The Way
“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’
Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’
Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, ‘How can these things be?’
Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
‘He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.’” John 3: 1-21NKJV
First things first.
Jesus is the only way.
Jesus is the only way to God, to Heaven, to not spending eternity in hell. “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This may be the most fundamental doctrine of Christianity. “…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Being a Liberal/ Democrat/ Progressive is not the way.
Being a Conservative/ Republican/ Tea Party Patriot is not the way
Following denominational doctrines and traditions is not the way.
Accepting all religions as having certain truths is not the way.
Being one with mother earth or adhering to astrology is not the way.
Being a good person is not the way.
“Say what?!”
Nope. Not even that. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9 KJV
Jesus is the only way.
So, when you say things like, “you can’t be a Christian if…,” unless that statement is followed by something to the effect of, “you have not confessed your sins and received Jesus the anointed one as the only begotten son of God,” then your statement is a lie.
“You can’t be a Christian if you don’t believe in the welfare system,” is a lie.
“You can’t be a Christian if you support a refugee travel ban,” is a lie.
And the one I’m guilty of, “You can’t be a Christian if you support a women’s right to commit violence against her unborn child.” Yes, that, too, is a lie.
“You can’t be a Christian if Jesus in not your savior.” That’s the truth.
This is not to say that those you oppose have not been deceived into a wrong way of thinking. That may very well be the case. Even Eve was deceived by the enemy. She let her emotions guide her thoughts, which ultimately guided her actions.
But a word of caution: “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets]. Matthew 7: 15-20 AMP
If you are connected to God through Jesus then you have God’s spirit in you. “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 NKJV With His spirit in you, learn to lean on Him to lead you and guide you into all truth, and away from the deception of your emotions, the deceptions of the enemy and the deceptions of false prophets. .
Deception comes in many forms to the believer. But do not be deceived into thinking the godless will enter His Kingdom. There is no excuse for denying God. One cannot claim to have been deceived when they meet their maker:
“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” Romans 1: 18-25 NLT
In His Service,
Rebecca Hamilton, Founder/ Executive Director
For Every Great Battle, There is a Great Victory!!