Practicing Christianity?

Welcome everyone for week two of our “online only” services and remind everyone of the online giving options, for those who are asking about this. (mobile app, website and bringing by the church office.)

Mention that you hope that this message finds everyone well and safe.

OPEN IN PRAYER!

Well, as we are all overtly aware of at this point, we are knee deep in the midst of this blight, this pestilence that is known as Covid-19, or the coronavirus, as a church and as a nation!

For those of you who were able to tune in to the live streaming service last week, I started off by speaking about FDR’s encouraging radio broadcasts, back in the 1930’s and 40’s to the then struggling American people. These radio broadcasts became affectionately known as FDR’s “Fireside chats”, and they were a series of some 30 messages, which encourage the people and gave them a plan of hope for the future of this nation.

I mentioned in last week’s message that now is a most opportune time as well as a necessary time, for a similar type of message to be given for those in the body of Christ.

Having said this, it is my hope and desire to begin putting together over the coming weeks, just that type of periodic message, which would be appropriately entitled, “The fireside chats”!

These short messages will be given to exhort, to encourage and to inform those within the body of Christ and to hopefully, promote unity and strength within the church body!

So, as we begin to move forward in making these videos, I will make everyone aware as to when they will begin and how to view them. Amen!!

You know, there is so much media and material going around right now about this virus and the effect that it is having around the world and upon our families and our jobs and our churches and in our communities, that it is almost overwhelming! I mean, a person could literally, sit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, watching the news and social media feeds about this thing and not even make a dent in it what is out there dealing with it!

And so, I am trying, personally, to limit how much exposure I am allowing myself to have to all of the news and media that is out there and I’m focusing a lot more upon the governmental aspect of it and the things that are directly affected by our government and our president’s decisions, as to our lives as United States citizens.

But it doesn’t take long to figure out that there is a lot of division in the general public in dealing with this virus and of how the people of this nation are viewing it.

There have been some of the younger population, in the past week, who took the virus and its spread as a joke and made it a point to openly assemble in what they are calling, “coronavirus parties” and in doing so, they actually contributed to the open spread of the virus.

There are those who believe that the whole thing is hyped up and built up to be something that it actually isn’t.

And then there are those who believe that this virus is going to be something apocalyptic for our nation and around the globe.

There are Christians who are doing what they feel is wise and prudent and adhering to the wishes of our government and of our president and avoiding assembling together, to help stop the spread of this thing.

And still, there are other Christians who say that such actions are based out of fear and we do not walk in fear and that we should ignore these warnings of the government and keep doing as we have always done and meet in our church buildings!

And then there are the myriad of posts and stories about what this virus is Biblically and what it represents and of how and why God did, or did not send it as a judgement upon certain communities and peoples for their sins!

And people are reading these things and then turning around and looking for answers and clarity as to what is true and what it false, from their pastors and church leaders and other national Biblical figures in the church world.

And many of these people are fearful from what they’ve been told and read online and they are truthfully wanting some clarity for their peace of mind!

Well, let me say this to all of you, I am not a prophet and this is not a new word from the Lord that I am bringing to you today.

And I am not here to debate or try and answer how and why God does, or doesn’t do things and I am not here to speculate about this virus, other than to say that our Lord Yeshua warned us that pestilences like this virus were coming and that the prevalence of them, as well as other natural disasters and wars and conflicts would escalate as we close in on His return.

But as to this virus being a specific judgement of God upon this nation and the world for its sins, let me remind you, as I did last week, that the black plague alone of the 1300’s killed anywhere from 50-75 million people.

And the seasonal flu virus alone last year in the United States, according to the CDC, killed over 34,000 people itself.

The coronavirus, as of this morning, has claimed the lives of just over 2,000 people in this nation and just over 31,000 worldwide.

So, yes this virus is a pestilence, just as Yeshua said would happen, but as to a prophetic word from God that the coronavirus is a specific judgement from God against the sins of this nation, that I cannot say, because God hasn’t revealed or released me to say that, as was done this past week by someone else.

And as to that of the prophetic, let me warn you about listening to everyone who calls themselves prophets of the Lord God.

Anyone and I mean ANYONE, can stamp the name and title of “prophet”, before their name and begin spewing off “prophetic words” and saying that all of these words that they bring are from God!

I have heard over this past week some statements and messages that some of these “prophets” have made recently and in the past few months, as to our nation and as to the body of Christ and all that I can say to you is this; be VERY CAREFUL of who you are listening to and what you are allowing into your heart and mind and believing to be of God and Biblical!

Someone may have been given a prophetic word by the Holy Spirit of almighty God and that word was spot on, BUT operating in the gift of prophesy by Holy Spirit and allowing Him to use you for a time and a season, or in a one time event, does not qualify someone as a prophet of God!

And it’s very dangerous grounds for someone to put themselves on, when they claim that they are bringing the oracles of God to a nation, as His prophet!

And it’s very confusing, when there are hundreds more, just like them, claiming the same title and bringing their words to the church and the nation and the world!

And the majority of what I heard from them, was so vague and so open ended, that it became difficult to determine, any accuracy or relevance at all.

And the other thing about a lot of these “prophets” and their words that concern me, is that many Christians, cling to and pay heed to whatever these men and women are saying!

I hear people saying, “Did you hear, or read the prophetic word that (so and so) gave the other day? Isn’t that great news?”

We have people prophesying right now, about this virus as to what it is, or it isn’t and how we are to be dealing with it and living our lives, in light of it and people are hanging on these words of these so called prophets and eating them up.

I’m not saying that everything that’s said and listed as a “prophetic” word is wrong, because I can’t say that! But I can and I will warn you to be very careful about anyone who comes in the name of the Lord as a prophet and especially if you lend your ear and heart to them and receive their words!

Always pay attention to the words of these people and see if their words are giving the glory to Yahweh, from start to finish, or is their prophetic message bringing them more attention and keeping them in the spotlight and drawing accolades and monies their way!

I’m not here to mention any person by name, or any certain prophetic words that have been given recently, but I am saying to those of you who will listen, BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE WHO NAMES THEMSELVES AS A PROPHET OF ALMIGHTY GOD!

Jesus, Himself, warned us about false prophets and false teachers who would arise, as did also Peter and Paul and John, within their epistles.

Just because someone states to you, “Thus saith the Lord.......” doesn’t mean that it’s from God!

John warned us in , “

1 John 4:1 NLT

1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

And Paul said in ,

1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 TPT

20 And don’t be one who scorns prophecies, 21 but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right.

That’s all that I am going to say about that this morning, simply a warning to everyone to use Godly wisdom and caution in their lives and in their spiritual walk with the Lord.

Jesus said that deception would become prevalent in the last days and so it has. Because of the internet and portable technology, the spread of many of these false prophets and their words, has been able to go global in a matter of seconds!

Trust me when I say this to you, I understand that as believer’s we see things differently on different aspects of the Bible and we don’t all agree exactly the same way about everything. I GET THAT!

No matter how I see and believe something to be, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will change how you see and perceive that same thing, right?

Revelation of the Word of God and its truth is shown to us by Holy Spirit, and this comes from our reading and meditating upon that word, as Jesus made mention in ,

John 14:26 ESV

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

And so, as we individually grow in the Lord and knowledge of His divine Word, our minds become transformed and changed in accordance with what the Word says to us and for our lives.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

This is when the body of Christ really begins to unite and work as one functioning unit; when the people are really hungry for the Word of God and His Holy Spirit is bringing the people’s hearts and minds and in alignment and agreement upon that Word!

So, I can’t make you see things the same way that I do on everything and you can’t make me see everything the same way that you do.

This reminds me of a minister who decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. So, he took four worms and placed each one into four separate jars. The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol. The second worm was put into a jar of cigarette smoke. The third worm was put into a jar of chocolate syrup. The fourth worm was put into a jar of good clean soil. At the conclusion of the Sermon, the Minister reported the following results: The first worm in alcohol - Dead. The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead. Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead. Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive. So the Minister asked the congregation, "What can you learn from this demonstration?" A little old woman in the back quickly raised her hand and said, "As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!

My point being, people will see things from their own perspective and their own perspective is determined by their state of mind and of what they really believe to be true in their hearts!

Having said that I wanted to share with you about an article that I read in the past couple of days, or more accurately stated, I want to share with you about one phrase of an article that I read.

The article was an interview with a few men of clergy and it was about how the coronavirus has disrupted their religious practice in their cities and in their churches.

And as I read the article, the phrase, “religious practice” just stuck in my head.

And then from there I ended up going to another article that was dealing with last year’s Pew Poll and its dealing with the same subject matter: people’s religious practices.

But in the latter article something even more specific jumped out to me. The article was talking about people who identify as “Christians” as their religious affiliation and as to how they were either “practicing”, or “non-practicing” Christians.

And the guys that wrote the article was talking about and questioning the criteria that this poll used in determining who could be called “Christian”, when the categories have labels like, “non-practicing” Christians.

He made mention of how was it even possible to call someone a Christian, when they are labeled as “non practicing”?

He said that a “non practicing “ Christian was an oxymoron and that it made no sense.

His analogy was that this same criteria could be applied to other groups and then see if it made logical sense, like saying there is a group of “non practicing” athletes, who are people who claim to be athletes, but who don’t actually play any sport. Or a group of “non practicing” mechanics, who don’t actually repair vehicles!

And I agreed with his statements.

But the more that I thought about this whole thing of “practicing religion” and being a “practicing Christian”, and not even dealing with the “non practicing” category, it made me really think of what has happened to the faith of many people in our Lord and Savior and of what we have reduced Christianity down to in the modern church.

I know and I get that word “practicing” in the phrase, “practicing Christian”, or “practicing religion”, is used as an adjective to describe someone who is observing the teaching and rules of a particular religion, or some other discipline, I get that. Just like if we say that someone is “practicing medicine” right?

The thing that bothers me with this phrase in the article, as well as, any other time that I hear it said that, “so and so” is a “practicing Christian”, is the mind set that goes with it.

So this is going to be short and sweet and straight to the point with everyone listening this morning.

To say that people are “practicing” whatever, is open ended andithas the understanding of, that these people could stop “practicing” whatever it is they are “practicing” at that time.

Just like if a doctor stops “practicing medicine” and retires, or like when my youngest daughter stopped “practicing karate” for a couple of years.

I mean,

Do you see what I mean?

And it’s dangerous when this same mindset carries over into the Christian faith. People “try out” being a Christian, to see if it’s for them.

And they pick whatever version, or flavor of Christianity that they want from the à la carte menu that is offered from a vast array of churches and preachers, who cater the gospel message to people, in order to get them into their buildings!

And so, these people will become, “practicing Christians” and eventually fall into the “non practicing”, but still affiliated with, category!

Let me clarify this for everyone real quickly. If you want a relationship with the Lord God almighty, through His Son, Jesus the Christ, you had better know what your doing and what you are agreeing to.

Because God doesn’t take this relationship lightly and neither does Jesus, who paid way to high a price for us, to “try Him out”!

For this reason, Jesus said in , that we should COUNT THE COST, before we enter into a relationship with Him and become one of His disciples!

He stressed that a relationship with Him would be costly to us, in this life, but the eternal reward is what we were to focus on.

In fact, Jesus said in ,

Luke 14:26–27 NLT

26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Jesus stressed that a relationship with Him was to be deemed more valuable than anything, or anyone else in our lives. He said that we must “take up our cross and follow Him”.

He said this before He went to the cross of Calvary, and everyone at that time knew exactly what He was saying.

To see someone carrying their cross in those days, meant that that person’s life was over and they were about to be hung upon that cross. In other words, they were considered as already dead, and the cross was the sign of it.

So, Jesus was saying, that if we want a relationship with Him, it demands that we die to our own cares and desires and live for Him and His Father’s will for our lives.

So, when you and I become a Christian, we are not someone who has accepted some terms and now lives thier life “practicing” a lifestyle. Quite the contrary. When we become redeemed by the blood of Yeshua, we are an entirely NEW CREATION!

And as this creation of His, we are now to live our lives for Him and for His glory.

Your life is now hidden in His life; you’re not just someone living their life, who is practicing a religion.

You are literally a new person in Christ and as such, you live a new life as a follower of Christ, not “practicing” the life of Christ, but living the life.

In other words, Christ is your identity and that is who and what you are!

Paul tells us in ,

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NLT

19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

And in ,

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

So, you become legally His, by the purchase of your life with His blood and and when this happens, you are transformed into a new spiritual creature, your old life and its sins and shames and hurts and desires, are gone and they are replaced with His Spirit and joy and power and love.

There is a big difference between being a “practicing Christian” and living as a new creature in Christ!

For example, I married my wife, Desirae, 20 years ago, this June. So, I became a husband. I left my life as a single man, and became a “husband”.

I am not a guy who is living a life as a “practicing husband”, I AM A HUSBAND!

I became something and someone else when we become one flesh in our marriage.

I am the father of two girls. I am not a man who is living his life with two beautiful young ladies that he calls his children, as a “practicing father”, I AM A FATHER!

I have become a husband and a father. These are who and what I am in this life. They are trial runs and if I don’t like it, I just stop practicing them!

That is my concern for many people and their walk with Christ. They get all excited, like a newly wed and try out the relationship. BUT, when it becomes more costly than what they are willing to let go of in their life, they want to stop being a part of that relationship.

They stop “practicing” their Christianity!

The world and the god of this world have created this convenience mentality that so many people cling to now.

Just like in the natural order of creation. If you don’t like the sex that you are “practicing” then you can just quit “practicing” that one and go have it changed to another!

A man may have a doctor change his physical image and “sexually reassign” him and he may live his life “practicing” as a woman, but it changes nothing in the natural order.

He is still a man, created by God to be a man and when you look at his chromosomal makeup, it still says that he is a man!

He may live his life “practicing” one lifestyle, but the reality is, he is still what he was to begin with!

Someone who is living in the world and “practicing” as a Christian, may call themselves a “Christian” and the modern church may call them a “Christian”.

BUT, if they have not been transformed into the glorious image of Christ, then they are still the same wordly sinner, who is only fooling themselves and other wordly people around them. They are not fooling the Lord God!

If you were truly bought with the blood of Jesus, then you are a Christian. You are not someone who is wanting to cling to this life and have the luxury of “practicing” the life of a Christian.

You either are His, or you are not His. You are either a new creation, or you are still the old sinful one you were born as.

A TRUE CHRISTIAN HAS DIED TO THIS LIFE AND THE DESIRES FOR THIS WORLD AND NOW LIVES THEIR LIFE HIDDEN IN CHRIST AND LIVING AS CHRIST!

Their is no other option!

We don’t “practice” our faith, WE LIVE IT AND BECOME IT!!