The Favorite Book Of Charismatics Condemn Their Blasphemy and Greed

                

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Act 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 
Act 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Act 4:34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 
Act 4:35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Ironically, the favorite book of Charismatics show that true Christians do not seek to gain more stuff and then demand it of God. The opposite is what we see: true Christians SOLD ALL THEIR LAND AND HOUSES and gave the money to the true and only apostles (there are none today), and the money was then distributed to those who were in true need. There was no 100-fold blessings, there was no seeking God for MORE houses, land, money.  There was a LETTING GO of material things, NOT A HANGING ON TO IT AN DEMANDING MORE.

The two people who held back in order to GAIN MONEY were cursed by God and died. A lesson for Charismatics/WOF/NAR followers to believe and repent from their idolatry and blasphemy.

Act 5:1  But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 

Act 5:2  and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 

Act 5:3  But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 

Act 5:4  While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 

Act 5:5  When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 

Act 5:6  The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

Act 5:7  After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 

Act 5:8  And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much." 

Act 5:9  But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." 

Act 5:10  Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

Act 5:11  And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. 

Act 5:12  Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 

Act 5:13  None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 

Charismatics Seek To Gain Possessions While The First NT Christians Sought To Sell Them

               

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Act 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Act 4:34  There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35  and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 

This is diametrically opposed to today's Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. The selfish indulgence of these movements seduces them to seek an unholy spirit and to reject biblical and inerrant doctrinal truth while seeking to GET MORE STUFF NOT SELL IT AND GIVE TO THE TRUE NEEDY.

Obama The Messiah Not Only Failed, But The Nobel Peace President Is Going Back Into War

For five years they did everything they could to discredit Bush and anybody else that supported it, including General Petraeus, you remember all that.  So Obama campaigns for president, gets elected on the premise that he's gonna finally get us out of here. He's gonna end torture. He's gonna close Gitmo. He's going to close this whole horrid chapter of history that shows what an absolute reprobate this country is, what an absolute disaster America is.  He's gonna end it and he's gonna put it back together.  The planet's gonna heal and the world is gonna love America again.  There isn't gonna be any more Al-Qaeda, and there isn't gonna be any more terrorism, because Obama's here, and he has a special way to relate to these people 'cause his name is Barack and he grew up somewhere else. 

He's a powerful guy. He's the smartest guy. He's a messiah. He can do it all. He can heal the planet. He can lower the sea levels. He can lower the temperature. He can save all the endangered species. He can get rid of oil. He can go with alternative energy. We could have no pollution ever, and nobody's ever gonna die. We're gonna have universal health care to make sure nobody ever dies. It was gonna be a utopia and it was all centered around the fact that we were gonna get the hell out of Iraq.  Right?

And that's what they did.  First chance, skedaddled, left no residual force because they never took it seriously as a military engagement.  They never took it seriously as a military operation.  They couldn't afford to all of a sudden take it seriously after Obama wins the White House.  They'd spent five years trashing it.  They and their friends in the media had spent five years telling the American people that Iraq was a total boondoggle, a mistake. We should never have been there. We should never have gone in the first place, and we're not gonna leave any evidence that we've ever been there. It's an embarrassment.

~RL

The Wrath of God

The wrath of God is a perfection of the divine character upon which we need to frequently meditate. First, so that our hearts may be duly impressed by God’s detestation of sin. We are prone to regard sin lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for it. But the more we study and ponder God’s abhorrence of sin and His frightful vengeance upon it, the more likely we are to realize its heinousness.

Second, to beget a true fear in our souls for God: "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28-29). We cannot serve Him acceptably unless there is due reverence for His awful Majesty and godly fear of His righteous anger; these are best promoted by frequently calling to mind that "our God is a consuming fire." Third, to draw out our souls in fervent praise for having delivered us from "the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10).

Our readiness or our reluctance to meditate upon the wrath of God becomes a sure test of how our hearts really are affected toward Him. If we do not truly rejoice in God, for what He is in Himself, and that because of all the perfections which are eternally resident in Him, then how dwelleth the love of God in us? Each of us needs to be most prayerfully on guard against devising an image of God in our thoughts which is patterned after our own evil inclinations. Of old, the Lord complained, "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether . . . as thyself" (Ps. 50:21), If we rejoice not "at the remembrance of his holiness" (Ps. 97:12), if we rejoice not to know that in a soon coming day God will make a glorious display of His wrath, by taking vengeance on all who now oppose Him, it is proof positive that our hearts are not in subjection to Him; that we are yet in our sins. 

~AWPink

Piper Believes In Praying People Into Becoming Prophets

John PiperVerified account‏@JohnPiper

O my, this is good. Anyabwile on “The Coming Reformation of Black Churches.” Pray him into a prophet. http://dsr.gd/1CTorCH 

4:01 PM - 10 Sep 2014

How is it even possible to pray a man into a prophet? This goes against clear Scripture and the doctrine of predestination. WE can't pray anyone into anything. God has already appointed men to be pastors, teachers, etc. --see Eph. 4:10 among other verses. WE can't determine whom God will use, even if one takes the meaning of "prophet" to merely mean a pastor/teacher. This is utter Man-Centered nonsense from a supposedly famous celebrity Calvinist.

Victoria Osteen, John Piper, and Hedonism

Last month I wrote about my observation that what Victoria Osteen, wife of infamous Joel Osteen, said about going to church,worshiping, and doing good works was "for us" and not really for God, and how it resembled John Piper's "Christian" hedonism.

She said in part:

“I just want to encourage every one of us to realize that when we obey God, we’re not doing it for God. I mean that’s one way to look at it- we’re doing it for ourselves. Because God takes pleasure when we’re happy. That’s the thing that gives him the greatest joy this morning. [unintelligeable] So I want you to know this morning, Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. When you come to Church, when you worship him- You’re not doing it for God, really, you’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy. Amen? Let’s open our hearts to him today “

End quote.

I noted:

She sounds just like Piper and his hedonistic "Christianity" where his god wants us to find self fulfillment and pleasure too, only Piper tries to sanitize it with some Christianese, but the center is man and the fruit is bad just the same. Driscoll anyone?

She blasphemes God and usurps the pulpit which God says only men are to stand in as His Word is being taught to men and women. Then again, this is a false church, with a false gospel, with a false God, and false teachers.

End quote.


Today Michael Beasley at Worldview Weekend also noticed the same thing.  Apparently Piper's ministry, "Desiring 'God'" tweeted:

Desiring GodVerified account‏@desiringGod

Wait, was Victoria Osteen really that off base? In one sense, no. http://dsr.gd/1lCYfqx 

•  Reply 
•  Retweet 
•  Favorite 

11:35 AM - 4 Sep 2014



Now, considering that most of the evangelical community seemed to agree that what she said was outrageous and anti-biblical, it caught the attention of Beasely that Piper's ministry would actually partially agree with the heretical Victoria Osteen.

First of all Victoria is a woman and she's preaching to men. That's the first sign of a false teacher. Of course, Piper has no problem with that as he has stood alongside Charismatic Beth Moore who also teaches men. He has also shared the platform at the Passion conference with Word of Faith  "Pastor" Christine Caine.

But secondly we know the heresy of the Osteens: humanism drapped with the name of Jesus Christ. They preach a false gospel of the goodness of man, the power of positive thinking and living, and an all-around plastic, shallow message of life coaching that can not change a life in the most fundamental way.

Beasely notes:

"Her version of “Christianity” is an idolatrous cauldron of hedonistic pleasure. In her world, self reigns supreme – and the name of Christ is simply a nametag that she attaches in an attempt to provide cover for her heresy."


He goes on to say:

In his book, Desiring God, Piper tries to justify using the salacious term, hedonism, as an expression of Christian worship.[1] In his earlier years in the ministry, he credited C.S. Lewis for this idea more directly, but over the years he has attempted to justify it through various other means. In his book, Desiring God, Appendix 4 – Why Call It Christian Hedonism?, Piper issues a strenuous attempt to justify his use of this expression in six different ways:

1. Through a definition supplied by Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

2. Through another definition supplied in The Encyclopedia of Philosphy.

3. Through C.S. Lewis’ statement (among others): “You notice that I am drawing no distinction between sensuous and aesthetic pleasures. But why should I? The line is almost impossible to draw and what use would it be if one succeeded in drawing it? If this is Hedonism, it is also a somewhat arduous discipline.”

4. By reason that the term “Hedonism” has an “arresting and jolting effect.”

5. He cites Jesus’ mention of coming as a “thief” in the night (Matt. 24:43-44), among other texts, as justification of using scandalous terms in a godly context.

6. He argues that he is able to sanctify, for godly purposes, the term Hedonism by affixing it with the name Christian.

These are all interesting arguments, but the reader should notice that they are rooted in C.S. Lewis, philosophy, and human reasoning more than anything else. As for his attempt to supply scriptural justification for “Christian Hedonism,” perhaps another man could just as well begin advocating “Christian Lust,” “Christian Fornication,” or “Christian (fill in the blank with any corruption here_____)” based upon the same reasoning. Frankly speaking, this is all reckless thinking and continues to be propagated through many today who insist on speaking of Christian faith in sensual, salacious terms. Within this same appendix (Appendix 4), Piper strangely admits that his actions run contrary to the counsel of wise men like J.C. Ryle – who strongly advises against the use of “uncouth and new-fangled terms and phrases in teaching sanctification,” but then proceeds to justify his use of the term hedonism which, scripturally speaking, depicts grotesque self-satisfaction (lust, autonomous delight, similar to eros) as a means of conveying Christian affections....

The Bible never uses “hedonism” as an expression of godly affections because selfish, autonomous delight is at the heart of such a term, whereas epithumea(desire) can be used of godly desire, but is never emphasized on equal footing with agape love. However, agape love is repeatedly given supremacy over every affection mentioned in Scripture...

If we refuse to be anchored by the language of Scripture, then we will drift into the dangerous waters of human reasoning – perhaps even giving half-credit to heretics. But when it comes to love versus hedonism, the Scriptures are quite clear. God has many attributes (Holiness, wrath, righteousness etc…) – but of all of His attributes, there are very few that have been elevated to the status of this predicate adjective construct: God is love. One thing He is not is hedonism (selfish, autonomous delight) – such a contrivance as this is unscriptural and borders on blasphemy.

End quote.

For the full article go here .

It's no wonder that Piper's tweets will focus on sensuality like this one:

John PiperVerified account‏@JohnPiper

Never forget, the point of the kitchen is the banquet. The aim of hermeneutics: happiness. The goal of exegesis: ecstasy.

For the dangers of CS Lewis go here.

Note:

I'd like to take one exception to Beasley's article and that is the way he gives credibility to Piper when Piper talks about the Gospel. First of all, his view of Justification is totally off which is why he can give credibility to the "gospel" of the Roman Catholic Church. Secondly, he is guilty of the wicked deeds of heretics like Rick Warren, Doug Wilson, Beth Moore, etc. :

2Jn 1:9  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 
2Jn 1:11  for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 

Piper also denies the clear teaching in Genesis 1-2 of a literal six day Creation week. He has promoted "sodomy of the heart" at DG, he speaks of absolutely inappropriate things in his tweets, which by the way, are becoming increasingly bizzare and nonsensical (one he tweeted recently was about watching a teenage couple making out by the river). Here's more of a complete list of why Piper should be rejected.

These are several reasons why Piper is not, nor never has been, a legitimate pastor-teacher (besides he gave up being a pastor which proves he was merely a hireling).

If the fruit is bad, then the tree is bad. There's no such thing as a good tree bearing bad fruit, Jesus Christ Himself said.

How Do You Make Decisions?

            

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"All the decisions you make…how many of those decisions are based on you doing simply what's right in your own eyes, and how many times specifically have you gone to Scripture looking for the answer, with regard to anything?" 

~ Paul Washer

Ps. 138:2… You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word.

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 

Psa 119:24  Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

2Ti 3:16  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17  that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Devil Inspired Churches Or Spirit of God Inspired Church

"When the devil inspires the church we have modern theology; but when the Spirit of God is among us that rubbish is shot out with loathing."


~CH Spurgeon

Commentary On Scripture

                       
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"Do what the Word commands. Obedience is an excellent way of commenting upon the Bible." 

~Thomas Watson

Are You Proud That You Believe?

"If in any way you are proud of the fact that you believe, then you do not believe." 

~MLJones

The Truth Must Be Maintained Zealously, Vehemently, and Continually

If God has called you by the truth, maintain the truth, which has been the means of your salvation.

We are not to be pugnacious, always contending for every crotchet of our own; but wherein we have learned the truth of the Holy Spirit, we are not tamely to see that standard torn down which our fathers upheld at peril of their blood. This is an age in which truth must be maintained zealously, vehemently, continually. Playing fast and loose as many do, believing this today and that tomorrow, is the sure mark of children of wrath; but having received the truth, to hold fast the very form of it, as Paul bids Timothy to do, is one of the duties of heirs of heaven. Stand fast for truth, and may God give the victory to the faithful. We must believe the gospel and maintain it, for it is committed to our trust.

~CH Spurgeon

Biblical truth is not an optional theory to be equally rejected or accepted. Rather, we are to hold on to it and abide in it at all costs because we who are in Christ, have been given a love for the Truth.

Pro 23:23  Buy the truth, and sell it not, also wisdom, and instruction and understanding. 

2Th 2:10  and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

"Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ," Eph.4:13-15.

“Speaking the truth in love” has come to mean that you more or less praise everything, but above all, that you never criticize any view strongly, because, after all, there is a certain amount of right and truth in everything.

We must therefore ask the question, Is this a right and a true interpretation of Paul’s statement? Is this what is meant by “speaking the truth in love”? I answer immediately that it cannot be, for the reason that the Apostle does not simply tell us here to speak lovingly. What he says is “speaking the truth” or “holding the truth”. We are not told by the Apostle to cultivate a vague, loving spirit, but to hold “the truth” in love. The very word truth, in and of itself, makes the modern popular exposition of the statement obviously and patently wrong. Furthermore – and this is where the context is so important – if the phrase merely denotes a loving spirit, how is it connected with what the Apostle has said in verse 14? If “speaking the truth in love”, “holding the truth in love”, means that we are to smile upon all views and doctrinal standpoints, and never criticize and condemn and reject any views at all, how do we avoid being – children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine”? This supposed “loving spirit” makes it impossible to use terms such as “sleight of men” and “cunning craftiness” and “lying in wait to deceive”. The very text itself and especially the context, make that interpretation completely impossible; indeed it is a denial of the Apostle’s statement. We must not hesitate to say so plainly. To put life, or “spirit”, or niceness, or anything else, before truth is to deny essential New Testament teaching; and in addition is to contradict directly the Apostle’s solemn warning in verse 14. It is to set up ourselves, and the modern mind, and 20th-century man, as the authority rather than the ‘called apostle’ Paul and all others whom the Lord has set in the Church to warn us against, and to save us from, this attitude which dislikes discrimination and judgment. Never was it more important to assert that friendliness or niceness or some sentimental notions of brotherliness do not constitute Christianity. You can have all such qualities without and apart from Christianity without “truth”. So that, whatever else it may mean, “holding the truth in love” does not mean a vague, flabby, sentimental notion of niceness and fellowship and brotherhood.

~MLJones

Piper Whittles Nonsense

John PiperVerified account‏@JohnPiper

Some whittle birds. I whittle words. God made us like himself to make: One birds, One words, Both for his sake.

10:01 AM - 6 Sep 2014

For a man who fancies himself a communicator, and that of biblical truth, the man neither communicates well, nor promotes biblical truth. He wastes everyone's time with his nonsense as he parades around his self-approved poetry as if it aids anyone in anything of substance.

I guess this is more of his fleshly hedonism he tries to Christianize.

Politeness When Souls Are On Their Way To Hell

         
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But we are so gentle and quiet, we do not use strong language about other people's opinion; but let men go to hell out of charity to them. 

~CH Spurgeon

So true.

Everyone agrees that honesty is a virtue, but they refuse to tell the harsh truth because it just wouldn't be polite or "gracious".

The Society That Is Under God's Wrath

         
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"Listen, when a society reaches the point where it will not define sin, where it will not hate sin, where it will tolerate sin and tolerate sinners, but will not tolerate anger toward sin, that's a society under God's wrath. And that's the society we live in."



~John MacArthur

He just described the "Christian" culture in America. 

It's No Longer An Issue of Mark Driscoll's Continuing Scandals, But An Issue Of Everyone Else and How They Deal With His Corruption

          
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Below is a large excerpt from Janet Mefferd, the radio talk show host who publicly and directly challenged Mark Driscoll on his plagiarism. She says so much that is right, that I wanted to include it all,  but please read the entire article for the context.

Quote:

That wasn’t the end, of course. Over the last nine months, there were endless Driscoll scandals that followed: There was more plagiarism to be revealed (at last count, nine books’ worth, along with sermon material), the ResultSource scandal, the accusations of verbal and spiritual abuse against his Mars Hill family, the vulgar William Wallace II rant, the church protests, the staff and board resignations, the ousting of Driscoll and Mars Hill from his Acts29 church-planting network and several conferences, the charges brought by former Pastor Dave Kraft, the charges formally brought against Driscoll by 21 former Mars Hill pastors.

Mars Hill members also released horrendous online testimonies, describing the kind of abuse they claimed to have suffered at the hands of Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill. Except those tales were often undermined by the very writers themselves, who often ended their terrible accounts of spiritual abuse with strained accounts of “love” for Pastor Mark and his soul, along with some very unnecessary self-flagellation. Things like: “The bottom line is that I love Mark, and I wish the very best for him, and after all, I’m a terrible sinner — a really bad, bad sinner — too!” And I thought, “Why are these testimonies ending like this? I don’t get it. There’s no moral equivalence here.”

Sure, there were a few more pseudo-apologies from Driscoll, which were never real instances of godly sorrow and thorough repentance, but the Internet would be awash in cries for mercy: “Seeee? It’s time to heeeal and restoooore Mark Driscoll!” Then another scandal would break, and we’d go through the same cycle, AGAIN, ad nauseam.

Driscoll offered his last public mea culpa lite last Sunday (with some help from his newly hired PR firm, of course), and he announced he’d step away for a minimum of six weeks as his hand-picked Board of Advisors and Accountability reviews the charges against him — tantamount to a defendant picking his own jury. So, the bottom line? See you in six weeks, Pastor Mark! Have fun during your time off, and get some rest so you can make your triumphant return!

No surprise, then, that another bombshell followed today, when I received the letter from the nine pastors. More deceit, more evidence, more bombshell quotes, more, more, more.

And at this point, I decided, I just feel … done.

Why is this endless cycle necessary?

I’m all for grace and forgiveness, but let’s not be foolish here. Mark Driscoll shouldn’t be a pastor. And we didn’t need all these scandals from the last nine months to figure that out. Because the truth is that any intelligent Christian with the ability to read and understand the Bible could have and should have discerned who this man was years ago and abandoned ship.

Pick your moment of revelation: Should it have been when Mark Driscoll claimed that God called him to be a pastor in a “weird charismatic moment?” How about when Donald Miller dubbed him “the cussing pastor?” Or maybe when he started having “pornovisions” or angrily screamed, “How dare you? Who the (blank) do you think you are?” at his church members? How about when he referenced the “pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill bus” that would result from people not getting on board with his “vision?” The pile that “by God’s grace … will be a mountain by the time we’re done?” Or the Elephant Room 2 debacle — might that have been a good time to abandon support for Pastor Mark and his cult of personality?

I simply don’t get it. Why didn’t the entire membership of Mars Hill get up and head for the exits at any of those points? Why didn’t his Christian fans unfollow him on social media, stop reading him, stop watching him and stop listening to him?

More significantly: Why didn’t any of Driscoll’s Big Name enablers — and you know who you are — look past his doctrinal statement to the man’s obvious character, ponder I Timothy 3 for a nanosecond, and think, “Hmm. Something’s off here?” And assuming some of them did have that thought at some point, why didn’t they get up and head for the exits before recommending this man to anybody in the church at large? And why didn’t any of them stand up months ago and apologize to the church for previously endorsing this man?

Why didn’t the Christian publishing world, the Christian big names, the Mars Hill membership and the church at large head for the church/social media/conference exits when they found out Mark Driscoll plagiarized a number of his books? Was that just … all right with you guys?

Why have so many Christians — in so many different pockets of the church, for so long — defended him, enabled him, oozed gushy love statements about him and continued to prop him up, against all evidence, against clear biblical admonitions and against all common sense?

End quote.

For the entire article, go here.

Departure From Scripture

A departure from Scripture is a departure from God Himself.

- Steve Lawson

Who Are Your Closest Friends?

               

Reformation Is Not Regeneration

       
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EVIDENCES OF ‘SAVING FAITH’

A.W. Pink

"The great majority of those who read this will, doubtless, be they who profess to be in possession of a saving faith. To all such we would put the questions. Where is your proof? What effects has it produced in you? A tree is known by its fruits, and a fountain by the waters which issue from it; so the nature of your faith may be ascertained by a careful examination of what it is bringing forth. We say "A CAREFUL EXAMINATION," for as all fruit is not fit for eating nor all water for drinking, so all works are not the effects of a faith which saves.

Reformation is not regeneration, and a changed life does not always indicate a changed heart.

Have you been saved from a dislike of God’s commandments and a disrelish of His holiness? Have you been saved from pride, covetousness, murmuring? Have you been delivered from the love of this world, from the fear of man, from the reigning power of every sin?

The heart of fallen man is thoroughly depraved, its thoughts and imaginations being only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). It is full of corrupt desires and affections, which exert themselves and influence man in all he does. Now the Gospel comes into direct opposition with these selfish lusts and corrupt affections, both in the root and in the fruit of them (Titus 2:11, 12). There is no greater duty that the Gospel urges upon our souls than the mortifying and destroying of them, and this indispensably, if we intend to be made partakers of its promises (Romans 8:13; Col. 3:5, 8). Hence the first real work of faith is to cleanse the soul from these pollutions, and therefore we read, "They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). Mark well, it is not that they "ought to" do so, but that they have ACTUALLY, in some measure or degree.

It is one thing really to THINK we believe a thing, it is quite another actually to do so. So fickle is the human heart that even in natural things men know not their own minds. In temporal affairs what a man really believes is best ascertained by his practice. Suppose I meet a traveller in a narrow gorge and tell him that just ahead is an impassable river, and that the bridge across it is rotten: if he declines to turn back, am I not warranted in concluding that he does not believe me? Or if a physician tells me a certain disease holds me in its grip, and that in a short time it will prove fatal if I do not use a prescribed remedy which is sure to heal, would he not be justified in inferring that I did not trust his judgment were he to see me not only ignoring his directions but following a contrary course?

Likewise, to believe there is a hell and yet run unto it; to believe that sin continued in will damn and yet live in it—to what purpose is it to boast of SUCH a faith?"

~Arthur Pink

Read full chapter  here.

This is why I believe that the Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church was a failure, and frankly inconsistent with Total Depravity. Reformation presumes true life, but the RCC never had true life because it was never built by Christ Jesus. Reformation is NOT regeneration. You can no sooner reform a false, dead church than you can a false dead sinner.

Facing Difficult Situations or Sore Trials

        
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“Are you faced with some difficult situation, some pressing emergency, some sore trial? Then place it not between yourself and God, but rather put God between it and you. Meditate afresh on His wondrous perfections and infinite sufficiency: ponder His precious promises which exactly suit your case: beg the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith and call it into action."

(“The Life of Elijah” A.W. Pink).

Holy Living Is Not An Option

1Th 4:1  Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.
1Th 4:2  For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1Th 4:4  that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
1Th 4:5  not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1Th 4:6  that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 
1Th 4:7  For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 
1Th 4:8  Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 

The will of God is shown in His commands, namely here, to walk in obedience of a holy life. This truth is knowable and is a command. It is not optional. God  does not allow for the excuse of imperfection, being human, He doesn't not say to merely try if you can, He does not allow for an excuse for not obeying. Rather, what God demands is holy living from the heart, having self control, honor, and thinking of others so as not to defraud your brother. To disregard this command of holy living is to disregard God. It is NOT optional.

Giving Your Heart to Christ

         
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