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There are many of us in this world - even in our communities - who truly wish we could find a godly leader and a godly church to follow.
But this is never the case. The reason why we aren't finding them in a perfect world is that our God is a jealous Being and His will and ways are never easy for us to understand.
This was written in the scripture, "For jealous is he of his glory, and will not give his glory to another" (Job 34:15).
The Bible speaks volumes about what happens when a man chooses a religious and moral leader who is not committed to the truth and the Word of God and who leads in such a way that will turn a godly man away from the worship of God.
There are a lot of pretentious and immoral leaders in our contemporary Churches today, but then, how do we know who is a Christian and a true follower of Jesus?
The Biblical Standards
Is this the reason we all fall so far short in our worship of the true God?
Are we just looking for someone to lead us in the dark and say "that's good enough"?
A Self-Seeking Generation
Many men are leading in the church today who are only looking for personal gain or power.
These men do not give a second thought to the spiritual life and so they do not give their lives to the Lord.
They are not to be admired and respected, they are to be condemned. They are not just wrong leaders, they are not just immoral men.
They are self-seeking and egoistic, and they are apostate men. They are men whose names should be blotted from the Book of Life!
In the scripture, we see that we are warned by the church about these very men: "The Lord Jesus Christ said to him, "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
He answered, 'The one whom the master has put in charge of all the others; to give them their food at the proper time.' And the king knew that he was speaking about himself" (Luke 17:10-11). God warns us through His word not to follow these false leaders who are not committed to the Word of God.
Who Really Is A Christian?
I must tell you this: I believe I know a man who is a true follower of Jesus. This is a man I love, respect, admire, and am drawn to like no one else! I believe he is a true follower of Jesus.
He has been blessed with a deep and abiding knowledge of God, he seeks the Lord's will above all other things and above personal gain, and he has the highest of morals.
However, he has spent too much time with men who do not know God and are not committed to the truth.
He has spent too much time with those who will not lead by the truth, who will never hold their men to the highest standards, and who will tell their men anything to keep them happy and make money.
He has spent too much time with men who have never really believed the truth, men who do not know Jesus Christ but try to play a role for him because they know how much money and what the appearance of power will do for their ministry.
This man has not only heard the warning about false leaders but he has also been raised by them and has grown up with this attitude of being led by men who will say anything they need to keep their position in this corrupt world.
They are not just immoral; they are even apostate men! They are truly false leaders, leading their men astray from the truth.
The Role Of The Church.
This is the type of church we are talking about. We do not see a church that has been set apart from God by the Holy Spirit.
We see a church that has been taken over by those who are so far gone that they are not even real Christians and have forgotten the most basic of truths about the Christian faith.
It is not by accident that God will often leave this type of church in a community for a reason.
It is because God knows how easily and quickly it will catch on! It does not take long before he knows these false leaders are running the show.
So often we hear, "If only the church would just be led by a true leader, we would be a strong church!"
We have heard it over and over again, "The people who do the preaching don't seem to know what they are saying." We have heard it over and over again,
"No one ever wants to be called out about their lies and immorality." We have heard it over and over again, "No one cares what's going on in the lives of their men!"
We have heard it from so many who have seen the church go down the drain and the people begin to leave.
They see it happening right before their eyes. They feel like something is missing and they cannot put their finger on what that something is.
They often think of the many, many warnings God has given them, but it is so hard to do anything about it.
They say, "Well, they call me a Bible scholar, but I'm not sure what to do."
This is when they need to be reminded that the time has come to put their faith in Jesus. If they have not yet done so, now is the time.
We are not talking about just any kind of faith. We are not talking about just any kind of Bible study or praying about spiritual matters.
A Personal Relationship With God
We are talking about a faith that is made in a relationship with God and that is based upon a personal walk with Jesus Christ. It is a faith that is a total, complete surrender to the control of God.
It is faith that will cause you to do everything God would have you do. It is a faith that will transform you from the inside out.
It is faith that will cause you to take your destiny into your own hands. It is a faith that will help you become a strong man through His strength
Also read: The Hundred Percent Christian (1)
No man has ever experienced this kind of faith in his life. No man has ever been willing to follow Jesus to the point of his death!
You will know that a person has not come to grips with the importance of faith when you are constantly hearing about that person being attacked and judged in some way for their lifestyle and beliefs.
They do not think that faith will be their salvation. That is why it is so hard to find a man who is committed to the truth, a man who is committed to the Word of God, and a man who will not tell lies.
We know that a leader must be a man who does not lead by lies and does not lead man to sin.
A Complete Dependence On God
The truth is: "The Christian life cannot be lived by half measures. It is either the whole of life or it is nothing at all."
Jesus' whole life was a demonstration that he was a man who had surrendered to God's will and to what was right.
He knew what was right and what was wrong and he was committed to God.
He knew God would do the right thing and so he lived the whole of his life to see if his father would do the right thing!
Jesus was a man who was not the least bit concerned about himself. His whole life was about doing God's will and not man's.
A Selfless Service (Sacrificial Living)
The world, and the ungodly church that often follows, want to keep our attention on ourselves. We are not just to live a good life;
we are not just to give up the things that are wrong for the sake of being right. We are not just to serve God as long as we are comfortable.
We are to live a sacrificial life. We are not just to follow the law of God in our minds and our heart, we are to follow God as long as our hearts desire to serve Him and obey Him.
The Spirit-Led Life
In the first few verses of this chapter, God tells us to be led by the Spirit, to be guided by the Spirit, and to yield our minds to the things of the Spirit.
Here's a good question to ask yourself: Do you feel led by the Spirit? Do you do everything for the Lord? Do you believe the things the Lord has told you?
Do you think, "Is this really what God has told me to do?" Do you follow these things for the sake of God and what He has said?
Some of you have been told that you cannot be a Christian and follow a man or a woman for the purpose of making money.
We are not here to talk about the money that comes from your ministry. We are not here to talk about what you can get from your ministry. That is the wrong question. The right question is:
Do you believe what the Bible teaches you? Do you believe what God teaches you? Do you think that it is wrong for you to follow someone for money?
Do you think that God commands you to give money to men and women who you think know what they are doing and will do a good job for you? Do you feel it is wrong to do so?
Related: The Hundred Percent Christian (2)
God did not intend for you to have to go from person to person and ask that question.
In fact, that is not what He said to you. He has left you alone and told you to ask yourself these questions.
We have a responsibility, as God's representatives, to answer the questions that we have and to live the way He has called us to live.
We are not to be so blind and foolish as to forget that we serve a holy and righteous God and that the whole of our life is a test to see if we love Him.
If we live the whole of our life based upon what God says, the Holy Spirit will put His hand upon our lives and He will guide us.
God has given us much more than our eyes can see. He is giving us spiritual sight! Our eyes are being opened, but only to see the things of the Spirit, not to see the things of the natural world.
God is training our eyes to see spiritually so that we will know what the things of God are. He wants us to use our eyes and our minds to follow Him.
The eyes and the mind can lead us in the ways of the Spirit, but
the eyes and the mind are the only tools for God to use. They are not the Spirit! The
Bible in 2Cor. 5:7 says, “
We know that God will do things in our life that we could not do ourselves.
He will give us power in situations that we have never even thought of and through people who we have never thought we could trust.
We cannot go to God and ask Him to give us something we cannot do ourselves.
We cannot go to God and ask Him to make someone help, bless us, be a witness for us, or minister to us. We cannot go to God and say,
"Please bless us with an increase of this kind of money and that kind of power and to do this kind of teaching."
We must be led by the Spirit and have faith that God is making sure that we are in the proper places at the proper time to be helped by Him.
The Knowledge Of The Assurance (God’s Will)
He did not promise you a million dollars and a great ministry. He has promised that He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself.
When you have the right belief in God, you are no longer thinking and saying to yourself, "What am I going to do?
I don't think I can go this far, that far, or any place at all." You know that God will use whatever situation or person you have to do whatever He wants you to do. Your faith is being changed to what God has done for you through Christ.
Conclusion
The Bible says, “ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” – Romans 8:14, being a true follower, in summary, is yielding to the precepts of the scripture.
God’s word is the life you have to allow to guide you in all things, and in so doing you become the light to your world, and that is who a Christian is;
The hearer and doer of the word of God, not self-seeking, gain seeking, rather, a spiritual, loving, and earnestly, God-fearing in all ramifications.
A Christian is not just the born again believer in the gospel of salvation,
But also lives the lifestyle of Jesus. The Church of Christ is bestowed with the duty to uphold the principles of the kingdom of God, but Satan is behind the corruptible leaders, by ensnaring them through materialism.
Your take in this is to identify your stand in God and also be able to know by Scriptures and the help of God through His Spirit, to evaluate your life and those of others around you.
To be empowered to impact others by the word, live the way a Christian is ordained to live; as true followers of Jesus Christ.
Also read: The Hundred Percent Christian (3)
PRAYER
FATHER, IJN: I thank you for your daily eye-opening word of knowledge.
FATHER, IJN: Endue me with the spirit-led life, that was at work in Jesus
FATHER, IJN: By the power of the blood of Jesus, I resist every form of carnality and untruthful life.
COMMIT TO MEMORY
FURTHER READING
QUOTE
"If there is no scent of Christ's love on someone, then they bear no evidence of true devotion to Christ".
ASSIGNMENT
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