"Just Repeat After Me..."

You know the sermon is almost over because the preacher gets that "soft" tone in his voice. He speaks so gently and quietly it's almost a whisper. 

"Some of you are here today, and you know in your heart it's time to 'get right.'
Now, with every head bowed, every eye closed,
If that's you, I want you to repeat after me...
(If you don't feel comfortable praying out loud, just say it in your heart.)
It will only take a minute,
and you can have assurance that your soul will spend eternity with Jesus..."

FALSE.

Salvation that costs you one minute is not salvation (2 Cor 5.17). Your salvation will cost you everything (1 Pet 4.2). Jesus promised you two things: Eternal life, and a cross to die on (Jn 5.24, Mar 8.34, Lk 14.27). 

There is no "formula" for salvation. Just ask these guys: 

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Mat 7.21-23)

The biggest lie Satan has sold humanity is that if you just pray a prayer once, you can go on living like hell and be assured of your salvation. Religion built on this lie sends more people to hell than all the cults in America combined (*1). Why do you think the American "church" is dropping in numbers? Because Non-believers who "prayed a prayer" once are filling the pews, conforming the church to the world, and then getting bored with their self-made religion, and moving on. And it's been our well-intended altar-call-evangelism that has let this happen.

There is, however, a silver-lining to this exposing of this myth... And that is, of course, the comfort we have in knowing our Lord foresaw this happening, and gave us instructions for how to cope when it did.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." (Mat 7.15-20)

If a person dresses like a non-christian, talks like a non-christian, treats their spouse like a non-christian, consumes media like a non-christian, cheats the system like a non-christian, and in every practical way lives like a non-christian, chances are, they aren't a Christian. Love them. Go to coffee with them. Share the Gospel with them. They have yet to be reborn.

And when they do come to repentance, rejoice with them, and glorify God for the transformation He works in His children.

Footnotes:

*1 - Based on the assumption that there are more "non-practicing Christians" in America than there are Mormons/Christian Scientists/Jehovah's Witnesses/Post-Modernists/Emergents. See Barna's study and this U.S. Census abstract.