John Bevere - Are We Neglecting This Teaching?
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If I look at our Western ministry, I'm talking about the church in America. I have been traveling for 25 years and have attended many meetings, conferences, and churches, so I believe I can speak to this because I've seen a lot. However, I look at the way we present Jesus today, and we have slipped from presenting Him as Lord to more akin to a car salesman. If you examine the typical offers of salvation today, you will hear phrases like, "All you have to do is confess Jesus as Savior, and you're going to be a child of God. Why don't you make Jesus your Savior today?"
Have you heard things like this? Let me see; am I the only one? Let's all pray this prayer together: "Jesus, come into my heart. Save me today and thank you for making me a child of God. Amen." But nothing is said about repentance. Yet, if I look at Hebrews chapter 6, it tells me that the elementary and foundational doctrine is repentance from dead works and faith toward God. In other words, think about it like this: elementary education provides everything you need to complete your education—how to read, how to write, how to add, how to subtract, how to multiply, and how to divide. Can you imagine trying to earn a high school diploma without knowing how to read, write, add, or subtract? You couldn't do it because you missed the elementary teaching. So how are we supposed to build the church strong? How are we supposed to build strong lives if we're not even starting with the elementary?