Asbury "Revival"

So you don't think that doctrine matters? Just mention the name "Jesus" somewhere and it passes muster in your mind?

Jesus put a high priority on doctrine.

Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Paul did so as well:

Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

There is no true revival unless the gospel of Christ is being preached, unless sound doctrine is being preached.

Pentecostals teach a false gospel.

 

What J.K. Popham had to say about the likes of Moody and Sankey I think can also be applied to what is going on at Asbury:

"I am bound to say I am opposed to the religious movement of which Messrs, Moody and Sankey are the leaders. I am opposed to it because I fail to see what Mr. Moody so confidently asserted at Birmingham – that the present work is God’s. Every religious movement must be judged more by its doctrines than by what we usually see paraded – results. The teachings of its leaders must be brought to God’s word, and tested by it. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” [Isa 8:20]

If God were in this movement, would not the teachings of its leaders be in accordance with the word of truth?"

- rest at THE FALSE GOSPEL AND FALSE CONVERTS OF D.L. MOODY | (wordpress.com)

(emphasis mine)

 

Spot on. They were preaching the same true gospel of Christ as the apostle Paul but they were wanting to take advantage of Paul being in prison to try to build up themselves in the eyes of men.

John Gill explains it well: Philippians 1:15 - Meaning and Commentary on Bible Verse (biblestudytools.com)

 

God may use anyone, regardless of whether they are saved or not, as a tool to move the elect toward eventually being regenerated and brought to look to Christ as the Lord our Righteousness. I know in my own life God used someone as odd and off the rails as Harold Camping for a period of time around 1990 to bring me along toward understanding the gospel(as he taught the doctrines of grace on the radio) which eventually led to me leaving the Pelagianism of the Church of Christ and around 30 years later through all of the twists and turns that God ordained in my life God graciously regenerated me and gave me a new heart to look to Christ as the Lord my Righteousness.

Eventually, God brings His elect under the preaching of the gospel of Christ, as He did for me in mid-2021. He does not use a half true gospel/half false gospel (see Leviticus 19:19 for a type) to regenerate His chosen. 1 Peter 2:2 - As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby. (emphasis mine)

As Christ warned there are a lot of false Christs being promoted(Matthew 24:24) and false apostles as Paul warned(2 Corinthians 11:13). SO MANY people who call themselves "Christians" do not know and follow the Christ of the Bible; they follow after a Christ of their own imagination or after a false Christ promoted by false preachers/teachers.

 

You posted that they affirmed the following in terms of the gospel: "God, in His prevenient grace, restores moral sensibility to all humankind and enables all to respond to His love and to accept His saving grace."

That is a false, man-made, unBiblical idea. It is balderdash!. It is rubbish!

 

And they were very wrong to do so, not that I go along with someone anyway just because they call themselves a Calvinist. I am not a Calvinist even though I get called one by some people.

 

Where in the Bible does it say, "Do not judge other congregations?"

 

No, they, as LOTS of people who call themselves Christians, preach a false, man-made gospel and not the gospel of Christ. Any doctrinal system that places ANY conditions on the sinner and does not teach that ALL of the conditions were fulfilled by Christ is a false gospel and not the gospel of Christ.

 

If their doctrine is wrong, then they are following a Christ of their own imagination and not the Christ revealed in God's Word. They are teaching that Christ did not finish His work(even though Christ said that He did finish it) and that it is up to man to 'finish the job". They are teaching a partial Savior. That is not the gospel of Christ revealed in the Bible.

Doctrines matters greatly, whether people realize it or not.

 

Read the article at the link I provided in my post #22 above.