A Christian is someone who has given themselves to God through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We have asked Jesus to forgive us of our sins and have accepted the blood sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for our sins. We have been SPIRITUALLY BORN AGAIN and have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THE POWER AND AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SIN. GOD IS THE ONLY ONE WITH THE POWER TO CAUSE OUR SPIRIT MAN TO BE BORN AGAIN.

Acts 4:12. “There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

This born again experience is a gracious free gift from God. No one else has been given the power and authority to forgive sin. This gift is given to us by simply asking and believing. Go to “JESUS AS SAVIOR” page for in depth, step by step instructions to be born again.

BORN AGAIN

When we make that free will choice to be a member of God’s family, we are making a choice to surrender our physical bodies, our soul (mind, will, emotions) and our spirit over to God. We are asking and inviting Him to come live inside of us and become joined to who we are forever. Our born again spirit is fused with the Spirit of God and lives inside of our human body. The Holy Spirit of God is forever a part of us and we will always be with God EHERE EVER HE IS THROUGHOUT ETERNITY. We become ONE WITH GOD SPIRITUALLY. His Spirit lives within us. He works through and expresses Himself through us. God Himself interacts with the world through our bodies. When we are born again, OUR PHYSICAL HUMAN BODIES ARE POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD. We become the house or temple of Almighty God. GOD LIVES THROUGH HIS BORN AGAIN CHILDREN. He is able to interact with the people in this world, saved or sinner, through the human bodies of His Christian children.

That “born again” experience is a supernatural miracle that ONLY GOD HIMSELF HAS THE POWER TO ACCOMPLISH. After we are forgiven of our sins and washed in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, God is able then to fuse Himself with our new “born again” spotless spirit and live within us. AGAIN, ONLY GOD HAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE THIS NEW SPIRITUAL LIFE WITHIN US.

A Christian is a flesh and blood body that has surrendered themselves over to the Spirit of God. Now we choose to live as God lives. We also have the strength and will power to live as God says. How do we live like God? We express true agape love where ever we go and whoever we are with. AGAPE LOVE IS WHO GOD IS AND WHO WE NOW STRIVE TO BE. We live and breathe the spirit of love, WHICH IS GOD.

We treat people the way God says to treat them. We talk, think and behave the way God says is right. We have the privilege to enjoy the physical and material blessings that we receive from God that is all around us. Because we are now children of the King of Kings, we are royalty and have been given an earthly and heavenly inheritance from our Father God. Our human lives and all of our material possessions belong to God. We are only stewards and ambassadors of our possessions. We spend our money where God says to spend it. We live our lives the way God says for us to live. We are able to do this because it is not us but the spirit of God in us that is doing the work of God and He is being expressed through our human lives.

The more we surrender to the spirit of God in us the more mature we are spiritually. The more like God we have trained ourselves to be.

Even though as Christians, we are now possessed by the Spirit of God, we all still have our own personalities. We all still express our different gifts and talents. But we express these gifts talents and personality from a core and foundation of holiness and true agape love which is GOD IN US.

As a true born again Christian, our nature, our character changes to be like God. God IS LOVE. He is KINDNESS, He is GENTLENESS. He is PEACEFUL. He is TRUTH. These character traits are called “FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT”. Every Christian has them on the inside of us if we are born again.

Galatians 5:22-23, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.

All Christians do not act the same because we all have different personalities. BUT ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS HAVE THE SAME CORE CHARACTER OF LOVE AND KINDNESS, WE ALL HAVE THE “FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT” LIKE GOD.

I am sure when you were in school you had different teachers who taught different subjects. You probably had the same exact class or subject taught by 4 or 5 different teachers or professors for you to choose from. Even though they were all teaching the same subject and all headed for the same results, their teaching and delivery was executed differently. You received the teaching better from a professor with a personality you liked. As Christians, we all express the spirit of God and love from our Godly nature, but we interact with people with different personalities.

There is nothing more upsetting to me to see and hear people who are confessing to be Christian, but they are rude, hateful, selfish, argumentative and negative. They lie, they are sexually immoral, but they still want to say I’m a Christian. If you are a true Christian YOUR NATURE CHANGES AND YOU ACT LIKE JESUS. YOU OBEY YOUR KING JAMES BIBLE.

As a child of God we want to please God. It is our desire to honor Him and bless the Kingdom. It is our desire to be like Him. Get your bible and read MATTHEW MARK LUKE AND JOHN. They will describe what Jesus was like when He was on this earth.

Receiving God’s spirit at our born again experience is a total act of God’s love and grace for us. We can not earn it. We can not pay Him back for it. We do not have the ability to change ourselves and become adopted into God’s family. IT IS A FREE GIFT THAT ONLY GOD HIMSELF CAN DO AND GIVE TO US.

Ephesians 2:7-9 CEV, “God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. ⁸ You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. ⁹ It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.

God’s saving grace is immediate. We IMMEDIATE BECOME A NEW BORN AGAIN PERSON, but it does not immediately make us perfect and cause us not to mess up. When we are first born again spiritually, we become new born babies spiritually no matter how old your human body is. God immediately takes up residence inside of you and immediately starts to teach us HIS WAY of living. We begin to mature in the spirit in the same way a child matures physically and emotionally from childhood to adulthood.

That is a process. It is a work that God does in you step by step and it is a work that you learn to discipline yourself to. God knows it takes time to grow up in the spirit the same way it takes time to grow up physically. You will mess up sometime. When you do, just repent and try not to give into your sin urges anymore. You keep living and interacting with the world the way God instructs us to in your King James Bible, until your negative emotions, feelings and selfish desires are controlled and mature. You have to discipline your self and control your negative emotions. You keep trying and maybe you keep messing up until you finally conquer the battle. As you train yourself and make yourself react to life the way God says, your outward behavior will soon line up with the holy born again person you are on the inside. Just know it is a process. God knows it and He continues to love you and help you as you get stronger and more mature in the spirit.

After we become a child of God, God stops holding our sins and mistakes against us, UNTIL WE MATURE ENOUGH AND GET STRONG ENOUGH TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES. When we sin or mess up, God does not stop loving us and He does not kick us out of His family. He does not expect us to be perfect at first and do everything just right. Of course after a sufficient amount of time, God will expect you to act like a mature Christian and not an undisciplined 2 year old.

Your immature flesh and blood body and mind is selfish and does not want to listen to any correction. Just like our small children are. But the more we say no to fleshly selfishness and make ourselves behave the way God says, the more our bodies become trained and conform to God automatically.

Romans 8:1-17 CEV, “If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. ² The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. ³ The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin. ⁴ He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. ⁶ If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. ⁷ Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws. ⁸ If we follow our desires, we cannot please God. You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. ¹⁰ But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. ¹¹  Yet God raised Jesus to life! God’s Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit. My dear friends, we must not live to satisfy our desires. ¹³ If you do, you will die. But you will live, if by the help of God’s Spirit you say “No” to your desires. ¹⁴ Only those people who are led by God’s Spirit are his children. ¹⁵  God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father.  God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. ¹⁷ His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.

In the same way that when we become parents, our new born children are ours forever. We don’t stop being their parents. WE KNOW, as they grow to be a two year old, a twelve year old, a sixteen year old and a 21 year old, it is a process. Their behavior matures. We are very forgiving and gracious of mistakes they may make at 2 that will be unacceptable at 21. A 2 year old having a temper tantrum is not looked down upon like it would be if they were 21 and having a temper tantrum. Their level of physical and mental maturity happens over a period of time. That same mindset is what is happening in our spirit when we get born again. God is now our Father. He teaches, He disciplines, He loves. God knows it is a process that takes time for us to grow and mature. God continues to love us, correct us, teach us and help us to grow into the mature spiritual children of God that HE WANTS US TO BE. REMEMBER THIS….When we mess up He does not stop loving us or kick us out of His family. Satan uses this lie on Christians all the time. God just picks us up, shows us what we need to do different to prevent those same mistakes again and then go on with our lives. NO CONDEMNATION IS NECESSARY.

John 3:16-18 CEV, “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. ¹⁷ God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! ¹⁸ No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn’t have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God’s only Son.

TRUE LOVE DISCIPLINES

When God disciplines you and corrects you, He is not condemning you and rejecting you as His child. He is teaching you right from wrong by rejecting your BEHAVIOR. It is through discipline that we learn to obey God. It is through self-discipline that we train our bodies to obey God. Just like with our own children, some discipline may be necessary for us to learn our life lessons along the way and mature like God desires. GOD’S LOVE DISCIPLINES. It does not enable or excuse bad behavior. The world thinks if you love me I should be able to do whatever I want. The world right now has this lesson all backwards. They make excuses for peoples bad behavior. They change the laws to accept people’s bad behavior. They enable and excuse punishment. They actually praise people who are defying the laws of God. That spirit of rebellion, sin, disrespect and violence, starts in our homes and goes out to express itself in the world. Thats why we are in such a terrible moral state right now. The King James bible is the ONLY TRUTH and the ONLY WAY WE SHOULD LIVE OUR LIVES. The Creator knows what is best for His creation.

Hebrews 12:5-11, “And have you quite forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his child? He said, “My son, don’t be angry when the Lord punishes you. Don’t be discouraged when he has to show you where you are wrong. ⁶ For when he punishes you, it proves that he loves you. When he whips you, it proves you are really his child.” Let God train you, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected? ⁸ If God doesn’t punish you when you need it, as other fathers punish their sons, then it means that you aren’t really God’s son at all—that you don’t really belong in his family. ⁹ Since we respect our fathers here on earth, though they punish us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to God’s training so that we can begin really to live? Our earthly fathers trained us for a few brief years, doing the best for us that they knew how, but God’s correction is always right and for our best good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹ Being punished isn’t enjoyable while it is happening—it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet growth in grace and character.

Proverbs 10:17, “Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. 

Proverbs 12:1, ” Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. 

Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. 

Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. 

Proverbs 22:15, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far away. 

Proverbs 29:15, “A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom, but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother. 

Proverbs 29:17, “Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire. 

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 

Job 5:17-18,  “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 18 For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. 

Proverbs 3:11-12, ” My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Deuteronomy 8:5-6, ” Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.  Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.

Ephesians 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Once we mature to the level God determines is acceptable, He is then able to release the blessings and earthly inheritances to us that we are promised as His children. He is then able to allow us a position in the family business and represent Him the way He expects. NONE OF THIS HAPPENS UNTIL GOD KNOWS WE ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO HANDLE IT AND WALK OUT OUR CALL AND PURPOSE WITH EXCELLENCE. God is the Judge. He is the One giving the blessing and He will be the One to determine when you are mature enough to handle it.

God’s spirit inside of us, directs our lives down a path that God has arranged. On that path is love, joy, happiness, peace, success, prosperity, and blessing that far exceeds our imagination.

For a more in depth study on salvation, go to the “JESUS AS SAVIOR” page of this website.

YOU ARE THE CHURCH

I know the world thinks of the church as a brick and mortar building, but God sees HIS CHURCH as His individual children. Yes we can meet at a brick and mortar building, but THE CHURCH OF GOD IS SUPPOSE TO BE GOD IN THE FLESH.

When we get born again, our human bodies become the temple and home of the Holy Spirit of God. Our bodies are possessed by God. As we yield to that spirit inside we become more like God and HE IS ABLE to use us, use our bodies, to fullfill His purpose here on Earth, just like He did Jesus. There is absolutely nothing the church can not accomplish if you believe and then step out in action. The church can not fail because GOD CAN NOT FAIL.

Even though God lives inside every born again believer, HE DOES NOT OVER RIDE OUR FREE WILL. We can still choose to obey the spirit of God inside of us or eject His prompting and guidance.

Before Jesus was crucified, the church was an actual brick and mortar synagogue, a building where the spirit of God dwelled and people could congregate to worship. But after Jesus was crucified, the church is now the individual body and family of God.

God lives inside every born again Christian child of God. Again, we are the temple, THE CHURCH and house of God.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 CEV, “All of you surely know you are God’s temple and his Spirit lives in you.  Together you are God’s holy temple, and God will destroy anyone who destroys his temple.

The death burial and risen Savior made a way for the Holy Spirit of God to reside and live inside the actual human body of every child of God when we get born again. God is now with us wherever we go and He NEVER EVER LEAVE US because HE LIVES WITHIN US. Before Jesus, God was not able to dwell with man because of sin. But because of Jesus, now God can go where ever His born again children go. God is able to move about in this sinful world and be in the presence of sinful people because HIS FLESH AND BLOOD CHILDREN are able to do it.

This indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, created CHRISTIANS. Christianity began with Jesus, because we are children of God indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God JUST LIKE JESUS WAS when He was on Earth.

Now where ever a true Christian is, the church is. CHRISTIANS ARE THE CHURCH. We still unite together in unity in buildings or groups to worship God and share our lives with one another. We still bring praise and thanksgiving to God as a group and congregation.

Hebrews 10:24-25 CEV, “We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.  Some people have given up the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer. “

CHURCH OF SERVICE

The world around us still recognizes the church as a building of people united together, but God sees His church as HIS FAMILY, one person at a time, dispersed as we spread out from one another and carry on our individual lives during the week. Being a member of a religious social group that unites in a brick and mortar building does not make us a church. God’s children are a church without walls because we are united in spirit with our Father God no matter where we are.

Church buildings are important and should be a place where the world knows they can go for spiritual healing and rescue. Churches are a 24/7 spiritual and emotional hospital for the hurting.

Mark 2:16-17 CEV, “Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.

Hospitals for the human body are open 24/7 and the spiritual hospital for the soul and spirit should be just as available.

The Bible says not to avoid going to church to worship with other believers. Why? Because every believer has different gifts and talents. We are not all sufficient to ourselves. When we join together to fellowship with one another, our gifts and talents are suppose to be free to be demonstrated and shared with others. WE ARE CALLED AND GIFTED TO SERVE OTHERS IN SOME WAY WHEN WE BECOME A CHRISTIAN.

1 Corinthians 12:1-31 Living Bible, “And now, brothers, I want to write about the special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to each of you, for I don’t want any misunderstanding about them. ² You will remember that before you became Christians you went around from one idol to another, not one of which could speak a single word. ³ But now you are meeting people who claim to speak messages from the Spirit of God. How can you know whether they are really inspired by God or whether they are fakes? Here is the test: no one speaking by the power of the Spirit of God can curse Jesus, and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” and really mean it, unless the Holy Spirit is helping him. Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. ⁵ There are different kinds of service to God, but it is the same Lord we are serving. ⁶ There are many ways in which God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who are his. ⁷ The Holy Spirit displays God’s power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; someone else may be especially good at studying and teaching, and this is his gift from the same Spirit. ⁹ He gives special faith to another, and to someone else the power to heal the sick. ¹⁰ He gives power for doing miracles to some, and to others power to prophesy and preach. He gives someone else the power to know whether evil spirits are speaking through those who claim to be giving God’s messages—or whether it is really the Spirit of God who is speaking. Still another person is able to speak in languages he never learned; and others, who do not know the language either, are given power to understand what he is saying. ¹¹ It is the same and only Holy Spirit who gives all these gifts and powers, deciding which each one of us should have. Our bodies have many parts, but the many parts make up only one body when they are all put together. So it is with the “body” of Christ. ¹³ Each of us is a part of the one body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But the Holy Spirit has fitted us all together into one body. We have been baptized into Christ’s body by the one Spirit, and have all been given that same Holy Spirit. Yes, the body has many parts, not just one part. ¹⁵ If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And what would you think if you heard an ear say, “I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye”? Would that make it any less a part of the body? ¹⁷ Suppose the whole body were an eye—then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything? But that isn’t the way God has made us. He has made many parts for our bodies and has put each part just where he wants it. ¹⁹ What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! ²⁰ So he has made many parts, but still there is only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” And some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary. ²³ Yes, we are especially glad to have some parts that seem rather odd! And we carefully protect from the eyes of others those parts that should not be seen, ²⁴ while of course the parts that may be seen do not require this special care. So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that might otherwise seem less important. ²⁵ This makes for happiness among the parts, so that the parts have the same care for each other that they do for themselves. ²⁶ If one part suffers, all parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. ²⁸ Here is a list of some of the parts he has placed in his Church, which is his body:

Apostles,
Prophets—those who preach God’s Word,
Teachers,
Those who do miracles,
Those who have the gift of healing;
Those who can help others,
Those who can get others to work together,
Those who speak in languages they have never learned.

²⁹ Is everyone an apostle? Of course not. Is everyone a preacher? No. Are all teachers? Does everyone have the power to do miracles? ³⁰ Can everyone heal the sick? Of course not. Does God give all of us the ability to speak in languages we’ve never learned? Can just anyone understand and translate what those are saying who have that gift of foreign speech? ³¹ No, but try your best to have the more important of these gifts.

The church is a family of people and a united group of people where the spirit of God can move freely and be expressed without reservation. The Holy Spirit of God inside of each one of us expresses Himself in many different ways. When the Holy Spirit first came upon people in the first Pentecostal church this is what they looked like and sounded like.

Acts 2:1-21 Living Bible, “Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived.^[a] As the believers met together that day, ² suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they didn’t know, for the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. Many godly Jews were in Jerusalem that day for the religious celebrations, having arrived from many nations. ⁶ And when they heard the roaring in the sky above the house, crowds came running to see what it was all about, and were stunned to hear their own languages being spoken by the disciples. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “For these men are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking all the native languages of the lands where we were born! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, men from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the Cyrene language areas of Libya, visitors from Rome—both Jews and Jewish converts— ¹¹ Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these men telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. But others in the crowd were mocking. “They’re drunk, that’s all!” they said. Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen, all of you, visitors and residents of Jerusalem alike! ¹⁵ Some of you are saying these men are drunk! It isn’t true! It’s much too early for that! People don’t get drunk by 9:00 a.m.! ¹⁶ No! What you see this morning was predicted centuries ago by the prophet Joel— ¹⁷ ‘In the last days,’ God said, ‘I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams. ¹⁸ Yes, the Holy Spirit shall come upon all my servants, men and women alike, and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹ And I will cause strange demonstrations in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and clouds of smoke; ²⁰ the sun shall turn black and the moon blood-red before that awesome Day of the Lord arrives. ²¹ But anyone who asks for mercy from the Lord shall have it and shall be saved.’

Acts 2:36-47,“Therefore I clearly state to everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus you crucified to be the Lord, the Messiah!”These words of Peter’s moved them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands!”Then Peter preached a long sermon, telling about Jesus and strongly urging all his listeners to save themselves from the evils of their nation. ⁴¹ And those who believed Peter were baptized—about three thousand in all! ⁴² They joined with the other believers in regular attendance at the apostles’ teaching sessions and at the Communion services^[f] and prayer meetings. A deep sense of awe was on them all, and the apostles did many miracles. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, ⁴⁵ selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, ⁴⁷ praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved.

The early church was much more devoted to their congregation and to their community and their role as a pastor, prophet or evangelist than the church is today. Pastors today act as though they are only their for the people a few hours on Sunday. Every other day of the week they are unavailable or “out of town.” I’ve heard some pastors pass the buck of their responsibilities by telling people, I am not God. If I am unavailable you need to talk to God yourself. That is all true but is used way too often as a cop out from part time pastors.

Many take their financial cut off the top of the tithes and offerings to make sure they and their families are extremely provided for and whatever is left can be scarcely used to help their “flock” that God gave them. I don’t believe this is what God intended at all. Pastors and church staff should receive an adequate monetary compensation, but seriously most pastors go way overboard.

When we ALL BECOME CHRISTIANS we are called into the family of God to fulfill a role in the family business of winning souls to Jesus as we carry on our everyday lives in often secular jobs with a spiritual purpose. But a pastor takes on a higher level of commitment to represent God JUST LIKE JESUS DID. A pastor is agreeing to do the same 24/7 work as Jesus, for the people. They are supposed to be devoted to the people, and represent JESUS IN THE FLESH. In the same way a doctor has long hours and is available to their patients at all times, a pastor has signed up for that same responsibility. Unfortunately, many pastors have taken their calling as a pastor and “appointed themselves” as an unapproachable, unavailable king or queen of their mega million dollar estates. They show up for their tv time a few hours a week and the rest of the time they are unavailable.

God does not have a problem with all of his children being wealthy millionaires, as long as you make sure your spiritual family and congregation are well taken care of and helped sufficiently as needed. If each church had more programs to help their own congregation, there would be less lack and suffering among God’s children. If your church has been blessed enough to collect 10 million a year, the pastor does not need 90% of that for his personal family to live comfortably. Many of these mega churches receive much more money than that a month.

This is the blue print of what the early church was doing with their money and resources.

…..church no lack among the people1 Corinthians 12:24

……Acts 2:45…4:34….4:37

….discription of a pastor

Acts 4Living Bible

4 While they were talking to the people, the chief priests, the captain of the Temple police, and some of the Sadducees^[a] came over to them, ² very disturbed that Peter and John were claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. ³ They arrested them and since it was already evening, jailed them overnight. ⁴ But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so that the number of believers now reached a new high of about five thousand men!

⁵ The next day it happened that the Council of all the Jewish leaders was in session in Jerusalem—⁶ Annas the High Priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others of the High Priest’s relatives. ⁷ So the two disciples were brought in before them.

“By what power, or by whose authority have you done this?” the Council demanded.

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Honorable leaders and elders of our nation, ⁹ if you mean the good deed done to the cripple, and how he was healed, ¹⁰ let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that it was done in the name and power of Jesus from Nazareth, the Messiah, the man you crucified—but God raised back to life again. It is by his authority that this man stands here healed! ¹¹ For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of ) a ‘stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.’^[b] 12 There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them.”

¹³ When the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed and realized what being with Jesus had done for them! ¹⁴ And the Council could hardly discredit the healing when the man they had healed was standing right there beside them! ¹⁵ So they sent them out of the Council chamber and conferred among themselves.

¹⁶ “What shall we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have done a tremendous miracle, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. ¹⁷ But perhaps we can stop them from spreading their propaganda. We’ll tell them that if they do it again we’ll really throw the book at them.” ¹⁸ So they called them back in, and told them never again to speak about Jesus.

¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “You decide whether God wants us to obey you instead of him! ²⁰ We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we saw Jesus do and heard him say.”

²¹ The Council then threatened them further and finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this wonderful miracle— ²² the healing of a man who had been lame for forty years.

²³ As soon as they were freed, Peter and John found the other disciples and told them what the Council had said.

²⁴ Then all the believers united in this prayer:

“O Lord, Creator of heaven and earth and of the sea and everything in them— ^25-26 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor King David, your servant, saying, ‘Why do the heathen rage against the Lord, and the foolish nations plan their little plots against Almighty God? The kings of the earth unite to fight against him and against the anointed Son of God!’

²⁷ “That is what is happening here in this city today! For Herod the king, and Pontius Pilate the governor, and all the Romans—as well as the people of Israel—are united against Jesus, your anointed Son, your holy servant. ²⁸ They won’t stop at anything that you in your wise power will let them do. ²⁹ And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and grant to your servants great boldness in their preaching, ³⁰ and send your healing power, and may miracles and wonders be done by the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly preached God’s message.

³² All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. ³³ And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers,^[c] 34-35 and no poverty—for all who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.

³⁶ For instance, there was Joseph (the one the apostles nicknamed “Barnabas, the encourager.” He was of the tribe of Levi, from the island of Cyprus). ³⁷ He was one of those who sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need.

Who or what is the church of God? Many people even Christians believe “THE CHURCH’ is a brick and mortar building. It is a place where we meet once a week to sing songs and hear an explanation about some verse or topic in the Bible. Then people leave “THE CHURCH” and go about their normal secular lives until next Sunday at church.

The Bible says GOD’S PEOPLE are the church. We are the TEMPLE of God. The church is not a brick and mortar building. The church is YOU AND I. God is suppose to be SPEAKING through HIS CHILDREN. God is suppose to be HEALING through HIS PEOPLE. God is suppose to be FEEDING the hungry through HIS PEOPLE. God is suppose to be TEACHING through HIS PEOPLE. God is suppose to be SHELTERING the homeless through HIS PEOPLE. Yes we are told to meet with one another every week to assemble with other believers and receive group direction and counsel from appointed pastors. That meeting is a time for us to be recharged with God’s power and anointing to go out and help the unsaved to know Jesus. It is a time to hear what others are doing to help people and maybe we can join together to help.

SURRENDER

The more we surrender to the spirit of God inside of us the greater God can be expressed and our new baby born again spirit can begin to grow and mature. Gods spirit inside of us now gives us a new ambition and willpower to be like our Father God. Until we are born again we don’t want to or desire to be like God. We don’t have the strength or will power to be like God.

God can not use a vain arrogant prideful person that thinks they are doing God a favor. God choosing you, equipping you, and filling you with what you need so He can use you. GOD IS DOING YOU A FAVOR. You are nothing without God.

1 Corinthians 15

God is not able to use us for His service and help us to BECOME one of His children until we choose to surrender to the Spirit of God inside of us. His Spirit will blessing us and His Spirit gives God the freedom to work in this world through us. The more we have crucified our flesh and surrendered to God’s direction and control, the more mature we are in the spirit. Children want their own way and do whatever they FEEL LIKE. Mature Christians live life with discipline. Discipline to be as much like Jesus as we possible can.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Living Bible, “Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you.  For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it.

Ephesians 4:11-19 Living Bible, “Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God. Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity;  until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly^[a]—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused. Their closed hearts are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds against him, and they cannot understand his ways.  They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts.

You see as we follow the truth of God’s word and discipline ourselves to ONLY LISTEN TO GOD, we prove our spiritual maturity and God is able to use us to do HIS WORK to build up the body of Christ and equip people for the Kingdom.

LOVE AND FORGIVENESS

The Bible says the way others will know that you are a child of God is the you love one another. Love is not just something you say. LOVE IS SOMETHING YOU DO.

John 13:34-35 CEV, “But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. ³⁵ If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.

When people see you out helping people, serving people, being kind and generous to people, that is GOD IN ACTION. We are representing the family of God.

When you see someone in need God expects us to step in and help them if we can. Some people don’t want help. Some people need help we are unable to give them. BUT… when God does allow someone to come into contact with us who truly needs a helping hand and we have the ability to help we should do it. We don’t need to to pray and fast for 3 days waiting for a special word from God. When we made a decision to follow Jesus helping people was part of the agreement.

Luke 6:27-36, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. …

Luke 6:32, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

2 Timothy 2:23-26, “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Romans 12:9-21, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “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.

Matthew 5:46, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Forgiveness is the prerequirment for walking in true and complete agape love. We accept the forgiveness from God for the sins we have done. We don’t deserve it but He forgives us anyway and gives us another chance to live right.

God expects us to take that same forgiveness HE GAVE US and give it to others in our life that has offended us, abused us, used and mistreated us, EVEN IF THEY DON’T DESERVE IT.

If you are holding offense and unforgiveness in your life against anyone your love is frozen. Your life is frozen. You can not be free to live as God commands UNTIL YOU RELEASE ALL UNFORGIVENESS.

Thats why God says “don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” When you hold on to that hurt for days months and even years IT ENDS UP HURTING YOU EVEN MORE. You can not receive God’s love, peace, joy, prosperity or even physical healing until you have released unforgiveness and offense. God says if we forgive others of their wrongs God forgives us. But if we don’t forgive others then God don’t forgive us.

1. Matthew 6:12Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
2. Matthew 6:14If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
3. Matthew 6:15But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins

Matthew 18:15, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 204 helpful votes 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? …

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

 

You can not love people the way GOD HAS CALLED US TO unless you have made a vow to walk in forgiveness. People will offend you everyday NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHO YOU ARE WITH. You must be committed to a daily walk with God having no offense or unforgivenss toward anyone no matter what happens.

Forgiveness does not mean you allow people to be abusive or disrespectful. Forgiveness does not mean you choose to accept someones bad behavior. FORGIVENESS just means you don’t hold their bad behavior against them but if you are going to be in a relationship with one another they will need to change their behavior. If they choose not to change them separate yourself from them and love them from a distance.

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Being born again is the first step into the family of God. When you accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are born again spiritually and you are now a member of God’s family forever. You are Heaven ready. You are rapture ready. If you die today or if the rapture happens today you will be entered into Heaven.

The next step is to be water baptized and then receive the baptism of the spirit of God.

Acts 2

Jesus Christ was born into this world as a Son of God. But God required even Jesus to be water baptized and be baptized by the Spirit of God before He was able to fulfill His purpose. Jesus showed NO SUPERNATURAL POWER UNTIL AFTER HE WAS WATER BAPTIZED AND BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. If God required it from Jesus, it is also required from you if you want to fulfill your purpose and assignment.

I have written more in depth about this subject on the page “BEHOLD…..I GIVE YOU POWER.”

RENEW YOUR MIND

Your next step to maturing in your new Christian life is to renew your mind to think, talk, and behave the way God instructs us to as a member of His family.

Romans 12:2 Living Bible, “

It is your responsibility to schedule time daily reading learning memorizing and discipling yourself to whatever God says and instructs in the word of God. The King James bible is God’s life manual for everyone of His children. You don’t have to wonder what God wants from you. He has written down all His requirements and instructions in the Bible. There is no situation or circumstance in life that is not covered in the Bible.

A MATURE DISCIPLINED LIFE

When we become parents to our children, they are our children forever. We teach them correct them discipline them through their years of life. First a two year old, a 15 year old, a 21 year old. We know its a process and their maturity at every age is gradual. We expect different behavior from them at 21 than what we expect from them at 2 years old. We expect our children to mess up in life because they are learning and growing. When they do mess up, we don’t kick them out of the family. We just correct them with love, show them the right way and move on.

The same principal is the same with God. When we first get born again, we are spiritual infants no matter how old your body is physically. God loves us and is forever our Father no matter what.

God begins His process to teach, lead, correct and discipline to help us grow and mature spiritually. God knows we are going to mess up and miss the mark sometime, HE EXPECTS IT as we grow and mature. He does not condemn. He corrects with love, shows us right from wrong and gives us another chance. NO CONDEMNATION.

……not condemn but to save

As we learn to follow God and live the life He has instructed us to live in our King James bible, God is able to release certain blessings and responsibilities to us.

In the same way you would not give a 2 year old a million dollars or make them in charge of your million dollar corporation, God must also wait to release certain blessings and responsibilities to us when we are ready for it.

Galatians 4:1-4

It is God’s responsibility to watch over us, protect us and provide for us until we learn to do so ourselves. It is our responsibility to get our King James bible out, read it, learn it and adjust our lives to conform to the standards that God has instructed ALL HIS CHILDREN to live. It is our responsibility to say no to anything opposite from God’s will and instructions. God will allow us to be tested at certain levels in life to see if we will choose His way or another way. Those choices WE DECIDE TO MAKE will reveal our level of maturity and our level of love that we have for God.

We know as parents that rebellious children only hurt themselves. They cause themselves unnecessary trouble and that rebellion only hinders their success in life. God knows the same is true for us spiritually as well. When we learn to seek God’s way, obey God no matter what and no matter who’s watching, we are able to prove our level of maturity and prove our level of love and honor that we have for God.

GOD DISCIPLINES THOSE HE LOVES

As a parent you know all of your children are different. They have different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. I know one of my children was very easy to correct. I could just talk to them maybe do a little time out and they would conform. Now I had a few boys that no matter how much I talked and no matter how much they were in time out IT DIDN’T MATTER. Spanking was the only option. And even then many times its wasn’t a one and done. They would need a spanking over and over for the same rebellion.

God says in His word, He disciplines those He loves.

…….discipline love

The discipline is different for each child according to your personality and the amount of rebellion you have. But don’t think just because you know God loves you and you are His forever, that He will not discipline you for your mistakes and voluntary sin, because HE WILL. If He didn’t He wouldn’t be the loving Father we know He is.

When we finally prove ourselves trustworthy to God and committed to Him, He promotes us to new levels in life and gives us more responsibilities to the kingdom. We determine how fast that happens by how much determination and devotion we spend in God’s presence.

After we get the basics of Christian life down, God is then able to reveal to us HIS SPECIFIC PLAN and JOURNEY that HE HAS for our lives. The gifts and talents that God has given every person becomes more evident.

When we accept Jesus as Savior, we are making a commitment to renounce the ways of Satan and the world and live according to every word of God. As we mature and grow spiritually Jesus becomes our LORD and not just our SAVIOR. We want God as our Savior and our Lord.

To do that we must spend time with God getting to KNOW HIM. We spend time reading His word, the King James Bible and disciplining ourselves to behave as He instructs.

Galatians 5:13-26 Living Bible, “For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other. ¹⁴ For the whole Law can be summed up in this one command: “Love others as you love yourself.” ¹⁵ But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always critical and catty, watch out! Beware of ruining each other. I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. ¹⁷ For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. ¹⁸ When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws. But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure,  idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, ²¹ envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  ²³ gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws. Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ²⁶ Then we won’t need to look for honors and popularity, which lead to jealousy and hard feelings.”

You can sit in church, you can call yourself a Christian, but that does not mean you are a Christian. A Christian has submitted themselves over to the Spirit of the One True God and made a commitment to DO WHATEVER HE SAYS IS RIGHT. You can not be a homosexual or involved in sexual sins like adultery or fornication and be a Christian. You can not be an alcoholic or drug addict, and be a Christian. You can not murder or hate, and be a Christian. IN GOD’S EYES, IF IT IS NOT HAPPENING OR ACCEPTABLE IN HEAVEN THEN ITS NOT ACCEPTABLE HERE ON EARTH. The Bible tells you what is right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable. NO PERSON, NO POLITICAL LEADER, NO PRIEST OR PREACHER CAN CHANGE GOD’S WORD.

TRUE CHRISTIANS ARE CHANGED INSIDE. They desire to be like Jesus. They hunger for righteousness, truth, honesty and goodness. They love others unconditionally. That hunger and desire to please God, will not allow you to sin. The Holy Spirit inside of you will convict you and make you feel uncomfortable and sorrowful until you repent and do better.

When you become a Christian God deposits special gifts, abilities and passions inside of you so you can interact and work in this world and express God to those around you. God gives every Christian a desire to serve people in some way for their good. Whether its a teacher, preacher, doctor, lawyer, cook, construction worker, maintenance or lawn care, daycare worker, musician, entertainer, police officer or political leader. God has placed us ALL HERE ON THIS EARTH TO WORK TOGETHER IN UNITY WITH ONE ANOTHER. You have a passion, a gift that draws you to a particular job or calling. THAT IS GOD’S GIFT INSIDE OF YOU DIRECTING YOUR GODLY JOURNEY. Helping you to fulfill your purpose for living in this day and time.

Ephesians 4:1-24 Living Bible, “I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these.  Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another. We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  and we all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us.  However, Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts. The psalmist tells about this, for he says that when Christ returned triumphantly to heaven after his resurrection and victory over Satan, he gave generous gifts to men.  Notice that it says he returned to heaven. This means that he had first come down from the heights of heaven, far down to the lowest parts of the earth.  The same one who came down is the one who went back up, that he might fill all things everywhere with himself, from the very lowest to the very highest. Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God. Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity;  until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.  Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Let me say this, then, speaking for the Lord: Live no longer as the unsaved do, for they are blinded and confused. Their closed hearts are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds against him, and they cannot understand his ways.  They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts. But that isn’t the way Christ taught you!  If you have really heard his voice and learned from him the truths concerning himself,  then throw off your old evil nature—the old you that was a partner in your evil ways—rotten through and through, full of lust and shame. Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better.  Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.

God did not call people to be criminals, drunks, drug addicts, liars, sexual perverts, prostitutes, thieves and murderers. God does not want people sick, lazy and miserable. Satan does that to people. Satans lifestyle leads people to death and prison. When you truly give your life to God, your desires change inside and God begins to show you the life HE PLANNED FOR YOU TO HAVE. God’s lifestyle ALWAYS leads to success and prosperity.

Many people accept Jesus as Savior for the fire insurance of not going to Hell. But they don’t accept Him as Lord over their lives where they give Him permission to come in to change us step by step to be JUST LIKE HIM.

1 Peter 1:15-17, “But be holy now in everything you do, just as the Lord is holy, who invited you to be his child. ¹⁶ He himself has said, “You must be holy, for I am holy.” And remember that your heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge you with perfect justice for everything you do; so act in reverent fear of him from now on until you get to heaven.

LUKEWARM CHRISTIAN

Many people get born again, and may even change some of there behavior to be socially acceptable. But they do not truly and completely surrender their whole life, body and soul over to God. They still want to have one foot in the ways of the world and one foot in the church. God calls these people “LUKEWARM CHRISTIANS”.

Revelation 3:15-17 Living bible, “I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other!  But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

Many Christians get comfortable with God’s forgiving grace and take advantage of God’s grace to the point where they want to hang with the world, act like the world, talk like the world and have fun with the world because they think well God still loves me . Of course He still loves you. He loves His children as much as He loves the sinner. But God’s love for us is not the issue. Its our love for HIM that puts us in the right position with God and allows God the permission to be our Father.

Matthew 16:24

It is time to get serious about your walk and relationship with God. God does not want half hearted Christian children. He wants you to be proud of your relationship with Him and go tell others how God is willing to help them and change their lives too. God wants you to enjoy your life but enjoy it with HIM. Not playing games with the world and with ungodly people.

The rapture of the church is very close, it could actually happen today. No prophecy still needs to happen before the rapture. If Jesus came for you today, would you be ready? Would God come back seeing you in places you shouldn’t be? Would He find you doing things you shouldn’t be doing? Would He hear you talking and using language that is offensive to God? Jesus is not coming for compromising lukewarm Christians. He is coming for warriors who love Him with all their heart, soul and mind.

Today in 2022, many people here in the United States go to church and confess they are a Christian. But are they a Christian just because they go to church? Are they a Christian just because they are nice? Are they a Christian just because they don’t have a criminal record? Are they a Christian just because they say they are?

About 65% of Americans claim to be Christians in 2022. Just 25 years ago about 85% claimed to be Christian. Moral decline is happening very rapidly. The church has accepted sinful behavior and played games with the world so much that they are no longer sensitive to the Spirit of God. They have allowed sin to be socially acceptable and now call right behavior wrong and wrong behavior right.

The thing is although many “claim” to be Christian, they really are not. We can not judge a persons heart and soul. Only God is able to do that. However God said YOU WILL KNOW THE HEART AND SOUL OF PEOPLE BY THE FRUIT THEY PRODUCE. (Matthew 7:16&20, Luke 6:44) That means you will know them by the way they live their life, behave and speak. You will know them by their children and offspring. You will know them by their employment and the way they spend their recreational time. You will know them by the friends they hang out with and keep in their inner circle. Their life will reflect the lifestyle of Jesus or of Satan.

I know many people who will tell you right now they are Christians. They may even go to church on Sundays. They might be able to tell you the date when they accepted Jesus as Savior or got water baptized. But they compromise their morals to fit in with their friends. They have a foul nasty mouth and a hateful mean temperament. They are involved in sexual perversion and sleep with people they are not married to. They are not fulfilling their God given call and assignment in life. They have no faith in God for anything outside of salvation. If they are Christian, NO ONE CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM AND THE UNSAVED.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have talked with Christian people about their walk with God. They make excuses for their walk with the world instead of disciplining themselves to abstain and walk away from it. When you get born again, your spirit will automatically start pulling you away from the ways of the world and away from sinful people. You will not feel comfortable around sin anymore.

I was praying with a man who was really distressed about his financial situation. He said he tithed and went to church and prayed asking God for help and he gets nothing. In our conversation I found out he still went to clubs with his friends. But said he don’t drink alcohol he drinks soda. (EXCUSES, PROBABLY LIES) He was dating someone that spends the night at his house. But said he sleeps on the sofa and lets her have the bedroom. (EXCUSES, PROBABLY LIES) When he’s with his guy friends, they are cussing and talking about ungodly things. But he said I don’t think it matters to God if I say a few cuss words. It’s just words. (EXCUSES, and DEFINITELY LIES)

No one can tell the difference between his life and the lives of his unsaved friends. God says abstain from the appearance of evil. If your life does not express God enough to see a difference in your life and the life of the unsaved YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. And yes God does care about every word we say and coarse foul language is not acceptable.

Ephesians 4:28-30 Living Bible, “If anyone is stealing he must stop it and begin using those hands of his for honest work so he can give to others in need.  Don’t use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing. Don’t cause the Holy Spirit sorrow by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who marks you to be present on that day when salvation from sin will be complete.

Ephesians 5:3-5, “Let there be no sex sin, impurity or greed among you. Let no one be able to accuse you of any such things. ⁴ Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness, and be thankful. You can be sure of this: The Kingdom of Christ and of God will never belong to anyone who is impure or greedy, for a greedy person is really an idol worshiper—he loves and worships the good things of this life more than God.

GOD EXPECTS A SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR THAT IS DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT AND MORE HOLY THAN THIS WORLD. Not to make God love us more, but to prove our love for Him.

If you say you are a Christian, you WILL NOT feel comfortable around sin and sinful people. You WILL NOT feel comfortable taking your clothes off and showing off your body to anyone you’re not married to. THE SPIRIT OF GOD GIVES YOU A SPIRIT OF MODESTY AND CONSERVATIVENESS OVER YOUR BODY. Why? Because your body is now the temple of God. You need to protect it, take care of it and dress it modestly and appropriately. Not flaunt it around and show it off to everyone you can.

Do you see this is what the world of sinners do? They get on social media and television and strip off their clothes and act as nasty as they can. The world pays them very well to do it, but you shouldn’t be trying to copy that behavior as a Christian.

Maybe you have been compromising and willfully sinning in certain areas of your life for quite sometime and you think you have not been punished for it. So….it must be ok with God? No. You have just been experiencing the grace and mercy of God that you have not faced judgment for your sins. But ALL unconfessed, unrepented sin will be judged. God is giving you time to repent and change to try to spare you from the punishment. But if you continue you will suffer the consequences. God will not be mocked.

Romans 2:3-5 Living Bible, “Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and overlook you when you do them, too?  Don’t you realize how patient he is being with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. But no, you won’t listen; and so you are saving up terrible punishment for yourselves because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin; for there is going to come a day of wrath when God will be the just Judge of all the world.

Christians are suppose to be separated for the work of God. We are suppose to be a light in darkness. Light and darkness is an extreme difference to one another. CHRISTIANS REPRESENT GOD IN EVERY WAY. If your life is not representing GOD, you are not completely devoted to the family of God. Your alliance is dual and therefore tainted and poison. God says “whoever is not 100% for us is against us.”

I have also heard Christians say, well Jesus drank wine. But He didn’t get drunk on wine and He didn’t drink it all day everyday. And He drank a little wine, not Jack Daniels or Michelob. I’ve heard Christians say Jesus was friends with sinners and hung out with the wicked. Again when Jesus associated or engaged with sinners it was to lovingly show them the error of their ways and the way they should be living instead. He didn’t bring them all home with Him and make them part of His inner circle. He didn’t approach sinful people acting like the sinful people. He approached them as a King and a teacher. He was a missionary for the Kingdom of God. He was a healer and a deliverer. Jesus offered light in their darkness. He was the flesh and blood body of God, like Christians are suppose to be.

Christians should see themselves as doctors or nurses for the spiritually sick. As a doctor or nurse, you help people who are sick and hurting. Give them instructions how to care for themselves and then send them home. They are usually sent home with changes they need to make in their behavior or lifestyle. You don’t take them home with you to make sure they do the right thing. You don’t follow them home and monitor their behavior. You just tell them what to do and leave them to make their own decisions. If they are wise they will make the necessary changes. If not you will see them again. It is their choice. You can’t make people do the right thing, but it is our responsibility to show them the right thing to do.

Counterfeit Christians are lukewarm Christians. Making excuses for their sins instead of taking responsibility for them and changing.

These professing “christians” are either not a Christian or so cold or lukewarm that God Himself said He will spit them out of His mouth in disappointment. God does not stop loving you. But until you get serious about your life and discipline yourself to live the way God says is right, YOU ARE WASTING YOUR LIFE AWAY. You are outside of God’s will and He can not promote you to do the things He has planned for you. God can’t use immature Christians. Its time to grow up and be an adult in SPIRIT. Just because you are over 18 does not mean you are an adult.

Because the time is so urgent right now before the rapture of the church, God needs HIS CHILDREN to get stirred up and motivated to go out and tell as many people as you can about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. God needs you to live your life as a living example and replica of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived the life and walked the walk that He told people to live as a child of God. Jesus showed us by example a lifestyle that pleases God. He ministered to drunks, prostitutes and sinners to show them they needed God. He DID NOT excuse it, hang out with them or take them home with Him.

Every single child of God has an assignment and a purpose. God has specific people that are in your life right now that He is wanting you to lead them to salvation. TODAY MAY BE THEIR ONLY DAY TO RECEIVE HIS GRACE. You WILL NOT lead a sinner away from sin by acting like them and talking like them. SHOW THEM GOD.

It is time to grow up spiritually. We are ALL, even the body of Christ, about to enter into a period of time right before the rapture, where the spiritual battle that is so strong and persuasive, that morally spiritually weak people and even weak Christians are going to be overtaken. In fact, we have already started this journey. CHILDREN CAN NOT GO INTO BATTLE OR THEY WILL BE QUICKLY DESTROYED. God needs HIS PEOPLE to GROW UP and live life connected to Him strong and intimately so you can be guided in this spiritual war. God is sifting and sorting people right now for battle.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4, 16-17 Living Bible, “Dear brothers, I have been talking to you as though you were still just babies in the Christian life who are not following the Lord but your own desires; I cannot talk to you as I would to healthy Christians who are filled with the Spirit. ² I have had to feed you with milk and not with solid food because you couldn’t digest anything stronger. And even now you still have to be fed on milk. ³ For you are still only baby Christians, controlled by your own desires, not God’s. When you are jealous of one another and divide up into quarreling groups, doesn’t that prove you are still babies, wanting your own way? In fact, you are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord at all. …..Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house? ¹⁷ If anyone defiles and spoils God’s home, God will destroy him. For God’s home is holy and clean, and you are that home.

2 Corinthians 6:14

If you are living life like the unsaved what kind of witness for God are you being? You are disgracing the Christian life and being a poor example of the family of God. You are giving the unsaved the wrong idea of how God wants His Christian children to live in this world.

You can have just as much FUN, even more fun in this world as a Christian as you can as a sinner. STOP LETTING THE WORLD LURE YOU AWAY FROM THE WAYS OF GOD.

We are so very close to the rapture of the church that NO ONE ESPECIALLY GOD’S CHILDREN, should be living a loose compromising life that is more interested in being friends with the unsaved and accepted by them than your relationship with God.

Even if the rapture does not happen today, there will still be about 7000 men women and children who will die today. Because of the pandemic, there may be even more than that. THE PEOPLE YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH TODAY, NEED YOU. They need you to reach out to them and pray for them. They need you to tell them about Jesus Christ. You need to be a GOOD EXAMPLE for people to follow. They need you to let them know they are loved and appreciated. You might be the only person who will ever pray for them.

You might have some people in your life that are nice so you just assume they are Christians. But that is not always the case.

“Nice” character traits are suppose to reflect the Christian life but “nice” behavior does not make you a Christian. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and allowing Him to rebirth your spirit from sinner to righteous is what makes you a Christian. That “born again” experience changes you on the inside from a sinner to a child of God. It is a spiritual rebirth. A new heart and nature is given to you. Your sinful nature that you were born with is taken away and Jesus gives you a new spirit and nature with the DNA of God Himself. That makes you a Christian. Now after you are born again, you have a desire to please God, do good and be “nice”. Sinfulness no longer appeals to you.

Society likes to categorize sin and then they downplay it. I’ll use sex sins as an example since this is the sin the United States is most acceptable of. God says no promiscuous, fornicators, adulterous, whoremonger, child abuser, homosexual, LGBTQ, rapist or pornographic behavior is acceptable to God and those who do it or accept the behavior will have a part in the Kingdom of God. God places ALL THESE SEX SINS IN THE SAME CATEGORY. But people say, …” well, I think a rapist is far worse than a fornicator or LGBTQ. So I don’t see a problem hanging out with fornicators or LGBTQ. Or they don’t see a problem with their kids hanging out with promiscuous fornicators or LGBTQ. BUT GOD DOES SEE A PROBLEM WITH IT. If you wouldn’t hang out with or allow your children to hang out with a group of rapist, then you shouldn’t hang out with or allow your children to hang out with promiscuous fornicators or LGBTQ, because in God’s eyes they are all the same sinful sexual deviants and will share the same place in Hell.

Christians should be strong enough to separate themselves from sinfulness and sinful people and not give into it just because you think they are nice or popular or doing something they think is fun. If you can’t say NO, you are a lukewarm immature Christian or not a Christian at all.

If you honestly can’t tell if people are Christians or not, don’t be shy to ask people if they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Don’t just assume someone is ok and Heaven ready! God said it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to make good associations and friends. It is our responsibility to recruit and share God to others.

When you are a true Christian, you don’t really need a person watching over you and trying to convince you to do the right thing. You should automatically have that spiritual maturity, conviction and commitment. When you are all alone or away from authority figures in your life, you choose on your own to do the right thing, because on your own, you know God is with you and you want to please Him. Your behavior would drastically change if Jesus Christ was right by your side in the flesh all day. You would choose your words better. You would make better decisions. You would treat people nicer. You would discipline yourself to be the person you knew God wants you to be.

Here’s a news flash. GOD IS RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE EVERYWHERE YOU GO. He is listening and watching everything you do. Just because you can’t see Him with your natural eyes does not mean He’s not there.

As a Christian, You want to be honest and have some integrity. My 5 year old children had that conviction. If they accidentally broke something or told me a lie, they would always approach me later and tell the truth or fess up about something that happened. That’s because they wanted to be good and they felt convicted about the wrong they had done. That is a Christian character trait that many “so called” adults don’t even have.

So even though you may not have a flesh and blood person by your side prompting you to do the right thing all the time, you KNOW GOD IS WITH YOU. You know He is watching everything you say and do. He knows your level of maturity, integrity, honor and love for Him. And GOD ALMIGHTY is the ONLY ONE that you should be trying to impress.

 Matthew 5:6 Living Bible, “Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied.

Some people think just because they believe there is a God or they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, they are going to Heaven. But I want to remind you that Satan was God’s number one angel in Heaven. He knew all about God, Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. He KNOWS they are real because he used to be part of that Kingdom. His sin that got him cast out of Heaven and cursed to Hell for eternity, was REBELLION. Rebellion is “doing” what God says is wrong. He didn’t get kicked out of Heaven and cursed forever because He didn’t believe there was an Almighty God. He didn’t get kicked out of Heaven because He didn’t think Jesus was the Son of God and Savior for the world. He “knows” who Jesus is. He was kicked out of Heaven because of SIN and REBELLION.

There is no sin or temptation to sin that you do not have the strength and power to walk away from. Stop blaming other people for the wrong choices and decisions you are making in your life. Stop blaming other people or God when YOU CHOOSE to hang out with unsaved worldly compromising people and get involved in the same ungodly behavior. Walk away and do the right thing. Grow up and hold your ownself accountable for the choices and consequences in your life.

Revelation 14:12, “ Let this encourage God’s people to endure patiently every trial and persecution, for they are his saints who remain firm to the end in obedience to his commands and trust in Jesus.”

When you say you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are not just saying you believe in Him and you accept His blood sacrifice to forgive you of your sins, you are also saying that you choose to obey God and discipline yourself to live according to the statues of the King James bible. It is a eternal commitment and lifestyle change to “faith and obedience.”

James 2:14-24 Living Bible, ” So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. But someone may well argue, “You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.” Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too—so strongly that they tremble in terror!  Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. Don’t you remember that even our father Abraham was declared good because of what he did when he was willing to obey God, even if it meant offering his son Isaac to die on the altar?  You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to; his faith was made complete by what he did—by his actions, his good deeds.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say, that Abraham trusted God, and the Lord declared him good in God’s sight, and he was even called “the friend of God.”  So you see, a man is saved by what he does, as well as by what he believes.”

Jesus says we must “repent” and be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. Repent does not just mean say your sorry. Repent means change of behavior.

We must believe, commit to God and Jesus Christ, and change our bad behavior. You have to be mature and have some self discipline, even when no one else is around. God requires complete commitment to His way of living. If you know something is wrong but you do it anyway, it is sin to you. You think no one will know about the sin you do, but GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING. And HE WILL hold you responsible. You need to grow up emotionally and spiritually. You can not have one foot in the ways of the world and one foot in the Kingdom. That is a “lukewarm Christian.” God will spit you out of His mouth.

Acts 2:38, Living Bible, “And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit.

Acts 26:18 Living Bible, “ to open their eyes to their true condition so that they may repent and live in the light of God instead of in Satan’s darkness, so that they may receive forgiveness for their sins and God’s inheritance along with all people everywhere whose sins are cleansed away, who are set apart by faith in me

Jesus is the WORD OF GOD. When we discipline ourselves to live according to the bible we are in deed, following Jesus. We follow Jesus by turning away from sin and behaving and acting like Jesus. That is the repent part of our salvation. REPENTANCE IS CHANGING YOUR BEHAVIOR. Repent means you will not “do” again what you’re asking forgiveness for. If you don’t change your behavior, then you have not truly repented.

Luke 13:3, “unless you all repent you will all perish.”

For example, if I called someone a nasty name, then later said I was sorry and they forgave me, then I am expected not to call them that nasty name again. And if I were truly sorry I wouldn’t call them that nasty name again. REPENTANCE is not just saying your sorry and asking for forgiveness. It is a change of behavior.

When we repent and ask Jesus to forgives us of our sins, HE WILL NOT SAY NO. He will forgive us, but He expects our behavior to change and not continue to repeat the same sinfulness over and over again.

When a born again Christian still has the same unbelieving friends, they still want to go out till all hours of the night in a party club environment, drinking and cursing. They still dress the same, they still act the same. They still talk the same. You can see no difference in them, than the unbelievers that they claim they have repented from. YOU NEED TO CHECK YOURSELF. God calls you unfaithful.

James 4:4, “You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband’s enemies. Don’t you realize that making friends with God’s enemies—the evil pleasures of this world—makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God.

OUR TIME HERE ON THIS EARTH IS VERY LIMITED. You DO NOT have years to discipline yourself to live the way God instructs. Today could be your last day here on Earth. God says for us NOT to take tomorrow for granted. Especially in this end times because the rapture can happen at any time. You want to be ready. You don’t want God to spit you out of His mouth and reject you.

You can not be easily influenced and distracted by the things in the world. You can not be lured in by your unsaved friends asking you to hang out and have some “fun” with them. Maybe you are charmed by the wealth and success of others around you. You have to say no thanks, to your unsaved friends. You MUST SET BOUNDARIES AND RESTRICTIONS because of your walk and commitment to God. You need to focus on your family, your purpose and be appreciative of the things God has given you.

1 John 2:16, “for all these worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself.”

Mark 4:13-21, “But if you can’t understand this simple illustration, what will you do about all the others I am going to tell? The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God’s message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives. ¹⁵ The hard pathway, where some of the seed fell, represents the hard hearts of some of those who hear God’s message; Satan comes at once to try to make them forget it. ¹⁶ The rocky soil represents the hearts of those who hear the message with joy, ¹⁷ but, like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep, and though at first they get along fine, as soon as persecution begins, they wilt. The thorny ground represents the hearts of people who listen to the Good News and receive it, ¹⁹ but all too quickly the attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things come in and crowd out God’s message from their hearts, so that no crop is produced.

Some times we have no choice but to be in the company of the unsaved. We work with them or may even be living with them. When you have no choice God says you don’t act like them and try to join in, but instead you become an example for them to follow. You can show people that living a Godly life does not mean you don’t have fun. It just means there are certain aspects of the “fun” that is not part of your Christian walk and commitment. You try to show them the LOVE OF GOD. You express God through your personality. You treat them the way God Himself would treat them.

Mark 4:20-21, “But the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in their hearts.” ²¹ Then he asked them, “When someone lights a lamp, does he put a box over it to shut out the light? Of course not! The light couldn’t be seen or used. A lamp is placed on a stand to shine and be useful.

God does not like lukewarm, fence riding children. GROW UP!! Life is not all about your friends and how many people like you and how much fun and entertainment you can squeeze into one day. God wants you to go out into the world and represent Him not compromise and blend in with the unsaved.

Now is this easy? Sometimes its not easy. Especially when your worth is wrapped up in what people think about you. You have to get comfortable with being rejected by the world. The unsaved likes sin. They like darkness. They like to criticize you and shame you for not being like them. They like being around other people who are enjoying the same sin and darkness. Your Godly light makes them uncomfortable, so they want you to be like them.

John 3:20-21, “They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. But those doing right come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”

Knowing and understanding God’s agape love will help you make the right decisions and set the right boundaries in your life. God’s agape love DOES NOT accept all behavior and overlook sin. God’s love has guidelines and boundaries. When we step out of those boundaries, God’s love has discipline. That discipline helps us grow and mature to be the person God wants us to be.

Proverbs 13:24, “If you refuse to discipline your son, it proves you don’t love him; for if you love him, you will be prompt to punish him.

Revelation 3:19, “I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.

We have to exercise some self control and love for Jesus and do better. Our love for God makes us want to please God by doing right, no matter what anyone else is doing and saying. Our love for God makes us respect Him and discipline ourselves to follow after His life principals. Our love for God changes our character so that we don’t even want to think about sinful behavior. Our love for God makes us want to stay away from sin and sinful people. I pray for unbelievers I know. I will help them out of a situation if they needed help. I don’t want to be best friends with unbelievers. Their lifestyle is completely against what MY FATHER wants me to do.

When you truly love God, it changes you and makes you seek different entertainment and different friendships.

2 John 1:6, “If we love God, we will do whatever he tells us to.

Don’t excuse or make light of your sins and compromises. Some people think well nobody is perfect, yeah I might compromise my morals sometime but God still loves me. YES!! Correct. God NEVER STOPS LOVING US. No matter what your behavior is, it does not stop God from loving you. But bad behavior shows your lack of love for God and it stops God from being able to help you when you need Him. Your lack of love for God will keep you out of Heaven. God loves every person, even the worse sinner you can think of who has rejected God and wants nothing to do with Him. GOD STILL LOVES. But that persons rebellion and sin will send them to hell and resist God from saving them from hell, judgement and punishment. God’s judgement and punishment is not discreminating. It is equally fair toward everyone. God will still love you as YOU CHOOSE to go suffer and go to hell.

Unfortunately the world pays people very well to live a sinful life and then get on social media to “INFLUENCE” others to do the same. They make trashy vile reality shows to spread their sin and again get paid very well for it. Some people will even do it for free just to have the opportunity to show off and be nasty.

Like I said earlier, if you truly give your heart and soul to God, Your NATURE changes. You no longer have a sinful nature your nature is godly pure and good. You might mess up from time to time and miss your mark but your heart and soul will not allow you to continuously sin and rebel against the principals and character of God.

God tells us to “honor our mother and father.” Honor means you respectfully do what they ask you to do just because they ask you to. You may not like it or understand it. You may have the freedom to do whatever you want. But your honor and respect for your parents will cause you to obey them even when no one is watching and you know you could get away with it. You love them and you know they love you and would only ask something from you if it were for your own good. Your obedience to your parents shows your honor, respect and love for them.

God is our FATHER. God expects His children to honor, respect and love Him in the same way, by obeying whatever He tells us to do , or NOT DO. When you are truly committed to God, you WANT to please Him and you desire to DO WHATEVER He says, even if you have the freedom to do the opposite. That discipline shows your honor, respect and love for God.

If you have a habit of dishonoring and disrespecting your parents, who you know love you and have always taken good care of you, you will have the tendency to treat God the same way. Getting your relationship and attitude right with your parents, helps you have the right attitude and relationship with God. That is why He says, HE IS OUR FATHER. So we can make that “father or parent” connection in our heart and head. If your relationship with your father and parents are not good, you will, conscientiously or unconsciesously transfer some of that attitude to God as well.

The bottomline is, you can not say you are a born again Christian if you still are acting the same, talking the same, have the same desires in life, and hang out with the same unbelieving friends. True born again Christians have had their nature and character changed. TRUE REPENTANCE REQUIRES DIFFERENT BEHAVIOR!!

The main sin many church goers try to hang onto is sex sin. They are hanging on to it because they don’t feel convicted when they are at church or with other “Christians”. They found out there is just as much sex sin inside the church as their are in the unbelieving world. So they are comfortable not giving it up and even bragging about it.

You can not be having sex outside of marriage and still be a Christian. There are NO FORNICATORS and promiscuous people in Heaven. Your true nature change at your born again experience will not allow you to do that with a clear conscious. The only reason why you could is because you have seared your conscious and chosen the sin over the righteousness long enough that you no longer feel convicted.

If you are not being told that your sins and bad behavior is wrong then you need to read your bible more. You need to choose a different church. God is very clear in His word what behavior is sin and what is acceptable. HE NEVER CHANGES. Whatever God said was right and wrong 6000 years ago still abides today. Read your bible yourself. If God said something is wrong then its wrong. Don’t let the government, your teachers, your confused pastor, your compromised unsaved friends tell you something is ok that God said NOT TO DO.

1 Timothy 4:1-2, “But the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some in the church will turn away from Christ and become eager followers of teachers with devil-inspired ideas. ² These teachers will tell lies with straight faces and do it so often that their consciences won’t even bother them. “

I personally do not believe you can loose your salvation if you are truly born again. God deposits himself inside of you and is fused to your soul. I don’t believe any bad behavior can unscramble that fusion with God. I mean my children that I birthed are going to always be my children because we share DNA. I might not like their behavior, I could even go as far as disowning them but……they are still your kids. YOU CAN’T UNSCRAMBLE EGGS.

Many people believe that Hebrews 10:26 teaches that people lose their salvation for willful sin.

Hebrews 10:26 says that “if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins”

Many people believe Hebrews 10:26 is teaching that intentional, willful sin causes them to lose their salvation. It is sometimes taught that God forgives unintentional sin, but not intentional. That is, if we know something is wrong, and we do it anyway, we lose eternal life because according to Hebrews 10:26, there is no sacrifice that covers willful sin.

I personally believe there is no sin that can not be forgiven except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I BELIEVE GOD’S GRACE IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY SIN. But we have to receive His grace by asking for forgiveness and then changing the behavior.

I personally believe even Christians are going to sin and yes willfully sin sometime. But what I believe is that even though sin is sin in God’s eyes, after we are born again, the Holy Spirit of God within us, will not allow us to commit sin that will send us to Hell. The Spirit of God will not allow us to blaspheme. The Spirit of God will not allow us to possess an evil spirit that will keep us continually bond and unrepentive for. As a true born again child of God, If we sin and mess up we are immediately sorry and feel convicted for it. We don’t keep doing it. We don’t drag out asking for forgiveness.

If we keep sinning when we know something is wrong but do it anyway, we have FALLEN FROM GOD’S GRACE because we are not sorry for what we are doing or have done. YOU MUST REPENT AND CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR.

What I believe makes you a lukewarm Christian is that you accept Jesus as your Savior but you don’t fully commit to Him as your Lord. When Jesus is Lord, you are sold out to be as much like Jesus as possible. Some get born again and begin to live a christian life, then situations come up and you start to slack a little and compromise on your convictions. You are more concerned with what your friends say and think about you than what God thinks and says. When you get comfortable with small compromises, then you might compromise a little more till you reach that point that I mentioned earlier where no one can tell the difference in your life and the life of a sinful unbeliever. Or you associate with sinners so much that you begin to think their life is not that bad. And you tolerate sin and rebellion against the Bible principals.

If you are truly born again, you are more concerned about pleasing God than people. You know when you are sinning and compromising and you feel uncomfortable until you repent to God and make it right.

I know many people like to have a cross around their neck, the Jesus or church bumper sticker. They may even put aside church time every week. But the rest of the week its all about having fun with the world and making sure all their unsaved friends still “like” them and think they are cool.

When you are impressed with the world and unsaved people, you are opening the door of your life for Satan to com in and mess with you. Just being in association or in the atmosphere of some things will totally block God from blessing you in your life.

As a Christian, you should progressively act more and more like Jesus. You should know God more and act more like Jesus today than you did last year. But unfortunately many get saved and then settle in their immature baby like spirit and never grow and mature as they should. They just used their born again commitment as “fire insurance” instead of actually trying to form a closer relationship with our Father.

You have to remember, when you get born again, you are following and committing to a relationship with God, not committing to the religion of your church. We are born again into a relationship with God. Our goal is to be just like Him. We are not born again into a church membership. That ignorance is what causes many so called Christians to be deceived or lukewarm in their behavior.

This nation has totally embraced the homosexual lifestyle as “normal” behavior. Homosexuality is a perverted lifestyle that you have CHOSEN. You can not say you are a Christian child of God and be a practicing homosexual. All of these churches, pastors, scientist, medical professionals, politicians and Hollywood entertainers, that are telling you homosexuality is acceptable and normal is wrong. God is our judge. He is the One who sets the standard of right and wrong behavior. God determines who is accepted into Heaven. He says sexual perversion is an abomination to Him and requires punishment to Hell. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Holding onto your sinful life that you were supposed to be born again out, of does not make you a lukewarm Christian, it makes you a deceived sinner. YOU HAVE NOT TRULY REPENTED IF YOUR BEHAVIOR HASN’T CHANGED.

If you are living your life as a lie and in opposition to the word of God, then when you die you’re going to go to Hell for believing the lies of this world instead of the truth of God’s word.

Matthew 7:22-24 Living Bible, “At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’  But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil. “All who listen to my instructions and follow them are wise, like a man who builds his house on solid rock.

Good righteous behavior does not make you a Christian or secure your place in Heaven, but it is an outward expression of the born again heart change. If you are still DOING the same sins after you get saved that you were DOING before you got saved, there is something terribly wrong.

God gives every born again Christian the strength they need to choose to do good. If you are still choosing to do wrong after you have ask forgiveness of your sins, then you have not truly repented and you need to be washed again under the blood of Jesus.

When Jesus returns to gather His children together and rapture us out of here, He is coming for a family of people who are fully committed and fully repented. Not half-hearted, lukewarm people. When you stand before God you want Him to say “you are my good and faithful son or daughter.” Not say “I never knew you, depart from Me.”

FIND YOUR PURPOSE

God has a plan for this world and He has invited and made a position for each one of us to fit into HIS PLAN. Every person born into this world has a purpose and an assignment to fulfill that furthers the Kingdom of God and brings glory and honor to God. Your assignment and purpose also brings you a joy and feeling of accomplishment like you have never felt.

Jeremiah 33 plans I have for you

That does not mean God calls everyone to be a pastor but He does call everyone to be in church ministry. What does that mean?

CHRISTIANS ARE THE CHURCH OF GOD. Church is not a brick and mortar building. The church of God is CHRISTIANS. Each individual Christian is a walking talking church of God. God set things up in this world so each individual child of God would carry God with them everywhere we go and interact with the world around us. God uses our hands, feet, voices, our natural human body to touch people, love people and help others. God uses our emotions to have sympathy, compassion and for people. God uses our emotions to show people love and kindness.

When we surrender to the family of God, our lives are no longer our own to go and do as we please. WE BELONG TO GOD. We do what HE SAYS. We go where HE SAYS to go. We allow God the freedom to use us in anyway HE SEES FIT. We choose to put aside our own desires and feelings if they come against what God has instructed us to do.

THE CHURCH

Titus 1Living Bible

1 ^1-2 From: Paul, the slave of God and the messenger of Jesus Christ.

I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know God’s truth—the kind of truth that changes lives—so that they can have eternal life, which God promised them before the world began—and he cannot lie. ³ And now in his own good time he has revealed this Good News and permits me to tell it to everyone. By command of God our Savior, I have been trusted to do this work for him.

⁴ To: Titus, who is truly my son in the affairs of the Lord.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you his blessings and his peace.

⁵ I left you there on the island of Crete so that you could do whatever was needed to help strengthen each of its churches, and I asked you to appoint pastors^[a] in every city who would follow the instructions I gave you. ⁶ The men you choose must be well thought of for their good lives; they must have only one wife and their children must love the Lord and not have a reputation for being wild or disobedient to their parents.

⁷ These pastors* must be men of blameless lives because they are God’s ministers. They must not be proud or impatient; they must not be drunkards or fighters or greedy for money. ⁸ They must enjoy having guests in their homes and must love all that is good. They must be sensible men, and fair. They must be clean minded and level headed. ⁹ Their belief in the truth that they have been taught must be strong and steadfast so that they will be able to teach it to others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong.

¹⁰ For there are many who refuse to obey; this is especially true among those who say that all Christians must obey the Jewish laws. But this is foolish talk; it blinds people to the truth, ¹¹ and it must be stopped. Already whole families have been turned away from the grace of God. Such teachers are only after your money. ¹² One of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “These men of Crete are all liars; they are like lazy animals, living only to satisfy their stomachs.” ¹³ And this is true. So speak to the Christians there as sternly as necessary to make them strong in the faith ¹⁴ and to stop them from listening to Jewish folk tales and the demands of men who have turned their backs on the truth.

¹⁵ A person who is pure of heart sees goodness and purity in everything; but a person whose own heart is evil and untrusting finds evil in everything, for his dirty mind and rebellious heart color all he sees and hears. ¹⁶ Such persons claim they know God, but from seeing the way they act, one knows they don’t. They are rotten and disobedient, worthless so far as doing anything good is concerned.

1 Timothy 3Living Bible

3 It is a true saying that if a man wants to be a pastor^[a] he has a good ambition. ² For a pastor must be a good man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must have only one wife, and he must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly, and full of good deeds. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be a good Bible teacher. ³ He must not be a drinker or quarrelsome, but he must be gentle and kind and not be one who loves money. ⁴ He must have a well-behaved family, with children who obey quickly and quietly. ⁵ For if a man can’t make his own little family behave, how can he help the whole church?

⁶ The pastor must not be a new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and pride comes before a fall. (Satan’s downfall is an example.) ⁷ Also, he must be well spoken of by people outside the church—those who aren’t Christians—so that Satan can’t trap him with many accusations and leave him without freedom to lead his flock.

⁸ The deacons must be the same sort of good, steady men as the pastors. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy for money. ⁹ They must be earnest, wholehearted followers of Christ, who is the hidden Source of their faith. ¹⁰ Before they are asked to be deacons, they should be given other jobs in the church as a test of their character and ability, and if they do well, then they may be chosen as deacons.

¹¹ Their wives must be thoughtful, not heavy drinkers, not gossipers, but faithful in everything they do. ¹² Deacons should have only one wife, and they should have happy, obedient families. ¹³ Those who do well as deacons will be well rewarded both by respect from others and also by developing their own confidence and bold trust in the Lord.

¹⁴ I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, ¹⁵ so that if I don’t come for a while, you will know what kind of men you should choose as officers for the church of the living God, which contains and holds high the truth of God.

¹⁶ It is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven.