Are you......?

What is probably the most important question to ask yourself, that is if you call yourself a Christian? Is it – Do I spread the Gospel, Do I go to church like I should, Do I sin too much, Should I tell people at work about God or Should I be doing more? I say no it is none of those. It will actually dictate the answer of those questions for you.

Are you curious yet? Have you figured out what the question is? You may have never heard this before; you may want to ask yourself this question daily. In fact in a different way we are exhorted to ask ourselves this question, to test ourselves if you will.

I’ll stop stalling now and let you in on it. Just a 3-word question to ask – “Am I changed?” Has the Lord, God of all taken my sinful nature and reversed my direction? Am I now walking in the Light instead of hiding in the darkness? If you have indeed been saved by grace, you have been changed. You are a new creation in Christ as 2 Cor. 5:17 tell us. If you have been recreated then how can you live a life of sin John 3:3? How can the power of God (Rom 1:16) unto salvation not be enough to change you? The power of God created everything, can that same power not take you hardened heart and make it pliable? Make you sinful nature turn from hating God and turn to Him in mercy?

Don’t cheapen the Cross, the sacrifice of God, the suffering of Christ. Do not call yourself a Christian if you remain in your sinful lifestyle, if you are one of those mentioned in 1 Cor 6:9 –10, don’t take the Saviors name in vain and try to justify your lifestyle, your sins. Man will naturally try to justify themselves (Luke 16:15), but are not and never will fool God. Do not mock God (Gal 6:7).

If God has started a work in you, He will finish it Phil 1:6. If you look back at your past sinful life and lust to have it again you are not fit for the Kingdom Luke 9:62. If your basis, your point of looking back for salvation is a prayer, a walk down an isle, a preachers exhortation that you are “saved” instead of an actual supernatural work of God that totally changed you from the inside. A lot of people are deceived by the modern message that churches are preaching. I would not be at all cautious to say that at least 90% of those that call themselves Christians aren’t. They rest their faith on a fleeting, momentary fuzzy feeling during a preachers message, the badgering by that same preacher to walk the sawdust trail during an extended altar call that is actually a form of hypnosis. No where in scripture is music used for a call to repent, no where in scripture is anyone declared saved by anyone, no where in scripture are the guidelines of Campus Crusade for Christ laid out – the first of their “Principles” is sad – God has a wonderful plan for your life. Now, where exactly does the Bible say that? I am also sure you would have a hard time talking Stephen (Acts 6:8 – 8:3), Philip, Matthew, James the brother of Jesus, Andrew, Peter, Jude, Luke and any of thousands if not millions of Martyrs for Christ that they had a wonderful life planned out for them. All that statement is – is a man centered statement to produce a very unbiblical result. If you look at John 15:20 Jesus Himself promised His followers that they would be persecuted. But then if that is your message, how many decisions would churches have? I venture to say that if the true Word of God was preached and the “decisions” were not head felt, but heart felt with the urging of God, instead of the urging by man, if the Holy Spirit was allowed to do what He said He would do, then the 90%+ fall away rate would be cut drastically.

God is all powerful and can change a mans sinful heart. We are all sinful, vile creatures that deserve damnation, but instead God provided a Way to salvation. The Way is Christ, not a prayer, not a ticket, not a decision or getting baptized, but Gods Holy Power to Salvation. We are commanded to repent and turn from our sinful existence, to trust in what God revealed to us through His Word. There is no other way. Don’t listen to Oprah, Obama or any other heretic that says all roads lead to God. That is a lie from the pits of hell. God is very exclusive in revealing salvation – John 14:6 is pretty cut and dry. Is that a narrow minded thought? You bet and Matt. 7:14 tells us that.

Are you a Christian? Have you been basing your salvation on a single experience? Has your life not changed to the conformance to more Christ likeness? Did you “give your heart to Jesus” in Vacation Bible School and base you salvation on that experience? Do you not produce the fruit of scripture? Or do you produce evil fruits? Has your life changed? Does your life continue to change? Has your bible been closed for days? Months? Years? Do you not love the Word of God? His love story to you? Also do not postpone crying to God that He might save you. A deathbed confessional may very well be the greatest fairy tale of our time. This is the hour unto salvation.

If you have any questions about salvation, please send me a message. I am no biblical scholar by any means, but I will find the answer for you. It may not be what you want to hear, but it will be the Truth of the Word.