True Christians
Because I teach so much against fundamentalism some
have gotten the idea that I teach an easy gospel,
maybe I do to an extent.
You don't have to change anything to be a christian,
or maybe best said that you don't have to change
to have faith in God and Jesus Christ.
Once saved, the holy spirit moves in and the spirit does the house cleaning.
Most of traditional christianity concentrates on trying to perfect the mortal body
and trying to create a perfect world for that body to live in.
What happened to, seek ye first the kingdom of heaven.
To try to perfect the flesh is ludicrist,
because the mortal body is sinful by nature
and can never be made righteous before God.
The only rightousness that we can obtain, that is acceptable to God,
is the rightousness that God imputes to us based on our faith.
If you ask anyone what a christian is,
they will answer that a christian does this....
and doesn't do that.
There are different opinions of what a christian does and doesn't do.
And most of them are wrong.
The nature of a person doesn't change by following a set of rules and regulations.
You can teach a chimpanzee to do that.
The christian nature comes from the spirit implanted in you.
If truly saved.. you will have the spirit of God
and the mind of Christ, and although being sinful by nature,
you will begin to reflect the workings of the spirit of God on you.
A person that is truly saved doesn't change over night.
You begin a battle or wrestling match between the spirit and the flesh
that may last the rest of your life...
the spirit will usually win out more and more as you walk in faith.
I've heard everything in my life called sin.
Everything from how you wear your clothes to spitting on the sidewalk.
None of which has anything to do with God.
What we eat, drink, see, wear, or not...
even so called profanity does not alienate us from God.
Nor does not doing these things bring us closer to God.
Having faith brings us closer to God, Not having faith alienates us from God.
If you are in Christ, you become a new creation
and start to reflect the effects of this new creation.
The ten commandments are God's standard of rightousness.
To obey all of the commandments perfectly from the day you are born
until the day you die was to be like God.
To disobey any one, anytime in your life condemned you as a law breaker,
a sinner worthy of death.
Only one has ever suceeded and that was Christ.
Jesus simplified the law by saying that all the law and the prophets
are combined into two commandments...
Matt 22:34-40
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the pharisees got together.
35 One of them, an expert in the law tested him with this question.
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul,
and with all your mind."
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
40 All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.
(NIV)
These two commandments are God's standard of rightousness,
anything else called sin is based on man's standard
and therefore has nothing to do with God.
There is alot of teaching in christian circles about what God loves and hates,
And how you prove the holy spirit in you.
Most of them false.
Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us what God hates.
Prov 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are a abomination to him.
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. (NKJ)
You'll notice that God hates a trouble maker worse than a murderer.
Corinthians tells us what God loves.
Before I finish this article I need to make a point.
Any time a pastor mentions tithes or offerings everyone says he's begging for money.
This is not the case.
The Lord has always supplied my needs..
my concern is not the tithes and offerings for my benefit,
my concern is the false teaching and misrepresentation of God
and his son Jesus Christ.
An offering or love gift sent to a ministry for some two dollar trinket
benefits you nothing before God because the gift is for the wrong motive.
If you recieve a tax deduction for any gift you give,
it benefits you nothing for the same reason.
Any gift you recieve public recognition for benefits you nothing,
except praise from men.
Any gift given out of compulsion
or if you do it expecting to recieve anything from God or man benefits you nothing.
Any tithe or offering has to come from the heart to be acceptable to God.
Membership in some churches require a mandatory tithe in order to maintain membership,
this type of offering is out of compulsion and benefits the tither nothing before God.
2 Cor 9:7
7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
(NIV)
