God in convicting unsaved people. The entire context in Heb 4 is referring to unsaved people (the Jewish people in the wilderness), going back to chapter 3 verse 7, actually people just like those at EMC, who had professed to believe, but were in fact unbelievers, unsaved, unregenerate sinners with a form of godliness (Rom 10:1-4). Matt. 25 appears to be perhaps one of the only passages of Scripture neo-evangelicals really know, especially those at EMC, but they don't actually know it. In so doing, they further reveal their inability to understand Scripture. Matt 25:24-36 relates to the end of the Great Tribulation and beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ as King on earth. It has ZERO bearing on our present day. More on this passage will be discussed under the next point. But it is a good example of the false social-justice “gospel” that EMC holds to, forcing Scripture to speak to their narrative. Are they visiting the Jewish people in prison, feeding them, giving them a place of refuge from the Antichrist? That is what the text is referring to (there are three groups of people mentioned here, "sheep," "goats," and "my brethren" which are a separate group, and very clearly referring to the Jewish people, Christ's brethren). It is also a damnable heresy, because it corrupts the truth of the gospel. The gospel isn't feeding the poor, visiting those in prison or giving refuge to the persecuted. These are the fruit of true salvation, of the true gospel. Noted also is the heresy of "life-style evangelism.” Those that cannot understand Christ's teaching properly and this interpret Scripture Biblically, rightly, non-privately and without wresting it, have not the Spirit of God to teach them, and that is because they remain separated from God due to their unregenerate nature.
The social-justice "gospel" doesn't glorify Christ. It glories in your flesh. It doesn't even make you smarter, even though that is a huge emphasis in neo-evangelicalism, as noted in EMC's division of Theodidaktos. You just look that way. It's actually foolish. This is the paradox of the gospel. The foolishness of preaching glorifies God. The social justice "gospel" glorifies you through its show of your flesh.
In all this, EMC (unbelievably) preaches sermons against a social gospel, completely ignorant obviously to the fact that they are guilty of promoting the same, and in direct association with the same, by way of many various facets. This linked sermon is titled "The True Gospel" which provoked my interest as to what would EMC's version be of a "True Gospel." Was the "True Gospel" actually taught in this sermon?
No, it wasn't. Nothing was mentioned about the actual gospel itself. Nothing on how to be saved and what the true gospel of Jesus Christ consists of. There were good points made about the false social "gospel," but again the irony fails to register for them.
Anyone that is unsaved in the congregation, which is essentially all, or very close, for all intends and purposes, would not have known how to be saved by the "The True Gospel" allegedly being preached. They would have walked out of that auditorium without the knowledge or understanding or conviction of the new birth, or their crucial necessity to be born again.
The blatant and glaring hypocrisy is that EMC is flooded with the social gospel. It is what they have religiously preached and practiced for many decades, so that they can’t even discern when it’s thoroughly entrenched within their own denomination. So they preach sermons against it, while entertaining it. The confusion and hypocrisy over this is bewildering. Preaching against the social gospel while embracing the social gospel is blatant hypocrisy.
In the sermon Mr Remple says to his audience,
"We need to be like the Berean's in Acts 17:11," (which he then quotes, but unfortunately from some corrupted Bible perversion)
Which was followed by,
"This is the only assurance from preaching a perverted social gospel, as Paul calls it, in Galatians 1:7."
Of course I agree fully with these words, minus the corrupted Bible version he is using, and that is the backdrop to this warning report on the EMC, Ac 17:11,
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Ac 17:11 isn't the only passage that tells me and commands me to test, prove, judge, examine, discern all things. Others include 1 Th 5:21-22; Eph 5:11; Rom 16:17; etc. Later we will cover the reality of EMC not actually liking it when someone applies this passage and tests, judges, and examines the teachings of EMC.
But this is the standard whereby I'm approaching EMC. And then if its found in error (which is the case, more than abundantly), the same standard will be applied of Scripture, to mark and avoid (Rom 16:17; 2 Tim 3:8-9), which is precisely what we have done here.
(d) A personal encounter at one of the EMC churches bore witness to the “baptisms” of four people upon the profession of their faith.
These were supposedly four new “converts” but it was impossible to comprehend from their testimonies when and if the new birth had actually taken place, since only one of the four expressed any repentance of sin towards God and had anything even remotely close to salvation (cf. Is. 8:20), including not making a mockery of hell as the other three. But I say remote because even his was not entirely scriptural, and I highly doubt as to whether he was truly regenerate, but of the other three there is no second guessing necessary. The testimonies were extremely worldly and contemporary-laced with artsy, creativity, pop culture garbage being the benchmark they pursued after, for the approval of man. I didn't see the judges, but I asusme they were competing to be the most creative. They were shallow and unbiblical and even mocking such things as hell, as if they were in a contest to see who could be the most “creative” or witty, but their speeches were “creatively” designed to scratch the ears of the itching listeners. It was an hour of amusement, with loads of laughter which included even a clown show (the pastor himself, for real?), but ZERO glorifying of or revering God. It was offensive to the core and an unBiblical disgrace, plain and simple. The preacher’s solemn charge to “reprove, rebuke, exhort” is not a description of levity. I was ashamed to be sitting there and absorbing this ungodly rhetoric, and it made me nauseous to the core. At least three of the four, if not all four, were hopelessly lost according to their personal testimonies yet were accepted into the membership with open arms, unquestioned, unchallenged. What a travesty of Biblical justice. How horrible. What a spite on the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ did not die for humour or creativity or heresy or Biblical shallowness or mockery, or so we could continue to love our own selves and our lives and our dreams and the things of the world; He died for our sins so to reconcile us to God, for His glory to the obedience of His Word. And Christ suffered to save men FROM their sins, not for them to continue relishing in them. To the woman caught in adultery who believed on Him as Lord, Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (Jn. 8:11). To the cripple man who was healed, Christ said, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” (Jn. 5:14). What I witnessed, which would be the absolute norm at EMC, was not even remotely close to salvation. It was a counterfeit and perversion of the real thing, condemned as representing “another Jesus” and “another gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4), a perverted gospel, which essentially means EMC is “accursed” (Gal. 1:6-9). There is no salvation without believing the true gospel, without believing in the true Lord Jesus Christ, without true saving repentance and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. (And true salvation doesn't produce this kind of ungodly, heretical garbage.) “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lk. 13:3, 5). Where is the fear of God in all this? Its woefully absent, and there is an important reason for that, for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” and “wisdom” (Pr. 1:7; 9:10) and every single born again believer has the fear of the Lord (Ps. 25:12-14; 34:7, 9; Pr. 19:23; Jer. 32:38-40), for it is required to be saved.
What does this say of EMC?
(e) The false gospel of quick prayerism is front and foremost in almost everything that even resembles soteriology.
But this false gospel doesn't save. Many testimonies reflect this false salvation process, but so does the EMC doctrinal statement. Pastor Peter Doerksen answers the following question in the section “Discipleship” of the EMC statement of faith,
“What does it mean to be ‘a Christian’; ‘saved’; ‘born again’? Is it as simple as saying the sinner’s prayer? Yes. John says “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)."
The entire section he wrote up was unscriptural and what he writes here is compatible with a false and perverted gospel. It also contradicts what was just written the page previous on salvation, where Antonio Pitta writes that both repentance and faith are necessary for salvation: “We believe that justification, the new birth and the transformed life come through repentance and faith in Christ which in a way completes the first declaration. The Bible repeats its emphasis upon the need for repentance.” (p. 9). Such is the confusion that exists at EMC. Everyone has their own doctrine, and Doerksen is not even abiding by his own statement of faith. Salvation doesn't come through praying a prayer but through true saving repentance (which isn't described anywhere in the EMC statement of faith, and is almost without exception perverted today) and saving faith. Thats it. So what’s missing here? Repentance. Lordship. No sufficient understanding of Jesus Christ. Faith is less than saving faith. The plan is reduced to a prayer. Jesus is only Saviour. He skips critically necessary parts to something much less than salvation. There are some that do this out of ignorance, but majority on purpose. With the latter, they have a plan that produces more professions and greater "success." When I say ignorance, some of it is voluntary ignorance that turned into self-delusion. They've convinced themselves now that this is salvation. For many, so much false doctrine has spread for so many years, that it is now a different religion. Most its on purpose because its the manifestation of their own “experience” and they don't really like repentance, since they never exercised it in their profession of faith (Jn. 2:23-25; Matt. 7:21-23; Lk. 13:23-30). From reading this, someone would not know it was necessary to repent in order to be saved. This distorts the gospel enough where faith turns out to be less than saving faith and we can call the statement "another gospel" (2 Cor. 11:4). I would add a caveat here: even if he were to add the word “repentance” but not give it a true Biblical explanation, it would have little value. I would add one more. There is also the issue of having something on paper but not in practice. Some might have repentance in their statement, but they don't actually practice it and preach it. EMC does neither. Doerksen also misuses Matt. 10:39 in the writeup.
(f) So is easy believism, quick prayerism's twin kin.
The false gospel of easy believism is found absolutely everywhere in their articles, videos, and recommendations. Hundreds if not thousands of examples could be provided. Essentially any mention of the gospel and salvation incorporates easy believism.
An example of this, and of the false gospel that is embraced is noted in testimonies like this one, where the EMC speaker speaks of having some kind of spiritual experience when he was young at a deeply compromised, neo-evangelical and heretical Bible camp, which appears to be what he describes as his salvation — he wanted Christ to save him from hell, almost stated mockingly, but wanted to serve God in a fun way, but then later on he appears to surrender his life to Christ while at a neo-evangelical, heretical Bible college. This later experience is his surrender to the service of God, so the first experience must be his profession of faith. This is some serious convoluted confusion, wrought by a false, social, corrupted and extremely perverted gospel he’s been fed all his life, by unregenerate false teachers and heretics. I do not believe in either moment he was actually born again, because neither is true Biblical salvation in its completeness. His initial experience almost appears to make a mockery of hell, which is heard frequently at this denomination.
Many more examples of this could be given, and will be further under this point, and report.
In the article Does the Bible Describe Salvation as Easy? we cover some important reasons why easy believism is a false gospel. Salvation is not easy. It involves making some very difficult choices (cf. Mk. 10:21; Lk. 13:23-30; Matt. 21:28-32). It involves counting the cost to be Christ’s disciple (cf. Lk. 14:25-33). Choosing self or God (cf. Mk. 8:34-38; 10:17-31). Choosing sin or God (cf. Mk. 10:17-31; Ezk. 18:20-23, 30-32). Choosing ones idols or God (cf. I Th. 1:9). Choosing ones family or God (Matt. 10:35-37; Lk. 9:59-62). Choosing the world or God (Matt. 6:24; I Jn. 2:15; Jam. 4:4). But the soul who makes that choice to repent and believe will then find that while not easy, salvation is free, the free gift of a loving God who freely forgives all who come to Him in repentance and faith. What cheap and wicked and damnable foolishness is this “easy salvation” garbage that the easy believists teach and purvey, where you can allegedly be saved without ever having to turn from sin or surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord. What a slander against God’s true saints throughout the ages, as well as against the holiness and righteousness of God Himself. I am convinced that majority who hold to this, are unconverted. They are of the ones mentioned in Matt. 7:21-23. You can’t be truly converted unless come to the Lord Jesus for salvation according to His rules and regulations, His way, His truth. No repentance or false repentance, no turning from and forsaking all sin and self and stuff and people, no Lordship, no denying self, no surrendering to Christ, no taking up the cross or in other words dying to self, no counting the cost, no willingness to follow Christ and obey Him, and then the poor unscriptural language used to call for salvation — these things are all connected to the easy-believism that is preached from the pulpits consistently week in and week out, throughout the world, including vast majority of independent baptist church’s. What they are doing for the most part is unscriptural. It’s a lie. It doesn’t truly save but it does make false believers two fold children of hell.
(g) A sermon on “John: Verse 35 to 69” (Apr 2, 2017) by Pastor Russell Peters.
This sermon by pastor Peters was massively deficient, frivolous and hopeless. I’m not trying to be rude or unnecessarily harsh; simply speaking the truth that must be spoken. It was a confusing sermon of doctrinal inconsistencies, with nothing of practical value. The entire sermon was misinterpreted and based around the twisted eisegetical interpretation of Ezk. 37:1-6, of the dry bones preached to by Ezekiel, representing Israel in the last days — today, while the alleged scripture text of the sermon was Jn 6:35-69. Why not exegete those passages of scripture?
There was no exegesis, no sound preaching, no Biblical edification. Multiple “Bible” versions was celebrated in this context, utilized as commentaries, as if written by different "God’s."
An entire sermon preached on “life” but no clear instructions on what life actually is or how it is received, even though he read Jn. 6:35-69 and 3:3-8. ZERO exegesis.
Apparently salvation (Jn. 6 and 3) doesn’t “change your physical circumstances today.” What? “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.“ (Matt. 22:29).
Peters also teaches a false gospel claiming that someone already supposedly saved needs to “make Jesus the Lord of their lives” because “we can’t make Jesus Lord of our lives until we are dead to self,” (time 26:40), while the Bible teaches this actually happens at salvation (Jn. 12:24-26), and those that haven’t done that, become "dead to self," are simply not saved (Lk. 14:25-15:32; Mk. 8:34-38). Period. NO one receives a divided Jesus or is saved without repentance. That’s called a false Jesus and false gospel and false salvation, producing false “believers.” (Gal. 1:6-9; 2:4-5).
Apparently he doesn’t see why people are having so much difficulty in their lives, when the answer lies with the very false gospel he is presenting and the corrupted interpretation of scripture. He actually indicts himself as a lost sinner in this sermon, when he included himself in saying,
“So why is it so hard to tell God: whatever you say goes. It’s because I am still still living in the flesh and not by the Spirit.” (time around 27:10).
People that are living in the flesh and not in the Spirit are UNSAVED. The Bible makes this extremely clear in very many passages. Here is one example:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit [cf. Jn 3:18]. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Rom 8:1-9)
Rom 7:5,
"For when we WERE in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."
Go to Gal 5:19-21; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 15:50; Eph 5:5-8, and the Flesh to read more on the flesh, a subject completely misunderstood by confused evangelicals.
Unfortunately he doesn’t see the error of his way in spite of saying the following immediately after: “The spirit gives birth, the spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing.” The massive contradiction alludes him. He’s unable to see and understand why people have terrible and unsurrendered lives. The sermon ends with major confusion:
“We pray Lord that you give us life through your Holy Spirit. True life. Life that cannot be snatched away by the pain and sin of this world.” (time 30:25).
What he is praying for is salvation. It’s at salvation, NOT after salvation, that the Holy Spirit gives LIFE (Eph. 2:1-5; Ti. 3:3-7; Jn. 3:3-7; 2 Th. 2:13; etc). True life. Yes that life which can never be snatched away, not only by pain or sin, but by anything in this world, or under the world or outside of this world (Rom. 8:28-39), again, clearly referring to the eternal and everlasting life given at conversion, along with the Holy Spirit, for God “hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Cor. 1:22). What horrible confusion is created in the minds of the listeners, who are praying and asking for these things, while being supposed professing believers. Maybe there is a reason why this is either consciously or subconsciously happening, in that most or all of the congregation are actually lost (and Russell believes that and so intentionally prays) or is it because everyone is lifeless and empty, including Russell, and simply praying to have that empty void filled? Regardless of reason, his words condemn him and the EMC congregation he indicts as unsaved, lost, unregenerate. This is supposed to be a church, where every person is supposed to be truly born again according to Scripture, but it’s not portrayed like that by any means, not through the preaching or beliefs or practices or prayers of its people.
Peters also positively spoke of the alarmingly unscriptural and worldly neo-evangelical movie “Facing the Giants,” a feel-good easy believism narrative presenting a false unBiblical gospel while making lost people two-fold children of hell. The only good thing about this movie is its absence of sleaze or profanity. That’s it. But it’s not “wholesome” because it’s worldly, egregious and horribly heretical and contrary to Scripture, just like other similar neo-evangelical productions such as Fireproof. Almost as bad, it's very horrible art. Theologically, it presents a false gospel that pretends that if people just start acting religious, they'll get all the desires of their hearts. This is exactly where it’s at in today’s “evangelical” churches including EMC, and that this movie receives rave reviews and positive mentions from the pulpit, comes as no surprise. All the problems presented in the movie are worldly and fleshly derived or motivated (don’t have new car, not on winning streak, not pregnant —how terribly shallow and carnal can the neo-evangelical get? Indeed, the worlds up for grabs for them.) “Pray and believe” in God and get a new truck, win the state championship, become pregnant! Just wow. The salvation presented has absolutely nothing to do with godliness and holiness and righteousness of God. Where’s the glory of God, for which we are converted? Completely absent. Nothing even remotely close to the true and unadulterated gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and then the holy and godly live thereafter. In fact, it’s quite simply blasphemous to call it a presentation of the Gospel in this movie. This is NOT the Gospel as presented in the Bible. This doesn't reflect God circumcising the heart of sinners, quickening them, justifying and sanctifying them after they counted the cost, denied themselves, and fled and forsook their sin, self and stuff and submitted themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord, King and Saviour (the Gospel).
This is just another example of the "me-centred" gospel of self-fulfillment found in all the other examples of false gospels at evangelical churches today, including EMC, some of which I have documented here, which is a perfect reflection of our selfish age and the selfish modern “evangelical” churches (which includes majority baptist churches today as well for that matter, especially the SBC, all of which are no different than the evangelical churches). It’s simply pure fiction and fabrication; figments of a carnal imagination. Everything in the movie theologically speaking is horribly false. It’s derived from the carnal minds of false “believers” who love their flesh, the world and their lives, and that is precisely how they will pass into a Christ-less eternity of unquenchable torments of hell fire, lest they detest those things and flee in true repentance and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. True faith that saves comes with a cost. A great cost (see Mk. 8:34-38; Matt. 10:32-40; Lk. 14:25-35). The kind of false religion shown in this movie but ever so realistic in “evangelical” churches, has no cost. Zero. It’s simply conformity and imitation on a bed of roses, with the whole works of butterflies and rainbows and soft feathery pillows. It’s because of this very heresy that EMC is full of false pretending worldlings. It’s nauseating, of the face in your palm kind. More importantly, it’s nauseating to God, and He will spew such out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16).
These men should be aware that their positive portrayals of something unBiblical and ungodly are helping the god of this world, and not the True and Living God.
(h) In the booklet titled “Whats In A Name?” published by EMC, the first study Arley Loewen attempts to explains whats in the name “Christian” (pp. 2-5).
Yet in all that Loewen writes, there is hardly any Biblical reference, besides a few scant Scripture references to the word “Christian” itself. Zero Biblical support but lots of references to other writings. Here are some of the more serious errors and heresies from this article, besides just the false gospel he is promoting:
He is confused as to what the name Christian means Biblically, giving extremely egregious and heretical definitions of Christian which appear acceptable to him (without any warning or opposition) and clearly implies that a Christian is simply any person that calls himself a Christian (p. 2), which is actually bearing false witness (cf. Jn. 8:44). Very many people claiming the title “Christian” have never been regenerated and are false "believers" (read Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23; and some Biblical examples in Jn. 2:23-25; 6:60-66; Ac. 8:13-24); the world today is full of them, easily discernible. Jesus, speaking to professing believers, declared: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: MANY, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall NOT be able” (Lk. 13:23) and “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and MANY there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14).
Loewen is unable to comprehend that the eleven apostles leaving Jesus “when He was arrested” and the “many left this new movement when they saw His way was not what they had expected” are two very different groups of people. But not to him. The former were saved (Jn. 13:8-11) while the latter were lost (Jn. 6:60-72). The former did not leave Jesus, although fled from the persecution that came upon them when they arrested Jesus. That was a fulfilment of prophecy. The latter, so-called believers/disciples that left Jesus, were false and the Scriptures make that crystal clear. True born again believers do NOT leave Jesus, they do not apostatize. ONLY false ones do (Matt. 27:1-5 [cf. Jn. 13]; Jn. 2:23-25; 6:60-66; Ac. 8:13-24; 1 Jn. 2:19; etc).
Loewen lies when he states “the twelve disciples were not Christians in a literal sense.” (p. 3). Eleven of them were, and yes in a literal sense because they were converted by Christ and belonged to Him and were followers of Him. That is the literal sense. We can call them Christians because they were literally followers of Christ.
He teaches falsely on “brothers” (p. 3). Jews according to the flesh, are always brethren (Rom. 9:3), while Gentiles are brethren only by blood (i.e. same parents), or when born again through the Spirit of God.
Serious confusion and a lie: “We don’t know what exactly they repented of,…” (p. 3). Of course we know what they repented of: read Ac. 2:22-37.
Page 3 he quotes Ac. 26:29 from some horribly perverted “Bible” version: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” which isn't what the Greek Text says at all (into english it states: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” KJV). Wow what a massive difference. Loewen then quotes Pauls response from that perverted version as ““Yes ...” (Acts 26:29).” That is NOT what Paul stated, so that version has added to God’s Word (see Rev. 22:18). He actually said: “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
The absolutely wicked and demonic “Replacement Theology” is seen here as well (not surprisingly by any means): “A Christian was one who bore the name of Christ but, more than that, Christians were God’s people, the new temple, the fulfilled or real Israel.” (p. 4). Born again Christians in the age we live in, called the times of the Gentiles, do NOT fulfil Israel or are the real Israel! They are two very different entities, and in fact there are three: “the Jews” and “the Gentiles” and “the church of God:” (1 Cor. 10:32). Read Rom. 9–11 and Matt. 24:37-39 and Hebrews, amongst thousands of other passages. This buttresses the clear fact that Arley Loewen is an unconverted false pretender, as it does the vast majority of EMC since they do not oppose this evil teaching. Thus it comes as no surprise he speaks positively of the “church father” “The theologian Tertullian (ca. AD 160–220),” who supposedly “wrote in defence of the faith,” (p. 4), and who was an anti-Semite himself. Loewen and EMC appear to really love this heretic.
Moreover, Tertullian, another one of the “church father” heretics was quite the heretic himself, and definitely did not write in the defence of the true Biblical faith but a perverted bastardised version of it (e.g. he was truly the father of Roman Catholicism with his unscriptural exaltation of church authority which supposedly came through apostolic succession, his belief that the bread of the Lord’s Supper was Christ and worried about dropping crumbs of it on the ground, teaching that widows who remarried committed fornication which heresy was adopted by Rome in its monastic system of unmarried monks and nuns and in its doctrine that priests cannot marry, taught that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins, classified sins into three categories and believed in confession of sins to a bishop, taught that Mary was the second Eve who by her obedience remedied the disobedience of the first Eve which was a stepping stone towards Rome’s many heresies about Mary, allegoricalised Scripture which is always a definitive mark of a lost false pretender and a major influence behind Roman doctrine, and also taught much other heresy such as Montanism believing that Montanus spoke prophecies by inspiration of God, that the human soul was seen in a vision as “tender, light, and of the colour of air,” claimed that all human souls were in Adam and are transmitted to us with the taint of original sin upon them, taught that there was a time when the Son of God did not exist and when God was not a Father — indeed, Tertullian was a raging heretic!).
Loewen’s love for the heretical and apostate Roman Catholic “church fathers” and Rome itself is further evident in his positive proclamation of the Nicene Creed and the false believer Constantine, the true father of Roman Catholicism.
Nowhere in the article does he give an actual explanation how a person becomes a true blood-bought grace-saved Christian, which is through true saving repentance and faith, one moment in time. He clearly reveals that he hasn’t a clue how a sinner actually becomes a “Christian.” It appears perhaps that he even makes a mockery of those that claim to be “born again” as being the only Christians (p. 1), in isolating that Biblical label into quotes, as if God’s Word gives other ways of salvation (cf. Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-8). The new birth is written as “a new birth” (p. 3), not the new birth. There is ONLY one new birth. Instead of understanding and conveying what God teaches on the subject of salvation, he references “Writers” and their books who “have sought to summarize the essence of being a Christian” such as “Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis), Basic Christianity (John Stott), Simply Christian (N.T. Wright), The Naked Christian (Craig Borlase).” (p. 5). Wow, what a list. Very telling. None of these four are (or were) true believers and none understood “the essence of being a Christian” and all of four of these are apostate and blasphemous voices of the thief that comes to destroy and kill (Jn. 10:8-10) and would actually never be quoted by someone who knows and follows the voice of the true Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:1-5), which voice is according to the Word of God. All four of these men are (or were) ministers of Satan (2 Cor. 11:12-15), yet appeared as angels of light, for they preached a completely false and perverted gospel (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Cor. 11:4) and truckloads of false doctrine and heresy, having been deceived by Satan (2 Cor. 11:3; 4:3-4) with their “damnable heresy” as false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1), and dogs and pigs (2 Pet. 2:22) and “these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;” (2 Pet. 2:12).
This is what the EMC’s denomination is endorsing and approving.
Considering all these things one is not shocked even a bit to read the following response to a question posted to him by an interviewer at https://www.about-afghanistan.com/arley-loewen.html. To the final question in the short interview,
“What do you see as the biggest needs in development in Afghanistan?”
Dr. Loewen responded:
“I travel to Afghanistan 2 -3 times a year for leadership seminars. I think some of the biggest needs are developing good governance and a healthy civil society.”
Notice that the question is asked about the “biggest needs . . . in Afghanistan.” For any true born again believer, the answer would be rapid-fire, without further a-due. But what is remarkably absent is even a scant mention of the Lord Jesus Christ or getting the Bible into the hands of Afghans or of the great commission, their desperate need for salvation, again, all of which would be the normal response for a true, servant of Christ. But thats the problem right there. He might be an intellect, which he glories in, but he’s never received the wisdom of God.
The rest of the interview is of similar ilk. Almost everything he says is about self-glorification and gratification, about the world, celebrities, entertainment, and the like. This response is not from some professing secularist who rejects the Word of God but rather from someone who professes to not only believe the Bible but also professes to be saved. How can there be “good governance and a healthy civil society” without God and His blessings through His Word? Its utterly impossible. Every western nation can owe its tremendous blessing and gratitude to the the true and living God of the Bible. There is a BIG reason why all Moslem nations are cursed, but obviously Dr. Loewen is blind to that and is not helping change that at all.
This response by Loewen truly reveals his actual spiritual condition and nature, and lack of true Biblical understanding and judgment, compounded by a shame of Christ. What he presents is simply humanism and psychology garbed in a thin veil of Christianity. Some of the principles he teaches in his leadership courses I am sure are borrowed from the Bible. Stealing from God while pretending to belong to Him. Yet zero credit is given to God the Son, to Whom all credit belongs to begin with. A University professor of Afghanistan commented on his teachings in one place: “These are principles of psychology, exactly what our people need.” (source). Unbelievable. Exactly what they don’t need, but Loewen is spoon feeding them the world and the systems of the world that are at enmity with Christ and His Word. He is also ashamed of Jesus Christ. He should give heed to the following words of Jesus:
“For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.” (Lk. 9:26).
Those who, rather than being ashamed of their sins (Rom. 6:21; cf. Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 1:8, 12, 16) are ashamed to follow Christ and His Words in the evil and adulterous world will have Christ be ashamed of them at His return and be eternally damned—for Christ is “not ashamed to call [true believers] brethren” (Heb. 2:11), and “God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16; Lk. 9:26). No text in Scripture indicates that God will be “ashamed” of His people—He is not ashamed of them (Heb. 11:16). Lk. 9:23-26 clearly teaches that one who is ashamed of Lord Jesus Christ and His Word demonstrated by not bringing Him glory and speaking of Him everywhere to all people and not acknowledging to people that all blessings and needs are met through Him alone (Ac. 17:28)—which things are as natural as breathing and an honour to those truly regenerated—Christ is ashamed of them and they will face an eternity in hell.
“For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matt. 12:37).
What Loewen simple reveals, is that he, including EMC since they endorse and embrace his heresies and him as a believer, is a false “believer." He is a false pretender, the blind leading the blind and both are headed to the ditch.
I do wonder if he continues to travel to Afghanistan 2-3 times/year now that the "rag-a-tag bunch of Taliban" is ruling the country? Me thinks his “boldness” would be fizzled out real fast.
(i) Similar to the above, on the EMC website page “Becoming a Christian” there is a link in the bottom to “Read more about becoming a Christian in the following articles:” articles which include “Ride and Eat” written by a Terry M. Smith.
Terry M. Smith is the once editor of The Messenger, and author of a massive amount of terribly compromised and heretical articles throughout the EMC publications, and plainly a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I mean crystal clear. This article unfortunately fares no better, and is filled with unscriptural, ungodly, and evil advice. Heresy and ecumenicalism is the need of the hour. What God apparently can’t teach you in a “modern version,” the three heretics mentioned by Thiessen (N.T. Wright, C.S. Lewis, and John Stott, along with their books) can be “helpful.”
He also gives the following ungodly and soul-damning advice:
“Consider joining an Alpha group, a video and discussion study for those with questions; many communities have them.”
How wicked and unscriptural is the Alpha course really? This unbelievably heretical and unscriptural course with its false gospel was birthed at the charismatic Holy Trinity Brompton Anglican church in London, England, developed by the pentecostal heretic Nicky Gumbel, heavily endorsed by the wolves in sheep’s clothing Rick Warren and Bill Hybels and also the Roman Catholic Church (these three alone should raise enough red flags), and includes a “Holy Spirit Day” with the objective of bringing the participants into a charismatic experience, including “tongues” which today are actually demonic utterances and likely a sign of being demon-possessed (How we Know Modern “Tongue Speaking” is Unbiblical, and Satanic Deception). The course is a radical ecumenical program loaded with false doctrine and heresy that is helping to build the end-time one-world “church” of the Antichrist (Rev. 17-18). Its “gospel” is thoroughly perverted and accursed as are its views on the Lord Jesus Christ. It promotes new age/charismatic manifestations claiming they are of the Holy Spirit when they are actually from “another spirit” which is an “evil spirit,” (1 Jn. 4:1) and it teaches kingdom-now theology/dominionism. And the same false and wicked ecumenical “unity” being promoted by Smith and EMC alike, based upon false interpretation of Jn. 17, and “unity” in diversity rather than a unity in truth/sound doctrine/born again people, and based upon fake “unity” that is undiscerning to the great difference between true Christians and false ones, and false “unity” built on relationships, which is a “love” divorced from truth and doctrine, is heavily promoted by this course. Read our report, True Biblical Unity, What the Bible Requires, Vs Fake Unity, the Most Common Today. Truth and sound doctrine and whether a church is actually a true Bible believing church inline with the NT ecclesiology and doctrine, is not the deciding factor as to what church to go to according to Smith, but rather,
“If, sadly, one [of any of the churches in a given town, including Catholic churches he says] proves to be less than welcoming, persist until you find another that is truly inviting.”
Thats the criteria to a Biblical church where a believer should attend?! What a terrible disaster. Complete shipwreck, with the ship completely blown to smithereens. No survivors.
(j) The sermon 3D Gospel preached by missionary Peter Fehr promotes a false gospel of cross cultural worldly wisdom.
The sermon is largely based upon “cross-cultural” training courses on “evangelism,” and the book The 3D Gospel, where cultural elements are taught to allegedly further the evangelists ability to preach the gospel of Christ in foreign cultures, for greater (worldly) success. But this is using human means and methods in attempt to allegedly further the kingdom of God, when they are in fact opposing the Great Commission as established by God in His Word. Scripture is scantly used and often entire sessions are taught with essentially zero mention of Scripture. This erroneous teaching leads to (or is the result of) the false belief that God saves people differently in distinct cultures (which was actually alluded to in the beginning of the sermon, maybe even directly stated), so they stereotype peoples of the world in contradiction to what scripture teaches, in order to make the gospel palatable to people that actually don’t like it, or won’t receive it in truth. I have no issue with stereotyping people, that definitely has its place, but it plays no part in evangelism. Only false teachers attempt to change the gospel, for they are “accursed” people (Gal 1:6-9). Its a very serious contradiction when a sermon is preached on the "gospel" but actually brings forth little to no truth concerning the actual gospel. The so-called missionaries of EMC and EBMC have adopted this “Cross cultural” heresy into their “evangelism,” but its actually a woke and heretical training program that advances pagan victimology, particularly Indian culture, and a false gospel. (Advancing lies about the Indian people and perpetuating their victimology, to the detriment of their souls, is certainly no oddity when it comes to Fehr, who did so after the fake “mass graves” was not-so discovered in Kamloops, British Columbia.)
The actual basis of the course reeks of “wokeness” (a contemporary term and cultish philosophy describing “worldly/cultural evil” which teaches that society is systemically oppressive towards certain supposed marginalized groups, which is really the hallmark of this cross cultural rubbish), which evangelicals seem to gravitate towards like pigs to mire and dogs to vomit (2 Pet 2:17-22). Especially leftist evangelicalism which is on the rise and is a system of interpretation. Funny how the Bible doesn’t divide people as this heretical book/course and then sermon does, but heretics do, just like they also divide doctrine into “essential and non-essential,” inadvertently revealing an actual denial and rejection of God's Word (1 Sam 15:22-23), very possibly even hatred for God and His Word. The heart of sinners doesn’t change regardless of the culture or colour of skin — whether Jew or Gentile, its all exactly the same (Mk 7:21-23; Jer 17:9), only depravity differs in degree.
If they were actually and genuinely, Biblically, serious about being prepared to deal with various cultures of the world, a good start (yea, foundationally) would be to understand their false religions and how spiritual warfare can be refined to bring down strongholds of error and false beliefs and bring the heathen to a love of the truth. That’s really about the only thing that needs to be understood about cultures when it comes to the gospel. Preaching truth while exposing error is Biblical evangelism. It is the pattern of preaching of all the apostles and the Lord Jesus Himself.
God has already spoken as to why people respond the way they do, regardless of culture, and that is found in Gods Word (e.g. read Jer. 17:9; Mk. 7:20-23; 10:17-21; Rom. 3:10-18; etc). There is absolutely no need to go to the world for understanding on better methods to reach cultures of the world or why they either receive or don’t receive the gospel, or how to manipulate the gospel so as to better meet cultural needs. The Bible already addresses the issue, for EVERY culture, without having to differentiate between cultures. Plus, salvation is on a personal basis, not cultural basis, but salvation does require cultural separation, that all people need to understand. God doesn't need you to understand how people culturally respond and you able to read their behaviour based upon what culture they were raised. They need to hear that they are wicked sinners and in desperate need of repentance and salvation! The gospel message does not change between cultures, which is the gospel we have detailed in the following gospel tract: ARE YOU SAVED? This is the one true gospel that actually genuinely saves someone, but heretics and false teachers don’t like the true gospel. It brings conviction to their lost estate and the corrupted gospel lie that they have embraced.
Besides the obvious departures from God's Word present in this sermon (such as the use of a butchered "Bible" perversion, and the heretical neo-evangelical “judge-not" philosophy, around time 23:00), the entire message was built upon humanism, not Scripture, replacing God's great commission with man's great omission (i.e. “The 3D Gospel” that presents different gospels and means for different people groups, using worldly wisdom and means to reach people). It’s entirely vanity to even preach a message on this humanistic, distracting subject of cultures when we have the Word of God, where the subject is never addressed at all. Humanism, emerging church jargon, worldly compromise, psychoheresy, diluted with some Scripture—thats the ingredient list of cross-cultural “evangelism”heresy. In fact outside of the initial reading of Scripture the Bible was hardly referenced at all. So essentially no scripture mentioned at all in this sermon that’s allegedly on the “gospel.” Instead of showing the congregation the cultures of the worlds positive or negative response to the Scriptures, the preacher taught humanistic worldviews, all three of which are the invention of worldlings who subtly deny God and the absolute truth of His Word. They are scoffers, what God calls them (2 Pet 3:3). God's Word is certainly not the sole authority for faith and practice but rather personality, culture and worldly “wisdom.” What is presented there is not the true gospel, that much we know, so calling it “3D Gospel” is totally fine. We’ll just move the quotations to both sides of “gospel,” like that. For such an important subject to be nearly absent of Scripture and godly wisdom and the true gospel, is surely a tell-tale sign of how lukewarm (which is unsaved, while pretending to be Christian) and corrupted the average "evangelical" Mennonite is today.
To fit the narrative, neo-evangelical heretics will twist, manipulate and wrest scripture for their presupposition. This is a normal occurrence in the preaching at EMC, but also evangelicalism in general. In this sermon, Fehr exercised this MO by twisting the salvation of the Philippian jailer and his house to support his teachings on cross-cultural “3D Gospel.” But Paul didn’t change his gospel message or even how he approached the warden with the gospel, and the wardens desire to commit suicide—since he perceived the prisoners had escaped—was perfectly normal behaviour in that day, in any culture of that ancient world under the rule of the Greeks or Romans. This is actually a textbook case of 2 Pet. 3:16 by the preacher, where he takes a humanistic (extra biblical) teaching (that of certain cultures thinking certain ways, so the gospel is changed to accommodate the culture) and makes it fit into his Biblical hermeneutics. Its the ungodly method of eisegesis interpretation and it is precisely what Peter was warning of in the following passage: "which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures.” (2 Pet 3:16). They that do this, do it "unto their own destruction." (2 Pet. 3:16).
Referring back to the cross-cultural course with its permeation of ancient and end-times heresies (2 Tim. 3:1) and fables (2 Tim. 4:4)—which Fehr absolutely loves—the course utilizes the heretical book, The 3D Gospel, which is both unbiblical and heretical for the following reasons and tell-tale to the heresy of the course itself (and consequently EMC, again): (1) Teaches a false and perverted gospel of easy believism and quick prayerism and continually gives positive assurance to false professions, and doesn’t seem to have the discernment to tell the difference between true and false Christians; (2) Teaches contemplative mysticism (surprise, surprise, considering its author, Jayson Georges, is a graduate from the extremely heretical and apostate, contemplative mystic school of Talbot); (3) Teaches mythology derived from seeker sensitive and emerging church gurus but not the Word of God and in fact works actively against the authority and sufficiency of Scripture; (4) Is thoroughly pragmatic in methodology which is unscriptural and ungodly, indicative in the very structure of the book which is: cultural observations yield theological conclusions, which then determines practice; (5) Seeks to primarily influence western-based Christians on how to contextualize the gospel, so that it is great news to all cultures, since white people apparently have “put God in a box” —in others words, they have bound God by His Word—because they have taught only fragmented pieces of the gospel and not a "complete salvation" that they define as changing according to the culture (which then makes it a perverted and false gospel); (6) Teaches that culture essentially determines the content of the gospel, or at least what people are capable of understanding about the gospel; (7) Completely diminishes and undermines the seriousness and evilness of sin in Georges version of the gospel, which then diminishes Christ’s work as well and changes the gospel to a corrupted gospel; (8) Repeatedly corrupts scripture by proof texting God's Word, pulling texts out of their canonical context, privately interpreting these passages (2 Pet 1:16-21) which allows him to make each text refract his sociological presuppositions, and makes it appear the Bible says things that it actually doesn't; (9) The utter heretic Georges seeks to change the gospel to fit cultures so that world cultures will engage the gospel “through meaningful forms,” i.e. making it more palatable to unbelieving people, all of which works completely against the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, and against the one true gospel as found in Scripture that has never changed, and will never change; (10) Etcetera.
Rather than mohawking this heresy and false “3D Gospel” into the skulls of Indians and others, who have gone from being exposed to the false gospel of Catholicism for many decades, to this new false gospel of neo-evangelicalism, which is easy believism (see also here) and quick prayerism and preaching that abstains from sin and hell and repentance and Christ’s Lordship, really an effeminate form of perverted gospel, they should be preaching the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which actually truly saves! The Indian people have for the most part in modern times, not heard the one true gospel that is preached by Christ in the Bible and presented throughout the Bible. There is a great contrast between contemporary so-called missionaries to the Indian people and men of yesteryears, such as John Eliot and David Brainerd and Egerston Ryerson Young.
The “cross-cultural” course and 3D Gospel" is a “another gospel,” which is not “another” but a “pervert[ed] . . . gospel of Christ” which reaps God’s curse (Gal 1:6-9). Everything that is wrong with evangelicalisms false gospel and man-centred pragmatism, on how to do the gospel, could be summarized with this book and course where its presented in a positive light, yet it is accepted by Fehr and EMC as good Christian fodder. Unbelievable. Where on earth is the discernment?! Its naught, and for a good reason. This is simply heresy and apostasy and it can only produce false “believers,” which is exactly what we see on every hand in evangelicalism today, also evident in their lack of discernment concerning error, heresy and apostasy (cf. 1 Cor 2:15-16; Ac 17:11; 1 Th 5:21-22; 1 Jn 4:1; 2 Tim 4:1-4). This is EMC, and the leavening of the lump keeps on keeping on, while the ship gradually sinks below the surface to its wet grave.
I do wonder if this cross-cultural ear tickling and the preachers who gladly further these extraBiblical teachings would fall under the following banner of deceit:
“Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Is. 30:10).
(k) There is zero true repentance anywhere in their articles, sermons or decrees. Repentance is despised and rejected.
No repentance or false repentance is a false gospel (Mk 1:1-5; Ac 20:21, 24; Lk 13:1-5; 24:44-48; cf. Gal 1:6-9).
Nothing even remotely taught on the nature of true repentance in sermons, articles or otherwise, and further inferred by an absence of "fruit meet for repentance" (Ac 26:20), in the personal testimonies of many of the people. What we see in scripture on the other hand is the continual preaching and focus on repentance, since repentance is the very foundation of salvation, but nothing here. The rare time when repentance is mentioned, it is plainly false.
Repentance is also not just a change of mind, which is the false definition of repentance rejecters and perverted gospel purveyors. Read the abundant evidence of why Repentance is Not Just a Change of Mind.
Vast multitudes are screaming in hell today because of the abominable rejection or perversion of repentance taught by many so-called Christian leaders today, including in the EMC churches, and vast multitudes more will adopt and teach this heresy they have learned, leading to the damnation of multitudes more, if such apostasy continues to be tolerated. No one is saved without true repentant faith, so there are a lot of false believers among EMC churches, including the ministerial. In fact, the ministerial are clearly false teachers since they are the ones seriously corrupting God's gospel and promoting false teachers who are clearly unconverted and teaching false gospels.
Biblical faith (which is repentant faith) and who Jesus is (He is both Lord and Saviour) are the two areas that are most under attack today amongst evangelicals, Baptists, Protestants and the like. Faith without repentance is not true faith. Its spurious and dead faith. Many preachers don’t preach on repentance at all. Some merely mention the word on the fly, more along the lines of a drive by shooting. Very rarely do preachers actually expound on what true Biblical repentance is, and that is a great shame and disgrace, since no one can be saved without repenting. It’s also not enough to just say the word. It must be described and defined. It is absolutely life and death crucial and it is commanded in Scripture.
The new birth, which is not a process but an instantaneous event (2 Col 6:2), demands both true repentance and faith (Matt 21:28-32; Ac 20:21).
The only means whereby sinners can enter the kingdom of God is to be born again (Jn. 3:3-8), and the new birth requires both genuine repentance (Matt. 3:1-10; 21:28-32; Lk 13:1-9, 23-24; 14:25–15:32; Ac 3:19; 17:20-31; Jn. 3:19-21; etc) and faith (Jn. 3:15-18, 36; Eph 2:8-9) and both are found in passages such as these: Mk. 1:15; Ac. 20:21.
Jesus warned,
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Lk 13:1-5).
To perish is to die unconverted and burn eternally in the unquenchable fires of hell, where there is no rest, only torment with wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:42: 25:30; Mk 9:43-47; Lk 16:23-31; Rev 20:15; 21:8).
There is no salvation without true repentance, the Bible is very, very clear on that, crystal clear (e.g. Matt 21:28-32; Mk 1:14-15; 8:34-38; Lk 13:1-9, 23-24; 14:25–15:32; Ac 3:19; 17:30-31; 21:20; 26:20; Jn 3:19-21; 12:24-25).
The gospel of repentant faith is the gospel that John the Baptist preached (Mk 1:1-4; Lk 3:3-16), that Jesus preached (Matt 4:17), that the apostles preached as commissioned by Christ (Mk 6:12), that the apostle Paul preached (Ac 20:21, cf. v 24b) and that every born again believer will preach (Lk 24:44-48; Ac 17:30-31; 2 Pet 3:9). John the Baptist did not preach a different gospel than anyone else, including what we preach today. John immersed those who demonstrated the fruit of true repentance. He, the forerunner prophet, was to Christ what repentance is to faith.
When Jesus preached the gospel of the Kingdom, He continually preached repentance (Matt. 4:17; 10:7; 11:20-24; Lk 10:9, 11; 11:20; 21:31). From the beginning (Matt 4:17) to the end of His ministry (Lk 24:44-48) repentance was the foundation of His gospel preaching (Matt 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”), even when not using the word itself (e.g. Matt 10:32-40; Lk 9:23-26; 14:25-36; Jn 12:24-25; Mk 8:34-38, incl. the case of the rich ruler in Matt 19, Lk 18 and Mk 10). That is the great hurdle lost man must overcome to be saved, for they hate the light and love their evil deeds (Jn 3:19-21).
Todays churches, definitely including EMC, are full of mere professors who are largely unconverted and a major reason for that is because they’ve never Biblically, savingly repented. They have never strived to enter in (Lk 13:23-24). They have never surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord (Lk 14:15-15:32). They have been fed a counterfeit “gospel” of self-gratification by false teachers who either pervert this doctrine (and other aspects of the gospel) or don’t teach it at all in their anemic “gospel” plans, and the vast majority of them love to have it so (2 Tim 4:3-4). Of course the drought of preaching against sin (pointedly), and warning about hell, together with no preaching on the fear of God, dovetails with the neglect on repentance preaching. Let's not kid ourselves; its both willful and intentional, and the reason for its because of majority preachers and pastors, who are more like politicians behind podiums rather than preachers behind pulpits, are unsaved charlatans, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15-20; Ac 20:29), false teachers (2 Pet 2:1; 2 Jn 1:9-11) and dogs and pigs (2 Pet 2:18-22). They are not preaching the true gospel because they have never been saved by the true gospel.
(l) The false gospel of asking Jesus into your heart.
Many embrace the false gospel of asking Jesus into their hearts, which we address in this report: Is it Biblical to Ask Jesus into Your Heart to be Saved?
This false teaching dovetails with quick prayerism and easy believism.
(m) The gospel is also corrupted through worldly and fleshly “worship,” golden calf worship.
EMC churches claim to believe in justification by faith alone but severely corrupt the gospel by using worldly and fleshly “worship.” They attract crowds with ungodly marketing techniques that are not fit for the holiness of God, rather than through boldly preaching the gospel, living sacrificially and godly and holy, separated humble lives, and making true disciples through the true gospel and true Scriptures, like churches did in the Bible (Matt 28:18-20; Ac 5:13; Mk 8:34-38). They get people to visit their congregations by attracting them through some worldly means or meeting their worldly or fleshly needs, while the Lord Jesus commanded, “[M]ake not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” (Jn 2:16), and He used a whip to drive out those who did such wickedness from God’s place of worship (Jn 2:12-17). Worldliness and ungodliness is the opposite of worshipping "in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23-24; Rom 13:14). EMC churches do not require a holy life for church membership (Matt 18:15-20). They are afraid to boldly and pointedly preach everything in the Bible (2 Tim 4:1-4) because they know that so doing will be unpopular and bring persecution (2 Tim 3:12). Without the Holy Spirit, there is no true boldness. Instead of true exegetical Biblical preaching, they give talks, or have dramas, or do skits, or have circus shows, or do other things not found in Scripture.
God the Son gave two requirements for worshiping God the Father:
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn 4:23-24)
In spirit and in truth.
The "worship" that occurs at EMC is NOT "in spirit and in truth.”
Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) is apostate. CCM is "Christian" Rock for all intends and purposes, which is a contradiction of terms. CCM replaces “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19) with praise (?) choruses and other contemporary worship songs filled with unsound doctrine and “vain repetitions” (Matt. 6:7) and fleshly beats and overtones that have nothing like the content of the 150 inspired psalms of the Bible or even many traditional songs authored by the likes of Fanny Crosby or Isaac Watts or Philip Bliss and others. These people use worldly music (e.g. rock, jazz, blues, easy-listening, country-western, pop) originally written to encourage sexual immorality and wickedness, put “Christian words” (barely, if at all) to it, and deceive themselves to believe that God will accept it.
EMCer's ignore the fact or sear their conscience maybe, that God has sent fire from heaven and burned people up for offering Him false worship (Lev. 10:1-2).
By turning from the pattern of Scripture unto golden calf worship, the EMC churches lead people to think that God is not holy, but worldly and fleshly like the “worship” they offer Him. We are how and what we worship (Ps. 115:8). The rhythm of worldly music is physically sensual and stimulating, even in the “soft rock” form. CCM is all about a feeling, hence why the heavy syncopation, such as the back beat and anticipated beat, suits it so well and the persistent pursuing after a tangible experience of sensing "God’s presence" (like LCCF does). Steven Tyler of Aerosmith testified that rock music “is the strongest drug in the world” (Rock Beat, Spring 1987, p. 23). The experience orientation of CCM is also why it tends to be characterized by repetitiveness (it has been called 7/11 music for a reason—7 words sung 11 times). This creates a hypnotic effect, particularly when accompanied by a strongly syncopated rhythm and non-resolving chording. This, in company with the fake spirituality, creates a desire to “feel” the presence of God, a common epitaph of neo-evangelicals. We see the same thing in CCM. For example, the mission of Integrity Music and Integrity Worship Ministries is “helping people worldwide experience the manifest presence of God" (integritymusic.com). Graham Kendrick, one of the biggest names in CCM, says, “The old way of preaching and singing began to give way to an expectation that . . . God would visit us, and we’d experience His presence in a tangible sort of way” (interview June 11, 2002 with Chris Davidson of Integrity Music). Secret Place Ministries exemplifies the CWM philosophy in that they “long for an encounter with the presence of God” and their worship music is said to “bring down the presence of God" (Secret Place Ministries).
People that listen and love CCM music are always looking for those warm fuzzy feelings and experiences, as the evidence that the Spirit is moving. They are being manipulated by their feelings/emotions, are self-deceived and deceived by Satan, who is very charismatic and loves to keep lost people lost. Satan uses this form of music as a counterfeit for the real Holy Spirit. It’s all about experience. That’s why CCM goes hand in hand with the signs and wonders segment of apostate Christendom. People who are looking for a sensation whereby they can tangibly feel the power of the Spirit at an emotional level are flocking to these kinds of events and churches. It is simply the itching ears syndrome of false pretending “believers.” They are wicked and spiritual adulterers (“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;” — Matt. 16:4), and thus enemies of God (Jam. 4:4), the very antonym of a friend of God. All this of course is completely unscriptural and has no place in the true Christians life, who has the Spirit of God continually dwelling in him, and leading him. People that seek after God’s presence have very likely never been saved. They obviously do not know what it is like to be “led by the Spirit of God,” therefore “they are [not] the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14). Nor do they know what it is like to have the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11-11), where “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Rom. 8:16). You don’t need to seek after “the presence of God” if you have God dwelling in you.
False worship itself is a false gospel, and it leads to further corruption of the gospel and to “churches” that profess some of the truth but are filled with people who have never truly repented of their sins and trusted Christ (Rev 3:14-22). Their faith is a counterfeit and its dead (Jam 2:14-26).
(n) EMC believes and promotes the false gospel of Losing Salvation.
Losing salvation is embraced and taught and eternal security is considered heresy by some in this denomination. This is done with no consideration on how they impugn God with lies and with contradictions and how they expose themselves to be false “believers,” who believe in a false gospel.
EMC statement of faith advances the idea that salvation can be lost:
"We believe it is the privilege of all Christians to know that they have passed from death to life and that God can keep them from falling away. Faith and obedience are essential in maintaining this assurance and growth in grace."
Though its shrouded in confusion and ambiguity, it does read as losing salvation, lest you do something to maintain it and prevent falling away, so that God won't take it away.
God’s Word is very clear that without eternal security there is no salvation, for they are inseparable (e.g. Jn. 3:15-18, 36; 4:13-14; 5:24, 39-40; 6:28-59; 10:28-30; 17:2-3, 8-16; etc), and those who believe salvation can be lost have never been truly converted, never been born again. They have believed a lie and placed there faith in a false gospel. The Bible says that as a plain fact in 1 Jn. 5:9-13. Verse 10 reads:
“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”
By believing and teaching against “the record that God gave of His Son” which “is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v. 11)—yes that is eternal security of salvation, eternal life through Jesus at salvation; they are exactly the same—you make God a liar (“he that believeth not God hath made him a liar”), which is evidence that you do not have the witness in you, for “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself” for such a one “beliveth . . . the record that God gave of his Son” which is found in Jesus Christ, and we know that witness is actually the Holy Spirit of God, as seen in the context, the preceding verses (1 Jn. 5:6-8), Whom is received at salvation (e.g. Ac. 2:38; 10:45; 11:17; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Cor. 6:19-20) and is the Spirit of Truth (Jn. 14:17; 15:26; 16:13), not the spirit of error (1 Jn. 4:1) and He does not teach lies to those He indwells, but truth alone and that to everyone He indwells (I Jn. 2:20-21, 27), so that those who have not “the witness in [them]” are obviously not saved, which is why they have no qualms on lying about God and the eternal salvation He gives and propagating their own false witness of losing salvation.
Tied to the works "gospel" of losing salvation is the works gospel of “trying our best,” which is also "another gospel" (2 Cor 11:4). Though they might not openly admit that they believe a believer can lose their salvation, many surely believe this, obviously as documented in their statement of faith. Some also publicly profess this. Teaching that a Christian can lose their salvation opposes the Bible from start to finish and the very nature of the gospel itself. Salvation and eternal life are inseparable. The very gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of eternal salvation. Thats what it is. The nature of salvation, the things that come to pass at salvation and the foundation of salvation are among hundreds of reasons why the blood-bought, grace-saved saint could never lose that which he never merited to begin with. There are well over 400 passages of scripture in the NT (and many more in the OT) that clearly teach eternal security of salvation. It is impossible to lose your salvation (Rom. 8:28-39; 1 Jn. 5:11-13; Jn. 3:15-18, 36; 5:24; 10:27-29; Heb. 6:4-6). What would cause a professing believer to deny such a clear teaching of God’s Word? Because they have never been saved is the Biblical answer, not sugarcoating this fact at all. They do not understand the true gospel of Christ and never been born again, since all that are truly saved know they have eternal life.
Gainsaying eternal security of salvation while promoting "losing salvation" denies the indwelling Holy Spirit, charges God with lying and rejects God’s record of His Son (1 Jn 5:9-13)—all characteristics of an apostate. It also reflects “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4) they have embraced.
Not only are they guilty of the crime of impugning God with lies, they are also guilty of doing the same to what man has said. Which man? Menno Simons. The former editor of The Messenger, Terry M. Smith, writes an article demonstrating Menno Simons obvious belief and faith in assurance of salvation and eternal life, yet in closing states,
“Did Menno believe Christians could lose their salvation? In a word, yes. Assurance is not to lead to carelessness.” (“What did Menno Simons say about assurance”, Terry M. Smith, The Messenger, May 2011, p. 6).
Yikes. He is blatantly lying about Simon’s beliefs based upon a misinterpretation of one sentence, which was even opposed in what he had just quoted from Simon’s writings. Where in Menno Simon’s writings would the reader deduct that a believer may lose their salvation? Nowhere. Smith adds to Menno Simons words here, just like the modern translators did to God’s Word in the corrupted Bible perversions he uses, just like Smith and all the other men of the EMC do on a daily basis when they read and comment on the Word of God. This behaviour is per normalem in evangelicalism and EMC. It is Smith that wants Simons to say this, attempting to force his words in eisegetical fashion, which would then match their statement of faith, and probably even Smith's personal beliefs. Simons doesn't though. Nice try.
Here is Biblical Reasoning Why Salvation Can Never Be Lost — The True Gospel of Eternal Life and Security and more on Losing Salvation is a False Gospel Propagated by False Teachers.
(o) EMC's false gospel proclaims freedom, but libertinism does not free.
They do this by word, implication and manner of life. They also do not require true conversion and a holy life for church membership (Matt 18:15-18), which affects the gospel.
After Jesus freed the women caught in adultery, from her sin (Jn 8:11), He said,
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn 8:32)
As Jesus continues, He declares what that freedom is about:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin [who are unsaved people, these serving their lusts]. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (Jn 8:34-36)
Jesus is contrasting true freedom, truly freed, from counterfeit “freedom,” which is really bondage.
Truth sets the servant of sin, the sinner, free from sin forever. To be “free indeed” is to be truly freed, “indeed” meaning truly. The false believers, the focus of Christs message here (v. 30), thought they were free, but they were not, which is why Jesus adds, “free indeed.” A few sentences later he further indicts their false profession (Jn 8:43-46), also calling them the children of the devil (v. 44). Only moments after, they attempted to kill Him (v. 59), just like Jesus had declared was already in their hearts when He spoke to them (vv. 37, 40). The world today is full of professing Christians of this nature. Professing to be Christian but unconverted and haters of the truly converted (cf. 2 Pet 2:1-3). The churches are loaded with these type of people, including EMC.
When Jesus Christ sets the servant of sin free from sin, he is free indeed. True freedom only comes through something that is true indeed. Not a lie, not something made up. It truly has to be the truth and not from something humanely concocted, since it is only the Son that makes you free, not some man or pastor or church (though God can use these means to make you free through God the Son).
Freedom that the Son gives is freedom from sin — sin which goes either legalistic (performance-induced), or libertine (permissiveness-induced) in the religious world.
This is the theme of Galatians, which exposes the two false gospels that all false gospels fit into: (1) False gospel of legalism, which is adding some law-keeping requirements to salvation (i.e., performance, impressiveness), or (2) False gospel of libertinism, which is turning the grace of God into lasciviousness (i.e., permissiveness) as Ju 1:4 declares. Like legalism, libertinism is bondage to the flesh and sin, which abuses God’s grace as a get-out-of-jail-free card. But the true grace of God does not give permission to do that.
Satan distorts the truth. He would like you to think that you are free when you are really in bondage. The nature of his work is to falsify the truth but make it appear as close to the truth as possible. Thats what we see repeatedly in evangelicalism, again EMC not exempt.
Satan has also blurred the word freedom into a fog of incomprehensibility. You can’t have freedom, while embracing your own idea of what freedom is. You can’t make up definitions to suit your desires. The Bible defines freedom, and man’s responsibility is to believe and embrace it.
All people in the world are either in bondage or free, either a slave to sin and Satan or to liberty and God, which is really the theme of Galatians. All are either servants to the lusts of the flesh or servants of God. One or the other. Being a bondservant of God is not bondage; its freedom, even though the world in its bondage to sin, will pejoratively call that bondage. Its not. It is not only freedom, but the only true freedom. It is freedom because it is a wilful choice to submit and surrender to Christ. All people unfreed by the Son are in bondage to sin of some sort. Yet these people in bondage, on the broad path that leads to destruction and death and damnation, have deceived themselves to think they are free, when in reality they are in bondage to sin, while those who have been indeed freed by the Son of God are truly free and not in any form of bondage.
EMC claims to be free through the "gospel" they proclaim, but freedom doesn’t come from mere lip service, from mere declaration. They might say or think they are free, but they are actually in bondage to sin and a false grace. Its an illusion of freedom. They call obedience and Biblical standards legalism, but they are actually the ones under bondage. To be walking in conformity to the world, in love with its ungodly music and fashions and ways, in bondage to fear of conflict and retribution and fear of the government, etc, is sinful (Eph 5:5-8), and under the bondage of sin.
God’s grace doesn’t mean a shorter list of rules and regulations, a form of antinomianism, but that is also what the false gospel of libertinism embraces.
God's “grace” is not a garbage can. “Grace” doesn’t just keep taking all of your bad stuff and putting it in the garbage can. “Grace” doesn’t just keep taking your garbage. The true grace of God is a cleansing agent. It actually cleans your life up (Col 1:4-6; Matt 13:23). It makes you a brand new person (2 Cor 5:17). It changes how you live. Grace actually puts sin to death. That is what God’s grace does. The true grace of God changes a life (Ti 2:11-14). Sin does not have dominion over you anymore (Rom 6). Sin does not characterize your life anymore (1 John). The same grace that saves (Ti 2:11) also leads, teaches, directs, helps the saint to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and unholiness and live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Ti 2:12-14).
That is what the true grace of God does, but the “grace” we see in evangelicalism in general, and EMC in particular, is not like this at all. Its an entirely different “grace” that allows for sin, allows for worldliness, allows for fleshly lusts, allows for false teachings and perversion of Scripture and doctrine, all under the banner of “grace” and “love,” but its a cheap, counterfeit "grace" that “turns the grace of God into lasciviousness.” (Ju 1:4).
Both legalism and libertinism are equally bondage. Permissiveness is lust, “fleshly lusts, that war against the soul” (1 Pet 2:11). EMC shortens the regulations so they are free to do what they want to do, and freedom is characterized in this way, but its still bondage to sin. Shortening the list doesn’t change the bondage. They are not free from sin, but free to sin. Sin is still in dominion, sin is still the boss. You might argue, ‘are you saying that after salvation you won’t sin anymore, and have a life of perfectionism?’ No, but you are saved from the dominion of sin (Rom 6). Sin will not rule over you; you are no longer under its charge. Sin is never again a habitual or characteristic lifestyle anymore, and that includes worldliness and embracing doctrinal errors and false teachings, all of which are sin as well. God’s grace is the growth agent in sanctification: increased holiness, godliness, righteousness and less sinning, which starts immediately at conversion (e.g. Col 1:4-6; Jn 14:15-24; 15:1-10; 1 Jn 3:1-10; etc), because that is the true grace of God, and all true born again believers have this grace.
I cannot and will not tolerate false gospels or false Jesus’s. I will not tolerate this, as the Galatians unfortunately did, but oppose it vehemently, as Paul the apostle did, and also commanded.
What kind of false “Jesus”?
(a) A false Jesus that is a tolerant “Jesus,” which is a leftist myth.
The perversion isn't just limited to the false gospel but also to the false Jesus, which dovetail. There’s a seriously insufficient understanding of Jesus Christ, and then perversion of the true Jesus of the Bible, producing "another Jesus" (2 Cor 11:4). They build ox carts to reach conclusions they desire.
Evangelicalism purveys the dishonest notion that Jesus was the epitome of modern-day “tolerance.” The proponents of this myth willfully ignore the full scope of Christ’s teachings (which is why they do not exegetically preach verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the Bible), to cherry-pick instances that serve their narrative. Its as if they do not know 75% of the material in the Scriptures. They latch onto the notion that Jesus “ate with sinners” or “sat with tax collectors” as if sharing a meal was equivalent to endorsing sin or doctrinal error or false teachings. Unfortunately, this malignant and pervasive myth doesn’t just rear its head in secular or progressive dialogues—it’s wormed its way into majority of pews and pulpits of churches across the spectrum of Evangelicalism, Protestantism, etc.
Evangelical churches like EMC avoid “controversial” topics to keep the tithes rolling in, the people coming, and the pews full. They avoid "negativity" for the same reasons. Its gotta be all positive. It’s a calculated distortion of Scripture, intended to justify a range of worldly, sinful and ungodly lifestyles, and egregious doctrinal error, to present them as acceptable in the eyes of Jesus Christ.
This warped version of “tolerant Jesus” is being preached everywhere.
Yet, the true Jesus never shied away from speaking the truth, even when it was unpopular, even when it cost him followers. He rebuked, He reproved, He corrected, and He did so out of love. It is this true and biblical depiction of Christ that we must defend—one that isn’t subject to the ideological fads of the day but stands as the eternal source of grace and truth perfectly in line with the eternal words of the Word of God. Contrary to the evangelical/contemporary distortion, Jesus did not share meals with sinners to endorse their sinful lifestyles or erroneous beliefs and practices but rather to call them to repentance. He dined with tax collectors and prostitutes for opportune in preaching the truth and to demonstrate God’s grace, not to affirm their actions. “For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt 9:13). In the ancient Middle Eastern culture, sharing a meal or cup of tea was not a stamp of approval for error, wrong beliefs, false teachings or sinful actions or lifestyles of those at the table. In the Biblical context of Jesus, it was an open door to hear reproving preaching and an invitation to reconsider one’s life in the light of God’s truth.
Considering these things; isn’t evangelicalism, including EMC, thumbing their noses at Biblical authority?
How is this “Bible-believing, God-honouring” as EMC LCCF believes self to be?
In an era where individual autonomy is treated as the highest good, this distorted perspective on Jesus is a particularly convenient tool. It’s used to rebuff most criticism, reproof or moral guidance, painting it as "judgmental" or "to negative" or "to critical" or, as many evangelicals charge, “un-Christlike.” The damaging ripple effects can be seen clearly as more and more churches skirt around issues of sin, treating it like mere lifestyle choices to be “accepted” rather than grave matters warranting repentance and conversion. And what of those churches that choose to stand firm and unwavering on Biblical commands and principles? They are frequently lambasted as “intolerant” or “outdated”or "pharisaical," with many of their congregations dwindling as pew warmers flock to places where their ears are tickled but their souls are left starving, paving the way for their continual existence on the broad path that leadeth to destruction and damnation (Matt 7:13-14).
Their false "Jesus" is a tolerating Jesus of sin and error. The pressure to tolerate and compromise and accommodate by the world is massive, so their response is to change who Jesus is to accommodate the change, rather than being faithful to Christ and doing what the Bible says and standing for the truth. So their Jesus becomes “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4), a modern Christ which is a designer Jesus concocted for the narcissistic culture duped in Freudian-think. They’re lookin for the thrill they feel in an experience with Jesus. That’s the same Jesus men wanted in Jn 6. That wasn’t Him, so they walked away, and Jesus didn’t run them down. These churches today would definitely chase these people and offer them something, anything to hold their attention for a moment, until they can give them Jesus the entertainer, Jesus the goodymeister, or Jesus their therapist. The numbers have to be kept up, so they feed their itching ears what it is that they want to hear.
The idea of Jesus as perpetually “tolerant” crumbles under even the most cursory reading of the NT. Consider how He handled the Pharisees and their false teachings/beliefs, His severe and sharp rebuke of them, calling them white-washed tombs, children of hell and the devil, hypocrites, and more (Matt 23). Consider also how He cleared the temple of certain false believers/teachers and money changers with a whip, accusing them of making His Father’s house a den of thieves. He actually did this twice (Jn 2:15; Mk 11:15). Do these actions sound like the one-dimensional portrait of “tolerance” painted by these contemporary neo-evangelicals?
(b) Embracing easy believism and rejecting Lordship Salvation is a false gospel and false Jesus.
Omitting or denying the Lordship of Christ corrupts who Jesus is, and thus corrupts the gospel. You can't be saved by believing in a false Jesus.
The Word is given by God to His children, to know and understand, so that we can “know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee” (Pr. 22:17-21). You have in the beginning “God." Lordship starts there. Nothing is here without him. Everything is about worshiping Him. Lordship salvation isn't a lens. It is the entire landscape. Revelation ends with Lordship. If the entire NT is the gospel, the message is the Lordship of Christ. Sure, we can be saved, but we're saved to worship, for “the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn. 4:23-24). We’re saved as a love gift to the Son to worship Him forever (Jn. 6; 14:1-3). Jesus is exalted, why? That every knee would confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:10-13). Even Jesus as Saviour is tied into Lordship. How? Man is in rebellion against God and He can't do what the Lord wants Him to do without being saved. He can't get into the Kingdom where Jesus is King without being saved first. Unless He is born again, He can't be in the kingdom and he can't be in submission to Him.
Since Jesus Christ is God (Jn. 20:28), Lord (Phil. 2:11), King (Jn. 12:13), and Saviour (2 Pet. 3:18), the lost cannot receive a divided “Christ” who is only a Saviour but rather as God, Lord, King, and Saviour, both as Redeemer and Ruler, if they desire to be genuinely saved. The emphasis in Scripture is on receiving Jesus Christ as Lord, with no emphasis actually on receiving Him as Saviour. Jesus is Saviour no doubt but this specific title of Saviour (“Soter”) is found only 39 times in the entire Bible — of which 24 times is in the NT but not once in Romans and only twice in Acts (we don’t get “Saviour” till 5:31 & also 13:23) while the title of "Lord" 675 times in the NT alone. “Saviour” is found only 3 times in the gospels, one of which is in John (4:42), and twice in Luke (1:47; 2:11). It is used more times in Titus (6) than the Gospels & Acts combined. And most of the usages of Saviour in the Bible are not even related to personal salvation, such as Lk. 2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Even when "Saviour" is used, it gets used with "Lord" over one-third of the time, like here in Lk 2:11. The title "Saviour" in the NT is used almost exclusively on behalf of and directed toward believers, because Jesus is being described as their Saviour. The outcome of salvation. That is its proper usage.
In Romans, that great salvation book, 45 times in 39 verses we find “Lord” but zero times, “Saviour.” As Paul explains the great doctrine of salvation so much in that book, he doesn't mention "Saviour" at all. Saviour is never used in a presentation of salvation in the Bible, but Lord is consistently. He becomes our Saviour but He is received as Lord. That is how the Bible read everywhere, with nothing contradicting that. “Lord” is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” This is the Divine name for God. Jesus Christ is designated as the Lord in many NT references. This is the consistent truth of Scripture — Jesus is Yahweh or Jehovah. The message written and preached consistently by the Apostles is that "Jesus is Lord,” Yahweh or Jehovah. The preaching of Lordship of Jesus is all the way through the gospels, Acts, the epistles, and also fits with OT salvation as well. For example, in all of those initial messages of Peter in the book of Acts, it was Lord—see Ac. 2:20, 21, 25, 34, 36, 39; 3:19, 22; 4:24, 26, 29, 33. Throughout the book of Acts on every page you will see the Apostles thundering "Jesus is Lord.” And what was John the Baptist preaching in Jn. 1:23? “Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” We see it’s the same message as the OT prophets. And of course it would be; salvation has never changed. Do these things mean anything? Absolutely they do. Jesus doesn’t just become our Lord at salvation but must be received as such. There is no fooling God, or backdoor into heaven. There is one way only, one door, but false believers and false teachers look for another way (Jn 10:1-5).
What I find with the easy-believism and anti-Lordship crowd is a lot of cheap talk but zero Biblical defence. They argue a lot of straw man and smoke and mirrors but nothing that resembles truth from an open Bible. When someone professing to be saved takes a professed Biblical position and stance, he should always be able to defend it, and thoroughly, from the Bible. But they can’t because its non-defensible. They can’t because the false doctrine is not found in the Bible. Then instead of believing what the Scriptures plainly say, they argue away clear truths and twist the scriptures, and for that they ought to be ashamed. People that embrace easy believism and reject the Lordship of Christ should be very concerned whether they are following the true Jesus Christ of the Bible.
Unfortunately this false gospel being taught and embraced by EMC has been allowed now for many years to operate with little to no criticism, probably in part because there was a particular view of unity that allowance would support. They were orthodox on the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, bodily resurrection, inerrancy — those types of so-called fundamental doctrines. On those, both these positions are identical. Now that there is criticism, probably because salvation has been so watered down to become almost a form of universalism, there is little to nothing to defend their position. And those that attempt, all they do is reveal their faulty hermeneutics. I think that when the terminology "Lordship salvation" came out, it was promoted negatively by the cheap grace evangelicals (like EMC) and the easy-believism/quick-prayerism IB fundamentalists. Nobody wanted to believe their fake version of it, so the terminology "Lordship salvation" became anathema.
Rejecting the Lordship of Christ is not some noble deed. It’s a subversion of Him.
There is only one salvation: Lordship Salvation is Salvation.
~o——————————————————o~
In closing this first point, on these two elements (the false gospel and the false Jesus), is really where apostasy begins (though it interrelates with other points addressed in this report), since saved people don't apostatize, and saved people believe in a true gospel and a true Jesus in line with the Word of God, and all saved people walk after the truth and in the light of God's Word (1 Jn 2:20-21, 27; Pr 8:5-9; 22:20-21).
What we have given for examples above are a mere scratch of the surface. These are only a few examples; the illustrations could almost be endless.
A watered-down presentation of the gospel, or the assumption that repeating a “sinner’s prayer” is the same as the repentance and faith wrought by the work of the Holy Spirit in the spiritually dead sinner (2 Tim 2:25; Jn 16:8-11), has lead EMC churches to be filled with people who have a “form of godliness” but are not truly saved, so powerless (2 Tim 3:5-9). Scripture is clear: “from such turn away” (2 Tim 3:5; 1 Tim 6:3-5). While true churches rejoice to have lost people visit their services, their membership is actually made up of visible “saints” [holy people] (1 Cor 1:2) only, not a mixture of almost completely unsaved false professors and a few true believers.
God calls all true believers to separate from every false gospel and all false worship, to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph 5:11). True churches believe the words of Jesus Christ: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). Because they love Jesus Christ, they want to practice everything He says, since He stated:
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:19)
It is both predictable and unsurprising that there are so many false professions and unsaved people in such institutions as EMC. Conservatively I would estimate very close to 100%, definitely above 95%, including nearly all of the church leaders in that number as well, if not all. I believe this based upon solid proof. (1) The massive amounts of heresies and unscriptural practices in these churches; (2) because of what the Bible teaches on this subject (e.g. Matt 7:13-14), and (3) what has historically been the case; if R.A. Torrey in the 1920's (a time when practically all churches were fundamental and of similar Biblical ilk) could state that he believed that only 10% of those who professed to be believers were really converted (cited from William Ashbrook, Evangelicalism The New Neutralism, p. 118) and a few decades later, Monroe “Monk” Parker concluded "that if we could get half the church members saved, we would see a great revival. In fact, I think if we could get half of the preachers in America converted, we would see a mighty revival that would stop the floodtide of evil and turn America back to God. Just belonging to a church did not save me” (Parker, Through Sunshine and Shadows, 1967, p. 62), who also lived at time when majority churches were much more fundamental and Biblical, what would our churches be today, which are practically all harlots and heretical bastions of every sort of error, heresy, sin and worldliness, leavened over entirely. That includes EMC.
By those standards, todays churches are mostly unregenerate since they are almost entirely apostate.
Majority members of EMC lack a true testimony of salvation and are partakers of leavening the whole lump (Gal 5:9; 1 Cor 5:6). They have a form of godliness, so they are welcomed into the church, but their testimonies, lives, and fruit, deny the power thereof (2 Tim 3:5). It is certainly clear that EMC holds to a perverted gospel and Paul warned in Gal. 1:6-9 that all who do so, are "accursed," which means unredeemed and set for destruction and damnation. Hence, such an institute will naturally be filled with false “believers.”
Denominations that hold to false gospels will be consequently loaded with false “believers.” That is the end game of a false and perverted gospel and apostasy. Shipwreck. Just because people have some kind of “faith” in Jesus does not mean they are saved. The devils also believe, and even tremble before God (Jam 2:19) but they are unsaved. A person can believe in the Triune God and not be saved (Jam. 2:19), believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and not be saved (Jn. 2:23-25; Ac. 8:13-24), be a disciple of Jesus and not be saved (Jn. 6:60-66; Matt. 27:1-4), implore to know Jesus and pray to Him and not be saved (Matt. 7:22-23; Lk. 18:11-12), call Jesus Lord and not be saved (Matt. 7:21; Lk. 6), prophesy in Jesus’ name, even true prophecies that come to pass, and not be saved (Matt. 7:22-23; Jn. 11:49-52 and 18:13-14; cf. Num. 22–24 and Ju. 1:11), do wonderful works in Jesus’ name and not be saved (Matt. 7:22-23; Judas—Matt. 10), have a zeal for God and not be saved (Rom. 10:2-3), have a zeal to make proselytes for God and not be saved (Matt. 23:15), be very interested in Jesus Christ and not be saved (Matt. 19:16-22), profess to know God and not be saved (Ti. 1:16), follow and serve Christ and not be saved (Jn. 6:60-66, 70; Ac 8:13-24), be a pastor of a church and not be saved (3 Jn. 1:9-11; Rev 3:14-18). Yea, one can believe and do all that, but still not be saved. This is the case at EMC. EMC churches are loaded with such false believers, reflective of the false gospel/salvation being propagated, The product of false and shallow evangelism. The Bible is very clear that sinners must be born again and that entails something.
I would encourage all those who endorse or align with what I am exposing here to reject the counterfeit and placebo you have embraced and read here a true account of the gospel of Jesus Christ, on How A Sinner Can Be Truly Saved and Have Eternal Life.
The reality of professing believers who are still lost is presented throughout the Bible and there are many. There is Lot’s wife (Gen 19:26; Lk 17:26-33); King Joash (2 Ki 12; 2 Ch 24); Balaam (Num 23 and 24; Ju 1:11); Esau (Gen 25; 27; Heb 12:15-17); Judas (Matt 27; Jn 13); Simon (Ac 8); Hebrews in the Wilderness (Ps 78; 106; Heb 3:6–4:11; 1 Cor 10:1-10; 2 Cor 3:7–4:4; etc); Pharisees, Scribes, Lawyers and Chief Rulers (Matt 23; Lk 11:37–12:1; Jn 12:42-48); False spies (Lk 20:20); False believers until they were truly saved (Ac 19:1-7); False Jewish believers (Jn 2:23-25); etc. The Bible is clear that many will profess to believe but few are actually saved. We see plenty of examples of that in Scripture. In fact, of the multitudes that professed to believe in Jn. 2:23-25 and professed to be Christ’s disciples in Jn. 6:60-66, none were true believers. They were all hypocrites. That actually goes for almost everyone that followed Christ, of the multitudes. In the end Christ was left with only a little flock (Lk 12:32). Judas Iscariot was a false believer, one so chosen by God (Ps. 109; Jn. 6:70-71), as was Simon the sorcerer (Ac. 8:13-24). Those that professed to believe in Jesus in Jn 8:30-31, were false believers (Jn 8:32-59). All the inhabitants of the city of Jericho, of those professing to be believers at least, had the “faith” of the “vain man” of Jam. 2:20 (see Jos. 2:9-11), but only Rahab truly repentantly believed and entrusted herself to Jehovah (Heb. 11:31; Jos. 2:11; cf. De. 4:39) and consequently acted on her already present living faith. Dead false faith on the other hand is the unrepentant faith demonstrated by Simon the sorcerer (Ac. 8) and the rich young ruler (Matt 19; Mk. 10; Lk. 18) and evangelicalism in general in our present day. The Bible is loaded with such examples (e.g. Jn 6:60-66; 8:30-59; Ac. 20:29-30; 1 Jn. 2:19; 4:1; 2 Jn. 1:9-11; 3 Jn. 1:9-11; Ju. 1:4-16; Heb. 3:7–4:11; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; Rom. 16:18; Matt. 7:13-14, 15-23; Lk. 13:23-30; 2 Cor 13:5; Ti 1:16; Heb 12:15; 2 Pet 2:1-3; 1 Cor 15:34; Rev 3:14-18).
We also know from Scripture that those entering the narrow gate are few:
”Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt 7:14)
Jesus said that to all the disciples and professing believers following Him. He told us that many “Christians” are just false professors (Matt. 7:21-23; Ti. 1:9-16). The Lord Jesus said that anyone who does not repent will perish (Lk. 13:3, 5; Matt. 21:28-32) and vast majority of professing “believers” hate true repentance, including EMC, which speaks volumes (i.e. Jn. 3:19-21). God is also not the Father of those who will not separate from false worship and they are not His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:14-18; cf. Jn. 4:23-24; 1 Jn. 2:3-6). The Lord said that many who receive the Word will not allow it to take root, and of the four soils given where the seed falls, only one is actually saved, though all are professing believers (Matt. 13; Mk. 4; Lk. 8). From the three types of false believers, of which two certainly appear to be Christian, God will remove even that little knowledge they have and give them over to confusion and error and delusion (Matt. 13:10-15; 2 Tim. 3:1-7), just like we see everywhere among professing believers today, especially groups like EMC.
Why is EMC (and other evangelicals), in such a dangerous and fatalistic place? Its because “they hated [true Biblical] knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:” (Pr. 1:29), and are “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7), even though they “Hav[e] a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Tim. 3:5). They actually make a mockery of the fear of the Lord, like they do with hell. EMC appears very oblivious to the faith that does not save, a false and “dead faith” as described by James (Jam. 2:14-26).
The EMC "gospel" is a worldly self-fulfillment “gospel” that “turn[s] the grace of God into lasciviousness” (Ju 1:4) and does not save. The gospel overall is so shallow and watered down and void of the complete truth, it can only be considered as “another gospel: Which is not another;” but a “pervert[ed] . . . gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:6-7). What they are purveying is plainly “another gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4), which is not another but a perverted gospel (Gal. 1:6-9) and a “damnable heresy” purveyed by false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1).
People that preach a false gospel are false teachers, and their god is their belly, not the Lord Jesus Christ, and how can this not be an apt description of the EMC?
“(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” (Phil 3:18-19)
This means EMC is doing the work of Satan, the adversary of God. They are not true and faithful witnesses but false and deceitful witnesses.
“A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies. . . . A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies.” (Pr. 14:5, 25).
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” (Pr 19:9)
A “false witness” proceeds from a lost and evil heart (Mk. 7:20-23, where they are also listed). Saved people, on the other hand, are a “faithful witness” and a "true witness."
Those who believe or teach a false gospel will be eternally damned (Gal. 1:8-9), and heretics must be rejected (Ti. 3:10).
I don't believe that EMC people actually like the true gospel. Based on their repulsion of many Bible truths, their rejection of the true gospel, I believe they are turned off by the actual true gospel of Christ and truth of God's Word, which is why they leave many parts of the Bible out in their sermons and teachings, parts that won't work for them in the congregation they are preaching to, and that causes them to believe that the congregation won't like it if you preach it. It's either that, or they just doesn't know what they're talking about. The latter is a more merciful analysis than the former. Maybe it is some combination of purposeful and ignorant deceit. The fact that they enjoy and embrace serious perverts of the gospel, both individuals and organisations, lends further support to this analysis.
The “Jesus” majority of EMCer’s have been deceived into believing and receiving is “another Jesus” and the gospel, “another gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4). Pick literally any of their sermons and this shall be very easily verified. They are all the same shallow, anemic, corrupted, watered-down, feel-good, non-edifying, non-exegetical, non-pointed, "preaching" into the air messages that console the flesh, and the reprobate faith of the hypocrite.
Do not be deceived, heed the dire warning:
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Cor 4:3-4)
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8-9).
“Accursed” here in Gal 1:8-9, is the same word as “anathema,” which means devoted to God for destruction. That is strong language, even harsh, but it’s the truth. In a post-modern age of “tolerance,” this may be extremely disturbing. But it’s the truth, so you best come to terms with the truth. But what is worse: saying you are “accursed” (or “anathema”), or the one perverting the gospel?
The rhetorical answer should be clear.
This is the form of language in scripture, so it’s not wrong to use the same language.
Gnashing your teeth over what I am writing here, or ignoring it, won't help your cause one bit. You should listen attentively and urgently, because everything is true, and you know it. You will thank me one day when you don't have to stand before the great white throne judgment.
But please don't be like the religious Jews that Jesus preached to, to whom He said:
“He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (Jn 8:47)
The following gospel presentation is one that advances the true gospel of Jesus Christ. If you believe what is being preached at EMC is true, or if you are unsure as to what the true gospel of Christ entails, then you really need to read this gospel tract: The True Gospel of Self-Denial and Self-Abandonment vs The False Gospel of Self-Fulfillment.