Why Believers Are Not Afraid of Unbelievers

 

HEBREWS 12:2 

Looking unto JESUS, The Author and Finisher of our Faith,

Who for the Joy set before Him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

And is set down at the right hand of the throne of GOD.

    When our focus is on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, spending time alone with Him in prayer and meditation of The Word of God, we will be able to endure the mocking cries of those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of All. 

    Our goal from the day we become born again believers through faith in The Name Above All Names -- JESUS CHRIST -- is to persuade others to believe in Him also. We call this soul-winning. Proverbs 11:30 "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise." 

    But our job doesn't stop with just telling someone about JESUS and what He's done for us, we must also encourage them to live a holy and righteous life in Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. It is The Spirit of God that is breathed into us which gives us the power and strength to preach and teach and disciple and evangelize wherever we are. Without the power of God's Holy Spirit anyone who declares themself to be God's anointed leader is a liar, for The Spirit of God is not in him or her. 

    When Paul preached the gospel of salvation through JESUS CHRIST in Caesarea to King Agrippa, the king stated that 'he was almost persuaded'. Paul made a very compelling defense, yet the king, at that time, was not quite convinced that this gospel was true. 

    Many believe the Holy Bible to be outdated. And that it is no longer applicable to today's generation of self-centered fulfillment. An unwillingness to change and an inability to see the need for change will continue to bring about the downfall of any nation who chooses to attack Christians who refuse to disobey God. Though the enemies of the cross may appear to be winning, that appearance is an illusion, for God is still on the throne and He is still in control. 

    As believers, we, too, must endure our crosses; for each of us who believe must put aside that which is in this world and take up our crosses, too. Luke 9:23 "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to follow Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." 

    And each of us who make up the body of Christ must be prepared to suffer for the sake of the gospel of salvation through JESUS CHRIST. We must be found worthy to suffer. To get there we need to spend much time with our Lord and Savior. I used to regard my gardens as my sanctuary. There I would pray and write and sing and listen to God speak to my heart. I am older now and cannot play in the garden like I used to. But I can sit there and listen to Him even now. 

    The sufferings we go through are not as important as how we go through them: with HOPE, with GReAT exPEctAtions, with JOY, with a strong desire to see our Lord and Savior at the end of our sufferings. 

    We have a Peace That Passes Understanding when we have JESUS in our hearts and The Holy Spirit in our lives. A Peace that only comes from knowing that JESUS CHRIST is our LORD (ruler of our lives, for we have surrendered ourselves to His Authority) and SAVIOR (saving our souls from eternal damnation and punishment in hell). 

    Expect to be jailed for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be tortured for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be killed for being a Christ-follower. Expect to be taken into glory for being a Christ-follower. 

    We are not volatile, nor are we violent. As Christ stood silent before His accusers, so should we who follow Him. We do not debate with fools. The Word of God is their Judge, not us. I am a Christian, a faithful follower of my Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST. 

    Are you? Are you focusing on what God wants you to do or are you focusing on what you want to do in this life He has given you? The choices we make now will impact our destination after we die. And then it will be too late. Do you want to know real Peace? Then you need Jesus. Do you want to know Unspeakable Joy. Then you need Jesus. For whatever it is you are looking for to make you happy, you won't find it without knowing JESUS CHRIST as your personal Savior. It is a commitment each of us has to make on our own. Each one of us is responsible for the soul-saving decision of whether or not we believe in The Name Above All Names. And that includes you who are reading this. 

    I am not afraid. I have all of my armor on (Ephesians 6:10-20) and I am ready to be of service to my King. I am not ashamed of my Jesus. I am loved by Him and I love Him in return.

WE ARE NOT ASHAMED -music video-Carman

Statements of Faith - I Am The Light of The World

 

 

MATTHEW 5:14

You are the light of the world. A city lying on a hill is unable to be hidden.

    A Christian's life is more visible in the darkness of this world than any other. When we declare our differentness, we open ourselves up to be more carefully observed to see if we truly are living a different life than everyone else around us. 

    Are we living John 8:12 by faithfully following Jesus? In John 9:5 and John 12:36 Jesus told those who followed Him that He is the Light of the world BUT only while He was in the world. Before leaving He designated to His followers that if they really were following Him, they (the born again (John 3:3, 6) would become sons of light. We are filled with His Light because we have our Christ living in us! Wherever Jesus is, His Light is! 

    If we have Christ living in us and The Holy Spirit of God guiding us, then it will be impossible not to live a changed life, for our hearts have been changed and our mindset is being transformed day by day. When we remain in Him, breathing in and taking in His Word when we read it, change is inevitable. And change for the better, at that. 

    They who still live in darkness are changing, too. Except by refusing to see the Light of Christ, they sink ever deeper into the darkness of their comfort zones. It's scary becoming a Christian. Suddenly everyone you ever knew looks at you different. They know how you used to be, how you used to behave, how you used to dress, how you used to talk. The places you used to hang out you don't go to any more. You have a new hang out: the congregation of the saints. Wherever God's people are, you, the new Christian, are going to be found. 

    Your light is impacting their darkness. Some will be drawn to the light, like butterflies to nectar. Others will withdraw from the light that is in you, like shadows seeking the dark alleyways. Your light and The Holy Spirit within you reveals sin to them and convicts their sinful ways. All of a sudden, you are "persona non grata": unwanted and not welcome. 

    With such a Light burning in you and I it is impossible to not shine. A lighthouse on a clifftop is there to warn ships trying to sail into safe harbor that dangers lurks just ahead: hidden shoals, bulky rocks jutting out of the water or hidden just beneath it; reefs and cliffsides. In the thickness of fog or the darkness of night the lighthouse sends its brilliant beams of light constantly to prevent ships from crashing. So, too, does the faithful Christian. 

    We are the lighthouses of this world. Our Light is Christ Jesus. As long as we stand on The Word, our Lights will continue to shine. Even when we falter, and our light gets wobbly, we get back up again and raise our Light even higher that it may shine farther and wider. Our Lights travel all over this globe. And we will continue to shine until God either calls us home via death or raises us in the air via being caught up with Christ. 

NO OTHER NAME Planetshakers

WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE LORD Christ For The Nations

FIRE Eddie James 

FIRST THINGS FIRST  Consumed By Fire

 DRAW ME CLOSE TO YOU Michael W. Smith

GOD FOLLOWER  Steven Curtis Chapman

I Am Christian-The Weight of A Good Name

 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, 

and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1

I AM CHRISTIAN

    I've been blessed with so many studies over these past few years I wasn't sure what I would be doing or where I would be going in The Word at the end of this year and into the beginning of the next. After pondering this for some time now ( it is why the studies have been few lately), The Spirit brought to mind an old Reader's Digest story line called I Am Joe's Body and it talked about how Joe's anatomy worked. Was really well written by J.D. Ratcliff and became one of their most popular series. I still remember reading it even now. 

    This series is about the body of Christ. And to day I'm talking about her name. For the body of Christ is the church, the bride. A bride is always a her. When the bride joins with the Bridegroom the two become one and none can tear them apart or break asunder their bonds of love. 

    I am Christian. A name once spoken in mockery to the first followers of Christ: His disciples and those who believed the gospel message they spoke. The early Greeks and Romans labeled the believers as such and the name has stuck through a couple thousand years now. We are still held in contempt by the unbelieving person. But as long as we remain faithful to the full gospel message of the cross and the resurrection, our witness will remain strong and our name will be bound in Christ's name. 

    I am Christian. I live my life in the Way of Holiness, sometimes stumbling but always getting back up to continue moving forward, not looking back with regret but learning from past experiences that my faith may grow. I don't need to see the whole picture: I just need to hold The Artist's hand and believe The Maker's Voice. If I ever see the whole picture, it will be from the realms of glory. But if I never see the whole picture which God is putting together, I'm good with that, too. That takes faith; faith in the goodness of God and trusting that God knows best. 

    This faith journey is at times difficult and treacherous: leaping from one ledge to another requires great faith if I only concentrate on the gap beneath my feet. But if I am following The Shepherd, then I don't even see the gap. I am not graceful. I am Grace-Filled. I am Christian and I follow Christ. 

    

By Your Spirit - Kim Walker-Smith

Nothing Else - Cody Carnes