Billy Graham Exposed by Dave Hunt

Love is not an Act it is a Part of our Being

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"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. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."

Love is not merely an act of kindness. Even unloving people can do kind acts to benefit their own reputation without any sense of love for the person they help.
Worldly love is always about personal benefit and conditional. God's love is a part of the being of the one who loves. They don't have to try to love or pretend to give they just are naturally empathetic and concerned for others.

 
The love of the world is based on self-aggrandizement not authentic sacrificial tenderness and affection.

 
All the qualities of Christ-like love are what Christ does in us when we become born again. We don't have to try it is what comes out of us without thinking or trying.

 
Those who have worldly love will only show kindness when it benefits them and almost never when it interrupts their routine or plans.

 
The only reason to know what these people are like is to make sure we do not become like them by paying more attention to our feelings and desires than to God's principles and guidance.

 
We are all capable of becoming something less than Christ-like if we allow feelings to guide us. The more we are guided by Christ the less we will "feel" a need to respond the way the world responds. In fact the more we obey God the less feelings matter at all.

 
We do have feelings and should say so, but we ought never to live according to those feelings. Often feelings alert us to problems within ourselves that need work. When our first response to an insult is to defend ourselves or fight back we know there pride that needs to be extinguished.

 
1 Corinthians 16:14
"Let all that you do be done in love."

1 John 4:8
"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."

John 13:34-35
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”

Targets of Gossip and Rejection

Proverbs 6:16-19

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

Proverbs 16:28

"A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends."

Proverbs 21:23

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

James 1:26

"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."

Proverbs 20:19

"Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler."

Those who have left family and unsaved friends to follow Christ will be targets of gossip and rejection. Here is what God says about it.

Proverbs 29:27

"An unjust man is detestable to the righteous, and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked."

James 1:2-7 "2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [h]without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Never allow those who walk wickedly to intimidate you into becoming like them. When you walk with Christ you will often be alone without allies or companionship. But remember this, all over the world there are others just like us who love the Lord with all their heart who are also experiencing this angst toward them.

Our flesh wants to explain and defend itself, but we do not need to defend ourselves when Christ lives in us, He will be our protector and defender no matter what the world tries to throw at us.

1 John 4:3-5 "3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time.

4 You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

5 They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them."

Hallelujah!!!!

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The ANTICHRIST Is COMING! | Hosts: Tim Moore, Nathan Jones & Dave Bowen

Salvation by Jesus Christ in a Nutshell!

Have you ever asked a person if they were born again and they returned an answer of "I go to such and such church." This is a common retort when someone does not understand what the phrase "born again" means.

Many people, and I know them personally who believe they have become a Christian by joining a group of people at a particular building. They are even pressured to be a "member" as though as long as they do that they are saved.

Sadly this country has been operating under the dilution that "going to church" makes them a good person. It has nothing to do with transformation by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous change of heart in the one who is born again.

In our culture today saying "I am a Christian" makes them feel safe with all the perks God has to offer them but without a desire to be changed by Him into a new creation.

The only way to become born again is to admit one is a sinner without a way of earning heaven by their works. Those who agree with God that they are despicable human beings unable to save themselves will want His sacrifice for our sins to account to them. When we trust in Christ that He paid for our sins on the cross and desire to be changed by Him, then He will do it.

He will send the Holy Spirit to live in those who are of a broken spirit over their sin and He will begin the cleansing process after He seals them with the Holy Spirit of Promise.

We do not become sinless when we are saved by Christ, but we will sin less because He does an ongoing work of cleansing. The more we confess our individual sins the more He works in us.

1 John 1:9

"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

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 the promise, 14 who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory."

When Christ changes us into a new creation we cannot return back to our old selves, it has been a work of God to change us, we do not change ourselves.

Those who attempt to change themselves are not saved. They are depending on their own version of righteousness by their own power, God will not change anyone who wants to do it their own way and they will not be born again.

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."

Marriage is a picture of salvation in the Scriptures. When Christ makes two people one it is a spiritual oneness that cannot be undone by man. Only death severs the marriage relationship that God created when the promises were made.

When God does a work no one or nothing can change what He does.

When a believer sins He hates it, confesses it to be cleansed as stated in 1 John 1:9 and he moves forward not repeating that same sin.

1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

We only have an advocate because we belong to Christ. It is not our Spirit that sins it is the flesh we battle because it remains sinful, the reason it does not go to heaven when we are born-again believers. Only our Spirit goes and our corrupted body stays on earth and decays.

God disciplines those who belong to Him so that they grow in holiness.

Hebrews 12:4-11 "4 You have not yet resisted [c]to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are punished by Him;

6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He punishes every son whom He accepts.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

Those who are not disciplined by God are not born again. All His children are disciplined and trained by the Holy Spirit. Every believer ought to be growing in holiness and righteousness.

Hebrews 12:8-11 "8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

11 For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

We can praise and thank the Lord for His purpose in our lives when we are born-again. Everything has a reason and everything is for our good and the good of all the believers in our sphere of influence.

Anyone who remains proud of how good they think they are, do not understand that pride is a sin and anyone with it will not be accepted. One must be humble to admit they are a sinner unable to save themselves. Anyoen who retains pride about their own goodness has not been changed into a new creation by God.

However, if a believer struggles with pride God will discipline them until they learn humility through trusting the Holy Spirit more than they trust in themselves.

Hebrews 12:14-17 "14 Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

16 that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

17 For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears."

And finally: Christ said "you shall know them by their fruit." The fruit of the Spirit are the character qualities of Christ not works. When a believer has these qualities they will recognize other believers with these qualities. They will also recognize when someone claims to be a Christian but does not have the qualities, these are those who want to be safe but do not want 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 we have this fruit of Christ Who dwells in us we will not live a lifestyle of anger and rebellion. We will automatically without thinking display these wonderful fruits because they are the nature of our soul. We cannot nor do we want to go against our new nature.

A good analogy in nature that God gave us was the butterfly. The butterfly begins in the cocoon as a worm. When it is time to emerge from the cocoon that worm turns into a brand new creature that is completely changed and can never go back into the worm state, they are changed forever into something beautiful and free to fly away from the prison of the cocoon.

The unsaved state for unbelievers is a prison they don't even know they are in, when someone becomes born again the joy and peace that comes is so wonderful that any desire to sin is removed from us. Now we have the mind of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, and the freedom to be what He wants us to be.

Isaiah 40:31 "

Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary."

Those who are in bondage to sin do not realize the freedom in Christ that born-again believers have. They have been released from the bondage of sin and given the freedom to be righteous, protected, and loved by Christ even in the midst of their trials. Trials do not go away but Christ goes through with those who have trusted in Him.

Hallelujah for God's provision of His dear Son Jesus Christ Who wants everyone to repent (change their mind) and desire to be changed by Him into a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Growing in Holiness Through Christ-like Conflict Resolution

We learn the most when we are confronted with our own flaws. Those who focus on their strengths will remain stagnant and even regress.

The strengths do not need work but the flaws do. If we are satisfied with ourselves we will not be inclined to improve and grow emotionally or Spiritually.

I don't know about you but I am not the same person I was when I became born again and I don't want to be the same person when I die that I am right now.

It is a weak person who stagnates to admire themselves in the mirror to message their feelings about themselves. Perhaps they know they have flaws and must continually praise themselves to overpower the sense of conviction that they are not perfect.

A strong person can admit their flaws and carry on to do better. It is a strong person who does not receive flattery but would rather hear a correction from God or a trusted friend than millions of people who flatter them.

Proverbs 29:5

"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."

Proverbs 26:24-28

"Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart; when he speaks graciously, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred be covered with deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin."

A good friend does not come in an angry spirit to beat us down when we have a flaw, rather they come in meekness with a desire to share a helpful and Biblical solution.

It is not hard to see when someone comes to "beat you up" to win over you or when they come because they love us deeply with concern and kindness.

Whatever the case our calm and kind response is on us, their anger is on them. We must respond and not react in emotional outbursts. If we love others we desire to learn what bothers them and we desire to resolve a problem.

Sadly though, in our day people want to vent but they will not discuss, as they withhold information and will not be honest and genuine. It is nearly impossible to discuss someone who stonewalls and refuses to be honest. In a case like this we remove ourselves and pray that God would work in both of us to do the right thing.

Proverbs 28:23

"Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue."

Job 32:21-22

"I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away."

When the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts our desire is to learn our flaws and pray that He cleanse us of them. There is nothing more wonderful than two believers who are discussing a problem while each loves with the kindness of Christ in the exchange.

Becoming Born Again is a Transformation by the Holy Spirit of our Heart