Abandon the Religion to Trust in Christ

"Repent" means to change our minds, when we repent we change how we view ourselves, realizing we have a sinful nature that we cannot fix ourselves. Believing in Christ is knowing that only Christ can fix that sinful nature and only if we want Him to change us into a new creation.

Too many people think that just knowing about Christ in our own minds and pretending to believe in Him will save them. They have no interest in being changed by Him, or confessing their sinfulness or even their individual sins, they only want to appear to others as "being a Christian."

This mentality is merely "religious" it is not the repentance of the Bible nor does it do anything except to pretend to be something someone is not.

Religion is a system of rules that people follow to feel safe but does nothing to develop a relationship with Christ. A set of rules followed does not save anyone. Appearing superior because of rituals does not save anyone.

Only humbling oneself and admitting they are sinners who cannot do anything worthy of salvation, then trusting what Christ did for them to pay for their sin, desiring to be changed into a new creation by Christ will cause the Lord of the Universe to save this repentant person.

The very first step in salvation through Christ is realizing how totally worthless we are and the need we have for a Savior.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds."

May all those who are not sure of their salvation and have been practicing "religion" be encouraged to abandon that religion and trust in Christ.

The Wounds of a Friend is Love

https://youtube.com/shorts/hqF9RtfSwG4?si=eFFtiygjCe8_ej2g

Why are Narcissists so Easily Agitated?

https://youtube.com/shorts/EhbxXHq3bVc?si=MN6E9LxWqiPkBZEK

American Christians Have No Reason to Boast

And, sadly American Christians are embarrassed to mention the name of Christ when nothing will happen except perhaps a mean look or a lost friend.

Steve P. Sanchez


"AFTER THE EXECUTIONER tied Michael Sattler to the stake, Michael prayed with slurred speech, “Almighty, eternal God, thou art the way and the truth; because I have not been shown to be in error, I will with thy help on this day testify to the truth and seal it with my blood.”

 
After the fire burned the ropes off his hands, he raised them and struggled to form the words: “Father, I commend my spirit into thy hands.”

On this day in 1527 Michael Sattler brought together a small group of Anabaptist leaders who wrote and adopted seven articles of faith which they called the “Brotherly Union.” They now had an organized church.

Because he left the Catholic priesthood to marry and to faithfully follow God, Michael was committed to the hangman, “...who shall take him to the Square and there first cut out his tongue, then chain him to a wagon, tear his body twice with hot tongs there and five times more before the gate, then burn his body to powder as an arch-heretic.”

Eight days after, his wife Margaretha would not recant her testimony, saying that she would forever remain true to her Lord and to her husband. She was then drowned in the Neckar River.
Thank God for these bold saints of the past who paved the way of Christ with their blood so we may be inspired to do the same."

—Adapted from The One Year Christian History.

Say it in the Holy Spirit not in Your Own Flesh

Berean Call

Apples of Gold - March 20
We should be as wise as we can, and certainly we should be loving and kind. But that is not the key to winning others. If it were, Jesus Christ would have won the world of His day and would not even have been crucified. No one was more patient and loving and kind and understanding than He. Yet they hated Him without a cause and crucified Him. He says very clearly that the servant is not greater than his Lord and that the world will hate us just as it hated Him. The only thing that will win people to Christ is God’s truth. They must become lovers of Truth. They must have a passion for Truth. If not, all of our love and patience and building bridges in whatever ways we conceive will not win them to Christ.
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." —Matthew 10:16
https://conta.cc/3ImHkn8

Gwendolyn Wehage said: Amen, Amen, If anyone says to you that we must say things the right way so they will be accepted, remind them of what Christ and the apostles went through when the people killed them. Did they not say things the right way? Of course they did because they said them through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The World Love Their Sin and Chastises Righteousness

Analyzing everything someone says to be able to find the flaws in them is a sign of jealousy and insecurity.

Many people in our culture love to judge people on insignificant things that don't matter or are merely a difference in their personal preference while assigning a wrong motive or action to it that did not exist.

I was judged and treated disrespectfully because I enjoy thrift store items to hang on my walls. It is amazing what cute happy things people give away that end up in the thrift stores but are not expensive.

There was gossip in the family about my personal taste and those who were gossiping were treating me disrespectfully for my personal taste. There is nothing sinful or wrong about my taste it is just different from what other people do.

When we cannot appreciate the differences in others that are not sin, even making up excuses through guessing what they are doing without evidence then we are sinning. God clearly says to show love to one another. Love involves accepting differences and even appreciating them when there is no sin involved.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

I can understand this concept of loving people who are different from me because I enjoy diversity in all kinds of things.

It has been my experience that those who isolate themselves, surrounding themselves only with people who think the way they think have caused emotional immaturity and pride in their members.

Those who try to recreate the perfect environment according to their own taste are likely to become insecure with an attitude of superiority. They gossip against others and fight with others on the basis of personality and personal taste rather than important sin matters.

In fact, these people often accept sin in those who have their same personal interests, the sin doesn't matter very much as long as they like the same things and activities.

It is my opinion that those who love to judge others on silly things have a problem with jealousy. Rather than addressing their jealousy they concoct in their mind a reason to disrespect and even hate those who are different from them. This is the basis for prejudice, but the prejudice is not based on sin, but on superficial things that are not sin. such as personal appearance, financial success, and people groups.

Worldly people tend to camp on things that don't matter while ignoring sin issues that offend God.

When we love Christ we do not notice the unimportant things as much. We may notice differences but have no judgment about them because they are not important.

Many years ago a mentally challenged man had placed porn on the walls in his bedroom. His brother who was a Chrsitian challenged him that it was disrespectful of women and that he should not be having those pictures. The family of the mentally challenged man became angry with the Christian because he had influenced the mentally challenged brother to remove the pictures. Rather than supporting the influence of the righteous man this family came against him. Because of the lack of support for the righteous man the mentally challenged man went with the influence of the group and put his pictures back up at their insistence that he should do whatever he wants.

What was amazing to me is that this family who came against the Christian man were Catholics. They endorsed the mentality that if someone wants it they should have it, without regard to the emotional and mental damage this filthy stuff causes not only in the man who lived in the room but anyone else who entered the room.

And yet, this Catholic family gossiped and maligned the Christian man for his activities in the pro-life movement. Can we see the double standard here, the man with the porn should not be told he is wrong and should make a change but the man who was against killing babies should be persecuted for his standard.

This family had a Bible in their home that no one read. It was an heirloom to be kissed on the outside and ignore whatever was in it, a sort of amulet that brought good luck by having it but knowing it was for the priests.

This family didn't go to the Bible for answers to life problems they went to the priest and often received bad advice. It was a priest that told the mother of the mentally challenged man to allow him to keep the porn on the walls because it filled a void in the man that could not be filled with women.

I was astounded at this wicked advice since it is good old-fashioned horse sense that porn insights rather than diminishes drives in men. The advice of the priest was against God's Word because it matched up with psychological standards devised by men.

Is it any wonder why our culture has gone down the wide road to perdition when the advice that is given by "clergy" is against the Word of God?

When outer appearances and acceptance of others become more important than Christ and His Word we have lost the country to hedonism. When we reach this point there is no return, we will be and are under judgment right now and most do not recognize it.

Romans 1:18-32

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ."

Unbelievers are jealous of the love and confidence of born-again believers. In their heart of hearts they know we have the truth and are offended by that alone. They are offended by Christ because they love their sinfulness.

If we love the world then we cannot love Christ

There is a saying I have heard; "show me who your friends are and it will show me who you are."

Those people we enjoy speak volumes about our own character. When we limit ourselves to those who are worldly and pleasure-seeking we reveal that we value the world more than we value God. And, the acceptance of the world far outways what God thinks.

Those who love Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything else will gravitate toward those who love Him too and they will gravitate toward us.

We choose our friends based on what we enjoy. Often I have heard people say "I have many kinds of friends, they don't have to be Christian for me to enjoy them." Then they use the excuse that maybe they will witness to them but in truth they rarely do.

They will claim that just being around unbelievers is a witness, but it is not. God said; "bad company corrupts good character." He also told us to share the gospel boldly without apology.

Then they will say; "Christ hung out with unbelievers", no He did not just hang out to be friendly or to enjoy them. They were His enemies if they did not trust in Him. He spent time with unbelievers to bring them the gospel and to convict them of their sinful nature.

Using excuses to justify remaining in company with those who hate Christ is a way of demonstrating that those who do it are not dedicated to Christ or those who hate Him would be repulsive to them. We love the unbeliever by telling the truth and being willing to lose them over it with the hope that they will think about what we have told them.

The minute we share the truth of Christ and His Word with our unbelieving friends is the moment they walk away from us most generally. If an unbeliever remains comfortable with us then we are not being bold enough about their sinful condition. We are also accepting sin in our presence without boundaries and standards just to remain friends with them.

James 4:4-8

"4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?

6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

The truth is that when we spend most of our time with unbelievers or spiritual pretenders we eventually become like them unless we speak up with the truth. The more we speak the truth to them the likelier it is that we will lose them as friends. The Bible teaches us to let them go and turn them over to Christ, He knows better than we what they need and when they will receive it.

Remaining in the lives of unbelievers just to be friends is a way of staying connected to friends we don't want to lose, it has nothing to do with God's Love.

Proverbs 13:20 "One who walks with wise people will be wise, But a companion of fools will suffer harm."

If you think you can remain friends with those who hate God and will not be affected by them, think again. They will always dilute our walk with Christ and worse yet, perhaps it reveals our desire to love the world more than Christ.