Marks of A Christian

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King James Bible StudyAnd when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Friday, December 11, 2020
Chapters: Romans 12-16
Message: Marks of A Christian

Hello My Friend,

I listened to a preacher go on and on about sin and made a comment about questioning your salvation if you have sin in your life and are not convicted in your heart about it. While that is all good, I kept asking myself if he was preaching that to the right crowd. None of us are without sin, and since everyone’s walk with Christ is different from each other, our knowledge to what is sin and what is not according to God comes as we get in His Word and start walking in it. The marks of a Christian is not shown by those who appear to have no sin in their lives, it is shown by those who appear to have Christ in it. [Romans 12:1-3,9-12  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.]

[according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.] God knows that once we admit we are sinners, believe that Christ gave His life to save us, and confess that only He can save us, that our faith solely relies on our faith in Christ. He knows that while we will sin again after we are saved, and all of us will struggle with some form of sin, we are faithful in that we confess those sins and repent of them as we conform to an image more like Christ. So, how in fact do we conform to an image of Christ? Well, Paul tells us how.

[Romans 12:10-12,14-18  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;  11  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;  12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.  15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.  17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.]

[Bless them which persecute you:] We really do not what to pray for the well being of those who are causing so much chaos in this country, but if there is anything to learn from this sad, drawn out, and illegal election it is that we need to pray for them. Yes, we need to pray for the well being of the president, Congress, Senate, and all those who are in office in each state from the governor to mayors, even if we do not like them and are making a mess of their cities and states.

[Romans 13:1-4,8-9  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  2  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  3  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:  4  For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.  9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.]

[For he is the minister of God to thee for good.] Remember Nebuchadnezzar? God used him to judge Israel, and later on in his life he too got saved when God turned him into a beast for a time, [Daniel 4:34  And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:] We may not like the people in office, and quite frankly, many of them are corrupt, control freaks, who think of themselves as a god, just like Nebuchadnezzar did. The mark of a Christian is not despising those who are in office, we do not turn things around by cursing them, we do that by praying for them. Hopefully, God would open their hearts to make the right decisions, besides, God knows what they are doing, He will either convert them or destroy them just like He does every other corrupt leader, [Romans 12:19-21  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.]

Another mark of a Christian is how we treat one another, we do not condone sin, but we do not condemn those who are struggling with sin. We do not show the love of Christ, especially to those who are newly converted or got saved, but did not do anything after they got saved, by trying to get them to conform to who we think they ought to be. We show the love of Christ by being their for them as Christ would if He were ministering to them Himself. And by the way, if we are ministering to them as Christ would, that means He is the one leading us.

[Romans 14:1-4,10-13  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.  4  Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  13  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.]

[that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.] I have seen new converts walk away from church all together because of comments made to them. We need to be careful not to be so harsh with those words that we cause those who are weak in their faith to fall away from God all together. Yes, they need to be taught what sin is and how it affects their lives if they do not repent. We do not sugar coat sin, and we certainly do not encourage them to keep living in sin, but we do need to have some compassion on them.

[Romans 15:1-4,13  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.  3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  4  For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 13  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.]

[that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.] Do you see how we win them to Christ? It is not harsh rebuke, it is by showing them the love of Christ as conform to Christ in patience and hope through the Scriptures. Not everyone learns and grows in Christ at the same level, we need to minister to them and be patient with them if they do not grow as fast as we expect them to grow. There is only one reason for us to leave them be and move on, and that is if they are refusing to accept the Scriptures as they are and trying to convince others that they should not believe in them.

[Romans 16:17-20  Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.  19  For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.  20  And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.]

[contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned;] Let me tell you, there are a lot of saved, born again Christians who choose to live in sin, but as long as the doctrine of Christ remains the same let them live how they live, it is God they have to answer to. The mark of a Christian is not to condemn them, it is to love them, and if that means we remain separated from them, then so be it. On the other hand, if they are going against Scripture all together it is time to remove them from our lives completely, they can care less about the truth, and are just causing problems for us, [2 Timothy 2:15-16  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.]

Today’s Prayer: God, I do not always give You the credit You deserve for the amazing things that I am able to do through You. You are my guide, my teacher, my conscience, my director, my wisdom, and the one who shows me how to conform to the image of Your Son by simply showing His love. Lord, give me Your power and show me how to use it to bring glory to You and Your Son as I grow in my walk with You. No matter where I go or who I run into, let the reflection of Christ that shines in me to whomever I encounter. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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