"A Personal Calvary" - Keith Daniel

Keith Daniel has earned the admiration of Christians worldwide. With an unrivaled capacity to memorize and quote Scripture while preaching, his sermons have mightily impacted devout parishioners from all theological camps and denominations. 

​Nevertheless, such fame comes with a cost in wicked and adulterous generations (Mk. 8:38). ​The temptation is strong for preachers to diminish the intensity of what is written, or even apologize for what is demanded, because the masses of Christendom are increasingly intolerant of Biblical Christianity. Tragically, this is exactly what Keith Daniel does in the famous sermon, "Have You Had a Personal Calvary".

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Setting the tone of the sermon, before opening in prayer, Keith humorously derides the vanity and foolishness of professional sports, as the people laugh. While acknowledging the fact that sports have "become a god for so many millions of people", and while refusing to be entertained by it himself, Keith says to the people: "I don't blame you if you are fanatical about a game." Keith is careful to tell the people, "Listen, I'm not judging you...". Then he challenges them, saying, "Let me ask you something now? ...when were you so excited about anything of God, how long ago?". 

The challenge that Keith delivers to the people is commendable. He is certainly trying to sober the people and direct their hearts into the will of God. However, Keith has no authority to dismiss the people from blame if they are fanatical and idolatrous about sports (2 Pet. 3:14), as the judgment of God is very clear about idolatry (1 Cor. 5:10, 6:9, 10:7, 14; Col. 3:5, Gal. 5:20). As a Preacher (Jas. 3:1), Keith shouldn't be excusing the "lightness" of whoredom rampant among sports fanatics in our generation (Jer. 3:9). Rather, he should be charging the people to subject themselves to the Word of God in however it judges them (Heb. 4:12-13; 1 Cor. 5:12-13; 1 Pet. 4:17-18), whether it accuses or excuses them (1 Cor. 11:31, Rom. 2:13-15). 

​Sadly, the tone doesn't change for the rest of the evening. To begin the sermon, Keith immediately quotes and expounds John 12:23-26, and then segues into a question that becomes the theme of the sermon: "What could make a man desperately seek God for vital reality in Christianity before he dies?". Of course, Keith will go on to emphasize the need for Christians to "die", as stated in John 12:24, but in order to motivate Christians to "die" Keith preaches a sermon on the pros and cons of having or not having "vital reality in Christianity", in violation of John 12:25. In other words, Keith preaches a sermon on what is to be gained or lost through having or not having "a Personal Calvary", while certainly denouncing the possibility that anyone would suffer the loss of "Life Eternal" (Jn. 12:25).

Keith is very bold to declare to his audience that they are undoubtedly "saved", assuring them that they "will be in heaven" when they physically die, even though it is apparent that they aren't "right with God" for want of having "a Personal Calvary". According to Keith, these people are characterized as follows:

• They aren't "desperately" seeking God. 
• ​There is no "hope" that God would answer their prayers immediately. 
• ​They are a "grief" to God and man. 
• There are "inconsistencies" and "shallowness" in their Christian lives. 
• ​They have not "laid" their "all" on the altar of God. 
• ​They have not ​"fully surrendered" their lives to God. 
• They do not live "a life of fruitfulness" - such that "is born through a moment of death". 
• They have refused to "lay down [their] lives no matter what the cost". 
• They refuse to "seek God with all [their] heart". 
• They have refused to "put God first before anything". 
• They are not "desperate" to find a "true walk with God". 
• ​They have not "absolutely surrendered" their lives to God. 
• They are content with "second best" - "Seeing as [they] don't want this cost: a Crucified Life, a Personal Calvary." ​

Keith isn't even talking about the extraordinary requirements of the call to Preach or the unique sacrifices necessary for becoming a Missionary. The audience understands him to be speaking of "a Mediocre Christian Life" in contrast to a non-Mediocre Christian Life, as the Pastor openly admits in the closing prayer. Statedly, Keith says, "There are only two types of Christians, beloved, those who have had a Personal Calvary and those who have not." Then to drive the point home, Keith questions the people, asking them: "When did you have a Personal Calvary, child of God? When will you have a Personal Calvary?". Howbeit, even if they continue being Cross-less Christians who fight against a Personal Calvary, Keith is careful to assure them with a false peace (Jer. 23:17, Ezek. 13:10, 16, 22-23). Using Jacob as an example, Keith says, 

"[Jacob] was saved and would have been in heaven; don't doubt that - you are, you will be in heaven...but what would God have done, if you would stop the fight and had a Personal Calvary?" 

In a shocking departure from the fundamentals of the Gospel, Keith preaches a substandard version of Christianity that isn't Biblical. For, according to the Bible, all genuine Christians were truly converted at the instant they were "crucified with Christ" in a Personal Calvary (Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6:1-7, Col. 3:3, Gal. 5:24). This is consistent with what is commonly called, Lordship Salvation, as revealed in Scripture. The Cross is the instrument of execution that liberates the soul in absolute surrender to Jesus Christ as the Lord (Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 12:3). Absolute surrender in and through the Gospel is to seek God with all the heart so as to find Him (Jer. 29:13, Deut. 30:6, Col. 2:10-13, Php. 3:3) - all of which is the beginning of a true walk with God made possible by saving faith (Gen. 5:24, Heb. 11:5). This is the clear testimony of Scripture. 

​"Somebody said, 'It is so easy to get saved.' Yes, all it will cost you is a full surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. All you've got to do to be saved is to die: that's all it costs to get to Christ." - Rolfe Barnard 

"There's only two kinds of people in the world, those who are dead in sin and those who are dead to sin." - Leonard Ravenhill 

Marvelously, the best warning that Keith can muster up to tell the people comes in the question, "When will you seek God in a way that you will find vital reality before you die in Christianity?". Keith didn't warn the people of dying outside of Christ. No! Rather, he warned them about the possibility of dying "in Christianity". In respect to the Cross, and the doctrines of Personal Mortification and/or the denial of self, Jesus and the Apostles never warned anyone about dying "in Christianity" (Jesus: Matt. 8:18-22, 10:32-39, Mk. 8:34-38, Lk. 9:22-26, 57-62, 12:49-53; Apostles: Rom. 8:1, 13, Col. 3:5-6, Eph. 5:3-7, Gal. 5:17-25). The New Testament "altar" is the Cross, and it requires "all" or nothing (Php. 3:8), which is why Jesus gravely admonished his followers to count "the cost" by reckoning with the danger of eternal judgment impending overhead (Lk. 14:16-35; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Thess. 1:4-12).

"Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." - 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

Sadly, irreverent violations of vast portions of biblical doctrine are commonplace today among Preachers. When quoting a term or phrase from Holy Scripture, we must not remove it from its original context - the framework in which it was definitively revealed - or else in giving it another definition, as seems good, we are disguising damnable heresies through promoting biblical terms. Neither should we romanticize the horrifying atrocity of committing sin against God by using modern terms - chalking it all up to be some kind of "second best" offering or experience that's commonplace in Mediocre Christianity. In reality, if God isn't "first", and Christians are satisfied with giving God "second best", they need to own the guilt of the crime being committed: Idolatry. As violators of the 1st Commandment (Ex. 20:3), they don't need a flattering description of outrageously unacceptable sin, such that men think it's just "second best" Christianity.

Inconsistent and shallow Christians, who lack desperation to change, and stubbornly continue without vital reality with God, are those to whom Jesus said, "thou art Lukewarm", but Keith doesn't call it what it is (Rev. 3:14-22). He radically deviates from the biblical motivators presented to backsliders in divine argumentation, eloquently giving the people incentives to get "right with God" contrary to the emphasis of  Scripture. Then Keith goes on to characterize what he called "the Crucified Preacher", only making things worse. 

• "The Crucified Preacher is nailed to the Cross because of love for the lost." 
• "He loses his life to win the lost for Christ. He denies himself what others call their legal rights." 
• "He dies daily to things others regard as normal, legitimate, and even essential." 
• "This world is not his home." 
• "He lives to lay up himself treasures in heaven."
• "He sets his affection on things above, not on things of the earth"
• "For him to live is Christ and to die is gain."

All true Christians are "nailed to the Cross". All genuine Christians have lost their lives and denied themselves. Dying daily isn't an optional path, such that only Preachers must do it! According to Jesus, professing Christians who are otherwise minded are forfeiting their souls for what they hope to gain in this life (Lk. 9:23-26, Php. 3:7-21; Rom. 8:13; 1 Cor. 15:30-34). Such men are called "the enemies of the Cross of Christ" in Philippians 3:18. Why? Because feeling comfortable and at home in this world is the essence of apostasy (Heb. 11:8-16, 35-39; 1 Pet. 2:11, Heb. 12:14-15, 2 Thess. 1:4-5)! And apostasy is essentially hatred for God being expressed through loving the world (1 John 2:15-19, Php. 3:19, Col. 3:2, Titus 1:16; Rev. 12:11). Without controversy, those things that are anti-Cross are Antichrist! A love affair with life is adultery against God and war against Heaven (James 4:4-10, Rom. 8:5-8, Lk. 14:26, Rev. 12:11). Laying up for yourself treasures on earth forfeits heaven because it is hatred for God and slavery to mammon (Matt. 6:19-24).

What business does Keith have confounding this matter? God knows. As for me, it is neither right nor safe to keep silent on this matter (Job 32:21-22, Prov. 24:11-12). A lack of clarity here, in what the Bible exhaustively clarifies, is an unforgivable sin in the Pulpit that necessitates an open rebuke. No amount of love and gratitude for Keith, as a brother in Christ, should inspire me to disobey direct orders from God in such circumstances as these. Not even Peter was allowed to confound the Gospel without being openly rebuked before all (Gal. 2:11-14). No doubt the people would begin to desperately seek God if they knew their eternal destiny was on the line. 

​They do not live "a life of fruitfulness" - such that "is born through a moment of death". 

Keith Daniel is preaching about a life of fruitfulness - such that is born through a moment of death - but the conceptual essence of what it means to be fruitful according to the Scriptures is violated by Keith's preaching. Keith fails to deliver to the people the biblical warnings pronounced by God upon those who do not bear fruit. On the contrary, when the word fruit is used in the New Testament, or a derivative thereof, it is employed by God to teach us how to identify or discern TRUE CHRISTIANS from FALSE CHRISTIANS, while focusing on the miraculous and transformational power of true conversion to Christ, and fiercely pronouncing damnation upon those who are fruitless for want of true conversion or because they are backslidden from Christ.

​Without controversy, this is the case and point in 15 out of 16 times where the word fruit is used in Matthew (Matt. 3:8, 10, 7:16, 17-20, 12:33, 13:8, 23, 26, 21:19, 34, 41, 43, 26:29), 7 out of 8 times where the word fruit is used in Mark (Mk. 4:7-8, 20, 28-29, 11:14, 12:2, 14:25), 11 out of 15 times where the word fruit is used in Luke (Lk. 1:42, 3:8-9, 6:43-44, 8:8, 14-15, 12:17-18, 13:6-7, 9, 20:10, 22:18), 6 out of 7 times where the word fruit is used in John (Jn. 4:36, 12:24, 15:2, 4, 5, 8, 16), and 17 out of 23 times where the word fruit is used in the Epistles (Rom. 1:13, 6:21-22, 7:4-5, 15:28; 1 Cor. 9:7, 2 Cor. 9:10, Gal. 5:22, Eph. 5:9, Php. 1:11, 22, 4:17, Col. 1:6, 10, 2 Tim. 2:6, Heb. 12:11, 13:15, Jas. 3:17-18, 5:7, 18, Jude 1:12). That amounts to over 50 violations of Scripture in a topic that pervades the New Testament. 

"Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." - 1 Timothy 5:20

Too many voices of extra-biblical Church History have preached a substandard version of Christianity. Insincere parishioners are a plague to the Church (Ezek. 33:30-32). To keep them coming, famous expository Preachers tip-toe around the divine threats of Scripture. If only Keith would have been yoked together in the School of God with other equally gifted men with contrasting strengths and weaknesses, like the Apostles were raised up together, then this could have been prevented. No one is above it. I have long believed that if Leonard Ravenhill, Paul Washer, and Keith Daniel would have united together, and matured in unity, this generation would have seen the greatest revival to date since the 1st Century. 

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