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A Christian can be defined as a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior from sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). And in the heart of the Ch...
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I just read a book called, "God Has a Wonderful Plan For You-The Myth of the Modern Message" by Ray Comfort of www.livingwaters.com. The book was free and I received another one I haven't read yet. This book explains how preachers are preaching how God has a wonderful life for them here on earth and NOT teaching them the nature of the Law and their sin, making them realize they are a sinner and need Jesus Christ to have Eternal Life. Once they hear the Law, then they realize they are liars, lusters, blasphemers, etc. People need to be taught this first because they believe they are a "good" person and therefore will go to Heaven. But sadly, they are false conversions. People who hear the wonderful plan expect their life to be full of happiness and joy and when tribulations and adversity come along, they fall away from the Church believing they have been taught falsely and rightly so. We need to teach differently and not let people think that being a Christian is the easy life, for Jesus said it would not be easy. People need to know the real truth of the Gospel and not told how wonderful their life will be once they become a Christian. I am a Christian and my life is far from perfect, however, I still believe because I know what the truth is; that by the standards of God's Law, I am a wretched sinner. I need Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in order to get into Heaven and Eternal Life. The statistics in this book are so sad. So many become converts, only to backslide.
There are so many fake Christians because Jesus said there would be... Please read the parable of the sower in Matt 13; Mark 4 and Luke 8. Do read the three accounts as they compliment each other. You also should read the parable of the Tares and the Wheat... Jesus tells us that ONLY the seed that falls on the GOOD soil WILL produce fruit! The others never will produce any fruit... Understanding this parable is very important, when we understand it we will be able to understand all the other parables. Jesus said so, Mark 4:13 … Praise be to the Lord!
When two people get married they are on fire for one another. They go on their honeymoon, oblivious to the rest of the world. They may as well be the only two people in the world. Their love for each other is all they need to substane each other. But soon the honeymoon is over, it's time to start building a life together. You go to work, put food on the table, start making a home, paying bills. Soon children come and the hard work begins providing for them. Your marriage grows deep roots during those times. That's what keeps the marriage together during rough times. I believe that a lot of the "fake" Christians you speak of are just people who refuse to leave the honeymoon stage of thier marriage to Chist. They refuse to start building their lives with Christ. The roots have never grown very deep. I can only hope that one day they will move to the next level.
The existence of fake christians only proves that Bible is the word of God. Please read 1Timothy4:1-3 which mentions that at the end times people will depart from faith and they will make fun of marriage- the first institution which God set up. Jesus Himself has told that we can recognise them by their fruits. Please read Matthew 7:15-23 for a deeper insight. This not only proves Bible as the Word of God but it also reminds us that the coming of our Lord Jesus is imminent. And our duty is to test the spirits as we are told in 1John4:1-3. But it is very difficult to mark them as we are told by our Lord Himself in the parable of wheat and tares mentioned in Matthew13:24-30 read with Matthew13:36-43. Actually The Lord knows who are His as we read 2Timothy2:19. So we should be careful before passing judgement in this matter.
The reason we have so many false professors is because we have to many Matthew 7:21-23 People who believe they are saved by what they do, and have never trusted Jesus alone as their savior. We have to believe the gospel to be saved, First Corinthians 15:3-4 to be saved, and once we believe it we at saved forever. Ephesians 1:13. Those who are trusting in their works are not saved. We can only be saved by grace, what Jesus did for us, not by what we do or do not do. Our works. Romans 11:6. Jesus said they call Him Lord, and tell Him about all their good works, but Jesus says depart from me I never knew you. They thought they we saved by what the did, not on what HE did for them. They never did the will of the Father. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that all that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. Once we have trusted Jesus as full payment for all our sin, He gives us the Holy Spirit to seal us unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 1:13 and Ephesians 4:30. That is how He knows HIs sheep. Second Timothy 2:19. We know we are saved because of what He did, and not by anything we do or don't do, because salvation is a free gift. And once we accept the gift of eternal life by faith alone, we are saved forever. First John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know ye have eternal life. So we know we are saved because of His blood sacrifice for all our sin. And we are still all sinners because we have not been made perfect in the flesh. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, (put your name here) that HE gave His only begotten Son, (Jesus) that WHOSOEVER, (put your name here) believeth in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. What saved believers need to know is that we all still sin. Romans 7 Paul tells us how he is yet carnal because He still has sin in his flesh. But in chapter 8 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. So we all still sin, but all our sins are paid for by Jesus blood sacrifice for all sin. John 6:37 says He will never cast us out. John 6:39 says, He has never lost one of His sheep. John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 And my Father who is greater than all, no one can pluck us out of His hand. Double eternal security. AMAZING GRACE, JESUS PAID IT ALL, AND WE PAID 0. IT IS FREE. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, (and we all sin) but the GIFT of God is eternal life.
It's a sign of end times. Jesus said, "In the last days many will come in my name and say I am he, but do not believe them!" It must not surprise us that these things are happening, it serves as a reminder of what should follow after this, so get ready! It's easy therefore not to be mislead, because the Lord Jesus also told us how to tell a fake believer from a geniune beliver. "By their fruits you shall know them."
1 Peter 4: Christians have to study the bible. Christians are urged to be faithful stewards of God's gifts. 1 Cor. 4: 1-2. Good stewardship involves faithfulness in use of one's time Eph. 5:16, talents 2 Tim. 1:6; 2:15, and money. Matthew 6, Jesus' teaching on almsgiving. Alms were voluntary gifts to the needy. Jesus cautioned His disciples not to give alms for show or the praise of others Matt: 6:2-4. 1 Peter 5:2: Tend the Flock of God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Pet 5.8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Read on through I Pet 5:9-11. Pastors are called of God to perfect the saints and build up the body of Christ Eph. 4:11-13.
I prefer "notional" Christians over fake Christians. Millions of people have a notion that they are "Christian" because, well, they are not Jewish, a Hindu, a Buddhist or a Muslim, or maybe because their parents went to this Christian church for decades, so because they also go there they too are Christian. Or because the name of the church has Christian in it so it MUST be a Christian church! The old line Protestant church that I attended as a child and later on as a young man had as a pastor a doctor of divinity. He was an awesome orator with a deep and commanding voice. He was a large man and wore a black robe with three hash marks on his sleeve and a gold and white sash around his neck. To me as a child, I was in awe of him; he was God to me! He was very well respected by his congregants and by the people in the community, but in all the sermons I heard him preach I never heard him say you must be born again. I believe the reason was HE was not born again. The "gospel" he preached went something like this: God will on Judgment Day place all of our sins on one side of a scale and all of our good works on the other side. Whichever side the scale tipped to, that was our destiny. Millions of people who claim to be Christians also believe this lie or something similar. Others are told frequently that their church is the ONLY true church and they and they only hold the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, everyone else are fakes and will go to Hell.
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