secure1forever

Are You Christian or Just Religious?

If anyone should ask you if you are Christian and if you answered yes; could you tell them how, why and do you have any assurance that you are now saved? Can you lose Salvation???? Why/why not?

Who or what is the center of your religious life; please...... be honest?

If you attend a worship service with like minded people; what is it that motivates you to attend these worship services? Who/what is the center of attention at the place you worship?

Does the teacher/preacher where you worship cater to those who have 'itchy ears', telling them things they desire to hear or does he teach as the Holy Spirit directs him; regardless of consequences?
Do you prefer instruction and correction or do you want to hear only how 'good' you are?

Do you accept any and or all 'religions' who are labeled Christian, but these religion's creeds and doctrines are not Orthodox?

Do you Righteously Judge, with Holy Spirit discernment, the fruits, teachings and activities of others who profess to be Christian?

If you were arrested for being Christian; would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you?

Are you 'religious' by association....... or are you saved by the Grace of Almighty God?

Score and judge for yourself, whether you are Christian or merely 'religious'; and why!

><>...secure1forever

Pastor Gary

John 3:16(KJV) and the following verses are God's message to us about being a Christian.

For those persons who accept the statement, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life", Christianity is in their lives and is in their hearts as believers. Those who do not accept that one simple mention, can not be, nor have the right to call themselves, Christians. This basic premise is the cornerstone of Christianity and the building blocks go up from there to round out the Christian way of life and to smooth out the bumps and roadblocks while traveling on our path to eternity.

Far too many organized religious denominations who claim to be Christian are in fact, false teachers and are doing the work of Satan. Christ said in Matthew 24:4-5(KJV), "4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

As you so rightly stated, our Christian Discernment is our weapon against the false teachers and our knowledge of scripture is our ammunition in the war against evil.

secure1forever

Actually, John 3:16 & Matthew 24:4-5 or any other Scripture regarding Salvation, have no affect on lost sinners until the truth in John 6:44 is in effect.

John 6:44
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Without God the Father 'calling' the lost unto Himself to be saved; there is no Salvation!

Any lost person can recite John 3:16; but that does not save him.

Apart from God, no one can truthfully and righteously call Jesus the Christ their Lord; it is only words to the lost.

[KJV] I Corinthians 12:3
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

It is way past the time for the Church to get back to the fundamental basics that God's Salvation of the lost, begins and ends with God, alone!

God's salvation of the lost is of God, by God and for God and His Glory!
No part of God's Salvation for the lost is man's responsibility, period!

No amount of carnal teaching, preaching, praying, religion, magic cloths, denominationalism, rites, alleged sacraments, god wafers, unique formulated baptism, works, self-righteousness, reading, study, cataschisms,
association, ancestory, mysticism, wizardry, witchcraft, charismania, ecstatic feelings, modern religious experiences, sightings, marianidolatry, .......or anything has ever gotten a solitary sole into heaven; nor will such ever get anyone to heaven.

If God doesn't call; there is no Salvation! Regardless of whatever the religious shaman raves and rants about his religion or his 'vision' or his 'new revelation' from 'a god' or his exercise of some alleged special Holy Spirit gift that he somehow miraculously received and revived.
Relgion is leading lost religious people to greater depths of depravity via false teachers hawking man made heresies; and it is adversely affecting the immature and unlearned Christians within the Body of Christ, because they are ignorant of God's Word and the discipline and creed in Orthodox Christianity.

It bothers me to no end, to hear any preacher state 'God loves you and wants to save you'; because that preacher does not know whom God will/will not save, God alone knows that. We Christians are commanded to only teach/spread the Gospel. It is solely God's responsibility to open the spiritually deafened ears of only those He calls; because everyone is not going to be saved!

Remember, it is God Who saves; not man! (no.... God does not need man or anything to bring about His Salvation of the lost; He merely chose man to spread His Gospel. God could have just as easily raised up stones to teach His Word!)

><>...secure1forever

ghostboy

there are an awful lot of questions there to answer.

honestly, i probably act more religious than i care to admit and am more judgemental and self-righteous than i care to admit. in fact, i'm probably a good example of everything one shouldn't do or be if one wants to at least appear to be a "good christian".

however, i will never be a "good christian". i am a sinner and am therefore not capable. so i will settle for being just "christian", a sinner who has been saved by the grace of god.

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i cried me a river... and then drowned myself in it