The smear that was brought to the Christian community this week by a pretender who spent years in a mega church, preaching and teaching, has ruined the Christian witness of many by declaring publicly that he no longer is a Christian.
It is important to say that no one who is authentically born again ever walks away. When Christ makes us a new creation after we trusted Him, the old is passed away and we are brand new. No one who is born again can go back into the old creation again.
Ephesians 1:13-14 "13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."
Those who walked away after tasting the fruit of the Holy Spirit by being with other believers were Judas's, they never were born again.
We knew this man when he was four years old. He was raised in a godly home with very loving parents. He made the choice to pretend all his years to be what he was raised with, but somehow he missed the memo that says a true born again experience is not what you say, or who you know.
This is more evidence that our efforts to train up a child in the way he should go is no guarantee they will choose Christ. We must do our job in teaching righteousness and the children must make their own choice. No one is genetically predisposed to become what their parents teach.
True Christianity is an experience in which Christ has changed us entirely into a new creation. Nothing of the old remains, the new takes over.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
This does not mean that we are completely sinless because we struggle with sinful flesh. We are not sinless but we sin less as we grow in Christ. When a believer sins they are grieved over their sin and will confess to be cleansed.
No born again believer flaunts their sin as Joshua Harris has done. No one smiles while declaring they are walking away from their faith and their family when they are born again. The glee with which he made his declaration was one of the very big clues of the sinfulness of this pretender.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 3:9-10 " 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
Thursday, August 1, 2019
They Were Never of Us!
Someone who says they have lost their faith and declares that they are no longer a Christian, even embracing homosexuality with intentionality, was never born again. Anyone who says "I am no longer a Christian" was never changed into a new creation by Christ.
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
The Judas's of Our Time
Be careful who you honor or worship. When we hold people on a pedestal we are in danger of idolatry.
In past years there was a man the home schoolers thought was the epitome of righteousness. He wrote a book called, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", his name was Joshua Harris. He was a very young man when he wrote this book.
This man became a pastor of a mega church having become popular among many.
Just recently Mr. Harris denounced Jesus Christ, stating that he was no longer a Christian. He apologized for writing the book and declared that dating was a good thing. He also defended the homosexual agenda as he walked away from Christianity.
No one can be born again and walk away. This man was never born again putting on a good show to be elevated and praised but on the inside he was not changed into a new creation by Christ. It is people like him that make me wonder how many people in the pulpits of this country are not authentically born again.
From Heavy.com News:
Here are his own words: " “I have lived in repentance for the past several years—repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting to name a few. But I specifically want to add to this list now: to the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.”
On His Christian faith, Harris explained, “I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’ By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.”
Unquote
This is an example of the reason it is a bad idea to extol anyone. No one can know the condition of a man's heart. Usually it can be revealed eventually by challenges to the truths in the Bible. A pretender cannot tolerate being challenged to walk in a more holy fashion. My guess is that there were others who saw the clues and signs before the defection to the dark side.
Walking away from a wife and Christ while defending and embracing the homosexual agenda does not happen over night. It is a process of changed thinking usually based on the enticement to sin and then the defense of that sin. A born again believer does not do this!
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Do not be afraid to challenge one another in the Word, it could and often does reveal clues that someone may be a pretender.
This begs the question, "How many leaders in churches today have never been born again?" Here is one case in which the man tasted the good fruit, knew the truth and even pretended to love it, but never became born again, just like Judas.
2 Corinthians 13:4-5 "…4 For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. And though we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you. 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test? "
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
In past years there was a man the home schoolers thought was the epitome of righteousness. He wrote a book called, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", his name was Joshua Harris. He was a very young man when he wrote this book.
This man became a pastor of a mega church having become popular among many.
Just recently Mr. Harris denounced Jesus Christ, stating that he was no longer a Christian. He apologized for writing the book and declared that dating was a good thing. He also defended the homosexual agenda as he walked away from Christianity.
No one can be born again and walk away. This man was never born again putting on a good show to be elevated and praised but on the inside he was not changed into a new creation by Christ. It is people like him that make me wonder how many people in the pulpits of this country are not authentically born again.
From Heavy.com News:
Here are his own words: " “I have lived in repentance for the past several years—repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, the teaching of my books, my views of women in the church, and my approach to parenting to name a few. But I specifically want to add to this list now: to the LGBTQ+ community, I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality. I regret standing against marriage equality, for not affirming you and your place in the church, and for any ways that my writing and speaking contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry. I hope you can forgive me.”
On His Christian faith, Harris explained, “I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’ By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.”
Unquote
This is an example of the reason it is a bad idea to extol anyone. No one can know the condition of a man's heart. Usually it can be revealed eventually by challenges to the truths in the Bible. A pretender cannot tolerate being challenged to walk in a more holy fashion. My guess is that there were others who saw the clues and signs before the defection to the dark side.
Walking away from a wife and Christ while defending and embracing the homosexual agenda does not happen over night. It is a process of changed thinking usually based on the enticement to sin and then the defense of that sin. A born again believer does not do this!
Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Do not be afraid to challenge one another in the Word, it could and often does reveal clues that someone may be a pretender.
This begs the question, "How many leaders in churches today have never been born again?" Here is one case in which the man tasted the good fruit, knew the truth and even pretended to love it, but never became born again, just like Judas.
2 Corinthians 13:4-5 "…4 For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. And though we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you. 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test? "
1 John 2:19-20 "19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us. 20 You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
The Judgment of God!
"We will not be judged only for what we have done but we will also be judged for why we did it.
Those who have not trusted Christ will be judged according to their punishment in hell. Their good deeds will not count.
Romans 2:5-6
"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds…"
Those who have refused Christ will not be judged according to their deeds for reward but rather for not trusting Christ and their degree of punishment in hell for every evil deed. Even the good works of the unbeliever will be counted as nothing because they were done for self glorification or good feelings but not for Christ.
Those who are born again will be judged according to their works for the purposes of reward. God will burn off the dross that is not worthy of reward and the gold that is left are those works we did in the power of the Holy Spirit. We will not be judged according to our sin because Christ is our covering for sin.
Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Sadly there are many people who think their deeds don't matter in this life if they are born again. Those who defend sin are not desiring holiness, they may not be born again if sin does not make them ashamed or uncomfortable.
The born again believer hates sin and loves righteousness. They cannot remain in their sin and comfortable with it.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
Believers are ashamed of their sin, unbelievers enjoy and defend their sin.
Those who have not trusted Christ will be judged according to their punishment in hell. Their good deeds will not count.
Romans 2:5-6
"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds…"
Those who have refused Christ will not be judged according to their deeds for reward but rather for not trusting Christ and their degree of punishment in hell for every evil deed. Even the good works of the unbeliever will be counted as nothing because they were done for self glorification or good feelings but not for Christ.
Those who are born again will be judged according to their works for the purposes of reward. God will burn off the dross that is not worthy of reward and the gold that is left are those works we did in the power of the Holy Spirit. We will not be judged according to our sin because Christ is our covering for sin.
Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Sadly there are many people who think their deeds don't matter in this life if they are born again. Those who defend sin are not desiring holiness, they may not be born again if sin does not make them ashamed or uncomfortable.
The born again believer hates sin and loves righteousness. They cannot remain in their sin and comfortable with it.
1 John 3:8-10 "…8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother."
Believers are ashamed of their sin, unbelievers enjoy and defend their sin.
Grace Does Not Allow For Sin
YES!!!! There is a movement now that says if you are saved by grace sin doesn't matter anymore. This is clearly wrong!!!! We are no longer under the condemnation of the Law but rather the Law lives in us. The very Law Giver, Jesus Christ lives in every born again believer. We hate sin, when we fall we confess it to be cleansed of that sin. We grow in holiness because of our continual confession when the Holy spirit in us convicts us of it.
The problem now in our Christian communities is that too many Christians think of sin lightly. Christ had to shed every drop of blood to pay the penalty for that sin, YES it is important and His desire is that we not sin. How hard is this to understand? I don't get it. Those who are born again are tormented by guilt until they confess and after enough confessions for different things they begin to avoid it, they hate the feeling of displeasing Christ Who lives in them.
Ephesians 4:29-31 "…29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"
Karen Puff Rosenkrantz shared this:
"The American church began rapidly accelerating deeper into the depths of darkness when it cast aside the Biblical standard of "be ye holy" and replaced it with the "be ye happy" doctrine of devils instead."
~ Tex Hill
The problem now in our Christian communities is that too many Christians think of sin lightly. Christ had to shed every drop of blood to pay the penalty for that sin, YES it is important and His desire is that we not sin. How hard is this to understand? I don't get it. Those who are born again are tormented by guilt until they confess and after enough confessions for different things they begin to avoid it, they hate the feeling of displeasing Christ Who lives in them.
Ephesians 4:29-31 "…29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"
Karen Puff Rosenkrantz shared this:
"The American church began rapidly accelerating deeper into the depths of darkness when it cast aside the Biblical standard of "be ye holy" and replaced it with the "be ye happy" doctrine of devils instead."
~ Tex Hill
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