Do You Call Yourself Christian? :: By Dave Hubley

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

By no means is this article meant in any way other than to urge those who call themselves Christian to examine themselves to see if they truly are, as is commanded by the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

I recently had somewhat of a shock in speaking with a gal that I had assumed to be a very solid Christian sister.

I am not prepared to say that she isn’t a Christian, as it is not my call to make. It is between her and the Lord Jesus; however, it was disquieting to realize that she had either never truly accepted Jesus, or she had wandered into one of the more devious traps that Satan has laid for believers who have been side-tracked by the world: that is, reliance on human-centered knowledge and interpretation of world events from those very limited and convoluted sources. She held a view about God’s chosen people that was very antisemitic and patently unfair, not to mention unwise.

She is by no means the only person to profess to be a follower of Christ who has evidenced this weakness. It appears to be very common in this modern age of “information availability” and “worldly wisdom” that is not based on God’s Word.

What I speak of is this:

  • Failure of professing believers to read and study the Word of God every day.
  • Reliance on “conservative” weblogs, websites, and other sources on the internet being run by people who often claim to be Christians but who evidence only “worldly fruit” and very little evidence of knowledge of God’s Word.

This encounter put me in mind of the very real need that we have to closely examine whether we access our knowledge first as a Bible believer and also diligent Bible reader, and then as a Weblog watcher/reader, or do we just put our trust in the opinions of possibly unsaved personalities who often evidence that they are without the sure foundation of ALL of the Word of God.

Have you found yourself wandering away from or perhaps never having committed to reading the Word of God and receiving His Wisdom and Discernment, thereby enabling you to put on His full (Ephesians 6:13-17) armor so you are protected from the deception and lies of this worldly system?

I am no Bible scholar and not an educated man (in worldly terms), but I do read and study, first and foremost, God’s Word. I have also asked God for His Wisdom, His Discernment, and His Knowledge and for Him to gift me with a proper understanding of His Word and its unfailing Truth. As promised by Him, He has blessed me with these blessings in accordance with my ability to understand them.

This is through no special skill or ability that I have in and of myself. It is available to anyone who asks for it and believes that God will keep His Word.

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

I take this caution very seriously as well:

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

It is God’s Wisdom and Discernment, found through the study of God’s Word, that enables otherwise blind people to see through the false teachings so prevalent in every aspect of everyday life in these present times.

Whether the deceptions of the deceivers are intentional or unintentional, God’s gift of discernment is still necessary in order to separate Truth from untruth. Far too many of these “conservative” website hosts profess the name of Jesus but illustrate no real understanding of the Word of God or of understanding His nature. As a result, many of them are knowledgeable in terms of worldly politics and have a conservative bent, but their knowledge is often restricted to that area.

As well, being led by worldly wisdom without Biblical understanding results in putting hope in sinful human leaders who are flawed and compromised by this world system. It is this very trap that will lead to the most devastating period in history – the rise of the man of perdition, the antichrist, and the resulting 7-year Tribulation period, ending in the very real battle of Armageddon that the Bible has prophesied for 2000+/- years.

There are some conservative pundits who even promote taking a drug that purportedly “puts you in contact with long-lost relatives” and other such obvious connections to sorcery and the occult. This is an area that God is quite adamant in forbidding any contact or practicing of and reveals that consequences are terminal for those who actively participate in any form of it.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in those who are genuine followers of Christ will convict them of their sin and cause them a great deal of discomfort if they do not stop. But if they continue in this practice, it is fair to say that their claims to be saved by the blood of Christ may well be a case of self-deception. This is not just an opinion of mine but is clearly taught by Jesus Himself:

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16).

Now to the crux of this article.

I sound a warning to those who call themselves Christian but leave the unopened Word of God on a shelf and instead focus on human-based, extra-biblical sources for analysis and understanding of present-day world circumstances and conduct.

As an example, you will never be able to accurately understand the following if you are not biblically literate:

  • The current Muslim hatred of Israel and the resulting war(s).
  • The real reason for the destruction of America and the world’s hatred of it.
  • The mindless hatred of Jews without cause by so many different peoples.
  • The global increase of violent and catastrophic storms, floods, earthquakes, and other natural (and man-made) disasters.

These are just a very few of the world events that are currently on everyone’s everyday radar and are frequently the catalyst of comments such as, “Why is this happening?”

The “why” can be well understood but not without the presence of the Holy Spirit as the “interpreter” of these times.

I urge anyone who claims the Name of Jesus Christ to consider these things, and if you are convicted of this condition, repent and truly commit to Him and His Word first, and then you will be able to stand up under the present-day circumstances.

In the Special Message below are the conditions that God has set for genuine reconciliation and salvation to Him through His Son.

I pray you will make the effort to evaluate, commit, or recommit to Him and spend the time so necessary to a Godly understanding of this out-of-control world.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms and that you do so in your living years.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

  • Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
  • Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
  • That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
  • To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
  • Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
  • To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

  • No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
  • No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
  • Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com