Expert: Phillip Senn - 6/17/2011

Question
QUESTION: It is seen as a common practice many Christians testify & praise God amidst gatherings
–   For Salvation received – When their Fruits attest they are not.
–   Blessings & prosperity / Guidance of Holy Spirit / Saved God from an imminent accident for their faith etc. – When they are not even true believers.
.Doesn’t this amount to culpable sin? & How Bible says to deal with such situations?

ANSWER: Nihal,

It is a common practice for all believers to praise God and worship Him alone at all times, not just when in the company of other believers. Our fruits should always show our faith, but because we sometimes fail to allow the Holy Spirit's guidance to prevail, we often fail to show the proper fruits.

God's grace is extended to ALL that believe on Christ for their eternal salvation. We cannot know for sure of someone's faith, apart from our own. If we are trusting in Him for salvation, and Him alone, then we can be assured that we will be with Him in Heaven. Those who have not trusted in Christ will be cast into a lake of fire.

There are many that profess to know Christ, and do not. You may see them, on a regular basis, in church. You may even see them doing all of the things that the other Christians are doing. How do we measure them? How do we determine which are the "true Christians"? We cannot judge to determine who is saved by their actions. We can only go so far in our judgements concerning someone's genuineness. We can judge their fruits, but we must consider that we must first examine our own fruits first. How do we measure up to God's standards of holiness and love.

Then, we can judge by their teachings. I believe this better reflects what is in their heart. If we listen to what someone says, they will eventually speak what is in their heart. It may not show in their actions, but in the end, it will reflect their true intentions.

I listen to people to hear, first, "do they profess a true understanding of salvation?" Is it a salvation concerning their eternal destiny, or is it a salvation that only deals with how they live their life. Some speak of "getting their life straight", while others speak of God's graciousness to them, when they were not worthy of His love. Scripture indicates that those that truly have been "born again" have a love that teaches them to live a life to honor the One that died for them. The others still are trying to be good enough to somehow gain God's acceptance, which will never happen.

Then, when I have heard them speak of their love for Christ in a way that indicates true salvation, I look to see what fruit they are producing. I am not looking to see if they are living a holy, righteous life. I am looking to see if they are reproducing their faith. Are others being drawn to the Lord Jesus through their actions and their testimonies.

These are my "tests". That does not mean that they are flawless. It only means that I try, while not being condemning, to examine the truth. If the truth is that they produce fruit that indicates a faith in Christ, and I still see things in their lives that should not be there, then I can go to them as a brother/sister in the Lord, and extol them to live honorably before the Lord. This way, I am doing what Scripture had demanded of me, "Love one another, even as God for Christ's sake, has loved you".

Our mission is reconciliation. We cannot weed out all of the tares. That is God's business. But we can be diligent to listen, look and learn. We listen to others, we look at ourselves first, then at others, and we learn how we should respond to them.

I hope this answer is helpful to you.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: May God give wisdom to answer this question  

Why do some worshipers fall backwards when Pastors lay hands on them? Often this has been a recurring event without any Healing / outcome. I have seen worshipers get attracted to such pastors . To my knowledge Bible too does not support this act.

Blessings

Answer
Nihal,

You are correct in your knowledge, the Bible does not support this practice of falling down because some man lays hands on them. There is evidence of people falling down, when in the presence of the Lord. If the presence of the Lord is so great when these people are "healed", then why doesn't the preacher, or the rest of the worshippers, fall to the ground when this happens. It is a practice that is expected by the ones that are there, and that is why they do it. It has nothing to do with a Biblical example or mandate. It is done simply because the one, on who the hands were laid, did not want to fail the "anointed one" that was laying hands on them. This is used by many of the false teachers and false prophets to promote their teachings. Peer pressure can often be a valuable tool for those that are looking for a following, rather than leading people to follow the Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I hope you continue to be a student of the Word of God that seeks to recognize the false teachers of this world. We need more that, while not seeking to be critical of others, are willing to seek the truth about false teachers and prophets, while seeking the truth found only in Jesus Christ.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn