Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Still Want To Be A Christian? (April 3, 2013)


It is mind-boggling how many Christians are being taught that as long as you give your tithes and offerings, everything is going to be lovey-dovey and run smoothly in your life, your family, your finances, your relationships with your friends, your school, your job and your business. Besides, how can anything go wrong when the pastor himself promises that God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon your life that you cannot contain if you faithfully give 10% of your income to his church?
The pastor will not teach you that, “God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.” 1. Peter 2:21 NLT
The pastor will not explain to you that when you become a born-again believer, Jesus requires of you to, “turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Him. (See Matthew 16:24 NLT)
Jesus Christ gave a more detailed description of the above scripture when He said that, “if you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-27 NLT
Jesus explained that, “you must hate everyone else by comparison” which means that, “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.” Matthew 10:37 NLT
By loving Jesus Christ more than anybody else, you will run into trouble and suffer for it, because this is what Jesus came to bring to this earth; division between those who love Him more than anybody else, and does who do not!!! Even if that means your own family member!
“Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.
Father will be divided against son
and son against father; mother against daughter
and daughter against mother;
and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Luke 12:51-53 NLT
Jesus also warned saying, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you,” Luke 6:26 NKJV
In other words, when you are a true disciple of Christ you will be hated, persecuted, and lied about by the world and your own Christian brother and sister, just like it happened to Jesus. (See John 15:18-20, Matthew 5:11 and 1. John 4:20) Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2. Timothy 3:12 NLT
Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ is about, humbling yourself under the mighty power of God, and knowing that at the right time He will lift you up in honor." It is about, “giving all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”
Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ is about, staying alert! Watching out for your great enemy, the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." It's about, “standing firm against the devil, and be strong in your faith and remembering that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”
It is also about knowing that God,“in His kindness called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus and after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.” (See 1. Peter 5:6-10)
Just think about what the apostle Paul is saying here: “We serve God whether people honor us or despise uswhether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” 2. Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT
After reading all of this, do you “Still Want To Be A Christian?”

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