"The Betrayal Of The Ages", a documentary on the de-emphasis of the 'New Birth'.

THE BETRAYAL OF THE AGESCompiled By Robert Wurtz IIINTRODUCTIONIn mid 2005 I had become quite burdened over the condition of modern evangelistic methods and the fading emphasis on the New Birth. I suppose you could say that the burden had come to a head. I had been flooding my study time with materials of Wesley, Finney, Ravinhill, Tozer, Moody, Billy Sunday and many others. I had gone to a course in 2004 by the Billy Graham Evangelistic association and was awarded a 'counselor' badge for the 2004 Kansas City crusade. The contrast between the things I learned in the classes and the studies I had made prior was shocking. I was unable to fully reconcile it in my heart. I knew we were on a horrible course of doom and destruction if someone did not do something. So one morning I made a statement in the adult Sunday School class I had taught for over 10 years that would change my ministry forever. On teaching on salvation and the Gospel in a moment of great passion I said, "We have to get this! Because it had been a hundred years since a real Gospel has been really preached." I may as well had cursed. I can only describe the response as shock, awe, and anger. In retrospect I can say I may have understated the problem as I really now believe we have to go back to Finney to see where this train started coming off the rails. That would be over 150 years. The following presentation was my 'apologetic' to the statement. I will post it in several entries as I have opportunity. I wish to discuss in the following article the development of modern evangelistic methodology through a compilation of a variety of related materials on the subject. I shall begin by discussing what I see as the root cause of our loss of focus on the genuine Born Again experience and trace the regression from the anxious meeting and anxious seat to 'the sinners' prayer'. By no means is this article exhaustive, but I wish to shed some light upon the issues for those who wish further study. WHEN THE HEAD IS NO LONGER THE HEADTEXT: Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:1-5)Though there would be a thousand promises in the New Testament it is certain that scarcely would a church dare claim the promise of Revelation 2:5, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. G. Campbell Morgan relates this passage to Paul's words of warning to the Corinthian church: "For I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ'. The elements of first love then are simplicity and purity. The love of the Church to Christ is typified by the love of the wife for the husband. What then is the love of Christ to the Church? Unselfish love, love in which there was no single thought of self. What then is the Church's love for Christ? The response of love to the mystery of love, the submission of love to perfect love. First love is the love of espousal. Its notes are simplicity, and purity, marital love, the response of love to love, the subjection of a great love to a great love, the submission of a self-denying love to a love that denies self. First love is the abandonment of all for a love that has abandoned all"

LEAVING THE LOVE WE HAD AT FIRST (Part 2)There was a time when Israel followed hard after God. They followed the cloud by day and the fire by night. Jeremiah reflects on these things and declared that God remembered the love of Israel's espousals, when she would follow him withersoever he went. Here we read, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. (Jeremiah 2:2) This is that ‘first love’ experience- it is the love they had at first. Matthew Henry comments on this passage, “Those that begin well and promise fair, but do not perform and persevere, will justly be upbraided with their hopeful and promising beginnings. God remembers the kindness of our youth and the love of our espousals, the zeal we then seemed to have for him and the affection wherewith we made our covenants with him, the buds and blossoms that never came to perfection; and it is good for us to remember them, that we may remember whence we have fallen, and return to our first love.” Notice how this love is demonstrated, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Following the piller and cloud they often murmered and complained. Sometimes they desired to return to Egypt. Yet God in Jeremiah 2:2 recalls only the 'good times'. The times when Israel was following Him with all of their heart- like a young man and women in the love of their youth, longing for one another and burned in their hearts for one another. For Israel the land was not sown. This is a land of barrenness. There was nothing of physical beauty to attract them to this land- for it was not the land that was beautyful, but the God they were following. WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW? Satan in the book of Job leveled upon mankind the great indictment of the ages, Does Job fear God for nothing? (Job 1:9b) In this one question Satan accused man of serving God only for what man could get out of the relationship. Job was exceedingly wealthy and prosperous. Satan accused Job of fearing God for gain. God allowed Satan to touch all but his life to prove that there is a people in the earth that serve God for God alone. They will follow Him whithersoever He goeth no matter if He blesses them or not. If he takes their possessions, family, and even health they will still follow.

I REMEMBER THEE... WHEN THOU WENTEST AFTER ME...Christians in a first love relationship are like a young couple madly in love and content to live in poverty so long as they have each other. Satan challenged man’s motive in serving God and essentially accuses man of marrying God for His wealth and blessing. Adam Clarke once said that those who marry for the money can be justly called adulterers so long as they live. This is a foundational truth when it comes to our relationship with God. Do you serve God for nothing or for what you can get out of the relationship? Would you follow God if it were only His person that He supplied? If you loved with the espousals of youth you would. And it is this type of love that Christ demands. If you are going to love God- you must love him for who He is and not what your going to get out of the relationship. I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown… God calls to remembrance such a love. It is the ‘first love’, the love we had when we first followed Christ. The love that kept Christ on our hearts day and night- the love that burned with a holy zeal for His glory and a unquenchable hunger for His presence.

RELIGION: "Worship in the absence of God."The warning is stated clearly that if a church does not repent and turn to Christ in first love then He will remove their candlestick from its place. Here we have a picture of not a Menorah or 7 individual lamps on one stand, but seven individual lamp stands. Christ is walking in the midst of these lampstands trimming them as did the priests in the Temple. The churches of Asia were local churches. They were real churches in history. Ephesus is a prime example of how it can appear that everything is going right- and yet the most critical element is gone. Ministry galore but no desire to pursue God. No real desire for His presence. They did not relish the GLORY of God. This is exactly where Israel failed in the wilderness. They committed to God, but did not to see the glory. They trembled and feared at it. They placed a vail over Moses face when it shone forth from him. And in so doing- God placed a vail over their hearts that is still there today. What is it? They wanted all the exercise of religion- but they didn’t want God a part of it. It has been said that religion is worship in the absence of God. Man is a religious creature. But this cannot be confused with the relationship we have with God through the New Birth.

Br Robert,Every paragraph is pregnant with the Holy Spirit. I see that this may be the beginning of something God is working in you for which He has called you. As time goes on, go back to each thought here and continue to unravel, or grow, according to Scripture the understanding that God gives you. He is teaching us to be fishermen. God BlessJeff

THE OIL WE NEED Jesus describes this phenomena in John 3, And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.The churches are the lampstands, but Christ is the light. The flame is fueled by the ‘oil’ (as it were) from the Holy Spirit- that is produced in our devotions with Him. Those times of crushing when we long after Him as the Deer panteth after the water brook- when we take time in His presence. When we search for Him in the pages of His Holy Word with ALL of our hearts. It is in those things that the ‘oil’ is worked in us, that we might have something to contribute to the gathering together of the Saints. In this model Christ is central and man is but the 'vessel' for what God is preparing. He pours from each one severally as He wills that costly fragrance into the gathering- that which He worked in us in our own personal relationship with Him.

As time goes on, go back to each thought here and continue to unravel, or grow, according to Scripture the understanding that God gives you. He is teaching us to be fishermen.Thanks Bro. Jeff. These are really bits of info I have picked up here and there. Some of it I cite the source- other things are what the Lord has given me or what others have poured into me as they have shared what God was doing in them. Thank God for all that comes from Him. If something sounds familiar- remember- it is a compilation and not an original piece. ;-)

Br Robert wrote:f something sounds familiar- remember- it is a compilation and not an original piece. Daniel was given a dream, that over time, God continued to bring clarity to. I see our lives as a "compilation." Likewise there will always be a struggle to come to that understanding. I recognized that in your first paragraph. God Bless Jeff

SECTION IIMINISTRY APART FROM GODThe twentieth century witnessed more changes upon the whole of human existence than any other century in human history. The nineteenth century laid the foundation for much of the change that we witnessed in the twentieth. Many inventions in science and industry coupled with the post modernism (secularism) in education came together to change the face of human existence, as it had been known for many thousands of years.These changes permeated like a miasma through the whole fabric of society. Our great, great, great grandparents would not recognize the world in which we live. It would not understand the technology and it certainly would not believe the morality. We, on the other hand, only know what we have experienced. Things have changed very fast until each generation has experienced a radically different life than the one before. Now take this back to the 1800’s. Would you be shocked to think that Christianity could be as different today than the 1800’s than any other facet of our existence? Is Christianity as different today (for example) as the school systems are different from the 1800’s? What did schools in the 1800’s teach? What about our laws? Is it possible that the message in the Sunday School class of 1900 is as different in 2005 as is the Elementary school class of 1900 compared to 2005? Do kids get a ‘real education’ these days? It used to be the three 'R's', but look at today. Many kids struggle to read and few have the skills and desire to write quality works. The focus today is often far away from the three 'R's' of the past. As with many schools, so with many Sunday School's- there is a tendency to major on the minors.

GEORGE BARNA’S SOBERING STATISTICSAmericans remain inclined toward spiritual matters and feel comfortable with their relationship with God and the clarity they have regarding their purpose in life. Despite that sense of security and discernment, only 5% of American adults possess a biblical worldview, and a minority believes in absolute moral truth. Using that framework, Barna discovered that the percentage of adults holding a biblical worldview has remained minimal and unchanged over the past three years, despite the widespread public debate about moral issues and the efforts of thousands of churches to enhance people’s moral convictions. Currently, only 5% of adults have a biblical worldview. The percentage varies among faith groups. About half of all evangelicals have such a perspective. Overall, 8% of Protestants possess that view, compared to less than one-half of one percent of Catholics. George Barna, whose acclaimed book Think Like Jesus described the core elements of a biblical worldview in laymen’s terms, noted that the religious books of greatest influence in the past several years have not addressed people’s fundamental theological views. “Most of the bestsellers have focused on meaning, purpose, security and the end times,” the researcher pointed out. “While there have been theological views expressed in those books, very few popular books have helped people to think clearly and comprehensively about their core theology. Consequently, most born again Christians hold a confusing and inherently contradictory set of religious beliefs that go unchecked by the leaders and teachers of their faith community.” 88% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THEY ARE RIGHT WITH GODCurrently, nine out of ten adults (88%) feel “accepted by God.” Barna listed a pair of interesting correlations related to that self-image. First, about one-third of the individuals who feel accepted by God do not consider themselves to be deeply spiritual. Second, people are twice as likely to feel accepted by God as they are to be born again – a condition that, many Protestant leaders argue, is a key reflection of God’s forgiveness and ultimate acceptance.

CHURCH SUCCESS MEASURED BY ATTENDANCE? The survey outcomes compelled the survey’s director, George Barna, to remind Christian leaders to stay focused on the things that matter. “Our studies consistently show that churches base their sense of success on indicators such as attendance, congregant satisfaction, dollars raised and built-out square footage. None of those factors relates to the kind of radical shift in thinking and behavior that Jesus Christ died on the cross to facilitate. As long as we measure success on the basis of popularity and efficiency, we will continue to see a nation filled with people who can recite Bible stories but fail to live according to Bible principles.”

DEFINING THE BORN AGAIN PRE-1900 (GEORGE WHITFIELD)FIRST, Let us consider what it is to live godly in Christ Jesus. This supposes, that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ, that we are born again, and are one with Christ by a living faith, and a vital union, even as Jesus Christ and the Father are One. Unless we are thus converted, and transformed by the renewing of our minds, we cannot properly be said to be in Christ, much less to live godly in him. To be in Christ merely by baptism, and an outward profession, is not to be in Him in the strict sense of the word: no; "They that are in Christ, are new creatures; old things are passed away, and all things are become new" in their hearts. Their life is hid with Christ in God; their souls daily feed on the invisible realities of another world. To "live godly in Christ," is to make the divine will, and not our own, the sole principle of all our thoughts, words, and actions; so that, "whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we do all to the glory of God." Those who live godly in Christ, may not so much be said to live, as Christ to live in them: He is their Alpha and Omega, their first and last, their beginning and end. They are led by his Spirit, as a child is led by the hand of its father; and are willing to follow the Lamb withersoever he leads them. They hear, know, and obey his voice. Their affections are set on things above; their hopes are full of immortality; their citizenship is in heaven. Being born again of God, they habitually live to, and daily walk with, God. They are pure in heart; and, from a principle of faith in Christ, are holy in all manner of conversation and godliness.

Quote:88% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THEY ARE RIGHT WITH GODCurrently, nine out of ten adults (88%) feel “accepted by God.” Barna listed a pair of interesting correlations related to that self-image. First, about one-third of the individuals who feel accepted by God do not consider themselves to be deeply spiritual. Second, people are twice as likely to feel accepted by God as they are to be born again – a condition that, many Protestant leaders argue, is a key reflection of God’s forgiveness and ultimate acceptance.

ONE ‘MAJOR’ DIFFERENCE (Finney's progression to salvation)Before 1900 Finney and others taught that there are three types of sinners; careless, awakened, and convicted. When God set about to awaken a sinner and they became deeply distressed and concerned for their soul, they were said to be in an ‘anxious state’. They were called anxious sinners. They were careful to realize that anxious sinners were more in search of being comforted in their distress, than resolving the problem at hand (their rebellion against God). They knew that the LAST place that a sinner would seek for refuge would be Jesus Christ; but they were patient and flushing them to Him. Other TERMS used by ministers BEFORE 1900 would include ‘hopeful conversions’. Ministers did not refer to people being ‘saved’ but ‘hopefully converted.’ Ministers would not dare tell a person they were saved; they believed that to be the prerogative of the Holy Spirit. Therefore instead of saying 50 were ‘saved’ during the meeting, they would say 50 were hopefully converted. As we will see later in our study, being considered ‘hopefully converted’ required a major transformation that was persuasive enough to be considered a change. George Whitfield once said that, "the difference between the born again person and the person before the new birth, should be so radical, that it would appear to folk who lived with or around them that they had not seen him/her in 20 years."

STRIKE WHILE THE IRON IS HOT?The messages preached included all the ‘fine print’ of the Gospel. Some ministers would spend weeks just explaining to the people what salvation from Sin really was. There was no such thing as expecting in one sermon to convert a sinner. Another consideration is that there were only a handful of churches and ministers that can even be documented to make use of an ‘altar call’ before Charles Finney. Anxious sinners were counseled and prayed for after the meeting- in a separate meeting place. Sometimes they were after service, other times the meeting may be held the next day. It was a common saying of Spurgeon that ministers ought to, "Strike when the iron is hot", even though some make cold iron hot by striking. However, some contend that Spurgeon also believed that if the iron was really hot of the Holy Spirit- it would still be hot in the morning. Not so if man make hot by striking.In other words, the belief was, that the same God that was dealing in the service at night would still be dealing in the morning. If He was not- it was all emotion anyway. Sometimes the ‘inquiry meetings’ were from house to house. Depending on how large the house was or how many people attended- a separate meeting hall may need to be used.

DO YOUR DUTY!There is another phrase we need to learn if we are to understand pre-1900 Christianity and it is the word ‘DUTY’. Finney made use of this word often. To “DO YOUR DUTY” is to cease from rebelling against your maker. It is to surrender ALL of yourself to God and forsake ALL of your known sin. Many anxious sinners are under tremendous conviction, not because God is trying to 'chastise' them for their sin, but because it is the manifestation of the Spirit striving with them and their refusal to submit. Some people in Finney's day would tell of having been under conviction for weeks, but that is only because they were in rebellion for weeks. It is your “DUTY” to submit to the Holy Spirit when He is striving and the sinner has no assurance whatsoever that the Spirit will strive for any extended period of time. It is the mercy of God alone that He is striving now. One saying that was also used in the former days was that, "when God comes knocking for a sinner he has a pardon in the one hand and a sword in the other." He declares to the sinner; REPENT and be pardoned or rebel and PERISH! Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month or in a ‘convenient season.’ God declares NOW is the accepted time, behold TODAY is the day of salvation. Some would so resist the Holy Ghost that they would come under great distress and folk would seek to comfort them. Charles Finney once told a group of folks, “The strivings of the Spirit to bring a person to Christ will never hurt them, nor drive them crazy. He may make himself deranged by resisting, but it is blasphemous to think that the benevolent, wise Spirit of God would ever behave with so little care as to make a person deranged and destroy the soul that He came to save and sanctify.” The only RELIEF for the sinner in the throes of conviction is to submit to God. And when the submission takes place, the same Holy Spirit that was convincing of Sin will bring the Joy of the Lord in its place.

This is great stuff, brother. I appreciate you giving your time to put this together.

PRAYING FROM YOUR OWN HEARTThe difference that stands out in pre-1900 Gospel messages is that they were as complete as possible. When a person 'responded' in some way to the Gospel when they were ‘anxious’ or 'convicted' they were not told that they were ‘saved’ as a result. The so-called “sinners prayer” was way off the radar at this point- at least 50 years away. Keep in mind also that in most cases this prayer was used to lead a person to Christ on their deathbed. Why was it not used pre-1900? The ministers simply understood that a person couldn’t possibly process through what they are committing to while repeating a prayer. They did not have time to reflect and decide because the words were coming out one after the other. Moreover, the ministers did not lead them to say anything that did not come from their own hearts and if they did not understand things well enough to pray then they needed a lot more preaching and teaching before ever making any commitment. Simply put, if they can’t pray a prayer from their own heart; 1) The Holy Spirit was not leading them to conversion 2) The feelings expressed in the prayer are not their own. This means that a sinner’s prayer ‘tells’ a person what to feel rather than express a feeling that already exists in their own heart. They are told to say things like, "I am sorry for my sins"- but are they really sorry? Imagine asking a person to repeat a prayer for healing by believing and trusting in Christ for that healing. In this model a person repeats a prayer for God to cure them of their disease. They are counseled that God heals and that His word is true. When they are finished repeating they prayer they are asked; did you mean that? Did you believe that God will heal you? If you did, God’s word is true and you are NOW as healed as you will ever be. They then are so excited that they go to the DR. to get a report of confirmation. They boast to the DR that they had been told they were healed if they ‘believed’ and they did believe so they are there to get the proof of the healing. How will the Dr break the horrifying news that their cancer or heart problem is still there? What went wrong here? Answer that and you will have the solution to why the old timers did not use repeating prayers.

This is great stuff, brother. I appreciate you giving your time to put this together.Thanks PreachParsley. Keep in mind the material is a compilation of resources and is NOT completely original. Just felt I need to keep saying that as not all sources are cited. I have a bibliography I will put on at the end. ;-)

THE OPIATE OF FALSE ASSURANCECharles G. Finney’s teaching “FALSE ASSURANCE FOR SINNERS” is considered by some to be the greatest teaching ever written on the topic of counseling 'anxious' sinners. In this he writes; “The very idea of anxiety implies some instruction. A sinner would not be anxious at all about his future state, unless he had light enough to know that he is a sinner, and that he is in danger of punishment and needs forgiveness." The word converted in the scripture means to ‘turn’ or ‘return’. Hence the passage… repent ye therefore and be converted that you sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19) The word repent also means to “change your mind”. This change of mind comes in part as a result of folk opening their eyes, ears, and heart when the light of truth is poured upon them. In Matthew 13:15 we read; For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. This is a glimpse of the process of a sinner coming to repentance and conversion. Notice, their eyes THEY have closed… This is rebellion against God manifested in willful ignorance. When the Holy Spirit seeks to illuminate their faculties through the word of God they come under great conviction (convincing) of Sin. This ‘convincing’ of sin brings to bear the truth that the sinner MUST turn from his/her wicked ways to Christ. When a sinner is in anxiety and despair of mind for their soul- they are in a 'pain' of sorts. That pain makes them miserable and they seek for relief from the 'pain' (conviction). They want loosed of the symptoms of their problem. The problem is rebellion against God- the effects of that rebellion is conviction. For a Christian to offer false comfort to a sinner who will not repent is as cruel to the soul as a doctor prescribing his patient a pain killer instead of what he/she really needs, i.e. life-saving surgery or appropriate medication.