| Whatsoever
Things Are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church pastordan@mtida.net So, are you a Christian? Is it possible to be sure? "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" - 1st John 5:13 Some folks think they are a Christian because they do more good than bad. Some because they belong to a particular denomination. Some because a man of apparent authority told them they are good to go. But the Bible tells us to - "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you. except ye be reprobates?" 2nd Cor. 13:5 Getting uncomfortable yet? So how do we "examine" ourselves? We are going to be addressing this for the next six weeks as we explore Six Biblical Evidences that you are (or are not) a Christian. Here is a survey. See how you measure up. 1) A true Christian has a new awareness of right and wrong; a heightened sense if you will. He will tell you he always knew, but now he can no longer ignore things in his life. He has the indwelling Holy Spirit who "will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." John 16:8 "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1st John 5:19 And more personally, "For I know that in me........ dwelleth no good thing." Romans 7:18-25 2) He will Hunger for God's Word. "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12 3) He will have a powerful Desire for a Changed Life: "Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2nd Cor. 5;17 4) There will be an increase in testing. This is a benign term for trials and tribulations in your life. Look at it this way. Before you came to Christ, you were by default, part of Satan's kingdom. I know I just lost some of you, but please read John 3:18, 36, and Eph. 2:1-3. You were flying below Satan's radar. but now, you have a bulls eye on your back. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2nd Tim. 3:12 5) He will have a Genuine Love for Other Christians: "Beloved, if God loved us, we ought also to love one another." 1st John 4:7-13 It is compulsory that every Christian be attached actively to a local Church, and that this Church must be true to the Word of God and ----- 6) Desire to Tell Others About Christ: "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so... " Psalm 107:2 (ask any of our VBS kids what 1st Peter 3:15 says). Jesus said if you profess Him before man, He will profess you before His Father; while the reciprocal is true, If you deny Him before man, He will deny you before His Father in heaven. I can't see any "private Christianity" in this. "A Christian is either an evangelist or a fraud" Charles Spurgeon So, let's recap. Do you have an intense sense of Right and Wrong? Do you hunger for God's Word? Do you desire to Change? Or are you just fine? Is your life going swimmingly? (A faith that can't be tested, can't be trusted). Do you love other Christians? Or do you tolerate them, or worse, not even tolerate? Do they let you down, Hurt your feelings, frustrate you or betray you? "God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". Rom. 5:8 Do you desire to tell others about their need to be saved? Or is this just too uncomfortable? This ain’t imaginary, better get repaired. Come join us. |
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