Saturday, May 5, 2018

Deception in the church

                                                                                          



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Posted by V.L. at 12:15 AM

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Authentic christian faith

                                                                                        

 

 

 

 

                                        There is authentic Christianity ?

 

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The Bible provides a clear understanding of genuine saving faith-true faith produces good fruit. In His parable of the soils and the seed, the Lord Jesus taught that, while unbelievers are unfruitful, those who are saved would bear fruit. In this parable, three of four soils produced fruitless plants, vivid pictures of receptions of God's Word that never resulted in salvation.
In contrast, fruit-bearing plants thrive in the good soil that pictures a redeemed heart. Jesus said, "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). All believers are fruitful, even though not equally fruitful.
The Bible also describes what good fruit looks like. The following chart lists the characteristics of genuine saving faith. In essence, it serves as a guide for spiritual fruit inspection (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you are unsure about the reality of your faith, please take the time to study this chart, taking care to read each of the accompanying Scripture passages.




AUTHENTIC FAITH WORKS

[Matthew 7:15-23]

An authentic believer must not only demonstrate his love by ready acceptance of others in the church, but he must also demonstrate his faith by responsible assistance to others. Those who possess authentic faith put it to work.
Even in the early church many claimed they had saving faith that were not saved. Where ever there is the true you find the counterfeit. Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21. "Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."
How do you know dead faith from true faith? People with dead faith substitute words for helpful deeds. They may know all the vocabulary for prayer and testimony and may even be able to quote scripture, but their work does not measure up to their talk. Words are no substitute for works. Authentic faith is revealed with real deeds (CIT).

I. MEANINGLESS FAITH, 14.
II. WORDS VERSES WORKS, 15-17.
III. TRUE FAITH WORKS, 18-20.

Verse 14 declares that intellectual faith without substantiating deeds is void of salvation. "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?"
Verse 14 begins another shift in the epistle as is indicated by James’ use of my brethren. He introduces this new paragraph with a rhetorical question, What good is it....if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? The Greek construction indicates a no answer is expected. Can the kind of faith that is not seen in practical works save anyone? The answer is NO! Any declaration of faith that does nothing is worth nothing. James is talking about a particular kind of faith, a faith that produces no works. Some may have an intellectual acceptance of certain biblical truths. This faith is worthless because it is all talk with no walk.
The New Testament supports this truth. Obedience is the necessary proof of true faith (Mt. 7:21, 25:31-46, Lk. 3:7). We who quote Ephesians 2:8-9 often forget that verse 10 follows. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before hand so that we would walk in them. God’s grace that brings about a new creation causes that new creation to walk the path of good deeds. There are no exceptions. Faith must be lived out through deeds. Faith works.
The Bible does not teach a salvation by works but it does not teach a salvation that does not work either. Note, there are no true works if faith in Jesus alone has not preceded them and if they are not done in the power of the Holy Spirit. But if there is genuine faith, good deeds will naturally follow. Faith and good works are not enemies but buddies.
[BUDDY SYSTEM] On October 25, 1983, an elite Ranger division parachuted onto the new Point Salinas airstrip on the tiny island of Granada. Such an act presents one of the most daring and dangerous situations a soldier can face.


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             The Apostolic Definition of an Authentic Christian


Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:7-12
In 1 John 4:7-12 we find the apostolic definition of an authentic Christian as well as the apostolic definition of an authentic church. 

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 FALSE RELIGION

 http://www.divinerevelations.info/mary_k_baxter_a_divine_revelation_of_hell.htm#False_Religion


James defined religion without works as a dead religion..

 

Do you know people if you approach them and said do you believe in God, they'd say yes?
 Do you believe Jesus Christ lived and died and rose from the dead? Yes. And you know as well as I do that they're not Christians. That's not uncommon. They possess a dead faith.
I remember a song we used to sing as a little kids in church, "Only believe, only believe." And I've often thought about that song. Now wait a minute, is that all there is?
Nicodemus believed before he came to Christ and was told he needed to be born again. It is not enough to just believe unless that faith is the faith that saves and transforms.
Now what is the character of dead faith? This is what James wants to point out to us. Let's look at our text. What is the character of dead faith? He gives us three marks of dead faith, three descriptions of the nature of dead faith.
First of all, dead faith is identified by an empty confession. It is identified by an empty confession, verse 14.
"What does it profit,” or of what benefit is it, "my brethren,"
and I think he's speaking at that point to a Jewish brethren, Jewish audience, and of course collectively to the church that are identified outwardly as brethren. "What does it profit, or of what benefit is it though a man say he has faith but has not works?" What good is such a claim? "Can faith save him?"
Now look at it. If a man says he has faith...for the sake of argument, a man comes along, he makes that claim. "I have faith, I believe. I believe in God. I believe in Christ." He confesses to believe in the death of Christ. He may confess to believe in the resurrection of Christ. By the way, it's a present tense, what does it profit, my brothers, though a man continually go on making the claim that he believes? The word in the Greek text means anyone...anyone. What good is such a claim from anyone if he has not erga, works...if he has not product--if he has not good works, righteous deeds as the pattern of his life what good is such faith? The answer is it's no good at all.
That's the obvious answer. It's nothing but an empty confession, an empty profession, a claim with no evidence. If there are no works and no righteous deeds, you cannot demonstrate a changed life. If when true faith is placed in Christ, we receive a new nature, that new nature will manifest itself. And as we go to the parable of the soils again we see that good soil always produces what? Fruit...the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of righteousness.

 

                                                                         


A legacy of " Luther's doctrine"   can be seen in the churches where pastors preach a religion without good deeds (charity)  zero  interest for those in need in the church, the church only has a  formal deacon, but  church provid no  fund for Christian poors.

It seems a minor thing, at first glance, it's actually a serious thing because that's what defines disciple  Jacob as dead religion .

Faith in Apostolic chuch was a faith 


Justin Martyr  "Worship in the early church"

 
"And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things.
And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost". 

http://prayerfoundation.org/justin_martyr_early_christian_worship.htm

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                                            Pastor disguised as homeless




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