roniya“Live for the glory of God and the good of many.”

Hello friends,

Greetings in the Name of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ!  Right now I am with my family at a retreat center in the Ozarks.  It is a blessing to have time together away from the pressures and busyness of normal life.  I have been grateful to have some quiet moments with the Lord sitting on the ledge of a bluff looking out over Table Rock Lake with the warm August breeze blowing gently through the trees.

How quickly the summer slips by!  I am amazed that there are only four months left to this year.  How have I lived the past eight months for Christ glory and how can I pour out my life even more over the next four?  The words of the Psalmist are increasingly more and more becoming my words, “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.” (Psa 39:4-5). We have so little time to live on this earth, so little time to forsake all to follow Christ, so little time to love Him in this fallen world, so little time to run this race that is set before us.  How well are you running?  We need to ask ourselves this question and not live life carelessly because we will one day give account to our Creator for each word that we speak and each moment that we live.

The more I come to understand all that Christ has done to provide salvation, justification, and sanctification for me the more I long to have the privilege of serving Him and even just doing one thing for Him.  He is worthy of everything we could possible give Him.  To just have the privilege of serving Him in the most obscure manner for all our days would hardly come close to showing a return of love that He is worthy of and deserves.  And yet, He is so pleased with us and loves us so much, not based on what we do, but on what He has done, and we can rest content in His love knowing that it is not what I do that counts, but what Christ does in and through me.  This brings forth a lesson that the Lord has been teaching me over the summer.

Childlike Dependence.

I thought I had that all figured out and was walking in a place of leaning and depending…but the Lord has brought circumstances into my life over the past few months that have proved to be a trial to my faith and have revealed how easily my heart tends to walk according to it’s own understanding.

LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever. (Psa 131:1-3)

At the beginning of August I made a trip up to Nebraska with my dad and sister.  Here is a journal entry from that week:

“I would be treated as a child and guided where I go”

Childlike dependency. . . I have so far to go in learning this.  I came up to Nebraska with great plans of accomplishing an important project.  I envisioned quiet hours of focusing on this project with minimal distractions.  It was not meant to be.  I woke up the first morning with the beginnings of a bad headcold.  On the second day the pain was so great that I mainly spent the day in my room listening to Sarah Edward’s biography.  I was so discouraged over my helpless state and groaned before the Lord asking why He had allowed this sickness.  By the third day I gave up on my project and settled down to rest and read.  This evening as I sat out on the hay-bales soaking in the warm August sunshine I again sought the Lord as to why my plans had be so unfulfilled.

~Childlike Dependence~

My Father desires that I lean completely on Him for everything including my plans.  It is not wrong to have plans, but seeking my Father’s will must be preeminent above all other guiding factors.  If He wants me to work on my project, blessed be God; if He sees best that I be humbled through sickness, blessed be His Name.  All that He does is good and He must have my complete trust because human looks and hearts may deceive me, only God’s way is perfect, perfect wisdom is found in God alone and He will never fail the trusting child.  I live for Him, I breath for Him alone…it is only fitting that I depend completely on Him, My Abba Father.

That very evening when I wrote the blog post was the night that we made a six hour trip to the closest VA hospital for my dad who was having serious issues with his eye.  Thankfully the Lord touched his eye and it is healing.  But as we travelled there I marveled over how the Lord had been teaching me about dependency right before we made an unexpected visit to Omaha and suddenly ended up in an emergency room.  Later that morning we visited an old friend of my parents.  By this time, I was completed exhausted from being up all night and really didn’t want to spend the extra time visiting this lady.  I walked into her home and looked up to see a plaque that read, ‘God is the Blessed Controller of all things’.  Once again the Lord confirmed to me the lesson that He was teaching me to depend upon Him.  Since that time I have had so many trials and tests come in and I am so grateful for the foundation of complete dependency on the Lord.  Truly the Lord is faithful to those that fear Him and trust Him.

A couple weeks ago my family tasted of the bitterness of a precious life cut suddenly short.  My sister-in-law was 23 weeks pregnant with their first child.  Great was the joy over the announcement of this child’s coming earlier this year…and great was the sorrow when her mother went into early labor and delivered little Christine Hope who weighed 15 oz and was 11 inches long.  Little Christine made a valiant effort to live and she did live for nine brief hours before her soul took flight to the arms of Jesus Christ and left behind her fragile and beautiful little body. We had a beautiful graveside service for our sweet little girl.  There were so many people who came to weep and mourn with my brother and his wife in their grief.  She only lived nine hours….and yet her life impacted people around the world.  The Lord used her life to inspire me and spur me on to live even more passionately for Jesus Christ and the glory of God.  If someone so small could honor Him so much, how much more glory and honor should our lives bring to Jesus Christ!  You can see pictures of my beautiful niece here, www.christinehope.courvillefamily.com

Another lesson that the Lord has been teaching me is that of contentment.  Once again, I thought I had this lesson down and was doing pretty good in this area….until I was tested.  The Lord has allowed me to go through a severe trial of trusting Him with a particular circumstance in my life.  The Lord greatly used the Free Grace Broadcaster fall issue on contentment to bring conviction to my heart as well as more understanding about contentment.  Here are a few definitions of contentment that were helpful for me: “Contentment is a disposition of mind in which we rest satisfied with the will of God respecting our temporal affairs –without hard thoughts or hard speeches concerning His allotments and without any sinful desire for a change.  It submissively receives what is given.  It thankfully enjoys present mercies.  It leaves the future in the hand of unerring wisdom.” William Plumer. “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” Jeremiah Burroughs.

This evening I listened to a sermon by Rolfe Barnard on how God gets men lost.  It was a powerful sermon that I highly recommend.  I am more and more convinced of the importance of the principles of salvation that are laid out in this message.  A man or woman must come to the end of themselves before Christ will begin His work in them.  Salvation is not for the person who is just adding it to their life to improve the journey.  Salvation is for those who are desperate for help and know that they have no help outside of Christ.  And then, it is the Lord who saves.  He is the One who quickens and regenerates, and it is according to His mercy that He saves anyone.  This is what David Brainerd came to realize as he was seeking after God:

1. God demands perfection from man that is impossible for man to produce.
2. God demands saving faith that man cannot produce.
3. God has the right and exercises the right to give or withhold faith.
4. God can save a man or damn a man and still be God and get glory.

When a man or woman comes to this point, to where they’re truly lost, then they’re ready to be saved, then they’re ready to start to cry out to God for mercy, and if they truly believe the promises of God as well as the sovereignty of God, then they will not stop crying for mercy until God either saves them or sends them to hell.  That is the kind of desperation one must have in seeking the Lord for salvation.  If you don’t care that much about it, then you probably aren’t lost enough and you’ll go straight to hell.

I really do not know who all reads this blog, but if you’re reading this and have never examined your life to see if you’re right with God according to the Scriptures, I plead with you to do so.  The book of 1 John is a picture of a true Christian.  If you have been born again, then the characteristics (freedom from a life of continual sin; love the brethren, hate sin, you do not love the world, love God, overcomer, etc) will be seen in your life and the Spirit of God will bear witness while you read it that it is true.  Please do not be afraid to examine your life to see if you are saved.  There isn’t anything more important than making sure that you are a child of God and that you are living a life pleasing to God.  It is Christ who saves you and it is Christ who works in you.  But if your life is missing the present and continual working of Jesus Christ, then you stand in danger of spending eternity having the eternal wrath of a righteous and just God poured out on you.  Another test is if you love the Word of God.  Is the greatest delight of your life to read the Bible? Is it alive and quickened to you by the Spirit of God?  If not, has it ever been?  This is a true characteristic of a Christian.  If you’re backslidden and once loved the Word of God and once hated sin, then seek the Lord quickly right now, do not harden your heart in unbelief, repent and seek Christ’s blood for cleansing and forgiveness.  The Father welcomes the erring child as soon as they turn their faces back to seek Him.  But do not remain in the far country pursuing your own way.  It is eternally dangerous to be there.  “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Heb 10:38-39). Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of your faith!

For those who actually took the time to read all of this….thank you.   I expect this fall to be very busy with family camp and two weddings.  But if I have a chance and the Lord’s leading….I will update this blog.  It’s all up to the Lord and how He leads and enables me to walk in the way of His perfect will.  Feel free to email me anytime.  And if you are troubled about your soul and need to talk to a sister or brother who knows Christ and can help you seek him, please let me know.

May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you and keep you close to His heart all throughout your life.

Do not forget the brevity and fragility of life….and the sure hope there is in Christ Jesus for those who will seek Him with ALL their heart and find Him.

Leaning on my Beloved Christ,

sister Joy

Please, please listen to this sermon! I beg you to take 1 hour to listen to this powerful and sobering message on the seriousness of seeking the Lord while He may be found. If you think you can seek Him on your death bed and just wait till the end, you are deceived. God is not obligated to give you repentance after you have rejected Him again and again and again and have spit in His face by your refusal to bow the knee to Him and instead living a life of rebellion and sin. I implore you to please listen to this sermon and see if the salvation you have is true salvation. If you haven’t given absolutely everything up to follow Christ, you are still following the god of this world, satan, and you will perish for all eternity in hell. Now is the time to seek God for mercy for your soul. There will be no pity on judgment day for the sinner who refused true salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Today might be the last day that God can hear your cry for Him to save you. Please think about this. There is nothing more important for you to consider than the eternal future of your soul.

Note: A friend started a group on facebook called ‘Homeschoolers Against Segregation’.  Below is something I wrote for the group…my perspective.

——

“Homeschoolers against Segregation.”  Well, that does seem like an obvious label for homeschoolers.  Afterall, weren’t our parents the ones who chose not to place their children in segregated classrooms because of the greater benefits of schooling all the kids together within the safety of their own home?   So this segregation thing shouldn’t be an issue, especially if one follows the Biblical principles of relationships within the Body of Christ.  But how familiar are young people with the Scriptures and the practical reality of the Scriptures walked out in every day life?  How many young men really understand 1 Timothy 5:1-2 and are mature enough to even fit the qualifications of such instruction directed to them?  And how many young women are mature enough to receive the instruction of 1 Timothy 5:2 carried out towards them?

The Scriptures are not grand theories in the sky that we consider and then mold around our already established habits and patterns of life.  No, we must bring everything into the subjection and scrutiny of Scripture.

I don’t know if I’ll solve any of the issues for the reader that this group addresses, but at the very least, I hope you will take what I write as a challenge to go dig into the Scriptures yourself and to study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.

Everything that I am going to share is absolutely meaningless if young people are not truly born again.  So the first thing you must do in considering this issue, is to examine yourself and see if you truly are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5; Phil 2:12).  If you profess to be a Christian, does your Christianity pass the standard of the book of 1 John?  Have you been made a new creature in Christ, have old things passed away and all things become new? (2 Cor. 5:17)  Do the people around you know that you love God supremely? (1 Cor 8:2).  Are the commands of the Lord your greatest delight? (1 Jn 5:2)  Is Jesus Christ in control of your life or are you? (Matt. 6:24).  Have you been born again? (John 3:3).  My friend, if you cannot give an decided yes to all of those questions, then I fear for your soul and urge you to seek the LORD earnestly until you have found Him and know that you are truly His child (Romans 8:14-17).

If you are truly born again, then you are a child of God, and if you are a child of God then that means that all of the other children of God – members of the Body of Christ – are your brothers and sisters.  Whether they are 85 years old or 6 years old, the relationship is the same.  Girls, a Christian guy is not a ‘prospect’ for you to try to attract, he is your brother in Christ. And vice versa for the guys.  And the bonds of kinship in the Body of Christ are of more lasting value and significance than the fleshly ties of earthly family or even a husband or wife.  When you come to Christ you must be willing to forsake every single earthly tie you have to follow Christ (Luke 14:26-27), but when you become a disciple of Christ, it opens up the beautiful gift of the Body of Christ (Mark 10:29-30).  I do want to add a note that it is a most wondrous blessing when you have the twice strong tie of both earthly and spiritual relations within the Christian home.

So, what should be the focus of every single child of God?  What is it that every disciple of Jesus Christ is to be doing?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

(Mat 6:32-34)

Wherever you are at on this earth, whatever your circumstances may be (or not be!), whatever talents and abilities you have, it is all to be used for one thing, to glorify Jesus Christ.  If you have any other motivation in your life apart from Jesus Christ, then you are, first of all, wasting your time on whatever it is you are doing, secondly and more importantly, I fear for the eternal safety of your own soul.  1 John 2:15-17 (Loving the world is pursuing the worship of man.  You are either God-centered, or man-centered).

We are here on this earth for Jesus Christ!  Period.  That is why you were created and that is why you exist! (Colossians 1:15-18).  So, your number one goal in life is to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  If you want to see an example of a man who did this, study the life of the apostle Paul (Philippians 3:8-14).  Paul had one goal in life, Jesus Christ.  And I believe that that attitude should be the attitude of every single believer.  The outworking and results of such an attitude will be varied in accordance to the individual’s giftings and circumstances (You can have Christ as your number one goal as a mother or father just as much as Paul did as an evangelist).

So…I have two areas that I want to address that fall under the category of seeking God first.  The first one is when does marriage fall into the picture of seeking His kingdom first, and the second area is how can I advance God’s kingdom through my relationships within the Body of Christ.

I see three areas where God’s kingdom is advanced that if they would be fulfilled in the marriage of two individuals, then the couple should pursue marriage.  Please keep in mind that the basis for everything is the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

1. The advancement of God’s kingdom through the spiritual progress of your own soul.  If being married to a particular person would cause you to grow in faith, hope, charity and holiness, then you should marry (and this must be a mutual advancement for both souls….though it will work out in different ways for the husband and the wife – one example is that the husband is to water his wife with the Word, while the wife is to reverence her husband, both of these works should bring spiritual maturity and growth).
2. The advancement of God’s kingdom through evangelizing and discipling more souls into the kingdom of God.  If as a couple you are better able and equipped to fulfill the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, then you should pursue marriage.  You are here on earth as an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20) and should only marry a fellow ambassador if your combined giftings will make you better ambassadors for Christ.  (Note, the woman was created as the helpmeet of the man, so her giftings will primarily be to enhance and increase her husband’s service in God’s kingdom).
3. The advancement of God’s kingdom through procreation – bringing more souls into existence and leading them to true salvation in Christ.

There are certainly more areas to consider, but those are some of the chief ones to be thought of and evaluated.

If you are seeking God’s kingdom first right where you are at and are completely submitted to His will for your life, then if in His great wisdom and perfect ways His kingdom will be further advanced through you being married, He will orchestrate all of the necessary details for that to happen.  God cares more about His kingdom being advanced then the most passionate, zealous Christian ever could.  The LORD is zealous for His own glory and honor on this earth, and if a servant of His is wholeheartedly serving Him with the one goal of glorifying Christ, then the Lord will not fail to put that servant where Christ will be most magnified and glorified in that servant’s life.

So, when you are with other young people, make it your number one goal to seek to advance God’s kingdom in the lives of those you are around, whether it is encouraging, exhorting, or edifying, go for it!  Make that your goal.  Don’t settle for the lesser goal of trying to get to know one another just to break down walls of segregation.  Seek to glorify Christ in every conversation and activity you are involved in.

Here are some Scriptures to study, pray over and obey in relating to one another within the Body of Christ.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.   (1Ti 4:12)

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.  (1Ti 4:15-16)

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  (Eph 4:29)

Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  (2Ti 2:22)  (notice ‘with them’.  Be wise in your choice of companions)

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  (Rom 14:19)

Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.

(1Ti 5:1-2)

The most important practical activity you can be doing right now in every spare moment you have and to bring about a Christ-honoring solution to the ‘problem’ is to soak yourself in the Word of God.  Study it!  Memorize it!  Make it such a part of your life that it flows out of you like rivers of living water.  When you do this, then you have something profitable and edifying to speak and share.  When you know the Word, you can exhort the believers in a way that will be edifying and uplifting.  I want to especially encourage the guys as your sister in Christ (if any actually read this far down) to do this.  I can guarantee that if you know any godly girls who are truly born again, they will be extremely grateful and blessed if you take the time to study the Word of God and then share it with them in a group setting.  And this is great preparation for marriage when it will be one of your chief responsibilities to water your wife with the Word (Ephesians 5:25-26).  It’s important to start increasing your knowledge of the Scriptures so that by the time you marry you hopefully have a river of the Word to water your wife with.

I can testify of the wonderful blessing and encouragement of godly fellowship with brothers in Christ who are so careful and faithful to treat Christian girls as sisters in the Lord with all purity and above reproach.  It is possible.  But the only way for it to be possible is for everyone to keep their eyes on Jesus Christ and make Him the number one goal in each one’s lives.

Seek to know Jesus Christ, seek to advance His kingdom, and all these ‘things’ shall be added unto you.

Make Jesus Christ your greatest delight in life, and you will be filled with God-honoring desires that He will be able to fulfill because He is the center and motivation of each one.

God bless you and grant you revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Joy

http://kelseyk-toliveischristtodieisgain.blogspot.com/

Please read this testimony of salvation!

A JUST GOD

C.H. SPURGEON

WHEN I was under conviction of sin I had a deep and sharp sense of the justice of God. Sin, whatever it might be to other people, became to me an intolerable burden. It was not so much that I feared the wrath to come, but that I feared sin. I knew myself to be so horribly guilty that I remember feeling that if God did not punish me for sin, He ought to do so. I felt that the judge of all the earth ought to condemn such sin as mine. I sat on the judgment seat and I condemned myself to perish, for I confessed that, had I been God, I could have done no other than send such a guilty creature as I was down to the lowest hell. All the while, I had upon my mind a deep concern for the honor of God’s name and the integrity of His moral government. I felt that it would not satisfy my conscience if it could be forgiven unjustly. The sin that I had committed must be punished. But then there was the question how God could be just and yet justify me who had been so guilty. I asked my heart, “How can He be just and yet the Justifier?” (Rom 3:26). I was worried and wearied with this question; neither could I see any answer to it. Certainly I could never have invented an answer which would have satisfied my conscience.

The doctrine of the atonement is to my mind one of the surest proofs of the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture. Who would or could have thought of the just Ruler dying for the unjust rebel? This is no teaching of human mythology or dream of poetical imagination. This method of expiation is only known among men because it is a fact. Fiction could not have devised it. God Himself ordained it. It is not a matter which could have been imagined.

I had heard the plan of salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus from my youth up, but I did not know any more about it in my innermost soul than if I had been born a Hottentot. It came to me as a new revelation, as fresh as if I had never read the scriptures, that Jesus was declared to be “the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2), that God might be just.

When I was anxious about the possibility of a just God pardoning me, I understood and saw by faith that He who is the Son of God became man and, in His own blessed person, bore my sin in His own body on the tree. I saw the chastisement of my peace was laid upon Him, and with His stripes I was healed (Isa 53:5). Have you ever seen that? Have you ever understood how God can be just to the full, not remitting penalty nor blunting the edge of the sword, and yet can be infinitely merciful and can justify the ungodly who turn to Him? It was because the Son of God, supremely glorious in His matchless person, undertook to vindicate the law, by bearing the sentence due me, that therefore God is able to pass by my sin. The law of God was more vindicated by the death of Christ than it would have been had all transgressions been punished forever. For the Son of God to suffer for sin was a more glorious establishment of the government of God than for the whole race to suffer.

“Jesus has borne the death penalty on our behalf!” Behold the wonder! There He hangs upon the cross! This is the greatest sight you will ever see: Son of God and Son of man! There He hangs, bearing pains unutterable—the Just for the unjust—that He might bring us to God. Oh, the glory of that sight! The Innocent suffering! The Holy One condemned! The Ever-blessed made a curse! The Infinitely Glorious put to a shameful death! The more I look at the sufferings of the Son of God, the more sure I am that they must meet my case. Why did He suffer, if not to turn aside the penalty from us? If, then, He turned it aside by His death, it is turned aside, and those who believe in Him need not fear it. It must be so, that since expiation is made, God is able to forgive without shaking the basis of His throne or in the least degree blotting out the statute book. Conscience gets a full answer to her tremendous question. The wrath of God against iniquity, whatever that may be, must be beyond all conception terrible. Well did Moses say, “Who knoweth the power of thine anger!” (Psalm 90:11). Yet, when we hear the Lord of Glory cry, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1) and see Him yielding up the ghost, we feel that the justice of God has received abundant vindication by obedience so perfect and death so terrible, rendered by so divine a Person. If God Himself bows before His own law, what more can be done?

There is more in the atonement by way of merit than there is in all human sin by way of demerit. The great gulf of Jesus’ loving self sacrifice can swallow up the mountains of our sin, all of them. For the sake of the infinite good of this one representative Man, the Lord may well look with favor upon other men, however unworthy they may be in and of themselves. It was a miracle of miracles that the Lord Jesus Christ should stand in our stead and “bear, that we might never bear, His Fathers righteous Ire.” But He has done so. “It is finished” (John 19:30). God will save the sinner because He did not spare His Son. God can pass by your transgressions because He laid those transgressions upon His only begotten Son.

What is it to believe in Him? It is not merely to say, “He is God and the Saviour,” but to trust Him wholly and entirely, and take Him for all your salvation from this time forth and forever—your Lord, your Master, your All. If you will have the Lord Jesus, He has you already. If you believe on Him, I tell you, you cannot go to hell, for that were to make the perfect sacrifice of Christ to none effect. If the Lord Jesus Christ died in my stead, why should I die also? Every believer by faith has laid his hands on the Sacrifice, and made it his own, and therefore may rest assured that he can never perish. The Lord would not receive this offering on our behalf and then condemn us to die. The Lord cannot read our pardon written in the blood of His own Son and then smite us. That were impossible. Oh, that you may have grace given you at once to look away to Jesus, Who is the fountainhead of mercy to guilty man! Will you come into this lifeboat just as you are? Here is safety from the wreck. Accept the sure deliverance. Leap for it just as you are, and leap now!

I will tell you this thing about myself to encourage you. My sole hope for heaven lies in the full atonement made upon Calvary’s cross for the ungodly. On that I firmly rely. I have not a shadow of hope anywhere else. You are in the same condition as I am, for we, neither of us, have anything of our own worth thinking of as a ground of trust. Let us join hands and stand together at the foot of the cross and trust our souls once for all to Him who shed His blood for the guilty. We will be saved by the one and the same Saviour. If you perish trusting Him, I must perish too. What can I do more to prove my own confidence in the Gospel which is set before you?

Bye J. C. Ryle
(1816-1900)

Are you born again? This is one of life’s most important questions. Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

It is not enough to reply, “I belong to the church; I suppose I’m a Christian.” Thousands of nominal Christians show none of the signs of being born again which the Scriptures have given us—many listed in the First Epistle of John.

First of all, John wrote: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin” (I John 3:9). “Whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (5:18).

A person who has been born again, or regenerated, does not habitually commit sin. He no longer sins with his heart and will and whole inclination. There was probably a time when he did not think about whether his actions were sinful or not, and he did not always feel grieved after doing evil. There was no quarrel between him and sin; they were friends. But the true Christian hates sin, flees from it, fights against it, considers it his greatest plague, resents the burden of its presence, mourns when he falls under its influence, and longs to be completely delivered from it. Sin no longer pleases him, nor is it even a matter of indifference to him; it has become a horrible thing which he hates. However, he cannot eliminate its presence within him.

If he said that he had no sin, he would be lying (I John 1:8). But he can say that he hates sin and that the great desire of his soul is not to commit sin at all. He cannot prevent bad thoughts from entering his mind, or shortcomings, omissions, and defects from appealing in both his words and his actions. He knows that “in many things we offend all” (James 3:2). But he can truly say, in the sight of God, that these things cause him grief and sorrow and that his whole nature does not consent to them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Second, John wrote: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (I John 5:1).

A man who is born again, or regenerated, believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour who can pardon his soul, that He is the divine person appointed by God the Father for this very purpose, and beside Him there is no Saviour at all. In himself he sees nothing but unworthiness. But he has full confidence in Christ, and trusting in Him, he believes that his sins are all forgiven. He believes that, because he has accepted Christ’s finished work and death on the cross, he is considered righteous in God’s sight, and he may look forward to death and judgment without alarm.

He may have fears and doubts. He may sometimes tell you that he feels as if he had no faith at all. But ask him if he is willing to trust in anything instead of Christ, and see what he will say. Ask him if he will rest his hope of eternal life on his own goodness, his own works, his prayers, his minister, or his church, and listen to his reply. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Third, John wrote: “Every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him” (I John 2:29).

The man who is born again, or regenerated, is a holy man. He endeavors to live according to God’s will, to do the things that please God and to avoid the things that God hates. He wishes to continually look to Christ as his example as well as his Saviour and to prove himself to be Christ’s friend by doing whatever He commands. He knows he is not perfect. He is painfully aware of his indwelling corruption. He finds an evil principle within himself that is constantly warring against grace and trying to draw him away from God. But he does not consent to it, though he cannot prevent its presence.

Though he may sometimes feel so low that he questions whether or not he is a Christian at all, he will be able to say with John Newton, “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fourth, John wrote: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (I John 3:14).

A man who is born again has a special love for all true disciples of Christ. Like his Father in heaven, he loves all men with a great general love, but he has a special love for those who share his faith in Christ. Like his Lord and Saviour, he loves the worst of sinners and could weep over them; but he has a peculiar love for those who are believers. He is never so much at home as when he is in their company.

He feels they are all members of the same family. They are his fellow soldiers, fighting against the same enemy. They are his fellow travelers, journeying along the same road. He understands them, and they understand him. They may be very different from himself in many ways—in rank, in station and in wealth. But that does not matter. They are his Father’s sons and daughters and he cannot help loving them. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Fifth, John wrote: “Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world” (I John 5:4).

A man who is born again does not use the world’s opinion as his standard of right and wrong. He does not mind going against the world’s ways, ideas and customs. What men think or say no longer concerns him. He overcomes the love of the world. He finds no pleasure in things which seem to bring happiness to most people. To him they seem foolish and unworthy of an immortal being.

He loves God’s praise more than man’s praise. He fears offending God more than offending man. It is unimportant to him whether he is blamed or praised; his first aim is to please God. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

Sixth, John wrote: “He that is begotten of God keepeth himself’ (I John 5:18).

A man who is born again is careful of his own soul. He tries not only to avoid sin but also to avoid everything which may lead to it. He is careful about the company he keeps. He knows that evil communications corrupt the heart and that evil is more catching than good, just as disease is more infectious than health. He is careful about the use of his time; his chief desire is to spend it profitable.

He desires to live like a soldier in an enemy country—to wear his armor continually and to be prepared for temptation. He is diligent to be watchful, humble, prayerful man. What would the apostle say about you? Are you born again?

These are the six great marks of a born again Christian.

There is a vast difference in the depth and distinctness of these marks in different people. In some they are faint and hardly noticeable. In others they are bold, plain and unmistakable, so anyone may read them. Some of these marks are more visible than others in each individual. Seldom are all equally evident in any one person.

But still, after every allowance, here we find boldly painted six marks of being born of God.

How should we react to these things? We can logically come to only one conclusion—only those who are born again have these six characteristics, and those who do not have these marks are not born again. This seems to be the conclusion to which the apostle intended us to come. Do you have these characteristics? Are you born again?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Does anyone ask me what we may expect to see in a true conversion? I reply–there will always be something seen in a converted man’s . . .
character,
feelings,
conduct,
opinions
and daily life.

You will not see perfection in him; but you will see in him–something peculiar, distinct, and different from other people.

You will see him . . .
hating sin,
loving Christ,
following after holiness,
taking pleasure in his Bible,
persevering in prayer.

You will see him . . .
penitent,
humble,
believing,
temperate,
charitable,
truthful,
good-tempered,
patient,
upright,
honorable,
kind.

These, at any rate, will be his aims–these are the things which he will follow after, however short he may come of perfection.

In some converted people you will see these things more distinctly–in others less. This only I say–wherever there is true conversion, something of this kind will be seen.

(J. C. Ryle, “Old Paths”)

I found out about this through another friend’s facebook page and have since become friends on facebook with the brother that wrote this (Sean Sanders).  He gave me permission to share this and I think it contains some very, very important truth.  So please read it very carefully and search your heart.  This is too important an issue to be wrong about and with the Gospel being so watered down in our country, we really need to be careful to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith.

And I highly recommend checking out this website:

http://youmustbebornagain.org/

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Preface: This note is not here to place judgment on anyone tagged in any way at all. I just believe the things written in this note are really important! So I tagged people so more would have the chance to read something they may have never heard before.

Luke 6:46, “…why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Jesus said that many people who call Jesus their ‘Lord’ will be shocked on judgement to discover that they were NOT saved when they thought they were. Many people who have even done MIRACLES in Jesus’s name will be told by Jesus Himself that He never knew them. Instead of going to heaven like they thought they would, they will forever go to the lake of fire.

Matthew 7:21-23: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Simply believing the name of Jesus Christ in your mind is not enough to be saved. The Devil and his devils believe Jesus is the Son of God, but they are not saved. Why? Because they do not OBEY the commandments. It is the same with us– even if we mentally believe with our minds that Jesus is the Son of God, we do not have TRUE FAITH unless we obey God and keep His commandments.

James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

How then can someone who calls Jesus their Lord know for sure whether or not they will be accepted into heaven?

1 John 2:3, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.4He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are
in him.”

If you call yourself a Christian but are breaking the commandments and, Jesus calls you a liar and says you will NOT go to heaven.

1 Corinthians 6:9, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

and…

Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

You must turn from a life of sin and to the Lord Jesus for salvation. If you said a prayer giving your life to Jesus or went up at an altar call once but continue today to deny Him in works, then scripture does NOT indicate that you are saved. Does this next verse describe you?

Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

The Bible says you have to REPENT from your sins to be saved.

Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

When did you repent from your sins?

Acts 3:19, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

If you never have repented, but believe the name of Jesus, the Son of God, how do you repent from your sins to be saved?

John 8:30, “As he [Jesus] spake these words, many believed on him. 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

You must continue in the Word of God, your Bible [in English, the King James. If you have questions about why, send me a message]. You must read it, which will make you to know the truth, and then you must obey whatever you read in it, which will set you free from sin. If you continue in the Word of God, then you will be one of Jesus’ disciples of a truth.

However, there is a cost to follow Jesus. You must give up every thought, love, hope, thing that you have that is more important to you than God and His Word, because it is an idol. Before you put your hand to the plow to dedicate your life and follow Christ with all your life, you MUST know and prepare in your heart to do whatever the Bible says, even to the point of being alienated, ridiculed, or dying for the Lord.

Luke 14:27, “27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

The cost of following Jesus could mean leaving every thing you have and person you know if the Lord calls you to!

Matthew 19:29, “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

You are not fit for the Kingdom of God if you start by saying you will follow Christ and obey Him will all your heart, but then fall away.

Luke 9:59 “And he [Jesus] said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

However, the Lord’s commandments are not grievous. If it seems hard to leave the world behind to follow Christ, pray for wisdom to see how wicked sin is and ask for the fear of the Lord. Above all, keep reading the Bible, because this the ONLY absolute truth we have in the world, and it will wash you and make you clean (ref John 17:17, John 15:3).

2 Timothy 3:14, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of [the Word of God and the Gospel], knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures [the Bible], which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

and.…

1 Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

If you need faith, know that faith comes from the Word of God. Continue in His Word for faith.

Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

If you need belief, ask the Lord to help.

Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

The Lord knows those who seek Him. His commandments are not grievous [hard to be carried]. Jesus’ yoke is easy and His burden is light. If you seek after the Lord with your whole heart, He WILL BE FOUND OF YOU! God cannot lie! He promised it!

Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

God will help you to keep His commandments and He will draw near to you if you draw near to Him.

James 4:7-8, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

John 14:21, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

When you are saved, you will no longer be in bondage to sin. However, you still will sin from time to time.

I John 1:10, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

When you sin, you must confess your sin to the Lord and repent from it. Ask Him to forgive you, and He will.

I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In summary, here is what you must do to be saved:
1. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, sent from God to die on the cross, shedding His blood to cover your sins when you confess them, and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
2. Repent from your sins, obey the Gospel, and continue in the Word of God.
-this will mean you will read your Bible! Just as a baby needs milk every day or it will die, so you need the milk of the Word of God every day, or your faith will die.
- this will mean you will get baptized once you have been saved, because the Bible says to: Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.”

These are just a few verses that give an outline of how to be saved. You MUST continue in the Word– read it every day and do it– and in doing so, you will see a multitude of other verses that will speak to you and confirm and back up and support and add to what is written here. This is written that you will know what the REAL Gospel of Christ is, and that believing you may have life through His name.

-Sean Sanders