So You Call Yourself A Christian

Paula White Exposed [video]

THAT’s My King! Pastor Lockridge [video]

Powerful Prayers from Children-This Will Shake You [video]

The Fear of the LORD is to Hate Evil: Pride, and Arrogancy #shorts [video]

by Trace Brown

How sure are you that you are right? Would you be willing to bet your eternity on it? Actually you are, and what if you are wrong? There would be HELL to pay! You say “Well, when I was eleven I gave my heart to the Jesus. Isn’t that enough?” That is a great question and one that will require looking into the scriptures to answer. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 it says for us to: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” First let us look at the scriptures dealing with salvation, i.e. “Eternal Life”. In John 3:3 it states “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” and then goes on to say in John 3:16 that ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Is it possible that you could have taken John 3:16 to heart and didn’t read or understand the rest of what Jesus was telling Nicodemus? In James 2:19 we are told that ”Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” So is “belief in Jesus” enough? Let us dive into more scriptures which I believe hold the key to answer this question. Now in Romans 10:9-10 it states “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Here once again if we just look at the surface meaning of this scripture it would seem that all one would have to do is to profess Jesus with our mouth and believe that He rose from the dead to be saved. But is this what these scriptures are saying or is there a deeper meaning that we should be looking for?

We will now begin the journey to see if confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouth i.e. “asking Him into our heart” is sufficient enough to base our eternal security on. I would like to show you some people who tried the “confession only” method as the means of their salvation. The first place I would like to go to is to a parable in Matthew 25:1-13. It states “¹Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. ²And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: ⁴But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. ⁶And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. ⁷Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. ⁸And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. ⁹But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.¹⁰And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. ¹¹Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹²But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. ¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

This scripture is about the 5 foolish and 5 wise virgins. I would like to point out a couple of interesting facts about these virgins. The first thing is that they were all virgins which by nature meant that they had set themselves apart. Second, I would like to point out that they were both looking for the bridegroom to come. These are people professing to be believers. However when the bridegroom does come back the foolish virgins were unprepared and while they were trying to get ready he took the wise virgins in and stated to the foolish “depart, I do not know who you are”. Now let’s look to Matthew 7:21-23. It states “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Pay close attention to the fact that they were calling Jesus lord but denying Him by their lifestyle of lawlessness.

This brings us to the practicing of lawlessness. Let’s look at some lifestyles that will exclude us from the kingdom of God . 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Romans 8:5-8 states that “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. ⁸So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Please awake from your slumber if you are still enjoying the sinful desires of the flesh.

Is salvation available before you make Jesus the lord of your life? Once again I believe our answers are found in the scriptures. In 1 John 2:3-6 it states that ”And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. ⁶He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Jesus states in Luke 6:46 ”And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”Remember in Romans 10:9 it states ““That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” When you confess Jesus as Lord (laying your life in His hands) you will do what he commands. If this is not a process that has happened in your life, if you still find yourself actively pursuing after the things of the flesh it could be that you have left out one important step. “REPENTANCE”

What exactly is repentance you ask? Let’s look to the scriptures to answer this question. In 2 Corinthians 7:10 it states ”For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” In Acts 3:19 we read “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” In Luke 13:3 it states “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

When looking at these scriptures it would appear that repentance is the changing of the mind. This means that you begin to think differently about your sin and turn from it. The things that would once bring you happiness; you come to realize that those things actually were your master. You were a slave to the world and the lust of the flesh. When you truly repent, He will change your desires and give you a new heart. You will begin to see sin the way God sees it. This in no way implies that we will no longer sin; it just means that we will be in pursuit of a holy lifestyle.

Let’s look back to the scriptures to find out about the pursuit of a holy lifestyle. In Matthew 7:21 is states “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” It would seem that it would be important for us to find out what the will of God is for us if it is a condition of our salvation. In Romans 12:2 it states “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” So for us to even begin to know what the will of God is requires us not to be conformed to this world. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 it states plainly: “³For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: ⁴That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; ⁵Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.” You see sanctification is a process that begins once you have been “born again”. This is a work of the Holy Spirit not of us; the requirements on our side are to repent, believe and obey. Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” If you still find yourself loving the things of this world; if you still find yourself making provision for the things of the flesh, it is quite possible that you have not had a true “born again” experience. After you repent, truly repent, the things that you would find pleasure in before; no longer would you find pleasure in them.

I would like to wrap this up with several finishing thoughts.

Without repentance there is no forgiveness of sins.

(Seeing sin the way Jesus sees it)

Without the pursuit of holiness you will not see God.

(Allowing your repentance to drive you away from sin)

Without making Jesus your LORD, there is no salvation.

(Turning to Jesus’ way of living)

If you are concerned that this may sound like a works based gospel let me remind you that it is by God’s grace that we are saved. We could never work enough to produce anything worthy of earning eternal life. Salvation is a free gift of God.

(It will only cost you everything!)

Trace Brown

PASS IT ON

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Testing the Fruit of our Lives
Victorious Fruit Bearing
The Laid Down Life

Abiding

7 Ways to Forgive [podcast]

PRAY

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44

LOVE AND DO GOOD TO THE OFFENDER

“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9

REFUSE TO SPEAK EVIL OF THE OFFENDER

“Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.” Romans 12:14

RELEASE THEM FROM YOUR PUNISHMENT

“Recompense (repay) to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19

DON’T CELEBRATE THEIR FAILURES

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: 18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” Proverbs 24:17-18

TREAT THEM THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Luke 6:31

STOP DWELLING ON THE PAST

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.” Isaiah 43:18

The blessedness of being merciful to others:

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

The only way to prevent holding a grudge, is to simply forgive them – as God freely forgave you through the infinite price Christ paid for your sins on the cross, of which you don’t deserve (Psalms 103:10).

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” James 5:7-9

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:30-32

Being kind and forgiving towards others becomes simple as we look in the mirror and declare with Paul the apostle: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” (Romans 7:18)

“He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Psalms 103:10

Forgiveness becomes easy when we look in the mirror to see the person (us, me) who needs God’s mercy more than any other person alive on the earth! Memorize Ephesians 4:32 now. KJB

“For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:20

“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:12-14

Forgiveness Quotes

Forgiveness is ultra important to God. If you don’t forgive all others, you are not forgiven of your own sin and are as sure for hell as if you were already there. If you refuse to forgive you damn your own soul, non-negotiably. irrevocably.

“Forgiveness does not mean what happened is okay. It means not letting what happened take any more of your happiness.” Michelle Maros

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” Bryant McGill

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness. Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me. Forgiveness is the final act of love.” Reinhold Niebuhr

“Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter. Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.” unknown

Forgiveness | Fresh Start with God | Making Peace with God

Support | STORE | Podcasts |

LESS than the Least! Filthy Rags Fellowship! [podcast]

The cross reveals your sin, and God’s love, not how wonderful you are! Repent! FACT: NO ONE, not one person on this earth needs Jesus more than this fool, this pauper who is nothing without Christ! (Romans 7:18; Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:15) Jesus died, was buried, and raised again from the dead to forgive, regenerate, redeem, and grant complete victory in this life to every one of His people. Yet, we must do things God’s way and no other way. JESUS JUDGED SIN ON THE CROSS SO WE DON’T HAVE TO BE JUDGED FOR OUR SIN AND SO WE […]

Stone Cold Truths about Mercy, Judgment, and Forgiveness [podcast]

HOW did God say He is known? – “by the judgment which he executeth.” Get ready! (Read 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 19:11-16.) “The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.” Psalms 9:16 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Proverbs 16:6 So let me get this straight…. you don’t mind that God forgave you, sinner, but now you want to control who else He chooses to forgive and have mercy on? Repent now you vile hypocrite! The flames of […]

Abiding

Christ’s Non-Negotiable Original Gospel Imperative [podcast]

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Matthew 12:30

It’s one thing to claim we are with Christ and He with us, and it’s another thing to prove we are with the Savior by adhering to His words. Jesus told us that those who are “of God” hear and obey His words (John 8:47).

If one chooses not to love Jesus enough to obey His stated terms, such a man has rejected the Son of God for the love of sinful self and will perish in his own corruption (Matthew 22:37-40; Luke 9:23-24; 14:33; 17:33; John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.).

“Repentance is to TAKE SIDES with God against yourself. It is a CHANGE of attitude toward SELF, toward SIN, toward GOD, toward CHRIST that is so REAL that it RESULTS in a changed life. It is raising the WHITE FLAG in SURRENDER to God and turning to Christ as your only LORD and Savior. Repentance is NOT a work … works are the fruit of repentance (Ephesians 2:8-10).” Trent Austin

Only the counterfeit will get upset at this Gospel message because such a rebel wants nothing to do with taking personal responsibility for his sin, the denial of self, the crucified life to be set apart, holy, and having the Savior reign!

Notice how Jesus knits the denial of self, the daily cross, the putting off the deeds of the body, of keeping under the body (the iniquitous fallen nature) with the destiny of the eternal soul.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” Luke 9:23-25

Jesus made it clear here that the cross is an original Gospel essential, an absolute imperative to eternal glory with Him!

Each of us proves exactly who we love the most by the way we are living! – God or self!

Everything that is happening in your life now is being allowed by God in order to get you down low into the death and burial with Christ. Read 2 Corinthians 4.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

What Did Paul Mean by "I Keep Under My Body"? [podcast]

In spite of all the evil that is me, dear LORD You have been so gracious (Genesis 6:5, 12; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7; Titus 3:5-7). Thank You Jesus. Please bless this life to be crucified with Thee! If OSAS/eternal security is true, WHY did Paul say he himself that he could be “castaway” from God in the end if he didn’t endure to the end, perpetually keep under his body (the cross life)? “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a […]

A Living Sacrifice unto God [podcast]

The burnt offering means a complete consumption. What did God illustrate to us when He required His people under the Old Covenant to offer burnt offering sacrifices? His coming Messiah’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The ordained way He requires that His people serve Him. Jesus was the ultimate burnt offering. He gave all of Himself freely in obedience to His Father and to redeem mankind. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 In His […]

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The Book of Proverbs Alexander Scourby [video]

The Blessings of Bible Reading [podcast]

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:3 The quickest and surest way to get blessed is to simply read God’s Word. This is so simple that most miss it. Bible reading is the key to learning the things of God (Prov. 22:17-22). Bible Study is paramount to spiritual growth (1 Pet. 2:2). Reading God’s Word etches the image of Christ upon the canvass of the heart (Lk 24:27; Jn 5:39, 46). Bible reading instills the fear of the […]

The Book of 2 Peter Narrated [podcast]

Chapter 1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3 according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that […]