Are You A Christian? Menu

1) Are You A Christian?

2) Being Just A Christian

3) What Must I Do To Be Saved?

4) True Repentance

5) Unity in the Church

6) Fasting --- When not "if"!

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Being Just a Christian

You can be just a Christian! Does this sound strange? With thousands of religious bodies in our country, it might appear impossible to be a Christian without being part of a denomination. It is not only possible, but there are actually thousands of "Christians only" in this and other nations.

The churches of ChristWho are these people who seek to be only Christians? The congregations of which they are a part are usually known as the "churches of Christ". The this term is not used in a denominational sense, but is intended to denote their desire to belong to Christ’s Church. The Bible says, "All the churches of Christ greet you." (Romans 16:16). However, it is just as correct to describe the church of which we read in the Bible as "the church of God" (1 Corinthians 1:2), "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27), or "the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). These and similar Biblical phrases are nor proper names, but descriptive expressions which show how the church is related to Christ and His Father.

A Distinctive PleaWe have a distinctive plea. Of course, in many ways we agree with others striving to follow Christ. We believe in the divine inspiration of the entire Bible, and that it is sufficient to guide us in all matters of faith; in the death of Jesus Christ, and His atonement for our sins; and that after death all men will be rewarded or punished in another life for the way they have lived here. And with all people of real religious conviction we insist that moral principles of Jesus are absolute truths to be exemplified in the personal righteousness of the child of God.

The Bible OnlyHowever, we not only believe that the scriptures are inspired, but also convicted that the New Testament must be our ONLY guide in religious faith. God’s Word frequently warns us against changing the divine message (See Galatians 1:6-9). We, therefore, have no creed or catechism to present, but accept Christ as our only creed and the Bible as our only guidebook. In this way we are prevented by an erroneous creed from accepting any teachings except which may be learned from God’s Word.

Restoration Rather than ReformationIt is obvious to thinking people that the religious world is badly divided. Great leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin sought to correct erroneous teachings and practices. But the reformers often started at different points and thus arrived at different conclusions. Division rather than unity has resulted.

We, on the other hand, plead for the restoration of apostolic Christianity, rather than a reformation of existing religious bodies. Since all agree that the early church was right, we should also be able to agree that we cannot be wrong if wee succeed in reproducing that church today in every essential part. While many things have changed in the twentieth century, the teachings of Jesus and His apostles have not. Truth is absolute and unchangeable. God’s Word is truth (John 17:17) and can save today as surely as in the first century, if applied in the same way. "The truth will make you free", (John 8:32).

Should you visit the congregation you will find it worshipping God as did the early disciples --- "in spirit and truth," (John 4:24). You will observe that it partakes of the Lord’s supper, or communion, every Sunday. This is because we are following the example of the early Christians who assembled every first day of the week to "break bread" (Acts 20:7). Likewise, in every other way the church seeks to reproduce New Testament Christianity --- in organization, in work, and in other area of teaching.

How To Be Just a ChristianIn few places is there so much disagreement as in answering the Bible question, "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Here again, we must reply by going to the scriptures for the answer. The Bible teaches that Christ shed His blood for our sins (Matthew 26:28), and that without it we cannot be saved (Hebrews 9:22). But what does Jesus require of us to "know assuredly" or believe that Jesus is "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36, Matthew 10:32). When these people on the day of Pentecost then asked for further information, they were told, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38). The Bible teaches that there is only one baptism today (Ephesians 4:5), and that baptism is by immersion in water (Acts 8:36-39), in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Today we teach (as did the apostles then) that for Christ’s blood to remove our sins we must as believers in Him repent, confess our faith, and be baptized. As we are thus saved from our sins, the Lord adds us to His body, the church. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47). "For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13) the saved, then, are in the body (or church) of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23); one cannot be saved and be outside the body.

The early disciples were Christians only. Although we live 1900 years later, we too can be Christians only if we will follow the same teachings given to these first followers of Jesus Christ. Christ said, "The seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11). Just as surely as a planted acorn will produce only an oak, so God’s Work will produce Christians and nothing more. We invite your earnest consideration to this plea and a thorough investigation of the practices of the first century church.

Our goal is to worship God and live our lives as closely as possible to the New testament pattern in the Bible "Speaking where the Bible speaks, silent where the Bible is silent.". If this is your goal also, or if you have any questions, or would like to thoroughly study what God’s Word, the Bible, has to say about these subjects (or any other), You are intuited to attend the Sunday morning worship service of a congregation near you, or call us and we can arrange for a private study in person, by mail, e-mail, or on the internet.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

WE WELCOME YOUFollowing the instructions of the Scriptures, members of Christ’s body assemble as congregations for worship, encouragement, and Bible study. The congregation in your community welcomes you to investigate the Bible with us. With a spirit of brotherly love we would seek to reconcile any differences by following the Bible ONLY. We recognize the Bible as God’s inspired word, the ONLY reliable standard of faith and practice. We desire the unity for which Christ prayed and which the Bible emphasizes in the expression, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Together we seek to maintain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

A friendly welcome awaits you. We do not wish to embarrass you in any way. You will not be asked for contributions. We assemble for Bible study and worship each Sunday morning and we welcome you to meet with us. We would be happy to talk to you about your questions and we want to be of encouragement. Please e-mail me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com for comments or further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.

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True Repentance

What is Repentance? The topic is Acts 3:19. Read through verse 21 to better understand the context. It reads this way from the New King James version:

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, so that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."(NKJ)

From the NIV It reads this way:
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you --- even Jesus . He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through the holy prophets." (NIV)

I am only going to deal with the first part of the verse which is about repentance, because of a lack of time.

REPENTANCE

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given us assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (NKJ) (Acts 17:30-31) There was a time when God allowed ignorance of His Word as an excuse, but now He does not. He now commands all men everywhere to repent. The Jews were once the only ones given God's Word. Now God will allow us no excuse for not obeying His Word!

A few verses that show the necessity of repentance are:
(Matthew 3:2) John the Baptist many times said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!."

(Matthew 4:17) "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Jesus in Mark 1:14-15 said,"... Repent, and believe in the Gospel.'" (NKJ)

In Mark 6:12 Jesus sent the 12 disciples out two by two and the Bible records, "so they went out and preached that people should repent."

(Luke 16:29-31) The rich man in hell asks for Lazarus to be sent to his father's house to warn his brothers about hell, "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

These verses show us not only the necessity of repentance, but the consequences of not repenting.

From this we can see that repentance is necessary for salvation, but what exactly is repentance? Is it just feeling sorry for something, or what? Lets look at the definition of the word:

- Strong's: (3340) from the original Greek word met-an-o-eh'-o to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally feel compunction): repent. From 3326 (denoting accompaniment, or together) and 3539 (to change, transfigure, or transform).

Thayer's: (3340) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent (to feel sorry that one has done this or that; conscious of their sins and with manifest tokens of sorrow, are intent on obtaining God's pardon; to change one's mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.

Vines: METANOEO - to perceive afterwards, (meta- after, implying change, noeo - the seat of moral reflection

Let's see if this is verified by the Scriptures:
(Titus 2:11-12) "For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteous, and Godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works." (NKJ)

The fruits of repentance are seen in our lives, which reflect God's teachings: good works, a righteous life, and a zeal for the things of God!

(2 Corinthians 7:9) "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance... for Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation ..."

(Acts 26:20) Paul said of both Jews and Gentiles (which includes everyone), "... that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance." (NKJ)

But, what are "works befitting repentance"? The NIV reads, "... prove their repentance by their deeds. " What deeds does it take to prove our repentance?

Let's look further into God's Word. In Luke 3:8-14, John the Baptist told the multitudes, "... bear fruits worthy of repentance ..." and when asked, "What shall we do then?", he answered, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none, and he who has food, let him do likewise." To the tax collectors, " Collect no more than what is appointed for you." To the soldiers, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." (NKJ)

Each person was required to look at himself and see what he had that could benefit others. Each person was to look at their lives and see how they were wrongly treating others, and correct that action, or actions.

When Zacchaeus was converted by Jesus in Luke 19:5-9 he said to Jesus, "Look Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore foretold. ' And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house ...'"

Here repentance invoked an immediate reaction: Zacchaeus was wealthy, so he gave half of his wealth to the poor. He was a tax collator who had been used to defrauding people as part of his job; he gave the money back fourfold to show his sincerity. Just saying I'm sorry because someone expects it is not repentance. Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of actions!

But is there more to this than just repenting?
(Acts 2:37-38) The first Gospel sermon preached by Peter to those who had crucified Christ. "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (NKJ)

"Repent and be baptized" to have their sins forgiven.

(Luke 17:3-4)"Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."
R
As baptized believers, we are both to forgive if someone wrongs us, and to repent if we wrong others. We are to continue doing this even if our habits continue to overshadow our resolve. until we leave that sin behind us. We are to forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ as they try to work through and overcome their faults.

(Acts 8:22) Simon, a baptized believer, after he had tried to buy the power the Apostles of giving gifts of the holy spirit by the laying on of their hands, was told to, "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity." (NKJ)

This shows us that as Christians we are to "repent" and pray for forgiveness when we sin.

A few more verses:
(Revelations 2:4-5) Although the church at Ephesus had many good works they were told, "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from it's place --- unless you repent." (NKJ)

Those at Ephesus are praised for many "good works". But are told to "repent and do the first works" or else God's judgment would come on them. What were their "first works"? They have lost their enthusiasm for the worship and progress of the church. They were not untiring in their devotion to the church and the spread of God's Word as they were against false teachers. They are to remember their first zeal for God.

As we apply this to our lives, we are doing well if we do not allow our early enthusiasm for worship and the spread of God's truth to grow dim. If God's judgment was to come on those at Ephesus if they did not repent, would it not also come on us, if we are in that condition?

(Revelations 3:3-5) To the church at Sardis: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name from the book of life"(NKJ)

Most of those at Sardis are Christians in name only. They have "defiled their garments"; they are living lives contaminated by the evil of sin. If they do not repent and change their lives Christ will come upon them "as a thief" to bring judgment upon them. This verse is one that shows a Christian can lose his salvation if they continue in sin. "He who overcomes ... I will not blot his name from the book of life" verifies this. This applies to each and every one of us!

It takes more than just making it to church a few times each week. Repentance is a change of life-style. Our life then conforms with the pattern put forth in the Gospel of Christ. If it doesn't we're just wasting our time. God doesn't want "lukewarm Christians". He wants total commitment to Him and His Word. Less than that is a waste of our time and eternity, and is an insult to God!

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can accept the authority of Christ by doing what He commanded (Matthew 7:21; John 14:15; 15:10-14; Luke 6:46). Notice the pattern for becoming a Christian as revealed in the Scriptures. The Gospel was heard, resulting in faith (Romans 10:17). Repentance of (turning away from) sin (Acts 17:30) and confession of Jesus as the Son of God followed (Romans 10:10). Believers were baptized INTO Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins (See Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Peter 3:20-21), and added to His church (Acts 2:47). Christians were taught to be faithful even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10).

Please contact me, Dennis Crawford, at BibleTruthsToU@gmail.com or 253-396-0290 (cell)for comments, questions, further Bible information, or for the location of a congregation belonging to Jesus Christ near you.

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