SID: Hello. Sid Roth here. Welcome to my world where it’s natural supernatural. I wouldn’t want it any other way. As you know, I’m a Jewish believer in Jesus. And when I first became a believer I wish it was different. But I really wasn’t mentored. I was almost on my own. And the only thing I really knew was the Bible. And so what did I do? I read the Bible. And then after reading the Bible I started looking at religion. I mean, and some people would say, God doesn’t heal today. And I’m thinking, what Bible were they reading. I don’t understand this. And some people would say, oh, God is my buddy. Yea God. I come from a Jewish background. God is holy. There’s a reverence. Yes, there’s an intimacy with Him. I saw no reverence for God. It was just strapping your seatbelt and go buddy. No. That’s not the God I read about in the Old and the New Testament. And then I heard, once you’re saved, no matter what happens you will always go to Heaven, and if something happens you really weren’t saved. That’s not what this book is saying. And it’s too late to tell me God doesn’t heal today. I’ve seen too many miracles. It’s too late to tell me God isn’t a holy God. He is a holy God. It’s too late for you to tell me that once I’m saved, nothing can ever stop me from being saved. It’s too late. But there is a spirit of delusion that is coming upon the church, and I want you warned, so it doesn’t touch you and it doesn’t touch your loved ones. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Hello. Sid Roth here with Tony Kemp. And Tony is my friend. He’s a member of the board. He’s a student of the Word of God, a graduate of school theology. And Tony, you were telling me that in the great Azusa Street Revival, which happened early 1900’s, there was a prophecy, which appears to be talking about today, because it also is talking about Bible scripture. Tell me about it.
TONY: Well the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy, Chapter 4. And this is what he said, he said, “The Holy Spirit is speaking in unmistakable terms of the last days.” That in the last days, Sid, “Some shall depart from the faith”. He didn’t say that they would reject the faith. But Paul said that they would depart from the faith. In other words, they would gradually depart from the truth and the grace message of Jesus. And he also told Timothy in the second letter, that in the last part of the last days, “Some would not hold on to sound doctrine.” And so here’s the prophecy that happened in Azusa Street between 1909 and 1910. Here’s what the Word said: “It shall come to pass in the last days of the great Pentecostal movement three things are going to occur. One, the people will praise a God that they no longer pray to.” And remember, the apostle Paul said first prayers, supplications, intercessions then giving thanks, and praise and worship to the Father. The second thing he said in this prophecy is that the leaders, the ministers, the people would emphasize power instead of right living. And the third thing the prophecy said was people will emphasize the gifts of the spirit instead of the lordship of Jesus the Messiah. Now Sid, do we need praise and worship in the church? Yes. But every single one of us who are disciples of the Messiah need to have a prayer life. Do we need the power of the spirit and the demonstration of the spirit in the church? Absolutely. But we need to practice right living every single day. Do we need the gifts of the spirit and manifestations of the glory of God? Yes we do. But we need to do so in submission to the person of Jesus and in surrender to Jesus and in obedience to the lordship of Jesus the Messiah.
SID: Okay. Tell me. Give me a short definition of the biblical understanding of grace.
TONY: Well first of all, Paul said to Titus, he says, “The grace of God has appeared to all men bringing salvation.” At first, when I look at the grace of God I look at the goodness and the person of Jesus. But secondly after that, I see grace as divine influence. And this divine influence causes me, Sid, when I hear the truth of the Gospel to turn from sin, against sin and surrender my life to Jesus the Messiah. This true grace emphasizes to me the need to deny myself, take up the cross and obey Jesus everyday. In other words, true grace, Sid, produces a transformation of habits, character and life, and calls us to become more and more like Jesus as I develop intimacy with God through Jesus the Messiah.
SID: Okay. What is, and this is the word that God has given, what is counterfeit grace?
TONY: Counterfeit grace in a word is powerlessness. In other words, if I preach a message of counterfeit grace I say to you, come to the altar, receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and God loves you. But I don’t preach a message of personal deliverance, freedom, liberty, transformation of habits, character and life. I say to you, because God loves you, you can just stay in sin. But true grace says, God loves you and is going to save you from your sins, and change your life progressively and completely as you submit to Jesus the Messiah.
SID: You know, this counterfeit grace message goes so far as to say, because of what Jesus did at the cross that we don’t have to repent of sin any more once we get born again. And what about the teaching of once saved, always saved. I want to talk about that when we come back. Don’t go away.
Tags: its supernatural, Sid Roth