The Danger Of Easy Believism

Basically this is what the Lord Jesus has done. He has given us the gospel of Christ to take into the homes of people and show them what the Lord can do for them if they will accept Him.

The gospel of Christ is all that God has given to the church to reach a lost world.

But there are some who feel that this is not enough today so they have come up with some other things. Such as, EASY BELIEVISM!

What is EASY BELIEVISM?

Let me share with you three reason why this blief is un-scriptural.

(1) NEO-EVANGELISM produces false converts.

(2) NEO-EVANGELISM tells people what they want to hear instead of what God wants them to hear.

(3) NEO-EVANGELISM is dangerous because it convinces a person he is saved when IN REALITY HE IS ETERNALLY DAMNED. He is damned and does not even know it!

Look at verse 25 we read, “And there went great multitudes with him...”

Notice the words, “...great multitudes...”

But Jesus was not impressed with numbers as we are today. He knew you could have a great multitude of people and not have any among them there for the right reasons.

Listen, what makes a church a great church is a church where it is filled with Christians that have truly been born-again.

You do not have to:

• Beg them to attend church,

• Tithe,

• Pray,

• Attend Sunday school!

Why? Because they have that new nature want to do these things.

Illus: But many churches across America are having difficulty today because their membership is built on people who HAVE NEVER TRULY BEEN CONVERTED. Because of this you will find some of the meanest, most spiteful, jealous, hateful, etc., people in churches because they were allowed to join when they were not even saved.

Had Jesus been like many pastors today, He would have looked at that great multitude and said, “Who would like to be the first to join?”

But notice what the Lord did. Verse 25 says, “...and he turned, and said unto them.” He spoke to them about the cost of discipleship. He let them know that God would not put up with having just ANY PLACE in the lives of those who follow Him. He is to have FIRST PLACE IN OUR LIVES!

That does not set well with some people. They want to hear a gospel that teaches nothing and requires nothing from them except what “self” want to give.

Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had a man who was a very affluent man to attend his church for about six weeks. Dr. Belger was talking to him one day and he said he would be attending another church because he felt that he preached the Word of God to strict. He went on to say, “You preach the Word of God, but I can not live up to it, so I am going to find me a church that preaches in a way that will fit my life-style. ”At least the man was honest!!!”

Jesus did not practice the neo-evangelism that is being preached today. He turned to that crowd and told them exactly what they should expect.

I. THE CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP

Look at Luke 14:26-27.

Jesus told that “great multitude” of two conditions THEY HAD TO MEET TO BE HIS DISCIPLES.

A. Domestic conditions –

Look at verse 26, we read, “If any m an come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE.”

In this verse He touched on the two groups of people who we love dearly.

(1) Our family.

Many people have interpreted wrongly the meaning of this verse. We see He told His disciples that anyone who came to Him could not be His disciple unless he hated his father, mother, children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own self.

Illus: A Sunday school teacher was reading verse 26 to his class when a little boy raised his hand. He said, “Teacher, I am a Christian because I hate my brothers and sisters.”

Well, with more study we find that was not exactly what Jesus was teaching. It is the will of God that family members love each other, not hate each other!

And it is because He knows that our family members mean more to us than anyone else that He turned to that crowd and said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters...he cannot be my disciple.”

Was the Lord teaching hate in the home? Was that what He was teaching? Of course not!

But listen, sometime a christian man might be married to a un-christian woman and she will do everything she can to keep him out of church and serving the Lord. BUT IF IT COMES TO PLEASING A WIFE OR A HUSAND OVER THE LORD JESUS WE MUST PUT THE LORD ABOUT THEM.