YouTube: Ray Comfort witnesses to a Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu at the same time (Living Waters University)

Grace To You Thursday: The Pope and the Papacy (Google Video-Audio Only)

You Tube: Walter Martin v. Fr. Mitchell Pacwa - Purgatory and Indulgences (The John Ankerberg Show)

You Tube: Walter Martin v. Fr. Mitchell Pacwa on Mary (John Ankerberg Show)

Fighting Five Articles of Interest

Pulpit Magazine

Roman Catholicism Series

Back to the Reformation by Nathan Buesnitz

Introduction by Nathan

The Gospel According to Rome by Nathan Buesnitz

Rome's view of the Gospel.

Long Before Luther by Nathan Buesnitz

Was sola fide invented by Luther? Nathan provides a list of quotes from the early church fathers showing that they adhered to sola fide.

The Final Authority by Nathan Buesnitz

A list of quotes from the early church fathers showing that sola scriptura was the standard.

Possessing the Treasure

A Warning to Professing Christians by Mike Ratliff

Mike gives a warning to professing Christians.

Fighting Friday: Idolatry by J.C. Ryle edited by Tony Capadocia

Idolatry

by

J. C. Ryle

(1816-1900)

(This updated and revised manuscript is copyrighted

Ó1998 by Tony Capoccia.

All rights reserved.)

"Flee from idolatry"

(1 Corinthians 10:14)

Our text for today may seem at first to be hardly needed in our country. In an age of education and intelligence, we might almost fancy it is waste of time to tell us to "flee from idolatry."

I am bold to say that this is a great mistake. I believe that we have come to a time when the subject of idolatry demands a thorough and searching investigation. I believe that idolatry is near us, all around us, and in the midst of us, to a very fearful extent. The second commandment, in one word, is in danger. "The plague is begun."

Without further preface, I propose to consider the following four points:

I. The definition of idolatry. WHAT IS IT?

II. The cause of idolatry. WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

III. The form idolatry assumes in the visible Church of Christ. WHERE IS IT?

IV. The ultimate termination of idolatry. WHAT WILL END IT?

I feel that the subject is encompassed with many difficulties. Our lot is cast in an age when truth is constantly in danger of being sacrificed to "toleration," "love," and "peace," falsely so-called. Nevertheless, I cannot forget, as a minister, that the Church has given little or no warnings on the subject of idolatry; and, unless I am greatly mistaken, truth about idolatry is, in the highest sense, truth for the times.

I. Let me, then, first of all supply a definition of idolatry. Let me show WHAT IT IS.

It is of the utmost importance that we should understand this. Unless I make this clear, I can do nothing with the subject. Vagueness and indistinctness prevail upon this point, as upon almost every other in religion. The Christian who desires not be continually running aground in his spiritual voyage, must have his channel well buoyed, and his mind well stored with clear definitions.

I say then, that Idolatry is a worship, in which the honor due to the Triune God, and to God only, is given to some of His creatures, or to some invention of His creatures.

It may vary. It may assume different forms, according to the ignorance or the knowledge—the civilization or the barbarism, of those who offer it. It may be grossly absurd and ludicrous, or it may closely border on truth, and being most superficially defended. But whether in the adoration of the idol of Juggernaut, or in the adoration of the Pope in St. Peter's at Rome, the principle of idolatry is in reality the same. In either case the honor due to God is turned aside from Him, and bestowed on that which is not God. And whenever this is done, whether in heathen temples or in professedly Christian Churches, there is an act of idolatry.

It is not necessary, for a man to formally deny God and Christ, in order to be an idolater. Far from it. Professed reverence for the God of the Bible and actual idolatry, are perfectly compatible. They have often been done side by side, and they still do so. The children of Israel never thought of renouncing God when they persuaded Aaron to make the golden calf. "Here are your gods," they said, "who brought you up out of Egypt." And the feast in honor of the calf was kept as a "festival to the LORD (Jehovah)" (Exodus 32:4, 5).

Jeroboam, again, never pretended to ask the ten tribes to cast off their allegiance to the God of David and Solomon. When he set up the calves of gold in Dan and Bethel, he only said, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28).

In both instances, we should observe, the idol was not set up as a rival to God, but under the pretense of being a help—a steppingstone to His service. But, in both instances, a great sin was committed. The honor due to God was given to a visible representation of Him. The majesty of Jehovah was offended. The second commandment was broken. There was, in the eyes of God, a flagrant act of idolatry.

Let us mark this well. It is high time to dismiss from our minds those loose ideas about idolatry, which are common in this day. We must not think, as many do, that there are only two sorts of idolatry—the spiritual idolatry of the man who loves his wife, or child, or money more than God; and the open, gross idolatry of the man who bows down to an image of wood, or metal, or stone, because he knows no better. We may rest assured that idolatry is a sin, which occupies a far wider field than this. It is not merely a thing in pagan lands, that we may hear of and pity at missionary meetings; nor yet is it a thing confined to our own hearts, that we may confess before the mercy-seat upon our knees. It is a pestilence that walks in the Church of the Living Christ to a much greater extent than many suppose. It is an evil that, like the man of sin, "that sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

It is a sin that we all need to watch and pray against continually. It creeps into our religious worship unnoticed, and is upon us before we are aware. Those are tremendous words which Isaiah spoke to the faithful Jew—not to the worshiper of Baal, remember, to the man who actually came to the temple (Isaiah 66:3): "Whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol."

This is that sin which God has especially denounced in His Word. One commandment out of ten is devoted to the prohibition of it. Not one of all the ten contains such a solemn declaration of God's character, and of His judgments against the disobedient: "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me" (Exodus 20:5). Not one, perhaps, of all the ten is so emphatically repeated and amplified, and especially in the fourth chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. This is the sin, of all others, to which the Jews seem to have been most inclined to commit before the destruction of Solomon's temple. What is the history of Israel under their judges and kings but a sorrowful record of repeated falling away into idolatry? Again and again we read of "high places" and "false gods." Again and again we read of captivities and chastisements on account of idolatry. Again and again we read of a return to the old sin. It seems as if the love of idols among the Jews was naturally bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh. The besetting sin of the Old Testament Church, in one word, was idolatry. In the face of the most elaborate ceremonial ordinances that God ever gave to His people, Israel was incessantly turning aside after idols, and worshipping the work of men's hands.

This is the sin, of all others, which has brought down the heaviest judgments on the visible Church. It brought on Israel the armies of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon. It scattered the ten tribes, burned up Jerusalem, and carried Judah and Benjamin into captivity. It brought on the Eastern Churches, in later days, the overwhelming flood of the Muslim invasion, and turned many a spiritual garden into a wilderness. The desolation which reigns where Cyprian and Augustine once preached, the living death in which the Churches of Asia Minor and Syria are buried, are all attributable to this sin. All testify to the same great truth which the Lord proclaims in Isaiah: "I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:8).

Let us gather up these things in our minds, and ponder them well. Idolatry is a subject which, in every Christian Church, that wants to keep herself pure, should be thoroughly examined, understood, and known. It is not for nothing that Paul lays down the stern command, "Flee from idolatry."

II. Let me show, in the second place, the cause to which idolatry may be traced. WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

To the man who takes an extravagant and exalted view of human intellect and reason, idolatry may seem absurd. He fancies it too irrational for any but weak minds to be endangered by it.

To a mere superficial thinker about Christianity, the peril of idolatry may seem very small. Whatever commandments are broken, such a man will tell us, professing Christians are not very likely to transgress the second.

Now, both these persons betray a woeful ignorance of human nature. They do not see that there are secret roots of idolatry within us all. The prevalence of idolatry in all ages among the heathen must necessarily puzzle the one—the warnings of Protestant ministers against idolatry in the Church must necessarily appear uncalled for to the other. Both are alike blind to its cause.

The cause of all idolatry is the natural corruption of man's heart. That great family disease, with which all the children of Adam are infected from their birth, shows itself in this, as it does in a thousand other ways. Out of the same fountain from which "come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly" (Mark 7:21, 22)—out of that same fountain arise false views of God, and false views of the worship due to Him, and, therefore, when the Apostle Paul tells the Galatians (Galatians 5:20) what are the "works of the flesh," he places prominently among them "idolatry."

Man will have some kind of a religion. God has not left Himself without a witness in us all, fallen as we are. Like old inscriptions hidden under mounds of rubbish, there is a dim something—engraved at the bottom of man's heart, however faint and half-erased—a something which makes him feel he must have a religion and a worship of some kind. The proof of this is to be found in the history of voyages and travels in every part of the globe. The exceptions to the rule are so few, if indeed there are any, that they only confirm its truth. Man's worship in some dark corner of the earth may rise no higher than a vague fear of an evil spirit, and a desire to appease him; but a worship of some kind man will have.

But then comes in the effect of the fall. Ignorance of God, carnal and low conceptions of His nature and attributes, earthly and sensual notions of the service, which is acceptable to Him, all characterize the religion of the natural man. There is a craving in his mind after something he can see, and feel, and touch. He is eager to bring his God down to his own crawling level. He would make his religion a thing of sense and sight. He has no idea of the religion of heart, and faith, and spirit. In short, just as he is willing to live on God's earth, until renewed by grace, a fallen and degraded life, so he has no objection to the worship of idols, until renewed, by the Holy Spirit. In one word, idolatry is a natural product of man's heart. It is a weed, which like the uncultivated earth, the heart is always ready to bring forth.

And now does it surprise us, when we read of the constantly recurring idolatries of the Old Testament Church, of Baal, and Moloch, and Ashtaroth—of high places and hill altars, and groves and images—and this in the full light of the Mosaic ceremonial? Let us cease to be surprised. It can be accounted for. There is a cause.

Does it surprise us when we read in history, how idolatry crept in by degrees into the Christian Church, how little by little it thrust out Gospel truth, until, in Canterbury, men offered more at the shrine of Thomas a’Becket, than they did at the shrine of the Virgin Mary, and more at the shrine of Virgin Mary, than at the shrine of Christ? Let us cease to be surprised. It is all intelligible. There is a cause.

Does it surprise us when we hear of men going over from Protestant Churches to the Roman Catholic Church, in the present day? Do we think it impossible, and feel as if we ourselves could never forsake a pure form of worship for one like that of the Roman Catholic Church? Let us cease to be surprised. There is a solution for the problem. There is a cause.

That cause is nothing else but the corruption of man's heart. There is a natural proneness and tendency in us all, to give God a sensual, carnal worship, and not that, which is commanded in His Word. We are always ready, by reason of our laziness and unbelief, to devise visible helps and stepping-stones in our approaches to Him, and ultimately to give these inventions of our own the honor due to Him. In fact, idolatry is all natural, downhill, easy, like the broad way. Spiritual worship is all of grace, all uphill, and all against the grain. Any worship whatsoever is more pleasing to the natural heart, than worshipping God in the way, which our Lord Christ describes, "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).

I, for one, am not surprised at the quantity of idolatry existing, both in the world and in the visible Church. I believe it perfectly possible that we may yet live to see far more of it than some have ever dreamed of. It would never surprise me if some mighty personal Antichrist were to arise before the end—mighty in intellect, mighty in talents for government, yes, and mighty, perhaps, in miraculous gifts too. It would never surprise me to see such a one as him setting up himself in opposition to Christ, and forming an Agnostic conspiracy against the Gospel.

I believe that many would rejoice to do him honor, who now glory in saying, "We will not have this Christ to reign over us." I believe that many would make a god of him, and reverence him as an incarnation of truth, and concentrate their idea of hero-worship on his person. I advance it as a possibility, and no more. But of this at least I am certain, that no man is less safe from danger of idolatry than the man who now sneers at every form of religion; and that from belief to unbelief, from Atheism to the grossest idolatry, there is but a single step. Let us not think, that idolatry is an old-fashioned sin, into which we are never likely to fall. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" We shall do well to look into our own hearts: the seeds of idolatry are all there. We should remember the words of Paul, "Flee from idolatry." (Please click here to continue reading, "Idolatry")

Catholicism: Crisis of Faith-Parts 1 thru 6 (You Tube)

Witnessing to Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons & Other Groups

WITNESSING TO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
MORMONS & OTHER GROUPS

By Jonathan Khan
(edited and resource recommendations by Tony Zabala)

YOU: Would you consider yourself to be a good person?

THEM: I’m trying to be.

YOU: Do you think you’ve kept the 10 Commandments?

THEM: I’m doing my best.

YOU: Let’s go thru a few of them. Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? (then ask if they’ve ever stolen, blasphemed, or lusted which is the same as committing adultery in your heart. You can even take them thru some of the other commandments as well. Hatred is the same as murder.)

YOU: So, by your own admission, you’re a lying, thieving, blasphemous adulterer at heart. If God were to judge you by the 10 Commandments, would you be guilty or innocent?

THEM: Guilty. (Some Mormons will insist that they’ve been forgiven because Jesus is their Lord and Savior. If that’s the case, just simply say “IF” God were to judge us by the Commandments we’d all be guilty.)

YOU: So, if you’re guilty, and if there’s a heaven and a hell, where do you think you’d be going? (If the JW doesn’t say hell, just simply say “IF” there’s a heaven and a hell and we’ve broken the law we should all be headed for hell. If they still object, just ask them if they should be rewarded or punished for breaking God’s laws.)

YOU: Do you know what God did so you wouldn’t have to go to hell (or be punished)? God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ (they may try to interrupt you at this point, but simply say, “Just give me two minutes.”) God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your crimes -- He took the punishment for our sins and rose bodily from the grave and conquered death. And Jesus said if you repent, that is, turn from your sin and place your faith in Him -- what He did -- not what you can do, but in what He did for you, He’ll instantly forgive all your sins and grant you the gift of eternal life. No amount of good works you do will erase the crimes from your record. No amount of good deeds will wipe your slate clean. And, if you don’t believe God paid the penalty for your crimes, do you know who will be punished for your sins?

THEM: We will be.

YOU: That’s right. You don’t want what’s fair or right or what you deserve -- you want mercy, grace and forgiveness. It’s as simple as this: we broke the law -- Jesus paid our fine. If you repent and put your trust in Him, you’ll instantly pass from death to life, and that’s why Jesus could say to the thief on the cross, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise.”

Mormons and JW’s will then say they don’t believe Jesus is God.

YOU: Who in the Bible, more than anyone else, would know who Jesus Christ is? Jesus Christ, right?

THEM: Yes.

YOU: So, if Jesus claims to be God, that settles the issue on who He is. Go to Revelation 22.

Have them read out loud verses 7, 12, 13, 20. Sometimes, before the cultist gets to verse 20, they will admit that the person in verse 13, who is claiming to be Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, is Jesus Christ. (Go to Isaiah 44:6 if they don’t see this.)

YOU: So Jesus Christ is claiming to be God . (To the Mormon say: He’s not the brother of the devil. To the JW say: He’s not Michael the Arch Angel.)

The cultist will immediately start searching thru their Bible to find Scriptures to prove that Jesus is not God.

YOU: Wait a second. Do you realize what you’re doing? Jesus Christ is claiming to be God, and you don’t believe Him! You’re calling Him a liar! That’s blasphemy! You need to repent of that sin and place your trust in the real Jesus Christ! If you want to know what the Bible teaches about Jesus, I’ll be more than glad to share that with you, but I will not allow you to blaspheme my Savior nor pervert my Father’s Word!

THEM: (sometimes) Why are you doing this to us? Why are you attacking us?

YOU: Go to Galatians 1:8, 9. (Have them read out loud.) God says that if an angel or man preach any other Gospel, let them be accursed. The Bible says you’re accursed and on your way to hell. I don’t want you to go there, and if I don’t warn you, I’m not loving you!

Sometimes the cultist will leave. But you’ve done your part. You’ve taken them thru the Law and given them the Gospel. God’s Word will not return void. Pray the Lord would open their spiritual eyes that they may see the true Jesus, repent and put their trust in the Savior! Stay humble and be compassionate. Remember, we were once enemies of the Cross!

If the cultists haven’t left by now, lead them to Ephesians 2:8, 9. Have them read it out loud.

YOU: So the Bible says that Salvation is a gift. Can you work for a gift? (Sometimes they will actually say “Yes”. If so, simply say: It’s your birthday and I give you a gift, but you owe me 5 bucks for it. Is it still a gift? Then say: If someone tells you that you have to be baptized to receive the gift, is it still a gift? If you have to do anything to receive the gift, is it still a gift?)

They may take you to James 2:26 which states that faith without works is dead.

YOU: Your works don’t save you. James is simply saying your works only give evidence that your faith is alive. Without works your faith is dead. And if you’re trying to get into heaven by your good works, Isaiah 64:6 says your good works are filthy rags!

Cultists have a perverted definition of the Trinity.

YOU: This is the definition of the Trinity: The Bible says there’s only one God, Isaiah 43:10. That one God eternally exists in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I don’t know how God can be what He is, but it’s what the Bible teaches. God is perfect -- I’m imperfect. God’s mind is infinite -- my mind is finite. If I could understand everything about God, I’d be God.

TO THE JEW: The Jews are God’s chosen people! Have you kept the Law of Moses -- the 10 Commandments? Take him thru the Law and give him the Gospel. Show him Zechariah 12:10. If he’s stubborn, leave him with this warning: Jesus said if you believe not that He is God, you will die in your sins, John 8:24. You better hope you’re right!

TO THE MUSLIM: Have you kept the Law of Moses -- the 10 Commandments? Take him thru the Law and give him the Gospel. He will deny that Jesus is God.

YOU: Who do you say that Jesus Christ is?

MUSLIM: He is a prophet of God.

YOU: And a prophet of God always tells the truth, right?

MUSLIM: Right.

YOU: Well, according to the Bible, Jesus claimed to be God.

MUSLIM: Well, we don’t believe the Bible is God’s word.

YOU: Jesus said the Bible is God’s truth, John 17:17. If He’s lying, then He’s not a prophet of God. (Additional info: The Koran affirms the truth of Scripture, Sura 5:48. And it says that, if Muhammad had any questions regarding the Scriptures, he’s to ask those who were reading the Book before him (Christians), Sura 10:94.) (Additional info if people say that Islam is a peaceful religion: The Koran says to fight those who don’t believe in Allah, Sura 9:29 -- Jesus said to love your enemies, Matthew 5:44.)

MUSLIM: Have you ever read the Koran?

YOU: I don’t need to. Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies, John 8:44. If any religion denies that Jesus Christ is God, it’s Satanically inspired. And if anyone teaches that Jesus is not God, he is an agent of Satan.

The Muslim may now want to rearrange your face, but kindly remind him: You believe that Christ is a prophet, right? A prophet always tells the truth. If I were to get you a Bible, would you read it? If he says yes, get him one and tell him to start with the Book of John. If he is hostile, leave him with the same warning as you would a Jew: Jesus said if you believe not that He is God, you will die in your sins, John 8:24. You better hope you’re right.

TO A ROMAN CATHOLIC: Have you kept the 10 Commandments? Take him thru the Law and give him the Gospel. Show them that salvation is a gift, Ephesians 2:8,9 and Titus 3:5.

TO A PRIEST: (after you take him thru the Law and the Gospel, if he lets you): Are we saved by grace alone thru faith in Christ alone? If he says yes, then ask him what’s the purpose of purgatory? Do your works play a part in salvation? Show him Ephesians 2: 8, 9. He may come back with Philippians 2:12. Tell him Paul is simply saying in that verse it is the believer’s responsibility to actively pursue obedience in the process of sanctification. Look at the context -- it has nothing to do with justification, Titus 3:5.

Ask: Are you saved by what you can do? Or are you saved by what Christ did? It can’t be a combination, Romans 11:6. What about the thief on the cross? He placed his trust in Christ and he was saved! He never got baptized, took Communion, did the rosary, recited “Hail Marys” or went to a confessional!

YOU: Can you lose your salvation?

PRIEST: Yes.

YOU: If you can lose your salvation, then you have to work to keep it. It is no longer a gift. Have you been born again? (the last priest I asked said no.) Jesus said that, unless you’re born again, you will not see the Kingdom of God, John 3:3. (The priest got a little miffed after this, then scrammed.)

TO A BUDDHIST OR ATHEIST: Do you think you’re a good person?

THEM: Yes.

YOU: Do you think you’ve kept the 10 Commandments?

THEM: I don’t believe in them.

YOU: (kindly) I didn’t ask if you believed in them. I asked if you’ve kept them. (Hopefully, you can now proceed with the Law and the Gospel. You can also leave out the question about the Commandments and just start with: Have you ever told a lie? Take them thru the Law initially without mentioning they are the 10 Commandments.)

YOU: Do you think you’re a good person?

BUDDHIST OR ATHEIST: Yes.

YOU: Have you ever told a lie?…

ATHEIST: I believe in science.

YOU: So what you’re saying is, you tend to be more rational and logical?

ATHEIST: Yes.

YOU: When you see a painting, it’s only logical to conclude there was a painter, right? And when you see a building, it’s only logical to conclude there was a builder, right? And when you see a red rose, isn’t it only logical to conclude there was a designer? Your cell phone… did someone make it?

ATHEIST: Yes.

YOU: How do you know? You can see it, right? Well, can’t you see flowers, animals and humans? They’re much more intricate and complex than your cell phone. Would you consider yourself to be a good person?…

TO AN EVOLUTIONIST: Who evolved first? A man or a woman? (If they think this thru, they’ll be stumped.) Isn’t it incredibly amazing that a man and a woman, each with different parts, each with different functions, both evolved at the same rate so they could procreate and perpetuate the species?! That’s just incredibly amazing! Would you consider yourself to be a good person?…

IF SOMEONE SAYS THERE’S EVIDENCE FOR EVOLUTION: If there were scientific evidence for evolution, it wouldn’t be called a theory. Would you consider yourself to be a good person?…


ANSWERS TO COMMON OBJECTIONS

1. “Religion is the cause of most wars.” Answer: Jesus said to love your enemies. If anyone goes around killing in the name of Christ, that’s hypocrisy, and Jesus said hypocrites will not enter the Kingdom of God. What about you? Have you ever killed anyone? The Bible says that hatred is the same as murder. (The Roman Catholics were responsible for the crusades and inquisitions -- not Christians!)

2. “How do we know the Bible hasn’t been mistranslated ?” Answer: If God couldn’t preserve His Word, He wouldn’t be God. Besides, Jesus said the Bible is God’s truth and He never lied, John 17:17 What about you? Have you ever lied?

3. “If God is so loving, why do babies die? Why is there so much suffering in the world?” Answer: The reason why there’s so much suffering in the world is because of sin. The reason why there’s so much pain in the world is because of evil. If God were to wipe out all the evil on this planet, you and I and the rest of humanity would instantly go up in a puff of smoke! What about you? Do you think you’re a good person?

4. “What about those who’ve never heard the Gospel?” Answer: Those who’ve never heard the Gospel will get justice. If they’ve ever lied, stolen, lusted or broken any of the other Commandments, they will be punished, not because of their ignorance, but because they’ve broken God’s laws and violated their conscience which God gave them.

The question you should be asking is: How can such a holy, righteous, perfect God let any of us live when we offend Him everyday by what we say, do and think! What about you? Do you think you’ve kept the 10 Commandments?

5. “How do I know I can trust you or your interpretation of Scripture?” Answer: You shouldn’t. In fact, I encourage you not to. Instead, go read it in the Bible and see for yourself. (It’s not your job to convince someone of the truth -- that’s the Holy Spirit’s job.)

PHRASES NOT TO USE WHEN WITNESSING! (using these phrases will create false converts)

"You need to make a decision to be a Christian." You cannot make a decision to become a Christian. You can decide the Bible is right! You can decide that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. You can decide it's true that He rose from the grave and He's going to come again to judge the world in righteousness and that He offers you salvation if you repent and trust! You can decide that's right! But that's as far as your decision can go. Then, when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, He will decide to save you!

"You need to accept Jesus." Jesus doesn’t need our acceptance. We need His!

"You need to make Jesus your Lord and Savior." You can’t -- He is! You’re just living in rebellion to Him. You must surrender to Him -- repent and put your trust in Him!

"Invite Christ into your life." Repent and place your faith in Christ -- He will invite you into His Kingdom!

"Ask Jesus into your heart." You need to repent and trust Jesus with all your heart!

Recommended Resources for Further Study (Books, DVDS, Web Sites):

General

Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin

Marks of a Cult: A Biblical Analysis produced by Nicene Council (DVD)

Atheists

Always Ready: Directions for Defending the Faith by Greg Bahnsen

The Case for Atheism, There Isn't One by Todd Friel (DVD)

The Great Debate: Does God Exist? (Video debate between Greg Bahnsen & Gordon Stein)

Jehovah's Witnesses

How to Answer a Jehovah's Witness, Robert Morey

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah's Witness by Ron Rhodes

Questions for Jehovah's Witnesses by William & Joan Cetnar

Witnesses to Jehovah (DVD)

Mormons

God Makers I & II (DVD)

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Mormons by Ron Rhodes

Letters to a Mormon Elder by James White

Muslims

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims by Ron Rhodes

Roman Catholicism

Reasoning from the Scriptures with Roman Catholics by Ron Rhodes

Catholicism: Crisis of Faith (DVD)

Seventh Day Adventism

Seventh Day Adventism: The Spirit Behind the Church (DVD)

Apologetic Web Sites:

Alpha and Omega Ministries (James White)

Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (John Ankerberg)

Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) (Still recommending, but watch out for Matt Slick's view on universalism)

Walter Martin's Religious InfoNet (Walter Martin the original "Bible Answer Man")