Dr Paul Allen

One of the hardest things missionaries encounter is the grief of apostasy. Apostasy is when professing believers abandon their faith, often due to persecution, sin, or simply hardened hearts.  Personally Shaken The apostle Paul referred to believers in the church of Philippi as his joy and crown. He invested his life for these brothers and sisters; he loved them and longed to be with them (Phil. 4:1). Like Paul, missionaries today experience unspeakable joy when those among them hear the gospel and, against all odds, believe in Christ. They rejoice deeply and acknowledge the hard things they’ve endured are worth it for the sake of someone’s eternal salvation. Sadly, when those same loved ones fall away, the opposite can be true. If there’s no greater joy than seeing those you’ve reached walking in truth (3 John 4), there’s perhaps no greater sorrow than seeing them abandon their faith. In such cases, missionaries may have serious doubts: Why did we even move here? Has it all been a...

Apostasy is the old, vigorous word to describe this abandonment of Christ. The New Testament church was familiar with it. It was a major concern of the author of Hebrews. That is why he wrote the often-discussed words of Hebrews 6:4–6: Those once enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the coming age—if they fall away cannot be renewed again to repentance. Some in the early church thought that the phrase "cannot be renewed" meant that those who stumbled could not be received back into fellowship. But our author does not have the penitent in mind. Rather, he is thinking of those whose hardness of heart blocks the way to the Cross and proves irreversible. It has been said that there is no more powerful or detailed description of the true Christian in the New Testament than in the words of Hebrews 6:4–6. That is surely a breathtaking statement in the light of what is said about the firs...

“For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake itis cultivated, receives a blessing from God ” (Heb. 6:7). Some Christians think that they have committed the sin of apostasy, thus demonstrating that they were never really saved. But the very fact that they worry about it might show that the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts to bring them to repentance. Someone who doesn’t care about falling away demonstrates that he was never a true Christian. In Hebrews 6:4–6 we are told that those who fall away cannot be brought again to repentance. Many people believe that this passage refers to genuine Christians and that those with true faith can lose their salvation.  Yet, there is nothing in this passage that suggests that the author must be talking about genuine Christians. Rather, because an unregenerate person can experience the new covenant blessings listed in 6:4–5, the text could be referring to people w...

“Have you heard that .__________, is no longer a Christian?” But that person had been one of the most influential, and apparently fruitful, members of our church?  What would those who had been influenced by her witness to Christ say, or do? Would they be shaken to the core and now doubt their own Christian faith ? After all, the person who had pointed them to Christ no longer trusted Him. On occasion we wonder if an individual really has been converted. And sometimes we have an inexplicable, ill-defined sense that something is missing. But we cannot read the heart. Even so, we hear of friends—whose faith we never doubted—turning away from Christ. Apostasy is the old, vigorous word to describe this abandonment of Christ. The New Testament church was familiar with it. It was a major concern of the author of Hebrews . That is why he wrote the often-discussed words of Hebrews 6:4–6:  Those once enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Hol...

Last week Cripplegate received positive response about, “Why Evangelicals and Roman Catholics Cannot Be Together,” some seem to not quite grasp the reason for it. After all, they say that they have neighbors or family members who really love Jesus, who attend a Roman Catholic Church. While I have spoken to many Catholics and have yet to meet one who can explain the Gospel, I am sure that there has to be some believers who Sunday after Sunday are attending RCC’s. If you are one of these people, here are four reasons you need to leave today. Or if you know someone whom you believe to be born again, here are four reasons you need to encourage them to leave. You are severed from the Church body The weekly Church gathering is not about evangelism. It’s about worship, fellowship and equipping (Eph 4:11-15). We love for unbelievers to come to Church and see the radical difference between how Christians love one another and how the world loves one another. We love for unbelievers to come...

Image via Wikipedia "Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee." ( Deuteronomy 32:18 )   Just before his death, Moses predicted the coming apostasy of Israel in a prophetic "history" of Israel. Not only did his prophecy come true for the nation of Israel, but the same could be said for much of Western Christianity today. Moses recounted the fact that Israel had been blessed greatly of the Lord , but instead of drawing closer to Him, they grew "fat, and . . . Forsook God which made |them|, and lightly esteemed the Rock of |their| salvation" ( Deuteronomy 32:15 ).  The use of the term " rock " refers to the rock which Moses struck, yielding water to sustain them in the parched desert region. The rock followed the people on their journeys and provided an ever-present reminder of God's marvelous provision. (If one should further doubt as to the identity of the Rock, "that Rock was Christ...