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Promise Keepers

Are On The Broad Way

Jesus said,

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Contrary to this warning, Promise Keepers teaches the gate is wide and the way is broad. Bill McCartney's statement in Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper (copyright 1994, original hard cover edition) exemplifies this.

Can we look one another in the eye - black, white, red brown, yellow, Baptist, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Catholic, and so on - and get together on this common ground: "We believe in salvation through Christ alone, and we have made Him Lord of our lives"? Is that not the central, unifying reality of our existence? And if it is, can we not focus on that and call each other brother instead of always emphasizing our differences? Men, we have to get together on this! (p.161-162)

Besides the fact that no one has ever "made Him Lord" (Christ IS Lord), McCartney's statement is radically ecumenical. He even calls Catholics brothers! Catholics are NOT brothers in the Lord, they are idolaters who worship a false Christ and follow after doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

Moreover, by their espousal of Promise #6 they promote the broad way. Promise #6 reads, "A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any . . . denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity." (Ibid., p. 8). This promise is actually antithetical to biblical unity. Jack Hayford's statement in Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper on page 19 illustrates this fact.

Redeeming worship centers on the Lord's Table. Whether your tradition celebrates it as Communion, Eucharist, the Mass, or the Lord's Supper, we are all called to this centerpiece of Christian worship.

Hayford's statement above gives credence to Catholic worship ("Eucharist, the Mass") and calls it "Christian worship". Catholic worship is false Christian worship and leads to hell. The Christ of Catholicism is a false Christ (i.e. "Transubstantiation" which teaches the wafer of the Mass literally becomes the literal body of "Christ", and Catholics literally worship this wafer). Catholicism is filled with idolatry (praying to Mary and the saints) and false doctrine (Matthew 23:9; 1 Timothy 4:1f). To embrace Catholics (and therefore Catholicism) as brothers in Christ is to embrace a religion that is demonic and leading millions to eternal torment (Revelation 21:8; 22:15). This is no small matter, and this is not biblical unity. It is promotion of the very issue Jesus warned about - - the broad way (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus' warning in both Matthew 7:13-14 and Luke 13:24 (in context) was to the Jews (the people of God). The warning of the wide gate and broad way is in the context of those who are among the "people of God". It is not a warning in the context of the myriad of religions in the world. It is in the context of within the correct religion (which at the time was Judaism). Jesus' warning was (and is) this: Within or among the "people of God" there is a wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction (i.e. to hell). Be warned! Few are not deceived. Most are. Few end up finding (and following) the way to life (i.e. eternal life, heaven, Matthew 7:14). This same warning is reiterated in 2 Peter 2:1-2 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, . . . And many will follow their destructive ways, . . . (2 Peter 2:1-2).

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, . . . (2 Timothy 4:3-4

Besides Catholicism, as a few examples of the above, note the following damning doctrine of a few well-loved (Luke 6:26) teachers of today.

Tony Campolo - On the Charlie Rose show on January 24, 1997, speaking in the context of a Buddhist monk's claim to know Jesus Christ, Campolo says, "I'm not convinced that Jesus only lives in Christians." (HyperScribe LLC, 1535 Grant St., Denver, CO 80203, transcript #1821, hardcopy on file).

Greg Laurie - In his book Discipleship, Giving God Your Best, Laurie writes,

It is my conviction that every disciple is a believer but not every believer is a disciple! (Introduction, and on page 9).

How does he explain this?

The requirements of discipleship are different than the requirements of salvation. To be a Christian, you need to believe in Him whom God has sent, and then you will receive eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is a gift. To be a disciple is to take up the cross daily and follow Him, making His will your will. It is a commitment. As you are learning, every disciple is a Christian but not every Christian is a disciple. (ibid, p. 30-31).

THAT IS A LIE! It is a slap in the face of the warning from Christ in Mark 8:34-36.

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

If you are not a disciple of Christ, you are not a Christian. If you are not a disciple of Christ, you are not a believer. If you are not a disciple of Christ, you are on your way to hell!

Chuck Smith - In his book, Answers For Today, Smith states,

Q: Is a person who commits suicide totally lost for eternity?

Smith's Answer?

A: Definitely not! I believe that a person who is driven to the point of committing suicide no longer has full responsibility for the things he's doing. Driven to a point of such mental extremes, he isn't necessarily responsible for the action of taking his own life. (p.88-89).

THAT IS A DAMNING LIE! In Colossians Paul wrote that you are saved,

if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel . . . (Colossians 1:21-23).

Committing suicide IS being "moved away from the hope of the Gospel". It is wicked, and a complete breach of any faith (trust) in God. It is a satanic lie and a dreadful door to hell! [For more on suicide, see our report, MacArthur On Suicide]

James Dobson teaches the false gospel (Galatians 1:8-9) of self-esteem (to esteem one's self).

If I could write a prescription for the women of the world, I would provide each one of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth (taken three times a day until the symptoms disappear). I have no doubt that this is their greatest need. (What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, p. 35)

It is obvious from this statement that Dobson's savior is not Jesus Christ, but rather self-esteem. The greatest need for any woman in the world is the Savior, not a soul-destroying dose of self.

God says, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 26:12). And, "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, . . ." (Proverbs 28:26).

To esteem yourself (self-confidence, etc.) is to trust in yourself. God says,

Cursed is the man who trusts in man.

Billy Graham - Contrary to much of the Word of God (e.g. Proverbs 17:11; Romans 8:5-7; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5-6; Revelation 21:8; 1 John 2:3-5; etc.), Graham writes,

The previous day, President Clinton called and asked me to stop by the White House. . .It was a warm fellowship with a man who has not always won the approval of his fellow Christians but who has in his heart a desire to serve God and do His will. (Just As I Am, copyright 1997, p.656)

As the above illustrates, there is SERIOUS ERROR within Christendom today. Yet Promise Keepers wants you to be committed to "reaching beyond any . . . denominational barriers". In other words, don't "contend for the faith" (Jude 3), even in the context of the error of Catholicism!

PK masks its evil (as the Pharisees of old, Matthew 23:27-28) by promoting good concepts (e.g. sexual purity, personal integrity, etc.), but it's all worthless if you end up in hell!

PK's first promise states,

A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God's Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper, p. 8).

PK does not fulfill its very first promise by not loving Jesus Christ, the Truth (John 14:6). If you love the truth, you will contend (fight, 2 Timothy 4:7; Jude 3) for it. And, if you do not love the truth, you will be damned, as 2 Thessalonians 2:10 illustrates:

and with unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.