The "Easter" Blitz (Part 2)
The inaccuracies in the three "Jesus" movies that are on a DVD left at people's homes in the area are lamentable. Some of the translations used were bizarre, but worse than these was what followed after the three movies ended. The Life of Jesus was the main movie, 83 minutes long. When it concluded, the viewer was informed that he could follow Jesus, but that salvation could not be attained by "following a religion." What those words meant were never explained.
Revelation 3:20 was inappropriately cited, as though Jesus was speaking to all sinners. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me." The only problem is that Jesus spoke those words to Christians in Laodicea. Yes, they needed to repent (see verse 19), but they had already become Christians. These words were not spoken to unbelievers and are wrongly applied that way. They would be used again in a "sinner's prayer."
A third criticism of the plea given after the movie involves the error mixed in with truth. It is correct to say that Jesus forgives the sins of His followers and that He saves them from God's eternal judgment. It is true that the saved "are assured of Paradise and will live with Him forever." It is correct that Jesus offers life to each person. [Notice, however, that this assertion, although correct, disagrees with Calvinism, which says that the atonement was limited and not offered to the whole world—only to those God has chosen.] But then consider these words that follow the true statements.
It is not enough to intellectually agree with His plans nor to have an emotional experience. We receive Him by grace through faith as an act of the will.
Indeed, intellectual agreement does not suffice, nor does having goosebumps. And saying that we come to Jesus by grace through faith is true, as far as it goes. And it is by an act of the will. [But this is also confusing. True Calvinists do not believe an individual can respond to God properly unless the Holy Spirit enables Him to do so, yet here the burden is upon each individual.] So, are they not Calvinists? Although they disagree with two of Calvin's five tenets, they find themselves in fast agreement with the main point—"faith only" salvation, as evidenced by the prayer that viewers are asked to say:
Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I confess and repent of my sins. I open the door of my life and receive you as My Savior and Lord [this refers to Revelation 3:20, GWS]. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be, as I become one of your followers. Amen.
Notice that there is nothing mentioned about contacting the blood of Christ and therefore nothing about being baptized in order to be forgiven of sins. The authors of this prayer have to go to Revelation and misapply a verse spoken to Christians instead of looking at a case of conversion to see what the process actually entails. Why did they not go to the Day of Pentecost when the people asked Peter what to do about their spiritual condition after he convinced them that Jesus was both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36-37)? The inspired apostle told them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…" (v. 38). Why is it that denominational people never look at this passage? They ramble off to Romans or roam to Revelation 3:20 without looking at an actual example of the way someone becomes a Christian!
Where in Scripture is the prayer of a non-Christian that bears any resemblance to the one they offer? They mention grace, faith, and repentance—but omit baptism—even though Jesus included it as the means of becoming a disciple. They quote Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples. He also tells them how to make disciples—by baptizing them and teaching them all things He commanded them! If one becomes a follower or a disciple by being baptized, then why do they omit it? They quote the verse, but they do not teach or practice the verse, which is what makes their doctrine dangerous.
Magdalena
In the second of the three movies, Magdalena, the actress who plays Mary pleads with the viewers, at the end of the 60 minutes, to use a slightly different prayer:
God, my Father in heaven, You are holy and righteous. Thank You that You love me. I have sinned against You. Thank You that You sent the promised Messiah, Jesus, to destroy the curse of shame and guilt. Thank You that He died in my place. I want to follow my living Savior. Thank You for forgiving me and accepting me. Amen.
And what Scripture is this prayer patterned after? It too omits being baptized in order for sins to be forgiven. All of the prayers given at the conclusion of the three productions stress repentance and accepting Jesus. None of them mentions that those watching should be baptized. Why didn't Peter tell those on Pentecost to receive Jesus the way these folks do? Why didn't Philip tell the eunuch to pray such a prayer instead of baptizing him in the wilderness (Acts 8:35-39)? Why did Paul baptize the jailer and his family (who lived in Philippi) in the middle of the night (sometime after 1:00 A.M.) (Acts 16:25-34)? Why does not even one conversion have somebody simply praying?
The answer is that God did not arrange for a single person to be saved in that manner. Yet billions are being taught a false gospel—many of them will never find out otherwise. Therefore, those conveying this false impression will have a great deal to answer for. James said, "Let not many of you become teachers" for a reason. All such will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). Those who produced these three movies presented "another gospel," which means they are accursed (Gal. 1:6-9).
The Children's Version
Yes, there is an appeal for "conversion" at the end of The Story of Christ—and the plea is made by children who were part of the cast. One says: "Would you like to ask Jesus to live in you now?" To what Scripture does this idea relate? So, the children in the audience are invited to pray as follows:
Dear God, I believe Jesus is your Son. Thank You that Jesus died on the cross for all the wrong things that I have thought and said and done. Please forgive me for my sins. I ask Jesus to be with me and live with me always. Help me to be the kind of person You want me to be. Thank You for answering my prayer. Amen.
How many children will think they now have salvation after they say these words? This is despicable—using children to lead other children astray.
Requirements
In all three pleas, the would-be responders are encouraged to pray to God, study the Bible, meet with other followers, and tell others about Jesus. These four admonitions do reflect what God wants His children to do, but they have never told their viewers the truth about the way of salvation. And those distributing these three movies will not set before them God's Word, either. They will tell them the same errors they have seen on the video.
Other Items in the Packets
All the packets delivered in the "Easter" Blitz had personal letters and at least one other tract. One of those was printed on an 8½ x 14 sheet of paper and folded twice. The front shows a man wearing a crown of thorns; the back, however, is half blank. The other side begins with a quote by Albert Einstein:
As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.
No source was cited for this interesting observation. The tract goes on to point out that the calendar years are based on the beginning of Jesus' life, as well as art, music, and even politics. This section ends with a question about the Jewish carpenter who lived two millennia ago: "What are the odds that someone like Him could change the world?"
Unfolding the page and looking inside, the reader finds several sayings by Jesus, along with three paragraphs. The first one provides different views of Jesus and asks, "Who was the real Jesus?" The second paragraph calls attention to the fact that Jesus made claims concerning Himself—many of which follow. The final paragraph invites people to go to a website.
"The Way to God" (Not)
Another packet contains the tract, "The Way to God." It quotes many passages of Scripture, describing the Creation and the introduction of sin into the world. On page 7 it claims, however: "Every Person is born with the sin nature…." This is false. We inherit the result of Adam's sin, but we do not inherit his sin (Ezek. 18:20).
Since we all choose to sin, we do stand in need of a Savior, and pages 8-23 deal with encouraging everyone to make the right choice and follow Jesus. On page 24 begins a section: "How to Find Your Way to God." At this point, the tract becomes a jumbled mess, combining passages written to sinners with those aimed at Christians. They cite 1 John 1:9 (25) about confessing one's sins. This was written to Christians—not sinners—and is referring to ongoing salvation—not initial salvation.
They quote many other verses out of context, such as Acts 16:31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Of course, they do not tell the reader that Paul then explains to them the Word of the Lord in the next verse and baptizes them some time after midnight. Why do they omit what they know the Scriptures teach? The answer is that they do not believe the Scriptures and its teaching about baptism being for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). They end this section by misapplying Revelation 3:20, as the movies do, along with John 1:12, which is a summary statement—not a conversion.
Finally, they offer a sinner's prayer, as in the movies. But it is ironic that in a tract full of Scriptures, none is cited for this prayer (29). The tract rambles on for several more pages. Whoever wrote it tells the reader to memorize the Lord's prayer (33). Then all are encouraged to live by the Ten Commandments (34-35), which Paul taught were nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). Everyone is encouraged to "witness" for Jesus (39); the Scriptures do not refer to evangelism as "witnessing." Other topics are also addressed.
Of course, these errors are common among denominationalists. One would think that some of their scholars who surely know better would encourage them to quit taking Scriptures out of context, but it never seems to occur. Non-Christians need to read Acts to see how people in the first century were actually saved.