I want to start by saying that I don’t have a heaven or hell to put anyone in. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and have to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, according to John 3:3, we must be BORN AGAIN. Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This means that we are supposed to become a new creature and that the old man dies so that the new man in Christ can live. Yes, we will still have struggles in our flesh and our minds have to be renewed. Yes, God’s grace is sufficient but that does not mean that our lifestyles don’t have to change. Jesus Himself asks in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me lord but don’t obey me?” (paraphrasing) God’s grace is not a license to sin. It is a window of opportunity to come be cleansed and made whole. The Bible clearly states that we must work out our soul salvation and it also says to study to show thyself approved. What this boils down to is that there is in fact a standard. We who are children of God live differently than those who don’t believe and are in the world. The New Testament, especially the letters of Paul, is essentially about our new life in Him. The Bible is the code book, the script, the instructions that we are to live by. No one is immune to this reality. We cannot simply live any old kind of way and still call ourselves children of the Most High.
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him
The reason I am writing this is because the below link is to a post on a blog that perfectly illustrates the reason why Christianity in this country is a complete joke. It is also a shining example of the pervasive lukewarmness that is in the American church. It is the reason why the body of Christ has no power and influence in this country. Those who share this mindset are tares and not wheat. This blog shows the kind of mindset that will cause many on that day to hear those words “Depart from Me, I never knew thee.”
Please click on the link below and read.
http://www.dontquotetheraven.com/2013/05/im-christian.html
Ok so now you’ve read it. I know; it’s pretty sad isn’t it? I can see why believers in other countries think Americans are CLUELESS when it comes to being disciples of Jesus Christ because too many folks have the exact same attitude as the blogger. By the way, if you saw the numerous comments in response to the post, you will find that the overwhelming majority are in agreement with the blogger. Thus, a field full of tares. Counterfeit… Scary!!!
The blogger made the statement that no where in the Bible does it state that someone has to be perfect. But according to Paul in Philippians 3:12, we are supposed to strive for perfection in Christ. The ultimate goal is to be like Him. Right? I want to live a life that is pleasing to him. The kind of mindset exemplified in the shared blog post will never lead to a life that pleases Him. How do I know? Because the Bible says so. If your life hasn’t changed since supposedly accepting the call to follow Jesus then your salvation is in serious question. The concept of grace has been severely perverted by the modern day church in this country.
Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
I’m not trying to sound harsh; I just want to be real with you. Sadly, the author of the blog post I shared is truly lost in their own world of self-indulgence and wanting to live a life that centers around their desires, instead of a call to holiness and dying to self. I’m paraphrasing here but the Bible clearly states numerous times that the old man must die so that the new man can live. People want to stay stuck in their old ways and proclaim Christ as their lord, but it doesn’t work that way. We must become a NEW CREATURE. Wake up church.
Matthew 13:24-30 24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’
Matthew 13:36-41 36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
So there it is. Let’s remain wheat and not allow the DECEPTION of the age convert us into tares.
Nathan Allen Copyright ©2013
spiritualhardcandy 
Anonymous
September 3, 2013 at 11:02 am
Brotha. Thank you for setting record straight. Far too much time has passed & we who are supposed to represent the “standard” have been anything but that. My heart breaks for the lost who have never heard of Christ, but I must admit there is a righteous anger that wells up in me towards those who pervert God’s Word AND HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE TRUTH. God’s word is pure & needs to addition or reduction. The Blog you are referencing is text book Pseudo-Christianity. But this is prophecy being walked out right before our eyes. Again, testament to the infallibility of God’s Word. To not choose who we will serve Today is still a choice that was made. But if we choose Him, then it must be with everything we have & everything we are. I declare I am WHEAT!!!! God’s Word breaks me every time I read it. Why would I want anything else????
The P.O.E.T. aka The Anointed Pen
September 3, 2013 at 11:13 am
The Bible is very clear about what God requires from us if we’re going to be called “believers” or considered as “Christians”. Were either going to follow through & be committed to it or we’re not. There’s no middle ground. God holds us all accountable for our actions. God expects us to choose him all the way, not part way.
Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV: This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Joshua 24:15 NIV: But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
True followers of Christ understand that this is a lifestyle of daily prayer & commitment to being more like Christ, walking in the spirit & laying down our flesh. We cannot be Christians by name only. We are not Christians just by going to Church on Sunday. It’s a process of daily transformation. A timely post which speaks to the heart of the condition of the Church. We must do more to lead by example.
Anonymous
September 3, 2013 at 11:16 am
This is probably going to sound like a dissertation. (LOL) First, I want to commend you writing on such a tough topic. I wish more “Christians” would become “Believers” and consider Christ’s will and desires versus those of men. While I can fully appreciate the underlining cry in the blog of this woman for religion to come out of from the cover of condemnation, the prevalence of the post clearly presents the “tare” mentality that you so boldly address here. It’s a shame that so many people don’t understand that the pursuit of trust and faith in Christ has one single premise: To “ACTUALLY” make an honest, surrendering effort being like Him. If this pursuit is lacking, as you described here, then there NEVER WILL BE a conviction or a turning of sin. The new covenant revelation of repentance is not so much as SORROW over our sins; but the DESIRE to CHANGE and be TRANSFORMED from patterns, mindsets and processes that keep us in that John 10:10 death and away from the abundant life. After reading all those AMEN COMMENTS to what was written… MY SPIRIT SHAKES AND SHIVERS in the very fear of God. There’s such a pursuit in this hour to discover one’s OWN TRUTH. But I tell you, any truth outside of God’s truth IN US… is a LIE. We have been commanded to lean NOT into our own understanding. NONE OF US have arrived, but RUNNING TOWARD THE PRIZE is what God wants. All he is asking us to do is to PURSUE HIM with every ounce of our being, not settle in where we are and think “we are okay” in that place. God Forbid…
Timothy Titus Daugett
September 8, 2013 at 4:27 am
This was an excellent post. What makes it so good, is that you pointed out a real life example of what the tares look like and how they reason in order to justify themselves in their sin. Excellent post my brother. I’ll be sharing this on my page.
Raymonde Neely
September 8, 2013 at 8:04 pm
Well Written Nathan I too will be sharing this.