To all people-pleasing pastors, preachers, and gospel workers by Josh Parsley

I have noticed that you speak of how many souls you have seen “come to the Lord.” The thought of it makes you feel accepted. May I ask a question? How many have you seen come to repentance? You may rejoice, but the angels in heaven only rejoice when sinners repent (Luke 15:10). Please allow me to remind you about the rich young ruler who ran and knelt before Jesus walked away just as quick. You can find that in Mark 10. Sir/Madam, don’t you see this is what many are doing? They may have “come to Jesus” but in the same hour they “go away sorrowful” with no repentance.

I am a street preacher. I deal with many of whom you have helped “lead to Jesus” on the streets while they are in a drunken stupor. I persuade men and women to turn from sin and obey Jesus, yet they tell me they are saved. They have come to your revivals,suppers, and BBQs. They enjoyed the “fellowship” with all the talk of fishing, cars, and sports, almost as equally as their sin. I pour out tears of anguish praying they would repent and be converted, while you glory in “a job well done.” I put my reputation and life aside to persuade men and women to flee from the wrath that is to come, while you
gain stature and reputation. You kiss babies and hug children, while I get spat upon and called names by your “converts.” If you only knew the pain and frustration you have caused Christ, you would tremble in shame.

I tremble and fear at what you have done. My heart explodes in pain at all the souls you have helped on to Hell. You vaccinate sinners to the Truth. After you have inoculated them with self-confidence, they now smile at where they are spending eternity. Oh, how little do they know when they get to eternity they will lift up their eyes in torments. I pleaded with them to repent, but you had told them they only needed to confess. Why do you do this? Do you hate Christ? Do you hate men and women like me? Do you glory in the pain and trouble you have caused us?

I weep when I think about you standing at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Sir/Madam, don’t you know that in Proverbs 17:15 it says, “He that justifieth the wicked” is an “abomination to the LORD?” Is that what you have done? You tell men and women that they are saved, while they wallow in wickedness. You say, “welcome to the family.” The Bible teaches that if you live in sin you are of the devil (1John 3:8). Are you in their family?

Do you have no power in prayer? Do you just “believe in yourself?” Are you just a puppet on a string? When the people pull do you just follow? Why, why do you do this? I beg and plead with you to not comfort people in their sin. They will perish if they do not turn from sin. Your “business” may flourish, but they will perish! Please, don’t do this anymore. I ask you from the depths of my being: stop pleasing men more than God. Please just preach the Bible. Please just preach and let the Spirit confirm. Please, I plead with you, stop this insult to all righteousness. You may not listen to my words, but please at least listen to Christ weeping over your pathetic excuse of preaching.

This is written by a humble, christ-like brother in the Lord who loves the Lord and has a burden for missions to the spanish speaking world. It is well worth hearing his burden.

WOW... thats about all I can say.

I know some men who have prayed the sinners prayer in jail and they had a life changing change. They went in cursing and came out blessing, in fact, one of them wanted to stay in jail because the fellowship was very good. I also know of people that have made repentance their lifestyle but they act like they've been baptized in lemon juice, sour and too holy to come near. I am not knocking what you said, I know EXACTLY what your saying and I also know that you have a balance in what you said. And I also know that you will agree that some people do latch on to the sinners prayer when it's the only thing that's been given to them to latch unto and fruit of that repentance is there. While others may have said a few syllables and yet their hearts were totally not into it, only their lips moving.

I grew up in a Pentecostal home setting and though everyone went to church, I didn't understand the gospel of salvation until I started reading the bible. The sinners prayer was basically the only thing that was on my lips.

There are even those children that go to Sunday school all they have was a sinners prayer offered to them and most of them leave Church when they hit their teen years, but what I am saying is that even though they don't understand this walk is a walk of repentance, the seed is still in there buried in parched ground and perhaps in the not too distant future will react to a moving of God's Spirit that will awaken that seed that has laid in a parched ground for many years.

There is a cycle in the African plains where there are two seasons it seems, a short season of rains that floods the plains and you would think that such a place would never experience drought, but then the rain ends and there is a long season of drought. But in that ground are seeds for the next season of rain. They just sit there and endure burning temperatures, no moisture, nothing but constant heat. These people though, having no moisture of God at all in them, though living in a hell of their own of drugs and alcohol, sexual perversion, you name it, once God begins to rain on His investment, the plains are once again in full bloom. Flourishing and bearing fruit.