One of the earmarks of a true believe is their obsession with saving the lost and speaking truth to fellow believers. Those who hate correction are rebellious and likely not saved.
A true believer will humbly accept correction, wanting to ask God if it is true, seeking the Word for instruction.
A true believer is never embarrassed about the mention of Christ in a crowd, in fact they love to hear it no matter who it comes from.
In these last days we are seeing antagonism on the part of superficial believers who place their trust in the physical world, while neglecting the inner spirit.
They go through the rituals of their culture, hoping to appear more spiritual while neglecting to focus on the need for a deeper walk, all is about appearance, superiority and control over others, rather than submission to Christ in their heart.
I am seeing a greater polarization between the sheep and the goats and between those who desire a deeper walk and those who live in the plain of superficiality.
When asked to go and pray about a matter, the superficial Christian, suddenly have nothing to say and will not commit to pray.
I believe the Lord is showing me what I have known for some time but is much more dramatic now than ever before, and that is that most who claim to be believers are not born again. They lack two things, compassion for the lost and empathy and love for fellow believers.
A good test is to challenge someone to greater holiness, leaving Scripture in context to prove a point and to discuss a matter fully before making judgments. Most "Christians" now do not want to discuss anything in depth, they want quick answers, manipulation and easy judgment, not based on truth but on feelings.
Sometimes it seems impossible to resolve most things, because of the continual stonewalling and animosity that emerges when we try. No one will listen long enough to fully understand a matter, only long enough to decide what to be mad at.
I have no solution to this problem except to move on to others who might be interested in digging deeply into the Word for understanding and who are willing to pray over a matter for God's guidance.
I have been saddened by those I desired a relationship with, but know it is impossible and my only recourse is to move on. Most people will not listen, nor love anyone enough to resolve anything.
When God is not the center of the relationship, humility driving a prayer life and desire to learn truth, then we can not have a relationship, without that, there can not be closeness.
Be encouraged by all this mess, God said it would happen in these last days of apostasy, we can expect it and know that everyone else who loves the Lord is going through the same thing.
Notice too that the apostate age will produce people who "have a form of godliness", they are in the church, but they are not born again.
2 Timothy 3:1-15
"3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a FORM OF GODLINESS, but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;
9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,
11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
In hell, those who go there will not be partying with their friends, as many rebellious people would say in jest. Those who go to hell will be all alone in the dark burning forever.
Revelation 21:5-8
"5 The one who sat on the throne[f] said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then he said, “Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.”
6 He said to me, “They are accomplished. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water.
7 The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son.
8 But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
In chapter 21, in the later verses we can see the wonderful blessing that believers who have trusted Christ will enjoy when this life is over and the New Earth and the New Jerusalem is our home.
Thank you notes are very important, at least a call to show gratefulness, when we receive a gift from someone.
Whenever I receive a gift, I say thank you. However, when the person giving it tells me where to put it in my house, or whether or not you can paint it when you tire of the color, then the gift is not really yours, it belongs to the giver, they want to hold onto it, have power over you through it, making the gift not really a gift at all.
This has happened to me more than once. One time I was given a chair for my house. I am a decorator of sorts, constantly coordinating things, fixing up, recovering and painting. This person who gave me the gift, knew this about me, her instruction to me was that I couldn't do anything to change the chair.
The chair was a nice style but the fabric was ugly, worn and dirty. I like to improve things, this person also knew that about me, which is why she felt a need to instruct me as to my actions with the chair.
I politely declined the chair because often I forget things and might change the chair forgetting about the agreement. So I thanked the woman for the offer, but told her that I didn't want to accidently hurt her by doing something when I had forgotten.
She then offered the chair with no strings, I took it, changed it and she gossiped that I had changed it. UGH!!!!! From that time on, I do not take gifts with conditions attached. I wondered if she did that to have a way of discrediting me to others. It also led to a distrust for her and a distant relationship. To give a gift with conditions and expectations is a way of lending it, never letting go, but retaining ownership over it, then it is not a gift at all but rather a burden. Gossiping about the "misuse" of the gift is a way of taking that gift back.
When we give a gift we should forget about it, care not one wit what happens to it after that. If we have truly given then we have no strings or expectations for the use of it. We can even praise the person for the new change if they change what we gave them because we are happy that they used it the way that pleased them.
Why do we hang onto a gift we give to someone else, as though it were more akin to lending, than it is really giving? I suspect that one who does this is not giving to please the person who receives the gift, but to please themselves, feeling a sense of pride over having given the gift, more than desiring pleasure for the receiver.
Christ never "lent" our salvation to us with the expectation that if we mess up or displease Him, He will come and get His gift back. His gift is immediate upon our desire to be changed into a new creation by Him. He already knows we do not have the ability in our flesh to be anything good, so He sends His Son to live in us as our righteousness.
Christ gave us a gift that required the shedding of His blood, he cared so deeply about us that He was willing to give the most precious thing He could give and that was His life.
He alone gets the glory, He does the work and we are the joyful recipients of this marvelous gift. He changes us through sanctification throughout our lives, while caring deeply about us.
Unlike the burdensome offer of a gift with strings, that we cannot completely adhere to, Christ offers a permanent gift, a gift that required His very life for which to pay the price. He gets the glory because He is God, creator and deserves all praise and glory.
And, He never takes back His gift!
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"
Romans 11:29 "for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
