Do our words match our lifestyles?

I observe many Christians who are dead to their convictions. Dead to the truth of the Word. Dead to God. And so then, I wonder then how they call themselves a Christian. Not to judge them, but with a heart that longs to see people living out their spiritual destiny…wondering if they are in fact filled with the Spirit.

I long to see people who are called by Christ’s name humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, so then God will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

1 John 3:18

...They say they believe with their mouths, but their hearts are far from God…

 

In Luke 15:8, Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…”

The NIV version writes: The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they   have been taught.”

Have you heard “we’re not under the law”…but when Jesus is quoting Old Testament, which that is what He taught from in the synagogues (Read the Book of Matthew)….but because Jesus taught from Old Testament and expanded it to not just our deeds, but our thought life, shouldn't we then heed to the Word of God??? The Spirit of God? Depending on Him to strengthen us to overcome the temptations that easily overtake us.

How many of you believe Jesus is a REDEEMER????

How many of you say with your mouth that you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior?

This week, do a word study on: deeds, godly conducts, motives, works, and obedience.

Then compare your life to the Word.

 

Let's be a people that makes our life fit

 

 the Word of God!!! 

 

The Lazy Christian.

Is there such a thing? A lazy Christian?

The Lazy Christian does not:

• Pray
• Read the Bible
• Serve
• Evangelize
• Tithe
• Know their personal gifts
• Bear fruit

We are called to live a life set apart FOR Christ.
Yet apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
So then: DOING NOTHING = LAZINESS.

Need a definition?

 

la·zy  (lā′zē)

adj. la·zi·er, la·zi·est

1. Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.

2. Slow-moving; sluggish: a lazy river.

3. Conducive to idleness or indolence:

Lazy Christ are apart from Christ. These lazy Christians are the lukewarm church. Do they know their destiny? Revelations 3:16 explains it simply.

So what then shall they do? Luke 13:5 has the first step of the solution.

Folks, the end is drawing near. There is no time to procrastinate abiding in the Lord. I long to see the Body of Christ full engaged living a biblical lifestyle that attracts the unsaved to Christ.

How will the world know that Jesus Christ transforms lives,

if your life looks no different from the world?

Where did you get off track? Refer to the list above. The starting point of living out a 'changed life' starts with a 'devotional life' of prayer and spending time in the Scriptures/truth! In this time, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and you will begin to bear fruit, find your spiritual gifts, serve, give, and evangelize.

The Christian life is intended to be active, not passive.

Matthew 28:19-20 gives the directive: Go and make disciples! This is not an optional commandment, it is what the Lord Jesus calls us all to. It's up to you to spend time with the Lord to find out who in your life you are to lead and direct toward Christ. God speaks. His Spirit leads and convicts. Obedience is key. Obey the voice of the Lord, the nudge of the Holy Spirit and you will find yourself being an "active participant" in the work of God.

Otherwise, you will remain the "spectator Christian"...the Lazy Christian. And that my friend is just down right boring. No wonder sexual immorality, alcohol, drugs, porn, the Internet, money, -- FILL IN THE BLANK -- is so attractive and consuming your time. You are not aggressively engaged all that God created you to do FOR HIM.

John the Baptist said it best: I must DECREASE, He must INCREASE. It is to be about HIM, not us!

When it is about US, our lives, dreams, comfort, choices....we become disengaged with Jesus...and resort to being Lazy Christian, living the lukewarm powerless life fulfilling OUR will, not HIS will.

It all begins with repentance. Luke 13:5. Repent of the selfish lifestyle and call onto the Holy Spirit to fill you with the power to overcome your fleshly desires and give you the passion to live sold-out to Christ. And then daily - stay plugged into the power source!!!!! This is when you crush the lazy, spectator Christian lifestyle and you will produce the kind of fruit that is imperishable...that which will stand with it refined by the fire coming!

Pain can last a lifetime...

Pain.
Comes and goes.
Sometimes it's seasons.
Sometimes it's a blow.
A blow to the gut, a blow to the heart.
Mind left confused, feelings torn apart.

Nevertheless, pain.
It's a deep hurt for many.
Many find their healing sooner than others.
Others endure pain for a lifetime.
There is help in your time of need.
There is One who can heal.

On another note:
If you abuse an adult, who was an abused child....watch out!
If you bully an adult, who was a bullied child...watch out!
If you verbally attack an adult, who was verbally abused...watch out!

Don't be surprised if you get what seems to be an exaggerated response to your abuse, name-calling bullying...You just ripped off a sore scab off a deep wound. You will get this kind of reaction anytime you repeat the offense to the wounded. Please, if you love someone who was abused at some time, please don't repeat the abuse!

It's amazing how common verbal abuse is and has been for the last couple of decades. Name-calling and cussing is sadly day-to-day life for many children. These broken children grow up and become broken adults. All it takes is a name-calling session to break their heart and bring the pain from childhood back to the surface.

"Well they need to just get over it"...if you say this, or have heard someone say something like this...I assume that they were never really abused as a child. They don't know what they are talking about.

Now, is there healing available for childhood abuse? Yes.
Does it take time? Counseling? Divine intervention? Yes.

Healing can happen. Inner healing is actually a very necessary ministry these days and is available.

I hope this gets some people thinking about this topic.

I also hope it will help some:
1. Find hope if they were abused and lean on Jesus Christ in a personal way for healing.
2. Stop abusing if they are an abuser of spouse or children.
3. Grow in compassion if they think people should 'just get over it'.

So many of us have walked miles in shoes no one else would ever be willing to wear. Trust that the Lord knows what you have seen and where you have been. Those who have hurt you were operating under their impulse and through their freewill. We are not robots, any of us. Yet, there is a living water that quenches the thirsty soul...and it is found in Jesus Christ. There is hope for the abused...and the abusers.

Email prayer requests to: thediscipleshiphouse@gmail.com