Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tonight, Emeril and Pop Quiz

So, tonight (church) was awesome. It's so great to find people who think and believe like we do. It's really rare now days. So many people are so wishy washy w/ their faith (which is not even faith at all). It's nice to find some REAL solid believers. It's sad too.. that they are so few and far between. We had a guy come speak that R met not too long ago. They (he and his wife) are super sweet and are all about Jesus!

Important facts:

~ A sound Christian is sensitive to their sin. You can't be a true Christian and just not care when you sin. It will hurt you! Just knowing that I have hurt and grieved my Heavenly Father hurts me! 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." People today generally think they are pretty good... and what does Scripture say about that? They are deceived by their own self and the truth (Jesus Christ is the Truth) is not in them!! A true Christian recognizes the sin in their life and is bothered by it until it's gone! Does your sin bother you or do you even recognize the sin in your life?

~ A sound Christian daily strives to be like Christ. 1 John 2:6 says, "He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walks." Does anything about your daily life remotely look anything like Christ? Are we walking in His ways?

~A sound Christian hates the things of the world. I find that as I grow closer to the Lord, the less TV I watch! Seriously, is there anything on TV that is decent anymore? I mean I was watching Emeril the other night and he said a curse word! Ahh.. please don't mess up my Food Network with filth! The Bible says that God hates sin... but we live in a world that glorifies it! Sin is fun and pretty to the world.. but it should literally make us want to puke! I desire for that. Sin put Jesus on the cross! 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Wow, what a verse. I know lots of so-called 'Christians' who love the things of the world. That verse, straight from God's Word, says that the Love of the Father is not in them.

~ A sound Christian continues. So, this is probably my favorite one. How come SO many people get saved... then baptized... come to church for a while and then they disappear off the face of the earth? They aren't saved.. plain and simple. 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be manifest, that none of them were of us." A soundly saved person continues in the faith! Did you catch that in the verse, *if they had been of us, they would have continued with us*?? Are you continuing?

The most important point from tonight~ When you think of your salvation experience... when you examine yourself (that's what this was.. a test! Are you saved???) don't look back to a prayer you said! Look at the life you're living NOW. The "Style of life" that you're living now should be proof of your salvation. Lot's of people say prayers.. but many of them do not 'continue'. I know many of them personally... Oh Lord, convict hearts.