"Jesus commends those who refuse to tolerate false prophets, false apostles, and false teaching. Clearly Christ’s apostles were like this as seen in the many warnings against false teaching found in the New Testament. Local churches are responsible to stand for sound doctrine and correct false doctrine. Paul laid down this standard for elders: “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). Paul also predicted a time when many will refuse to embrace sound doctrine or correct false doctrine: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2Timothy 4:3)." - Critical Issues Commentary, Issue #86
Recently, I was asked to help some friends assist a local ministry in the Springfield neighborhood near downtown Jacksonville. The ministry put on what they called the gospel challenge 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Unfortunately, I commited to assiting my church friends before I closley investigated the ministry that they were supporting named 2nd Mile Ministry. I was laxed in the effort because I was counting on the discernment of the pastor to the church who was assisting 2nd Mile. My pastor friend and the leader of 2nd Mile went to the same well known Bible college in L.A. The pastor told his church that they were actually pretty good friends and he wanted to see a huge turn out from his church. I'm sure it was the Holy Spirit which compelled me to finally visit the 2nd Mile website, because after reviewing the website, I was sorry I commited to assisting in the event. After some prayer and hard Biblical discernment, I decided to stick with my decision to help. I wanted to do my best to glorify God and make use of this 'man promoting' situation. It was my opportunity to reach the lost, represent the truth and share the gospel.
When the day finally came to share the gospel and glorify our awesome God, I quickly understood why it was named the 'gospel challenge'. Because it would be a challenge for most of the people who were holding the tournament, to accurately preach the gospel. That's why I want to give you fair warning about so called ministers of the gospel like 2nd Mile Ministries. 2nd Mile is like many other new types of self righteous groups spawning all over America these days preaching a false gospel that the Bible warns us about. They claim to love you and that Jesus wants to build a relationship with you while preaching a gospel that reflects a doctrine that is man based rather than God based. If you attend a church or are a member of a group like 2nd Mile that is not God based and God glorifying, GET OUT. They want to use you for bait as they mix a political agenda into their ministry. They claim to want to generate dollars for the community, all the while they fill their own pockets. They replace sound Biblical doctrine with a 'philosophy' of heavy racial connotation and use terms like redistribution. Worst of all, their focus is not on God, but rather, on man and money (see Matthew 6:24). Simply put, its Liberation Theology. There is a plethora of articles out there which not only define, but discount the views of this sect, so for now, I see no need for me to write a monologue refuting 2nd Mile any further. Rather, I mostly wanted to inform you of this type of self righteous, spin on the true gospel and expose their existence in my town and yours. I will continue to expose these types of ministries as I come into contact with them from now on.
This angers me to no end, people. It angers me because it angers God. Its a sin to tell lies, and all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). The apostle Paul wrote, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Gal 1:8). Accursed! Its the Word of God that says this. Do I feel the need to go on a crusade to expose every lie and every liar. No. I am already on a crusade to preach the one and only gospel (Mark 16:15), and lead as many people I can to repent and trust in Jesus. As I bring in the true Light, then those cockroaches will scatter. I would also like to see every one of these liars come to repentance and trust in Jesus as Lord.
Its important that you understand their style of preaching a false gospel, because you may have been duped by them or another false gospel. If you ever heard a message like the one that the 2nd Mile Ministry preaches, then you may have a wrong understanding of what it means to be saved, or better yet, what you are saved from. You may have the wrong idea of giving your life to Jesus and therefore be a false convert. Being a good person doesn't get you to heaven. Your good deeds are as filthy rags, and your lack of love towards others and not putting God first in your life should be the first clues to a false conversion. Is this hitting home?
I spoke with many people this past weekend who are in grave danger right now of perishing if they were to meet an untimely, sudden death. This may be you too. I spoke with people who were not saved. This may be you too. Read on...
The irony of it all is that I was placed on the evangelizing team with a man named Joe, who was hand picked by the pastor of the church assisting 2nd Mile, to head the area of the event "sharing the gospel". Myself, being someone who speaks the truth and seeks the truth, thought it would be wise to pick Joe's brain a little to see if he was as capable of Biblical evangelizing as he should be if he is heading up the evangelizing team. Not only that, but I wanted to share my faith while asking him some important questions like I do with everyone I meet.
As we talked, Joe said he thought that he was saved... When I asked him what was he saved from, he told me he "was saved from his sin". I was totally blown away by his answer. I repeated the question and he repeated his answer. As I tried to talk to him more about his wrong answer, he kept putting me off and tried to block me out as he acted busy. His demeanor changed as if he were hiding something. He was combative. I could tell that he didn't want to hear the truth either.
My friends, if you or Joe are reading this right now and you do not know what you are saved from, then you have a great problem that lies in front of you. You may NOT be saved. You may be a false convert. I'm not surprised if you are, because I was once a false convert. Its very easy to do. I too thought I was saved, when I really was not. I guess you could say that through my personal experience, I am an expert in the art of denial when faced with the true gospel. I finally surrendered, repented, and gave my life to Christ so I know what it is to walk in the light and in truth. What is your consciance telling you? Are you absolutely, positively, Biblically saved?
So the tract that you may have been given or may have found which led you to this blog tells a message on the back. A message that if you are living in sin, and sinning against God, you will regret the punishment. God promises to punish those who sin against Him with eternal damnation in hell where he will "throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mat 13:50) Unless you repent and believe in the gospel. The true gospel is 'the good news'. But in order to have good news, you must have bad news. Its a fact. This is real. What is the bad news? The bad news is that if you live life defying laws, you will get hurt and die. I know this may sound harsh to you, but take for example... You jump out of a 20 story building, and if you do not have a parachute on or anything to break your fall, you will die when you hit the ground. You then become a vicitim of the law of gravity. Do you believe in the law of gravity? Why would anyone believe in that? You can't see it. You can't touch it. Doesn't matter though. You should still believe, because its real. How about the law of electricity? Would you take a bath and have someone plug a TV into the wall right before dropping it in the tub with you? If you do, then you could be the victim of the law of electricity and its effects when sent into your beating heart. If you encounter either of these laws you will need the assurance of the parachute or an insulator to protect you from the adverse affects of these laws. In the same way, the only way to survive breaking God's law is to repent and have faith in Christ.
You're either saved or not. There is no in between. If you are saying something like "I think I'm saved" then you may not be. If you are trying out this 'Christian thing' for a while to see if your life improves, then you are fooling yourself. If you are asking Jesus for things in prayer that do not glorify Him and you have not completely submitted your life to Him, then you are again, fooling yourself. Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23). Being a Christian is not a part time thing. Its not something you do for a while to see if there is an improvement in your life and then giving it up when you do not. Its not like going to the the gym or some amazing diet pill that you quit when its not working for you. It is completely dying to yourself, daily, and giving your life to God. Reading your Bible every day and doing what it says. Waiting, excited, to go to heaven when you die to be with the One who has loved you more than anyone has ever loved you. The One who gave His life for you so that you could live forever in heaven. Its about loving your fellow man as much as you love yourself. If you do love someone that much, then naturally you will want to share with them the good news... The gospel! The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life, and then died on a cross as payment for your sin against God. The best part of all is that Christ beat that cross and defeated death when God raised Him from the dead 3 days later, so that He could be at the right hand of God in heaven until He comes back to receive His church. Amen! He paid the price so those who believe don't have to perish for their sin. Very simply put, God is soveriegn and He saves us for Himself, by Himself, and from Himself. Pay attention to the 'from' Himself part of the equation. When you sin, you sin against God. The one and only Holy God who created heaven and earth. The Creator of the universe. The just God of the Bible who will judge you and treat you accordingly, based on His standards, the ten commandments. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23, "the wages of sin is death...". Eternal damnation in hell. Its not something to take lightly. You are not saved from your sin, people. You are saved from God's wrath. "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," (Romans 2:5). The second part of Romans 6:23 is "...But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord". Take the free gift. Repent (turn from your sin), and belive the gospel. Have faith that Jesus died on the cross so that you may live for eternity. Read your Bible every day, and do what it says. Most of all, put God first in your life.
If you need prayer, have questions, or would like a free Bible, please email me.
From the narrow path,
Len
One Over 99 Ministries
Luke 15:7
<><
Recently, I was asked to help some friends assist a local ministry in the Springfield neighborhood near downtown Jacksonville. The ministry put on what they called the gospel challenge 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Unfortunately, I commited to assiting my church friends before I closley investigated the ministry that they were supporting named 2nd Mile Ministry. I was laxed in the effort because I was counting on the discernment of the pastor to the church who was assisting 2nd Mile. My pastor friend and the leader of 2nd Mile went to the same well known Bible college in L.A. The pastor told his church that they were actually pretty good friends and he wanted to see a huge turn out from his church. I'm sure it was the Holy Spirit which compelled me to finally visit the 2nd Mile website, because after reviewing the website, I was sorry I commited to assisting in the event. After some prayer and hard Biblical discernment, I decided to stick with my decision to help. I wanted to do my best to glorify God and make use of this 'man promoting' situation. It was my opportunity to reach the lost, represent the truth and share the gospel.
When the day finally came to share the gospel and glorify our awesome God, I quickly understood why it was named the 'gospel challenge'. Because it would be a challenge for most of the people who were holding the tournament, to accurately preach the gospel. That's why I want to give you fair warning about so called ministers of the gospel like 2nd Mile Ministries. 2nd Mile is like many other new types of self righteous groups spawning all over America these days preaching a false gospel that the Bible warns us about. They claim to love you and that Jesus wants to build a relationship with you while preaching a gospel that reflects a doctrine that is man based rather than God based. If you attend a church or are a member of a group like 2nd Mile that is not God based and God glorifying, GET OUT. They want to use you for bait as they mix a political agenda into their ministry. They claim to want to generate dollars for the community, all the while they fill their own pockets. They replace sound Biblical doctrine with a 'philosophy' of heavy racial connotation and use terms like redistribution. Worst of all, their focus is not on God, but rather, on man and money (see Matthew 6:24). Simply put, its Liberation Theology. There is a plethora of articles out there which not only define, but discount the views of this sect, so for now, I see no need for me to write a monologue refuting 2nd Mile any further. Rather, I mostly wanted to inform you of this type of self righteous, spin on the true gospel and expose their existence in my town and yours. I will continue to expose these types of ministries as I come into contact with them from now on.
This angers me to no end, people. It angers me because it angers God. Its a sin to tell lies, and all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8). The apostle Paul wrote, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Gal 1:8). Accursed! Its the Word of God that says this. Do I feel the need to go on a crusade to expose every lie and every liar. No. I am already on a crusade to preach the one and only gospel (Mark 16:15), and lead as many people I can to repent and trust in Jesus. As I bring in the true Light, then those cockroaches will scatter. I would also like to see every one of these liars come to repentance and trust in Jesus as Lord.
Its important that you understand their style of preaching a false gospel, because you may have been duped by them or another false gospel. If you ever heard a message like the one that the 2nd Mile Ministry preaches, then you may have a wrong understanding of what it means to be saved, or better yet, what you are saved from. You may have the wrong idea of giving your life to Jesus and therefore be a false convert. Being a good person doesn't get you to heaven. Your good deeds are as filthy rags, and your lack of love towards others and not putting God first in your life should be the first clues to a false conversion. Is this hitting home?
I spoke with many people this past weekend who are in grave danger right now of perishing if they were to meet an untimely, sudden death. This may be you too. I spoke with people who were not saved. This may be you too. Read on...
The irony of it all is that I was placed on the evangelizing team with a man named Joe, who was hand picked by the pastor of the church assisting 2nd Mile, to head the area of the event "sharing the gospel". Myself, being someone who speaks the truth and seeks the truth, thought it would be wise to pick Joe's brain a little to see if he was as capable of Biblical evangelizing as he should be if he is heading up the evangelizing team. Not only that, but I wanted to share my faith while asking him some important questions like I do with everyone I meet.
As we talked, Joe said he thought that he was saved... When I asked him what was he saved from, he told me he "was saved from his sin". I was totally blown away by his answer. I repeated the question and he repeated his answer. As I tried to talk to him more about his wrong answer, he kept putting me off and tried to block me out as he acted busy. His demeanor changed as if he were hiding something. He was combative. I could tell that he didn't want to hear the truth either.
My friends, if you or Joe are reading this right now and you do not know what you are saved from, then you have a great problem that lies in front of you. You may NOT be saved. You may be a false convert. I'm not surprised if you are, because I was once a false convert. Its very easy to do. I too thought I was saved, when I really was not. I guess you could say that through my personal experience, I am an expert in the art of denial when faced with the true gospel. I finally surrendered, repented, and gave my life to Christ so I know what it is to walk in the light and in truth. What is your consciance telling you? Are you absolutely, positively, Biblically saved?
So the tract that you may have been given or may have found which led you to this blog tells a message on the back. A message that if you are living in sin, and sinning against God, you will regret the punishment. God promises to punish those who sin against Him with eternal damnation in hell where he will "throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mat 13:50) Unless you repent and believe in the gospel. The true gospel is 'the good news'. But in order to have good news, you must have bad news. Its a fact. This is real. What is the bad news? The bad news is that if you live life defying laws, you will get hurt and die. I know this may sound harsh to you, but take for example... You jump out of a 20 story building, and if you do not have a parachute on or anything to break your fall, you will die when you hit the ground. You then become a vicitim of the law of gravity. Do you believe in the law of gravity? Why would anyone believe in that? You can't see it. You can't touch it. Doesn't matter though. You should still believe, because its real. How about the law of electricity? Would you take a bath and have someone plug a TV into the wall right before dropping it in the tub with you? If you do, then you could be the victim of the law of electricity and its effects when sent into your beating heart. If you encounter either of these laws you will need the assurance of the parachute or an insulator to protect you from the adverse affects of these laws. In the same way, the only way to survive breaking God's law is to repent and have faith in Christ.
You're either saved or not. There is no in between. If you are saying something like "I think I'm saved" then you may not be. If you are trying out this 'Christian thing' for a while to see if your life improves, then you are fooling yourself. If you are asking Jesus for things in prayer that do not glorify Him and you have not completely submitted your life to Him, then you are again, fooling yourself. Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23). Being a Christian is not a part time thing. Its not something you do for a while to see if there is an improvement in your life and then giving it up when you do not. Its not like going to the the gym or some amazing diet pill that you quit when its not working for you. It is completely dying to yourself, daily, and giving your life to God. Reading your Bible every day and doing what it says. Waiting, excited, to go to heaven when you die to be with the One who has loved you more than anyone has ever loved you. The One who gave His life for you so that you could live forever in heaven. Its about loving your fellow man as much as you love yourself. If you do love someone that much, then naturally you will want to share with them the good news... The gospel! The fact that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect and sinless life, and then died on a cross as payment for your sin against God. The best part of all is that Christ beat that cross and defeated death when God raised Him from the dead 3 days later, so that He could be at the right hand of God in heaven until He comes back to receive His church. Amen! He paid the price so those who believe don't have to perish for their sin. Very simply put, God is soveriegn and He saves us for Himself, by Himself, and from Himself. Pay attention to the 'from' Himself part of the equation. When you sin, you sin against God. The one and only Holy God who created heaven and earth. The Creator of the universe. The just God of the Bible who will judge you and treat you accordingly, based on His standards, the ten commandments. The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23, "the wages of sin is death...". Eternal damnation in hell. Its not something to take lightly. You are not saved from your sin, people. You are saved from God's wrath. "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," (Romans 2:5). The second part of Romans 6:23 is "...But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord". Take the free gift. Repent (turn from your sin), and belive the gospel. Have faith that Jesus died on the cross so that you may live for eternity. Read your Bible every day, and do what it says. Most of all, put God first in your life.
If you need prayer, have questions, or would like a free Bible, please email me.
From the narrow path,
Len
One Over 99 Ministries
Luke 15:7
<><
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