There are born again Christians who worship in the Catholic church, but they are no longer Catholic.Catholic so-called veneration and devotion of Mary is nothing less than an idolatrous form of Mary worship though often denied by them. Catholicism is rampant with idolatry and other forms of paganism, thereby making it a deadly spiritual environment for any Christian. A Catholic who gets saved needs to exist such a dark atmosphere just as much as a Hindu who would get saved needs to leave a Hindu temple. There are NO Christian idolaters.
According to Mike Gendron's gospel that he proclaims, a Catholic who would get saved can continue in the Catholic church for decades, committing idolatry and participating in various pagan practices and will remain a Christian all along. That is DANGEROUS and far from the biblical message, but consistent with once saved always saved.
For Mike Gendron to teach as he does about a Christian worshiping in a Catholic church shows how that doctrine of demons has even adversely affected evangelism for some bible believers. Soul winners take heed! Real revival includes removing all forms of that sinister and pervasive doctrine of eternal security.
All so-called Christian evangelism in our day is definitely not based on the New Testament. Ray Comfort's Living Waters is another flawed example! Sadly, many desiring to win souls even try to include their poisonous eternal security doctrine with gospel tracts to the lost!
The truth is: a Catholic who does get saved must leave the idolatrous and heretical environment of Catholicism or he/she will surely spiritually die there! There are no Christian idolaters now nor have there ever been! The saints are commanded to keep ourselves from idols (1 John 5:21). Why? Because idolaters will not escape the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8).
Catholic deception abounds and people like Mike Gendron, because of his flawed view of the believer's security, have actually made it worse for many to enter God's kingdom. According to Mike Gendron, and all others who embrace Calvinism's fifth point -- including Billy Graham -- it only takes a moment of true regeneration and that person is justified forever regardless how he sins afterwards with idolatry, adultery, drunkenness, etc. That allows such a person to remain in the Catholic church as a Christian, according to them. Mr. Mike Gendron's teaching is in bold contrast to the message of the bible both directly (with examples of Christians who turned from the faith) and indirectly (by many scriptural warnings and safeguards) given to the saints to prevent such. For example, Jesus taught:
Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Rev 3:11)Mike Gendron himself is a victim of the flood of counterfeit grace taught in our day. People like Mike Gendron who come out of a cult, such as Catholicism or others from Jehovah's Witnesses or Latter Day Saints, etc., often get ensnared themselves because the chief voices and exalted bible teachers of our dark hour are grace changers (Jude 4)! Our days are very dark and people are not enduring sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3,4).
By this gospel you are saved, IF you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Cor 15:2)There are many such scriptures which undercut the eternal security foundation that Mike Gendron stands on and which he mixes in with his Catholic refutations. It is very sad to see what Mike Gendron's Proclaiming The Gospel has resulted in. The same can be said of all such countercult ministries -- if it be the Berean Call, Bible Answer Man, etc. See 2 Peter 2:20-22. Ex-Catholics need true spiritual guidance, not false hopes and more religious myths. That however, will not be received from Proclaiming The Gospel with their OSAS or from any other similar source. (Sorry Mike, but all that is true.)
We have come to share in Christ IF we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (Heb 3:14)
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men [GRACE CHANGERS] whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 3,4)
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (1 Tim 4:1)DEBATE CHALLENGE TO MIKE GENDRON: As a former Roman Catholic myself, I'm more than willing to debate Once Saved Always Saved with you or any qualified proponent. Rather than just discard this rebuttal, debate challenge and expose to your Proclaiming The Gospel ministry and false grace, should you not also act on the following:
Test everything. Hold on to the good. (1 Thess 5:21)Sincerely and In Christ, Dan Corner
PS: Mike, upon your request, I will send you a free copy of The Believer's Conditional Security: Eternal Security Refuted, if you'll read it. Let me know.
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