I can't count the number of times a "Christian" became angry when I pointed out something that was not Biblical, merely because they liked the unBiblical stance.
My challenge today to you and to me is to evaluate everything we hear, everything we were taught and everything we think we like and ask the Holy Spirit to show us the truth about it.
In doing this we must be willing to stand against the "Christianized" culture of our day because much of what churchgoers believe is not Biblical and is even against the Word of God. 2 Timothy 4:1-8 "4 I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.""
This was written as an admonishment to ALL born again believers, men, women and children who love the Lord must walk in accordance with the Word of God, the Bible.
Jesus Christ is the Word, He is the embodiment of His Own Word, to negate His Word to follow human traditions is to negate Him.
John 14:15-16 "15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—…"
Those who claim to be Christian and fight against the truth of God's Word are not born again, no matter how much they believe they are saved. Many people who know the truth but will not follow it think they are saved but will hear these terrible words from God:
Matthew 7:21-23
I Never Knew You
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.’"
Your works are not evidence of your salvation, Your fruit is the evidence, so what is the fruit?
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."
The Fruit of the Spirit are the character qualities of Christ and every born-again believer has that Fruit.
Those who love Christ will connect deeply with all other believers who love Him. When we find ourselves experiencing a sense of disconnect with someone who attends church but has no fruit we may be encountering someone who was never born-again.
John 13:34-35 "…34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.”
When we have a sense of disconnectedness and disrespect from people who say they are Christians we are very likely in the presence of someone who is a "cultural Christian" who does not have the fruit nor do they love the brethren. Their form of Christianity is based on head knowledge alone and not an authentically changed character.
2 Timothy 3 describes the end times apostate church in which we are living today.
These people have a form of religion but do not know Christ.
"2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult (ragingly insane) Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
Notice that these false believers have a form of godliness, mostly concocted based on their own desires while practicing mean-spirited lack of self-control over their own mouths and conduct.
These who pretend to be Christians have contempt for those who wish to obey the Bible fully. They will say the true Christian is legalistic when they insist on obedience to God's Word.
God gave me a phrase that explains the difference between obedience and legalism. "Legalism is following man's rules and ideas that God never made and Obedience to God is obeying His commands and principles in His Word. His word is not, as some say, "a book of suggestions", His Word is His very essence. To deny His Word as optional is to deny Him.
Denying Christ is not just saying they don't believe in Him. Denying Christ often is saying they DO believe in Him but in their lifestyle and chosen beliefs they deny Him.
Titus 1:15-16 "…15 To the pure, all things (the things of God) are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed."
Most anger from "Christians" toward believers occurs because the believer chastised another believer to bring them back to obedience to God.
We see this often because most "Christians" who attend gatherings every week are disobeying more of Scripture than they obey. They do this because they have never been born again and do not have a love for Christ that is prominent in those who have Christ living in them.
We are clearly living in the last days of apostasy that God said would look very much like the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Everyone wants to be seen as good people while attaching the name of "Christian" to themselves but they do not want to submit to Him.
The devil works diligently in these false believers to undermine them, discredit and discourage them but they will have no effect. Christ in the born-again believer sustains them through all things. They are alone a lot, but fully joyful and dedicated to Christ no matter what comes at them.
