The following monthly newsletter from the Gendron’s ministry, Proclaiming The Gospel, was copied and pasted from my email inbox. It includes links to ministry resources.
The focus this month is on bondage of deception, and its various aspects.
Anyone who has studied the Bible, especially the New Testament epistles of Romans and Galatians, knows that the Roman Catholic gospel is NOT biblical. It therefore does not save. Those who believe that it does, or follow the RCC blindly, are in the bondage of deception.
All words in orange font in Mike’s Newsletter are live links to those resources mentioned in the sentence.
To hear what another former Roman Catholic has to say about the RCC, see links at the end of this post:
Dr. Fred Tarsitano was born again over 40 years ago. In the first video below, he shares his conversion experience which includes beginning to read scripture and seeking answers from priests and a bishop about the Bible. He made some very important discoveries that may interest you very much if you are a Roman Catholic or if you have family or friends who belong to the Catholic Church.
In the second video, Dr. Tarsitano focuses on some common errors that all false religions share, regarding the biblical doctrine of salvation. In the process he talks about 4 false religions and points they share with the Catholic church. You will be surprised and schooled at the same time.
Each video is about 15 minutes in length.
Begin Mike Gendron’s Newsletter:
| The Bondage of Religious Deception |
Since the earliest times, religious people have displayed a dreadful inability to distinguish between true prophets of God and false prophets of Satan. The devil’s strategy to attack, misrepresent and pervert God’s Word has met very little resistance throughout the last 6000 years. Yet, there is a duty of everyone who has been sanctified by the truth of God’s Word. We must expose all forms of deception and warn those who are held captive by the lies of Satan. The Nature of Deception Deception is an act or statement that twists, distorts or conceals the truth for the purpose of misleading people. The person or organization creating the deception usually knows it to be false but uses it for personal gain or a competitive advantage. Deception can involve dishonesty, hypocrisy, lying, doctrines of demons, propaganda or falsification. It often leads to feelings of betrayal and distrust when it is exposed by the truth. The nature of deception is that people will never know they are deceived unless they are confronted with the truth. While many deceptive schemes can cost people financially, spiritual deception can result in a person’s eternal ruin. The Bondage of Religion The word religion comes from a Latin word meaning “to bind fast.” That is the goal of every world religion – to bind or control people with religious works, laws, rituals, and obligations. Some use the threat of hell for compliance. The Catholic Church is a prime example with this sober warning. It pompously declares that no one can “be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.” People who are paralyzed by the fear of hell need to know that no religion or church can save anyone or send anyone to hell. They need to exchange their oppressive and controlling religion for complete freedom through an eternal relationship with the Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus declared, “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Compassion for Those in Bondage I have compassion for those who are committed or devoted to a religion without any real understanding or comprehension of what the religion is about. For example, to be “committed to Roman Catholicism” simply because a person was born into a Catholic family is foolish and unreasonable. To be loyal to a religion without investigating its core doctrines and substance is ignorance masquerading as faithfulness and devotion. There are many “religious” people who mechanically live out their “faith” because they’ve been told it’s the thing to do. People who follow religious leaders and rituals blindly are too proud to admit their lives are empty. They are too paralyzed by deceit to investigate the truth. They do not know why they believe what they do. They have blindly inherited someone else’s religious tradition. In many cases, their religion determines their identity and they will defend it even if they are not actively involved in it. Their faith is so “personal” that they dare not share it with others. They consume a steady diet of false teaching without question or discernment. Freedom for Those in Bondage Every born-again Christian can use the living Word of God as a two-edged sword to slay every lie of the devil (Heb. 4:12). In the intense spiritual warfare for the souls of men, we must use the truth of God’s Word as the only weapon that will set captives free from religious bondage. “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Only God’s truth can set people free from religious bondage and Satan (John 8:31-32). The Battle for the Souls of Men Each individual has a right to embrace God’s truth or reject it. But don’t expect me or others like me to cheer you on as you march proudly toward hell’s gates. Expect us to be bitterly angry and savagely grieved at the source of your deception. We are angry at a very real enemy (the master deceiver) for being such a devious and convincing liar. We are grieved at the destiny you have chosen by your unwillingness to consider God’s only way to paradise. We are desperately fighting and praying for your very souls. And this is a battle we are determined to fight — not for ourselves, but for you and the glory of God. If we step on your toes in the process, please forgive us. But don’t expect us to give up the fight simply because it becomes uncomfortable for you. If our roles were reversed, we would hope you would do the same for us. |
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| Satan’s First Lie Perpetuated with Venial Sins |
God told Eve, “You will die” if you disobey Me and eat the forbidden fruit. Satan deceived Eve and told her not to believe God’s Word. He said, “You surely will not die” (Gen. 3:3-4). The Catholic Church has perpetuated that cunning lie of the devil with its doctrine of venial sins, which supposedly, do not cause death to the soul. Catholics are being deceived the same way as Eve because they also believe Satan’s lie rather than God’s Word. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Venial sin merits temporal punishment and does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace or friendship with God.” Those who promote Satan’s lies as if they were God’s truth are the worst kind of deceivers. God’s Word tells us emphatically, “the wages of sin is death” and “the soul who sins will die” (Rom. 6:23; Ezek. 18:4). Catholics make a futile attempt to justify “venial” sins by misapplying a passage in 1 John 5:17 which reads, “there is a sin not leading to death.” They need to know that the Bible speaks of three different kinds of death caused by sin. There is physical death when the body is separated from the soul and spirit, spiritual death when the sinner is separated from God, and eternal death when those who die without Christ are eternally separated from God. We can see that John may be referring to physical death because there were occurrences in the first century church when sin caused physical death. God took the life of Ananias and Sapphira because they publicly lied to the Holy Spirit in front of the whole church (Acts 5). Also, some people in Corinth had abused the Lord’s table and they died physically (1 Cor. 11:30). Catholics need to know that we are all born spiritually dead because of Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:12). We enter this life separated from God and our only hope of being reconciled to Him is by grace alone, through faith alone, in the one mediator Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5). Nothing the Catholic Church offers can accomplish this reconciliation – not water baptism, or purgatory, or indulgences, or penance, or good works, or the Mass, or keeping the law. God’s perfect man and man’s perfect God is the only one who can mediate reconciliation. “He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach” (Col. 1:22). |
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| Letters to Equip and Encourage the Saints |
Mike, First off, if you’re going to talk about Catholicism, at least get your facts right. You clearly did no research on the Catholic faith whatsoever. We are Christians, and saying that we are lost, going to Hell, and need to be converted is entirely wrong. You keep giving all these Biblical responses to challenge our beliefs but you completely ignore the fact that the Bible says not to judge. Clare, Internet Hi Clare, You must not be aware that the Bible does teach Christians are to judge. Here are some verses that instruct us to judge: judge all things righteously (John 7:24), judge preaching (1 Cor. 14:29), judge false spirits (1 John 4:1), judge false teachers (2 Cor. 11:1-4, 13-15; Gal.2:4-5), judge false prophets (Mat. 7:15-20), judge false apostles (Rev. 2:2), judge false Christians (Phil. 3:2; 1 John 2:18-20), judge evil deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11), judge sin within the church (1 Cor. 2:15-16, 1 Cor. 5:12), and judge matters between the brethren (1 Cor. 6:5). Now that you know you are to judge, I encourage you to use the supreme authority of God’s inspired Word to judge and discern truth from error. Mike, Thanks again for coming to our church to teach us how to evangelize Catholics. I purchased your book Preparing for Eternity and would like you to email a pdf copy of it in Spanish. I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with a Catholic man from Italy and used the information from your interview with Costi Hinn to explain the difference between the five solas and the “plus” teachings of the Catholic Church. I’m so thankful for your ministry! M.P., Berkley, MI Mike, I grew up Catholic but I still have family that are Catholics. They are hearing the truth in a family Bible study and when asked if they agree with the salvation message they say they do. Yet, they are still in the RCC and attend Mass. What do you think? P.K., Internet P.K., Yes, there are many Catholics who believe they are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. However, salvation can only be received by grace alone (Rom. 11:6) through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9) in Christ alone (1 Tim. 2:5; Acts 4:12). They must repent of all they are doing and trust solely in what Christ has done. You might want to share my message here that explains the Gospel clearly and reproves Catholic teaching. Sir, I live in the UK and I was going to visit my local Catholic Church this weekend with a view to becoming a member. However, after watching your Revolve Bible Church video message, which highlighted why I shouldn’t, I have decided not to become Catholic. I am very grateful for this honest knowledge. Thank you for all you do. K.P., Internet Mike, Your last newsletter says we need to warn young people about dating Catholics. Sadly, most adults don’t really know the errors the Catholic Church teaches, so they are not equipped to warn the young people. I’ll discuss this with the leader of the youth group, or I’ll find a way to explain Catholicism to the youth group myself if the leader isn’t willing to do this. Thanks for pointing this out. May our Lord protect both of you. J.H., Internet |
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Nuns Denounce Pope Francis Sixteen Spanish nuns have announced they are breaking from the Catholic Church. One nun said, “From the Throne of Peter, we have been receiving contradiction, confusion and doublespeak, ambiguity and lack of clear doctrine.” In a 70-page document titled “Catholic Manifesto,” the group said it recognized “H.H. Pius XII as the last valid Supreme Pontiff,” adding that “the see of St. Peter is vacant and usurped.” Read more. |
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LINK TO FRED TARSITANO’S TESTIMONY ABOUT THE RCC AND FALSE RELIGION:
https://sheeplywolves.com/conversion-testimony-of-a-former-roman-catholic/
OTHER RELEVANT LINKS:
Link to this blog page that has sermons about Galatians:
https://sheeplywolves.com/category/gospel-message/page/5/
Pastor Ramsey’s sermon series on Galatians at Sermon Audio:
One may search Sermon Audio archives by ‘topic.’ The following link is to the sermons there on ‘faith;’ among those, you will find sermons that undoubtedly speak on Galatians, the works-faith controversy.