Jordan's Speech

Jordan Ward’s Speech that she gave on Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Charles Spurgeon once said, “If your religion does not make you holy it will damn you. It is simply painted pageantry to go to Hell in.”

So, how about we all say the “sinners’ prayer”, go to church, and try to be “good people”, and then we would all be saved from Hell and our lives would be hunky-dory. To the dismay of many modern “Christians” it doesn’t work that way. Jesus didn’t die to save us from Hell; He died to save us from Sin! God requires holiness, and He deserves nothing less. Psa 24:3-4 reads, “ Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall sand in his holy place? He that has clean hands and a pure heart.” The church doesn’t want to mention how our sin slaughtered Christ. That might make people uncomfortable; they might actually have to repent on biblical terms again. People would have to count the cost of serving Christ verses serving themselves and self might win, which means they would leave the church and take their money with them. No, pastors today are running a business, not leading the body of Christ. They know they have to keep the customer happy, so they preach a religion without holiness. Say a prayer, go to church, pay them money and you will have a life of love, joy, peace and prosperity. No holiness required. David Servant says in his book The Disciple Making Minister that “It results in professing Christians who are indistinguishable from the world and who are on the broad road to hell.” It will damn you.

It is a wonder modern “Christians” even have bibles, because it is apparent they don’t live by them. James 1:22 says, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” The religion of today’s church doesn’t teach this. David Servant points out a few of the lies of the modern gospel in his book The Great Gospel Deception saying “Today we are told that repentance is only a change of mind that may result in no change of actions. People can believe in Jesus and continue practicing sin. They can be born again and never give any outward indication of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Christians can be adulterers and fornicators, and we certainly don’t want to judge them because we don’t know their hearts. Those who maintain that heaven is only for the holy are legalists. Faith without works can save.” The religion David talks about is much like the religion of the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus spoke to in Matthew 23. Jesus addressed them saying “"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead [men's] bones and all uncleanness…28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness…33Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” He wasn’t talking to the “sinners” of the day, not the liars, thieves, and murderers, but to those who proclaimed to be “Christians”, to the people who based their salvation off of what they learned in church rather than what Christ said! They paint and season their words with religion, but their actions show an utter denial of Christ and all that He stands for. These people are on their way to Hell and a great majority of them don’t even know it. Do not let yourself be so deceived.

" If your religion does not make you holy, it will damn you. It is simply painted pageantry to go to hell in."

We had to have a "display/prop" and so I said that my display would be my life lived out before them utterly on fire for God with no hypocrisy.

It was funny because at the end the teacher was all like, "Wow, yeah that was a good topic...it's not widely talked about, especially among the religious circles. I always wondered that myself growing up in the Catholic church. Yeah, I am for sure on the straight away to...like running down the broad road to....well...I mean...I am a good person...deep down really I am..in my heart I am a good person." The class just laughed at this point because he kinda proved what I was saying. It did show me how quickly someone can escape from conviction if they want to.

I though it went pretty well overall. :)