Imported User:
Today, I want to conclude this message which I began some weeks ago. Before I rounded off last week, I asked some questions: Are you a genuine or fake Christian? Have you truly given your life to Jesus, submitting to the Word of God? Or are you just pretending to be a Christian--- going to church to look for the blessings of God without knowing the giver? You may call yourself a Christian, but are you living according to the Word of God?
These questions are important in view of what Jesus said in the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds) in Matthew 13:24-30. As I said earlier in this series, we can say that there are two categories of people in the church today – genuine Christians and fake Christians. The genuine believers, true saints, are the wheat planted by the farmer, Jesus, through his ministers, while the fake believers, hypocrites, are the tares or weeds planted by the enemy (the devil).
Who is a genuine Christian? A genuine Christian is one who has given his or her life to Jesus and lives in obedience to His Word. “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings’” (John 8:31 NLT).
Are you obeying the teachings of Jesus? Matthew 7:21-23 says, “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my father in heaven. On judgement day, many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorised”(NLT). Not everyone who goes to church is regarded by God as a genuine Christian. By their fruits you shall know them.
(Matthew 7:16, 20, 12:33) Jesus said, “My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my father” (John 15:8 NLT).
Don’t deceive yourself, repent now!
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7 NKJV).
Don’t deceive yourself by the position you occupy in church, or how long you claim to have been born again. You must repent now and be genuinely converted because a time is coming when repentance will be too late. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:22). “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30 NKJV).
Pastors and other concerned Christians may not be able to stop fake Christians from joining their assemblies. Some church leaders may even lower the standard; they may dilute or adulterate the Word so as to have more members! However, God has appointed a time for separation and judgement.
‘‘He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his work”(Revelation 22:11-12 NKJV). If you are not genuinely born again, or you are a Christian living in sin, repent now and be genuinely converted.
