No Crisis Experience Commanded #1

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin opens the adult Sunday school class, reviewing the three previously covered major principles of Christian living: no one master key, no release from tension and…

The phrase 'no one master key to living the Christian life' is used as a cryptic summary of the first principle, illustrating that spiritual vigor doesn't come from a single, simple solution.

number one, in order, please, Mr. Van Dalen. All right. There is no one master key, no one master key to living the Christian life. Now, that's Martinese cryptic language. All

1:54 - 2:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins to identify and describe major forms of crisis teaching, starting with classic Pentecostalism. He explains its core belief in a post-conversion baptism of the Holy…

Martin recounts a debate in Pentecostal circles about whether 'gales of holy laughter' could substitute for speaking in tongues as evidence of the Spirit's baptism, highlighting the desperate search for objective criteria in these experiences.

is always speaking in tongues now there may be no subsequent speaking in tongues the person who speaks in tongues when he gets his initial baptism in the Holy Spirit may never speak in tongues again but if he did not speak in tongues on one occasion of his life he had no real certain grounds to believe that he had the baptism of the Spirit now would you say that's a Mr. Clark was in that for a number of years I was in circles that represented this teaching as a young Christian and I can remember a debate going on because someone had this crisis experience in which they just doubled over with g...

20:38 - 21:23 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin begins to identify and describe major forms of crisis teaching, starting with classic Pentecostalism. He explains its core belief in a post-conversion baptism of the Holy…

He describes meeting people who had been 'tarrying' for the baptism of the Spirit for 20 years, illustrating the frustration and subjective nature of seeking such an experience without clear biblical guidance.

to decide whether or not that holy laughter would do for the tongues they weren't quite sure did he get it or didn't he well he didn't speak in tongues but he laughed in a way that was completely contrary to his ordinary personality so if the gibberish will do why not gales of holy laughter now we sit here and laugh but this was they were dead in earnest because how are you going to know when you've had it and at least I say this in fairness to old classic Pentecostalism they had a good objective criteria either you did or you didn't either you spoke in tongues or you didn't and no matter how ...

21:23 - 22:07 Read in full sermon

Driving home: he's just leaped right over the wall and brought Roman Catholics and Protestants into oneness in this experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit isn't that marvelous isn't that a wonderful thing that God has done

Martin recounts hearing a charismatic leader claim that God, in these last days, has 'leaped right over the wall' of doctrinal differences established by the Reformation, bringing Roman Catholics and Protestants into unity through the baptism of the Holy Spirit experience, illustrating the movement's disregard for doctrinal purity.

overtones and fruits with very little concern for ethical matters and for purity of doctrine I get blurbs all the time advertising some big charismatic movement and the speakers will be the Reverend so-and-so pastor of such and such a large Southern Baptist Church the Reverend so-and-so of the Presbyterian Church and Monsignor so-and-so of such and such a diocese and the Reverend and the basic theology is that because doctrine and I heard this articulated by the great champion of this his roots are here but he's the great champion of this and I heard him on a tape I couldn't believe my ears he...

27:15 - 28:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: he's just leaped right over the wall and brought Roman Catholics and Protestants into oneness in this experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit isn't that marvelous isn't that a wonderful thing that God has done

He describes attending a Catholic charismatic evangelistic series where nuns and priests led worship and teaching, culminating in the Mass, illustrating how the charismatic movement can blend Protestant-style worship with Roman Catholic theology, focusing on experience over doctrine.

and you've got to be aware of that because the religious climate is not as filled with that mentality whereas the liberals the National Council of Churches crowd and the rest are saying that through organization we can pummel that wall down and force a unity these people are saying no it's a unity established entirely of God a unity in experience that need not be concerned with doctrinal differences for instance several years ago when Pastor Blaze was still with us we attended a Catholic charismatic sponsor evangelistic series or teaching series right at the Caldwell College right off Bloomfie...

28:45 - 29:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if sin is any lack of conformity unto a transgression of the law of God are you loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength right now in this very instant as long as remaining sin attaches to every pulse of y…

Martin presents a common higher life teaching argument: if you can trust Christ not to sin for 30 seconds, why not a minute, an hour, a day, or longer? He then exposes the fatal flaw in this reasoning by broadening the definition of sin beyond conscious acts.

yes a life of constant victory and often their teachers will open it up this way sitting here right now do you believe Jesus Christ can give you strength not to sin in the next 30 seconds yes or no well if 30 seconds can't you trust him for a minute and if for a minute can you not trust him for two and if for two why not for an hour and if for an hour why not for a day and if for a day why not you see how the reasoning is now what's the fatal flaw of that right at the outset that we're not examining it for now I want you to see it this is too dangerous to even let that go out without some expo...

36:27 - 37:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you get this sealing of the spirit you don't need the evidences to enter into the question of your salvation when you see that opens up the door to rank deception and antinomianism and a host of other things

He recounts a proponent of the 'sealing of the Spirit' teaching using the analogy of a man needing a picture of his wife when away, but not when she is in his arms, to argue that the sealing experience negates the need for 'evidences of grace' for assurance.

mediately through the word or through the seeing in my life of those things which God says are the fruit of God's work but it is a direct testimony of the Holy Spirit to my spirit that I am a child of God and as one current proponent of this said and I could not believe my ears so I turned the tape back three times and I said to my wife I said honey am I hearing what I am hearing rightly I want to make sure she was in the car with me in Florida and we were traveling somewhere a couple of years ago and was listening to this tape this was basically the gist of what he said when you have this sea...

40:11 - 40:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: if you get this sealing of the spirit you don't need the evidences to enter into the question of your salvation when you see that opens up the door to rank deception and antinomianism and a host of other things

Martin references the Campbellites (Church of Christ) who teach that grace meets you 'under the water' at baptism, illustrating a different form of teaching that ties grace to the act of baptism, though distinct from the 'water baptism crisis of sanctification' being discussed.

moving into a coalition with the Roman church and so we see what happens with this kind of teaching it's amazing how people will take an element of truth you see and blow it all out of proportion now I have heard the teaching that one cannot really say that he is converted until he's baptized some have dubbed it the realistic teaching of baptism that grace is actually imparted to us and of course you have the Campbellites the church of Christ which actually teaches that and they say we teach salvation by grace we don't teach salvation by water but the grace meets you under the water and if you...

43:55 - 44:39 Read in full sermon