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JOHN 8:31-32
[Jesus Christ]: If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. JOHN 6:45-47 Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. |
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| 10 Tips for Getting your Christian Life Back on Track |
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SERIES—PART 3 Here are the final 4 steps you can take to help get your life back on the right path... For the rest of the tips, please see part 1 and part 2. Tip #7: Don't compromise with error As incredible as it sounds, believers can sometimes find themselves defending the need to defend truth. While most matters of life are "compromisable" and we should certainly seek to live at peace with everyone, truth can never be compromised. Truth is a foundational principle of God's will—it will indeed "set you free." And just as Christ adhered strictly to truth, so must His people. Doing so, sadly, will put us at odds with others. Many people apparently confuse love with tolerance (1 Corinthians 5). And tolerance these days implies "acceptance." So, they learn to accept the corrupt lives of those around them in society, simply because it's politically or religiously correct to do so. These same casual attitudes often also reflect themselves in their view of false Christian religions. They learn to develop tolerant attitudes toward those God has strictly warned us about. Due to these attitudes, they may eventually even find themselves part of and in support of those religions. However, the Bible has repeatedly warned us about the danger of false prophets and teachers, who are numerous in our world today. For example: 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Matthew 7:15-16; 24:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-4; Acts 20:29-30; Matthew 15:14; 1 Timothy 1:3-4; 6:20-21; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Philippians 3:2-3—and many others. As you can see, time after time the Bible warns Christians to be on serious guard against CHRISTIAN false prophets. Yet so few today seem to be aware of them—and usually because they ignored tip #2 above. The Bible says: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.If a Christian takes these warnings lightly, and begins to compromise with anti-Biblical practices and teachings, it will be impossible for that person to have a proper relationship with Christ. Some Christians become discouraged because their conservative churches are cold, inactive, and unspiritual. Consequently, they seek out liberal Christian religions that clearly are unBiblical in both teaching and practice. If your congregation worships in truth, but lacks the spirit, find out how you can have both. It makes no sense to worship God in spirit without the truth either. Remember (see above), both are REQUIRED to do God's will (John 4:24). Don't make the mistake of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. And one more VERY IMPORTANT matter. To find truth, you must obviously be open-minded. But please don't be so "open-minded" that your brain falls out. Tip #8: Don't let church traditions discourage you from your quest for truth Many modern churches worship according to the Bible—except they've developed traditions that sometimes become more important than what's best for Christ and His church. Over the years, I've discovered several common church teachings and practices that are really based on "men's traditions" rather than on God's word. Traditional Christians will often pressure others to follow their traditions (Colossians 2:16), even when those traditions have become burdens that hamper the cause of Christ—or even directly disobey Biblical teachings (which they often do—Matthew 15:1-9). Jesus said: They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." (Matthew 15:9)Regardless of others' pressure on you, continue to remember that if it's not in the Bible, it's not in the Bible. The Bible is our guide, not men or women. Conversely, if it IS in the Bible, do it! Everything there was put there because it belonged there. Don't be like many modern liberal Christian religions that have decided to ignore plain Biblical teachings in order to attract larger audiences. Determine to obey all of it, because that's the will of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). Being in the minority because you're doing the right thing is nothing new. The Bible is full of examples of people who had to do that to please God—and they were greatly rewarded for doing so. Tip #9: Find a work of Christ you can "throw yourself into" God is Spirit, but He put you in a physical world. One reason is that He wants you to serve Him in this physical world, with your physical body. So, evaluate your talents and find a cause you can pour yourself into. Remember, God does not want Christians to be complacent, but zealous for Christ's cause—above all other causes (Romans 12:11). Therefore, find a cause of the church that matches your talents, and then busy yourself with it. And thereby you will start laying up treasure in heaven. Tip #10: Stay in close touch with other spiritually minded true Christians Isolation is the last phase of spiritual death. Just as the lion seeks to devour those on the fringes of the herd—the weak and young—so satan desires those who are on the fringes of the church and have become weak and isolated. The Bible states: Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)So, get in touch and stay in touch with other spiritually minded Christians, and seek to continually grow in Christ. Early Christians met very frequently. The Bible states: Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.Your very soul, and those of your family, may depend on your dedication to this and the other points of this article. Apply yourself to them, and watch your Christian life begin to blossom again. Additional recommended reading: God's Basic Instructions for your Christian Life.
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