Acts 4:15-17 ESV
Name of Jesus Popularized
In America today it is not a crime to speak in the name of Jesus. In fact, so many movies have been made about Jesus that the name of Jesus has become very popularized. But most of this is a twisted and altered version of the true Jesus of the Bible in order to appease and to appeal to human flesh, and to make the name of Jesus socially acceptable. Even Christianity and the word “gospel” have become popularized, but again most of this is a twisted and altered version of true biblical Christianity and the gospel of Christ.
Basically they have brought God/Jesus Christ down to our level and they have made Jesus more human. Now he was a human, but he was and is also fully God. But he was not born with a sin nature as we are because he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man. So, although he dwelt in a flesh body as we have, he was and is fully holy, fully God, and without sin. So we must be very careful that we do not make Jesus like us but that we are becoming like him, and that we are not misrepresenting his true character.
So, since the name of Jesus has become popularized here in America via movies and TV series and social media memes, and via humanistic sermons not of the Spirit of God, and the like, speaking his name is not a crime, not yet, anyway. But what is considered taboo in many circles is to speak the truth of his divine character, and to speak all of what he taught, and to speak the truth of the gospel of our salvation as was taught by him and by Paul and by the other apostles. For not many are telling the truth.
So, if you are one who teaches the true biblical character of God, of Christ Jesus, and who teaches the full gospel message, the whole counsel of God, and not this diluted and altered character of Jesus and of his gospel, then you are very likely to be ostracized by much of today’s modern “churches,” and by modern “Christianity,” and even by some Christian discussion sites on the internet. For not many people these days want to hear the truth, but they want their itching ears tickled with feel-good messages (lies of Satan).
And you may be called all sorts of names, and you may be accused of being hyper-religious or of being legalistic or of being a teacher of a false gospel by those who are teaching a false gospel of our salvation. For the liars and deceivers have gained much popularity among the people, and the masses are flocking to them to have their itching ears tickled with the lies. And the masses are being convinced that the truth is a lie and the lie is the truth, and so if you are teaching the truth, expect to be rejected and cast aside.
Lies and Truth
So, what is the lie they are spreading? They are largely teaching that we can believe in Jesus Christ one time (belief usually not explained), and that we can have all our sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and that heaven is now guaranteed us when we die, and that it cannot be taken away from us regardless of how we live our lives on this earth. And some are even teaching that we do not have to repent of our sins and we do not have to obey the Lord and that no works are required of us at all.
So, they are giving the “believers in Jesus Christ” carte blanche to continue living in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience and without consequence while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny. And so we have a large number of people in America professing faith (belief) in Jesus Christ whose lives have not been altered by the gospel message, and who are still living the same as they were before, still clinging to their sins, and still walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit.
And what is the truth of the gospel? Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we lose our lives, i.e. we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, and so that is what we are doing, then by his grace we have the hope of eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).
Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. Many are going to stand before him on that Day proclaiming him as Lord and confessing all the things they did in his name and he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawless,” for they did not obey the Lord, but they gave lip service to him only thinking that they would still have the hope of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
So, the truth of the gospel is that we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we must now walk in him in righteousness and in holiness and in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and no longer in sin, or we do not have the hope of eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, and heaven will not be our eternal destiny. So we need to get this.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Keep Speaking the Truth
So, if you are believing that you can believe in Jesus one time in your life and that heaven is now guaranteed you when you die regardless of how you live on this earth, then you are believing a lie, not the truth. Please read the above noted Scriptures in their context, for the Scriptures do not support that belief. They teach we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness from now to eternity, not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection, but in righteous living and in obedience to our Lord as our practice, and with sin no longer being our practice.
And if you are believing the truth of the gospel, and if you are spreading the truth of the gospel, and not the lies, then be encouraged to keep on speaking the truth no matter what persecution and opposition you may face. For the truth is what will save lives, not lies. The lies may sound good, and they may feel good to human flesh, but they are still lies. And if lies are what you believe, heaven is not your eternal destiny. But if the truth is what you believe, then you have the hope of eternal life. But the truth is defined by the Scriptures in full context, not by human flesh.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
“But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, ‘What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.’ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard’.”
Name of Jesus Popularized
In America today it is not a crime to speak in the name of Jesus. In fact, so many movies have been made about Jesus that the name of Jesus has become very popularized. But most of this is a twisted and altered version of the true Jesus of the Bible in order to appease and to appeal to human flesh, and to make the name of Jesus socially acceptable. Even Christianity and the word “gospel” have become popularized, but again most of this is a twisted and altered version of true biblical Christianity and the gospel of Christ.
Basically they have brought God/Jesus Christ down to our level and they have made Jesus more human. Now he was a human, but he was and is also fully God. But he was not born with a sin nature as we are because he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and not of man. So, although he dwelt in a flesh body as we have, he was and is fully holy, fully God, and without sin. So we must be very careful that we do not make Jesus like us but that we are becoming like him, and that we are not misrepresenting his true character.
So, since the name of Jesus has become popularized here in America via movies and TV series and social media memes, and via humanistic sermons not of the Spirit of God, and the like, speaking his name is not a crime, not yet, anyway. But what is considered taboo in many circles is to speak the truth of his divine character, and to speak all of what he taught, and to speak the truth of the gospel of our salvation as was taught by him and by Paul and by the other apostles. For not many are telling the truth.
So, if you are one who teaches the true biblical character of God, of Christ Jesus, and who teaches the full gospel message, the whole counsel of God, and not this diluted and altered character of Jesus and of his gospel, then you are very likely to be ostracized by much of today’s modern “churches,” and by modern “Christianity,” and even by some Christian discussion sites on the internet. For not many people these days want to hear the truth, but they want their itching ears tickled with feel-good messages (lies of Satan).
And you may be called all sorts of names, and you may be accused of being hyper-religious or of being legalistic or of being a teacher of a false gospel by those who are teaching a false gospel of our salvation. For the liars and deceivers have gained much popularity among the people, and the masses are flocking to them to have their itching ears tickled with the lies. And the masses are being convinced that the truth is a lie and the lie is the truth, and so if you are teaching the truth, expect to be rejected and cast aside.
Lies and Truth
So, what is the lie they are spreading? They are largely teaching that we can believe in Jesus Christ one time (belief usually not explained), and that we can have all our sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and that heaven is now guaranteed us when we die, and that it cannot be taken away from us regardless of how we live our lives on this earth. And some are even teaching that we do not have to repent of our sins and we do not have to obey the Lord and that no works are required of us at all.
So, they are giving the “believers in Jesus Christ” carte blanche to continue living in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience and without consequence while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny. And so we have a large number of people in America professing faith (belief) in Jesus Christ whose lives have not been altered by the gospel message, and who are still living the same as they were before, still clinging to their sins, and still walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit.
And what is the truth of the gospel? Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we lose our lives, i.e. we are crucified with him in death to sin, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, and so that is what we are doing, then by his grace we have the hope of eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).
Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. Many are going to stand before him on that Day proclaiming him as Lord and confessing all the things they did in his name and he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawless,” for they did not obey the Lord, but they gave lip service to him only thinking that they would still have the hope of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).
So, the truth of the gospel is that we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we must now walk in him in righteousness and in holiness and in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), and no longer in sin, or we do not have the hope of eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, and heaven will not be our eternal destiny. So we need to get this.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
Keep Speaking the Truth
So, if you are believing that you can believe in Jesus one time in your life and that heaven is now guaranteed you when you die regardless of how you live on this earth, then you are believing a lie, not the truth. Please read the above noted Scriptures in their context, for the Scriptures do not support that belief. They teach we must die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness from now to eternity, not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection, but in righteous living and in obedience to our Lord as our practice, and with sin no longer being our practice.
And if you are believing the truth of the gospel, and if you are spreading the truth of the gospel, and not the lies, then be encouraged to keep on speaking the truth no matter what persecution and opposition you may face. For the truth is what will save lives, not lies. The lies may sound good, and they may feel good to human flesh, but they are still lies. And if lies are what you believe, heaven is not your eternal destiny. But if the truth is what you believe, then you have the hope of eternal life. But the truth is defined by the Scriptures in full context, not by human flesh.
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
