The "Religious System"

When we have been raised in a "religious system", one in which we were taught the rules but not the way of salvation we are likely indoctrinated into thinking that is no Biblical.

Our way of thinking in a system of rules is followed by a sense of working real hard to earn our way to heaven.

No one can earn any part of their salvation, this is a "works-based" religion based on self-effort. It leaves the follower of the rules proud of themselves instead of dependent on Christ.

When we know that Christ went to the cross to pay for our sins and that only He can be good, then is when we can let go completely of self-effort and rely on Him to change us into what we should be.

So many churchy systems today have abandoned the real gospel, which is faith in Christ alone. Not faith in preachers, or trained and learned people or even in ourselves to any degree, our faith is in Christ alone.

When we believe in Christ and what He did on that cross on our behalf we have to believe too that we have nothing we are able to do to save ourselves. Death was the penalty for sin, but it had to be the sacrifice of a perfect Lamb to cover our sin, we could never fulfill that for ourselves.

When we realize that it is all the work of Christ that saves us then we also know it is all His work in us that keeps on working after He comes to live in us when we trust in Him.

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."

When we walk with Christ He is the One Who works in us, we can rest in Him. Christ is our sabbath rest from here until we meet Him in the air during the rapture.

When we mess up and disobey His word we hate it, confess it to be cleansed and begin again in obedience.

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."

Our flesh wars against the Spirit Who lives in us. Our flesh remains fallen and must be subdued by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we seek Christ in all things He will continue the process of transformation as we submit to Him.

The more we confess as we are convicted the more we grow in His power.

God does not reform our old self, He transforms us completely into a different person, our Spirit becomes His, the old is gone and we are brand new.

However, we are trapped in this fleshly body that is dying, we must battle the flesh as we grow in holiness.

Galatians 5:24-25 "24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.…"

Romans 6:6

"We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Galatians 5:16

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."

What incredible joy it is to walk in the Spirit, growing every day as the joy increases even in the midst of hardship we know Christ goes through with us.

The life of the born-again believer does not get easier after we have been changed by Christ, sometimes it gets hard, even often it gets harder but we do not view the hardship the same way we did before we were saved. We view all trials and hardships with a heavenly and eternal perspective, a sort of boot camp of training to strengthen us. We cannot become strong by an easy life, which would make us soft and useless. Our strength comes from having to work through difficulties in the power of Christ learning His responses to life.

James 1:2-8

New King James Version

"2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

We learn how to handle trials by enduring them while coming out the other side with more wisdom than when we began.

We Cannot Make Others Love Us! We know Christ loves us!

Amen!!! I have always loved my children but I cannot make them love me. So, when they have rejected me I move on as though they are dead to me.

If they come back one day it would be wonderful but If they do not I am fine because dead people will not be resurrected by our efforts. If they are not born again they cannot be our companions because they do not walk the same path we are walking.

Our brothers and sisters and spiritual children are those who love Christ. We must develop our relationships based on Christ, not blood relations. Just some thoughts, I hope helps those who feel abandoned.

The brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who are born again are our family. These are the people we will spend eternity with, they love our Savior and appreciate us because of Christ in us.

When we focus on those who love Christ while praying for those who have not yet found Him to become born again we will not grieve anymore, we will rejoice.

When we agonize over lost relationships that we did not cause we are diluting our walk and our witness. We must carry on focusing on what God has given us to do and stay there. We cannot be fully effective if we are distracted by sad feelings of loss when there is no solution we can see outside of Christ, He is the key to it all.

A Little Humor!

Sharing Christ and Living Him!

Intimidation, mocking, and raging at someone does not change their heart. Most of the time it doesn't even change their behavior.

Stating the truth calmly with a loving intent of the heart may cause a change, or it may not, but at the least, it leaves us with a good conscience that we acted lovingly and wisely perhaps even leaving the hearer with something to think about. There is time for stern talk as led by the Holy Spirit but most of the time we can act calmly and resolutely without demeaning anyone.

We are not called to intimidate, mock, demean or demand people into compliance, we are called to speak the truth and leave the decision up to the one to whom we are speaking.

When we love someone we never rage at them, nor do we demean or mock them. We may show frustration and anger that they are harming themselves but that frustration and anger does not bring us to a superior attitude, it causes us to see the need for change for the person to whom we are speaking. We love them and want them to see the truth, but it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict their heart, not ours responsibility to force change in them.

It is not wrong to show our feelings as long as we are not sinning. It is sin to rage at someone to control them or to feel superior to them. Love should always be our purpose, not self-defense or superiority.

When we see every unsaved human being as someone we used to be, we will not treat them harshly, but with compassion. We were once sinners on our way to hell, it was Christ that saved us not others who intimidated us into submission to them.

John 16:7-9 "…7But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin because they do not believe in Me;…"

The Holy Spirit works through us as long as we are led by Him. If we try to do it in the flesh without His guidance we are sinning.

I recall Christ wielding a whip in the temple in defense of His Father. He never did it to defend Himself. He called the Pharisees white-washed tombs, I believe to inform them not as a mocking or demeaning method to intimidate. I wonder sometimes how many of those Pharisees became born again later because of His warning about their character, after all they were raised that they were doing right by being self-righteous.

When we explain to non-believers that they have sin that will lead them to hell we are doing the most loving thing for them we could do, that is to warn them of what awaits them if they do not trust Christ.

This is much like a man walking the town, ankle-deep through flooded streets to warn the people the waters are rising they must escape what is coming.

Does this man in the ankle-deep water scream in their faces and mock or demean them, NO, he simply speaks to warn and moves on to others.

We know that non-believers are drowning in their sin thinking they will not be carried away in the flood of debauchery. They do not know they are on their way to hell and that Christ is the only way to safety.

Some are stubborn and need a stronger rebuke but we must always speak and act with dignity, never out of control, and never to act superior.

Also, we are never justified in showing disrespect to any human being. Even if they are not respectful we can warn them about their sin but remain respectful in doing so.

Matthew 7:12

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

Romans 12:10

"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Titus 2:7

"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,"

Philippians 2:3

"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

These scriptures do not mean that we must be mousy and timid, they simply mean that we can act well in spite of what we are dealing with, that is in the power of the Holy Spirit. It may mean we are harsh with some people but loving, and easier on others who are not acting in stubborn ways. It is up to the Holy Spirit to decide how we will act, trust Him.

John 14:26

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Romans 8:26

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

1 Corinthians 6:19

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,"

Acts 1:8

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Power of the Holy Spirit is in all born-again believers, we can read His Word, follow it and depend on the Holy Spirit to guide us for each situation. What a blessing to know we do not have to depend on ourselves for answers or our delivery to others.

Hallelujah!!!!

What Does Christ Look Like to the World

We know we learn more by constant exposure to the actions and attitudes of others than we do by words people speak. If we listen to a good preacher day in and day out but run with people who act the opposite of what the preacher is saying we are more likely to act like friends than Christlike.

Many families are a good example of this; they tell us not to be selfish with our things and then horde their bag of candy without sharing.

I know it's hard to believe but the smallest matters have the biggest impact. Small things are taken for granted as insignificant children will do what we do far more than what we say.

In fact, children can see hypocrisy and will learn to become angry that we commanded them to do things the parents are not doing. Perhaps the children will be disciplined for fighting with a neighbor child but then at the parking lot at the grocery store, they will show anger at someone who took their parking spot. I know it sounds silly but the little things are the things that count the most.

If our heart is not in control over the small things it is not likely to endure the bigger hard things.

Colossians 3:17

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

If you no longer have children at home you are still influencing others all the time. As believers in Christ, we are showing unbelievers what Christ looks like through our own actions and attitudes.

Romans 12:1-2

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Paul Washer - Tarry with Christ!

David Reagan on America's Destiny, Part 2