What Is A Christian?

The writer will begin by saying what a Christian is not. A person is not a Christian because they are religious (See Acts 17:22)[1]. A person is not a Christian because they attend Church. It does not matter if they attended the same Church for fifty years, serve as a deacon, teach Sunday School, or is involved in the homeless ministry, feed the hungry and visit convalescent homes. A person is not a Christian because they are a gifted singer that leads the choir (good lookin out Gee)! A person is not a Christian because they can play an instrument or multiple instruments on the praise team. A person is not a Christian because their Father is a Pastor, and their Mother is an Evangelist. Proxy saves no one. A person is not a Christian because they “feel Jesus in their heart.” Salvation is never based on our subjective sentimental feelings. A person is not a Christian because they have been water baptized. Baptism has never saved anyone. A person is not a Christian because they wear a crucifix around their neck and kisses it. You’re not a Christian because you have graduated from Seminary or Bible College. A Church cannot make someone a Christian just like someone standing in a garage will not make them a Mercedes Benz.

All the above are charitable deeds, but they are works of the flesh that can never save the soul. The Bible declares that no works of the flesh can justify us or make us right with God (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16).

The word Christian was not given to believers by believers. It came from the Greeks. Believers in Christ were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26). They mostly meant it as a pejorative. The only other times the word Christian is used in scripture is Acts 26:28 when King Herod Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian,” and in 1 Peter 4:16.

A Biblical definition of Christian is one who belongs to the party of Christ or one who is a disciple of Christ. Now, back to the question. How does one become a Christian? A person is saved upon hearing the gospel message and has repented of their sins and has placed their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

To repent means to change your mind. We agree with God that our sins are egregious in His sight. All sin must be judged and punished. Worst of all sin breeds death (Romans 6:23). When one places their faith in Christ substitutionary atoning sacrifice, He takes away their sin, thus forgiving them and grants them His righteousness. This results in the sinner receiving eternal life. But in order for us to be made alive, Jesus had to die. Why? Because he bore our sins on the tree (1 Peter 2:24).

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Believers realize that salvation has nothing to do with anything they have done, but with all that Jesus has done. Titus 3:4-7 says, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast.”

Man is completely impotent in this process. The grace and faith are gifts that are given to the redeemed sinner to empower them to believe. The Prophet Jonah said it best, “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).

Another passage that describes true conversion is Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 4:24b-25 says Jesus was raised from the dead who was first delivered up because of our offences and was raised because of our justification. Did you catch that reader? Jesus HAD to die because of our sin, and He HAD to raise from the dead in order for us to be justified before God the Father. The famous hymn “Jesus Paid It All” is true.

What a Christian does and must develop into

True believers work out their salvation daily (Philippians 2:12-13).

They endure numerous trials realizing tribulation builds character (James 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:1-6)

They always pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

They study the Word to show themselves approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15)

They fulfill the great commission to preach the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20)

They fight against their sin and are broken when they are defeated by it (Read Romans 7, entire chapter)

They pickup their cross and live a life of self-denial (Matthew 16:24-25)

They are continually confessing their sins, not for salvation but for ongoing fellowship with the Lord and continual cleansing and righteousness (1 John 1:9)

They exhibit the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

They support their brothers and sisters caught in sin without judging them realizing their own propensity to sin themselves (Galatians 6:1)

They are always forgiving others realizing Christ has forgiven them (Ephesians 4:28-32)

They desire to live peacefully with all people and refuse to take personal vengeance (Romans 12:17-21)

They love and pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:44)

They remain morally and sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)

They boldly defend the Word of God and rebuke those who contradict it (Titus 1:9)

They hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6)

They realize that being a witness for Christ could mean their death (Acts 1:8). The word witness in Greek is Martus or Martur where we get the English word Martyr. Yes, the cost of discipleship is very high.

 

 They long for the Lord’s return (Revelation 22:20)

Sadly, the “Christianity” that many have embraced is cultural and social, but not biblical or salvific. A lot of people like a lot of things they see in Christendom like feeding the hungry, visiting the sick or being kind to the homeless. This makes us feel good about ourselves. But, when it comes to living a holy life, defending the faith, rebuking false teachings, or submitting to the Lordship of Jesus and sharing the gospel they are not

committed. Only those who do the will of the Father will ever reach heaven. Pretenders will be left out (Matthew 7:21-23).

We perform good works because we are saved. We do not perform good works to get saved. If unrepentant vile sinners can merit salvation by what they do, then God the Father was most cruel in sending Jesus to be beaten and crucified, shed His precious blood and die for nothing.

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[1] The word religious in this passage is where we get the word superstitious. It means fear of gods or demons

Have You Spoken To Any Dogs Or Pigs Lately?

 I realize this is a very strange title for an article, but rest assured I will explain. I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with some members from my Church and another Church this past Saturday. As we walked in the neighborhood, we encountered a gentleman who engaged us, but also ridiculed everything we said regarding Jesus, sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness. This is no surprise to me as I have encountered people who have mocked God after I have shared His word, or even if they “agreed” with me, they told me what sins they were about to engage in letting me know the word had no penitential effect on them.

My point being is when sharing the gospel truth to someone face to face, or online, we must be discerning. We are not to waste our time with those who have no desire to hear the truth. This is not a harsh response; it is a Biblical one. When Jesus was preaching the sermon on the mountain, He said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, less they trample them under feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

Proverbs 26:4-5 tells us the following, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly lest you be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in own eyes.”

The preceding verses appear to contradict one another, but they do not. Verse four is commanding us not to stoop down the level of a fool when they are being foolish. Verse five is commanding us to correct a fool in their foolishness otherwise they will feel emboldened and confident in their stupidity. All these exchanges can and often happen in a gospel presentation. We must know how to respond to someone being foolish.

When Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the gospel one of the things He said is, “And whoever will not receive your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day judgment than for that city” (Matthew 10:14)! What a terrifying thought. For those who reject the gospel, they are worse than the evil homosexuals who were in Sodom and Gomorrah (Read Genesis 18 & 19).

The Gospel of Christ is described as a treasure in earthen vessels. The earthen vessel described here is representatively speaking of frail humanity. An actual earthen vessel was a clay pot that was easily breakable and replaceable. It was useful for storing items like jewelry, money, or documents. The reality that God would entrust frail, sinful humans with His precious truth lets us know how much He loves us. So, the power is never in the presenter, but the message the clay pot presents so that God receives the glory (2 Corinthians 4:7).

So that I am clear, we are to share the gospel with all. We also need to be aware of who is receiving your message, and who is not. Based on the responses of those listening determines if you continue speaking or if you need to walk away. Remember, what we have is most the precious treasure of all, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News! Do not give what is holy to the dogs; those that return to their own vomit, or pigs; they go back to the mud after they have been cleansed (Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22).

Those that reject this Good News will be subject to the worst news, God’s holy wrath (John 3:36).

In The World but not of it

As time marches on, it is more difficult to strike a balance between engaging our culture, and at the same time not succumbing to its evil trappings. We live in a world of tempting compromise. What I have discovered is that if you stand your ground, and stick to your moral convictions, you’re a bigot, phobic, conspiracy theorist, hypocrite, religious zealot, intolerant and unloving. You’ll get canceled on the largest social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. While free speech is our constitutional right, not everyone likes what others who have a different opinion than theirs have to say. In a lot of instances, many people hate worldviews that do not agree with their own - especially Biblical worldviews. These disagreements can degenerate to venomous shouting matches, violent fights, and worst of all some become fatal.

As a Christian, we are commanded to love all people. This is never easy since so many people are hateful. The world has love twisted though. They believe that love means accepting and celebrating their sins. We cannot do that. We MUST love them and lovingly expose their sins. Why? Because we want the world to know that God’s wrath (i.e. His anger) is abiding on them (John 3:36). We must provide a balanced gospel presentation. In order for someone to appreciate the good news, they must be aware of the bad news - they are spiritually dead because of their sins (Eph 2:1: Cols 2:13). This means they are disconnected from their Creator and are currently on their way to hell. I know it's a hard truth to deliver and for most hard to swallow, but we must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).

Once someone is clearly aware of their spiritual condition (provided they want to hear you), it's time to deliver the good news. They can be forgiven of all their sins by repenting and placing their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus was sent by God the Father to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). This is the best way we as Christians can engage the world without compromising our commitment to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:11 commands us to not get involved in the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them. This is where the tension is the hottest. Once a believer exposes the sins of the wicked, the heat is on! If the person’s heart is hardened, they will not hear you. As a matter of fact, they will harden themselves more and increase their sin to anger you. Why? Because they love their evil (John 3:19). This is a spiritual battle between light (the believer) and darkness (the non-believer). 

The Bible commands us to not love the world or the things in it. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him / her (1 John 2:15). When God commands us not to love the world He means the world system - its ungodly trappings like I said in the beginning. We are not to love the fame, fortune and carnal pleasure. It’s all passing away.

How many Christians have compromised and dimmed their light because they want to be accepted by this deceptive evil world system? Listen to the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18:

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 

Therefore

“Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

God is challenging and testing us to see if we love Him more than ourselves and others. The questions we need to constantly ask ourselves is, “Who do I want to please, God or man?” And, “Who would I rather have mad at me, God or man?”

You see if we give in to the world’s corrupt ways, then we are no good to ourselves or the kingdom of God. We destroy our witness for Christ and we will be defeated and disqualify ourselves for usefulness. Think about that! Do you really want to be defeated by the enemy? I don’t. Wayward Christians are hypocrites. Is that the way you want to represent Jesus - our blessed Savior who was humiliated, beaten beyond recognition, bloodied and died to save our souls?

Too many professing Christians want the best of both worlds. They want Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord. They want the kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of carnal pleasure. The Lord requires that we submit our lives to Him. Our lives are no longer our own for we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). I struggle with this reality everyday. Let these words be a reminder to all of us-as we know we are not being as effective for the kingdom as we could be.

At the end of the day, Jesus said that not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven. He went on to say many will come to Me and say, “Lord we prophesied in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and did mighty works in your name. Then Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Now when Jesus said He never knew someone, that doesn’t mean He does not know who they are for He knows everyone. What He is saying is that He does not have an intimate personal relationship with them. He is not their Savior. They are not one of His sheep (John 10:26). God knows everyone creationally, but He does not know everyone relationally. Simply put, everyone is NOT a child of God. Most are children of Satan (John 8:44). This should be obvious by the politics in the White House all the way down to the violence in our streets.

Concluding believers, we must inject God’s truth and love in the culture. This is not an easy thing to do. It is very easy to get discouraged and afraid when we know for the most part people are not going to listen. Remember, we are in a spirit and truth war. Souls are at stake. Once a person is regenerated by God’s Spirit, then real and lasting change will occur. Only God’s power can convert the soul. It’s our job as much as humanly possible to convince the world of this truth. So let’s keep getting the word out. God is the only one that can do the saving.

Is there a difference between our spirit and soul?

The first thing that needs to be done is to define our terms. The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh. The Greek word is Psyche. Several words are used to define it. It means breath, self, life, person. It is the immaterial real you. In Genesis 2:7 it says God breathed into the nostrils the breath of life and man became a nephesh, a living being or soul. The soul of man is the living breath of God. When we use phrases like, I put my heart and soul into this or that, what we mean is we gave it our all. The real us cannot be seen with the naked eye, but we reveal who we are by what we say and do. We can also define soul as the seat of our emotions, desires, appetites, and choices. Our will is derived from our soul. This is the innate component that makes us in the image of God. Let me make this clear: we do not have a soul, we are souls. Our physical body houses our soul. The Lord designed us that way. Our bodies are animate because the soul empowers it. At death the body will decay, but the soul lives on forever – with or without God.

The Hebrew and Greek words of Spirit are Ruach and Pneuma respectively. Both mean breath, wind, and spirit. How the spirit relates to man, it seems almost identical to that of the soul. Is there a difference between the spirit and the soul or are these terms synonyms? Admittedly the scripture seems to use the words interchangeably. But here are some differences to acknowledge. 1) Christians have the Spirit of God, but we are not spirits. The Bible tells us God is Spirit (John 4:24). God the Father does not have a physical body although throughout scripture physical attributes are used to describe Him[i]. 2) Our soul / life is what God saves when we repent and believe the gospel.

The Holy Spirit who is God (third member of the Trinity) bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16). It is with our spirit that we have and develop an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. When we submit to the Spirit of God, that is what the Bible calls being Spiritual or being Spirit led. When we do not submit to the Holy Spirit, we are operating in what the Word says is the flesh which is sin.

Again, the soul is the inward faculty that makes us who we are. The spirit of man is that immaterial part of us that allows us to connect with God through the Holy Spirit that resides in us. It’s clear that our soul and spirit work together to do God’s will. From our soul comes our mind (our thinking / intellect), our desires, will (decision making and choices), and emotions. When we submit all of that to the will of God, we are walking in the Spirit of God. That equates to holiness and sanctification.

An unbeliever cannot do this. Why? Because although they have life (i.e. soul), they are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). They are disconnected from God due to unforgiven sin and unbelief. They do not have the Spirit of God in them. They have physical life, but they need a re-birth in order to have spiritual life (John 3:3). We can only connect with the Godhead through the Holy Spirit.

Concluding, because of sin, man’s soul / life has been severed from God. Unredeemed sinners are zombies because of the disconnect from their Creator. In order to get your soul reconciled to God you must repent of sin and believe the gospel today! When one does that, they are eternally saved, and their whole being, soul, spirit and body belong to Jesus who purchased it with His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20).

 

P.S.:

“What will profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what can man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:26)?

As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways (Ezekiel 33:11)!

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[i] Describing God with human features is a doctrine called Anthropomorphism.

I no longer believe in God!

 What causes someone to make that statement, I no longer believe in God?! Someone declared to a podcast host recently that she no longer believes in God due to some tragedy and evil that has devastated her life. The reply from the host was the thing that has come upon you has affected billions of people around the world. You believed in God then, why don’t you believe in God now that you are suffering?

I am paraphrasing, but that was the gist of his reply to the person that complained to him. I agree with his reply, but he should have gotten to the root of the problem – her sinful nature. That is the reason we suffer pain, poverty, disease and death. Also, to his credit he said that God is not a “celestial butler.” His exact words. He is correct. God is not our cosmic Jeanie in a bottle. God is not here to serve and grant our wishes. It is the other way around. We exist to serve and glorify Him.

Because of mankind’s sin, death is working in all of us. It is a universal sentence that none can escape. The eyes of the lost are closed spiritually. They are blind to the truth of the nature and character of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Dis-believing in God does not hurt God, it hurts and handicaps the non-believer. That person has cut off the only one that can forgive their sins and save their soul.

The other thing the non-believer does is place themselves under God’s wrath (John 3:36). Why would anyone want to put themselves in opposition to the Lord? Psalm 7:11 says that God is angry or has indignation against the wicked everyday (italics added for emphasis).

I would argue the person who no longer believes in God does not even know the character of God. They do not understand their own nature either. Once they discover who the Biblical God is, and understand their own depraved nature, then they will know the truth, and the truth will make them free (John 8:32).

 

What are some reasons why people stop believing in God?

1)   God has broken your heart: You had a loved one that became terminally ill. You sincerely prayed to God for their healing. They die. You’re broken hearted, devasted, understandably emotional and angry at God. Why wouldn’t God who is all powerful heal my mom, dad, my baby or spouse? You have determined that God does not care, nor is He loving or all powerful so why trust Him any longer.

Losing a loved one is a terrible pain to endure. There is never a right time for it to happen. The reality is that we all have an appointment with death. We cannot avoid it whether we like it or not (Ecclesiastes 3:2; Hebrews 9:27). For most people they are frightened to the core of death. But if you are in Christ, we can echo the words of the Apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).” We do not have to face death with fear. We can face it with comfort. If you are in Christ when you die, you’ll be in heaven the moment after you take your last breath here on earth.

2  You have been mis-educated in God’s word: I believe the most nefarious thing in the world is a false teacher masquerading as a true shepherd of God. Why do I say this? False teachers (and there are plenty), preach another Jesus. Paul in Galatians chapter one says this:

 

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one, we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again; if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse” (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV).

I had to bring this point up because false teachers abuse God’s word for their own selfish ends. They twist the scriptures to make the Bible say what they want it to say. When their parishioners follow their toxic doctrine and attempt to apply some name-it-and-claim-it nonsense to their lives and it doesn’t work, they are devasted, they turn on God, and leave the Church. If they have a terrible experience with one Church, they will lump all of them into the same hypocritical pile. Christians are fake and so is the God they serve – He did not answer my prayer for a new house, new car, more money, my healing. I even prayed in Jesus’ name, and I still didn’t get my break through!

Why do the good and innocent have to suffer?

Scripture tells us that none is righteous, and none does good, not even one of us (Romans 3:10-12). Bible also tells us that all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Human goodness is subjective. Everyone makes their own rules. Goodness for one person is to support abortion because that gives women supposed autonomy over their own bodies. Goodness for another person is to champion woke ideology, Critical Race Theory and fighting climate change. In the minds of many people these are worthy virtues to promote. The main question that must be asked is how does God view these things?

The point in society’s mind is “good” people should not suffer wrong. It is unfair to those who believe they are good. Why would a good God allow evil on good people?

We live in a morally fallen world. The truth is mankind is wicked and not good. Sadly, mankind does not know how wicked they really are. Most do not want to know because that would bring guilt. Our sin is not only against one another, it is against God Almighty – the one to whom everyone must give an account when they die. Because of the sin of Eve and Adam, in that order, God pronounced death on them and all of their descendants – everyone that will ever live. That is the truth most hate. Why do we have to suffer for the sins of Adam and Eve? All human beings will suffer in this world to one degree or another. Jesus promised in this world we would have tribulation (John 16:33).

The ongoing calamity we experience in this life is a constant reminder of our fallen sinful nature. This should grip everyone with godly fear, but for most it results in blaspheming the Lord’s name for the trouble they are experiencing. Man refuses to accept the fact the world is in turmoil because of their ongoing sin. It is our fault.

Complete surrender to God’s sovereignty is the key.

Our God is infinite. There is so much we do not understand about His ways (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-36). God is sovereign which means He has absolute rule over everything and everybody. And because we are sinful, and He is absolutely holy, we will wrestle with Him and His decisions in this temporary life of pain. Even though we will always lose, our selfish sinful nature foolishly believes that we will feel better if we disobey. For many disobeying the Lord is their way of "hurting" Him for not submitting to their demands. Actually, for the one that believes that your mind is playing tricks on you. The more one sins against the Lord, the closer to the fires of hell they get; this warning is to the non-believer.

Once one gives their life wholly to Jesus, you realize He bought you with His blood and your life is not your own anymore (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). When you decide the Lord can do what He pleases in your life, you will have joy. God is always going to be God whether we believe in Him or not. God’s love is always with the child of God. Nothing can separate us from His love Romans (8:31-39, please read these verses).

I’ll end with this, if you choose NOT to believe in God, then you have no hope for your life. Bad things will continue to happen, and you will not know the reason why they’re happening. This reality will deliver to you ongoing anguish as you drift into a black hole of despair. Translation, you’re lost in darkness.

For those of us who trust God with our lives, we know why natural evil happens; because of moral evil; the evil of men. The difference is we know that all evil is passing away. God has promised a new heaven and a new earth where only righteousness dwells (Isa 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev 21:1).

Trust in the Lord will all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

-      Proverbs 3:5-6

 

 

         

How To Conquer Sin In Our Lives

 It is very easy to forget the power of God’s word when we fail to consistently study and meditate on it. When we do not allow the word to rule our lives, it does not have the compelling influence it needs to have. Jesus said my words are Spirit and they are life (John 6:63). The word of God is what I call Spiritually Organic. It is alive! 

Job said, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). The word of God has to be preeminent in the life of the Christian. Without it, we are defeated and walking in darkness. The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (italics added for emphasis, Psalm 119:105). In this same chapter we read, “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

The difference between  a mature and immature Christian

In 2 Timothy 2:15 we read these words, “Study to show yourself approved unto God. A workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The phrase rightly divide means to cut it straight. The believer that is serious about their walk with the Lord goes to work and diligently studies God’s word. It is never a casual exercise. Why must we do this? 1) The Lord commands that we do. 2) To refute false teaching and always fight for truth and expose lies. They dealt with it in the first century, and we are dealing with it today. 

When one gains confidence from the truth, you will become mature and unashamed of the gospel. You will be able to answer every naysayer! I repeat every naysayer! I don’t care how much education and degrees they have or how much they love their sin. Remember, the unbeliever does not have the Resident Comforter and Teacher dwelling on the inside of them, God the Holy Spirit (John 16:13).

We do by God’s grace!

So obviously those believers that do not study to show themselves approved will not rightly divide God’s truth and will be put to shame when challenged for their faith. Immature Christians will most likely be subject to engage in sin more often than those who are investing their time in learning the scriptures. Why? Because they have not hidden the word in their hearts. They are more vulnerable and weak. These are the ones that will be carried away by windy doctrines by charlatans who talk heresy and tickle the ears (Ephesians 4:14;2 Timothy 4:3). Immature believers do not have their senses heightened enough to feel real conviction when they sin. God’s truth is our defense against the attacks of Satan.

Paul in Colossians 3:16 commands that we are to let the word of God dwell in us richly - meaning God’s word has to take deep root. It must be like what Jeremiah said, the word of God has to be like fire in your bones that you cannot contain (Jeremiah 20:9)! Just as the body has to be flooded with oxygen for its health and survival, we must flood our souls with the oxygen of God’s word so that we are spiritually fit to go to war.

Are we supposed to be heavenly minded?

Many have heard the phrase or proverb, “You’re so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good!” I used to believe that phrase until very recently. That is the criticism of non-believers or carnal Christians toward believers; thinking because we talk about Jesus, the Church and Salvation that perhaps we are not in touch enough with reality or we’re not concerned about the problems of this world. 

That reasoning is based on a false premise. Christians and the Church throughout history have been great champions for humanity because of their love for God and mankind. William Wilberforce and John Newton worked hard to abolish slavery in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Other believers started orphanages and schools. Most importantly, saints way back in early Church history and now have and are sharing the gospel all over the world so that souls will be saved. This is all due to people of God being heavenly minded which always translates to much earthly good. It is those that are only earthly minded that are no heavenly good. Let me prove that Biblically:

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).

This verse clearly commands us to focus on heavenly things not earthly.

Why?

2 Corinthians 4:18 tells us, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is not seen. What we see is temporary, but what we do not see is eternal.”

So to put the unseen in context, the apostle Paul is talking about the Kingdom of God, Jesus, eternal life - the life to come, the gospel. These are everlasting things - not climate change, fossil fuels, greenhouse gasses, poverty, homelessness, crime, murder, theft, social justice, racism, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Transhumanism, AI, Gender Dysphoria, Abortion, Illegal Immigration, Proxy Wars, etc. All of these will pass away.

The word of God is the lifeline for the Christian. If one abandons it, they should examine their life to see if they are really a believer (2 Corinthians 13:5). Being with it empowers us to not only deal with the sin in our own lives, but it will compel us to lovingly help others who are trapped in their sins who want to be free but do not know how. 

The apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). The word power in the Greek is the word dunamis. This is where we get the English words dynamite, dynamo or dynamic. Want to be a powerful and victorious believer who conquers sin? Consume God’s word. Want to have strong moral convictions and be fearless in a hopeless and Godless world? Feed on God’s word.

This is what Ezra the scribe set his heart to do:

For Ezra had 1) prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and 2) to do it, and 3) to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10).  

Someone wisely said, “The Bible keeps you away from sin, but sin keeps you away from the Bible.”

What Is The Seeker Sensitive Church?

 Seeker sensitive Churches basis is emotional more than doctrinal. They base their faith heavily on experience. Those that lead these types of Churches will use an entertainment atmosphere - light shows, hype music to draw in the unchurched. The target audience are young people. From what I have seen online, seeker sensitive centers are often large Mega Churches with plenty of money. The preacher’s message is non-offensive. He / she rarely discusses the need for repenting of sin for that is negative. Rather, it often is a “positive” message about living your best life now. It’s about positive affirmations and “good vibrations.”

Seeker centers are primarily based on two factors: the speaker and the audience, not on God. It focuses on the speaker because they’re often very loud, demonstrative and charismatic. Their presence is so powerful it can be hypnotic. Secondly, these centers focus on the parishioner because they react to the heretical message being delivered. They respond by shouting Amen, jumping up and down and running around the sanctuary. Jesus’ name is mentioned, but it’s not the Jesus of the Bible. One individual even had the gall to say that Jesus was a stripper because He died naked on the cross! Go search it out on YouTube. 

The thought process of these types of churches [(and I use the word church(es) loosely] is like this: cater the church service to the sinner and not the Christian. Use secular music so the sinner is comfortable when they enter the building. Churches are to be kind to all people, but that does not mean the gospel should be abandoned to conform to the world. Those that are in God’s house must hear God’s truth. The music must be worshipful to God not to man. Everything the world is used to doing outside of the Church should never be in the Church. The two must remain separate.

No one in the Church needs a motivational message about their goals and dreams. We need the word of God so that we can be reinvigorated with strength so that we can continue to fight the good fight of faith (2 Timothy 4:7-8). We need the word of God so that we can combat falsehood and earnestly contend for the faith (1 Peter 3:15). Those are the best feel good messages one can receive; to know that you are in the will of God (Ephesians 5:17).

When one seeks God and His righteousness, everything in our lives falls in order  (Matthew 6:33).

What must the unsaved hear when they enter God’s house?

Jesus started His public ministry by commanding everyone to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). Jesus went right to the heart of man’s problem, his sinful nature. Why did He do this? Because He was preaching the good news, the gospel. The goal of the faithful Pastor is to persuade the sinner why he or she needs to be saved. We do all we can do in the natural to compel people why they must repent, and leave it up to God to convert the soul through the dynamic power of the word of God (Psalm 19:7). It amazes me the power that so many Pastors have (i.e. the word of God), yet they fail to use it all because they want the unchurched to receive their watered down powerless message. The weak Pastor to me is the greatest enemy of the unsaved when they teach a user-friendly message. Why? They have disguised themselves as a sheep when they’re a wolf. The role of the Pastor is to warn the unsaved by telling them of pending eternal destruction and hell if they refuse to repent. Despite what many believe, preaching a message about avoiding hell is not hateful, it is loving if taught with the understanding you have a burden for that person’s soul. (Ephesians 4:15).

When Paul was before King Herod Agrippa and shared his testimony about his conversion to Jesus, he was so compelling that Herod said, “You almost persuaded me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). These are the types of penetrating messages that must be preached. Same thing happened when Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. In verse 37 it says they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” 

Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:37-39). In verse 40b Peter said, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

 It is like Peter is speaking these words today although he spoke them 2000 years ago. We too must be saved from this perverse generation. This is the message that everyone must hear-the message that pricks men’s heart so that they can repent and be saved so they do not eternally perish. The seeker friendly message does nothing but brings the world into the church, makes them comfortable in their sin instead of uncomfortable because God has been de-fanged of His power, and everyone's ears are tickled due to a toxic candyland message.

Shame on those who teach a different gospel other than what Jesus, the apostles and the men and women have preached throughout church history. The judgment for those who preach a false gospel will eternally regret it (Galatians 1:8).