Not by what we call ourselves

Not by what we call ourselves
Michael Flynn wrote,
“Jesus said the weeds would grow with the wheat until the Judgement," Dietrich answered, "so one finds both good men and bad in the Church. By our fruits we will be known, not by what name we have called ourselves.” Michael Flynn.
Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’Matthew 7:21-23
Throughout the centuries many men and women who are not Christians have called themselves Christians. These men and women may even think they are Christians but they are not. They have misinterpreted and misrepresented Christ. Some out of ignorance others deliberately.
Sadly however the world many times cannot tell the difference between a true believer in Christ Jesus and a fraud.
There are I believe however some key things that should make a true believer in Christ Jesus stand out.
Firstly a true believers in Christ Jesus will not judge anyone. Jesus said,
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2.
The apostle Paul said,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” 1 Corinthians 5:12.
Billy Graham the great American Evangelist said,

It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and 

my job to love, 

                   Billy Graham.

Secondly a true believer in Christ Jesus will love. Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Jesus took this concept of Love one step further saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 5:43,44
The apostle Paul defined Christian love this way,

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                           1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

Out of these two attributes comes another thing. A Christian will not try to impose their faith on anyone. They will sit down and present their faith. They will even listen to those who do not share their faith.
Ultimately however after sharing their faith a true believer in Christ Jesus will let the individual decide for themselves what they believe in with regards to  Jesus.
Please think about it.

Encounter with a Samaritan

Encounter with a Samaritan.
John’s Gospel records this incident between a Samaritan woman and Jesus.
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 
Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”4:19-26.
Here we have a conversation between a Samaritan woman and Jesus. Samaritans and Jews never spoke. Many Jews in the day of Jesus, even avoided going through Samaria to go from the north to the south of Israel even though it was the most direct rout.
Jesus however had not such problems and in speaking to the Samaritan woman we can I think say in a symbolic way, that Jesus shows that the message of Salvation he brings to the world is for everyone.
Jesus notes that he is indeed the Messiah that comes from the Jews. But in the middle of this passage he notes,
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 
Ultimately the temple as we know was destroyed and the Jewish people scattered. It however did not stop devout people from worshipping God.
The Apostle Paul points out,
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.” Acts 17:24.
I’m sure there were many in the time of Jesus who went up to the temple to worship out of duty or as part of their culture. They simply believed this was what one did if one was a Jew.
Matthew’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and a young man. He records,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22.
This young man had great wealth. His faith was in his wealth not truly in God. He was obeying God’s word but lacked faith in God.
As Jesus pointed out to the Samaritan woman,
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Today in our churches there are many who go to church out of a sense of duty. Some go for the social aspect of church, or because their parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, went to church. To them it is the thing to do.
While it is good to go to church and the social aspect can have positive effects on our life. That is not what being a believer in Christ is all about. It is about faith in God. The writer of Hebrews telling us.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                            Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                                      Hebrews 11:6.

The apostle Paul writes,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
Please think about it.

Faith

Faith
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  
This is what the ancients were commended for. 
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 
By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 
By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.  
And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” Hebrews 11:1-13.
  The writer shows us men of faith, Able, Enoch, Noah, Abraham. All these men lived by faith. They did not see in their lifetime the fulfillment of God’s promise. Yet by their faith they believed God would bring about all he had promised them.
James writes,
“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.” James 2:23.
So it is today. The apostle John writes,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
As I have said in previous blogs, faith is essential to entering heaven. Yet faith in someone you cannot feel, see or hear is difficult for most people.
This is why I believe God wants us to have faith in Him, because people of faith tend to be the strongest followers. They will follow no matter the circumstances.
Are you such a person. Are you willing to put your trust in Jesus, your trust in God?
Please think about it.