After struggling through parts 1-3 of this blog, God poured out part 4 to me rather quickly.  Thank you God!

According to the latest polls there are over 2 billion people that consider themselves Christians worldwide.  That is 1/3 of the world’s population.  Of course the number hasn’t always been that high but with the number that high we must ask, why does God say only a few will find eternal life with him?  Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life and only a few find it.…”  Who are the few?  How can 1/3 of the population be called a few?

There is a popular belief that if we say a prayer we will go to heaven but is that true?  Doesn’t God’s word say something entirely different?  While it’s true that we could be at the end of our life and be accepted into the kingdom by a sudden change of our hearts (Luke 23:43), the fact remains our hearts must change.  Reciting words can be compared to circumcising the body.  You can circumcise the body, an outward appearance of Godliness, and continue to do whatever you want to do.  But Paul said in Galatians 5:6 that circumcision had no value and that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”  God doesn’t want words, He wants our hearts circumcised.  If your hearts are circumcised, our lives will produce good fruit. 

My children often say I love you to me and my wife after they have made bad choices.  We often say, “I love you too but actions mean more than words.  We don’t ask for perfection.  We just want effort.”  God is no different.  He knows we can’t be perfect.  He just wants effort because if our heart is right we will have effort.  Words without effort are words in vain.      

In Philippians Paul makes a bold statement that has recently led me to a greater understanding of what Jesus meant in Matthew 7.  Philippians 3:18 “For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.”  He goes on to say that even though those people called themselves Christians their minds were set on earthly things.  Because their minds and hearts were not renewed, they would not inherit the Kingdom of God.  When our minds are set on earthly things we are not being led by the spirit of God.  When we are not being led by the spirit of God we are naked in His sight.

When God speaks to the church of Laodecia in Revelation, He urges believers to buy clothes from Him to cover their shameful nakedness.  It is not coincidental that in Luke Chapter 8 a demon possessed man was wandering around naked.  As soon as Jesus cast out the demons the man was again clothed.  Our clothes in the physical world represent God’s covering over us because He gave us clothes in the garden when we realized we were naked.  To take off our clothes means to walk away from Him and be led by our sinful nature. 

When Jesus comes back again we must have our clothes on.  Revelation 16:15 “Look, I come like a thief!  Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed."  If we live for our sinful nature and live in the world for what we can get, we are not clothed in His spirit.  1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”  If we are not led by His spirit we are not His children.  Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

Am I trying to say in this 4 part blog that salvation is earned by works?  Absolutely not.  It is a free gift from God.  But even free things can have requirements.  Have you ever gotten excited and bought something after seeing it had a large rebate?  Rebates are a great strategy by the seller.  Why?  Because they know many buyers will be too lazy to get their free money.  In order to get your free money you must follow the rules they set in place.  If you get busy with life and put it off, the expiration date will sneak up on you and it will be too late.  We don’t know when our expiration date is.  If we are not careful, if we mess around thinking that day is still far off, we will find ourselves on the outside looking in.   

What are God’s requirements for His free gift?  He wants your heart.  Going to church doesn’t make us right with God.  Reading the Bible doesn’t make us right with God.  Saying a prayer doesn’t make us right with God.  To be made right with God we must act, we must turn, we must change.  James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

In the Gospel of John Jesus says that if we believe in Him we are one with Him, we are in Him.  But later He says something that should strike fear in us.  While describing Himself as the vine He says believers are the branches.  Because we are connected to the vine we can bear much fruit.  But if we don’t bear fruit, we are not connected to Him and if we are not connected to Him, we will be discarded.  John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit” How can a believer not bear fruit?  When a believer allows their sinful nature to control their lives.  We reap what we sow.  We follow what controls us.  Romans 6:16-17 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  We have to choose God will all our hearts.

Jesus is coming soon.  Don’t believe the lie that you are ok because you said a prayer or because you were baptized.  2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?  What is the test?  Is your life full of the fruit of the sprit:  love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?  Do you look forward to seeing God more than seeing your next vacation destination?  Do you spend more time in the word and in prayer than watching tv?  Do you get more excited about spending money on others than you do yourself?  Are you more worried about pleasing God than impressing your friends?

2 chronicles 7:14  if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.  “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.  And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

No blog has ever been harder for me to write.  Some days I just made note of a Bible verse I found.  Other days I wrote one or two sentences.  As I continued to pray God continued to give me the words piece by piece.  As I struggled through parts 1-3 I realized that I needed a part 4 to finish.

In part 1 I said we can be confident that we know God and He knows us if we keep His commands.  In part 2 I again stated that if we love God we will strive to keep His commands and if we keep His commands and live by His spirit we will produce much fruit.  In part three we will examine what a life with good fruit looks like. 

In the Gospel of John when Jesus was speaking of His death He said to His disciples, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”  Then later in John 15:13 Jesus talks about His death again.  “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”  But Jesus was not only talking about His life.  He was also talking about ours.

 In Matthew 16:24 Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  What did taking up their cross symbolize?  Jesus gave up His life and was crucified for us.  The apostle Paul said that when we were baptized we were baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3).  If we truly love God, we will lay down our life for Him, like He laid down His life for us.  If we lay down our life for Him and die to ourselves, we will produce many seeds, which will produce much fruit.  If we live for ourselves apart from God, we can’t produce good fruit.  To produce good fruit we must die first.     

Our old self, our outer shell must come off before we can grow into a plant that produces many more seeds.

When you die to yourself you live like Jesus lived.  Did Jesus live to see how much fun He could have?  Did Jesus live to acquire wealth?  Did Jesus live for His wants, His satisfactions, or His pleasures?  Absolutely not!  Jesus lived to please His father.  He lived the life of a servant.  He went where He was needed.  He helped those that were suffering.  He fed those that were hungry.  When we die to ourselves the same spirit that was in Jesus will work through us.  Our lives will look like His life because we will be one with Him.  So a life with good fruit will look like Jesus’s life. 

When someone insults us we will be slow to anger.  When we are mistreated we won’t try to fight back.  When someone steals from us we won’t try to get the money back but will instead pray for them.  When trouble comes we will be filled with a peace that is unshakeable.  We will have a love for all that is without want.  We will give freely of our time, our talents, and our money to benefit others and to glorify God.  We will assume a low position and put others before our wants or desires. We will be in constant thanksgiving and prayer and we will always trust in our Father’s plan.  We will be hard working knowing that we are not working for man but working for God.  We will constantly be filled with hope no matter where we go or what we do.  Our eyes will be fixed on heavenly places and we will live as someone just passing through, without our thoughts wrapped up in the day to day activities of this world.  Our faults and failures will cause a great sorrow within us.  We will grieve our mistakes to the point of tears.  We will cry out to God for mercy.  Our hearts will sing songs of praise.  We will think about God from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed; he will consume our thoughts.

A young child always emulates their parents.  If you are a child of God you will emulate Him.  Perhaps nothing sums it up better than 1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”  If you are a child of God you will have a great love for everyone.

In part 4 we will look at the saddening truth that satan has many believers deceived.