Christ Jesus

Christ Jesus

What Price Are You Willing To Pay To Be A Follower Of Christ Jesus?

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

This is the price that God and Jesus were both prepared to pay not just for our salvation but for our fellowship with the Father.

John 12:32

"And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto

Throughout the centuries many have been martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ. Some were hanged, tortured, and burned alive, boiled in oil yet still, they preserved their trust and faith in Jesus and the Father. 

What have you given up for your faith? We have it fairly comfortable in this country as far as our faith goes yet others around the world are dying for Christ daily, their churches are being torn down and they're being persecuted, yet they persevere.

As Christians, we need to figure out what personal sacrifices we are willing to offer in return for the promise of eternal life. Some sacrifices are easy to make while others take hard work, patience and due diligence in order for us to succeed in our walk with

We have eternal life as long as we're saved and that can never be taken away but we should always strive to improve our walk with the Lord and present ourselves Holy unto H

I Peter 3:18 

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit

Regardless of the terms we use to disguise it, sin is sin is sin. And to get rid of it and its various forms in our lives should be the goal of every Christian. Will we always succeed? No. But it's how we handle our shortcomings that set the Christian apart from everyone else

Once we fall, and fall we will, do we wallow in self pity and guilt or do we confess our failings, repent and move on with our walk with God? Brush the sin off you like you would the dust on your clothes and endure to the end until you're called home should be the goal of every Christia

What are some of the things we should be willing to do to pay our price to be a follower of Christ Jesus? Let's take a look at some of these and examine them individually

Sins like; backsliding, being boastful, complacency, conceit, lying with the devil, lack of discipline, dishonesty, failure to resist evil, gossip, greed, stinginess, hatred, hypocrisy, laziness, lust, lying, promiscuity, prostitution, lack of repentance, lack of self-sacrificing, an unhealthy disbelief in our sinful nature, not responding to temptation, the sin of unbelief, vengeance and the list, while not exhaustive goes on and on.

It is our responsibility as children of the Most High God to right these issues in our lives that are wrong as we feel the conviction and leading of the Holy Spirit. This enables us over time to become mature Christians which is an office we should all aspire to attain.

Backsliding

Early on, within the first year of my being a new creation in Christ, I wasn't firmly rooted in sound doctrine or the word itself. Oh I received it with great joy but my faith was lacking meat and substance. I lacked the firm rooting to keep myself on solid ground and to grow. But sooner than I would have liked, I left the church and turned my back on God.

I Cor. 10:12 "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fa

Isaiah 7:9 "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at al

Ps. 73:2-3 "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked."

 Promiscuity/Prostitution

I delved deeply into the bar scene, along with drugs and was an adulterer not by choice but out of necessity. For all practical purposes I was a male whore and that's how I earned my living as it were. Because of my mother and my first wife, I had no respect for women and treated them like the bad boy I was and it worked keeping me clothed and fed without having a regular 9 to 5 to go to at all. All I had to do all day once I got up around noon was to go to the gym and the tanning salon. I was a kept man who hated myself and my lifestyle but couldn't break free from it.

I Cor. 6:13 "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

I Cor. 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Galatians 5:19-21 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

 Boastful

I really thought I had it going on. I lived more life than people two to three times my age and would boast and brag about my accomplishments or my latest conquest trying with everything I knew to drive God further out of my life which by now was way out of control.

James 4:16 "You boast and brag. All such boasting is evil."

Psalm 52:1 "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the sight of God?

Complacency/Conceit 

All through these times, no matter what I did or how I did it, I felt the Holy Spirit in me and I knew He was grieving but I was a man out of control. I no longer read my bible; I no longer sought the face of the Lord and felt that He was second to me and my wants and needs.

I really believed with all my heart and mind that women wanted to be with me and men wanted to be like me but they were all just objects to me to be used and then discarded until the next best thing came along or someone with more money willing to take care of me as long as I met their needs which was easy because there wasn't anything about someone I couldn't pick up or detect. That skill kept me alive and on my toes at all times as I was the only one I could count on and that wasn't saying much!

Proverbs 1:32 "The complacency of fools will destroy them."

Luke 21:34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap."

Galatians 6:3 "If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself."

Dishonesty 

Like many people of my background, I learned to listen to others and from there could discern there wants, needs and desires. From there, I could formulate and manipulate the conversation just by being dishonest and telling them what they wanted or needed to hear.

As children of God, has there ever been a time when you told a lie of convenience, told someone something they wanted to hear just to fit in or to avoid a confrontation? If so you're just as much a sinner as I am and we should know better.

Luke 16:10 "Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."

Proverbs 29:27 "The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright."

Gossip

We all learned in school the lesson on gossip by telling a story to one classmate who would tell another and so on until it went all the way around the room. By the time it was done, the story grew and grew and grew! Gossip is wrong, mean-spirited and meant to destroy not only those who tell it but those who hear it as well.

Gossip nearly destroyed my ministry which would have affected everyone I was trying to reach including the innocent. Gossip is a sin and the mature believer should shy away from it in favor of the truth and should rebuke those who do gossip.

Gossip causes division within the body of Christ and can spread like a cancer unless we head it off before it even starts. Gossip is what the devil uses to divide believers, ruin marriages, destroy relationships, cause hurt feelings and is a corrupter of the church.

There is no good kind of gossip. Gossip is just that – gossip and should have no part in the Christians life. Flee from it before it corrupts or consumes you. You have to ask yourself is gossip worth losing crowns in heaven that you've laid up?

Exodus 23:1 "Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man (or woman) by being a malicious witness."

I Timothy 5:13"And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to."

Matthew 12:37 "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes."

I Peter 5:8-9 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering."

Greed/Stinginess

It has often been said that he who has the most toys wins. I'm here to tell you that nothing could be farther from the truth! What's the real point here? You can't take it with you can you? Does not everything you receive by way of blessings, belong to God?

Are you greedy by nature or just simply of your father the devil? Do you give to others out of your surplus only? If someone has a need and we can fill it, it's a sin not to! It doesn't have to be money, property or things. Many times the intangible things have more meaning – a helping hand, a smile, an unexpected card, or just a visit and fellowship.

Be careful not to overextend yourself or you'll quickly tire and burn out but don't be stingy with your time. Get involved, volunteer to a worthwhile cause. Everyone has more to offer than you know. Your experience, your faith, your wisdom – all worthwhile causes.

Luke 12:15 "Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Proverbs 28:25  "A greedy man stirs up dissention, but he who trusts the Lord will prosper."

James 4:3  "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor."

Hatred

This very word goes against everything Christ stood for and should be avoided by all Christians. Where does hatred come from? Usually it's a misunderstanding about groups of people, the intentions of others, the opinions of others which you choose to adopt, and the list goes on.

Hatred could also mean hatred of sin which God takes very seriously. Hatred manifests itself in many forms and the Christian should avoid it at all costs for it will consume you like a burning fire would engulf a home.

Hatred covers a whole gambit of emotions like; envy, greed, jealousy, bitterness, dissention and bigotry. All of which eat at the Christian and non-Christian alike and spread like a cancer that is thankfully treatable with humility, understanding, grace and much prayer.

I John 2:9  "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness."

Proverbs 10:12  "Hatred stirs up dissention, but love covers all wrongs."

Ephesians 4:31  "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

Hypocritical/Judgmental

There is not one person I know who has not been at one time or another either judgmental or hypocritical of either others or themselves. Both are sin regardless of whether you think you're edifying someone by giving them your opinion.

Regardless of what faith you are you will find hypocrisy in the churches of today but don't judge them too harshly as they are all made up of believers – human beings with human frailties.

Why are we hypocritical and judgmental about others? Part of it may be our programming from childhood; part of it may be the differences you have with other people while still others may do it just out of spite to elevate themselves above their contemporary's. 

Regardless of the reason, we are warned many times in the Bible to avoid these sins at all costs. They can do nothing but lead to hurt feelings, loss of friendship, anxiety, bitterness, anger and resentment until the mole hill becomes the mountain. 

When it gets to this point unless an intervention is done, irreparable harm may have been done and nothing short of a miracle will fix it. Do you judge people by their outward appearance or what's in their heart? This was Martin Luther King Juniors dream – why can't you claim it for your own?

Of all the sins there are, these are two of the easiest to fall into and to get out of. This is where we need the wisdom that only the Bible can give.

 Matthew 23:28  "On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."

Mark 7:6-7  "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men."

John 8:15-16  "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me."

 Romans 14:12-13  "Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another."

Lust

Lust can be many things and take on many forms. There is the common lust of the eyes, lust of the heart, lust of the mind and lust of the flesh. Lust may come in other forms undetected by you until the devil traps you in it. I'm talking about lust over objects, material things, want, and desire all translating into idolatry which as every Christian knows goes against the Ten Commandments.

 I Timothy 5:1-2  "Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."

Galatians 5:24  "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

Lying

To a God that is Holy and hates sin, lying particularly bothers Him. With God there is no such thing as a little white lie. There is either truth or untruth – lying. 

Even if done with the best of intentions a lie is a lie is a lie and something we should steer clear of. I'll grant you not everyone will be happy with the truth and nothing but the whole truth at times but they weren't happy about it in Christ's time either. 

Don't allow the devil to find a flaw in your character or he'll exploit it to the point to where you won't be able to separate the truth from the lie and the lines, once crossed, can get blurred.

The simple truth is this – it's easier to remember the truth than it to remember the lie.

Psalm 101:7  "No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence."

Proverbs 12:22  "The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful."

Vengeance

While at times vengeance against another may taste sweet, it is something solely reserved for God. "Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord". That's fairly straightforward.

Many times I'd have to remind myself of this truth especially when I saw the wicked getting ahead and prospering while I seemed to be at a standstill or lose out completely because I didn't follow the crowd or belong to particular "cliques".

It is better to forgive and save yourself the upset and grief that vengeance can cause. Remember, once you've done something vengeful, it can't be undone. There's no place for this in the life of the Christian. God is always in control no matter how bad some things may seem at the time.

There will be a time of reckoning and that time is strictly in God's hands.

Leviticus 19:18  "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people. I am the Lord."

Luke 6:35  "Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

The Christian should always remember that while Christ lives inside them, the devil can take up residence as well given the opportunity. He will try to get you to stumble, to fall, to not believe or deny that God even exists.

Make no mistake about him. His mission is to destroy you and destroy you he will if you fail to keep the Commandments of God or not read how to live and fend for yourselves by daily reading of your Bible.

Too busy to read your Bible or spend time in prayer? Christ lingered on a cross for you and me 6 hours before He finally gave up His spirit – the least we can do is to give Him 15 minutes of our day.

Sooner or later you will have to decide if you want to be a genuine follower of Christ or just one those people who I call hanger-oners. They want what you have but can't or won't do the work or give up the things that make the Christian hopefully stand out from the crowd. 

As one of many Pastors, I always strive to give you the facts the way God reveals them to me. To be sure, being a Christian takes work. It won't always be easy but nothing worth having ever is!

If you fall, get up! If you stumble, root out the evil from your life brush yourself off and ask God for the strength to continue. It's all about Him as it should be. We will sin – it's in our nature but what we do with the sin when it happens will separate those that truly know the Lord from those who do not.

Never give up on yourself and certainly never give up on God! As Christians we should not be afraid to be bold about calling sin – sin or rooting out the evil that exists in our life.

A Holy walk with the Lord is possible but you have to want it, yearn for it, put Christ at the center of your life, and listen to the pleadings of the Holy Spirit. Then your life will be joy filled, happy, care free and worth what you've had to endure.

Make no mistake; the world will hate you as it did Jesus. You may even face persecution, ridicule and be the object of people's hatred because of their ignorance. When Christ returns for His church, then will all the "books" be balanced and eternity will be the Christians reward for their endurance and patience. What rejoicing in Heaven will there be! AMEN!

I ask the Lord at this time to let the Holy Spirit lay a conviction upon your soul about lingering hate or bigotry and that you would ask for God's forgiveness to heal you this very day.

Our Father tells us "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15) He also reminds us in Ephesians (4:32), to "Be kind to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you."

If you don't know forgiveness, you'll never understand or be ready for salvation. So ask yourself this, "What must I do to be saved?"

1.)  Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. This is not a promise of a perfect life – quite the opposite!  Jesus said "Take up your cross and follow me!" You may be ridiculed, lose friends, lose jobs and be persecuted for your beliefs. If this happens, and more times than not it will, praise God for this tells you without a doubt that you are His child and when the day is over and everything is said and done, that's all that matters.

2.)  Confess your sins. Bring all your sins to the cross of Jesus. Christ's blood has the power to cleanse all sins – don't hold anything back! God knows everything but He wants you to come to Him freely and make your confession.

3.)  Repent of Your Sins. What does it mean to repent? To repent is to completely turn away from old habits that cause you to stumble or sin in the first place.

4.)  Live a Godly life. Christ said in John, Chapter 11 that "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even if he dies…" In John 14 he reiterates this statement and adds that "no one comes to the Father but by me" There is no name under heaven other than Jesus that will unlock the gates of heaven to you when you die.

None of us are guaranteed anything. You and I may die today, only the Father knows the appointed time. Wouldn't it be nice to know that you've laid up treasures for yourself in heaven?

If you do not know where you'll go when you die, I would encourage you to examine your heart, listen and wait upon God and the Holy Spirit to work in your life. There is no decision you and I will ever make that's more important than this one.

If you've accepted Christ as your Savior, please pray this prayer with me; 

Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve hell, but You sent Jesus to die for my sins.

I believe that He died and rose again and ask You now to forgive my sins, once and for all.

I now receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Please come into my heart and save me. Help me to know that I am saved and help me live for You the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray – Amen

God patiently waits on those who seek Him. If you're unsure of your relationship with our Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, contact me. Together, we'll seek guidance from the Father to eliminate those things which are interfering with your walk with God.

About the Author

Dr. Brothers is an Independent Christian Minister with Doctorates in Biblical Studies and Divinity He is also a motivational speaker and writer and may be reached at dr_chas_brothers@msn.com 

Christians: Do you progress in being Holy, or is your holiness in Christ Jesus alone?

Is Holiness a state of being in Christ Jesus, or a progressive thing whereby we become more holy, and more holy?

Amazingly we are commanded to "Be Holy, for I am HOLY"

According as he has CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should BE HOLY and without blame BEFORE HIM IN LOVE: Ephesians 1:4

For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Lev 11:44-45

We must give all diligence to receive His Loving Chastening that we may "partake of His Holiness"....for the time is soon here when " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Rev 22:11

How are we sanctified...(MADE HOLY) ?

Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Joh 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Joh 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

But to answer you Q. dear brother.... Holiness MUST BE PERFECTED in us, and it is our choice whether to obey the truth or obey something other than the Holy Truth.

Deer Tick - Christ Jesus