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There are so many religions in this world. They worship a god or gods. Everybody claim that the god they worship is the
true god. Christians and Jews are supposed to worship the Creator, who created
all things in existence, as God. All other gods are created by men and they are false gods. The Lord Jesus Christ showed
the way to God to his people. The way is righteousness
and holiness through which Jesus Christ walked. Christians do not follow that
way. Instead, Christians follow a religion with another Jesus, another spirit, and another gospel.
Most Christians follow a false way as any other religion. They lost the way of life
and became religious. In short, Christians also follow a religion.
A.
Carnally Minded or Spiritually
Minded Christians
Two kinds of people
are getting involved in the Church. They are carnally minded and
spiritually minded.
"Rom 8:4
... the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to
be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."
The spiritually
minded people shall fulfill the righteousness of God. The carnally minded people will
also be the part of the Church. But yet they cannot and will not obey the commandments of God.
For example: If you talk to them about water baptism, Holy Spirit
baptism, gifts of the Holy Spirit, becoming holy, obeying God, becoming perfect,
stop sinning, etc., they may accept one or two and will reject the rest or they
may reject them all. They
will argue and justify why they should not obey the doctrine of God. They may
belong to a certain denomination of a church or a group, but they do not belong to
God. They are carnal
Christians. They are in enmity with God even though outwardly they appear to be
serving God.
B.
Religiosity is by
people and Spirituality is by God
Most Christians and Pastors do not know the difference between religiosity and
spirituality. Sentiment, tradition, emotion, etc, which are considered spiritual
by many are actually religious.
Good Christian music in churches is accepted as the presence of God. The excitement and the admiration
for the performance of music is
mistaken for spiritual worship. We can add many more to this list.
"John
3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit."
Jesus Christ says that the born again people, who are
the children of God, will move along with the Wind, which is the Holy Ghost.
They will do whatever the Holy Ghost requires from them with perfect obedience. Religious and Spiritual people may speak the same vocabulary.
Spiritual people will live in obedience to the doctrines of God while Religious
people will not obey, but will put up a show.
C. All ministers of
Satan come like Godly Preachers
When
Satan deceives
people he will not identify himself as Satan. Even his disciples
will not identify themselves as the servants of Satan.
"2 Cor 11:14
And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.
15
Therefore it is no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works."
Pretending as ministers of God, they preach false gospel and offer false
salvation for which they will be punished accordingly.
We
obtain salvation by obeying God out of our love toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. Satan
wants us to love God but not with obedience. To love
God through our ceremonies, songs, music, festivals, prayers, testimonies, witnesses, preaching,
proclamations, etc., is the easiest thing in the world. But this is
not the true love. "Matt 15:8 This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching
for doctrines the commandments of men." However those who
love God with a sincere heart will escape from the deception. "2 Pet
2:18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through
the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean
escaped from them who live in error."
We can hear the deceptive preaching of Satan from most churches. They say
that grace is the favor of God that accepts a person to heaven, who continues to
sin, as long as he confesses Christ. They believe that obeying God's
commandments is the law. They say that God gave commandments just to
show that commandments cannot be obeyed. They preach that God is against his own
law and he hates those obey the law. They preach many lies such as this.
It is so sad that so many Christians fall for it. If you need more clarity
on this topic you may read these articles, "Beware
of False Prophets" and "Satan
Shows himself as God". Most Church people who are just carnal,
religious or/and sentimental may
be deceived by Satan. But God's people will overcome the world and Satan
with the abiding of God in them.
D.
We Need Holy Ghost to
Reprove and Guide Us
"John 16:8
And when he (The Holy Ghost) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment:"
If
sin is present in a Church, then the
Holy Ghost will reprove the people of sin. If a message of love, joy and peace is
preached instead of the message of reproving sin,
then that message is not from the Holy Ghost. If the church congregation
cannot stand a message of righteousness and will run away from the message on
judgment of God, then this congregation is neither seeking God nor it is of God.
The Holy
Ghost will guide the disciples, who will
do what the master says, into 'All Truth.' If it is All Truth, they will be
guided into every truth without leaving anything and there will be no room
for any error or a spot of lie. "John 16:13 Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for
he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
The
disciples will find themselves abiding in Jesus Christ by
the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ told the disciples that the Holy
Ghost who is guiding them will also abide in them. "John
14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you." The worldly Christians
cannot receive the Holy Ghost.
A Spirit that exhibits something
other than the holiness
of God is not the Holy Ghost. A False Spirit will lead people to another
Jesus, that is, to the antichrist. "1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
God Bless You
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If we are saved
God has worked in us and
we will walk in his ways.
What is Grace?
It is the word, power, and presence of God given to
humble people so that they overcome flesh, world, and Satan. Those who overcame
are saved people.
Eph 2:1 And you
hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
(in sin is death, out of sin is life)
2 Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: 3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times
past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
(in time past they have committed sins, now they do
not sin) 4
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, (God has done it
because of his mercy and love toward them) 5
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, by grace ye are saved;
(this is called saved by grace).
Romans 3:24 Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God; (When you no longer
commit sin by his grace, your past sins are all forgiven)
Alleluia
John 3:7 -You must be
Born Again
Mailing Address
Pastor Isaac Livingston
Alleluia Church of God
P.O. Box 962
Oak Park, IL 60303, USA
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God Bless You
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