Most people who say they are Christians have never been born again or they would not be ashamed to speak of Christ.
Matthew 10:32-34 "32 Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. 34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword."
John 15:18-25
18 “If the world hates you, [a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."
When we encounter so many people who go to a church gathering but will never speak of Christ to others even in the church building, we are seeing the end times of "cultural Christianity", in which many want to feel safe by becoming a member of a church gathering but have no interest in obeying Christ.
These pretenders love that they can fool others that they are "righteous" but they are not righteous by the working of Christ, they are "self-righteous", playing a role to fit into a group, and fleshly pride is their real self.
These pretenders find comfort in believing they are safe because they attend a church gathering. They lie against the Word of God when they embrace sin, either in themselves or on the behalf of others, pretending God is not concerned about sinful actions or attitudes.
Matthew 7:21-23 is clear about these pretenders;
"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.’"
Notice these pretenders are doing good things, but they are doing things to glorify self. We know this because they do these things their own way while negating God's Word to carry out their good deeds. They do not consult with the Holy Spirit because they do not have Him dwelling in them.
Mark 7:13 "13 Thus you nullify the word of God by the tradition you have handed down. And you do so in many such matters.”
Pretenders lack God's fruit, the very essence of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When the pretenders are challenged to seek the Lord and to relent from disobeying God they rage and exact revenge through gossip, to silence the one who dared to challenge them with the Word of God.
Pretenders are phony and angry people they cannot accept a correction or rebuke, the reason they rage while rejecting the truth and in their rejection of anyone who shines the light of God's Word on their deeds.
Bottom Line: recognize those who are pretenders, challenge them to ask God if they are saved, and finally, never allow pretenders to silence the truth God has given you, let the Holy Spirit speak without regard to the response of others.
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