"Whenever Christ Called People, He Called Them Publicly"
V. "WHENEVER CHRIST CALLED PEOPLE, HE CALLED THEM PUBLICLY"
I have heard one former evangelist say repeatedly, "Whenever Christ called people, He called them publicly." Then the audience was invited to come forward, publicly, to the platform to receive Christ. Is this statement true? No! It is not true; and further-more, it is very misleading.
Nicodemus.
In John 3:1-36, we have the record of Nicodemus coming to Christ. In John 3:1-18, I do not find anything about "confession;" but, only "believing" to obtain salvation.
Notice in John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."
John 3:16 says the same, "...Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:18 states the same "He that believeth in him is not condemned..." Not once did Christ mention confession to Nicodemus for Salvation; but, only belief. The Samaritan Woman.
In John 4:1-54, we have Christ meeting the Samar-itan woman by herself, after the disciples had left Him and gone to town to buy some groceries (John 4:8). In John 4:14, Christ used the literal water to illustrate a spiritual truth.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
Christ then tells her about her five past husbands and the one she is now living with, unmarried. (John 4:17-19). She then recognizes He is the Messiah (John 4:25-26). The disciples come back from town and the woman leaves to go to town. When she arrives, her voice echoes through the town,
"Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29).
Notice that Christ did not tell her to go to the city and confess Him as the Messiah. She did it on her own, going to the lost, not the saved. Several things happened:
Many of the Samaritans believed because of her testimony. (John 4:39).
Many came out to talk with Christ, Himself, before they would believe. Notice in John 4:41-42,
"And many more believed because of his (Christ's) own word. (41) And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." (42) Christ did not call her publicly to do anything. He was talking to her privately.
She didn't go to a church full of saved people; but, to the lost people in the town and witnessed to them.
Witnessing was the result of salvation not, a condition to receive it.
Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael.
We find another example in John 2:37-51. Andrew went to his brother, Peter, and told him they had found the Messiah, and brought Peter to Christ. Christ encountered Philip and said, "Follow me." Philip then located Nathanael and wit-nessed to him and brought him to Christ.
I don't see anything in this passage to qualify the false statement made by the noted evangelist, "Whenever Christ called people, He called them publicly." This is a deliberate deception. Why is this done? This is done to foster a TRADITION adopted in many churches to get people to the front for the public invitation.
I have only given three of many examples that I could use to illustrate how misleading the false statement made by the former evangelist is. This false statement is built upon the sinking sand of TRADITION!
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudi-ments of the world, and not after Christ." - Colossians 2:8
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 God's Work Done God's Way Yields A Bountiful Harvest.
A Clear Gospel Produces Believers; Not Counterfeit Christians.