In America today it seems that 9 out of 10 people will tell us they are born again followers of Jesus Christ. We know this cannot be true and we do not need to see into their hearts to know this either. The Lord told us "you will know a tree by its fruit" and the fruit of American denominational believers is most often quite unbiblical and rotten, as compared to God's Holy Word.
Why is this so, you may ask?
So many people are claiming Christ yet they lack the biblical holy fruit that He said His true followers would bear in his name. The cancer that has created this terrible situation has many ugly heads and goes back many centuries as well. It was created because of an unbiblical gospel, the lukewarm standards, the worldly ways, the compromise of bodies and the entire denominational system of man made religion that most are following and being trained in today that is a root cause.
Most of these people today are walking around thinking they are in Christ from their baptism, a prayer they said, by raising their hand at a summer camp or just their involvement at a local building on Sunday wrongly called..... a church. They will be the target of the Lord's warnings in Matthew 7
(many will say Lord Lord and He sends then away) and we are afraid for them so we aim to reach as many of them as we can with the true saving gospel and the New Testament church life.
So what is the biblical fruit of a person who has truly repented of their sin, believed on the cross of Christ, who has been touched by God's Holy Spirit and are now born from above? Is it just lip service and a " I believe in Jesus" statement or is it much much more?
Please see below a short list of a few VERY good signs that God is at work in you today with some scripture verses to back them up and then a brief explanation as well on each. Read them, ponder on them and test yourself; really examine yourself ( 2 Corinthians 13:5) and see if you are truly in the faith or you could be a false convert indeed! We were that once and so we care enough to ask you to consider this while you still can.
*You have a biblical testimony of salvation/hope in Christ and His Word that has changed your life
1 Peter 3:15 ...... But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
If you are indeed born from above (John 3:3) you will have a story to tell about how and why your life was totally transformed by the gospel of Christ. This story of eternal hope that you will have to tell others is of course based on repentance, faith and obedience to the Word of God ( Christ ) and not any man made system of faith. To come to Jesus biblically we must worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24 ) and not practice lies ( Rev 22 :14-15 )
See our post here about being born again: http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-being-born-again-means-biblically.html
*Leaving what you once embraced that is not consistent with the Holy Word ( changed lifestyle )
2 Corinthians 5:17...........Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This really means that you are a new person today and what you did and who you were before have now been done away with and your life is ALL new in Christ and it is lived for Him daily. Your desires and wants have been changed by His Spirit and over time you are made NEW.
*You have obedience to the Word of God in full
John 14:15...........Jesus said: If you love me keep my commands
When you are truly born from God you then desire to live out His entire Word in your life just as the Lord told us we would do IF we love Him. It is not a casual thing or a one day a week event. It is the passion of your life... to keep and proclaim His Word, all of it for His glory! Click HERE to read how obedience is biblical, not legalism.
*You love true brothers and sisters
1 John 2 ..... He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
When God lives in you it creates a deep love for other true believers who are following Christ with you. If you do not have a growing love for the true brothers and sisters God's Word says you don't have God at all! This means you will give service to others, help them in daily life issues/needs and even die for them if need be. God takes this very serious and so should we who are His. As you can see this goes beyond the Sunday meeting and church suppers, see our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/09/love-of-brethren.html
*You see constant change in yourself to grow in biblical holiness
1 Peter 1:15 ...........be holy in all your conduct
If you are born of God you look at your entire life and desire for all of it to be holy unto Him. Your conviction is to strive to control your fallen nature and to walk in holiness ( set apart for God ) in ALL things. There is no time to take a break from your service and dedication to God. Just like marriage your life is not your own, it is now all for Him as we are His bride.
See out post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-biblical-command-for-holiness.html
*You are killing your flesh and walking in the spirit
Romans 8:8 ........So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Killing your flesh means you want yourself to die for Christ. Oh one may slip in some sin but you don't LIVE IN IT any longer. You are actively trying to trust in His Word and Spirit to help you over come sin habits and you never to take them lightly. If something is not consistent with His word and ways ( TV, media, hobbies etc ) your killing your desire for it and tossing it out for His name and glory.
*You are sensitive to all sin
1 Thessalonians 5:22............. abstain from every form of evil
You are actively testing all things ( 1 Thessalonians 5:21 ) in your life. You now see evil and your hearts desire is to avoid it at all costs. You're feeding on His Word daily and your discernment is growing to the point you see sin and evil you would have missed before. You are also willing to have others that have gone before you point out your areas you need to work one as a one anothering event. An example could be you never thought certain minor slang words were wrong but now you can't imagine using them with a Holy God living in you.
*You see your entire life as worship ( not a religious service run by men )
Romans 12:1.....I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Your desire for the man made religious systems and their so called worship services have faded as you now see God's true plan for His New Testament body. Every day lived is worship to God. You understand what it is to be holy ( set apart for God ). By His Spirit you now want spirit and truth worship not vain rituals. You see in the Holy Word this is a on going (could even be daily) meeting often house to house and lifting each other up for the edification / training of ministry ( Ephesians 4 ) and not for planned out, emotional shows or man run events that cant ever fed you biblically in Christ.
See our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2013/12/worship-in-truth-or-with-good-intentions.html
*You're rejecting man made religion and seeking spirit and truth worship
Colossians 2:8..... Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Perhaps at one time you would take what man said and fall for his ideas, lies and traditions. But now you're comparing them all to the Holy Word and rooting out what is false. You are Christ and gospel truth centered. no longer with man and systems in play for your truth. You now see gathering in a large crowd of compromised unbiblical people is not what you are called out for. You desire only those who walk fully in His ways and this makes you called out from those around you; all by His perfect plan!
See our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/04/characteristics-of-new-testament-body.html
*You have biblical discernment on all matters
2 Corinthians 10;5............. taking every thought captive for Christ
When Christ (by His Spirit) comes to dwell in a person your entire mind is changed. (The bible says put on Christ and get a new mind.) As you feed on God's Word you realize more and more that all things are to be tested and discerned against His Word. You also know you are to live holy in all your conduct so that means even your every thought is to be for His glory. This battle of the mind is an everyday struggle over the fallen sinful man to glorify God with both our bodies and our souls as well.
*Ladies... your outside changes as your inside are renewed
1 Timothy 2....... In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works
As a godly lady you have come to realize through your study or discipleship that God cares about what your outside is for His glory once you're His on the inside. You have studied and learned to strip down your entire life in all things and to shed the cultural ways around you that affects ladies today. You now dress in a manner that matches His Holy Word and Ways and not the traditions of this fallen world around you. Then over time you will change into what He desires you to be per His Word and not man made religious systems that are false.
See our post on that, click HERE.
*Men... your desires for the things of the world change
1 John 2:15..... Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him
Men who truly have Christ today know God does indeed call out into holiness His true people from all sin and worldliness. This means they are actively to reject what the world offers them as fun, entertainment or for their personal world. This verse means as Christ followers we are to daily reject the worlds ways and cling to God's Word alone. In this we find ourselves called out ( holy ) from those around us and our hearts no longer cling to the fleshly things of this world that is dying.
See our post on this here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/03/entertainment-is-it-good-or-bad.html
*You're living for the Lords return
Hebrews 10:25 ......... do not forsake the gathering of ourselves together ( to Christ at His return )
Now that you are a born from above Christian you realize your life is not your own but His. Because of this you are eagerly studying and waiting for the "return of Christ" just as He promised us He would. This fact and His gospel is a driving force in your life. It is your great and ONLY hope for the world and your life is set on it.
See the real meaning of Hebrews 10:25 CLICK HERE:
*The fallen world rejects you and your message
John 17:14 .... Jesus said: I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Because of your biblical salvation and the changes His Word and Ways have had on your entire life, you are no longer of the fallen world. You have been called out from it and you are "in it" but not "of it" any longer. In fact those in the world ( non regenerated people / even the religious ) do not like your biblical gospel message at all. Often this will bring them to the point (the world ) will hate you and what you stand for. Take heart in this as you are on the mark for Christ!
*You have a fearless desire to proclaim the biblical gospel to others
Mark 16:15 Jesus said: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature
Because you have been rescued from your sin and because our Lord command us to do it; you desire to proclaim His biblical truth to all people that you can and you want to do it biblically. You realize a Christian is not about doing "ritual religious services" but is to be active in preparing for and doing biblical ministry for the Lord.
We hope this short list helps you to see some of the characteristics of a true biblical follower of Jesus Christ and to guide you to refine and strive for His ways daily with a mind set on biblical truth for His glory.
Please listen to or read the gospel here:
http://www.dontperish.com/the-gospel.html
Let us know how we can assist you.
www.dontperish.com
Why is this so, you may ask?
So many people are claiming Christ yet they lack the biblical holy fruit that He said His true followers would bear in his name. The cancer that has created this terrible situation has many ugly heads and goes back many centuries as well. It was created because of an unbiblical gospel, the lukewarm standards, the worldly ways, the compromise of bodies and the entire denominational system of man made religion that most are following and being trained in today that is a root cause.
Most of these people today are walking around thinking they are in Christ from their baptism, a prayer they said, by raising their hand at a summer camp or just their involvement at a local building on Sunday wrongly called..... a church. They will be the target of the Lord's warnings in Matthew 7
(many will say Lord Lord and He sends then away) and we are afraid for them so we aim to reach as many of them as we can with the true saving gospel and the New Testament church life.
So what is the biblical fruit of a person who has truly repented of their sin, believed on the cross of Christ, who has been touched by God's Holy Spirit and are now born from above? Is it just lip service and a " I believe in Jesus" statement or is it much much more?
Please see below a short list of a few VERY good signs that God is at work in you today with some scripture verses to back them up and then a brief explanation as well on each. Read them, ponder on them and test yourself; really examine yourself ( 2 Corinthians 13:5) and see if you are truly in the faith or you could be a false convert indeed! We were that once and so we care enough to ask you to consider this while you still can.
*You have a biblical testimony of salvation/hope in Christ and His Word that has changed your life
1 Peter 3:15 ...... But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear
If you are indeed born from above (John 3:3) you will have a story to tell about how and why your life was totally transformed by the gospel of Christ. This story of eternal hope that you will have to tell others is of course based on repentance, faith and obedience to the Word of God ( Christ ) and not any man made system of faith. To come to Jesus biblically we must worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:24 ) and not practice lies ( Rev 22 :14-15 )
See our post here about being born again: http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-being-born-again-means-biblically.html
*Leaving what you once embraced that is not consistent with the Holy Word ( changed lifestyle )
2 Corinthians 5:17...........Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
This really means that you are a new person today and what you did and who you were before have now been done away with and your life is ALL new in Christ and it is lived for Him daily. Your desires and wants have been changed by His Spirit and over time you are made NEW.
*You have obedience to the Word of God in full
John 14:15...........Jesus said: If you love me keep my commands
When you are truly born from God you then desire to live out His entire Word in your life just as the Lord told us we would do IF we love Him. It is not a casual thing or a one day a week event. It is the passion of your life... to keep and proclaim His Word, all of it for His glory! Click HERE to read how obedience is biblical, not legalism.
*You love true brothers and sisters
1 John 2 ..... He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
When God lives in you it creates a deep love for other true believers who are following Christ with you. If you do not have a growing love for the true brothers and sisters God's Word says you don't have God at all! This means you will give service to others, help them in daily life issues/needs and even die for them if need be. God takes this very serious and so should we who are His. As you can see this goes beyond the Sunday meeting and church suppers, see our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/09/love-of-brethren.html
*You see constant change in yourself to grow in biblical holiness
1 Peter 1:15 ...........be holy in all your conduct
If you are born of God you look at your entire life and desire for all of it to be holy unto Him. Your conviction is to strive to control your fallen nature and to walk in holiness ( set apart for God ) in ALL things. There is no time to take a break from your service and dedication to God. Just like marriage your life is not your own, it is now all for Him as we are His bride.
See out post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-biblical-command-for-holiness.html
*You are killing your flesh and walking in the spirit
Romans 8:8 ........So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Killing your flesh means you want yourself to die for Christ. Oh one may slip in some sin but you don't LIVE IN IT any longer. You are actively trying to trust in His Word and Spirit to help you over come sin habits and you never to take them lightly. If something is not consistent with His word and ways ( TV, media, hobbies etc ) your killing your desire for it and tossing it out for His name and glory.
*You are sensitive to all sin
1 Thessalonians 5:22............. abstain from every form of evil
You are actively testing all things ( 1 Thessalonians 5:21 ) in your life. You now see evil and your hearts desire is to avoid it at all costs. You're feeding on His Word daily and your discernment is growing to the point you see sin and evil you would have missed before. You are also willing to have others that have gone before you point out your areas you need to work one as a one anothering event. An example could be you never thought certain minor slang words were wrong but now you can't imagine using them with a Holy God living in you.
*You see your entire life as worship ( not a religious service run by men )
Romans 12:1.....I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Your desire for the man made religious systems and their so called worship services have faded as you now see God's true plan for His New Testament body. Every day lived is worship to God. You understand what it is to be holy ( set apart for God ). By His Spirit you now want spirit and truth worship not vain rituals. You see in the Holy Word this is a on going (could even be daily) meeting often house to house and lifting each other up for the edification / training of ministry ( Ephesians 4 ) and not for planned out, emotional shows or man run events that cant ever fed you biblically in Christ.
See our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2013/12/worship-in-truth-or-with-good-intentions.html
*You're rejecting man made religion and seeking spirit and truth worship
Colossians 2:8..... Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Perhaps at one time you would take what man said and fall for his ideas, lies and traditions. But now you're comparing them all to the Holy Word and rooting out what is false. You are Christ and gospel truth centered. no longer with man and systems in play for your truth. You now see gathering in a large crowd of compromised unbiblical people is not what you are called out for. You desire only those who walk fully in His ways and this makes you called out from those around you; all by His perfect plan!
See our post on that here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/04/characteristics-of-new-testament-body.html
*You have biblical discernment on all matters
2 Corinthians 10;5............. taking every thought captive for Christ
When Christ (by His Spirit) comes to dwell in a person your entire mind is changed. (The bible says put on Christ and get a new mind.) As you feed on God's Word you realize more and more that all things are to be tested and discerned against His Word. You also know you are to live holy in all your conduct so that means even your every thought is to be for His glory. This battle of the mind is an everyday struggle over the fallen sinful man to glorify God with both our bodies and our souls as well.
*Ladies... your outside changes as your inside are renewed
1 Timothy 2....... In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works
As a godly lady you have come to realize through your study or discipleship that God cares about what your outside is for His glory once you're His on the inside. You have studied and learned to strip down your entire life in all things and to shed the cultural ways around you that affects ladies today. You now dress in a manner that matches His Holy Word and Ways and not the traditions of this fallen world around you. Then over time you will change into what He desires you to be per His Word and not man made religious systems that are false.
See our post on that, click HERE.
*Men... your desires for the things of the world change
1 John 2:15..... Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him
Men who truly have Christ today know God does indeed call out into holiness His true people from all sin and worldliness. This means they are actively to reject what the world offers them as fun, entertainment or for their personal world. This verse means as Christ followers we are to daily reject the worlds ways and cling to God's Word alone. In this we find ourselves called out ( holy ) from those around us and our hearts no longer cling to the fleshly things of this world that is dying.
See our post on this here:
http://spiritandtruthdiscernment.blogspot.com/2014/03/entertainment-is-it-good-or-bad.html
*You're living for the Lords return
Hebrews 10:25 ......... do not forsake the gathering of ourselves together ( to Christ at His return )
Now that you are a born from above Christian you realize your life is not your own but His. Because of this you are eagerly studying and waiting for the "return of Christ" just as He promised us He would. This fact and His gospel is a driving force in your life. It is your great and ONLY hope for the world and your life is set on it.
See the real meaning of Hebrews 10:25 CLICK HERE:
*The fallen world rejects you and your message
John 17:14 .... Jesus said: I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Because of your biblical salvation and the changes His Word and Ways have had on your entire life, you are no longer of the fallen world. You have been called out from it and you are "in it" but not "of it" any longer. In fact those in the world ( non regenerated people / even the religious ) do not like your biblical gospel message at all. Often this will bring them to the point (the world ) will hate you and what you stand for. Take heart in this as you are on the mark for Christ!
*You have a fearless desire to proclaim the biblical gospel to others
Mark 16:15 Jesus said: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature
Because you have been rescued from your sin and because our Lord command us to do it; you desire to proclaim His biblical truth to all people that you can and you want to do it biblically. You realize a Christian is not about doing "ritual religious services" but is to be active in preparing for and doing biblical ministry for the Lord.
We hope this short list helps you to see some of the characteristics of a true biblical follower of Jesus Christ and to guide you to refine and strive for His ways daily with a mind set on biblical truth for His glory.
Please listen to or read the gospel here:
http://www.dontperish.com/the-gospel.html
Let us know how we can assist you.
www.dontperish.com