Christ is the Only One Who can Change a Person

Saying they are a Christian does not make someone born again.

Attending a gathering of Christians does not make someone born again.

Doing good deeds does not make someone born again. 

Only believing on the Lord Jesus Christ with the desire to be changed by Him into a new creation will cause Christ to act to save you.

Acts 16:30 "…30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,"

When you believe in Christ He then sends the Holy Spirit to live in you, you become a completely different person, not by your own effort but by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

We have only to ask God for His wisdom to acquire it.

James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"

When you ask for wisdom you will find yourself looking at everything differently from before. Things you thought were good will be exposed as evil. The way you think is changed completely. If there is no change in you except for a few activities you decided to stop, then you were probably not changed by God and do not have salvation. God changes our desires, our pleasures, our goals are all different when He changes us. WE are completely made new by Him. 

Ephesians 4:17-24 "17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 

18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,
21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"

Be Born Again, This Time for Real!

We are in the Laodicean age in which the churches are dead and worldly. Few people compared to the population of the world will be born again. The 2 Timothy 3 description of the end days is describing these churches, they "have a form of religion," but are not born again.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, 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 men as these."

This is a description of the apostate church in the end times. They are resistant to correction from the Word, even defending their sinful ways as though they have a right to be whatever they want and still gain heaven. 

God made it clear that no one will gain heaven by their own good deeds. They will not see heaven until they have confessed their sinfulness and believed in Christ for their salvation.

John 14:6
"6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

Christ paid the price for our sin but we have to confess we need Him to save us and cleanse us. Those who will not admit their sinfulness and place their faith in Christ will not see heaven. There will be many who think just saying His name and pretending to be a Christian will get them saved, it will not. 

Matthew 7:21-23"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

What a frightening thing to be expecting to get into heaven only to be told by Christ, "I never knew you" and then being cast into hell. 

Those who trust in Christ will worship Him only! They will not place any human being above Christ or any worldly ideas more important than Him. 

Matthew 4:10
"Away from me, Satan!" Jesus declared. "For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'"

Luke 13:27
"And he will answer, 'I tell you, I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers.'"

I think that Matthew 7:21-23 is the most frightening verse in the Bible. God will send to hell all those who think they are saved when they approach the gates of heaven who trusted in themselves. They approach believing they are going to heaven only to be turned away.
If you are depending on your own goodness and have disregarded Christ through mocking His word and refusing to seek Him, you will not be saved from hell. 

A born again believer loves God's Word, listens to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and obeys Him. 

John 10:26-28 "…26 But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.…"

If you are walking in a worldly Christianity, full of pride thinking you are going to heaven because you like yourself so much, beware, you are probably not born again and will hear those terrible words, "depart from me." 

If you want to be born again you must confess your sinfulness, ask the Lord to change you into a new creation while believing in Him. 

He will change anyone who wants to be changed. He will not change anyone who does not want to be changed into a new creation. God never forces anyone, we have a choice. All those who go to hell have chosen it over Christ. They bear the responsibility for where they ended up. 

Choose Christ today, depend on Him to make you what you should be, let Him be the Lord in your life. 

Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Romans 3:10 "10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.…"

It is only when we are changed by Christ after hearing the gospel and choosing to believe that we can understand. 

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."

God will not ignore anyone who wants to belong to Christ! When they believe in Him He will save them, send the Holy Spirit to live in them as a promise of their salvation and He will clean them up as a lifelong process. 

Choose Christ today, He is coming back for His Church very soon, don't be left behind.

Many False Church Traditions Loom Over Us Today

YES, they even argued with Jesus while thinking they had a right to get into heaven because of their good deeds. The fact that they argue with God after they are dead they think their ideas and even themselves are equal to God. Who are "they", they are those who believed they were going to heaven but had not trusted in Christ. They had a religion but they did not have a relationship with Christ. They did not look to Christ as their authority, they looked to Him to validate themselves as special. These pretenders are proud and self-righteous, depending on their own version of goodness to enter heaven on their own power. 

Matthew 7:21-23
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"

And today they argue with us when we bring scripture to bear on a matter. To argue with scripture is to argue with God.

The modern church gatherings are not obeying God in most things including the way they gather and their idea of leadership. Their leaders are men, not the Holy Spirit. Their leading has to do with cultural norms rather than God's Word.

Mankind often thinks they know better than God how things ought to be run in their gatherings. They operate from the standpoint of what they think works, what manipulates people rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to work.

We know this by the flattering and motivational words they use to make people feel happy and comfortable. 

I notice that many preachers today are using the excuse that Christians cannot violate the words of God that says "do not forsake the gathering" as though two or three people in a household is not a gathering. 

Matthew 18:20 "20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Notice one only has to have "two" gathering to be pleasing to God.

I am convinced that the pastors of today are not upset at the closing of churches because of this Matthew 18 verse, they are upset because they are not receiving the salaries or paying the mortgage on buildings. Nowhere in the word of God does He tell us to build buildings or pay salaries to preachers. 

Titles for preachers are forbidden by God. 

Matthew 23:9
"9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
Any title of authority given to any man is a violation of the scriptures. "Pastor" is not a title it is a gift and several in one gathering should have this gift. 

The title of "Reverend" is dishonoring to Christ because it elevates a man to the level of Christ. "Reverend" means "worthy to be revered." We ought not to be elevating anyone above anyone else. We all have jobs to do, some are leaders but they are to lead by example and teaching not by an authority over. 

Jesus Christ is the only Authority over a born again believer. We submit one to another as a person is led by God, but we are not required to submit to someone teaching untruth or who is sinning. 

The only way to be born again, the only way to enter heaven is to confess our sinful nature and ask Christ to change us into a new creation. After we do this with a sincere heart Christ will come to dwell in you while cleansing you from your sin. His shed blood for the penalty of sin is counted to those who do this. He paid the pride for sin, He is the One that saves when we have faith in Him. Then HE cleans us up and makes us ready for heaven. He is our righteousness because we have none of our own. 

Those who wish to have special titles above others are prideful, full of the culture, and their own self-righteousness. If you are one who allows others to call you by a title as a one-man pastor in a church gathering, repent, drop the title, refuse the paycheck and encourage other men in the gathering to participate in the preaching and leading. The leadership in the local gathering is the model God gives us in the Word of God. All other models are man-made and without God's blessing!

1 Corinthians 3:1-14 "3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 

2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 

3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 

4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 

7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 

8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."

8 Signs You're In a COUNTERFEIT "Christian Church" Gathering

Joining Christian Gatherings is NOT REQUIRED

Don't Be Left Behind

God has been kicked out of the world as a whole. He will not perform His works where there is no faith in Him!

Matthew 13:57-58 "…57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.” 58And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief."

God will not save anyone who doesn't want Him to change them into a new creation.
For all those who believe God saves everyone because everyone is basically good, I have some very unhappy news for you. God will not save those who will not trust in Him. Only God can change someone into a new creation, cleaning from sin and sealing them as counted righteous for heaven. 

The Holy Spirit is the seal on us that we belong to Jesus Christ. He will not seal anyone with His seal of promise if they will not admit they are sinners in need of a Savior. If they are attempting to be good enough to gain heaven He will not save them. 

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."

Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

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."

You cannot cleanse yourself, being a human being who is desperately wicked we cannot clean ourselves up. Even our good deeds are tainted with self-righteousness to gain glory for ourselves. 

When a born again believer does a good deed by the power of God Who lives in them He gets all the glory.

When we admit we are sinners and want Christ to cleanse and save us then He will move into our bodies and begin the cleansing process over our entire life until He takes us home.
Christ will not do this for someone who thinks they are good without Him and who wants to remain loving their sinfulness. Those who claim to be Christians but do not want cleansing and desire only to steal from God His blessings will not be saved, their claims of Christianity is a lie.

When Jesus Christ moves into a person He lives in them forever, He saves them, cleanses them and keeps them until He takes them home. 

Remember, this is very important, man is not basically good, there is no one good, no one righteous enough to make heaven without Christ.
Romans 3:10 " 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.…"

Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

The human heart is desperately wicked without remedy, it is only with Christ can we be counted as righteous. He is our righteousness. 

Romans 4:5 "5However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. "

Romans 8:9
"You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
When we become born again we are no longer ruled by sin that used to dominate us. When we become born again the Holy Spirit rules us. When we sin as believers we hate it and confess to be cleansed. However, an unsaved person not only does not confess they refuse to admit they have sin and they even defend their sin. 

Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

The good news is that anyone can be saved if they will only confess their sinfulness and be set free by the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Sin is bondage, there is freedom from sin and great joy that comes to the one who trusts in Christ. 

There isn't much time left before Christ comes for His church, don't be left behind.

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HISTORY OF RELIGION (Part 48): SALVATION IS FOR ALL