Promise Keepers or Promise Breakers?
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Today in modern Christianity we have many movements that are very popular, bring in a lot of revenue, and promote a form of Godliness, but actually deny the power of it, to free mankind from the bondages of sin, and corruption.
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
I choose to expose the Promise Keepers, for a few personal reasons, that come from direct experience with this huge men’s movement, set to make strong men of God, and promote marriage, family and godly children.
This is all good and noble, as the churches I joined highly recommended and supported the PK movement, and encouraged all men, single, married, divorced, teens, of all ages, to join and support the PK movement.
I was thrilled and excited to be a part of this very popular men’s ministry and the church leaders praised the men for taking the PK challenge, to be pure before God and walk a walk worthy of their calling.
But sad to say, it’s a given throughout many churches and denominations, from the clergy to the least, that every man’s battle is sexual addiction; from pornography, adultery, fornication, to many other perversions I cannot mention, so use your imagination, as anything goes in these so called ministries, bound to set the captives free.
The PK movement is also very attractive and lucrative, with all the fancy products they promote and sell, from many books, audio, videos, PK Bibles, to a vast array of clothing, caps, T-shirts, etc. That make you feel you are something special, as you boldly express to the lost masses that you are a PK man, filled with integrity, and on a mission for God!
But is this ministry preaching the truth? Is this ministry bringing millions of men, young and old out of the bondages of sexual sin as they promise? Is their message that comes from a multitude of false teachers, (wolves) and fancy musicals, and video presentations, leading the addict to real repentance and faith as commanded by Christ?
My contention is to expose this movement for what is, and what their core teachings are, you can argue until you are blue in the face over whether they are setting the captives free, and millions of men are forsaking their addictions, but the bottom line is, are they preaching, promoting, and sticking to the word of God when it comes to bringing men out of their bondages?
From my experience having sat under the saved in sin message for 15 years, and having the original sin, Jesus substitute(cloak) drilled into my head, where repentance and faith proven by deeds was never the issue, or even the mention that I have to crucify my flesh with Christ once and for all.
None of this was important, and I knew there may be some hope for me in the PK movement. All my brothers were members, and would brag they were Promise Keepers, as well as myself, I was now going to be set free from my addictions once and for all, and finally be the man of God that the PK Leaders told me I could be.
But this came with a price, this movement wasn’t cheap, especially the huge stadium conferences they promote all over the country. There were books to buy, clothing to wear, and also digging deep into your pocket to support their huge overhead, as they were constantly asking (begging) for donations, and passing the bucket around at all the conferences.
One conference I attended, in California boasted of over 55,000 men, and the sheer numbers brought a great sense of peace in my heart, as we sang with the praise band, yelled, screamed, danced around, laughed, and cried as the super preachers would share their thoughts on things, but never once called the men to repentance, let alone tell then the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, or that the way is narrow and few will make it!
The messages from the beginning were all comfort, aiming at the feelings and sympathy over the convicting power of the spirit to set them free from their bondage!
On the outside many think the men are coming to real repentance and forgiveness, they are told they were born a sinner, and Jesus died for all their sins, past, present, and future, so even though millions of men and boys, were in deep bondage to sexual sin, they were comforted that they were saved, and on their way to heaven!
Who could disagree with them, with the likes of Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, and many more saved in sin, OSAS, mega popular preachers, promising the men liberty while that are in deep bondage to sin that leads to death as warned in my opening scriptures.
If one brave soul stood up and told the lost, addicted masses, that they must repent or die, or they must lay aside all filthiness and over flow of wickedness, or they must stop their sin in repentance first to receive the mercy of God as He commands, then this ministry would go broke no doubt!
Speaking for myself, and their watered down, hyped up message, I remained in my vile addiction for 15 years, along with others. But at least they and myself included was TRYING to stop the addiction, showing up to the meetings, and remaining accountable to a group of men, which faded away as most lost interest and soon had that from of godliness but still remained IN sin and corruption that leads to death. No warnings, no urgency what so ever here, just remember they would say Jesus Loves the sinner, you are the chief of them and sinning less is a step in the right direction. Just keep coming to our functions, invite other men, remain in your focus groups, give your donation, and all is well.
But as I soon learned, the cure for these chosen addictions, was to take a small bandage, and try and put it on a huge gaping sore that would never heal as long as the men were NOT repenting on the scale of Nineveh, seeking the mercy of God in all humility and brokenness, putting these sins to death before they put the sinner to death!
As I came to the truth I soon learned this about PK, and their faith statement, and can see why they never preach repentance as Jesus, John the Baptist, and the prophits of old preached, where the flesh is crucified and made pure, by cutting it off at the root, and proving your repentance and faith is real and from the heart!
Quote:
Jesus’ death in our place reconciles us to God. His atoning sacrifice provided redemption from the power of sin, forgiveness for our guilt, and reconciliation to Himself and others. We become acceptable to God, or justified, not by works, but by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ alone. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, death on the cross to provide for our redemption, bodily resurrection and ascension into heaven, present ministry of intercession for us, and His return to earth in power and glory.
Now at a glance this all sounds reasonable, as to what is being taught in the multitude of Churches and ministries today. But I believe the word of God, teaches something quite different, as to the death of Christ, the reconciliation, and the faith alone, grace alone teaching. This teaching alone is the main problem why most men under the PK model are still in bondage, because these ministries keep the old man alive, where the sin is supposed to die off gradually, meanwhile the heart grows harder and harder as the struggling addict falls deeper, and deeper into despair, wondering why he is in utter defeat, paying homage to satan and his minions, while the lust of his flesh takes over, and leave him in bondage.
This short article wasn’t written to expound on the death of Christ, or faith alone, grace alone, original sin, etc. but to hopefully show you where these false teachings lead.
Imagine what would happen if the truth was being preached right from the beginning, where the death of Christ which calls mankind to reconcile themselves to God, through real repentance and faith, where the substitute lie was replaced with ransom, where Jesus was offered up as a sin offering, as Hebrews 9-14 clearly teaches, and grace and faith were taught as a real working dynamic where obeying from the heart, was mandatory to one’s final salvation.
I write this to show you what the dangers of reformed teachings will do, and have done to the simple message of Christ crucified and sin subdued!
The old man is kept alive and well, the sin may be subdued for a while, but when the emotional high, and mountain top experience wares off, it’s easy game for the evil one to lure the unrepentant sinner back into bondage and defeat, so PK says to just accept the gift that Jesus took your place, you were born to do this because sin is inbred into you somehow, you DO NOTHING especially repent and stop the sin as commanded, just trust in the ear tickling message Martin Luther made popular by throwing out the book of James, and replacing it with his faith alone OSAS false gospel!
The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and passions, PK teaches us to just receive the gift that God winks at their ongoing lust, since His grace covers the so called slipups when temptation comes and the fall happens.
Remember popularity and success does not mean victory, especially when many souls hang in the balance. And Jesus made it clear thought out His teachings, to go and sin no more, to DO His commands, to depart from iniquity, to hold fast, abstain from all immorality, and to strive to enter at the narrow gate!
PK teaches no such thing, they leave men in bondage, downplaying the devastating influence of sin, and replace it with a sugar coated message, keeping the so called Promise Keepers, in bondage, living a lie, while they struggle with their addictions because the reformers changed the gospel according to godliness and heart purity, replacing it with the comfort, easy one, two, three gospel, that is more of a provision, already done, where any sin, such as porn, adultery, fornication, and lust isn’t the issue to be crucified in repentance, but a disease that remains until death, and kept alive, while many think they are saved, when in reality they are still in bondage, living a lie, unable to keep the promise they made because in their mind Jesus made that promise for them 2000 years ago on the cross!
In all the stadium conferences and meetings I attended, not once did anyone tell me or the struggling masses to repent and obey, it was all confess, and trust it has all been done for you, and repentance to them was confess, or watch porn less. Never stop your spiritual adultery before God. You just fornicate confess, fall again into immorality confess, BUT never STOP the sin, to receive mercy as commanded. Instead it’s the backwards sin gospel, keeping the old man alive, instead of putting the old man to death once and for all in repentance as commanded throughout the word of God!
Where these scriptures are taught they do not apply since they accepted Jesus and His provision, and He did it all for them, which is total blaspheme!
Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart(repent) all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
2Co 7:10 For the grief according to God works repentance to salvation, not to be regretted, but the grief of the world works out death.
2Co 7:11 For behold this same thing (you being grieved according to God); how much it worked out earnestness in you; but also defense; but also indignation; but also fear; but also desire; but also zeal; but also vengeance! In everything you approved yourselves to be clear(pure) in the matter.
Act 20:21 testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
1Co 6:18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits fornication sins against his own body.
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
1Co 6:20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers, nor homosexuals,
1Co 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Remember, Jesus came to set the captives free once and for all, not leave you in bondage, or cover you while you somehow work these vile addictions out of your system, and over time as taught by the majority of ministries!
I urge you with all my heart, from once being in bondage to these sins, the only way out is through brokenness, that comes from a repentant heart and an obedient faith, where the clearing and purity can only come from our God given ability to come broken before an all Holy God, who is so very patient, kind, and longsuffering, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to come to REPENTANCE!
And it’s His great kindness that leads us to repent, (stop the sin) not remain in bondage to them, or sweep them under the rug, because some powerful minister of ministry told you repentance isn’t necessary, or has redefined the meaning to be a gradual process or mere confession, instead of actually stopping the sin, cutting it off at its roots, and hoping that God will relent and grant mercy and pardon!
Tommy 10-27-12
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Mat 11:15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;