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True Christianity
Message by: Leroy Surface
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11:26
What is a “Christian?” Certainly the answers to this question would be many and varied. The correct answer would also depend upon whether you were speaking culturally, socially, or spiritually. Strong’s concordance is too simplistic in its definition, saying, “a follower of Christ.” My old “Century Dictionary” gives several definitions, the best of which is “Christ-like.” The present day thought of what a “Christian” is seems to be “anyone that believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This, however, is the definition of a cultural Christian. It identifies a person as being a “Christian,” as opposed to being a “Jew,” a “Muslim,” a “Hindu,” a “Buddhist,” or some other religion. There was a time that a person born in America was thought to be a “Christian” because this was thought to be a “Christian nation.” Historically, “Christians” have raised armies to war against Muslims and Jews. Even though this was done in the name of the “church” during the dark ages, this was not true “Christianity.” The “cultural Christian” is no different than the world around them. Their “Christian” label may be due to nothing more than the place of their birth. They are still sinners; they sin just as the world around them sins. Cultural Christians may also be adulterers, homosexuals, drug addicts, thieves, pornographers, or any other sin label you may think of. Politically they may be conservatives, liberals, libertarian, or what have you. According to the definition of a cultural Christian, 95% of America is “Christian,” as well as 90% of Europe and Australia, 50% of Africa, at least 95% of Central and South America and most of Canada. Further, according to this standard, one third of the world’s population is Christian. The cultural Christian may or may not attend any church. They are not “born again” of the Spirit of God, do not “worship” God, and take little or no thought of either “heaven” or “hell.” In fact, they may not have any personal convictions at all concerning Jesus Christ: they simply fit in a class, or group, that is distinguished from other religions by their nominal belief in Jesus as the Son of God. It is a sad state when multitudes in the churches across America have also believed they are “saved” and “going to heaven when they die” for no more reason than they “believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
The True Christian
In order to understand what true “Christianity” is, as contrasted to “cultural,” or “social” Christianity, we must go to the scriptures. Furthermore, we must discover what a biblical “Christian” is because true Christianity is made up of individual men and women that have been “born again” of the Spirit of God. It was Jesus that told us “You must be born again.” He also said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” We understand what is to be “born of the flesh.” We have a “flesh and blood” mother and a “flesh and blood” father. All that we are in this world we received from either our heredity or our environment. The scripture says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God…(II Corinthians 5:17-18)” A true Christian is a “new creature,” and “old things are passed away.” The Apostle Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ…(Galatians 2:20)” In Romans 6:6, Paul spoke to every child of God, saying, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ…” This certainly speaks of the “death” of the “old man” on the cross with Christ. Back in II Corinthians 5:17, Paul actually uses the language of death when he says, “old things are passed away.” Literally, it is the “old” creature (or man) that had to “pass away” before the “new” creature (or man) could be birthed by God. Notice the rest of the passage, “Behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God.”
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Romans 8:16
The “true Christian” is “born again” of the Spirit of God. Being “born of the Spirit,” they are “spirit (John 3.6).” They are the children of God. The Apostle John is even bolder in I John 3:2; “Beloved, now are we the sons of God…” For the child of God, all they are and all they possess is of God. Never since the fall of Adam has there been such a people as the children of God. They possess a “new heart” and a “new spirit.” They are partakers of the “divine nature (II Peter 1:4).” They are “holy,” because their Father in heaven is Holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” The fifteenth verse is an exhortation to “holiness” in all behavior. It is based upon the Old Testament scripture that Peter quoted in the sixteenth verse, which actually said “Ye shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44-45). Under the Old Covenant this was a command, but under the Covenant of grace this is a reality; the children of God are holy, because He is Holy. Notice Romans 11:16, “For if the firstfruit (Jesus) be holy, the lump (His church) is also holy: and if the root (Our heavenly Father) be holy, so are the branches (His children). The “true Christian,” a child of God, is “holy” because their Father in Heaven is “Holy.”
Just as much as we received what we are as a natural man (or woman) from our natural parents, the true Christian is what he (or she) is because they are “born of God.” Everyone that is born of God has a “new heart” and a “new spirit.” These were promised in Ezekiel 36:26. We partake of the “divine nature,” for the old sinful nature was nailed to the cross of Christ. This is what Paul spoke of in Romans 6:6 when he said, “that the body of sin might be destroyed…” This reveals the sole purpose of Jesus’ death on the cross and our crucifixion with Him; it was to “destroy” the “body of sin.” It was to free us from sin that ruled in our heart and nature. Paul continued, “that henceforth we should not serve sin,” literally, “that we would no longer be a slave to sin.” He finishes the thought in the next verse, Romans 6:7, “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” A “true Christian” is “free from sin.” Paul confirms this repeatedly in the remainder of the sixth chapter of Romans. See verse 14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Now, verse 18: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Verse 20: “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” Finally, see verse 22: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to righteousness, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
The Reality
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
II Corinthians 4:18
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 3:3
I have often heard teachers teach from the subject, “What we are in Christ.” Most often they would be scripturally accurate, and would seem to teach with understanding. Invariably they would tell of our “justification” and “sanctification” that was wrought at Calvary by the offering of the body and blood of Jesus. They would tell of our “holiness” and “righteousness” in the eyes of God, and of the great “authority” the believer possesses as he “sits in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Without fail, however, they always come to the part of the teaching where they give what I call a “disclaimer.” The conclusion of the teaching is usually something like this: “This is what you are in Christ. In ‘reality’ you are still a sinner, and will sin everyday as long as you live in this life.” These people do not really believe the gospel. Their “reality” is in this present tangible world. To them, the “real” birth was from their natural parents. Their “real” life is the old man of sin. Every truth of the gospel is only “symbolic.” They do not believe in an actual “new birth,” in which a person is born again of God. Their realities are only the things they can see with the natural eye. If they can’t “see” it, it isn’t real. Paul tells us just the opposite. All the things we can see are only temporary. They are not the reality. It is only the things we cannot “see” with our natural eyes that are eternal. These are the “reality” of the child of God. Paul told us to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). I have heard many say it this way, “I reckon myself to be dead to sin, but in reality I am still a sinner, and always will be in this life.” For the child of God, “dead to sin” is the reality. The word “indeed” in Romans 6:11 means “in fact.” It is the “fact” that the child of God is dead to sin and alive to God. This is their reality.
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Philippians 2:15
The person that believes they are “holy and righteous in Christ” while they are “sinners, and sin everyday” in this world, is deceived. Notice that the Apostle tells us it is “in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation” that we are “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke.” The person that is not “holy and righteous” in this present evil world is not “holy and righteous” in Christ. Christ is the only dwelling place of the child of God, but He has “sent us into the world” just as the Father sent Him into the world (John 17:18), to “shine” as the light of the world. The “true Christian” is the only “light” the world has.
The Light and the Life
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:4
Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). The “light of the world” was the “life of God” that was in Him. The world could see the “life,” and it was “light” to them. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Notice that He told us that we would have the “light of life,” hence His saying that “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). The promise is that the “life of God” would be in the children of God. This is that “eternal life” which is promised to all who believe.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
I John 1:1-2
In this text the Apostle John is speaking about Jesus, the Son of God, but he identifies Him as “the Word of life” in the first verse, and “that eternal life” in the second verse. The point I would make in these scriptures is in the second verse, “…the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life…” The “life of God” that was in Jesus could be seen. John said, “We have seen it.” Do you have eternal life? If you do, those around you can see it, because eternal life is the light that cannot be hid. John not only saw the Word of life; he said “we…shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.”
Christ, Our Life
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
I John 5:11-12
The Apostle John assures us that God has given us eternal life, but “this life is in His Son.” No one has eternal life apart from Jesus Christ. I have heard ministers lead sinners through a “sinners prayer” many times. Often they would instruct them after the prayer, saying, “Now you are saved. God has given you eternal life. By virtue of its being ‘eternal,’ you can never lose it. Nothing you could ever do can cause you to miss heaven, because you have received eternal life.” Oh, how many have been deceived by such teaching. John said, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” No one has eternal life as a “thing,” or as a “possession.” Eternal life is in the Son of God, “Who only hath immortality (I Timothy 6:14-16).”
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4
Paul says that Christ “is” our life. In very fact, He is our “eternal life.” The child of God has no life apart from Jesus Christ. Probably the most important thing Paul tells us in this text is the statement in the third verse, “Ye are dead…” Notice that Paul begins this text saying, “If ye then be risen with Christ…” This statement is not an absolute; it is a hypothetical, beginning with the word “if.” The “absolute” is in the words, “Ye are dead.” The Apostle is not telling them they are “risen with Christ.” He cannot know the state of everyone that hears or reads his words. The one thing he establishes about every person for all time is this, “If ye be risen with Christ…ye are dead,” and Jesus Christ “is” your life. There is no variable in this statement.
Every child of God is “dead,” because he (or she) is “crucified with Christ.” This is the “death” that has delivered them from “death.” They are not dead “in” sin: they are dead “to” sin. They are dead also to the law (Romans 7:4), which is the “strength of sin (I Corinthians 15:56).” They are dead to the world (Galatians 6:14). Paul said, “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him” (II Timothy 2:11). Further, in II Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul said, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” Let me paraphrase this verse for better understanding, based upon what the Greek wording actually said. “…if one died for all, then all died: And He died for all, that they which live no longer live themselves, but He who died for them, and rose again.” If every child of God is “dead” with Christ, it becomes obvious that when you see one living, it is not them that live, but Christ that lives in them.
Yet Not I
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
The Apostle Paul, while saying “I am crucified with Christ…” continued, saying, “…nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” There are times the gospel believer may seem to boast as he lays claim to the truth. Paul gave a disclaimer, so that all his boasting would be in Jesus Christ. He spoke of “the life which I now live in the flesh.” He said, “Christ liveth in me.” Sin no longer lived in his members; sin was destroyed, and Christ lived, even in the “flesh” of the Apostle. So much for those who profess to be “Christians” while they continue to sin “in the flesh.” The child of God does not boast in their “flesh,” but in Christ who lives in their flesh. Speak to Paul about his holiness, and he will say, “…yet not I, but Christ liveth.” Speak of his righteousness, or any other virtue that is seen in him, and the answer will be the same, “…yet not I, but Christ liveth.” Whether it was in the life he lived or in the works he did, Paul never took credit or boasted in himself. In I Corinthians 15:10, Paul gives the secret of his amazing ministry. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Some would think Paul was boasting when he says, “I laboured more abundantly than they all.” Then comes his disclaimer; “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Speak to Paul about the mighty miracles that were wrought by his hands (Acts 19:11), and you can be sure he would tell you, “…yet not I, but the Holy Ghost which is upon me.”
The Mystery
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
I Timothy 3:16
In this scripture, the “mystery of godliness” is Jesus Christ. The mystery, or secret, of who and what Jesus was on this earth, is “God manifest in the flesh.” Jesus said it this way in John 14:10, “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” Again, Jesus said in John 5:19, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” This was Jesus’ way of saying, “…yet not I, but my Father that is in me.” Even with Jesus Christ, the secret of life and ministry was “God was manifest in the flesh.”
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Colossians 1:25-26
The world had never seen a man in the image of God. In the beginning when God made man, He made him in His own image and likeness, and crowned him with His glory and honor. Every work of God’s hands was put under man. The scripture says there was nothing that was not put under man. In the four thousand years from the transgression of Adam and the fall of man, the world never saw a man in the image of God. There was none crowned with the glory and honour of God. There was never a man with the righteousness of God, or a man with true holiness. All that Adam was before he transgressed is a mystery that could not be comprehended by even the furtherest stretch of man’s imagination. This is what Isaiah was expressing in Isaiah 64:4, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.” The “beginning of the world” came with the entrance of sin. From that time until the first advent of Jesus Christ, no one had seen, heard, or even imagined what it was that God had purposed man to be. That, however, is what this wonderful salvation is all about. Paul told Timothy, in II Timothy 1:9-10, “Who (God) hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” If you would see what God has “given us in Christ before the world began,” you must only see Jesus in His earthly life and walk. He is “the mystery of godliness.” The child of God is but the extension of that mystery. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 1:27
The “mystery” or “secret” of godliness in the child of God is, as this verse reveals, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” Paul said that God has “chosen” us to make this mystery known among the lost of this world. A simple check with your “Strong’s Concordance” will confirm this. The Greek translated “would” in this text, should have been translated “chose,” or “hath chosen.” This verse, speaking of the “saints,” should be translated “…whom God hath chosen to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In Galatians 1:15, Paul said, “…it pleased God…to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen…” God has chosen; it pleases God: not only to reveal His Son in the Apostle Paul for the purpose of reaching the heathen, but also to reveal Christ in every child of God throughout all ages, that the world might see Jesus. If the lost are to see anything of God, it must be Christ manifest in His people. It must be as Paul said, “Not I, but Christ.”
One With Christ
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:20-21
The “hope of glory” is not Christ “and” you; it is Christ “in” you. Christ “and” you are two, but Christ “in” you is “one.” This was His prayer to His Father the night before going to the cross, that we might be one (with Him) just as He and the Father are one. That “oneness” is such that He could tell Phillip when he asked to see the Father, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (John 14:9).” Paul tells us in I Corinthians 6:17, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” This is the “child of God:” this is “true Christianity.” The “mystery of godliness” is no longer a mystery. It is not by principles, carnal ordinances, observances, laws, or creeds; it is “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.”
The Pattern
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
I Timothy 1:15-16
Let’s consider this man in whom God chose to show a “pattern” to every believer for all time. Paul was not the pattern. If he were the pattern, then every believer would be trying to follow his example. The “pattern” is to everyone who would ever believe on Jesus Christ to “life everlasting.” It reveals the working of the grace of God in taking a man who is the chief of sinners and making him to be the chief of the Apostles. Consider this “Saul of Tarsus,” the chief of sinners. He was a devout Jew, with every reason under the law to trust that he was righteous, yet he hated the Christians. He hated the very name of Jesus Christ. He dedicated his life to destroying the church of Jesus Christ. Notice the record in Acts 8:3, “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” Again, in Acts 9:1-2, “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.” Years later, Paul the Apostle related those days when he persecuted the church; “I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities” (Acts 26:9-11). This is the record of the “chief of sinners.” He terrorized the Christian community, entering into their houses, and binding them with chains, he cast them into prisons. Others, he condemned to death. Many Christians fled Jerusalem to the Gentile nations out of fear of Saul of Tarsus. Saul’s hatred of the Christians was such that he pursued them to foreign lands to bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. In terms we can better understand, Saul of Tarsus was the “Osama Ben Ladin” of his day. He was “righteous” according to the Jews law even as he persecuted and destroyed the church. Ben Ladin is “righteous” according to Islamic law even as he terrorizes and murders Jews, Americans, and non-Muslims. Can you imagine the “grace of God” that could take a “Ben Ladin” and make of him a man that would love Jesus Christ, and lay down his own life to save a Jew? That is the pattern that God gave us in Saul of Tarsus.
How God Saves Sinners
Saul of Tarsus died that day on the road to Damascus. His testimony he gave in Galatians 2:20 is simply, “I am crucified with Christ.” The record is given in Acts 9:1-20. He was on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians and take them in chains to Jerusalem. His goal was worldwide eradication of the Christians and the name of Jesus. In this, Saul was no different than Hitler with his hatred of the Jews. The scripture says a “light from heaven” shone upon him, and he fell to the ground. A voice spoke from heaven, saying “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Notice Saul’s answer, “Who art thou, Lord?”
Saul of Tarsus was down for the count. No one can know what is going on in a man’s heart. The “hardest” of sinners is often the easiest to reach. Saul had heard the testimony of Stephen. He had seen the “glory” on Stephen’s face as he spoke. Saul had been the one who condemned Stephen to death, as the scripture says in Acts 8:1, “And Saul was consenting unto his death.” He heard, as the last breath of Stephen was a prayer, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Two things came out of these events for Saul of Tarsus. The one, very evident, was his absolute hatred for Christ and Christians. The other, not so evident, he could not escape the things he had seen and heard in Stephen that last day. He was condemned in his own heart even as he tried all the harder to destroy Christianity from the face of the earth. He could not escape the voice or the words of Stephen. He could neither “gainsay nor resist (Luke 21:12-15)” those words. He would close his eyes at night and see the face of Stephen. He had caused Stephen to be slain, but he could not get rid of Stephen. His heart was pricked; in the deepest of his heart, he knew he was wrong. Only more anger and violence could cover the pains of his own heart. God’s dealing with Saul of Tarsus began with the testimony and murder of Stephen.
“Who art thou, Lord?” I am totally convinced that Saul knew who spoke to him. Who else but Jesus had Saul hated so much? The amazing thing to notice is that Saul called Him “Lord.” The “Jesus hater,” the “church persecutor” had come to his end. The “chief of sinners” would now die. Jesus answered Saul, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” This words “pricks” is kin to the word used in Acts 2:37, “they were pricked in their heart,” which meant they were “stung to the quick” in their hearts. It brought them to instant despair, crying, “men and brethren, what shall we do?” Saul of Tarsus had been “kicking against the pricks” ever since the death of Stephen. He rebelled against and refused the pricking of his own heart. The further he went the more he was filled with anger and hatred against Christ and Christians. This day, however, Jesus had confronted him in his way. Saul’s answer to Jesus is even more amazing: “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do” (Acts 9:6)?
I have always been amazed at the testimony of some that say they were “born again” at an early age, but continued to live in sin until years later when then “decided” to “make Jesus Lord.” My amazement is that anyone would believe in such a salvation. It is certainly not according to the “pattern” that God said would be to all that would believe on Him unto life everlasting. The issue of who the Lord is was settled with Saul before he was able to get up out of the dust of the earth. I tell you, that was where the “old man,” the “chief of sinners,” died, crucified with Christ. Saul was blind for three days. On the third day, a man of God named Ananias was sent to Saul to lay hands on him that he would receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. “And straightway (immediately) he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests” (Acts 9:20-21)?
Saul Tarsus, the chief of sinners, went on to become Paul, the greatest of the Apostles. While there was a period of time before he became the great Apostle, the “chief of sinners” never left the dust of that desert road to Damascus, for that was where Saul believed, and his old man was crucified, “with Christ.” From that day Saul was not a sinner; he never struggled with the hatred and anger that had so consumed him. From that day Saul was free from sin. Yes, it took a period of time before he was the great Apostle, but the old Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners never lived again from that day.
Even as the greatest of the Apostles, Paul knew that he was nothing, and Jesus was everything. He also knew that his was not a “special case” wherein God decided to exalt one Apostle above another. In fact Paul knew the manner of God’s dealings with him was but a “pattern,” not for man to follow, but that man would see what God would do for as many as would believe on Him to life everlasting. In Paul, God took the “chief of sinners,” nailed him to the cross of Christ, quickened him with Christ, baptized him with the Holy Ghost, filled him with grace and truth, and sent him to tell the world of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to show them all that God has prepared for those that believe Him. He said it this way in Ephesians 3:8-9, “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” The child of God is that mystery. This is “true Christianity.” It is the only hope for the world, and for America.
Our nation has been weakened by “cultural Christianity,” and destroyed by sin in the church. The forces of secularism are having their way in America. We are fast becoming an “amoral” nation that God will destroy. If God’s people, those who read and believe this message, will turn again to the Lord with all their hearts; if they will humble themselves and pray, and seek His face, until Christ, the Son of God is revealed in His church; we will see America turned and saved even at this late hour. God has given this into our hands. Please pray! Weep before God for that grace to reveal Christ, until all across America people “see” Him as He is. Remember, the mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Who Ever Said
That Freedom Was Free?
Message By: Keith Surface
The Price of Freedom. Over the past century hundreds of thousands of American soldiers have perished in foreign wars as they sought to preserve our freedom and liberate other countries. Actually these young men (and women) did not have to die. They probably could have kept their lives, but if they did, Adolph Hitler would most likely have kept his life also. If our soldiers had not paid the ultimate price Europe would now be dominated by Hitler’s Nazis, Japan’s Imperial forces would now control much of Asia, and who knows what the United States would be today. The blood of these soldiers was the price paid for the freedom of the world.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic. A verse from The Battle Hymn of the Republic gives us great insight into the price paid for the freedom of your soul. During the Civil war, as the soldiers marched into battle seeking to put an end to the horror of slavery, they sang these words; “As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free One hundred and forty years ago the people of this nation knew why Jesus was crucified. They knew that He died to change the hearts of men. Jesus did not have to lay down his life, but if he did not, we could never be free.
Hitler or Satan? Jesus died to make you holy. Just as our soldier’s blood was the price of our freedom as a nation, Jesus’ blood was the price of our freedom from the bondage of sin. Our soldiers died fighting the armies who killed with guns, bombs, tanks and planes. When Jesus gave Himself to be crucified He defeated Satan and his armies of sin, torment, hate, and depravity of the soul. No one has to continue with sin in their heart and life. The Bible says Jesus died to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The worst type of slavery you can have is the kind that comes from within. Don’t be the one who makes excuses for the things that you know are wrong. Instead believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can be free!
Did He Die in Vain? Today we look at a country such as Iraq. It is difficult to understand why some of its people, after decades under the cruel dominion of Saddam Hussein, fight against the ones who offer them freedom. Daily, American soldiers are giving their lives seeking to give people a future that will be without fear of oppression and cruelty from their leaders. Yet we must be aware that if Iraq’s people do not receive this liberation, then for the Iraqi people, the loss of life will be in vain. Even so, it is you who will determine if Jesus’ crucifixion will accomplish anything for your soul. Jesus gave his life to destroy Satan’s power over you and free you from the presence of sin within. Will His death be in vain? The choice is yours.
What can I do?
Surrender to God! The war for your soul will continue for as long as you fight against God. If you desire to come to God you must first surrender all unto Him. This includes your heart, your life, your present circumstances, and your future. The unconditional surrender of the enemy brought World War II to an end. Only then could the war end and restoration begin. If you will surrender your all to Jesus Christ, He will restore your soul. Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Before you decide to spend your life rejecting or fighting against God, perhaps you should find out what His “conditions of peace” are.
Repent. Turn from your sins and turn to God. Repentance is a change of mind or direction. Changing yourself can’t save you, but neither can you come to God if you keep following your own path. True repentance always begins in a person’s heart. If you truly want a change of both the things you do and the conditions in your own heart that lead you to do them, then you must repent before God. Find a place to talk to God. Confess your sins and ask His forgiveness. He will forgive you. The Bible says He is “ready to forgive.”
Believe upon Jesus Christ. Salvation comes through faith, and faith alone. Your surrender can’t save you. Your repentance can’t save you. Even you good deeds cannot save you. Only Jesus Christ can save your soul and give you eternal life. He died on the cross to destroy the powers that are destroying you. It is not the circumstances around a person that condemns them. It is the darkness of their own heart that will bring them to damnation. Through Jesus, God promised to give you a new heart and a new spirit. He promised to free you from sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. There is no sin so horrible that He will not wash it away. Greater still, He promised to make you His child and nothing would be able to separate you from His love. All that you need to be complete and new is given to you in Jesus Christ. The only unanswered question is this: Will you believe the gospel? Can you entrust your eternal destiny, both now and tomorrow, into His hands. This is what it means to believe upon Jesus Christ. Many believe He is the Son of God, but only those who have entrusted their hearts, lives, and souls into His keeping are saved. Surrender to God, repent of your sins, and believe upon Jesus Christ. He will save you also!
You Can Be Free!
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because He has anointed me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
To preach deliverance to the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Luke 4:18-19
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