Christ is Always the Focus in the Born-Again Believer

The sin of pride in those who believe they have never done anything big will keep that person out of heaven. Pride of goodness must be expunged from a person before they realize their need for Christ.

So many people who decided to be Christians have never been cleansed from their sin to become born again. They act as though they have joined a club and are going to live their life in their own effort better than they did before. This mentality fosters and grows arrogance.

These people decided for one reason or another a Christian association would make for a better life, but they were never "contrite" in their hearts. They were never crushed over their sin, as the word contrite conveys.

These people begin to build pride in themselves as they believe their choice to associate with Christianity gave them special status in the community, conveying a pius mentality, a superior attitude, often creating an "us versus them" frame of mind leading only to a false and even destructive Christian witness.

I have met many of these people who judge others as inferior to them, even though the people they judge have been cleansed and free of past forgiven sins that the pius ones wish to hold over their heads the rest of their lives.

There can be no attitude of superiority in the heart of a Christian when they know they had to be broken themselves at one time in order to be cleansed by Christ.

Those who think their sins were not so terrible and that they have earned their way through their pretense of a good person, will be chastised by God if they are born-again, if they are not born-again they will see the fires of hell.

Yes, it is sad and very true that there are some born-again folks in the church who elevate themselves as though they have always been good. No one has always been good, no one has always been Christian, everyone had to come to Christ in brokenness over their sin, knowing it is only Christ Who saves, they cannot save themselves. They are not special because they have become a Christian, only Christ in any believer is special. It is only by His grace that He changes us into a new creation when we confess our sinfulness and trust in Him to change us into what we should be, an ongoing work of Christ in our lives all of our lives.

Hallelujah, what a joy when we let go of pride, we have no need to be special or above anyone else, we are happy and content to be nothing while Christ is everything in us.

John 3:30-31 "30 He must increase; I must decrease. 31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all."

A Testimony of God's Grace and Salvation

A dear brother, Terry, asked for testimonies of our salvation on his page. I took that opportunity to share mine, here it is:

Christ saved me from a life of sin and sadness. After I trusted in Him, He saved me from the sin I was involved in that was destroying my soul. After salvation, the peace and joy rushed into me like a flood causing me to begin the evangelistic work on my husband for the next few years.

Those were hard years because he no longer liked me anymore, even though he loved me. After several years of putting up with my yammering about Christ, the Lord told me to stop working on my husband. God said in my heart; "when you are ready to quit and just pray, then I will begin my work." I obeyed and then I could see my husband becoming curious and eventually born again.

So often we don't think it's enough to give the gospel message to someone once, we must hammer them with it as though it is us who will make the difference. It has to be Christ, I learned to speak the truth once to someone and then let go and let God. One of the most valuable lessons of my life.

1 Peter 3:1 "In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives,"

It really is true that "actions speak louder than words."

Our lives speak more to a community than anything we would tell the people. We must speak the gospel too, but if our words do not match our lifestyle then the words are null and void.

My husband could not see the change in me through all the nagging, it was when I went quiet that he began to see the change in my life.

All that was back in our twenties. we have been married 50 years walking with God together most of it and growing closer to Him and each other every day. We have had struggles on and off as we both grew in the Lord, there were things the Lord has to cleanse from us.

I worry about those who don't think they have anything to be cleansed after salvation. Our entire life is one of confession and cleansing if we desire to closely walk with Christ.

1 John 1:9

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

This passage in First John is written to born-again believers.

Galatians 2:20

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

2 Thessalonians 2:13

"But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

Because our flesh is still sinful it must be continually dealt with, the Spirit in us wars against our flesh.

Galatians 5:16-18 "16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.…"

When we freely confess as the Holy Spirit convicts us of a sin, then He will cleanse us of that sin. However, if we do not confess sin we will not progress in holiness. We become a useless vessel.

May we be quick to hear the Holy Spirit when we sin and quick to confess it to be cleansed. This leads to a guilt-free blessed experience as we walk in obedience to Christ. Our flesh can be weak but we have the strength to overcome it in the Holy Spirit Who lives in us. Hallelujah!

For the Believer in Christ Hope Really does Spring Eternal!!!!

For the born-again believer, trials do not devastate they strengthen. Because we know Christ nothing removes our faith or our hope.

 
Romans 5:1-6
5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

How to be Free From Guilt

Do you want to be set free from guilt and shame caused by your sin? Easy, confess to God, ask Him to cleanse you and you will be free indeed.

 
John 8:31-32
The Truth Will Set You Free
"31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Facing our sins and repenting is the greatest freedom in the world. Those who think they don't feel guilty and are able to ignore the sin are denying their guilt, they have it even if they deny it.

Angry people are full of guilt. Attempting to continually justify their angst and hatred only solidifies their guilt. Pretending something wasn't that bad does not remove the stain of guilt, only a contrite (crushed) heart can heal from the guilt.

Its sort of like ignoring a broken bone, if not jerked into place with lots of pain it will never heal properly. The pain of confessing sin comes from the pride in us, but passes quickly when we believe God Who said if we confess we will be forgiven.

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."

Those who walk in humility and have been forgiven because they confessed and wanted Christ to change them, are the freest people on earth ready to face everything with courage.

Those who are burdened down with sin full of pride are in their own little prison. They can get out of that prison of guilt by confessing and obeying God.

This is what I want for those who are still languishing in shame. It's such hard work to continually justify the old sins that plague them. Be free....confess and be set free.

God is Removing the Lampstands

When we are researching a particular church, going to their Facebook page and their website we would expect to find a ton about Jesus Christ, wouldn't we?

 
When we go to a particular church's Facebook page and website and there is nothing at all about Jesus Christ or their beliefs, we have to wonder whether or not they are afraid of speaking about Christ.
A woman once told me she didn't write about Christ on her page because she didn't want to offend her non-Christian friends.

 
I am not able to understand a believer who is afraid to speak about Christ. Facebook is one of the biggest evangelistic tools we have in our day. We can reach the world from our living rooms without the hassle or expense of travel. Even the poorest people have internet and can witness Christ.

 
We are missionaries, are we not? If we are hiding our faith from non-believers is that not evidence that we are ashamed of Christ?

 
An elderly woman who attended church all her life once told me that "my religion is a personal matter." This is exactly the opposite of what God tells us in His Word.

 
Sadly this is the condition of the modern church today, hiding their Christianity in order to fit into the world while gleefully telling another Christian they are Christians too.

 
Most gatherings today have become social clubs for conservative causes but have no interest in evangelism or personal witnessing to their community.

 
Mark 16:15
"And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

1 Peter 3:15
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,"

Our world is where we live every day. We need not travel across the world to witness, we have opportunities and time to do so in our own little world where we live.

 
Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

The lampstand has been removed from many church gatherings today, repentance on the part of these gatherings is needed.

 
Revelation 2:5
"5 Therefore, remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."

Confession and Forgiveness, Both Must Occur

We are called to forgive offenders when they repent. God said to forgive the WAY He forgives, that is when there is repentance. We are not required to forgive those who do not express sorrow over their offenses.

We are not to do revenge and we are to bless them when they curse us but forgiveness is for reconciling a relationship. We cannot reconcile with someone who continues their abuse, and we are not to forgive them, removing all consequences for their sin.

Luke 17:3-4 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Why do so many people enable others by ignoring the command to forgive WHEN there is repentance?

Why do so many people ignore the parts of these verses that say; "if he repents, forgive him."

I find this to be true for so many things in life. People have left out what is uncomfortable for them based on the psychology that they were indoctrinated to believe.

Forgiving someone who is not sorry to make yourself feel better is a self-focus and does nothing good for the offender. Feelings are temporary and are not accurate. We must do things God's way because they have a purpose, and that purpose is that people will authentically repent, "change their mind about their sin" and carry on to improve their character.

If there is no repentance and no change of mind, the offender continues sinning over and over again the same sins without a conscience toward their offenses toward others, even defending or justifying their evil.

There can only be a change in character when people are sorrowful over their sin and want to be changed by Christ. Those who are not sorry for their evil will not change until they are sorry enough to confess the sin and desire to be changed by Christ.

If we love people we require from them what God requires. We do the hard work of relationship development through confession and forgiveness, two sides of the same coin.

Society, in general, has become meaner possessing less conscience than in previous generations because they have been taught others need to forgive them without anything being required of the offender.

Forgiving an unrepentant sinner does not soften their heart as so many think, it only hardens them further.

Proverbs 28:13-14

"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity."

If we love an offender we will require of them what God requires, giving them the opportunity to be free of their guilt and sin. Enabling them is not helpful to them.

The idea that we forgive for our own benefit is selfish, lacking empathy and deep concern about the soul of the offender.

In a Crowd

For many years holidays were spent in a large crowd with family members. No one talked very long with anyone else on a meaningful level and those who dared to think differently from the group were isolated or ignored.

Cliques are the mainstay of a large worldly crowd. People tend to be less appreciative of “free thinkers” when the group is disapproving. Not too many people think for themselves or express themselves openly and honestly while in the group setting.

Over the years I did not find it very uplifting or of value to attend large gatherings. It was a place where everyone was careful to hide their real selves and only say and do what the crowd thought was appropriate, it was without a doubt, “group think” from start to finish.

Not too much of value was said or done at these gatherings for fear of wholesale rejection by those who were easily offended or had a prejudice against someone. When there is prejudice against someone, based on gossip or a two-sentence explanation of something, those who dislike the person will interpret the exchange in a negative way, not because anything negative was said or done but because they don’t like the person who said the words or did the actions.

God showed me that much more meaningful conversations could only occur in one-on-one visits with individuals. People are less likely to follow the crowd’s emotions and responses if they are alone with us. In other words, people tend to be a little more authentic when they are not being manipulated by crowd approval or disapproval.

When small snippets of information are exchanged without explanations there arises misunderstandings leading to assumptions that often are not true. When we are able to have a lengthy conversation with someone we can explain things that easily clear up any negative ideas that cross the mind of the hearer.
Most people are happier in a crowd with levity and superficiality than they are in one-on-one visits. The party mentality causes misunderstandings and pressure on others to become just like the group, individuality and authentic personality expressions are discouraged.

I have been in many public crowd settings, they were always the same. I love people and I love to have meaningful conversations that inform and teach. We can all learn from one another, but only if we are open, honest, and uninhibited by public opinion.
Mankind is predisposed to cliques, excluding those who are not accepted by the “alpha” person in the crowd. Once the main controller of the crowd displays disapproval or approval, the rest of the crowd fall in line. People are not very interested in truth, their only interest in most situations is being accepted by those in the room.

So! What is the answer to this problem of cliques and superficiality? God’s solution is for believers to be authentic, bold, and loving all at the same time. The response of others is not important, if it were important then God would not have told us we will be rejected for His name's sake.

John 15:20-21 “……20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. 21But they will treat you like this because of My name since they do not know the One who sent Me.”

When we live for Christ we will not be accepted by the crowd. Even if we say nothing and do nothing they will be uncomfortable because of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us, but they will think what they are sensing is something wrong with us. Often they will make up something we must be doing or saying that is wrong when nothing wrong happened. They are attempting to justify their discomfort by judging us wrongly.

Most people do not think beyond their feelings. Feelings and fantasy take priority over truth and proof in our day. And, most people are more comfortable in a superficial crowd than they are one-on-one when they are faced with possibly exposing their real selves.

Because we know this we have no reason to fear the reactions or abuse from others. We can remain Christ-like no matter what they do and carry on in our joy and peace. Since we do not base our reactions on feelings we can be calm and peaceful all the time, even under persecution.

Hallelujah, it is Christ in us Who gives us this mentality of peace, joy, and strength.

Philippians 4:6-7
"6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."