Understanding Salvation!

So many Christians do not understand that when we become born again, it is not because we lived our lives in obedience to Christ. This might offend some people because most do not understand.

 
When we trust in Christ because He paid our debt for sin, realizing and acknowledging our sinful nature is beyond our own repair, we accept that Christ paid the price and believe and depend upon Him to change our wicked heart.

 
Those who work hard all their lives to appear spiritual on the outside but harbor anger and self-righteousness in their heart will "have a form of religion but deny Christ" through their disobedience to His Word.

They claim to be good people, avoiding the big bad sins but covertly treat people disrespectfully, using false doctrine to justify their rude attitudes. They claim things God said that He never said and act superior to others who challenge them to look deeper into the word of God.

These people are madly in love with their own religious version of themselves. I witness this all the time that some who say they are Christians disobey more of the scripture than they obey, while making up their own idea of spirituality that God never gave.

These pretenders use scripture out of context and impose their false assertions on others. Judging others as sinning who are not, as well as gossiping to anyone who will listen to undermine the walk of those who are obedient to the scriptures.
We are not obedient to gain heaven, we become obedient because Christ changed our nature, and the sin we used to love, we now hate, and we love what He loves.
There is no one more convincting to the pretender than those who expect the pretender to adhere to what God said rather than follow their own perverted version of religion.

 
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds."

We walk among many people who are pretenders. They reject us as much as other unbelievers. They are unbelievers in disguise, full of self-exaltation and rebellion against God.

 
What to do about this problem we face often? We walk in obedience to God, speak the truth as led by the Holy Spirit and avoid those who have a false religion devised in their own minds.

 
1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."

2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."

God warns us how it will be in the last days and tells us to avoid those who pretend to be Christian but undermine the Bible. They will even claim they are "Bible believers" while they fight against sound doctrine with those who are faithful to the word.

 
2 Peter 2:1 'But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction."

Do not be discouraged, this is not about us. When they become angry that we corrected them or chose to walk away from them, their anger is on them; it tells us their heart. We need not feel guilty or less joyful. Our calling is to tell the truth and leave all the results to God; if we obey in this, then we will be at peace.

 
Keep Looking Up, soon we will be celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the greatest feast ever observed with the Lord Jesus Christ at the center.

Elders of the Ekklesia: The Role of Elders in Early Christian Assemblies

From Larry Jones: Amen, Amen!!!

Do not obey Men, Obey Christ!!!!

I used to worry about how I said something to someone so they would receive it. I gave that up when I realized it meant I was not trusting the Holy Spirit for my delivery and that my delivery didn't determine the response.

 
When someone is offended by the truth of Christ, I walk away. It is not possible to "reason" with a stubborn heart.

 
There is always the possibility that God will send a stubborn person 20 other people, and the last person to tell them will be the one to see the heart that was softened by the other 19 encounters. Or ten thousand more encounters will not change a hardened heart, but the hearer will be responsible before God for what decision he made for or against Christ.

 
Since all that is up to God, we can freely walk away and leave it to Him. He knows what will happen and what someone may need.

Believers need to stop "second-guessing" their delivery and be confident that the Holy Spirit will give them what they need when they need it.

 
Mark 13:11 "11 And when they [a]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at that time; for you are not the ones speaking, but it is the Holy Spirit."

I am convinced many Christians do not speak the gospel to people out of fear, doubting that they will say the right thing or worrying that someone will be offended.

 
Here's the thing: people will be offended no matter how friendly we are or how careful we try to be. When we fear what people will say, think, or react, we will never be able to share the gospel with anyone. We must be unconcerned about our delivery as we depend entirely on the Holy Spirit to speak through us.

 
Perhaps most Christians do not trust the Holy Spirit in their lives; they try to figure out what will be acceptable to the culture, leaving them impotent and weak.
It is only through the leading of the Holy Spirit that we can be fearless and bold, able to share the truth with anyone as led by Christ. I do believe God holds us back at times because He knows those we should be talking to and those left to others.

Acts 16:6-7
"6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, after being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;
7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;"

When we set aside all man-made rules and formulas for witnessing or anything else, we will be able to hear from the Holy Spirit to do what He specifically directs us in all situations.

 
No worries, not figuring things out littered with doubt and no pressure from others. What freedom from the culture we have when we seek Christ in all things!!! Hallelujah!

Sinless Perfection is the Devil's Lie to Keep People from Confessing their Sin to be Cleansed

Those who believe in "sinless perfection" after salvation will never grow in holiness. If we cannot admit our flaws, we will defend them as justifiable, further solidifying a hardened heart.

Blaming others for the problems of the hardened heart only serves to destroy relationships and impede emotional and spiritual growth. And, it may be an indication that someone was not ever born again.

 
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Notice the words; "if we confess our sins", clearly stating the condition for cleansing. God will not cleanse anyone who ignores or defends their sin. They will experience the consequences without help from Him. Or, He will discipline those who are stubborn until they break under the weight of their own guilt and eventually confess.

Hebrews 12;5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

If they do not confess, they will go before the Father in heaven. When the dross is burned off, there will be little or nothing left for a reward.

Colossians 3:23-24
"23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,
24 knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

As believers, we do not "work heartily" for salvation, but only for rewards. If our work was for salvation, then the sacrifice on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ would be silly. He paid the debt of our sin that we could not pay. If we cannot pay the debt ourselves through our own works, then what makes us think we can lose it through our own works?

The confusion arises when people appear to walk away from the gospel, or there is no evidence of a difference in their lives as a result of being changed by Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:13-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"

Pretenders do not change much because they are doing their works of righteousness in the flesh, not by the power of God. They tend to be prideful about themselves because they are "doing" what they believe to be right. This is the reason they make no progress in holiness; they are depending on their own way instead of the principles and commands of Christ.

 
God said we will be able to know these people by their fruit or lack of fruit. Some believers appear to have fruit, but it is not lasting and it is fleshly without authentic fruit.

 
This fruit is Spiritually discerned by those who walk in the Spirit of Christ Who lives in them.

 
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."

Matthew 7:16-21 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.
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 will enter."

Those who say "we cannot know another man's heart only God does" is quoting scripture out of context. God has shown the born-again believer the heart of men through these passages. It would make no sense to give us the criteria of a heart changed by God or not changed by Him unless it was instruction to know what to look for and how to hear from the Holy Spirit when He warns us in knowing who is real and who is not.

 
Why do we need to know who is authentic and who is not? We are told that light has no fellowship with darkness. We will not be one in Spirit with those who are pretenders; they will hinder our walk, and worse, they will influence baby believers to be like them.

 
Many of the "Christians" I know lack love, they lack joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, and self-control. It is not a matter of having an occasional fall in weakness; these traits are absent in those who live a lifestyle of lack of these traits. This lack of the fruit is a habit without conscience and even defensiveness when confronted with the truth about themselves.

 
Those who have the fruit of the Spirit live in a constant lifestyle of love, demonstrating the fruit without having to think about it. This fruit is so much a part of their being that they automatically operate according to the fruit of the Spirit. If they fall momentarily, they quickly confess and hate what they did. These moments of fall are rare in their lives because the fruit of Christ dominates them continually.
Sometimes it is difficult to discern who is who because Christians can be stubborn and resistant to correction. These are the ones who will have all the dross burned away on judgment day, leaving nothing for rewards, but they will still be saved. 1 Corinthians 3

When I am not able to tell if someone is saved or not I have a rule of thumb I follow. If someone says they are a Christian but resists the Word of God, I maintain a distance from them because God said to correct a brother or sister, and if they will not listen, do not keep company with them. They may be a pretender with whom we have no fellowship with darkness, or they may be a disobedient sibling that God tells us to avoid.

 
Our fellowship with believers has to be according to the Word of God and in agreement. Someone is not going to change their heart because we hang around acting friendly. More than likely they will solidify the rebellion through acceptance of their condition.

 
James 5:16 "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
As believers, our job is to preach the gospel to the lost and to edify the brethren. If a sibling in Christ is contentious and will not hear the truth or follow it, they must be removed, or we will become like them. The more we tolerate sin in our brothers and sisters the more we will be influenced by it. The same thing is true of unbelievers who are pretenders.

 
The practice of the culture of our day is to worry more about someone's feelings than we are concerned about their spiritual condition. It is a selfish stance to remain silent so that we do not incure the anger of the one who does not want to hear the truth.

If we care about our brothers and sisters, we will help them with the truth. If we care about the lost, we will help them with the truth. If they become angry, refusing to hear, then that is on them, and we are not only free to walk away but commanded to do so.

 
Our culture likes to blame the truth teller for making someone angry by exposing sin. We do not make someone angry with the truth; they choose it, and their response is not on us.

Not Social Clubs but Gatherings of Edification

"If you find a perfect church when you join it, it won't be perfect anymore. so don't look for the perfect church."

 
I am weary of hearing this foolishness. It keeps many people from leaving ungodly, worldly gatherings when those in attendance dishonor God and embrace ritual mixed with paganism.

 
The people of God are to seek the face of God, expecting and encouraging obedience to God's Word. When a gathering has the mindset of tolerating sin and sinful attitudes because "no one is perfect," they are endorsing unholiness instead of encouraging holiness.

 
I am convinced that we are not to join any group just because they say they are a Christian church. God never commanded us to attend just to attend. He told us to gather with like minded people who will help us grow in holiness, as well as speak the gospel to the unsaved world.

 
The modern churches have worked to bring the ungodly into the gathering while fostering tolerance for sin to keep the unsaved returning.

 
Ephesians 5:10-12 "…10 Test and prove what pleases the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.…"

Believers cannot have fellowship with those who do not love Christ. Our gatherings of believers are not for unbelievers. God told us to "go into the world and make disciples", not bring them into our gathering. Once someone is born again then they can come in as brothers and sisters in Christ.

 
The gospel is for the unsaved world; those within the gathering of believers come together to edify and equip one another to go out and share the gospel within their own communities. Unfortunately, most "Christians" today consider evangelism for an elect few or the leadership, but the mandate was to all of us who have trusted Christ.

 
We can't all travel the world, but we can live out our faith within our communities and share with others as we go about our business. Then, if someone becomes born again,n they will be invited to join, but nothing in the gathering should be "dumbed down" for the new believer. Everyone can share in the growth of a new believer through teaching, each one as they are led by the Holy Spirit.

 
If we obey the scriptures in this, the gatherings will not become superficial social clubs.

Troubled by not Distressed

THE BEREAN CALL

Samuel G Whiteside  · ordnspSote7658a7a412ha97taff694u57g0g10752lu1m2f60att4fim566  · 

Samuel G Whiteside

ordnspSote46580aa412Pa97taf:394u57gM1 07 2lJ1m ly0u t4fim561  · 

COMFORT IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

With Jesus we just get the truth, his words are are always what we need to hear not always what we want to hear, he tells us that in this life we "will" face afflictions, in other words he's telling us that following Jesus does not make us exempt from the troubles that this fallen world will give us through our lives, we will all die, we will all lose people we love we may feel depression the Lord does not lie he tells us life will be hard!

John 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

With his truth he also brings a promise that he will be with us through it all, bringing a peace that will be a foundation for us to be able get through this hard life

This truth is evidently shown in every believer I have ever known, and every person that was a child of God in the Bible, everyone faces these trials but through Christ they always find the strength to go on, God upholds us with his right hand he keeps out spirits strong especially when we go through the hard times.

Isaiah 41:10

fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.

Don't get me wrong it's not all doom and gloom God also promises us blessings in life and again we see this in every believers lives but ultimately Jesus words are to comfort us for the times when life gets us down, the promise of salvation and an eternal life that is free from tribulations and troubles is awaiting us all so I think that does our minds and spirits good, that is where we find our rest even in life..

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I believe all of these promises because they have been proven in my own life, I have been very blessed but I live a simple life I am married I have children, I work and I take care of my family and I enjoy the love within my own house, that is the blessings God has giving me but life still hits hard since I have been walking with God I have lost loved ones I have watched my family go through illnesses there is not one part of my new life that was not promised would happen.

It's so important for us to trust God's word for the tribulations and not just the blessings we receive, in doing so we won't have a mindset of "where is God now" instead we will have a mindset of "God is with me he will get me through this and everything will be ok"

That is where my strength lies and that's why I always encourage fellow believers to keep reading the word of God we are to keep each other strong through encouragement

◄ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ►

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I hope and pray this can help or encourage someone in the loving name of our Lord Jesus Christ