The following September Newsletter from Mike Gendron’s ministry was copied and pasted from my email box.
He was a practicing Roman Catholic for 37 years; he left that faith after having been born again. His testimony is in this blog, under the category of Conversion Testimonies.
Mike is a student of the Bible and helps to free Catholics from that system by proclaiming the true biblical gospel message to them.
If you doubt what he says is true, then you should read the Bible for yourself. My own first time through the Bible was the greatest thing I have ever done; I was born again during that read. You may also experience that, God saves sinners in that arena.
[I emboldened a few sentences of his newsletter to emphasize them.]
| Religion’s Distortion of Divine Forgiveness |
There is a day of judgment coming when God’s holy anger will be poured out on unforgiven sinners. Since no one can escape God’s justice, man’s greatest need is divine forgiveness. Every other human need in this life pales in comparison with our need to be forgiven of the eternal debt for our sins. Without God’s forgiveness, we would all be destined for a fiery furnace with absolutely no hope of escape. God created man to exist forever, either eternally reconciled to Him in heaven because of His forgiveness or eternally separated from Him in hell because of sin. Those who have experienced God’s forgiveness are blessed with an everlasting joy and a peace that surpasses all understanding. However there are many who have never been forgiven because they have been woefully deceived. Catholicism’s Distortion of Divine Forgiveness As with so many other Catholic doctrines, Rome’s teachings on confession, penance and forgiveness stand in direct opposition to the Word of God. The following fallacious, deceptive and distorted teachings are found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1423 to 1498. Only priests can forgive sins in the name of Christ. Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church. Penance recovers the grace of justification and is the only means of reconciliation with God. The sinner must recover his spiritual health by doing something to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is called penance. Sinners Can Never Make Satisfaction for Sins Rome’s proclamation that sinners can make satisfaction for their sins is both fallacious and foolish. The sin debt is eternal; no finite man could ever cancel the infinite sin debt. “No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever” (Psalm 49:7-8). Nowhere does the Bible say penance is the means of reconciliation with God. Instead, God’s Word declares the only grounds for forgiveness and reconciliation is the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:20; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:19). At Calvary, the very thorns God used to curse the earth were worn by the one who became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13). God’s righteous wrath against sin, which had been stored up for over 4000 years, exploded upon the sinless Lamb of God who became sin for His people. The all-sufficient Savior satisfied divine justice by His one sacrifice for all sin, for all time. To teach otherwise is to blaspheme God and rob Christ of His glory, honor and praise. Divine Forgiveness Through One Mediator It is outrageous for Catholic priests to think they can act as a mediator to forgive sins because there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). He is the only one qualified because He is God’s perfect man and man’s perfect God. By His perfect sacrifice, God forgives all the sins of all born-again believers: the sins against God, against man, against the law, all the sins of commission and all the sins of omission, the sins in the past and the sins in the future (Col. 2:13-14). They are forever forgotten and removed as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Once sinners have been reconciled to God, future sins can never cause death or separation because God no longer counts sins against them (2 Cor. 5:19). The Bible never speaks of falling in and out of a right relationship with God or the need to “recover the grace of justification.” Justification is eternal and the Holy Spirit guarantees the relationship can never be broken (Heb. 10:14,13:5; Eph. 1:13-14). Those forgiven by the grace of God, by the Son of God, will never be separated from the love of God (Rom. 8:33-39). Divine Forgiveness by Believing the Gospel The keys, which were given to Peter to open and shut the gates of heaven, were also given to His disciples (Mat. 16:19). Jesus said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained” (John 20:22-23). As the disciples preached the Gospel, those who responded in faith and repentance were granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven; yet those who rejected the Gospel of God’s saving grace were shut out of the Kingdom (John 3:18). Every believer can use the same authority of God’s Word to say to those who believe the Gospel: “Your sins are forgiven,” and to those who reject the Gospel: “Your sins are retained.” During my 35 years in the Roman Catholic religion, no priest ever asked me if I believed the Gospel for forgiveness. As a result, I left the confessional box hundreds of times with a false hope, believing I was forgiven, but still carrying my eternal sin debt. How Shall We Respond? At the last supper The Lord Jesus said: “this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Mat. 26:28). After His crucifixion, the resurrected Christ said, “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations” (Luke 24:47). Let us be faithful to His Great Commission and call everyone to repent and trust Jesus Christ alone. When they do they will be forgiven forever, because His sacrifice was perfect, His Father was satisfied, His resurrection was proof, justice was served, death was defeated and the Spirit was sent to guarantee an eternal inheritance! |
|
| Conflict and Controversy with Catholics |
Allie Beth Stuckey, host and commentator of the Blaze TV Show Relatable, interviewed Mike on some vitally important topics on Catholicism that has produced over 6,000 responses to the broadcast. This has given us a wonderful opportunity to answer many responses from proud Catholics with the true Gospel. The interview contrasted the contrived traditions of Roman Catholicism with the supreme authority of God’s Word. As you watch this episode, you will glean insightful perspectives on faith, tradition, authority, and the pursuit of truth. You may also want to share it with your Catholic friends and loved ones. Watch the broadcast here. |
|
| Peculiar People Are Passing into Paradise |
A born again Christian is peculiar because his citizenship is in heaven, a place he has never been. He talks daily to someone he has never seen and believes he is going to heaven on someone else’s righteousness. He is strongest when he is weak, richest when he is poor, exalted when he humbles himself and is loved when he is unlovable. He empties himself so that he can be filled, confesses he is wrong so that he can be declared right and dies so he can live. He is joyful when he is persecuted and set free when he becomes a slave to the King. His victory has been secured but he must still fight the good fight of faith. He was born twice but will only die once. |
|
| Letters to Equip and Encourage the Saints |
Hello everyone, I am a Swiss woman and an evangelically educated “born-again” Christian. After searching for the possibility of singing to the Lord, I only found a choir in the Catholic Church. Now, after carefully listening to the words of Mike Gendron, I finally know why I never felt His presence as I did in an evangelical church. I am so endlessly thankful for you for all this precious information, and I’d love to pass it on to the priest in that church. B.S., Switzerland The Brown Scapular in your last newsletter was very enlightening and ridiculous! As a former Catholic I never knew what it stood for until today. What an imagination to come up with these rules and regulations to get “The Promise”, which is nothing but a lie straight from hell. It’s all about Mary who goes down to Purgatory the Saturday after a scapular wearer dies to release them from Purgatory! My husband and I laughed but it really isn’t funny because millions of sincere Catholics believe this stuff. I am thankful that Jesus saved me and I don’t have to worry that I may miss out on heaven for not wearing a cloth correctly. Keep teaching the truth, Mike! Only the Lord knows how many lost souls are being released from the bondage of the Catholic Church due to your warning. In Christ, V.K., Internet Brothers, I just watched Justin Peters interview Mike Gendron. They discussed the situation where people say, my parents are Catholic but I know they love Jesus. Do you think it is possible for someone to be saved and stay in the Catholic Church? Is it possible that a true believer could continue to be loyal to a false religion such that they never want to leave? T.P., AZ T.P., If a Catholic has truly repented from the false gospel of Catholicism and believed the true Gospel of grace, the Spirit of Truth will move them out of their apostate religion to worship God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24). As you may know, the great commission is to make “disciples”, not “decisions.” As we disciple Catholics with the truth of God’s Word, they will want to come out of a system that deceives people about life’s most important issue. A true convert will not stay and dishonor the Lord by worshipping the false Christ of the Eucharist. It is impossible to believe two antithetical teachings. Either Jesus finished the work of redemption on the cross or he continues the work on Catholic altars during the Mass. I am including a video message that I taught showing the 7 major differences between Catholicism and the Bible. It is tragic to see how much Scripture is nullified, ignored, and twisted in Catholicism. Hello Mike, I just got your book, Preparing For Eternity. I have only finished Chapter 2, and could cry at all the Scripture that you included in answering each question and statement. So excited to continue, and what a challenge. Your gracious words to Catholics, to believers, and to non-believers alike is wonderful. It truly shows the heart of God. D.R., TX Mike, Should evangelicals pray with Catholics in public forums, for example during the week of ecumenical prayer or inter-religious worship services like Thanksgiving? Rev. R.S., Surprise, AZ R.S., Unbelievers are children of the devil. If we pray with Catholics we would be praying to a different spiritual Father. Therefore, we should not pray with Catholics unless we address God as sovereign Lord, not as Father. |
|
| The Prophetic Global Religion |
Will the Roman Catholic Church be a catalyst for the coming global religion? Mike Gendron shares his perspectives on the Prophecy Today program. He shares how evangelicals are allowing the ecumenical unity movement to mislead people by not contending for the exclusivity of the Gospel. Mike’s interview starts at the 41:10 minute mark. Listen here. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
