I once knew someone who was miffed and disgusted with new believers because they had big stories of having been deep in sin, through drugs, alcohol and other major things everyone could see were destructive.
You might ask "why would a "Christian" be irritated at the dramatic testimonies of people who had been changed by Christ into a completely different person?"
It is my belief that someone who says they are a Christian and in their estimation have never done anything monstrous or dramatic as a sinful person, might believe they had never sinned.
To deny that Christ changes people is to deny Him!
1 John 1:6-8 "…6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."
The disgust at someone's testimony of a wicked life before being born again is based on their own idea that they have never sinned and that there is no change in bad people, that Christ does not change sinners.
Sadly this mentality denies the miraculous work of Christ and places the onus on them and others to save themselves by being good.
Romans 3:10-12
"10 as it is written,
“There is none righteous, not even one;
11 There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”
Just because someone has not done any sin others can see does not mean they are good people. Many people who thought they lived lives worthy of salvation will be going to hell.
Self-righteousness is condemned by God, anyone who lives this sort of self-elevation will go to hell.
Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and the Publican
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Notice the Pharisee was praying "to himself", he was not praying to God, he was the god of his own life.
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.’"
Rather than asking God to reveal any sin in their own lives, these self-righteous people assume they did what they thought was right without consulting God. The dirt in their heart is hidden but rejects the idea that God is the One Who cleanses from sin, they thought they cleansed themselves.
1 John 1:6-8 "…6 If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.…"
I once confessed a sin to someone who had learned of my sin many years ago. This man's response was astounding, he asked in a mean spirited voice, "why did you do it." At the time I was a new believer and was shocked at his response. I had confessed it to God and to him even though it wasn't even against him, I thought he might hear and should know I was repentant. I had no answer for him at the time because of my shock that he was not grieving with me over the confession, he saw it as another opportunity to beat me down further. This was a violation of the scriptures but I didn't know it at the time.
To further demean someone who has repented is a form of glorying in the fall of another. The violation of the Scripture was as follows:
Galatians 6:1
"1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.…"
Every single person must confess their sin to be cleansed. If someone never does this thinking they have no need then they are not looking deeply into their heart to see what lurks there hidden that needs confessing to be able to grow in holiness.
Psalm 129:34 "…23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting."
Someone who is self-righteous believing they have never done anything that needed confessing to be cleansed cannot be born again.
Anyone who is jealous of those who have confessed and have been cleansed suggests to me they have never experienced salvation. No one can become born again by pretending they have no sin that deserves hell.
Psalm 19:12
"Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults."
Proverbs 15:9
"The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness."
One cannot be pursuing righteousness if they think they have nothing to confess.
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."
Only IF we confess will God cleanse us. He will not cleanse anyone who will not confess, He will not save anyone who thinks they have no sin.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Dependence on Christ Alone
John 1:17-18
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Seeking the Holy Spirit and the Word for Truth
Perhaps there is a reason God has shut down the church gatherings in our country. Yes, I said that it was GOD Who shut them down using the unsaved to do it. There are many things the church does today that are based not on God's word but rather on human ideas to control the people.
1. Forgiveness without repentance...wrong
2. One man pastor...wrong
3. Women pastors...wrong
4. Becoming a Christian without sorrow over sinfulness...wrong
5. Divorce accepted as a right...wrong
6. Remarriage normal and common...wrong
7. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Birthday Celebrations,...wrong
8. Worship of human beings as heroes...wrong
9. Seminaries to Train preachers...wrong
10. Rejection of the head covering for women...wrong
11. Encouraging believers to bring unbelievers to
12. worship...wrong
13. Altar call after preaching in worship...wrong
14. Paying a salary to pastors...wrong
15. Entertainment bands in the gathering...wrong
16. Elevation of paid pastors above other in the
gathering...wrong
17. Choosing leaders outside the gathering who are unknown to
the congregation based on their credentials and talents for
speaking...wrong
18. Leaders who control the congregations...wrong
19. Prosperity preaching...wrong
20. Name it and claim gospel that guilts people into thinking they
do not have enough faith if they can't just make things appear
by the word of their own mouth the way God did with the
universe...wrong
21. Infighting over the nature and timing of the rapture...wrong
22. Dismissing prophesy as unimportant...wrong
23. Leaders intimidating rather than leading by example...wrong
24. Older folks leaving the teaching to paid hirelings rather than
obeying scripture to teach the younger ones...wrong
25. Young folks refusing to listen to the older folks...wrong
26. Joking and flippancy in the believer's gatherings...wrong
27. Allowing the "leaders" in the church to speak anything they
wish without challenge as though they are the authority
over the people...wrong
28. Leaders who lead by intimidation rather than by
example...wrong Lack of discipline and accountability for sin
and error...wrong The mentality that only the "preachers" can
know truth...wrong The idea that those who bring the gospel
to the unsaved must only be trained missionaries...wrong
Our church gatherings have so much wrong with the way they worship, the reason they meet, and those who lead them that they no longer resemble the model of the gathering as described in the first-century church that God gave for born again believers.
Many people have the erroneous ideas that we should not correct one another, that we should accept sin in the body and that the only ones who should teach, preach and rebuke are trained pastors...all of this is wrong according to God's Word.
Over the next few days and weeks, I would like to bring scripture to bear on every one of these false beliefs. Having been raised with the "cultural" Christianity and having my eyes opened by the Lord about it, I can say that most people who have been raised in this false system or who became born again and entered them after salvation have these ideas so firmly planted in their minds that it sounds very wrong to them. If anyone will ask God and search the scriptures without reading other books for the answers, God will open their eyes.
The problem is that so many teachers have been indoctrinated themselves by seminaries and bible schools that have brought their own bent to the teaching, using outside the bible writings and psychology in addition to the scriptures that they have not had "the pure milk of the word", it has been mixed with human traditions and sociological thinking of our time.
May the Lord be the focus and the Holy Spirit be the teacher of those who would desire to know the truth as each one seeks Him and His Word for themselves. Let no man be the hall monitor as you study, let no man influence what God has told you unless that man brings more scripture.
Consequences, circumstances, and life experiences do not determine truth, only the "pure milk of the Word" along with the tutelage of the Holy Spirit brings unadulterated truth.
1 Peter 2:1-3 "1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. 2 Like newborn infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.…"
Shed the idol worship of educated teachers who have been trained by schools rather than the Holy Spirit. If it was not the Holy Spirit Who taught then it must be questioned according to the Scriptures as well as the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
An idea or thought entering your head does not constitute the prompting of the Holy Spirit, when you hear from Him you will know it and it will do two things, it will match perfectly with the Bible and it will glorify God.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
1. Forgiveness without repentance...wrong
2. One man pastor...wrong
3. Women pastors...wrong
4. Becoming a Christian without sorrow over sinfulness...wrong
5. Divorce accepted as a right...wrong
6. Remarriage normal and common...wrong
7. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Birthday Celebrations,...wrong
8. Worship of human beings as heroes...wrong
9. Seminaries to Train preachers...wrong
10. Rejection of the head covering for women...wrong
11. Encouraging believers to bring unbelievers to
12. worship...wrong
13. Altar call after preaching in worship...wrong
14. Paying a salary to pastors...wrong
15. Entertainment bands in the gathering...wrong
16. Elevation of paid pastors above other in the
gathering...wrong
17. Choosing leaders outside the gathering who are unknown to
the congregation based on their credentials and talents for
speaking...wrong
18. Leaders who control the congregations...wrong
19. Prosperity preaching...wrong
20. Name it and claim gospel that guilts people into thinking they
do not have enough faith if they can't just make things appear
by the word of their own mouth the way God did with the
universe...wrong
21. Infighting over the nature and timing of the rapture...wrong
22. Dismissing prophesy as unimportant...wrong
23. Leaders intimidating rather than leading by example...wrong
24. Older folks leaving the teaching to paid hirelings rather than
obeying scripture to teach the younger ones...wrong
25. Young folks refusing to listen to the older folks...wrong
26. Joking and flippancy in the believer's gatherings...wrong
27. Allowing the "leaders" in the church to speak anything they
wish without challenge as though they are the authority
over the people...wrong
28. Leaders who lead by intimidation rather than by
example...wrong Lack of discipline and accountability for sin
and error...wrong The mentality that only the "preachers" can
know truth...wrong The idea that those who bring the gospel
to the unsaved must only be trained missionaries...wrong
Our church gatherings have so much wrong with the way they worship, the reason they meet, and those who lead them that they no longer resemble the model of the gathering as described in the first-century church that God gave for born again believers.
Many people have the erroneous ideas that we should not correct one another, that we should accept sin in the body and that the only ones who should teach, preach and rebuke are trained pastors...all of this is wrong according to God's Word.
Over the next few days and weeks, I would like to bring scripture to bear on every one of these false beliefs. Having been raised with the "cultural" Christianity and having my eyes opened by the Lord about it, I can say that most people who have been raised in this false system or who became born again and entered them after salvation have these ideas so firmly planted in their minds that it sounds very wrong to them. If anyone will ask God and search the scriptures without reading other books for the answers, God will open their eyes.
The problem is that so many teachers have been indoctrinated themselves by seminaries and bible schools that have brought their own bent to the teaching, using outside the bible writings and psychology in addition to the scriptures that they have not had "the pure milk of the word", it has been mixed with human traditions and sociological thinking of our time.
May the Lord be the focus and the Holy Spirit be the teacher of those who would desire to know the truth as each one seeks Him and His Word for themselves. Let no man be the hall monitor as you study, let no man influence what God has told you unless that man brings more scripture.
Consequences, circumstances, and life experiences do not determine truth, only the "pure milk of the Word" along with the tutelage of the Holy Spirit brings unadulterated truth.
1 Peter 2:1-3 "1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. 2 Like newborn infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.…"
Shed the idol worship of educated teachers who have been trained by schools rather than the Holy Spirit. If it was not the Holy Spirit Who taught then it must be questioned according to the Scriptures as well as the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
An idea or thought entering your head does not constitute the prompting of the Holy Spirit, when you hear from Him you will know it and it will do two things, it will match perfectly with the Bible and it will glorify God.
John 16:13-14 "13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
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