Am I saved?

Let me start out by saying that this post is not to offend or to judge one mans belief or religion over another. Matter of fact this post really isn't for all readers. This post is to those and for those who proclaim Christianity and believe that the Holy Bible is the infallible word of God.
 In a former post titled "Christianity has been high jacked " I talk about the way people in all of Christendom  identity with the denominations of Christianity rather than with Christ Himself. When people are searching for a church to attend most will look to the represented denomination rather than to the doctrines of the bible. We are looking for a church that will fit our beliefs rather than fitting our beliefs to the word of God! And so with that said, as we have so many denominations of Christianity these perplexing questions arise, Which one is right? What are the differences? And Does it really matter?
 From my experience the most highly recognized and even excepted denominations of Christianity all have at least one thing in common. The Holy Bible. So we can deduce from that, that the bible is the foundation of these denominations and it is the bible that we must look to and learn from as we live our lives for Christ.
 My post today is not to give you my opinion or theology on the subject of salvation. Today is about self study. One of the greatest concerns that I have for other believers is that they simply believe what they are told rather than look to the scriptures for these truths. I'm going to provide a few verses on salvation and without any interpretation on my part I want you to conclude from what you read as to the necessary steps to being saved. If you find that you have questions on what you have read or you want to share with me what conclusions you have come to, feel free to comment.
#1Heb 11:6
 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
#2Luke 13:3
 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
#3Mark 16:16
 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
#4Acts 2:37-38
 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
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.
#5Heb 12:14
 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

One last thing. As you read these verses with salvation in mind read them not from a denominational mind set but one that is desiring to know, Am I saved according to the bible?

 John 5:39
 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Scripturally divided!

John 7:37-43
 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?
42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?
43 So there was a division among the people because of him.
 I know that there are some who would say that we are divided on the scriptures because everyone has their own translation and interpretation and they may be partially correct. However I want to speak to the subject of what a person believes the bible says verses what the bible actually says. Now I am not writing to debate one persons understanding of the verses but to challenge everyone to read the scriptures (the bible) to know what it actually says.
 Jesus in verse 38 says to believe on Him as the scriptures say. So to obey His desire we need to open the pages of the bible and read it for ourselves to gain knowledge and understanding of who He is. I love talking about and hearing about Jesus but I must compare what I hear and learn to what the bible actually teaches.
 Jesus in this verse also taught that there would be a manifestation in a persons life when they gain their understanding from the bible. Out of the belly shall flow rivers of living water! When I glean understanding from the Scriptures and learn of Jesus the Spirit then is available to receive!
 A persons salvation and transformation doesn't come from a belief in a god but comes from the knowledge of the True God, Jesus Christ. John 8:31-32
 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
 John 14:6
 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
  To know truth is to know Him. To know Him is to know the scriptures.
 Division occurs when we have a belief based upon tradition, religion, and even conventional(mans) wisdom and not scripture. For example, and this may seem trivial but it gives us a simple correlation to the subject matter, Eve ate and apple. The bible doesn't say that she ate an apple but the fruit from the tree. Another example, there were three wise men that came to Jesus after His birth. The bible teaches us that there were wise men who offered three gifts. The bible says, God helps those who helps themselves. Now I have read my bible a couple times through and I have yet to find this verse or this type of teaching any where in the scriptures. Its simply not there. Again, trivial? Perhaps, but the point is that we are dealing with division because of beliefs based upon what we have heard or have been told rather than actual knowledge of the scriptures.
 This was a problem in bible days as well. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy concerning the Messiah yet the people, because of there own preconceived ideas, failed to see Jesus for who He was!
 Pay close attention to the first part of verse 42. Hath not the scripture said? Gen 3:1 ends with very similar verbiage, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Had Eve known exactly what God had said maybe she wouldn't have been deceived.

 

Christianity has been highjacked!

Since the birth of the church there has always and will always be a single church. Jesus said in  Matt 16:18
 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
 Jesus has only built one church, the Christian church. The church that is modeled after that of Christ. Its foundation is Eph 2:19-22
 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

 Notice the singularity in these verses. the household of God, for an habitation of God, the building, an holy temple and Christ being the chief corner stone. The Christian church is a body of believers who hold the bible as the written inspired truth of Gods divine instruction and revelation. There is no other source that is written from which the church draws its directives. The bible is complete and needs no addition, retraction or substitute.

What church is the true church? The Apostolic church? The Catholic church? The Baptist church? The Lutheran church? The Non-denominational church? Are all or are none?

  Christianity has been highjacked by denominationalism!  We have denominations of Christianity because there are divisions in what each denomination believes and how they are governed! Christianity is held in bondage by these differences and until each one of us as individuals come to that realization we will not see the impact that Christianity can have on the world.

 Here in lies the problem, people identify with their denomination rather than the word of God!  I recently preached a message to the church entitled, I'm not a denomination, I am a disciple!  I am a student of the word of God. What makes a person a specific denomination is they identify with its doctrine beliefs and traditions! What makes a person a Christian is that they identify with Christ through their faith and obedience to His word.

  Take back our faith. That is what the Christian church needs to do. Here is how it begins, forget about the denomination that you identify with and begin to search the scriptures for yourself. If you have a specific belief then you need to make sure it aligns with the bible.

 The greatest detriment to our faith is that a high percentage of believers are actually ignorant of what the bible actually says. The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth!  

 The second step in taking back our faith is to heed the first step. People of every denomination that are reading this blog will say what they believe is the truth and everyone else is in error. The result from this type of thinking is denominationalism rather than unadulterated Christianity! Do our faith a favor and assume you are in error and open your bibles!

 In conclusion, Allow me to share an opinion that I have. I do not believe that there is a single denomination or organization that holds the rights to the Christian church. The Christian church belongs to Christ and is made up of those who identify with Him through His word.

 I believe there can be Christians in every denomination but I do not believe that any denomination is exclusively the Christian church! 

Bible v. Christian Tradition

Mark 7:7-9
 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
KJV
 Col 2:6-8
 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
KJV
 The more bible studies that I teach and the more I have conversations with professing Christians the more I realize that many of them live their lives based on what others have preached to them and they believe and that they know very little about what the bible actually says.
 The basis of this writing isn't to judge or even debate ones belief from another but to challenge and encourage all believers to search the scriptures and to align their beliefs with the word of God.
 The importance of this is off the scale considering it is the word of God alone that will be our judge when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
 Adam and Eve had sinned against God when they ate the apple in the garden! Three wise men brought gifts to Jesus at His birth. The bible says God helps those who help themselves. Of these three which one is true? The answer is none of them are true. They ate a fruit, wise men brought gifts and there is no scripture that says anything about God helping those that help themselves!
 Far to often do I hear people say, The bible says, followed by a statement that is not in the bible. The problem is that when people hear someone say that the bible says they tend to believe it automatically. The reason for this is sad but true, not enough Christians read their bibles to know what it actually says. No this is not what your pastor, priest or minister is for, they are to preach the word of God, encourage the saints and guide them in life's journey but it is the individuals responsibility to know the word of God for themselves.
 The apostolic church of Acts based its teaching on bible doctrine but many of the churches today are teaching based on church tradition. The book of Acts is the history of the first church so the church of today should look and align itself with it as far as biblical teaching, exhorting and even church discipline goes.
 Follow along with these next few verses to see the trouble that can arise when we don't know or are unsure what Gods word says. Gen 3:1-3
 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
KJV
 Did you catch the mistake. Eve was quoting Gods word but then she added her own belief. God said you shall not eat of it, hear it is, neither shall you touch it. God never said anything about touching it. You can say that that's semantics but that cost Eve her life!
  When it comes to salvation and Christian living the word of God is the only source of truth. Mans opinion and even his own belief does not hold a light to Gods written word. When dealing with beliefs you have to ask yourself what does the bible say and is what I believe the same thing. Don't just answer yes because you want them to match up. This is your eternity that were talking about, take the time and search the scriptures!
 The word of God has not changed but church traditions have taken much of its place. Just because something is widely accepted doesn't make it acceptable.
 Do we believe the bible or are we following the traditions of the church?

No offence taken!

Proverbs 18:19
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
 I have certainly had to deal with people who fulfill this description of  the offended and once again the scripture is absolutely correct. People who have been offended are almost impossible to win. In many of cases they have justification for their hurt and reason to avoid and be cautious. I am not denying them their feelings.
 This is the very reason that we who are Christian need to season our words with salt and to speak as the oracle of God and with love.
1Cor.6:7-8
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
 As we can see here there is a much higher road to be taken but it will require a greater humility. Humility comes much easier when the cause is of such great price.
 Now I will try to convey the purpose of this writing. I am not writing to those who will offend as much as to those who may be offended. We have probably all been in that conversation when a statement is made followed by the words, No offence. And the recipient usually responds, None taken!
 Offence much like unforgiveness is detrimental to the one who carries its burden. Rarely does the offender suffer from the cause of the offense. I do not make excuse for any who offend and I will go on to say that they need to become repentant but the offended are the ones in troubled waters. As Proverbs has stated a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city.
 I cannot allow myself to be taken by offence to a place where it will become difficult to return from. I do not want to be in a place where the love of others and even the love of God cannot reach me.To be offended puts me in a gated community which may not allow others in but will not allow me out either. The bars of a castle can be for protection or can become a prison!
Acts 24:16
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Why I suffer!

"We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."
— Acts 14:22

God's people have their trials. It was never designed by God, when He chose His people, that they should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and earthly joy. Freedom from sickness and the pains of mortality was never promised them; but when their Lord drew up the charter of privileges, He included chastisements amongst the things to which they should inevitably be heirs. Trials are a part of our lot; they were predestinated for us in Christ's last legacy. So surely as the stars are fashioned by his hands, and their orbits fixed by Him, so surely are our trials allotted to us: He has ordained their season and their place, their intensity and the effect they shall have upon us. Good men must never expect to escape troubles; if they do, they will be disappointed, for none of their predecessors have been without them. Mark the patience of Job; remember Abraham, for he had his trials, and by his faith under them, he became the "Father of the faithful." Note well the biographies of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and you shall discover none of those whom God made vessels of mercy, who were not made to pass through the fire of affliction. It is ordained of old that the cross of trouble should be engraved on every vessel of mercy, as the royal mark whereby the King's vessels of honour are distinguished. But although tribulation is thus the path of God's children, they have the comfort of knowing that their Master has traversed it before them; they have His presence and sympathy to cheer them, His grace to support them, and His example to teach them how to endure; and when they reach "the kingdom," it will more than make amends for the "much tribulation" through which they passed to enter it.

Charles Spurgeon

The winds of change!

I recently returned from a church conference and every message from every speaker was speaking directly to all that I have been dealing with and praying about. I have been struggling with decision making and making the right choices that would not only benefit my life but the lives of others.
 First I would like to confess that over the past few months I have not been the witness of Christ on a level that I believe that Jesus wants me to be! Not that I have been acting out in an ungodly manner but I haven't really shared the good news of the gospel or have offered the hope of the same. To some they might say that it doesn't matter or that we really don't need to but that is where I have come to a different understanding of my purpose.
 When I had come to the understanding of Gods word that Christ had shed His blood for my sins, this was the beginning of the winds of change for me! As I gave my life to Him having repented of my sins, had been baptized in the name of Jesus and being filled with the Holy Ghost my purpose was now clear, that I would be a witness of Christ! I would live my life for His glory and that others would come to know Him because of it! Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!
 Today I confess and apologize to all that I have not offered words of hope and encouragement when you needed them. Having focused on my own life, family, church and needs I have not been the pastor, brother, husband, father, friend and co-worker that you deserve. I am thanking God for the winds of change!
 Tomorrow morning in the church service I will be preaching about the passion of the Lord and how that passion is now once again burning in my soul. My passion is to be a witness of Christ to a troubled world! It is to be an open ear to listen to the brokenness that others may be facing! My passion is to have hands outstretched not to receive but to offer others what I have! My passion is to preach the gospel to all the world( the world that encompasses where I live) so that they may have opportunity to come to Jesus.
 I don't intend to be a religious person, quoting scriptures, making judgments and personifying a holier than thou attitude but I will strive to demonstrate that loving relationship that I have with the Lord and make every effort to share the peace, joy and the passion that I have because of Him!
 Change my heart oh God, Make it ever true. Change my heart oh God, may I be like you!