Mimicking the Mocker

BLJ: It is not my intent to attack the "take it by faith" crowd. Rather, I am trying to show that the fruits of that approach has brought forth much rotten fruit. What would happen if the pastor called an all night prayer meeting for souls? How many would attend? How many people that claim sanctification by faith really pray with a heartfelt groaning? How many people who claim sanctification spend more time on their physical appearance getting ready for church than getting spiritually ready for church? How many "sanctified " people spend more on entertainment, e.g. movies, cable television, cell phones, then they do on missions? How many who claim to be sanctified are more excited about the Super Bowl than they are going to worship services? It appears to me, that although the old fashioned way of holiness has been discarded, those folks prayed more, gave more and sacrificed more than the modern holiness crowd does. Think about it.

MIMICKING THE MOCKER

The "take-it-by-faith" people who discount the "death-route" are taking the same position the mockers took when they challenged Christ to come down from the cross (Matt. 27:40, 42). That which some call faith is nothing but presumption because they refuse to surrender to the term of true, sanctifying faith, which involves the crucifixion of self. When one's faith is groundless, his sanctification will be spurious. No one will ever arrive at a specified destination by traveling in the wrong direction. The travelers may be extremely happy as long as they think they are headed right, but they will never arrive where they desired.

BLJ: When people are more excited about fellowship with each other than they are with God, a heart problem exists.

One may wonder why there was no mention of either "dying-out" or "faith" when the Holy Ghost fell at Pentecost and again upon the little groups of early Christians, as is recorded in the Book of the Acts. We believe that those disciples who were sanctified on the Day of Pentecost did their dying-out to carnal self during several days of heart-searching while waiting in the upper room for the "promise of the Father" (Acts 1:4) -- the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Then in subsequent outpourings, such as in Acts 4:31; 8:17, 10:44; 11:15 and 19:6, it could very well be that fresh outpourings fell again and again upon some of those who first received the blessing of holiness on the day of Pentecost. Also, new ones were sanctified wholly because they had died out so thoroughly, and possessed such strong faith, and determined wills under the pressure of severe persecution and the constant threat of violent martyrdom, that when those ensuing outpourings occurred, they were fully prepared. They had sufficient faith to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, with no further preparation necessary.

"Open my faith's interior eye,
Display Thy power from above,
And all I am shall sink and die
Lost in astonishment and love."

BLJ: Theological arguments aside, what are the fruits of your approach to holiness? Are you making a stand for the highway of holiness?