Mood:
not sureTopic: A Christian
"What makes a Christian?"
Sister. Betty Neal
And
Bishop Michael Neal, D.D.
This world is packed with people calling themselves Christians, but are they all Christians? To my way of thinking there are four types of Christians, {so called.}
1- II Tim. 3:1-6, This chapter is talking about the time of Apostasy, or a Great falling away, from the faith. for you have to have something, before you can fall away from it. Paul was talking about it, warning people of it, over two thousand years ago. It happened then, and it is happening now. Apostasy, Is the act of professing Christian, who on purpose, eyes wide open, reject the truth of Gods' word, and turns a back to the world and away from God. I said professing, but not possessing. There is a difference.
2- II Tim. 3:5 Tells us that they have" a form of Godliness, but denying the power of it, from such turn away." These people depart from the faith; but not from the outward appearance of Christianity. They have a form of being a Christian. They dress up on Sunday, and go to church {More Like a Club or a place to get together} with a Bible under their arm, sing songs, testify, give their offering, but far some reason they have fallen away from the faith. They have on purpose, rejected the faith, the truth that was once delivered to the saints by the apostles. But take a look at them, they look like everyone else, but inside where you can't see, they are empty, for to reject Jesus Christ is to be empty.
Another type, are the ones that may be in error concerning the truth, which may be the result of ignorance to the word. Acts 19: 1-6 John the Baptist disciples, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? But they answered, "We have not so much as heard whether there is any Holy Ghost. Now, sometimes this is the pastor’s fault they do not believe, so they cannot or will not teach it to the people. The blood will be on their hands that preach not the true word of God. In truth, and in power of the Holy Ghost.
We Note that even in the days of Paul that the people were turning from the True word of God, (Galatians 1:6) I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
(Galatians 1:7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
As we still see today that the word of God has been so Perverted that it is hardly recognizable from the the word Preached by the Apostles, But the world puts the words God, Lord & Christ to what ever they want and call them-selfs "Christians". But as we look more a Paul himself said in (Galatians 1:8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
He did not stop with saying it once he repeated himself again in
(Galatians 1:9) As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. The Gospel and Christians have forsaken their First "Love" { Jesus Christ } and have gone after "False Teaching" having the Form of Godliness but denying the "Power" their of. We must Remember that to call oneself a "Christian" we Must first put "ON" Christ and to put on Christ we Must "Live" His True word and let his word come a live in Us, then and only then we can call our selfs a "CHRISTIAN"
But concerning the ones in ignorance, could it be they have been snared by Satan? II Cor. 4:3 "But if our gospel is hidden or veiled it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Could that be the reason that they are lost? Is this then their only destiny? If the veil was lifted by the truth, can they be saved, like Israel? II Tim. 2:25-26 "And that they recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
3- Another type is found in the parable of the wheat and the tares. The Tares believe that they are the wheat. They set beside the wheat in the pews in the house of God, so therefore they believe that they are the wheat, but the Tares can never be saved for the Tares are all they are, and all they will ever be. They can never be the wheat. They cannot, nor will not, ever be able to change their nature. These were never in the faith, for Satan sowed the tares among the wheat. These are found in the church as well as outside the church. Take a good look, we can't tell them from the wheat, only the angels, at the last day may separate them. For they have grow up in the church, growed attached, close to the wheat. Wherever the children of God are, there also are the children of Satan.
But concerning the ones in ignorance, could it be they have been snared by Satan? II Cor. 4:3”But if our gospel is hidden or veiled it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Could that be the reason that they are lost? Is this then their only destiny? If the veil was lifted by the truth, can they be saved, like Israel? II Tim. 2:25-26”And that they recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
3- Another type is found in the parable of the wheat and the tares. The Tares believe that they are the wheat. They set beside the wheat in the pews in the house of God, so therefore they believe that they are the wheat, but the Tares can never be saved for the Tares are all they are, and all they will ever be. They can never be the wheat. They cannot, nor will not, ever be able to change their nature. These were never in the faith, for Satan sowed the tares among the wheat. These are found in the church as well as outside the church. Take a good look, we can't tell them from the wheat, only the angels, at the last day may separate them. For they have grow up in the church, growed attached, close to the wheat. Wherever the children of God are, there also are the children of Satan.
What makes a Christian?" You must be baptized in the name of Jesus, to be covered by his blood. You must go down in the water to be buried in like matter as Jesus Christ was, to rise up out of the water, or resurrected in like matter as Jesus Christ, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and to walk in the newness of life. Walk as Christ walked, showing forth the attributes of Jesus. A Christian shows forth Christ in the way that we walk, in the way that we talk, the way that we dress. In our attitude, and in our spirit. It is more than just saying "I am a Christian." Anyone can say that. Tares will not, nor can not ever become "Christ like," for they are like their master Satan. I John 3: 2 "Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." But don't misunderstand, apostasy shall continue. I John 2: 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us, but they went out, that they might be made manifest or made known, that they were not all of us."
